HR: 40
Distance: 7.92 miles
Avg Spd: 5.3 mph
Time: 1 hr, 30 min
HRR: 80
HR 5 min: 56
I decided to take Hoss out for a good ride so I could get his heart rate monitor set up and exercise the dogs. Hoss has been a little on the goofy side in the pasture the past few days, so I figure whatever was going on with his left front foot has resolved. I also wanted a bit more of a test on his new boots than dancing around at the gymkhana.
I put Hoss's boots on and loaded him up. The Edges are definitely easier to put on than the Gloves. I also like the way they cinch down, especially on Hoss's hind feet.
The dogs hopped into the truck quite eagerly. We went to Hollenbeck Canyon for this ride. Close and quick and familiar.
When we arrived, hunters were preparing to head out. Okay, guess hunting season is open again. No problem, we can get through without hitting the area open for hunting. The hunters headed out while I was still fiddling with Hoss's heart rate monitor.
The heart rate monitor thing is not too complicated, but somehow reading the instructions all I get is that same sound Charlie Brown hears when an adult speaks to him. Of course, Charlie Brown understands those adults. I, on the other hand, do not get the instructions. I swear I read them through at least three times before I started making any sense of them at all. It helps that I've started using a heart rate monitor for myself while exercising. It gives me a basic knowledge of how they operate.
Once I got the little contact doo-dads stuck where they belonged and tightened up the cinch, I was able to get the watch to receive a signal and read Hoss's heart rate. Okay, cool. I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to tighten the cinch enough to hold the contacts in place, but that turned out not to be a problem. There's also a strap intended to hold the one against his side which is meant to be attached around the girth. Well, it's not big enough for my girth. So I had to rely on the girth itself to hold that contact in place. I was worried it would slip, but it does not appear to be a problem, at least on this short ride.
In order for the watch to receive the signal from the transmitter, they have to be within three feet of each other. As I wasn't completely ready and needed to step away, I strapped the watch to the saddle so I could go in the tack room. The watch comes preset with a heart rate range, and it beeps if the heart rate either exceeds or drops below that range. Since we hadn't started yet, Hoss was below the range, which meant the stupid thing kept beeping. Hoss was not fond of that beeping. I think he was okay with it so long as it was clearly coming from me, but as soon as I'd walked away and the beeping continued from his back, he was upset by it. His heart rate went up pretty rapidly and he kept trying to figure out where the hell the sound was coming from. Between that and the hunters and the mountain bikers who headed out before us, his heart rate was climbing quickly. So by the time I mounted up, his heart rate was already elevated to 80.
Hoss was definitely happy to be getting out. He trotted across the staging area and only slowed down to cross the cowboy gate. I pulled him to a walk, really wanting him to warm up the first half mile. A pair of riders coming back warned me about the hunters I'd already seen.
Once we crossed the now-dry creek, we headed off at a good clip. One of the mountain bikers had managed to end up behind us – not sure how that happened – and wasn't far ahead of us when we started moving out. He and his companions slowed down for the water crossing. Hoss did not. The mountain bikers managed to get ahead of us, but not by much. Hoss picked up the trot again before he was completely through the water, and the last mountain biker asked if we wanted to pass. I declined, pointing out they'd be faster than us when they hit downhills.
I was certainly not wrong about the speed of the mountain bikers. They hit the downhills and took off, leaving us rather in their dust. We cantered some, but Hoss wasn't really feeling it so much. I think he was still trying to figure out those hind boots. They are a bit wider than his feet, and he's always interfered just a little bit. With these boots, he must work a little wider behind than he's naturally inclined to. Our dressage lessons are improving his way of going, decreasing the likelihood that he'll interfere, so I expect this won't be much of a problem as time goes by.
Shortly after the mountain bikers got away from us, what should we encounter but the hunters. What the heck were they doing there? My understanding is they're supposed to hunt on the meadow side of the area, nearer the highway (I know, sounds stupid, but it's actually safer than where these guys were). I kept Hoss moving out to keep the dogs reasonably close. Mac had already headed up onto the hillside, into the area the hunters were clearly intending to use. I called him and got him back to me before we'd completely passed the hunters. I really didn't care if he'd bollixed up their plans by chasing off whatever they were after. Seriously, I don't think they're supposed to be hunted in that area anyway. It's highly trafficked by hikers, bikers and equestrians. Doesn't seem likely they'd allow hunters to use it so casually.
We hit the single track and I let Hoss slow down to a walk. I wasn't going for a record on this ride, just some exercise. I noticed as we went along that from time to time the watch would seem to lose the signal from the transmitter and would just read "0." A few minutes later I'd look again and it would be reading again. It never gave me a number I didn't believe.
When we were about halfway up the single track, the hunters started firing. Hoss is not gun broke, and has been exposed to gun fire only when he's been in the pasture. Whenever we've had to shoot something, he's been free to "run away" from the sound. As soon as he heard the gun shot, Hoss tried to take off. I pulled him back and calmed him. I really want him to learn it's not something he needs to be afraid of, and I suppose if we're going to ride at Hollenbeck during hunting season I'd better get him used to it in a hurry.
Trotting on up the hill, Hoss's heart rate stayed right around 135. Then we turned the corner and cantered up. I kept peeking at the watch to check his heart rate. He peaked right around 178 on the hill. I let him slow back down and his heart rate dropped below 100 within a minute.
Once we turned back down at the olive grove, Hoss wanted to pick up the pace somewhat. I allowed him to trot some, but we didn't move to a canter until we hit the flat trail. We cantered along at a good clip, and Hoss's heart rate stayed around 160. Once we slowed to a trot, his heart rate dropped to the 120s. I don't know a whole lot about heart rate stuff, but this seems to suggest he's in pretty good shape.
We kept up a good pace all the way back around until we crossed the dry creek again, then slowed down for the last half mile back to the trailer. We walked on back to the trailer. By this point the heart rate monitor seemed to be working consistently. Hoss was pretty worked up and excited about other trail users coming back as well. His heart rate would drop, then he'd pop back up when I had to correct him for trying to look back.
Back at the trailer, I took the bit out of Hoss's mouth and stood close to watch what his heart rate would do. The mountain bikers had come back, but one of them had headed back out because he'd dropped something, so his friends were worried about him and moving about. Hikers came back and got in their car and drove away. It was interesting to watch his heart rate go up and down with the varying stimuli going on around him. He'd come down to 60, then bounce back up to 70. He bounced up to 80 when the car backed out toward him and drove away. Still, within five minutes he was consistently down to 56 and dropping. I finished untacking him and took off his boots.
Back at home, I rinsed Hoss off and cleaned his boots. While he'd been in the trailer, he moved one of the bales of Bermuda hay I had put in the front of the trailer for our trip to Moab. Rotten stinker of a horse!
During our ride Hoss never took a bad step. I'm feeling very good about our upcoming ride.
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