Today I got lazy and decided to forgo my lesson and head out on the trail. I decided to go on an easy jaunt, up to the sheep pens and back which is about a two-hour ride. This is a favorite of mine and since this is the first time Max has been out on some serious trail since November, this would be the perfect trail course- not too long and offers a mix of up and down hills.
The rains have really rearranged things to the point where a lot of rock has been washed down from the mountains and there was some erosion. The weather was beautiful- full sun and it seemed that the vegetation and plants were in technicolor. Also, since it has been very cold the night before, there was snow on the surrounding mountains and it almost looked like we were in Montana rather than Southern California. It's a scene that rarely comes along so I intended to use it to the max. :-)
I went out with a friend of mine so Max definitely had company but my friend's horse is a mare and she was extremely lazy about moving out, so Max got the honors of being in the lead. Normally, Max is a follower rather than a leader so I had to constantly urge him forward. The green grass along the trail also didn't help- he wanted to stop and snack at every opportunity so I had to keep on him about that too.
We decided to vary our route a bit so we followed the creek along Little Tujunga Canyon farther than I normally would but it was pretty nice. I haven't been this way in at least six months and the vegetation seemed to show it- at several points I had to flatten myself against Max's neck to pass under low branches. We had to cross over some steep creek banks that had been created by erosion but Max was up to the job although at one point I didn't give him enough slack on the reins and he slammed into the bit and stopped short- I had to quickly release and kick hard to get him momentum up again. Lesson learned there- sorry Max!
We finally picked up the trail going up towards the sheep pens and we were soon there after a short, steep climb. We then made our way towards one of the canyon rims- this is an area that used to be covered in heavy brush up until the Station Fire in 2009 but had been burnt over. Now, the vegetation is just staring to come back but now the trail was much wider and the footing improved (looks like someone went over everything with a bulldozer recently, making for more of a road effect).
We the followed the path of what used to be a cross-country eventing course- that was pretty fun and Max really wanted to move out although I held him back a bit. We finally made a complete loop and proceeded to make our way downhill and finally picking up the trail home.
Overall, it was an excellent experience and Max seemed to experience no issues, especially with the legs and hooves. Hopefully I'll be able to get him up the Doc Larsen Trail in the near future. :-)
The rains have really rearranged things to the point where a lot of rock has been washed down from the mountains and there was some erosion. The weather was beautiful- full sun and it seemed that the vegetation and plants were in technicolor. Also, since it has been very cold the night before, there was snow on the surrounding mountains and it almost looked like we were in Montana rather than Southern California. It's a scene that rarely comes along so I intended to use it to the max. :-)
I went out with a friend of mine so Max definitely had company but my friend's horse is a mare and she was extremely lazy about moving out, so Max got the honors of being in the lead. Normally, Max is a follower rather than a leader so I had to constantly urge him forward. The green grass along the trail also didn't help- he wanted to stop and snack at every opportunity so I had to keep on him about that too.
We decided to vary our route a bit so we followed the creek along Little Tujunga Canyon farther than I normally would but it was pretty nice. I haven't been this way in at least six months and the vegetation seemed to show it- at several points I had to flatten myself against Max's neck to pass under low branches. We had to cross over some steep creek banks that had been created by erosion but Max was up to the job although at one point I didn't give him enough slack on the reins and he slammed into the bit and stopped short- I had to quickly release and kick hard to get him momentum up again. Lesson learned there- sorry Max!
We finally picked up the trail going up towards the sheep pens and we were soon there after a short, steep climb. We then made our way towards one of the canyon rims- this is an area that used to be covered in heavy brush up until the Station Fire in 2009 but had been burnt over. Now, the vegetation is just staring to come back but now the trail was much wider and the footing improved (looks like someone went over everything with a bulldozer recently, making for more of a road effect).
We the followed the path of what used to be a cross-country eventing course- that was pretty fun and Max really wanted to move out although I held him back a bit. We finally made a complete loop and proceeded to make our way downhill and finally picking up the trail home.
Overall, it was an excellent experience and Max seemed to experience no issues, especially with the legs and hooves. Hopefully I'll be able to get him up the Doc Larsen Trail in the near future. :-)
Looking north towards the sheep pens.
Looking south from the sheep pens towards the San Fernando Valley. The cell camera doesn't do justice to the scene.
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