She was really pretty good. She had good impulsion most of the time (and even when she felt like she was plodding along, she was still trotting at 8.5 mph!) She listened well and let me pick the speed. She tried hard.
We went 16.5 miles in 2:43, 6.1 mph. I'm pretty happy with that - I sent her up two huge hills and made her stand for a while at the cow trough near the midpoint. I tried to keep it very endurance-y - we moved out at a trot or pace whenever we could, we only cantered a couple of spots, and when we did walk, I kept her marching briskly instead of zombie-horse plodding.
We both felt pretty perky when we finished. I think we could do that three times! (16 miles is about a third of a 50.)
Fire! It was a prescribed burn, whew.
I got a picture of the Pasture Bunny, finally. :) Dixie is totally incorrigible - she twirls her head and "herds" the bunny. Like cats and goats, the bunny didn't seem too awed by Her Majesty's Displeasure.
Sounds like a fun and productive ride! I can't imagine riding 16 miles in less than 3 hours... :)
ReplyDeleteThat little bunny is super cute! Sounds like he's pretty used to Dixie and knows she's all talk!
This post makes me jealous (because I wish I had time to ride!)
ReplyDeleteThis entry makes me long for conditioning rides...
ReplyDeleteWow, I love that first photo! Love that Dixie girl.
ReplyDeleteGo Dixie GO GO GO!
ReplyDeleteI like that first shot, too--Could be a "header" photo?
ReplyDeleteSixteen miles is way cool (and way more than I'd ever get done is 3 hours! especially on my "futon". ;-D)
I am trying to imagine riding 16 miles. I wonder how far I go in a typical ride? Huh. Seems like my butt would be sore after 2:45. ;)
ReplyDeleteAlso, those ear shots from the saddle with the mountains in the background? Man, those NEVER get old!
Yeah! I only dream of riding right now. #$@% rain! Still flooding 'n such here.
ReplyDeleteLove those mountains through the ears pictures too.
Yep, definitely time to head back to the desert to ride. Me and the ponies are tired of conditioning in the field. We need to cover some miles.
ReplyDeleteAhhhh! Nice photos of the Nevada desert. After we moved to the Sierra foothills from Reno, I was freaked out every time I saw smoke here. In Nevada, smoke is almost always bad. Here, people burn year-round with a permit, no permit required during the rainy winter/spring. I've never spent so much money on RoundUp. You either have to kill all the things that grow or prune them or mow. All this green hurts my eyes.
ReplyDeleteThis post, it was a really chilled out post! Excellent, and well photo`d. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteCan you ship some of that amazing sunshine & blue skies up here???
ReplyDeleteOh...drooling....I long for that open spaces"desert-y"ride!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Fund, you sure were placed in the perfect place for your passion in riding style..I was tickled at the excitement Dix had too.
I thought of you today...when I posted my measly 55 miles of april post. Rain, rain go away...come again-to another region!
My mileage had been put off by hoof boots that stretch from MUD.
LOVED your shots...good job getting the illusive bunny!