Ice Maturity

-

On the eve of Q’s 9th birthday, I can say that this Florida-born native has finally got his ice legs. Ever since he arrived, in the middle of snow and ice in March 2016, his body would go into a scrambling panic at the mere hint of slippery ice. I took precautions and watched for icy conditions in the shoulder seasons. His turnout was always limited when footing was compromised.

We had a few incidents over the years. Crossing a field with fresh snow, we ended up on top of a 20 foot wide slick puddle covered with light snow. Once we were in the middle, all traction was lost. Q panicked, did a 180 and jumped towards the fence plowing my knee into a square wooden post. He was safe, I still have the scar.

When trail reports speak of ice, I abstain. Sometimes I will do some road walking with him instead. 

I could put winter shoes with studs, but his hooves are spectacular (and mule-like: upright, tough, balanced) and he does really well barefoot. I could put boots on, but I don't bother as ice is usually only an issue a few weeks a year. So we grin and bear it, and take advantage of our indoor arena when we absolutely must (which this winter hasn’t happened yet).

And so we found ourselves attempting our potentially last winter ride this week. The day before had been a glorious 2 hour ride in slushy snow with lots of amazing canters and a sunny temperature of 16C!!! Lets try one more???

We cross our field (Siberia in winter, Sahara in summer) of now rotting snow, falling through and prompting Q to literally bunny hop the remaining drifts. We walk carefully to the ATV crossing and see this 😮… and we cross it (straight line, sit back, legs on)! 



We cross the x-country ski trail, go up a slight incline, and then see this 😮… and I stop, take a picture while Q waits patiently, like a real pro! I then decide it’s not worth it to continue. With my left leg on, and a bit of neck rein, Q proceeds to do the most beautiful 180 on this narrow section of trail with ice underfoot and never stepped off into the rotting snow. We proceeded back down on the icy decline and I aborted ship through the x-country trail to get to the road 30 feet away to avoid redoing that ATV icy monstrosity.



When I look at that picture again I am struck with how mature and professional Q has become over the years. He crossed that icy road calmly and resolutely, and then climbed that icy incline! He is an amazing partner, and makes me laugh every day. 

It is often said that the Inuit have dozens of words for ice and snow in Inuktituk. At this time of year I believe it, because multiple environmental factors affect its consistency and sinkability.

But how many words should we have for love? ❤️ 


Comments

  1. TeresaAMarch 22, 2022 at 1:13 PM

    Way to go Q. He's such an awesome horse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nat DMarch 22, 2022 at 2:12 PM

      Praise be the horses that ooze personality. ❤️

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy 8th Birthday Mon Amour!

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides: 50/200 A nice time to hit our 25% trail objective. We finally got access to the trails (walking only) and it has been absolutely delightful. Ive also been using these slower rides to be social and go out with boarder friends, and that also has been delightful! Q was a delight on our first time out, as steady as an old cow pony. But yesterday on the way home he reminded me that the dragon needs tending. Navigating through icy patches between trees where the obvious path for Q is to hug the trees where the ice has melted, but that means my knees go knocking into the bark. So I picked up the reins to navigate better and he got fired up. All of a sudden his sides were on fire, and any heat from my leg prompted him into a trot. Which is not what you want on slick ice. So I stopped him. And we would start all over again. This happened 12 times on the last 1 km stretch home. Not fun. After some reflection, I realized that we were in a 12 rabbit situation. Being Florida-bre
Read more

Expansion of normal

-
Image
Our five-week European escapade is now coming to a close and I look forward to the return to normal that is my bed, my kitchen, my routine. As I reflect on all that we experienced on this trip, it is clear that even I, a self-proclaimed expert in change management, struggle with disruption in my life. Each new destination would have me grumpy and fussy for the first 24 hours as I shifted to a new living situation almost every five days. This guard and horse stood immobile at the Royal Horse Guards in London for at least an hour. It stretches my imagination of patience. The grand 4 ton Gold Carriage at the Royal Mews. Requires a brakeman walking alongside and 27 meters to stop. Apparently this might be the most uncomfortable thing to travel in, and was very seldom used. Gorgeous Cottage and English Garden in the middle of Hyde Park. This park really had me question my definition of high-density urban territory. Hyde Park with all of its variations on a garden theme
Read more

Quaint Krakow

-
Image
We arrived in Krakow on a super short commuter flight from Budapest and spent most of the weekend wandering about the charming town, constantly watching out for rogue trams that want to run us over. Our first afternoon was a delightful stop in the large market square to sit on a terrace, drink local beer, eat a lovely plate of cured sausages and meats with a kickass fresh horseradish purée, and watch the parade go by on National Constitution Day. Somehow, we often arrive in a new city on their national holiday. Krakow town square and basilica In the town square, m any fine carriages and horses are in line, with beautiful women in black hats with white ribbons driving the carriages. Its so unusual to see only women driving so many large carriages, that I took notice. At first, I thought it was because of the parade. Later that day, I watch the carriages circulating with passengers and the pretty lady is up front doing nothing while an old peasant dressed man is driving the carri
Read more

The Complexity of Trail Access

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides: 34/200 A century ago, local farmers in our town west of Montreal were tired of the sand left in the spring thaw that clogged the streets and ditches and created floods and ice dams to prevent passing. So the farmers got together with the town and the province to fund a reforestation project which we would later call the "Nursery". The reforestation would cover most of the old sand dunes that had been left behind many millennia ago by a retreating glacier. The old sand dunes were a popular place for local families to go for a picnic, or some fishing in some of the creeks and lakes that popped up from underground springs. Our history books show groups of families with their farmhorses pulling big sleighs or wagons filled with children. But it was time to stop the constant erosion the sand dunes were having on the local farms. So in the 1930s began the massive reforestation project. At the time, the population of this town was under a thousand, as there was o
Read more

Prague, dark and moody

-
Image
When asked what I thought about Prague I always answered the same thing : dark. My last trip here dates to almost twenty years ago, in a cold November week where I spent most of my time drinking hot mulled wine in the old town square avoiding gypsies. Tales of ghosts, hidden passageways and underground tunnels, the stark period of the iron curtain, torture museums, castle dungeons ... it was all dark. Tyn Church in the iconic town square A view down the Vltava River A view up the Vltava River towards Prague Castle (from Vysehrad Castle) A view down the Vltava River from the Vysehrad Castle. Its a windy sailing day. Fast forward in time and there are some differences but Prague is still moody. Tourists are abundant and things that used to be free are now being charged at every opportunity. We are struggling with all the currency we are handling and their respective conversions (Hungarian forint, Euros, Polish Zlotis, Czech Crowns ... and soon British pounds)
Read more