All my bags are packed…

I’m ready to go…

Friday, September 11, 2015

I’m a little nervous…. how will the long drive be? The weather promises to rain, but how much? Is she ready for this weekend? Am I ready? How will the truck do on this longer haul… (though we’re much less loaded down with only one horse)?

We had a great session with Pam this week. I rode Khaleesi bareback for the first time and in a halter (I would never had tried that on my own!) it was great fun and she didn’t seem to mind at all.

We also found some better balance going from a 2-point position back into posting and that seemed to help. We finally did a couple of decent trotting circles, and I’m getting quieter in my movements too.

The forecast looks a little frightening still, but I was reading myself to sleep last night (Endurance News) and read about a woman whose first ride was through pouring rain and muddy trails, and she said it is still one of her best memories. That made me feel a little better…

I also read about hydration and an 8 hour car ride can dehydrate a horse significantly (I figured as much) and ideas to re-hydrate once arriving at a ride and how important that can be. Offering a gallon or two of slightly salty water (1 tbs per gallon) can encourage the horse to drink significantly more water following that salty first water. Also loose feed hay encourages a lot of drinking as well- and that’s what’s on her menu for tonight. A larger bucket so the horse doesn’t have to dip their eye-level so far down makes a difference, and water that isn’t too cold. I believe it was around 60% of horses tested at Tevis were slightly dehydrated before the ride even began.

So… wish us luck and we’ll keep you posted!