Trail Training Newsletter - Volume 88

May 2008

Dear Readers,

Oh, we are having so much fun riding.  It was such a long winter and late spring, that this year, we truly appreciate being able to get out and ride on the trail.   April has been fairly dry, so we haven't even had problems with the river.  We are working on building up their condition by gradually increasing the time, speed and duration of the rides.  (A good point to remember-increase only one of them at a time.)

So now, Ellen and I are collaborating our vacation schedules.  We started out with a couple days in the middle of May.  We can't wait.

Looking for some awesome photos of Alaska and out west?  My brother is a terrific photographer, and he is now offering some of his photos for sale.  You can look at them at this website: www.rockylandscape.PhotoReflect.com  

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Cruiser Starts to Canter

In early April, the vet came out to examine Cruiser's bowed tendon.  The news was good, but not surprising.  He had been doing very well working in the arena at a walk and trot.  There has been no heat or swelling, and Cruiser showed much enthusiasm in his work. 

The vet said that we didn't need him anymore unless Cruiser has a problem.  The tendon looked great.  We are now allowed to integrate some cantering into our program, and we can go down trail.  I was thrilled to hear this.

At our next opportunity, we headed for the hill.  I brought Ellen along on foot.  I know I could have done it by myself, but I just like to have Ellen along.  Cruiser was very happy to leave the driveway and head down the street.  We walked down the hill and trotted the flat stretch at the bottom.  He trotted very fast and was quite excited.

Our hill doesn't go straight down.  It is level at the beginning, goes down a slope, is level in the middle, goes down a slope and is level at the bottom to the river.  We can trot and canter on the level areas.  I used to do it on the slopes, too, but not since he bowed his tendon.

We did two trips, and since we had been doing trotting, I was ahead of Ellen.  I figured I would try our first canter when she wasn't looking.  She didn't know we were going to do it.  I didn't want to tell her because I didn't want her to worry.

We rode just past a muddy section, and I said the word.  Cruiser's head went up in surprise and away we went-very fast.  I started to slow him down as I neared the end of the trail, and, much to my surprise, he dropped his head and tried to pull the reins out of my hands-swinging his head to the left and right, slowed down and tried to buck!

Since he didn't get his head, it wasn't much of a buck.  I laughed.  It has easily been a decade-maybe more-since Cruiser has tried to buck while I was riding him.  He felt good, and he was trying to express it in the only way he knew how to.  I had one happy horse.

He never tried anything like it last year when the vet originally told us we could canter before he reinjured his leg this winter.  When I asked him to canter, then, he went slow and carefully.  I think it is the new low carb, low sugar diet.  He really is feeling better.  We can tell just by looking at him-he looks younger.  I guess it only make sense he feels younger, too.

I feel better, too.  I have my Cruiser back.