More exploring

Today we went rambling back up in the hills, trying to find the trail down to Palomino Valley proper. I actually did consider printing out a sat map of the area, but I decided it'd be more fun to just wander, so that's what we did. We ended up at 9.76 miles in 2:12.

Dixie was exceptionally impatient this morning - I had to cross-tie her to get her brushed, then as soon as I got the saddle on she started pawing. That kind of distracted me from my Rain Man-like routine of tacking up, but I pretty much got everything done and got on and off we went. We climbed the normal hill toward PV and I took the turn I figured would lead us to PV. It was really beautiful out there - just a few houses, snow still on the north sides of the hills, a few rabbits. About 4 miles out from S's, we'd crossed the hills and were heading down. The road down was very steep and muddy and I suspected it wasn't the road I really wanted. Dixie slid carefully down it for a couple hundred yards, to a bend in the road. When we got there, I could see it was just miles more of the same steep muddy rocky stuff switchbacking the rest of the way down the hill - ick, no.

We turned around and headed back towards home. I headed a little ways down another turn I thought might be the right one (and I think it is!), then went up on a hill to look at the remains of someone's foolishness. On top of a small hill, with a For Sale - Owner Will Finance! sign, lies an RV, on its side. Some poor idiot drove this RV (CA tags, expired in '04) up to the top of this hill and it apparently didn't occur to him to TIE IT DOWN. So it blew over and he walked away.

Then we headed back toward home again - took another detour up a hill. Very steep, but mostly damp/dry sand. It looks like maybe it's someone's driveway, so I turned around. Yet another detour across a fairly level little road running along the ridgetops, and finally - good footing! I let Dixie canter a bit then settled her down into a nice rack. The road eventually dropped off the ridge and I turned around there and let her rip back to the main road. She does have good sense, and I've quit "yelling" at her to slow down at the rocky bits. She slows down when she's not comfortable on the footing, then speeds back up when it's better.

On the "real" gravel roads headed home, she shifted through all her gears and finally settled in to a really nice step pace, 8-9 mph, most of the way.

Remember how I said she was really wicked impatient this morning and my autistic checklist for tacking up was interrupted? Yeah, when I got home and slid off I noticed this.


Yes, the girth is so loose my whole hand and thumb comfortably fit between girth and horse. SHIT. And I rode 9 miles in the mountains like that! When we came down out of the hills it was riding a little further forward than usual, but it didn't seem to bother Dixie and we were almost home so I didn't check it.

Oh well. Glad she didn't spook!