Riding new trails and the Brenderup is fine!

I picked up my Brenderup today and my Rav4 had a plug installed OUTSIDE by the hitch so I now can plug into the back and go.  Woot!!!  Gotta love that.   

My Brenderup is good to go.  Nothing was wrong with it...just has a stupid owner.    I had ordered some English Riding pants and I wore those.  LOL  they were way more comfy than jeans but jeez...I looked like the pits in them.  Oh well, comfort over looks for endurance training!  Lee-Ann said our goal for the Tevis Cup in 5 years.  That is pretty darn ambitious since I am the biggest sissy known to God and man.

I hauled out to the barn and told Lee-Ann P we would go in the Brenderup instead of Ms. Jean's trailer.  I hauled down to get Biscuit and bless his heart, he loaded up really without much hesitation.  He went in, backed out, and then went in the trailer to munch his hay.  Legato loaded up easily when Lee-Ann went first!  She was greeted with a bag of hay too.

We took off for the park.  When we unloaded a city employee came out of the water works and talked to us and OMG it was Ricky Venable that grew up in my neighborhood!  I have known him since we were probably in 1st grade.  His older brother was either Mike's age or Pam and Randy Rich's age and his younger brother was Lori's age.  He is the person that cut the back trail and the new trail!!!  Woot!!!  He said he'd be glad to cut us trails.  I am going to drop off a map of what I want or something like it and hopefully some of them can be done!  Wow wee...new trails!!

Biscuit was a little nervous on the ride - he was sweaty when I took him out of the trailer, but he was calm.  I gave him several treats for being such a good boy.  We tacked up and I stretched Biscuit's front legs out to make sure his girth doesn't gall him...he is a little unsure of what I am doing but bless his heart, he tries!  Several treats were passed out.


We took off into the woods and I asked Biscuit for a jog and I had to really get after him to jog.  He was either tired or sore from yesterday and Sunday.  We went out on Willow Bayou and across the big bridge.  There was a rideaway cut straight back from the land bridge and Lee Ann and I went down it til it dipped down into a low area that looked like it was possibly dry...neither of the horses seemed to want to go!!  I told Lee-Ann perhaps I should try it first.  Ok...I started sinking and sank right into the top of my boots.  OMG it was hard to pull my feet out!!!  The mud was just sucking them down.  I finally got out of the mud and back on solid ground and my boots were coated with thick black sludgy mud and stank to high heaven.  I walked around trying to get most of it off...well, at least, some of it off before I remounted.

The right hand side of the trail was right at the edge of the trail that goes beside the canal and curves around in "u" shape before going to the bayou.  It was a slough though that was boggy so I don't know if we will be able to access the trail that way.  We went back to the "u" and went around.  We went down the trail and it was paralleling the new cut ride away and then a access was cut between the two.  We crossed over and went down to the bayou with horses that were somewhat reluctant. 

Biscuit didn't want to lead - and he was stomping ants off his legs.  We got down to the back and they were acting a little silly not wanting to go and Biscuit was stomping ants and I got off to make sure they were gone.  They finally went to the end of the trail but it was with a lot of turning and stomping.  We went back up the trail where we could hear the power lines singing.  The other trail was RIGHT there so we actually cut through the trees in a dry spot and onto the other trail and headed to the back.  Biscuit got in ants again and was stomping, kicking and turning and in general having a little cow.  I got off and made sure they were off his legs - they must have had big biting jaws!!  Biscuit was still not too happy to have to be going which is unusual...he likes to go.  Once we got in the back he was ok...to him he was heading back!  We jogged down the back and when we got almost to the other side I saw a flash of black and it was pigs crossing the trail and crashing through the woods.

We got to the other side and started trotting to put distance between us and the pigs we could hear crashing around in there so we were trotting fast down the trail - my fastest time was 10.4 mph.  We trotted in the woods too. 

We rinsed the horses off after taking off their tack and I gave out some treats.  Biscuit was good on the way back and that is the first time I have rode him that he wasn't very forward from the get go.  We hauled them home and fed them, turned them out and cleaned the trailer.  Woot.  Ready to go again!  Total miles was 9.2  for the day.