April 3, 2010

A Rainy Spring Saturday

Not much happening on our frontier. Typical April weather today, wind and rain. I was finally able to squeeze in a somewhat uninspired schooling ride early this morning. We worked pretty hard yesterday for an hour and a half. Not much distance, but trying to pick up the pace a little. My training loop goes out three miles, and then three miles back. Much of it is single track through narrow woodland trails, all of it is either up or down, with very little flat. So to pick up the pace you need the footing to be dry (as in not sinking in more than pastern deep). Yesterday was the only day dry enough to actually move out in over six months. We worked at cantering with only one big sideways spook that was just plain "ornery" on her part. I put a knot in her tail, rode assertively, and no more she-nan-igans.

Today being a drencher my mind has been on getting a few things together I know I'll need for camping. Rural King was my stopping off place to stock up on AAA and D batteries, butane lighters, gas cylinders to heat my dressing room/ sleeping area, and horse shampoo to get some of the crud out of Phebe's mane and tail which are yellow vs. snowy white like they should be. For the most part my stuff is in totes, so I just have to inventory to make sure it's all there. I have accumulated enough stuff to get the job done. Primitive, but it works for the most part.

The sun is supposed to come out tomorrow. If it isn't a sloggy mess out back I'm going to work again on trotting and canter intervals out on the trail.

1 comment:

  1. We just got wind and a sprinkle of rain.

    Michelle

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