I mentioned the Distance Derby, and that has given me incentive to ride. Even on a day with a high of 25 and windy. :-)
I threw this picture in because I thought it was cool....me and one of my Husky's, Nakita.
I went out that morning to feed the older horse and the mini's their special feed, and I had to go visit the outside group. I wanted to know if Tripp had a bunch of ice all over him. He leaned over Rico and I like to think he is saying "Mom, are we going today too? PLEASE....." What he is probably saying is "Oh oh...I know that look!" Ha ha!
One of the side roads I drive on to get to the parking lot had not been driven on yet. And that was at 2:00 in the afternoon! It was going to be a great ride...I just knew it!
My Mom thought I was crazy when I told her I rode. She wanted to know how I stayed warm. Well, I had forgotten that I got bibs with my camo coat, so I drug those out to see if they fit. They were an auction find. I absolutely love that coat, and now I feel the same way about the bib britches! They are not stiff like some coveralls are...they are soft and squishy! Anyways, I had bibs over jeans and a turtle neck. Then I put my fleece hoodie on over the bibs, then my big jacket. I wore my caving/hiking boots because I knew my feet would stay warmer than the day before. The headband came with to keep my ears warm. I had gloves in my pocket if I needed them (which I did).
I look like a camo Michelin Man! Ha ha! I was setting the timer on the camera then trying to get Tripp to the spot the camera was aimed. It took a couple times but I think we got it.
There were no tracks in the snow yet...it was so quiet and peaceful...
We were the only ones on the trail besides the local wild life. It was beautiful out. The sun was shining so I had the illusion of warmth. :-)
Self portrait while riding. Tripp was feeling good and didn't want to stand still for this, but we managed.
TRIPP: "Hmmm, a tree fell on the trail, and it doesn't have leaves to eat out of the way. Is she going to make me walk over it?"
(Yes I did)
Me and my beautiful shadow...
TRIPP: "Num num num....still doesn't taste like a mirage....yummy!"
I love that Tripp loves to look around at stuff. I used to detest the snow. You said the word snow and I was inwardly growling about it. I must be old...I love the snow now. Not that I don't get sick of it because I do, but all in all I love it! You can see far thru the woods. I think the biggest reason I like it is because it makes everything so bright. Bright is good for my brain.
Sun coming thru the trees...
Where we were....
I was not sure how the ride would go because we had ice before the snow. The snow cover was great! Enough for us to do a lot of trotting and cantering. It was so much FUN!
I have not rode in snow for years...and there are some things to learn about riding in this weather. Here we go:
A dress code needs to be thought out...and I didn't think mine out. I already noted what I wore. I was so warm and my legs never got cold. When I get cold nature calls a lot...... are ya with me on this yet? Ha ha! Yep, I had to pee! So I am looking for a spot that has a fallen tree or a stump so I can get back on. I finally found a spot and hopped off.
Lesson #1 - I now know why the cowboys want a smooth sole on boots. The sole of my boots are very grippy and didn't want to let go of my stirrup when I got down. Thank goodness it was Tripp because I was all over the place trying to get the gripper to let go. There was no chance of my foot going thru - it was just like it was glued there. So I need to look for a pair of insulated riding boots/shoes.
Lesson #2 - I was not dressed to pee in the woods. Not only did I have to all but undress in the woods, I had to remember to make sure the back part of my bibs was pulled out of the way so I didn't do my business on it. I finally just had to bite the bullet and do it....don't think about how cold it is....don't think that there might be game cameras hanging up all over the place....don't think about how hard it is to get dressed again.....just do it! So I did....if anybody could have heard me they would have heard a lot of laughing and a lot of "Oh good Lord!" and "Oh geez!" HA HA!
I love my bibs but I need to do something different. Oh, I will wear them again, but I will also be thinking of other options. They are just so darn comfortable!
Anyways, the plan was to ride the same route I rode the day before but from the other direction. I made it to the connector and checked my phone. GPS was still tracking (Yay!) but I only had 25% battery left! Darn it! So I opted to head back to the parking lot instead of going the long way around. I wanted to have a complete GPS track on my phone and I knew I would run out of juice the other way, not to mention there was a chance I would not have made it back home before dark. Dark in this weather is not so good. At the connector trail I was at 3.1 miles. I rode to the parking lot and ended up with a total of 4.4 miles. It was a great ride....
Until later...Karen and Tripp who thinks cantering is fun in the snow!
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