Finally "Bombing" Down the Trail in 2012

This morning was the first inaugural trailer towing with the big orange Bomber, and my first trail ride of 2012! The Bomber towed really well, it's a real bull dog especially when I'm a good girl and remember to turn it on and warm it up for a good 15-20 minutes before driving it. It's an older diesel and really doesn't get warmed up and at full power without a good long idle first. I really need to get the O-rings replaced and will hopefully get that done this week, and I also need to install the radio and speakers and I got for Christmas but that's a more frivolous need. It's early yet but so far I really like towing with it.

I decided to let Desire blow off some steam in the arena this morning before heading out the to lake, since she hasn't been out in almost 3 weeks and is usually so tense in the trailer. I know the logic really doesn't follow that letting her turn and burn in the arena=calm in the trailer but I figured letting her get some of the kinks would be all to the good for the haul and the ride.

"Who me? I'm mellow.."

She loaded well but as soon as I started easing forward I could hear her banging around like a nutter and when I hopped out to close the gate behind us I peeked in the window at her and she was all jelly-legged and tap dancing around. *sigh* I literally don't go over 40 mph on our short cruise to the lake and it just doesn't seem to matter, 9 times out of 10 she comes out of the trailer a sweaty mess. It seemed like she was hauling quieter in December when I was taking her out multiple times a week but she's never been great in there. Well, these things take time I suppose. She was never hauled by herself at her previous home and certainly wasn't hauling in a 2 horse straight load at GETC. I'm going to start wrapping/booting her legs before I put her in though because twice now, including today, she came out of the trailer at home with little cuts on her legs from spazzing around in there.

 The ride itself was good fun, we joined N and her grey mare and we only rode the short 6ish mile loop around the horse camp. It was a good little ride to get her back in trail mode. She's always in trail mode, really, and could have and would have liked to go farther but with the trailer stress and time off I was more comfortable taking it easy with her today. It was a regular zoo at the trail head as it usually is on weekends; the parking lot was full of trailers and horses and riders of all kinds. We passed a couple of groups out on the loop uneventfully, including the horse trainer gal that sold us our property. Back at the trail head I was letting Desire dry/cool out some and rummaging in my trailer and a couple of young men walked up from the bike trail; one guy saw the Bomber and was elbowing his buddy telling him "you should ask if that's for sale, that's the kind of truck you want!" Sorry boys, the big orange is not for sale!

It was so great to get back in the saddle! I'm looking forward to my Specialized Eurolight arriving sometime this month and getting Desire back out on the trail as much as possible with the continuing sunny, mild weather. It's fantastic riding weather but starting to get worrying for the possibly very dry summer ahead. N and I were talking about the potential for winter to just arrive late and Feb/March/April (May?) possibly being very soggy months..which could easily lead to a very snowy Rides of March..we're both planning on going but agreed that our attendance is pretty weather dependent. As with so very much to do with horses, we'll just have to wait and see!