Phebes is not a happy camper. Her temperment is too similar to mine. Flighty, nervous, and now cabin fever. She is sick of being stalled, sick of being turned out in the snow, and just plain tired of the cold. ME TOO!
I started my weekly work out this morning. Set the resistance way higher on the bike, so the most I was able to pump through was eight miles, wet with sweat at that point, staggered to the bedroom, turned the fan on high, and collapsed on the bed. Not your typical cool down. I've got a LONG LONG way to go. The setting on the bike now is like pulling a long gradual grade on the bike, as opposed to riding on the flat. So I'm not feeling too bad with the eight mile vs. the ten or eleven I was doing. I'm just riding until I can't ride anymore, and hey! if your legs have gone to rubber and you are ready to pass out, it has to be a workout, right??? *LOL*
We are still covered in layers of snow and ice. Phebes will likely need some remedial training before we can start again just to be safe. It looks like we aren't going to get any good riding in for awhile, and I'll likely have to step back and re-access my training protocol. She probably has enough of a base on her now that we can just grab a 12 week program and fly with it by March if the weather will remotely cooperate. It amazes me that people start these rides in the spring, and the horses have at it and finish with amazing times, but I guess that is where having a good conditioning base built on your horse over several years comes in.
I'm longing for a warm spring day, curry comb in hand, wads of winter fur flying off my horse, a warm sudsy shampoo of my whole horse, blow drying "round pen style", and loading up for trail work. We still have quite a TO DO LIST:
* Portable electric pen.
* Getting fitted and used to hoof boots, ordering some easyfoam for competition.
* Lightening up our load on the saddle.
* Trying out the Skito pad with current saddle.
* Increasing the overall speed of our workouts, we are way too slow (yes, you read right...after crabbing about how fast she's going, I'm saying we are too slow. Actually I AM NOT BALANCED ENOUGH TO KEEP ALIVE AT SPEED). We will go to training about 3 times per week, with 2 fast short rides of 7.5 miles, and one long slow for 10-15 miles. I'll probably ride my short loops solo and work on building her confidence with me alone rather than in the pack. Our longer ride I'll try to have a riding partner. Hoping Chris or David will hang with me on the longer rides.
* Rigging up a snack bag for Phebes on the cantle of my saddle.
* Switching out to my english leathers and easyride stirrups.
* Gutting the horse trailer of all NON-ESSENTIAL items.
* Purchasing my annual park pass.
* Purchasing an extra arabian S-Hack.
* Selling some more items I have around here that I don't really need, like my size one Epic boot, western stirrup pads (new), I may go ahead and sell the treeless.
* My Abetta Arabian needs rigged back together in case in crisis I should need it, or want to ride Puddin' a little using it.
* Need to pick me up a new sponge and sponge leash.
* All the winter blankets need washed and air drying.
Those are just things I can think of off the top of my head!
Out of my dreamy happy place now, and I must suit up for barn cleaning in the cold! ~E.G.
...how much do you want for that size 1 easyboot? :))
ReplyDelete$25? It is a size one, made after 2005, used it a bit, but overall in good shape. There are some superficial nicks in the gaitor where my old mare interfered at the gallop but don't go all the way through.
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