The BIG 4 0

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Annual Trail Rides: 40/200

Fresh snow, mild temperatures, sunshine and blue skies. Pictures from our club members the previous day were epic with the snow sticking to the trees and creating white tunnel after white tunnel. Narnia improved.

















On our way home we saw our 83 years young boarder Yoko heading out on trail with her steady eddy.
She started riding after retirement at age 60.





And the day did not disappoint! Our volunteer groomers had been out in force and made the most amazing tracks on the wide trails that I now affectionately call the Snow Highway. The track was so fast that you could maintain a top speed for long distance without breaking stride and without tiring the horse. The footing was better than our amazing indoor arena footing because it was even, spongy almost springy, and hard packed (no sinking).

Q had other plans as he was wired when I arrived. He got a little free lunging and cavaletti schooling in the arena before we took baby stud for a little ride. BO worked on baby stud’s canter on both leads in the arena for the first time, and she just wanted a little “icing on the cake” short trail. So we headed out with baby stud in the lead. Skiers, sleighs, nothing phased him. He did awesome.


When we hit the fast track I prompted her to try the canter. She was unsure but probably more because she was worried for me. I told her to go ahead, baby stud bronked the first time, then I kept telling her to keep going (again, she was worried for me) and he then settled into a lovely lope. This baby stud has skills.

We then parted ways as she headed back to the barn solo with baby stud and I kept on going. A little bittersweet as baby stud no longer needs his big brother but she promised that we would still keep going out together. Its been such fun this last week to do something different.

So I kept on and held to a trot for most of the way. Q was bouncing off the track. The trees were hanging quite low in some spots and I even had to turn around once because the bent trees had created a wall. It required a bit more driving finesse than what I can muster at a canter so a trot seemed the right call. My face still got whipped by branches hanging with icicles.





Overall it was a true winter wonderland on my second milestone ride of the year, 20% of my annual objective. Spring Break starts today, but rain is in the forecast so we might be arena bound for a while. I also need to clean my locker as some mice have started causing havoc.

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