planBE

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 him to

Long rides in the saddle build a stronger bond. Reminds me of summer camp days. Q is in no mood to exert too much energy on shenanigans but had gotten a bit creative on how he can fool me at an intersection to hurry back home.  I did two 4.5 hr rides this week using our barn as a rest/lunch spot. It makes for better quality rest but its still 4.5 hrs on the tired seat bones. Im feeling pretty confident that I won’t be the one holding the group up. But you just never know. Ill be packing some extra pharmaceuticals just in case. How much is that pony in the window?

Milestone rides this week on back to back days. 4 hours each, walking 100%. The lack of recovery time is a real thing and Im glad Im working specifically on this. Ive now passed the hump of my insecurity and am feeling pretty confident that no amateur rider doing this trip is as prepared. They may be lighter, fitter, younger ... but I can not believe anybody has put in the time I have for 4 weeks (and 2 more weeks to go) to mentally and physically prepare themselves for the gruelling and taxing impact of very long hours in the saddle at a walk. I am surprised at how taxing a long walk is. I have been regularly riding 4-5 times a week at WTC for 1-2 hours each ride for several years now. But just walking is something else. First of all, its incredibly boring and your mind really needs to find a different frequency. Second, the monotony of interaction with the body is tiring in the shoulder blades, lower back, hips, seatbones, and the fascia around the core. The good news is that my reco

Like a Red Bull commercial. I was feeling chill and a little sore so I cracked out the bareback pad for a short ride followed by a shower (Q was a very dirty pig pen) and some grazing. Thought it would make for some lovely nurturing on this day of mothers. On my last bareback ride in November I fell at a canter and cracked my ribs on a tree, so it was with some minor trepidation that I swung my leg over.  But with the courage instilled by my mother, I just got on with it. We got nervous at some new metal panels on the way out, and the double sleigh coming our way without yielding but overall it was lovely and I soon began to relax and breathe. Courage is not the absence of fear but the strength to face it. Thanks Mom!

The weather has been spectacular here as I celebrate week #2 of my long vacation. Ive ramped up my long rides to 3.5 hrs and Q and I are feeling a little back sore tonight. But it was lovely, and these long rides get easier every time.  I celebrated with a long session of grazing in the open field, getting a sunburn and eventually getting mugged by Q when I started eating my pumpkin seeds. I guess it sounded like grain? Im in the process of untethering myself professionally, as is my husband, which would allow us to work remotely several months of the year. It also means my work weeks will be even more flexible, affording me the opportunity for more travel, more life experiences, and more days where I can nap in the sun as I hear my horse munching on grass around my feet. Life is good.

Years ago, we would occasionally see parked cars hidden on the trails. Sometimes a guy looking for a spot to pee, sometimes mushroom hunters, sometimes bird watchers. It was unusual enough that my horse at the time, an AQHA superhorse called Jazz, would pull a mighty big spin and unseat me. Jazz was my first colt, and professionally trained, but so high maintenance at times. I rode with a leverage bit and spurs to “put him to work” at the first sign of silly business. So many trail rides were spent doing gymnastics to capture his attention. Meanwhile, Q doesn’t even know what a crop is.  Riding a big athletic and reactive horse required me to “level up” and Im grateful. Both the horse and I received much more coaching and training than I ever thought I would need, including annual bootcamps. I took some pretty rough tumbles with that horse and still have the scars and injuries to remind me. Anyways, yesterday we saw a parked car. Now this is even more unusual since the city put up lock