Loaded up to ride at the Park

The plan being 7 miles or so at Versailles.  The roads have been nicely clear for four days or so, however, we get to the park and they had it gated off,  giving no access to the horse trails.  So I had to turn around and haul back home.  Was not in the mood for arena type work today as we did that yesterday.  So Doug and I both saddled up and we rode where we could off the property out here.  We discovered that there is a big tree down out where I usually train blocking access to my hill training loop.  It will take a chain saw and some muscle to clear it out and good hike on foot carrying the chainsaw to get back there.  So! Plan A and Plan B were shot.  So we decided to try for Plan C so we backtrack, skirt the neighbor's property, cross the road and see if we can cross Laughery Creek to get to a big field and acreage on the other side.  Half of the creek is clear and flowing ice, but the other half was iced over with running water beneath which would have made for a very dangerous crossing...so that was out too.  Plan D---ride the horses to the end of our road where it intersects with a busy blacktop road (where people drive 50+ in a 30 zone).  Doug's horse did pretty well, and Phebes made it but she was moving glacially slow while going that direction.  We took a little side jog to check out another trail only to find it had three trees down on it, backtracking again.  Out to the end of the road and back home which isn't very far.  So we pretty much didn't get to go anywhere, but rode for an hour and a half.  Phebes was huffing and puffing, so it was a good workout at least even if it otherwise felt unproductive.  Having Cree on the road helped.  We did have one car come down the road and Phebes got high headed and bracey.  I had her off the side of the road to let the car go by,  at least she didn't jump around like she usually does.  Phebes is very sticky when learning something new and tends to be extremely reactive.  Then once she "learns" it is oh....yeah....we do that all the time.  It just takes a lot of repetition in a safe environment first to gain her confidence.  Though the afternoon did not go as I had hoped and planned, it was still awful good to breathe the clean air, with the sun shining above, and the horse warm below.  Good that Doug came along with me too as the first few rides after a layoff tend to be a little "hairy" at first.  ~E.G.