DIY LD

Hauled out yesterday to Bradley Palmer to check out the Discover Hamilton trail.  I rode a portion of it earlier this summer while on a jump-and-gallop excursion with some barnmates; the footing was good and the section we saw was well-marked, so it seemed like a good bet for a last long-ride shakedown before next month's 50.

I've been feeling overwhelmed by the 50.  I mean, on paper I feel we're reasonably well-prepared, right?  Most of the boxes are checked, and I can even rationalize it on form; two other Team Rookie members from the August ride finished a 40 mile CTR in good order a few weeks ago.  I won't know if we can do it until I know if we can do it, but I feel like we've more or less done the right stuff.  Still and all.  I wanted to get one more high-mileage day into us, for conditioning and confidence, before we entered that magic last month prior to ride.

The morning began misty-cool and quickly transformed to sunny and pleasant.  The Discover Hamilton trail didn't work out as well I'd hoped; the southern sections of trail are marked with beautiful clarity, but things get murky between Willowdale and the far side of Appleton Grass Rides, the latter of which is open to horses in some sections but you can't get there from here.

So instead of riding the 8-mile (or 10-mile, depending on which site you read) loop a couple of times we rode two out-and-backs -- 16 miles from trailer at the main Bradley Palmer lot to a couple of loops through the Grass Rides and back, then a lunch break, and then another 10 along the southern portion of trail to a loop through Harvard Forest and back -- with a ride time of about 4.5 hours.  That includes walking the first mile out and last mile back and down a few stretches of asphalt, as well as a lot of standing around scowling at maps and some asking for and giving directions along the way (and cheers to the fine folks at Black Oak Stables, who could not have been nicer or more helpful in confirming that I was, indeed, where I thought!).  I had hoped for more sustained snappier pace -- a better simulation of what we'll do at a real ride, yes? -- and less reconnaissance, but hey, learning the trail is a worthwhile exercise and we should be all set for next time.

Nope!

 

I was thrilled with Tucker!  He was impatient at the trailer -- not naughty or difficult, but lots of moving feet -- but a rockstar under saddle: interested, obedient, organized in his gaits and clever in his footwork, and remained solid past bikes and traffic and cows and balloons, etc.  I just can't get over how easy he is to ride for miles on the trail.  I kind of feel like this shouldn't surprise me, but he is a pretty technical ride in the ring and it is just so much fun to get cross-country Tucker in a non-cross-country context.  We did have a few miles of doldrums towards the end of the first loop.  I'm not sure whether we were actually out of gas or whether I was just sharing my mental tiredness from all the map-deciphering and plan-rearranging.  But part of the plan for the ride was to simulate a longer hold, so I stripped tack and sponged when we got back to the trailer and we hung there for ~40min before heading back out -- and he was an absolute monster, in a good way, for the whole second loop.  Big step on a loose rein -- including some long stretches of canter -- and plenty of go the whole way around.  We did a very little bit of jumping at 20 miles -- a rolltop and a coop, probably 2'6" and 3'0" -- and he hunted every fence we passed for the rest of the ride.

I took off my gloves at the lunch break and dropped my stirrups a hole, and would have switched him into his dressage bridle if I'd brought it.  Actually, I could have started him in that bit no problem on Saturday -- but probably won't do so at the 50 for his first endurance-race start.  (We do plan to hang to the back, but still.)  We practiced our "Want a snack?" cue as we went and he did drink back at the trailer at the end of the ride, although not at the lunch break (but devoured his soupy mash, hay, grass, carrots, etc.)

So there you go: our weekend DIY LD.