Hacking About - Pt. II

Well, Sunday warmed up into the 80s- geeze! I feel like it's back to August...I got a late start (due to some partying the night before) so we didn't hit the trail until about 10:30 and it was definately heating up. I suppose global warming is catching up...

I figured Max would be a bit pokey, especially since he still has his winter coat on and it was evident. I usually start off with by trotting around the track for two laps for each direction (two going left, two going right). Since this is a quarter mile track, it works out to about one mile in total. I then go into a canter, usually starting with a right lead since Max does better on this lead. Naturally when I went to the canter, he balked a little bit and we had a brief "discussion" (which usually consists of a couple of wacks with a riding crop). After that, he was fine except he was really dogging it- probably due to the heat. I could almost hear him saying "hey buddy, YOU try running around a track in a fur coat sometime when it's 85 degrees!"

After that, I went a bit easier and we did a combination walk/trot down the wash, same as yesterday. I also let him drink from the stream at the bottom of the wash (I encourage Max to drink often on the trail if the water source looks OK- no stagnant ponds).

We wound up back at the Orcas Park Arena where we did some trotting and cantering and then proceeded down the the river. We followed a trail that goes in a loop, crossing a river at two points and then headed back to the stable. I stay away from the low-lying spots due to the possiblity of quicksand- yes, QUICKSAND! Quicksand is no joke and I've gotten stuck in it with Max. Luckily, Max was able to power himself out of it and I didn't have to call for help (thank god- I would have really looked like a jackass for all to see, not just a jackass for Max only). Fortunately, Max forgave me for that one...

Got back to the stable by 12:30 and it was REALLY blazing by this time. I ended up giving Max a well-deserved (and needed) bath- it's amazing the amount of dirt he had on him! You could have planted a garden.

Normally during the summer months, I tend to ride either very early in the morning or late in the afternoon as the sun is going down- it's a lot easier on Max and more fun for me. I've been out on the trail at Noon with the temperature in 100s and it isn't fun at all- I'm not trying to recreate the Light Horse's advance on Beersheba in 1917, after all!

Well, that's all for now!