I wish I came here more often. It has so many beautiful sections. It is plagued by some boggy trails with mosquitoes and we have to cross a busy road to get here. But once here, Im always happy!
We found some wooden trails with occasional muddy spots to go trotting in. I took this video with my trail buddy J and her big percheron mare.
Buffet! I struggled to keep Q on the path and focused.
Much galloping happens on this path!
This section has a few streets that we have to cross. But there is practically no cars here.
Q enjoying the view!
The hunt field is one of my favorite spots. And the sun was out in full force with a cooling breeze.
It was a gorgeous day, and the sights were beautiful. With the tardy summer, the trails were a bit muddier than usual. My friend with her big percheron mare struggles with her soundness, and did not like the muddy trails one bit. She would have much rather stayed on the tried and true section 2.
But I am glad I went, and I am looking forward to going back. Perhaps solo. Q is getting to be quite solid going solo and I think we can do this.
Annual Trail Rides: 29/200 Here in Quebec, Canada, we have variable weather patterns in winter from springlike sunny days of +10C to arctic freeze of -40C. While winter officially goes from Dec 21 to March 20, we find that it really begins on November 1rst to April 30th. SIX MONTHS OF WINTER! Our other three seasons are much shorter as a result. Aside from the cold, winter also brings a new set of challenges for footing. Deep snow, sheets of ice, crusty snow can bring about dangers to horse and rider and also increase fatigue and injury if not careful. For the truly committed, a set of four winter shoes with studs and plastic snowball inserts, can make a world of difference. Particularly if icy conditions are commonplace and restrict turnouts. I currently keep my horse barefoot, and as a consequence there are a cumulative 2-3 weeks a year where turnout is limited if not impossible and trail riding is off the table. I also benefit from an indoor arena when this happens, so it really is ...
Finished my last 5 hour monster ride today, and am now in the last days of prep and packing. Currently quarantining from my husband that has some undisclosed malaise that appeared today and is testing negative for covid …but maybe food poisoning? 🤷♀️ Im feeling pretty good about my prep and figure Im “as good as Im gonna get”. Still anxious though, but more for the general hardship of sleeping without my favourite pillow and of course the other niceties like toilets and showers. Anyhoo. Im also curious about the other riders and how they have prepared or not for this packtrip. And if it even matters. We will know in just a few days, unless the airlines decide to do some funny business like cancelling flights. Nothing surprises me anymore. Meanwhile, the MVP award goes to Q that endured my nonsense, and was still happy to see me every time. He even figured out how to help me out as I practiced scrambling onboard from the ground. He gets a nice 10 day vacation as a reward. Love hi...
So its the last night at the ranch in the steppes, or grasslands, of Hungary. Its mostly quite flat in an undulating kind of way with patches of forests and marshlands. This national park is a bird sanctuary and we see the occasional deer along the way. While much of it feels familiar because of the sand and pine forests, there are a few notable differences. First, the sand roads go on for long distances which has us often cantering 3-5 km stretches. Thats 3-4 times the distance we generally do at home. Second, there are no electric high transmission power lines to mar the view. Third, the grass sections stretch out for miles in each direction with a view that is not customary. The ranch is great. We figured out a good rhythm after a few days that had us gathering in the sauna and jacuzzi in the evening because there is literally nothing else to do. The beat here is very relaxed, and we have all achieved a great zen state. We had a good reining lesson this morning when they p...
Annual Trail Rides : 148/200 (Bareback 10/12) Ive been wanting to do this for a long time. Ive been amping up my speed on trail quite intentionally, being more consistent with canter departs, lead changes, and transitions. Ive also been working on much longer canter stretches, pushing my endurance and managing my breath. The result is that Q has now defaulted to a lovely cadenced canter on trail for long consistent stretches, while I have dropped all contact and sit on the buckle. Which helped introduce two bucket list items: 1) cantering downhill (Im so fearful of tripping hazards since my last horse was a daisy-cutter) 2) I managed to film a long sequence with my phone while cantering on the buckle Talk about trust! The small clip is below. Ive also been spending consistent time with my horse loose grazing under the power lines after a ride and bath. He loves it because his turnout is in a dry paddock! And recently he has been coming to graze next to me, while I sit in the grass...
Annual Trail Rides: 134/200 (Bareback 7/12) Heavy smoke from nearby forest fires have covered our city with a thick smog. But that didn’t dissuade me from a very unusual quest ... navigating through trails and residential streets to ride to T’s (our BO, and fearless leader) mom’s house. It was going to take at least an hour to get there ... so it was going to be a long trek (2.5 hrs in total). Boy oh boy did we make her day! She was so excited to see us approaching that she forgot how to use her ipad to record the big moment. We felt like celebrities roaming through the neighbourhood as kids squealed, dogs barked, and delivery trucks ceded the way. I was super proud of Q who saw lots of weird things and kept his anxiety in check. He is now a certified road warrior! It was a different kind of ride, which is always perfect for summer vacation.
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