The AERC ride season begins in December so I guess it is actually 2007 in my sport, so here goes …
I am making lists and lists of things to take and pack and learn before my maiden solo voyage with the LQ horse trailer. (Please God, do not let me hit anything with the trailer or suffer any mechanical breakdowns.)
A couple/few days after Christmas, I am loading up can’t-believe-we’re-this-fit-in-December Ned, and heading down to PA pick up my friend Mary, and her legendary veteran Morgan, Hawk.
Then, with an overnight in NC near the SC border (and just a few miles from I-95), we’ll be heading to Dunnellon, FL (not too far from Ocala) for a three day endurance ride called Gator Run.
First day is 55 miles, largely on hard-packed roads (Ned’s kind of trail). Second two days are 50 miles each, but in the sand, which we have little opportunity to condition for.
I’m taking two different saddles, a bunch of pads and shims, and we’ll be doing as much or as little makes sense based on how we’re feeling.
Many friends going to be there, including several folks who either winter in FL, or have moved down to the SE in recent years, so there will be plenty of catching up with old chums.
I am guilt-ridden about leaving husband alone at the farm, but am trying to arrange someone to walk/exercise the dogs and groom horses/clean stalls a few times while I’m gone. (And I’m taking one dog with me.) Hubby said “absolutely not” to this plan but he’ll just have to try to figure out why the horses are so clean and the dogs so content while I’m gone.
While I hate to plan more than one ride in advance, I’m hoping this multi-day ride will set up a sand conditioning base for a 100-mile ride at the same location on the first weekend of March (when I’m planning to head back south with hubby and his horse). So much depends on the weather and footing up here between the two rides and whether I board Ned and dressage him or try to sneak in conditioning rides as the weather allows.
Ace is still the back-up horse, and he’s on standby to do a bunch of medium-slow 50s between Ned’s 100s this year.
Since my season got cut short in 2006, I am positively jonesing to get back out there!