Water always finds its level
Boy does it make a difference to ride a few days in a row! Q was an absolute delight today, trotting and cantering on the buckle until ... until I would ask for a walk. He gave me a forward rocking canter and was hoof perfect in some of the less-than-perfect footing. I continue to be amazed at how steady he is with uneven footing.
If I were ready to devote more hours I would consider doing some short distance competitive trail rides because his endurance is outstanding. Instead I will just enjoy him for myself.
Today was the day before the Noreaster blows in with a “wintery mix” which means we might lose our powdery fluff to treacherous ice. As I have no plans of putting winter shoes, that means we will likely be condemned to the indoor arena for ... maybe a week or two? Fingers crossed that the weather pattern skips right over us.
So we had to make the most of today, and that we did. Two hours of mostly trotting and cantering with our buddy B and his awesome TB gelding. The pattern is that I lead the first half as Bs horse can be spooky and silly, but when we start heading home we have to let his horse lead because he gets fired up and starts racing. All good for me as Q is just as good in front as behind.
But I do have to keep Qs nose out of his bum as he would just love to squish his face and nip his bum just because he can. Bs horse is a saint. A headshaking saint with his symptoms gone for the winter. Its nice to have him back in our lives.
So it was a beautiful, sunny, mild day with pretty good fluffy footing most of the way and great poneys that were forward and controlled. Even the brook was babbling.
If I were ready to devote more hours I would consider doing some short distance competitive trail rides because his endurance is outstanding. Instead I will just enjoy him for myself.
Today was the day before the Noreaster blows in with a “wintery mix” which means we might lose our powdery fluff to treacherous ice. As I have no plans of putting winter shoes, that means we will likely be condemned to the indoor arena for ... maybe a week or two? Fingers crossed that the weather pattern skips right over us.
So we had to make the most of today, and that we did. Two hours of mostly trotting and cantering with our buddy B and his awesome TB gelding. The pattern is that I lead the first half as Bs horse can be spooky and silly, but when we start heading home we have to let his horse lead because he gets fired up and starts racing. All good for me as Q is just as good in front as behind.
But I do have to keep Qs nose out of his bum as he would just love to squish his face and nip his bum just because he can. Bs horse is a saint. A headshaking saint with his symptoms gone for the winter. Its nice to have him back in our lives.
So it was a beautiful, sunny, mild day with pretty good fluffy footing most of the way and great poneys that were forward and controlled. Even the brook was babbling.
Riding in fluffy snow is so much fun. All we've had here so far is rain. Not that I'm complaining. We're close enough to the ocean that once winter really hits we get a lot of ice. I was curious though, do you find he gets snowballs in his feet without the winter shoes?
ReplyDeleteA very good question! If your probability of ice conditions is low and you have a no-turnout option for your horse should the weather make footing slippery and if you have a horse that does not orthopedically need shoes ... then barefoot is a great option. The natural hoof has some grip and the lack of metal means that very little snow sticks to the hoof. The worst option is to have metal shoes without rubber insoles as the snow sticks to the shoe creating big balls.
DeleteThe consequence is that I have to avoid the trails when it gets slippery 2-3 weeks every winter. But I have an indoor arena, so its ok. My horse is often not turned out in the worst days, but he is ok with that too.
ah, yes, barefoot is best. I wish I could with Carmen.
Deleteack, I am still reeling from the amount of snow in your last post! It does look lovely and fun to ride in through, I'm still waiting for rain to damp down the autumn dust!
ReplyDeleteThe cold weather does mean I have been investing in foot warmers and am considering a purchase of battery heated socks. Even at my fast pace, my toes get cold.
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