Spring is coming....I promise! If you are thinking about moving your horse up in distance between now and the next couple of weeks is the time to get started (assuming your horse has had a long winter layoff) for an early spring ride. My thoughts on Journey are leaning to a couple of early season LD's just to give her more experience on trail with other horses since we are sorely lacking that. I figure it will better my map reading/orienteering try to not get lost skills, and serve as super compensation training for the ride two weeks later. What happens there will determine the rest of the summer. If she does well, I'll probably try to hitch a ride to a few CMO's. If we bomb the 50, we will point to another 50. My primary goal this year is to get another one done.
If you've done a sack load of LD's and not had the confidence to move up and try a longer distance I'd like to say that you may just surprise yourself. Give a 50 a try. The training for an LD is not all that different than for a 50 if you are riding conservatively and if it is your first 50 you probably should be riding conservatively anyway. Your horse just might surprise you in its ability to handle a 50. Go for it!
Fantastic advice!
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