Muddy & Slow

We did accomplish half of an LD but the time would have been too slow in a real world scenario.  Journey is definitely not a horse that excels in the mud.  She thinks mud means "walk."  Of course a rutted muddy course doesn't give you a lot of wiggle room.  So we didn't make the 4.5 mph average for the 15 miles.  I was in fact on foot for some of it on the last section to just give her a break on a long downhill.  She was well behaved for the away ride. She drank well on trail, and ate good when we finished.  Her trailer loading today left room for improvement, but I got her there and I got her home....just need to revisit it again.   I suppose next LSD will be bumped up to a 10/10 split with a nice break in between.  I'll probably do that at home for the convenience even though she will likely be a butt in the morphic bubble with Cree and Phebes.  Once that is accomplished she needs work on her trotting speed.  Journey can putt-putt along at 6 or 7 mph when she wants too, however she isn't strong enough yet to do that consistently.    I've been wanting to do some intervals on the hill out back but have been thwarted by the slick clay mud.  Just have to wait for it to dry out good (JUNE? *LOL*).    Maybe some hill building will toughen her up some.  We need some sessions on giving to pressure, and finding her go.  Sessions on walking faster than 3 mph...what's a a lowly robot blogger like me to do? What a world...what a world! ~E.G.

The ride report:
Distance: 15 + miles.
Time: aaaaaaargh!  (remember the crooked line of success!)
Terrain: boot sucking mud.
Ride-ability: + (loose rein all day) (sandbagging a bit on effort expended or the mud???)
Eating: +
Drinking: ++
Pooping: +
Peeing:  *sigh*  She won't pee on trail, or at the trailer.  Holds it until we get home, hustles to the dirty hay pile and pees about forty gallons, moaning and groaning.  This is a problem!
Pulse: 57 bpm @ 5 minutes post ride.
Tack:  No rubs, back seemed fine.
Booting:  wrapped hinds and fronts with athletic tape and boots stayed on in very bad conditions.  She was willing to trot on the gravel service roads, though not "forward."  New gaiters applied to the hind boots too.
Other:  We jumped about five deer and she came to a stop (I'll take that over a spin back ANY day).  We also had to pass a dead dog along the road.  Journey is usually very bothered by this kind of stuff, but she snortled and went on.  So all and all, a good ride day for the freckled faced wonder.