Oye.
Bandit was utterly
full of loco beans today.
"Standing" respiration rate was 16 breaths a minute, though actually that was after walking him in from the hillside and having him get a little wound up, anticipating being tacked up and going. At the minute, that's one of my biggest concerns about the CTR— his standing respiration rate is high high high anyway, and his heart rate is on the high end as well.
On the subject of heart rates, I absolutely and completely suck at taking them. I can
find a pulse, digitally or in front of the throat latch, and I immediately lose it. For today's ride, I mainly concentrated on respiration because I was getting so frustrated taking his pulse while he was squirrely and decided to hit the internet to see if there's a better method, short of carrying a stethoscope with me.. Which I suppose isn't out of the question. But I feel stupid. Plus, an equine heart rate monitor ain't cheap.
Anywho, we were out and about for 52 minutes this morning, in the wet, puddle-y, slick-rock morning air. 10 minutes of that were a standing break in the middle, trying to see how his recovery rate was. Pretty terrible. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 30.
As I said in my Facebook status, I didn't feel so much like I was horseback riding today than being strapped to some sort of rocket ship. We've gone on a couple of leisurely rides and some swims in the river, but nothing at a good clip since summer.. And I decided to just swing on, warm up a bit in front of the barn, and go. Yikes. We were also back in his Little S Hackamore, which admittedly loses its bite if I don't move it up or down his nose a bit and, recently, switch him between that and a loose-ring snaffle. He IS responsive enough, but sometimes I have to use a big verbal
woah and a heavy seat, which isn't too conducive to being up in my stirrups and over his back most of the time. I'm definitely bringing a bit or two to the competition.
He was absolutely zooming, and got fairly ahead of himself over the first hill. His back end was very very strong, with only a couple of slips the whole hour, which I think could both be attributed to riding in slick mud and over wet limestone. We never settled terribly well into one pace, even our trot went from big to small to leaping depending on the terrain, but there really isn't any stretch of level ground on that whole ride except through the cedars, and that was SOAKING wet. After our 10 minute rest before Fort Clarke, I intended to let him out in a hand gallop for the little windy bit before the Vesper fork, but it was just too wet and he was just too wound up. Wasn't a good choice. We had one great firecracker moment approaching a downhill when we went to woah, he almost walked, and a deer shot behind us and we ricocheted forward— I nearly tumbled off the back end!
As for my seat.. Eh. The workouts I've been doing every other day are mainly glutes and thighs, which I KNOW is helping, but I felt a little lost in the saddle in riding tights and the slickness of the leather. I'm considering getting a sheepskin cover for a little more tackiness, or maybe full-seat tights? I just need to stop sitting, ever, and two point 12 hours a day for the next month. BAhhelkjraf.
I have "met" (re: phone and internet) a couple of very nice people through the NATRC website and Yahoo groups (and Facebook, go figure) who are fielding my daily questions about Crap I'm Going To Forget. Richard is getting roped into helping do P&R checks and other menial tasks about the ride.
I'm so excited.
As a footnote, finally got to work Indigo again yesterday. It was only 20 minutes or so, and without very much pressure, as his pen is still half slop.. But I had him haltered in short order and leading better than before, even though he was a bit spazzy to start out with. Please, God, let things dry out over the weekend!
And as for Pax.. She has been back out to pasture for four or five days and looking much, much better and much happier for it.
