Sunday, November 18, 2012

Mid-November Weekend Wrap-Up

On Saturday he finished up the on-going electrical project and it is working flawlessly! I did the housewifey stuff; laundry, bathroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning, changed sheets, etc.

On Sunday we rode at Union Mills - great day for a ride, clear and sunny but chilly.

We rode out at 11:00, didn't get home until dark! It was a great ride, most trails are wide logging roads, with some single-track through the woods. There is also a short stint on pavement that goes over a metal bridge. Yes, a metal bridge.

For a long time this bridge was out of order, unless you were a balance beam gymnast. To cross the river you had to go around the bridge pillars, into some deep, soft sand. The sand is so deep there that my stirrups were picking up sand. KC hates to be in deep anything, and it is not exactly safe for them. They can pull a muscle or a tendon, panic at being trapped, etc. I was relieved to see the bridge finally completed, but it is METAL. The sound of shoed hooves was like a shot-gun blast. BOOM BOOM BOOM.

We haven't been there for a while and he was hesitant at putting his foot on the bridge, the transition from pavement to concrete to metal are intimidating to a horse's brain. And the metal floor has holes drilled in it. You can look through the holes and see the water. Ugh.

His first step was loud, BOOM, and I could see him process this information for a 1/2 second. I rubbed his shoulder and he took the next step and we walked the entire length straight down the middle. Nina was fine, too, but he jumped off Skip. I understand anxieties, but Skip was fine, too.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

We rode up the gravel road to the next turn, there was a large horse trailer parked there. Getting into that parking space took some skill. We didn't take the loops that wind through the park, opting instead to go the usual route to the far parking area. We saw some deer in the woods, too. At the next stop there were about a half-dozen trailers parked there.

We stopped there to eat our apples and Nutter-Butters. Yum. The feral cats are still there, too. Well-fed feral cats.

We rode across the road into the small loop that skirts the remote-control airplane club. They have a nice set-up, with bleachers, an excellent grass runway, windsock, and other necessary accoutrements.



We resumed our ride back to the trailer, seeing a Red-tailed Hawk on the flat. It was still kind of muddy down there, still evidence of Hurricane Sandy's rampage. There is some good elevation changes in this park, and we had plenty of opportunities to ramp up the speed. KC behaved himself, too.

By the time we got back to the trailer we were starving. We called ahead to J&P Pizza in Taylorsville and stopped in on the way home.

We put Nina in stall #4. She was startled by the minis (ha!) and the boys still couldn't get enough of looking at her. She is pretty, and she knows it.

3 comments:

  1. Hi, just wondering who Nina is? I don't remember
    hearing her mentioned before.

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  2. Nina is a grade paint filly that was rescued from an abusive farm life. She has grown into a lovely young mare, and is solid on the trail.

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  3. Thanks for the information. Nice to hear that she has turned out so well.
    Anita

    ReplyDelete