It seems that I just can't gauge it right these days when it comes to rain...
Naturally, it had been clear for the entire week until Friday when the clouds started moving in. Saturday morning rolled around and while it looked a bit dark and cloudy from my house, there were also some clear spots...
So off to the stables!
I dressed for rain but as I tacked up Max, I decided that maybe it won't really rain, just maybe drizzle a little talk about being overly optimistic) so I decided to not bother tying my rain parka on my cantle pack (it's a pain to secure and tends to get in the way). So off I rode to Warhorse practice...
I was the first one there and managed to work Max for about 45 minutes before anyone else showed up and soon Max was warmed up pretty well. There was only six of us so we focused on some basic formations and drills; Max quickly fell into the synch with the rest of herd.
While it was getting pretty dark and overcast, still no rain so I thought we'd dodged the bullet...until about an hour into the practice when it began to drizzle a bit. I pretty much shrugged it off until the drizzle turned into a light rain. At that point we decided to stop practice.
So you would have thought we would have headed home? Naw! We decided to check out the river crossing. We rode through a low-lying set of woods which were pretty much now a swamp due to the recent rains but the footing was still pretty sound. By the time we started to cross the river, the rain was pouring down and I was beginning to get soaked, to say the least. But I sucked it up...
After another 15 minutes of riding we all pretty much conceeded that we'd had enough so it was time to head home. I then split off from the party and headed back to the stables by way of the Equestrian Center. Along the way, I stopped to take a break underneath the 210 freeway where I tried to dry off a little bit. Max proceeded to graze on some conveniently located grass and didn't seem to mind being completely soaked.
Finally I decided that the rain wasn't going to stop so gritting my teeth, I rode on for home.
Upon return to the stables, I managed to scrounge up a couple of beach towels and made a half-assed attempt to dry him off. When I took the saddle off, you would see the steam coming off his back- amazing! Max was very happy to stand underneath the shelter in his stall and eat alfalfa.
After making sure he was allright, I fed Max his bucket and then focused on getting myself dry- I'd left my gortex rain parka in the tack sheed along with a vest so after putting them on, I managed to warm up a bit and not feel quite so soggy.
While I've had my share of dealing with wet weather, the older I get, the less fun it gets and the longer it takes for me to warm up. When I got home, I immediately got some dry clothes, downed two shots of Port and curled up in front of the TV.
And that was my Saturday...
Naturally, it had been clear for the entire week until Friday when the clouds started moving in. Saturday morning rolled around and while it looked a bit dark and cloudy from my house, there were also some clear spots...
So off to the stables!
I dressed for rain but as I tacked up Max, I decided that maybe it won't really rain, just maybe drizzle a little talk about being overly optimistic) so I decided to not bother tying my rain parka on my cantle pack (it's a pain to secure and tends to get in the way). So off I rode to Warhorse practice...
I was the first one there and managed to work Max for about 45 minutes before anyone else showed up and soon Max was warmed up pretty well. There was only six of us so we focused on some basic formations and drills; Max quickly fell into the synch with the rest of herd.
While it was getting pretty dark and overcast, still no rain so I thought we'd dodged the bullet...until about an hour into the practice when it began to drizzle a bit. I pretty much shrugged it off until the drizzle turned into a light rain. At that point we decided to stop practice.
So you would have thought we would have headed home? Naw! We decided to check out the river crossing. We rode through a low-lying set of woods which were pretty much now a swamp due to the recent rains but the footing was still pretty sound. By the time we started to cross the river, the rain was pouring down and I was beginning to get soaked, to say the least. But I sucked it up...
After another 15 minutes of riding we all pretty much conceeded that we'd had enough so it was time to head home. I then split off from the party and headed back to the stables by way of the Equestrian Center. Along the way, I stopped to take a break underneath the 210 freeway where I tried to dry off a little bit. Max proceeded to graze on some conveniently located grass and didn't seem to mind being completely soaked.
Finally I decided that the rain wasn't going to stop so gritting my teeth, I rode on for home.
Upon return to the stables, I managed to scrounge up a couple of beach towels and made a half-assed attempt to dry him off. When I took the saddle off, you would see the steam coming off his back- amazing! Max was very happy to stand underneath the shelter in his stall and eat alfalfa.
After making sure he was allright, I fed Max his bucket and then focused on getting myself dry- I'd left my gortex rain parka in the tack sheed along with a vest so after putting them on, I managed to warm up a bit and not feel quite so soggy.
While I've had my share of dealing with wet weather, the older I get, the less fun it gets and the longer it takes for me to warm up. When I got home, I immediately got some dry clothes, downed two shots of Port and curled up in front of the TV.
And that was my Saturday...
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