It's been a few weeks since Thanksgiving came and went but in a lot of ways, it marks the official start to the holiday season. Well, at least in my mind it does.
It's been fun watching Baby C take in all the sights and sounds. Though this technically isn't his first ever Christmas, its the first one where he is more than just a wiggling ball. Now there is holiday music, blinking tree lights, cooking food smells, cooler weather.
His innocent sense of wonder is really something to behold and honestly his genuine reaction to the smallest things is the humble reminder I needed that sometimes things in life don't have to be big, huge, expensive, or fancy to be memorable, enjoyable, or emotionally satisfying.
That mantra has been running through my mind whenever I spend time at the barn. It's been a few weeks since Quest and I did our last ride together and I was itching for the trails this past weekend.
Before going to the barn, I stopped to buy a set of nippers to give mareface a quick trim. I've been having difficulty coordinating with the farrier I had used at the previous barn so I made up my mind to do what I could in the meantime. The nippers were a godsend and then the rasp made quick work. It helped that Quest stood nicely for me in the crossties. Good mare!
I debated doing a full tack trail ride at first but in the end, I opted for bareback and bitless. We got tacked up with the little S-hack, my like-new Toklat Coolback bareback pad (which I got for an absolute steal of a price from a local horseperson), and made sure to wear my orange vest.
The weather was cool and Quest was full of sass. When we got into the WMA, she immediately asked to move out. However we had seen a few trucks and a couple hunters in the parking lot so a speedy ride was probably not the best thing for that particular day.
After a few reminders to slow down and chill, Quest did settle into her big walk and we enjoyed a lovely 3.5mi ride done in about 50mins. We could have done more but it was a little unnerving hearing all the dogs and rifles in the training area. We were in no danger at any time as the two areas are completely separated and inaccessible on foot but it was tough not to be on edge. Despite all that, it was a good ride and Quest felt 110% after her trim which I'm very pleased about.
 |
| Happy birthday to me. I promised myself a real bareback pad someday and finally got one! |
I'm in total love with the Coolback and feel utterly spoiled by actually having a real bareback pad after making due with my DIY pad for the past 6-7 years. I think I need a neoprene girth since the girth that came with the pad is a little too slick and I could see that the pad slid back a little after our ride. Though for the price I got it at and knowing how much use I'll definitely get out of it, I'm not complaining at all and its an easy fix. Can't wait to do more bareback rides this winter!
