Twenty Seconds of Bliss

Thanks for your comment on my wallow post, guys.  This weekend has been nuts and I have not had a chance to respond yet, but I am grateful for every ounce of kindness and sanity.

I'm feeling much better today:

Sorry about the vertical video!  I will try to do better next time.

We did 9 miles in just over 90min for an average speed of 5.8mph, walking warm-up and cool-down included.  The surf today was fairly dramatic for this beach, which made for an interesting first mile as the best footing was right at the waterline.  But once we got past the music hall, the footing was much improved in quality and quantity both.  My barnmates split off for some galloping shortly after; Tuck and I soldiered on at a more measured pace.

He felt phenomenal on the way out and honestly I may overridden him a bit for the sunny day and his shedding but still-wooly winter coat.  He moved better with the ocean to his right than he did returning up the beach and he loathes walking in sand; moving at speed is okay, presumably because that bounces enough energy back into his legs and he can sort of skip along top of the footing instead of sinking down into it, but the boy hates deep heavy footing with a passion and the combination of factors meant that what I intended as a walk break to let him catch his breath and recover turned instead into a zombie death shuffle that had me wondering if something was horribly wrong.  But when we were ready to move out again and I focused on kicking his hind legs underneath him instead of fighting his crookedness from the front, he found a nice even ell-within-himself all-day kind of trot.  I'm not quite sure how I want to manage that -- I'm tempted to get off and walk/jog myself to make moving through the sand easier on him, but I don't have any footwear that's appropriate for that job on the beach and it's a little chilly to yank my boots and go barefoot! -- but I guess he will live.

I'm so pleased about these beach trips, you guys.  The one problem with the trails accessible from the round barn is that sustained trotting isn't an option; you have to stop every half-mile or so for a stone wall or deep mud or seriously rocky patch, or for a dogwalker at the park across the street.  The elevation change and the technicality are both useful in their own right and I would rather have them than a flat track trail system if I had to choose!  But having somewhere to just lock-and-load for a couple of miles felt like the missing piece in our conditioning.  I'm really excited about being able to get that done (and in such a pretty setting) in the lead-up to the season.

Tack locker is better-organized now; still wants finessing, but we spent yesterday helping some friends move and they sent me to Target for supplies so I grabbed what I wanted for my locker while I was there.  Procrastination pays off again!  Hoof boot, box, and mailing label sitting all together just out of arm's reach and should go in the mail tomorrow.  Saddle and cushions back together -- still not quite right, but closer than the other day and thanks to some very kind and patient friends, I am feeling less overwhelmed on that front.  So I may live, too!