The third consecutive day of riding. That's pretty good for me! It rained all day, but stopped late afternoon so I was able to get a quick little ride in. It was nice and cool after the rain and we did 20 minutes of continuous jogging. 3.81 Miles 40:11
Only a short ride today, that took Brownie and me out to the trails between the barn and the highway. We did several loops, alternating 0.25 miles of walking and 1 mile of jogging. It rained last night and was warm and humid again. Brownie did the second jogging mile faster, so I was happy with him. Don't we all want negative splits?
Brownie's official endurance training plan started on Monday - with a rest day. He just got his feet trimmed and was ready for our first ride on Tuesday morning. It was much warmer than the previous weeks, so he was a little slow and got really sweaty. It was a very beautiful morning though and he did get a shower and extra grain after the ride. We covered 3.81 miles in 42:43, lots of jogging, some walking, but no loping this time. PICS KLICK HERE! MAP KLICK HERE!
On a cold and windy, but beautifully sunny Sunday morning Stephanie took Laura, Karen, Jon and me with our horses Patti, Mixie, Roy and Brownie up north to the only beach here that allows horseback riding. She had found out who to call, I had made the reservation and still we almost didn't make it to the beach because everybody had forgot their Coggins papers at home. Luckily Stephanie's neighbors who were called into action were kind enough to run over to her house and fax all the papers over to the Visitor Center that manages beach rides. There's only a short stretch of one mile on the beach that we can ride on, but it still made us very happy. It was the first time on the beach for all of the horses, but they were all as well behaved as always and we had a great ride.
At first the horses were very scared of the waves rolling towards the shore, but I made a vow to get Brownie into the water before we left. He jumped back from the dangerous monster waves a few times, always getting just a little closer. I let the matter drop for a while and let him run back and forth, which was a lot of fun. He would always stop immediately, but did run pretty fast when I asked him to.
Trying to get him into the water was easier now and after just a little hesitation he walked in. Of course everything got wet: The horse, saddle, my boots and jeans, but it was well worth it. When Stephanie saw that Brownie was in the water she joined us and now Patti walked in, too. We jogged through the waves, splashing salt water all over the horses and ourselves. Back at the boardwalk Jon got to ride Brownie, too. I think it was the first time he really loped the horse, and he did really good. Brownie was nice enough not to take too much advantage of the situation and just tried to run up the dunes with him a few times where the really deep and soft sand stopped him anyway. Jon was always able to get him back down to the beach and start/stop running again. After taking all different kinds of group pictures Stephanie offered me to borrow Roy so Jon and I could ride together. Everybody else was cold and had enough, so the two of us took of for another short ride. The horses didn't really like going out again at first, but got used to it soon. Roy needed some encouragement, but was good to ride and responded well.
It was a wonderful experience and just about the best time to spend a Sunday morning. Just loved it!
Brownie slow, but jogged/loped 3 miles without stopping. He sped up on the way back when it got cooler. Riding faster is really nice and enjoyable now that the temperatures are perfect for it. Haven't seen Gwen yet, but will talk to her about this as soon as I get the chance. I might also be adding long rides, starting with 8-10 and working up to 18-20 miles once a week soon. Just let me get over with marathon training!
Stephanie mentioned Gwen showing interest in endurance riding. She might do a 25 mile ride next year. I think that's a very good idea and would love to join her.
So I was all motivated to get the training started and went on a nice fast trail ride in the afternoon. The dry and cool weather made it perfect for Brownie. He just kept going all the way.
Letztes Wochenende ist Jon mal wieder auf den Geschmack gekommen, nachdem er Sonntag mit den anderen ausgeritten ist. Heute Nachmittag wollte er mal ein bisschen flotter reiten als nur Schritt und so habe ich mir Bita ausgeliehen und wir sind zusammen ausgeritten. Da er sowieso sehr sportlich ist und ueber gute Balance verfuegt, gewoehnte er sich recht flott ans Traben und konnte gar nicht genug bekommen. Wir hatten beide viel Spass und die Pferde haben auch ganz prima mitgemacht. Sowohl Brownie als auch Bita waren gut zu reiten, kooperativ und - nachdem wir erstmal die weichen Sand- und Wiesenwege erreicht hatten - auch schoen flott, ohne davonrennen zu wollen. Zum Schluss durften wir auf dem Rueckweg bei Stephanies gemeiner Nachbarin vorbei noch deren neueste Konstruktion bewundern. Die Dame aergert sich furchtbar, dass wir direkt neben ihrem Garten vorbei reiten, kann aber nichts dagegen unternehmen. Damit wir nun aber auch wirklich ja nicht ihren Rasen betreten, hat sie diesen mit wunderschoenem orangefarbenen Flatterband eingezaeunt. Wir konnten nur den Kopf schuetteln und uns wundern, wie jemand freiwillig seinen Garten so verschandeln kann... HIER KLICKEN um die Strecke zu sehen!
