Second-to-last training ride before the No Frills LD!

It was short, but sweet. We were going for constant, controlled speed this time, not distance. Ten miles at a comfortable, consistent, ground-gobbling trot. Apollo really has hit his stride; he levitates, he glides like Alah ud Din on his magic carpet... I cannot help but imagine how Jasmine must have felt when flying through the sky, passing stars, outpacing comets, singing at the top of her lungs. I shout, I whistle, I hum, and cannot keep from singing when riding my lovely Magician. I must scare the bears away. (Maybe I should invest in jingle bells? Then maybe my cheeks wouldn't be so sore from puckering; steady stream of whistling while HE works, indeed!)

Ah, solipsism. Where would I be without you? On track, that is where I would be.

The best part about this ride... we did it in the dark! Oh yes, one hour and forty-five minutes in pitch-black backcountry, miles from the nearest Bud-light-guzzling-hillbilly, on a National Forest dirt track. It would have been a 15 mile workout if not for the imagined Ted Bundys running amok on the mountain, and a forgotten .22 caliber hand-gun. No matter. Every mile is a training mile, and the boys are in fine form, ready for the 32.2 miles of Limited Distance racing coming up in ten days.

Let my cup of excitement runneth over!

 

I will try harder this time.

It has been quite the eventful year. Much has happened since my last entry, an entry so full of hope and rebirth and sheer excitement for the 2010 season it was hardly containable. We were derailed, yet again, by circumstances not under my control. However. My passion and desire to compete in Limited Distance and Endurance riding has persevered, and here are my recent efforts, delineated, for your reading pleasure:

Apollo and I have reached 130 training miles this season, with plenty of hilly terrain done at Long, Slow Distance mixed in with easy, level fast workouts. He is "raring to go", as the saying... goes. I have changed my tack preferences up a bit this year, returning to the Crazy Ropes Indian Bosal as the primary head gear, among other minute changes. Last summer, following a very traumatic experience not horse-related, I lost much of my confidence in all areas of my life. So, regrettably, I subjected Apollo's mouth to the bit for a few confidence-building months. Thankfully I have light hands, so as not to shock his mouth too much with the hard, cold steel. A few rides ago, he was hesitant to allow the bit into his mouth when tacking up, and after another refusal at the next ride, he happily accepted the Bosal when I offered it. This made me smile, and my heart sang arias for the duration of the 16 mile working ride, for we flew over the soft dirt track with nothing, man nor metal, holding us back.

I have been riding horses since my early high school years, and in that entire time, I had never had the occasion (or monies!) to purchase my own saddle. I was always borrowing my mother's Wintec 2000, or using the ancient, rotting Italian generic brand hunt saddle with the broken tree as a poor substitute. So, it is with little reservedness that I announce my *new* status as Abetta Aire-Grip Endurance saddle Owner! Ta Da! To go along with the lovely new (ahem... eight months old as of today, in fact) saddle, in regards to comfort for both Horse and Rider, I have purchased a Toklat Woolback Endurance pad and a 100% Merino wool sheepskin seat saver. I have my eye on a very nice 100% mohair cinch, but for now the polyblend rope cinch will do. I promise pictures of the whole get-up, mainly for my own viewing pleasure!

It is for real, this time. I have entered myself and Apollo into the 32.2 Limited Distance Old Dominion No Frills ride, coming up soon on April 9th. I have paid my AERC dues for the year, the check for the ride tuition went out in the mail a month ago, and I have been carrying my AERC member card with me for months now in anticipation of this momentous occasion. Fingers crossed, chakras aligned, incense lit to stave off bad vibes and to ensure a lovely first ride! Huzzah!

Riding Writing

We exist, yet again. We are seamless, fluid, connected. We ride.

We have been going on our jaunts through the new world for a few months now, but I have been remiss in keeping this blog updated.

We live, yet again. I breathe, he breathes. We ride.

Happy Pony Boy

Connection

Of which there is none. I miss riding, I miss being with Apollo, just us, in the moment, nothing else existing.

breaking, broken

An indefinite pause on the road to a successful Limited Distance ride with my lovely steed, Apollo.

Maybe in two weeks I will have something for you to read.

Eighth Ride

July 9 2009

We took a short ride today, only five miles, since we were working on speed today. We trotted for a few minutes as a warm-up, then hand-galloped for several minutes. The ride lasted about and hour and forty-five minutes (the first and last two miles of the path is always asphalt... we NEVER go faster than a walk on asphalt, hence the slow times).

The boys felt good, and afterward we gave them baths and their vitamins and a carrot piece for a treat.

Seventh ride

July 3 2009

The boys were more mellow today, and we went about 7 miles. The boys trotted most of 3 miles, and Courtney and I jogged for about 1.5 miles. We both wore tennis shoes and jogging shorts and did fine, just had a problem with chafing... will wear longer pants next time.