Tuesday, November 12, 2013

More Fall Trails

So yesterday went out and rode because one of my classes got cancelled so I got out at 3, YAY!!

Thought I would do a warm-up trail ride and then a bit more arena work, so out we went.

It was gorgeous! I've decided the one thing I hate about English saddles is, there's nowhere to put a camera! And since I usually ride without a belt (I know, shame shame), I can't find anywhere to put the stupid thing. So I don't get pictures. Boo. :( 

But here is a picture without pony ears that shows kind of how it looks these days:

But you do get a gratuitous happy Collie. :)
We found a new trail! Actually a couple new trails! I'm calling this new trail the Old Road Trail because that's what the better part of it is, and it goes about halfway up the wooded area of the ridge behind the barn. Another trail apparently goes all the way to the top of the ridge, but I'm not going to try that one till River has some boots--our hills usually get rockier the closer to the top you get.

River was super good, rather unsure of some big white rocks at first, but after he snorted his way up to one, he didn't blink an eye at the others. At the end we had to go down this horribly steep, narrow, twisty trail and he was a trooper, carefully sidled his way down very slowly.

And the really good news? I rode him on the buckle about literally, and with the extra space to stretch his neck and look, he was 95% less trippy. Woo! Probably didn't hurt that he ran into a few rocks early on that persuaded him to slow down and actually look where he was going, but still. :)
Another picture taken somewhere else...lol
 Afterwards we walked up and down The Hill, and at the end I got a wild hair in my brain and decided to canter up. He was game and we had a lovely canter/hand gallop up (for realz, this horse has a ginormous stride) and a nice transition down at the top. Had so much fun that we did it again! And then went back, trimmed his feet, fed him, and turned out. So much for the arena work. ;)

Can't go out today because I have a stupid meeting to go to for school. Gah. Hopefully he won't melt away without one daily feed! ;)
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9 comments:

  1. KalinNovember 12, 2013 at 9:03 AM

    If you wear your boots outside of your jeans, it's really easy to slip your phone in the top of the boot! :) That's what I do when I ride English!

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    1. BrianaNovember 12, 2013 at 12:59 PM

      Thanks for the tip, I have an old cheapy phone that won't send photos to me though :)

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  2. SheMovedtoTexasNovember 12, 2013 at 10:57 AM

    So pretty!

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  3. MichelleNovember 12, 2013 at 1:30 PM

    Sounds like a great outing! I bought an inexpensive camera bag just big enough for my point-and-shoot, with a long strap. I sling it over my head and across my body, adjusted so its not too loose and floppy. I wear it EVERYwhere!

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  4. Nicole ANovember 14, 2013 at 10:08 AM

    Michelle's camera bag idea is a good one! You can also get saddle bags for an English saddle. I LOVE these, especially after seeing them in action at the Fort Valley endurance ride: http://www.easycareinc.com/other_products/stowaway_packs.aspx Several people had them. Liz has the English Stowaway and that thing STAYS PUT. It's on my wish list for Christmas. :)

    Another thing I used to do pre-iPhone days was this: I have a very cheap point-and-shoot (as in it was free-a gift from the in-laws when they upgraded their cameras. We already had a nice digital that we used most of the time, so this was our take-to-fun places back-up camera, as it was small enough to fit in a pocket and was not a super fancy brand or anything (it's not like it's an Elph); if it got beat up we weren't going to sweat it). I put a double-end snap on the camera loop thingy and just hooked the camera up directly to my saddle dees. It made it super accessible, easy to just clip on and off without having to fumble with zippers or straps on a young mare. All of my trail photos taken at the beginning of the blog were taken using this method. Lol

    I'm happy to report that that camera is still alive, well and going strong! So that's the uber-cheap method of carrying a small camera with you. Another inexpensive option would be to just get a fanny pack and put the camera in there.

    LOVED the photos and so glad you had such a great trail ride on your boy! How AWESOME that you got to canter/gallop up that hill! :D

    Another reader had commented on the possibility of neuro issues. You can always have him tested for Lyme, just in case, but one common trend with OTTBs is that it takes them awhile to get used to "real" footing. All they ever know when they are racing is the perfect footing of the track and their stalls. And then, even if they've had re-training, it's often in an arena setting. They often don't know about hills, rocks, tree roots, unevenness in footing. My first OTTB mare was just like that, too. Going out on the trails barefoot is the BEST thing you can do to help him with the tripping. As he gets stronger and realizes he has to pay attention to where he places his feet, the tripping will decrease and eventually disappear.

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    1. BrianaNovember 14, 2013 at 1:09 PM

      I'll have to look that up! Also, wow how come I haven't thought of that double-end snap thing?! Brilliant! lol :)

      Yeah he is doing so much better with the extra rein, I think that the "real" footing is a big part of what he's dealing with. He had 30 days retraining at some point but with his occasional "WTH?!" moments on the trail, I doubt it included a lot of trail work. ;)

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  5. RuthNovember 18, 2013 at 8:30 PM

    Wow!! What a gorgeous place to ride - so jealous!! Glad River was so good.

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