Check it Out!    
RideCamp@endurance.net
[Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]
[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index] [Subject Index]

My Green Horse or "Instead of the Old Dominion"



We missed the Old Dominion this year since we simply
didn't put in the miles of training that we needed to
do.  There was no kidding myself...  If you aren't
prepared for the Old Dominion, then there's no need to
even start!

Instead, we opened up about a mile of new trail in the
woods to complete a nice wooded loop by our house.  I
can't imagine riding the OD this weekend - it was 96*F
and 80% humidity here.  The OD area had a dangerous
heat advisory out this weekend, so I'm sure that there
was a high attrition rate.  Mike (hubby) & I both
experienced a little heat stroke just from working on
the trail.

I have a new gelding, Razz (got him last Fall) that
we're just starting under saddle now that he's turned
5 years old.  We took him out to "try out the loop" we
just opened.  We can count the number of times he's
been out on the trail on two hands.  Can you say
"Green!"?

He seems to be bold enough - He felt like my older
gelding moved too slow, so he passed Rocket up and
took the lead for the majority of the ride.  He didn't
seem to care if he got ahead or lagged behind - not
too herd bound at all.  

We flushed out several deer (Razz trembled, then
walked on) and a killer rabbit (Razz shied, trembled,
and walked on - much worse than deer).  We were doing
pretty well until we took our walk down the power
line...  All the springs on the hillside flow downhill
over rocks, making it a pretty wet trail.  Razz is an
Arab, bred for the hot, dry dessert.  He DOESN'T do
water.  After fiddling a bit, he reluctantly tip toed
down the path.  He was willing to fall into a hole or
go through brambles rather than walk thru the stream
at the bottom.  After a lot of patience, Mike got him
to walk thru, one foot step at a time.  Poor Razz was
in a sweat when he got thru!  Poor Mike was grumbling
under his breath about Arabs and green stock.  (Mike's
been riding the same horse for the past 16 years...
he's forgotten what training a greenie is like.)

Then thru the field of shoulder-high grass (grazed a
path) to our steep power line.  TROT UP!  All the way!
 Puff, puff, puff...  Poor little guy had never worked
this hard.  The, back down.  About 1/3 of the way
down, he decides to put his butt under himself instead
of bracing with his shoulders.  Good fellow.  Back
thru the graze-as-you-walk field and trot up the steep
hill towards home.  Walk the last mile in.  

After a bath, a peppermint (favorite treat), and some
fly spray, he marched into his cool stall and stood in
the corner.  He was DONE, thank you!  No, he didn't
want out in the heat & flies - thanks anyway.

Poor little guy.  He doesn't know he's destined for LD
this fall and 50's next year.  We're going to go horse
camping in a couple of weeks to let him experience an
overnight trip, other horses, new trails, etc.  So
many new things to learn.

Look out world - a little bay gelding is coming this
fall!

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Photos -- now, 100 FREE prints!
http://photos.yahoo.com



    Check it Out!    

Home    Events    Groups    Rider Directory    Market    RideCamp    Stuff

Back to TOC