Winter diamonds
While my iphone camera does not do it justice, there is something magical that happens when the sun appears after freshly fallen snow. We get diamonds falling from the treetops.
Its been a quiet week, with more work than riding. But still managed to hit the trails 4 out of the last 7 days. When the weather hits the acceptably mild range of 0 to -10C, we usually do a one hour loop on the winter riding trail that intersects other single-use trails like skidoos/atvs, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. We spend half our time on the wide trails (also used for sleighs) and half on the narrow trails (like the one pictured above).
When the snow gets deep it becomes difficult to pass others on the narrow trails because the horses do not want to leap into four feet of snow to get out of the way. Sometimes we have to do a 180 on the haunches and double back. Q has been doing really well in his deep snow training, and has gained confidence that he CAN leap into deep snow. We have been practicing by cutting new bypass routes off the narrow trails and he seems always willing.
I will soon be off for a trip to Istanbul and Tajikistan and so Q will get a mini holiday. Im looking forward to assessing his energy when I get back. I am finding him chill, borderline lethargic, and wondering if it is the strenuous work of deep snow, the young stud that he now plays with every day, or if we have to bump up the grain. Im reluctant to make changes in the feed until I have ruled out the other possibilities. And of course the “spring crazies” are just around the corner.
Meanwhile, Q is happy to strike a pose.
Its been a quiet week, with more work than riding. But still managed to hit the trails 4 out of the last 7 days. When the weather hits the acceptably mild range of 0 to -10C, we usually do a one hour loop on the winter riding trail that intersects other single-use trails like skidoos/atvs, cross country skiing, and snowshoeing. We spend half our time on the wide trails (also used for sleighs) and half on the narrow trails (like the one pictured above).
When the snow gets deep it becomes difficult to pass others on the narrow trails because the horses do not want to leap into four feet of snow to get out of the way. Sometimes we have to do a 180 on the haunches and double back. Q has been doing really well in his deep snow training, and has gained confidence that he CAN leap into deep snow. We have been practicing by cutting new bypass routes off the narrow trails and he seems always willing.
I will soon be off for a trip to Istanbul and Tajikistan and so Q will get a mini holiday. Im looking forward to assessing his energy when I get back. I am finding him chill, borderline lethargic, and wondering if it is the strenuous work of deep snow, the young stud that he now plays with every day, or if we have to bump up the grain. Im reluctant to make changes in the feed until I have ruled out the other possibilities. And of course the “spring crazies” are just around the corner.
Meanwhile, Q is happy to strike a pose.
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