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[RC] stitches/atorey part 1 - Laurie Durginsince i am typing onehanded,forgive my caplack.ya,ever get one of those 'i know somethings gonna happen. .'? wwwaaalll,it done did.i am sidelined with stitches in my righthand(right where ya grip the reins). rascal n'i had got back into our routine of 3 rides 1-1.5 hrs a week(mostly hills).When i decided to ride on sunday.this last year that was like taking yur life in yur hands as the 4 wheeler,mudder ,dirt bikes had been increasing into the double didgets.mr neibors got fed up with them tearing up the road(private)and the noisr ,often all night on weekends.so they installed a gate ,channel iron bar.3 locks been cut,but he puts a key in his mailbox for us. i really do have to go thru this gate or i'd have to walk through heavy viney underbrush that is not feasible.this gate is dangerous,he cut the bar at an angle ,and it is belly high on rascal i have to swing it open all 15 feet of it and go around the sharp point. going in isn't as bad as i can push it from the middle ahead of me. now sunday i rode out, he looked at all the new dumpings but passed them fine ,cept he kinda danced by the 'tumbleweed'(that is some dumpers version of a viney brushpile on the road).i planned on checking out the trail damage to see if i could use my favorite loops.one is about3.5 miles i did on fri.3 major holes,mush,gulleys we'd have to walk around(rascal the atv thinks he should just plow thru).today iopted for the 7 mt favorite as mostly the 4 wheelers stay off it and it's about 10 feet wide and wooded,rolling with a couple of good hills and a creek crossing,or 2 if i cut another trail back that is shorter, but steeper.(like to keep him guessing,as he anticipates). i had dismounted to pull a tree off the trail(the decapitatig type) and decide to walk to the turnoff into the woods. (now we have had issues at this turnoff before,rode many 20 ft. circles in front of it last winter as he refusedto go in.)since i was on foot i figgered i'd jus walk down it a bit for exercise.first off that stick on the ground is a SNAKE.. . GOOD .NOT POSIONOUS. threw 4 rocks at it before it would leave,gotta work on my aim.so headed on down the trail mounted and we did some trotting,then cantering,not that he asked me first.he breaks into a canter alot now,since he learned last year.haven't decided if it's easier for him or if he just likes the speed.we are still working out balance.usedto feel like a bucking horse, but i can stay with him better now,mostly :] got to the creek,it was a torrent,fast,deep and muddy.i decided not to cross as it is a slanted shelf and tricky normally . so we turnedto rascal this means, haul butt. i decided we could ,but ii hauled back when he tried to canter the gullied ,rockstrewn hill and kept him at a canter vs. a dead run on the rolling part. i haltedhim at the logging road tn calm down or he'd have run up that hillto a 'muussshh' mess.then i heard the 4wheelers.loud and fast .in a valley here,convergence of 2 trails.we got into woods i dismounted, they wouldn't see us to advoid us.they tore down one hill,took the turn,right next to us ,then saw us. as usual thet looked surprised ,slowed said 'sorry' and wet up our trail. i walked him to the easement to graze,listening for them to go further on. then we started up road,got to the first hill, the muuussshh spot i haveto go thru woods to advoid(huge ditches in road,filled wih mud and water that can't drain made by mudder trucks and dirt bikes.)they had their 4 wh pulling a tree down. i stopped ,they turned off bike so i could pass(felling a tree w/a 4w is a bit much to ask him to pass on my heels). the girl asked me if i gave riding lessons, i said, no this isn't a lesson kinda horse.catered some more, him doing his atv thing up some of the washed out parts,i try to slow him to a trot at these places.got to the next intersection, another mmuuusssshhh spot. wehave a 18" shelf,while ducking under a tree to get around. NO RASCAL,I CAN'T HOLD THE DANG BRANCH UP IF YA TRY TO TROT THIS FULLOUT. TBC LAURIE Rascals one handed mom _________________________________________________________________ STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail
Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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