I got up early this morning, the heat and humidity were supposed to break with the rain overnight. Caught up the Spotted Wonder and saddled up to point "one more time" at our first 15 mile LSD of the summer. The rider made it about nine and a half. Sweated out, light headed, and we were mostly WALKING. Humidity was over 80 % and even though the temperature was in the mid-seventies or so, it was just too much. The small creeks were dry, which left us only one good watering source which was back close to home. I'm disappointed I didn't make our weekly increase in mileage, but having had heat exhaustion too many times in the past, I could feel that ick-y-ness coming over me again. It's just been a sick weekend for me.
The ride wasn't a total loss. I was able to clear off a trail on a long grade, basically kicking away branches, and picking up the bigger ones and tossing to the side. It will give us one decent hill to train/canter up as she builds condition. Also spotted a dangerous hole in the grassy road we use at an extended trot, and if she'd have stepped in that she would have been injured and I'd be on my head in the field somewhere. So I put a big fat stick in the hole to flag it so we skirt around that. I've never been a fan of speed over grassy areas. You can't see what is underneath. My daughter was seriously injured last year cantering a grassy field, stepped into a deep bog, the horse flipped, and she completely separated her shoulder (lucky she wasn't killed, no helmet). LSEGH does a good job of keeping the grass in the field path mowed as close as the bush-hog can take it down, but you can't always see because clumps of grass pile up as they are thrown out of the mower, which is what happened in this case. The grass was covering the hole. We go through there every time we ride.
Journey needs a day off so she will sit it out tomorrow. I'm back at work, but feeling and looking dehydrated even though I'm drinking fluids, sport drinks, my hands are all wrinkled up, and I just generally feel bad. I think about Journey who carries my fat butt around in this heat. Why she continues to stick her nose in her halter like a good girl each time I go out there I DO NOT KNOW. She's a good horse. Considering the oppresiveness out there, she was running very decent heart rates on the few hill canters we did get in.
I keep thinking to myself the heat will break soon----then I remember this is July, we still have the rest of it and August to get through.
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