| December 1, 2016 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
Oh boy oh boy OH BOY. Finally a look at a month where stuff HAPPENED. Let’s start with running. Running I RAN 100 MILES!!!!!! But what else did I do? 9.5 miles 3 days prior to the 100 mile race 2 weeks of complete rest where I did not run or cross train 2 runs […] more
For the first trail ride we went out solo. With apologies to everyone that I have an invitation to ride with….I wanted to ride alone. I wanted to listen to my horse, really listen and see what she had to say. It’s hard to do that with a lot of distractions. I also needed this ride to be more about training and less about socializing.
She took about 40 reluctant minutes to warm up, acted like certain parts of the trail was the land of Mordor, and then attempted to bolt back to the trailer when we turned around. On the plus side she certainly didn’t seem to lack energy or fitness. Which was a shocker since the last time we actually did anything significant was the beginning of September.
Breathe deep, lean back, don’t pick fights, AND NO BOLTING DOWN HILL WHILE TRYING TO BUCK.
Whew!!!!!
A week later I went out with friends Nikki and Aurora and had an incredible ride. Forward, sane, horse who moved well and did NOT act 18. Most of the time she motored along on a loose rein. Heading back she was hot but not pissy. Let’s GO!!!!!!! Hocks, hooves, and brain seem to be in fine shape for an upcoming endurance season.
Farley’s 2017 season will depend on the lottery results this Saturday and what my running season looks like.
FINALLY MerryLegs gets some words!!!!!
A friend at the stable who swears he isn’t a trainer, but rides a lot of young horses (polo player that likes to buy young unfinished horses cheap and train them up to be his polo ponies) convinced me that we should work with ML together.
The last time I rode ML or put a saddle on her was about 18 months ago. She’s done a fat lot of nothing since then – a couple of leadline runs, some turn out…..and that’s about it. We turned her out in the arena and he ran her around. She was definitely like “WTF do you want me to do?” I don’t just run my horses to see them run. They either do it of their own volition or we are working on something and communicating something other than “run around and around and around….”. But even with my nail biting she adapted and was fine.
He put the halter on her, noted that she gave to pressure with a rope on her neck, led her to the mounting block and…..jumped on.
O-M-G.
“She’s fine” he said, as he walked around the LIGHTED arena, at NIGHT, in the COLD, in the MUD, *BAREBACK, on a horse that hasn’t had any work done for a year and half.
*most of ML’s rides have been saddled.
Oh yea. No big deal right? That’s just the first time she’s done ANY OF THAT.
<cue me freaking out just a bit>
“Responds perfectly to leg pressure”.
“This is a great horse!”
“Awesome mind”.
Ok Ok Ok. Yes I over think things. Yes I make them too complicated. But STILL.
That was insane.
Perhaps I should just get on my baby (she is almost 5…) Arab.
There were a lot of lessons watching him ride ML.
Day 12 picture above in the photo gallery is ML with Carlos on her back :).
Tonight is my night to jump on.
What does ML’s 2017 season looks like? *probably* a combination of turn out on a friend’s hilly pasture and riding. Likely the earliest AERC ride I would enter on her is 2018 in her 6 year old year. I have this gut feeling that she’s going to need to go straight to a 50 miler and then have the option of moving up the distances from there as needed.
