Training at home always presents its own unique set of problems. Proximity to home, rolling terrain, very little flat, steep ups, steep downs. If an endurance ride was set here and there was 50 miles of the stuff time would be a factor as the terrain does not allow you to move out for more than a quarter mile, usually much less before you encounter a new hill to climb. But on the plus side, Journey gets a lot of slow hill work, both up and down. When I want to do flat trotting I have to find a half mile or third of a mile around a field and do repeat, after repeat, after repeat. Today we used the neighbor's logging road up the ridge line. That is the longest stretch we can trot without having to drop to a walk, and is only about a half mile. It is also the only place where the footing is firm enough to do some cantering intervals, so we just mix it up. It would drive most people crazy, but I find I can relax my vigilance for wildlife popping out at us after a couple of loops and just get into the zone. I'd almost rather do this, than chug over to the park to slog in the mud. I HATE MUD. She did do 10 miles at pace today, and then we walked back home. I'll give her tomorrow off except for practicing trot-outs in hand. Then Sunday I hope to repeat 10 miles, then start tapering back. Journey was good with the five deer we ran across today, but went bat-crap crazy over a piece of styrofoam laying out in the woods. She took off like her butt was on fire. Once I got her wrangled in I made her backtrack, and go look at it up close. Horses are a piece of work. Going to keep her on Trihist until Monday or early Tuesday, then have to stop to get the 48 hour withdrawal time required. Hoping the weather is good so I can leave her out day and night.
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