4th of July Trail Ride

 Despite the forecast for HOT weather, I asked if anyone at the barn wanted to go for a trail ride on the 4th of July, since it was one of my precious few days off. Some of my fellow co-op members had to work, or had prior plans, but the two retirees of our happy little barn fam were game... so long as we avoided the worst of the heat! (Spoiler: I'm not sure we were successful in that.)

Knowing it was going to be a scorcher and that Pyro is prone to thumps, I prepped syringes of electrolyte powder mixed with applesauce for him. 

Bless my son and his oral fixation. While it's a pain when he's mouthy, it's a blessing when I can wave a syringe and call him for "TUBE TIME!" and have him walk up to me, readily accepting whatever goop while loose in the pasture. 

Pyro on my sound, but ugly, ol' trailer.

The 3 of us loaded up right after bringing the ponies in for breakfast and hit the road down to Deam Lake State Recreation Area. It's an easy hour and 15 minute drive, mostly via the interstate, and one of my favorite local-ish trail riding spots. 

Nykur loading onto Deb's slant load with Ivan

We set our sights on the 6 mile Lake Loop, which Jen, Deb, and I had ridden last year during our first endurance intro ride. That distance is something I'm comfortable asking of our horses based on their level of fitness, and I knew it was predominantly shaded with no majorly technical portions. 

The sunhat felt like a necessity when not wearing my helmet. Yes, my trailer IS that embarrassingly ugly, but it WORKS. 

While I wished Pyro would drink more, he was very sensible away from home.

I offered Pyro fly boots all around, but he was fussy about the hinds (which he doesn't normally wear), so I ditched them before hitting the trail. Not pictured is the Quiet Ride mask I also put on him, but had to ditch soon after getting on trail. He was acting more spooky than usual with it on. 

The horses all traveled well and were well behaved in the day ride parking lot, despite Nykur calling a little. Pretty quickly, we were all mounted and started down the trail in the opposite direction from when I'd previously ridden the loop. 

All smiles with the Gelding Gang: Me on Pyro, Sue on Nykur, and Deb on Ivan. These women are badass, and their boys take such great care of them.

We all went into the day with the understanding that if any of us, horse or human, started not having a fun time, we'd simply turn around. Thankfully that wasn't necessary, but it embodied the relaxed, "get out and enjoy our horses together" vibe we were setting for the day. 

Deb and Ivan

I lament that I haven't gotten Pyro out on the trails as much as I would like, but I was VERY pleased with how he handled the ride. He trucks through mud like a champ, with no hesitation. 

Pyro was occasionally look-y at various stumps, and he benefited from his Emotional Support Ivan for a few obstacles. Thankfully his spooks are the "stop and plant" type that leave me laughing, rather than the "whirl and bolt" type that would leave me on my ass in the dirt.

Water crossings have been a bugaboo for him from the start, but now he walks up to the water, pauses with his front feet in to assess the situation, sometimes takes a sip or at least lips the water, then walks quietly through. There were zero instances of LAUNCHING over any mud or water. Yes, we allowed Ivan to take the lead on a couple of the more tricky water crossings, but Pyro is definitely gaining confidence. There's one creek crossing that you come up to after the lone stretch of open field. You go from bright sunlight into dark tree cover with an immediate steep bank down to the water and steep bank back out, which then dumps you back into the sunshine. The change in light and terrain probably make it the most tricky spot on trail, and Pyro read it VERY well, following his buddies quietly.

Trail Treasure: wild blackberries picked from the saddle

Deb and Sue are an absolute hoot, and we shared many stories and laughs along the trial. I got to hear about their past heart horses, and I soaked in their infectious joy and laughter. There was an underlying current of gratitude that, in spite of our various health struggles and demands on our time from non-horsey life, we had actually made it on a trail ride together.  

Deb trying to get a pic of Sue over her shoulder.

I was very pleased with my tack and such. I think we've got our day ride kit mostly sorted out!

I was quite comfortable in my WOW dressage saddle, and Pyro seemed happy with it too. He rode quietly in the Happy Mouth copper roller bit, and his wool dressage pad did a great job wicking sweat. The Horse Bums english pommel bag I have fits a couple liters of water, snacks, hoof pick, vet wrap, emergency twine, and Pyro's electrolyte syringe quite nicely, and I use a fanny pack as a "purse" for things I want to keep on my person (phone, keys, ID). 

The wide trails were well maintained, with minimal mud for how much rain we've gotten recently.

Pyro was barefoot for this ride, since he finally outgrew Missy's Easyboot gloves. The trail wasn't terribly rocky, but he was a little sensitive to the occasional patch of gravel. I'll be measuring him for his own set of boots going forward. For my own footwear, I was grateful to have my Ariat Terrain boots, which easily double as hiking boots, and breathable Dublin Easy-Care Mesh half chaps.

Pyro looks deceptively short here! While he sported his usual assortment of bright, obnoxious colors, I DID make an effort to wear red, white, and blue for the holiday.

The only piece of kit that really DIDN'T work well for him was the fly boots. There was simply too much mud for them to be comfortable on this ride, and his pasterns were ever so slightly red from them rubbing when we got off trail. 

Shenanigans on trail: Pyro dutifully accepting electrolytes at the halfway point

Since these three geldings are all turnout buddies, it made it really easy to shuffle position and allow others a chance to lead.

Pyro needed some encouragement to walk out when leading, but he found a great stride by the end of the ride. 

The only hiccup in the entire ride was that Sue got a little dehydrated by underestimating how much water she was losing on such a hot day. About a half mile from the end of the loop, she wasn't feeling well, so we all paused to let her dismount, sit down, and have some water and a snack. 

Nykur is a very sweet boy and dutifully kept an eye on her. 

Deb and I agreed that it was dang hot by that time, and the horses had done beautifully for us, so we dismounted as well. Once Sue had recovered, we hand walked all three geldings the rest of the way, letting Sue set the pace. 

No woman left behind!

Deb and Ivan have built such a great relationship in the past year.

Pyro: "What do you MEAN the rules of Advanced Leading still apply on trail?!"

Blessedly, the trucks and trailers (AND a picnic table) were in the shade with a lovely breeze. We got off the trail a little after 1pm, so the respite from the heat was welcome. Horses were untacked, cooled out well, and left to munch hay and rest for a bit. 

Our shady little oasis 

I'm going to cherish the memory of us ladies sharing lunch at that picnic table, gabbing and laughing, while we all rested. The trip home was pleasantly uneventful, and the ponies were happy to be tucked in under their fans. 

I think this was actually from the drive down, but the straight, flat interstate makes for an easy trip for the ponies, especially with plenty of airflow through the trailers.

While I have mixed feelings about this holiday in light of the current political turmoil in our nation, I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend the day on public land with good friends, both human and equine.