Final preparations for Vermont

Our annual 10 day camping trip with the horses starts this Friday.  It’s the Cross State Trail Ride, where me, my mother, and 100 hundred other people with their horses will invade a sleepy little town, spend eight days riding the trails, swimming in rivers (according to an email we have to bring noodles), playing ridiculous games (according to an email we have to dress like pirates), drinking ridiculous drinks (no email reminder necessary on this one), and eating like carnivores.  Everything we’ve done this summer with the horses has been leading up to this event, and it’s only a few days away!

    Today was our last long ride before Vermont, although at 7.3 miles it wasn’t very long!  It was a nice 2 hour ride though, and Rocco loved having two horses in front of him the whole time to shield him from all the deerflies. 



Rocco having an intense staring contest with the fence post before today's ride


Spa Treatment

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine from college approached me with an unusual request.  She is a licensed massage therapist for humans, and decided she wanted to expand her reach to horses and dogs.  She already attended school and had some hands-on training, but now she needs three case studies to work on every week.  She wondered if I could let her practice on Rocco.  Since we have three horses of all different sizes, breeds, and abilities, I offered to let her work on all three.  I didn’t really know what to expect with this, but I figured if nothing else the horses will just get petted for a few hours and I will get a chance to catch up with a good friend!

                During our first session, Liza took inventory of their medical history and all other pertinent info and then took pictures of them.  She then worked on each of the horses, and quickly learned their personalities.  Rocco wants cookies.  Cindy wants to be scratched.  Hudson wants his mother.  She also noted that Hudson and Rocco were both a bit tight in their hamstrings (no surprise with all the hill work we’ve been doing to prepare for Vermont) and Hudson had some soreness in his back end.  They were all extremely jealous of each other, so which ever horse was being worked on, the other two were grinding teeth, kicking walls, and being generally obnoxious!  Despite the horses being complete clowns, it was a good first session.



Rocco saying "ahhh that's the spot", Cindy being jealous

   Liza came back again this week for a second session, and again each horse got a thorough massage.  I can’t begin to tell you how jealous I am of these horses!

Hudson passing out in Liza's arms. Rocco being jealous

Other tidbits

As mentioned in my last blog post, Rocco had a bit of a meltdown when a mountain biker zipped past us a couple weeks ago.  Refusing to tolerate a horse with a “bike” issue, I was determined to get to the bottom of this.  So, last week I hopped on my Cannondale and pedaled around the property, repeatedly riding into and out of the barn and stopping in front of his stall.  He was very shy about this at first, and every time I would approach his stall he would hide his head behind the stall door.  Eventually if he didn’t hide his head I would ride up to him and give him a cookie.  Then, eventually I would only give him a cookie if he reached his head over the stall door.  Finally, I would only give him a cookie if he touched my bike with his nose.  After an hour of this psycho-therapy, he had overcome his bike issue.  The only problem now is that he will most likely knock people off their bikes in search of cookies!

Rocco telling that bike how he really feels!

BSTRA June campout

Our first camping trip of the season took place June 24-26 at Arcadia Management Area in Escoheag, RI.  Mom and I have really been looking forward to this trip for a couple reasons.  1- Escoheag is a favorite of ours with the abundant trail system and rustic camping, and 2 - We've been dying to try out the new camper!

This trip was an official Bay State Trail Riders Association (BSTRA) campout.  We had planned to get there on Thursday to make a full four day trip, but the weather didn't cooperate.  It rained and poured all day Thursday, and there's few things less fun in the world than setting up a horse camp in the pouring rain.  We decided to hold off until Friday, hope for better weather, and give ourselves an extra day to pack.  It's a good thing we did, because we were a little out of practice and it took me pretty much all day to pack, run my errands, and prepare food.  By Friday morning the trucks and trailers were packed, the rain stopped, and we were on the road!

We got to Escoheag around noon and were very surprised to see that the campground was completely empty except for our good friend Aurore who had gotten there about an hour before us.  We assumed the rest of the BSTRA riders would be pulling in behind us and got to work finding a good camping spot.  You'd think this would be easy, but as it turns out, too many options mean too much of a good thing.  We spent a good 20 minutes or so hemming and hawing over exactly where to park everything and where to set up the fences.  Once we finally agreed on a spot, it took about an hour to set up everything for the horses and get the camper all squared away.  Then it was time to relax and have a snack before an afternoon ride!

Just before we set off for our Friday afternoon ride, I got a call from Jane and Phil (the hosts of the ride) that they ran into truck trouble on their way to the campground and wouldn't be able to make it.  That was a real bummer, especially for Jane who had been looking forward to a get-away after some hip surgery earlier in the year.  She also rattled off a list of people who wouldn't be camping this weekend, and it made us wonder who would be showing up.  My friend Allison arrived in the afternoon and waited for Ronnie to show up with an extra horse for her to ride.  Allison quickly learned that Ronnie is a talker and it took him a lot longer to get there than he planned!

So mid-afternoon on Friday, Aurore, Mom and I headed out for a nice two hour ride.  It was only about 60 degrees but the horses weren't overly excited about the cool temps and just plodded along.  We had been a little worried about the weather but it really was a non-issue.  It never rained once on us all weekend!

Friday's ride

Ronnie showed up just before dinner with an extra horse for Allison, and they were able to take an hour-long ride before it got dark.  Allison rode Ron's horse Stinker and had a blast.  Friday evening was damp and chilly and it made an early night for us.  The horses had rain sheets on and they were quite comfy, wasting no time settling into their new temporary homes.



Rocco enjoying a little breakfast in bed



Weather improved Saturday and there were some breaks of sun.  Aurore, Mom, Ronnie, Allison, and I all rode together and had a nice 10 mile ride. 



Allison & Mack, making Rocco look tiny!

We stopped at the Midway pavilion for a little break.  Rocco got a little jealous of Ron.



Hands off my mother!



Michael and Loretta joined us on Saturday, and Dan came down to visit for dinner.  Finally, we had a real group of campers!



Chow time!



Saturday's ride

Sunday was the pick of the weekend with sunny skies in temperatures in the mid-70's.  We had a bunch of friends truck in for a day ride, so it was nice to see a lot of people in the park.  Mom and I rode with two ladies we met on Saturday, Lori and Robin.  We had a nice 3.5 hour ride with them out to Breakheart Pond.

Sunday's ride

Robin & Lori



Rocco being extremely handsome at Breakheart Pond



C'mon Hudson, look at the camera! Look!

Like all good weekends, this one ended too soon.  The weather was only going to continue to get better throughout the week, but I had to get back to work Monday and the horses were getting tired. 

We had one last lunch together, which meant one last opportunity for Rocco to shake people down for treats.  Really, how can anyone resist this face?



Just one more cracker?  Pleeeeeease??



It was an awesome camping trip and a great debut for the new camper.  The true test will be a couple weeks from now when we head to Vermont!  

Catching up to do!

I had high hopes in the Spring about this riding blog, but once the weather got better I chose to spend my time riding instead of blogging about riding.  So, time to dust off the blog because Rocco and I have had some great adventures and we have some catching up to do!  Over the next couple weeks I’ll try to recap some of our fun rides, but for now I’ll just give a summary.

Mileage

We are heading to Vermont in less than three weeks for 10 days of camping and riding.  This means we’ve had to up our mileage and hill work to prepare for the demands of the trip.  Luckily I have my Garmin GPS (primarily used for running and biking) so I’ve been able to track most of the rides.  Rocco is looking lean and mean, all muscled up and very shiny!  The organized rides on this trip are usually somewhere between 12-20 miles each day, which will be a challenge for us.  We will have to pick and choose our rides, and always have the option of cutting them short if we need to.

Gear

The tack is holding up well.  We’ve had good luck over the last year with our Ortho Flex Patriot saddle and Diamond Wool saddle pad.  We’re still sticking with the hackamore bit, and that’s about it!  He’s very low maintenance.

Product Review

Cashel Quiet Ride Mask: I’ve actually had this mask for a couple years now but I’ve only used this for turnout.  Last weekend we got absolutely bombarded by face flies on a ride in Upton, and I decided to try it on the trail.  I’ve avoided riding with a full face mask in the past because I was worried that it would hinder his vision, but the flies were brutal and I needed to try something.  We tried it last Sunday and he seemed fine.  We did plenty of gaiting/cantering with no apparent vision issues, and it was a huge relief not having flies all over his face.  We’ve used it for every ride since.  Great product!

Do not adjust your monitor. This is not Rocco! This is a trained professional mask model.

Farnam Supermask II Fly Mask: This is a heavier duty fly mask designed for turnout.  Since the Quiet Ride is now being used on the trail, I needed something else for turnout.  I’m not convinced I like it yet, but maybe it will grow on me.  It’s very short and only goes to his cheekbone, so it doesn’t provide a lot of face coverage.

Deo-lotion fly spray: This was an exciting purchase!  I have used Deo-lotion cream on the horses’ sensitive areas, raw spots, and fly bites.  I loved this product in its cream version, and when I found out it came in a liquid concentrate as a fly repellent, I just had to try it.  At $36 for a liter it was no bargain but I’ve had such good luck with this brand in the past, I was willing to risk it.  And survey says…so far so good!  Smells just as good as the cream, it’s all natural with lots of oils, and leaves the horses’ coats smooth but not oily.  I don’t think anything is 100% effective against the most persistent deerflies but so far this has done a really good job.  For a little added protection I’ve been using a roll-on repellent across the top of Rocco’s neck, and that seems to do the trick.  And the final line of defense is the horsehair fly whisk that’s a permanent extension of my arm from April (gnats) to October (bees).

Shoes

Dennis, our farrier, is coming next Tuesday to put new shoes on in preparation for Vermont.  I can’t wait for the new shoes, because Rocco’s shoes are pretty worn down and the toes are about as thin as razor blades.  We are having pads put on the front hooves to give a little added protection in Vermont.

Diet

Rocco had a little hay belly this Spring but he’s looking lean now with the extra workouts.  I’m lucky that he’s such an easy keeper.  He only gets a cup of Poulin MVP twice a day, and he has a SmartPak supplement of Farrier’s Formula, SmartCalm, and Flex-N-Action, a joint supplement.  We’ll start introducing an electrolyte just before Vermont as well.

Kangaroo Chronicles

And finally… a section devoted to the quirky, oddball, and strangely endearing traits of my half horse/half kangaroo. 

Cutest things ever:

Rocco has been so itchy lately that when I go into his stall he stops what he’s doing and snuggles up to me to get scratched.  Adorable.

Rocco used to hate getting fly-sprayed, so I started giving him a cookie every time I sprayed him.  Now when he hears me shaking the spray bottle, he comes charging towards me.

Airborne Division:

Rocco has an issue with bikes, especially when they are moving.  Sometimes he can tolerate them, other times he explodes.  Yesterday was an explosion when a biker refused to slow down and Rocco sprouted wings and launched into the air like a circus animal.  Very dramatic.

Spring! It's finally... here?

Rocco and I have been anxiously awaiting Spring so that we can hit the trails again.  Okay that's not exactly true.  He seemed perfectly content hanging out in the snow covered paddock all winter.  Even with his winter shoes, the footing has just been too questionable to venture out in the trails.  Between the deep snow, ice, and flopped over trees, there was really nowhere safe enough to ride.  I kept busy with other winter activities (it was a banner year for snowshoeing!) and knew eventually I'd be back in the saddle. 

Last fall I had toyed with the idea of boarding him for the winter at an indoor so I could at least keep him moving all winter and not let his head get a major case of Spring fever, but decided to take a gamble and hoped the snowfall would be minimal so that at the very least I would be able to ride in the dirt track at my house.  Boy was that a bad bet.  The snowfall in Massachusetts has been relentless with storm after storm.  Much of the winter involved shoveling paths out to and around the barn just to feed the horses, and twice a day we lugged several hot water buckets down to the barn in an attempt to stave off frozen water buckets.  The snowbanks in our yard were up over my head, and eventually I gave up thinking they would ever melt.  Finally in February, the snow got so high, and there was nowhere left to put it all, and our plow truck  got stuck trying to get around the house.  Once that happened, I knew I wouldn't be riding on the track until the snow and ice were gone.

Fast forward to mid-March and finally by a stroke of luck we've had enough warmish days to melt away most of the snow.  After being ridden just twice in January and once in February, Rocco was saddled up for a ride around the track.  He was, as expected, on "high alert" but managed to control himself pretty well with no major incidents.  I rode him about a half dozen times at home just walking, gaiting, and cantering around the property to get him in some reasonable shape and get his mind back into work mode. 

Fast forward to April and - as unbelievable as it seems - the snow has finally melted enough in the trails to venture out.  We suffered a temporary setback on April 1 when we had an "April Fools" snowstorm dumping a few inches on us, but luckily most of it melted by the weekend.  So, this past Sunday marked our debut ride off-property.  It was a beautiful day of about 50 degrees, sun, and a strong gusty wind.  I had some reservations about his debut ride being in such a windy situation, but it seems lately that every weekend day in New England has been exceptionally windy and if I waited for the perfect opportunity it just wasn't going to happen.  We loaded up the horses, Rocco and Hudson, and headed over to one of our favorite spots, the Douglas State Forest.  Rocco seemed very comfortable exiting the trailer when he looked around and recognized the familiar spot.  We saddled up and headed out, where he immediately got strong and turned into a coiled spring.  Rocco may be a Tennessee Walker, but those of us closest to him know he's really part Pegasus and part Kangaroo.   It's a delicate balance sometimes keeping him reeled in to stay in stride with the other horses without him leaping up in the air.  After about 20 minutes of Rocco's "big eyes", he settled in and we had a very nice and casual ride.  Our biggest challenge is the difference in speed he has compared to most of the other horses we ride with.  He naturally walks so much faster than Hudson, which makes Hudson have to trot to catch up, which makes Rocco think it's time to run, and it's a viscious circle of a game we play. 
The footing was pretty good too.  There was snow in a lot of spots but most of it we could either walk around or walk right over.  None of it seemed to have any slippery ice underneath.  All in all though, both horses were very well behaved and it was a great feeling to be back out - finally!  Hopefully this marks the beginning of another great season.  We are a few weeks behind where we usually are this time of year because of the weather, so we have some making up to do.  My new camper just arrived last week so we are eager to get the good weather and lots of good riding so we'll be ready for a busy year of camping!  Let's hope this time Spring is really here to stay.