Since my trainer was going to a show today, I decided to give Max a break and take him for a short trail ride. Because of the rain and muddy trail conditions, I have to plan the route a bit more carefully than usual so I decided to not cross the river and avoid low spots (last thing I want is to be the idiot on the evening news who had to be rescued by helicopter along with his horse).
It was overcast and very wet and muddy since another storm had come through the area. From Max's point of view, it was pure heaven since green grass is now everywhere- a horsey Hometown Buffet. Grooming Max was a bit more easy than yesterday since a lot of the mud had dried but it was thick and made quite a cloud as I curried him (think of the equine equivalent of Pig Pen from Peanuts)
We made our way down the wash and there were others who were also out with their horses- sometimes the cabin fever gets too much and you HAVE to ride, rain or no rain. The rain seemed to be holding off so I figured that so long as it hasn't a downpour, we were allright (my old Army parka definately comes in handy here).
Trail conditions, at least in the wash and around Gabriellano Park were better than the day before and things seemed to be drying out a bit. I decided to take him to the arena to work him a bit (even though I'd done this prior to leaving the stables). We did the usual stuff- lots of transitions, some rein-backs, half-halts and side-passing. The rein-backs were difficult for him, probably because of the wet footing. After about an hour of this, we then proceeded to ride around the park and then make our way home up Orcas Avenue. In contrast to yesterday, Max was decidely low energy today, except when heading home (no surprise there!).
By the time we returned, the clouds were gathering close and it looked like it was going to rain so we pretty much ended things at a perfect time. While we need the rain, I hope it dries out during the week.
It was overcast and very wet and muddy since another storm had come through the area. From Max's point of view, it was pure heaven since green grass is now everywhere- a horsey Hometown Buffet. Grooming Max was a bit more easy than yesterday since a lot of the mud had dried but it was thick and made quite a cloud as I curried him (think of the equine equivalent of Pig Pen from Peanuts)
We made our way down the wash and there were others who were also out with their horses- sometimes the cabin fever gets too much and you HAVE to ride, rain or no rain. The rain seemed to be holding off so I figured that so long as it hasn't a downpour, we were allright (my old Army parka definately comes in handy here).
Trail conditions, at least in the wash and around Gabriellano Park were better than the day before and things seemed to be drying out a bit. I decided to take him to the arena to work him a bit (even though I'd done this prior to leaving the stables). We did the usual stuff- lots of transitions, some rein-backs, half-halts and side-passing. The rein-backs were difficult for him, probably because of the wet footing. After about an hour of this, we then proceeded to ride around the park and then make our way home up Orcas Avenue. In contrast to yesterday, Max was decidely low energy today, except when heading home (no surprise there!).
By the time we returned, the clouds were gathering close and it looked like it was going to rain so we pretty much ended things at a perfect time. While we need the rain, I hope it dries out during the week.
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