This is where the magic happens on a regular basis. So many beautiful trails from wide and sandy, to narrow and winding. Plenty of spaces to trot and canter and five ravines with little creeks at the bottom where the horses can sometimes drink. 95% of my trails happen in this section.
It was a stinking hot day so I came prepared with water bottle.
Double wide trails with trees growing in the median.
Crazy as it seems, Im often alone on these trails rarely seeing another rider, jogger, or dogwalker. Occasionally we see foxes, deer, goshawks, wild turkeys, and owls. Some have also seen coyotes.
Some of the trails are narrow and windy, shaded from the sun.
Some of the trails are great for long canters or fast trots.
These trails are shared in the winter time with cross country skiers and snowshoers. Each sport has their own trail, and so the riders lose about 50% of the trails in section 2 from November to April. I dont mind, as it helps me better appreciate the trails when we get them back in the summer. The winter trails are groomed with machinery and are accessible all the time, even for my barefoot Q. We only stay in during the ice storms.
Our barn is smack in the middle of section 2 with the best trail access in the whole region. We always have tons of options for 20-30-40-90 minute trails that keep us close to home. So many loops, so many choices. The challenge of course is getting motivated to go on the trails that are further from home.
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...
I was waiting at the barn for the custom western saddle maker, when the english saddle fitter shows up. Surprised, but delighted to see her, I show her the growing white spots on Qs withers and she says “uh oh”. I told her about some other issues (how everyone tells me the saddle is tipping left, and this weird spongey bump that appears after very long rides), she pokes, prods and measures and tells me that this will be a bigger job than usual (she refits every 6 months on my growing boy). So we got a surprise fitting, she took the saddle and said it would be ready in a week. No problem for me, because I had a very busy work week. Well I picked up the saddle a few days ago, had a magnificent ride and !surprise surprise! my left hip did not hurt afterwards. Huh. So, clearly hindsight is 20/20. But next time I will call saddle fitter sooner. Meanwhile, the custom western saddle maker came to test the tree. A perfect fit. It was cool to see the tree on Q in advance and imagine what is...
Zoom, zoom ... ouch. Finally one of the coolest days is here. Sunny, blue skies, low humidity and temps in mid-twenties. Perfect riding weather. Particularly after our surprise storm on Wednesday that left tons of debris and fallen trees and branches on the trails. Surprise storm brewing a few days ago. Within a few minutes, there were huge circular gusts of wind, almost like a Tornado. The next day volunteer crews were out removing the fallen trees. But some trails still have significant debris. I was heading out with trail buddy C and her azteca mare to explore section 5. I told her I needed some media for my summer challenge. She was happy to oblige not quite knowing what other objectives I had in mind. Most of the trail was lovely and I even tackled the jump trail, with a series of cross-country log jumps, for the first time. Q was just simply amazing, leading sometimes or in the back sometimes. The two horses have a trot that is simply in s...
Most people see this temperature forecast on their phone and do not even consider the possibility of riding. Just way too cold. But I would like to say that riding in these temperatures is absolutely possible with a few tips, tricks and gadgets to make it better. But keep in mind that most electronic gadgets like iphones do not like -30 degrees. In these nordic climates, temperatures in the -15 degrees or below range tend to also be blue skies, bright sun, low humidity. The sun and low humidity actually make the temperatures "feel" less cold. Counter intuitive, but true. You must however be very cautious of wind. The wind could possibly change everything. Tip #1: Not all low temperature days are created equal Humidity plays a big factor. We have towns in Northern Quebec that regularly hit -40 and -50 degrees. But if it is sunny and windless it can actually "feel" warmer than -5 on the coast. I have gone outside in a t-shirt on a -40 day, and have even polar...
There is a wonderful veterinarian-turned-acupuncturist that works in our area, and Q gets an exam and sometimes a treatment once every six months. With our latest saddle restuffing, I thought it was good timing to take a look. This lovely older gentleman has over 30 years of equine acupuncture practice (in addition to 20 years as an equine vet) and many a story to tell but the biggest stories come from his patients and his magic hands. While I have never tried acupuncture on myself, I have been successfully treated for many ailments with osteopathy and I believe in the body as a system that can often heal itself. So today was the day, and I watched him do several treatments before it was our turn. Q had no back pain or soreness, but his weakness in the left hind was flaring up and probably connected with the increased work on collection over the last few weeks. So, he got some needles and then I watched him slowly drift to sleep as he licked my arm slower and slower. After these ...
honestly, you make me want to move to Quebec!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLa belle province!
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