Conditioning Ride 5-3-11

It was hot and windy today, and the dogs were a little batty, so instead of heading out to explore new trails, I took Hoss and Team Fluffy back out to Hollenbeck Canyon. Since we've been there so often lately, I decided we'd do the trails in reverse order to keep us all a little fresher.

Hoss was feeling the barefoot thing today. I did not put his boots on today. I figure he's got to get out there barefoot to build his feet up. Since I trimmed his feet so recently, though, he's more apt to be touchy. I probably shouldn't let him go so long between trims! I really need to get on ordering him a pair of hind boots. Had I had them on hand, it's likely I would've booted him once I realized he was having so much trouble.

It was hot, so I didn't push too much for speed. We did get some good trotting in on the better sections of trail. I took a lot of opportunities to take pictures. It's a really beautiful place if you take the time to look around.

When we came around to the back side of what is left of the original Rancho Jamul, a Border Patrol officer was driving very slowly along the trails. This was the flat area we are usually inclined to canter on. Hoss was really not feeling the canter today. In general, he's not inclined to sandbag me, so I only pushed for a trot. The Border Patrol officer turned around, and I pushed Hoss off the trail to let him by. I let Hoss walk some to breathe, then made him trot some more, until we reached the single track. By this point, he was starting to feel like trotting, so of course we'd reached the area where we'd need to go slower.

Team Fluffy was feeling the heat. Mac kept running ahead and finding shade to wait in. Ash and Jazz were mostly content to stay behind Hoss. When we finally made it to a water crossing, Mac had run ahead, so we found him lying in the water waiting for us. All the dogs got a good drink before Hoss crossed the water and we continued on our way.

We made it up to the top, at the old olive groves. A pair of riders were coming down the trail out of the Rancho Jamul Estates. Hoss got a little excited about other horses. By the time we made it to the trail they were on, they were ahead of us. Once we were down the hill and started uphill, I kicked Hoss into a trot to pass the other horses. I did not want him deciding to get attached to the new horses. We trotted about halfway up the hill before I let Hoss drop back to a walk.

When we topped the hill, I realized I was missing Jazz. I stopped and called her, but after a period of time she hadn't shown back up. I turned Hoss back down the way we came, hoping to find her. The other pair of riders came up the rise, looking back. Jazz was behind them! I guess she decided they were going at a better pace than I was. Once they caught up a bit, though, she passed them and rejoined her normal "pack."

Walking down the hill was tough. Hoss was really having a hard time with his tender feet. I helped him out as much as I could, by keeping his reins a little short and trying to help him stay on his hinds. He tripped on his left front several times, but when I checked his feet later, I couldn't find anything obvious.

After we made it down the hill and back to the single track to the front of the area, Hoss felt he could pick up the pace. Whether it was knowing we were nearing the trailer and the end of our ride, or the improvement of the trails is hard to say. The dogs were happy to make it back to this area. There's water all over the place!

We walked most of the rest of the way back to the trailer. I wasn't really wanting to push too hard under the conditions. In the end, we got in just over eight miles and averaged 3.6 mph. Not too shabby!