Another Gorgeous Day

Hey, February is only 3 days old and I've ridden every day, for a total of 33 miles! Hmm well written down it doesn't look like that much but I can tell you for a fact that that's more than I've ridden in 3 days in February than ever before. Guess how it breaks down? 30 miles on Desire and 3 on Blaze! Hahaha. 

What a perfectly gorgeous day it was at the lake. Like N said today, "I can't do anything about it not raining so I'll just enjoy it while it's sunny."  Agreed, and boy am I enjoying it! We took the same route up over the ridge that C and I took Wednesday, though actually went farther and took some of the pretty trails on the dam side of the road, but since C and I had to backtrack looking for my boot the other day the mileage was pretty much the same. It was a beautiful relaxing ride with some nice trotting stretches. Desire was looky-looing at the wood materials as usual--you know stuff like trees, stumps, logs, branches, twigs..she is such a desert horse, Lol.

For whatever reason I had two matching dry spots on Desire's back today after the ride. The same exact set up as I had on Wednesday for the same amount of miles, but that time it was even nice sweat marks and today it was two dry spots that were slightly sensitive! WTH. N mentioned the difference in behavior from that day to this, that being that on Wednesday Desire spent a lot of the time collected and up under herself, whether we were doing that at my request or because she was pitching a fit. Today was long, low, and loose. Hmmm? The dry spots were just behind where the stirrup leathers run, toward the cantle. I noticed two matching dry/matted areas on the saddle pad, SO. 

Gaiter rubs, gaiter rubs. Can a gaiter be too tight? I was under the impression that they should be fairly snugged up. I've got an inquiry out to Global to see if she ever got gaiter rubs before/ideas to deal with them. 

I didn't pack myself a lunch today, per se, but I did bring an apple so hey, that's an improvement. But a word to the wise..don't eat an apple with the hand that you just pulled mucky/thrush-y Easyboots off with. The smelly hand doesn't enhance the apple eating experience in any way, shape, or form.

A little annoyed with my local feed store. They've been out of my EGM pellets for two weeks now and keep swearing it's coming in but then haven't gone to get it yet. I was told my 250 lb barrel would be in today, but it wasn't. End of next week. Grrr. I got a bag of the Bar Ale Distance feed that I fed Blaze all last season because Desire needed a warm mash tonight, darn it! On the plus side I got the okay to park at the boarding ranch that the feed store owners also own, so I can attempt my big loop ride from town to a friend's house and then back around up a huge hill and back out to the road and town. This weather we've been having is PERFECT for that ride because there isn't a whole lot of shade on the dirt roads, so it wouldn't be any fun in the summer. I may just have to have a go at it next week.

 Have to make a decision that will affect the herd and Redheaded Endurance's future here in the next day or two..to add or not to add, that is the question! The mental gears are grinding.