With the arrival of May and a schedule free of travel, I really got after the miles. Q is still rehabbing/coming back slow from her time off from last autumn's injury, so the boys have really stepped up to the plate. We clocked over 50 miles during May, with a handful of double-digit rides, including one big day of trail clearing with USFS and our BCHA chapter.
Shoe Application
To prepare for the month (and the greater riding season), I glued fronts on Stan and four shoes on Grif. It was the first time I have glued when temps were <70 degrees, there had been rainy days prior to gluing (as opposed to drought conditions), and I changed my brand of glue.
I'm not sure if my prep wasn't up to snuff enough for the weather conditions or if it was some other error, but I finally had shoe failures! Stan threw the shoe off his more crooked leg/foot (he's pigeon toed) on some rough muddy/rocky terrain 7-10 days after application and Grif lost a hind shoe in the pasture a week after that. I reapplied Stan's front the day after it came off and it hasn't budged since. Grif's hind was also reapplied, but he was a dancing turd during reapplication and compromised the setting glue. As a result, that shoe came off again within 48 hours in the pasture. I'm choosing to focus on the win, however, because keeping the shoe on my crooked legged horse is huge in comparison to simple poor luck with Grif's hind shoe.
Much of Stan's life has been in front shoes and bare behind. However, his pigeon-toed nature results in shoes coming off and boots being damaged from his natural way of going. I am delighted that glue-ons appear to be a viable option for him going forward.
Putting in the Miles
Stan turned 25 this year. Keeping his aging body in mind, I've legged him up with slower walk-trot rides at distances of < 5 miles that included plenty of climbing, but not much technical footing. He is forever consistent in that he pokes along at a glacial pace for the first half and then peps up remarkably once you turn for home/the trailer. I believe his overall pace has slowed from his youth, but he's still got a lot of spunk. I don't plan to ride him excessively, but I do want to keep him legged up enough that he's got some fitness for his older years. Being strong makes the aging process feel less taxing!
I've also decided that while I will certainly put beginners/novice riders on Stan in the future, I am going to be much more particular about who rides him. If the individual is much bigger than me, they'll ride Grif - who is younger and 150-200lbs bigger than Stan. This will be kinder to Stan's aging joints and will give him a reprieve from babysitting duties. However, it does stick him with me instead - and I don't allow him to get away with nearly as much as novices do - much to his chagrin.
Grif's been on several shorter punchier rides and a handful of longer rides. I daresay, at almost 16 he seems to have finally grown up. He has been so much more steady with less drama this year. (Drama for Grif = squealing and stomping/crow hopping when impatient, being an awkward and impatient turd on downhills, celebrating at a gallop with microbucks, and using the dogs as an excuse to pseudo-bolt when he wants to boogie and I'd prefer to stay at a slower gait.) While his drama is mild compared to many horses, it's still obnoxious enough that I wish he'd refrain from it.
My favorite ride on him so far this year was on a rainy day in the 50s when we did 14 miles. I'd originally planned the day to be closer to 19 miles, but decided I just didn't want to partway through. (A solid decision when the rain proved to be heavier than forecast.) Grif was a machine for the trot sets. He just got better and better as the miles wore on. It was really delightful to power along with him. I'm excited to head back out with him and conquer the original plan of 19 miles later this month!
Trail Maintenance with USFS
The high point for the month was a full day of trail clearing maintenance with our BCHA chapter and USFS employees. I helped organize the logistics and provided an extra horse for USFS to ride. Much of the prep and legging up of my horses earlier in the month was motivated by this day!
The original plan involved two USFS employees on foot with a chainsaw clearing one trail while a third USFS employee would ride one of my horses and accompany the BCHA folks with another chainsaw or two to a more remote trail that needed work. However, a last minute change on the USFS side resulted in only two of their folks showing up. We couldn't round up a second horse on short notice for the other USFS employee, so they ended up taking turns riding Griffin and hiking.
We ended up traveling 11 miles of trail and clearing along the way. Two trails - Lumberjack and High Meadow - received most of the work. There is definitely more work to be accomplished on High Meadow, but we will have to pursue that at a later date. The work we accomplished made a difference and will make the summer recreational months much nicer for folks!
Griffin was fabulous for the USFS folks. One of them was probably the heaviest person Grif's ever had ride him. It was really good for Griffin to be 1. ridden by novice strangers, and 2. have to work a little harder due to carrying a heavier rider. He had a few moments of impatience, but he kept the hamsters on their wheels for those moments - mostly because exhibiting his usual drama behavior was too much work with a heavier rider. I was really pleased with - and proud of - him. (And to be honest, I got fair bit of humor out of it, too, because I could see Griffin making plans to be a drama-llama only to quickly realize that Nope, that's entirely too much work right now. )
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May was a fabulous month for riding. I'm excited to enjoy even more miles in June! Audiobooks have made these solo miles all the more enjoyable for me.
Hopefully Q will make a strong return to work this month; I miss time on the trail with her.
Stay tuned!
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