Weekend Horse Update

Well, it was another strange weekend...

Saturday it got pretty warm (maybe low 80s) and Max and I worked up a pretty good sweat. I took Max in a loop accross the river that empties into the lake in the Hansen Dam Basin and then rode up at a nice canter up to the bike path that leads accross Hansen Dam.

Next, we rode along a loop trail that leads down a hill and back accross the river and heads towards the arena at Orcas Park (I REALLY need to post a map here! :-)). We did a few laps in the arena and then headed home by way of the alley.

There were no issues except for the rental string riding up close to us as we made our way through the alley behind the Equestrian Center (basically riding up Max's ass is more the correct term)- lucky Max isn't a kicker(as far as I know...). Pretty rude trail manners- I realize rental strings are on a timetable but it's no excuse for creating a potentially dangerous situation- a different horse, loud noise, anything could have set off Max and create a chain reaction (or vice versa) and make for a horrendous horsewreck, especially since the alley is about 12 feet wide and there's nowhere to go if something happens. Basically, it's a chute. To complicate matters, a jogger was coming from the other way while the rental string is pushing on us- lucky the jogger had the good sense to look up from his iPod and pay attention and slow down. Not fun having a rental string trying to pass you when there's no real room to pass and a jogger coming the other way. Talk about needless stupidity.

Fortuntately, everything ended well and Max performed like a trooper (all the training I've put into him seems to have paid off well). Bad trail manners is no excuse.

However, the one thing that really ticks me off is bad trail manners. One of the worst are the assholes who insist on blindly galloping past others who are walking- I've had a few close calls with that. The herd instinct naturally begins to kick in and Max tends to get a bit excited. My usual reaction is to spin him around so he can see what's coming up on him and then keep him moving- preferably out of the way with room to manuever if things start getting dicey.

Sunday, it was a bit cooler and it rained pretty heavily in the morning so I stayed in bed a bit longer than usual and did some stuff around the house. About 11 it stated to clear somewhat so I decided to drive down to the stables and check on Max. When I got there, I was greeted by Max who was covered in mud from head to toe and nickering for his bucket (I'm convinced that Max was raised by pigs).

After an extended grooming session, I saddled and tacked up Max and we hit the trail again. I went a bit easier today and didn't cross any rivers- the foot was OK but I don't want to push him too hard, especially in deep wet sand. I also stay away from low areas to avoid quicksand. We did a couple laps in the arena and then rode home. It was beautiful outside so we pretty much just enjoyed the scenery. Of course, it began to cloud over when we got back to the stable but hey, who cares? We got the best part of the day and Max got his bucket when everything was done.

Hopefully the rain will stay away and the trails will be able to dry up some more.