Here Comes the Sun

The weather here has finally decided that it will actually behave and we were gifted with a weekend of sun and blue skies. Temperatures even warmed up so much that t-shirts were appropriate outdoor ride attire and the mareface got her first bath of the year.

Bright and early on Saturday, A and I hit up another spring tack sale. It opened at 8AM so we met up a little after 7AM, grabbed coffee and breakfast sandwiches and made our way south. There was already quite a line forming outside the building when we arrived and after snagging a parking spot in the near full lot, we joined the fray. Unlike the last sale we went to a couple weeks ago, this one was crazy…like shark feeding-frenzy crazy with people were grabbing stuff left and right. It was a little intense!

I fortunately had put together a mental list of things I needed/wanted to find beforehand and managed to snag some pretty freaking amazing deals. Of all the things I bought, the BEST find of the sale was a like-new condition English sheepskin saddle cover that was only $1. These things usually go for $65-70.

I’ve always wanted one since I use my Thorowgood saddle for the trails a lot and put in as much/if not more daily mileage on it than my treeless endurance saddle currently. I considered using it for endurance paired with the Supracor pad but I have gotten butt sore after longer rides (10+ miles) and I could never really justify the cost when I had a perfectly good treeless saddle. But no longer shall I pine away in sadness! I was super excited to try it out  and it was amazing as I imagined it to be...much butt comfort joy. I completely forgot it was even there, which is pretty much the idea.

After the tack sale, A and I decided to stop by Horsemen’s Outlet since we were in the area already. The store didn’t open until later in the morning so I suggested doing a detour stop at Round Valley Reservoir.

I’ve been super curious about riding the trails there for the longest time and after seeing them in person, this place is totally going on my list of places to condition for endurance!

On Sunday, I went by the barn after church to get a quick ride and do some spring cleaning/tack organizing. Quest and I did our first real schooling ride in outdoor arena and there was conveniently a baby cross rail jump already all set up for us. We warmed up with ground poles first and then got right to business.

The sand footing was still wet from the rains last week which made it a little firmer to work on but still a little too deep for my tastes so I kept the ride short and sweet. Our first jumps were trot hops but towards the end of the session Quest tucked those front legs right up (not captured on video though...) Since I’m mostly doing this on my own with no real photo/videographer crew, I’ve been relying on “feeling” the difference of her efforts and reviewing video from my fence-propped up phone. Still haven’t adjusted my stirrups shorter though…Oops.

After our jump session, Quest got her first bath in the outdoors wash stall and got tied to a nearby fence to dry off and graze while I did a big tack trunk cleanout. I like things simple and usually try to get rid/sell/donate the excess. Plus I know an endurance ride will be chaos x 10 million so the fewer things keep track of the better too. I pulled out a bunch of stuff that I probably don’t need to keep so will be posting up some things for sale soon.

All in all, a super productive weekend was had. I'm hoping we get more of this good weather so the outdoor adventures continue to ensue!