Go more than twelve miles next week? You have got to be kidding me!
The current footing is very hard for Journey to navigate with the ice crust one day, and slick clay under-mud beneath it. We've been booting the fronts, but at times I still notice sensitivity over rocks, and frozen ground. Just a slight shorter stepping in her gait. This weekend I hope to get the custom pads put into her front boots and see how things go from there. We are doing some slow hills, but have set aside actual hill intervals until the footing is better suited to do so. So that leaves us with stretching our distance...and flat trotting sessions. Journey needs move of that as her pulse can sort of hang a bit post ride. Still down in ten minutes, but often taking nearly the whole ten. She is also very reactive in day parking, pulse up, down, up, up, up, down. Definitely more exposure needed in this area. On the whole I've been really happy with our rides lately. She's been more focused, less shenanigans, more work. When things go well with Journey I feel very lucky to have her, and I'm having a lot more of that lately. She, like Phebes, is not a horse you can put away, then saddle up several days, or a few weeks later without some pre-work. You kind of have to keep her tuned up, even if the session is short. I love how this little mare is out on the woodland trails. Slow and steady, never balky, hasn't found her true go yet, but I figure time and condition will help with that. The next ride goal is 14-15 miles. Stay tuned. ~ E.G.
The current footing is very hard for Journey to navigate with the ice crust one day, and slick clay under-mud beneath it. We've been booting the fronts, but at times I still notice sensitivity over rocks, and frozen ground. Just a slight shorter stepping in her gait. This weekend I hope to get the custom pads put into her front boots and see how things go from there. We are doing some slow hills, but have set aside actual hill intervals until the footing is better suited to do so. So that leaves us with stretching our distance...and flat trotting sessions. Journey needs move of that as her pulse can sort of hang a bit post ride. Still down in ten minutes, but often taking nearly the whole ten. She is also very reactive in day parking, pulse up, down, up, up, up, down. Definitely more exposure needed in this area. On the whole I've been really happy with our rides lately. She's been more focused, less shenanigans, more work. When things go well with Journey I feel very lucky to have her, and I'm having a lot more of that lately. She, like Phebes, is not a horse you can put away, then saddle up several days, or a few weeks later without some pre-work. You kind of have to keep her tuned up, even if the session is short. I love how this little mare is out on the woodland trails. Slow and steady, never balky, hasn't found her true go yet, but I figure time and condition will help with that. The next ride goal is 14-15 miles. Stay tuned. ~ E.G.
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