The Big 6 0

Annual Trail Rides: 60/200

Its been a good week! Footing is great, weather is dry and sunny and almost feels like summer minus the bugs.Q has been giving me some good rides although he is testing the boundaries and I haven't quite perfected the lope on the buckle. Even yesterday he started out in a spooky mess jumping at shadows on the ground. 











I had my first ride with buddy B yesterday. It had been three months since we had last ridden together because we were both on covid barn schedules that didn’t match up. For the past year, he has been on a barn schedule restricted him to 5 days a week in 2 hour slots. Unfortunately that makes for very limited trail riding when you substract the time to tack up, cool down and wash up. But his dressage BO doesn’t understand because you don’t need much more than 2 hours to ride in a rectangular box. But he didn’t want to fuss or object, so one year later he is still in the same spot.

As for me, things had been pretty loosey goosey from May to December, but we reinstated covid schedules of 5 days a week in 2 hour slots in January when cases were on the rise. As of last week our schedules still stand but the Barn Manager (BM) has relaxed the rules and is allowing for common sense. Of course. all the other sanitation and distancing rules still apply.

Vaccination rates are climbing fast and hopefully we can reopen our economy in the coming months. It seems like we may have summer competitions, and lots of the hunter jumpers at my barn have amped up their training.

So, it was great to ride out with B again but I was saddened to see his horse had started his symptoms of headshaking already. Usually this starts mid May. With his crazy adventure of last summer (vet overdosing, horse hospitalized twice), B does not want to medicate and would rather just not ride this summer. Terribly unfortunate, as riding does our souls so much good ... especially in these times of curfews and confinement.


Comments

  1. Wow, your trails dried out so nicely, I swear they was just covered in snow! I'm glad you're out on the trails, but sorry your friend will have to not ride this summer, it is hard to find good riding buddies.

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    Replies
    1. Most of our trail network sits on a prehistoric sand dune left by a glacier. The sheer amount of sand makes for very fast drainage when the snow starts to melt.

      And you are right, finding good riding buddies is SO hard!

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