I finally got out on a ride yesterday after being socked in for so long. We've had a warm spell, so I spent half the week removing snow from in front of the corral and trailer (where all my tack is kept in the tack room). There is now a snow chute carved out about 6 feet high and 12 feet wide leading from the driveway to the corral gate, and a two foot high snow step up through the gate to where the horses are kept. It doesn't make for an easy exit / entry for the horses, that's for sure. I did my best to shoo the other two off while I led Amigo out, which is a trick in and of itself trying not to get run over by a horse who basically has to jump his way down off the step. And of course monkey see monkey do so here comes Sara out right behind, I almost got run over twice. At least my attempt to block her from escaping down the chute was successful, but she climbed out and tried to escape along the outside of the corral. She didn't get far before she got herself stuck, so I slammed Amigo back in the corral and coaxed her to turn around and follow him back in.
So onto the ride. I can't cut through the fields anymore because of the snow, so it's down the highway for a mile until I get to the next county road. The highway was clear albeit wet so ok to travel on, otherwise I wouldn't have attempted the ride. And I would have liked to pony the mule along, but I'm not sure how she handles traffic yet so she stayed back. I have to say at this point what a wonderful horse Amigo is. It is not every horse that you can hop on fresh after a long winter and ride calm down a highway without working out in an arena or round pen first. Horses tend to build up anxiety and energy when cooped up for too long (not to mention mine are fed alfalfa, which is high in protein and gives them a lot of energy) and some are downright uncontrollable. So a few anxious moments aside to start off with, traffic didn't bother him at all and he didn't bat an eye when a big rig passed from behind with his jake brakes on. A bus load of tourists coming back from Yellowstone must have been wondering what the hell this guy was doing riding down the highway in a snow storm. I also have to say the drill tech shoes on Amigo are a marvel. He is a sure footed horse to begin with, but with those shoes on our confidence didn't waiver once on the icy patches. It is easy for a beginner to panic when a horse starts slipping and sliding, but if you let nature take it's course, the horse will right itself (it does have four feet after all) and keep on going. It wasn't much of a ride. I had planned on doing a 6 mile loop, but I guess I wasn't thinking and when I got to Reece Road there was a sign that said "end of winter snow removal" and sure enough, it ended. So a 6 mile loop turned into a 4.5 mile double back. It was a nice ride, warm and snowy. Kind of picture perfect, however I would have liked to see some wildlife. Oh well.
Speaking of wildlife, it's been a hard winter for them around here. I can't recall how many road kill I've seen so far. At this rate the moose population will be hurting this spring.
Speaking of spring, I am considering joining the Jackson mounted patrol this year with either Amigo or Sara. I'm not sure yet. I am not confident Amigo can make the 40 hours of training without going lame, and I'm not sure Sara has the level head for it. I don't have the trust in her yet that I've developed with Amigo over the last year. Plus I would have to board one of them in Jackson for the spring and drive over there several times a week for the training and certification. Like I said, I'm not sure yet but it is something I'd like to do.
That's all for now. March will be a slow month, but I'll try to get back here to write something.
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2 comments:
Okay, so this is a stupid question from someone to whom snow is quite foreign, but does the snow get packed down enough for a horse to walk on top of it? Or would they just sink in? I'm remembering trips to the snow as a little kid, sinking up past my knees in some parts but being able to walk quite fine in other parts, maybe those were packed down trails or something.
That mounted patrol sounds kinda cool, is it a volunteer thing? You're already going to have Smooch in Jackson aren't you? I totally want to go through one of those desensitization training things with Shylah, that would be so good.
Keep blogging. :-)
Kat,
Our snow is soft and fluffy, and when new the horses can just walk through it. A person needs snow shoes to stay on top. Remember their bellies are three feet off the ground. With that said, soft fluffy snow drifts easily, and it becomes hard to tell where the drifts are. Blown snow is finer than fallen snow and packs harder, so that would explain why you can walk on top in some parts, but not in others. The deeper it gets, the harder it gets for quadrapeds. In other parts of the country such as the midwest, and here as winter drags on, the snow is wetter and gets packed and hard and developes a crust to where a person can walk on top of if with relative ease. This is when it gets hard for large quadrapeds to traverse through it. This is why they become easy prey for predators late in the winter. Wolves and dogs stay on top of the snow while hooved animals sink through the crust with their hooves and have to make a lunging effort to get trough it.
You can desensitize your horse yourself. Just set up an obstacle course in your pasture or corral and employ the help of a redneck friend with a gun or access to fireworks. I think I'll stop here and make a post about it for you.
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