Pink Flamingo Day 2

I slept like a baby on Saturday night, and was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.  I set my alarm for a bit later on Sunday, as I had spent 45 minutes twiddling my thumbs on Saturday morning while I waited to leave.  Not having to apply boots put me waay ahead of schedule!

Once again, we left the trailer 15 minutes after open trail time and made our way over to the start.  We had another blazing fast start with me on foot, and I had walked not 20 yards before remembering I hadn't brought my vet card from the previous day and thus had no card.  Back to the start we went while Wayne ran over to registration to get a fresh card.  I ended up mounting there, and Jasper and I set off at a surprisingly brisk pace through camp.  Once we got out of sight of camp, Jasper started spooking at all the rocks and stumps on either side of the road, so I knew he felt good and fresh.

The first loop was a 15 mile loop with a lot of hills.  Unlike the 22 mile loop from Saturday, the elevation changes were often dramatic and much of the trail was on dirt trails rather than roads.  It was promising to be a hot day, so I wanted to keep up a good pace so we could get in before the heat really hit in the early afternoon.  Jasper was extremely fresh on this loop, and kept pushing to go faster and faster.  He quickly understood that we would trot the uphills and flats and walk the steeper downhills, and was soon pacing himself.  He seems to thrive on technical trail, and ate up the sections where he had to pick his way through sticks and turns.  The loop was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time while the morning sun streamed through the trees.  We soon caught up with the last riders, and I was amazed at Jasper's energy.  Unfortunately I had forgotten to plug in my GPS the night before, so I had no record of how fast we were going at any time, but on some of the more gradual downhill roads I am certain we were trotting at 13-14 mph. 

During one of these downhill sections, the road ran next to a reservoir for a bit.  I was stunned at the beauty of the still water and the morning sun, and felt as though I was flying on Jasper.  His ears were forward and he was looking around enjoying the scenery, clearly enjoying himself.  I could in our shadow how extended and relaxed his stride looked. I think this was about the time I realized Jasper is definitely ready to do 50's and that he has some real potential.  I was so happy I could have cried many times during this loop--the indescribable joy of sharing breathtaking trails and feeling like a team with my horse was almost too much!  

We came into the hold in very good time, and finished the loop in 2 hours of actual ride time.  He vetted through with all A's, although the vet noticed he seemed to be stiffening up a little in his hind end.  He didn't seem terribly concerned especially since we'd gone the day before.  I had been a little worried since he hadn't drank as well as he had been during the first loop, but he definitely made up for it during the vet check.  I had also been careful to monitor his sweating, and since it was still cool and Jasper seemed to be going so effortlessly, I tried not to get too concerned.  I pulled his tack and gave him a nice but massage while he wolfed down hay as fast as he could.  I again had gatorade and ensure, and this time remembered to bring a sun hat and some paper towels to wipe my face down, which was nice.  

After about a half hour, we retacked and headed out for our final loop, which would be a repeat of the 10 mile loop from the day before.  The loop went by quickly with Jasper once again pushing constantly to go faster.  We got back in little more than an hour, and he vetted through with all A's and a comment from the vet about how great he looked.  I was so proud of him!  He looked a little tired, but not exhausted by any stretch.  On our way back to the trailer, he goosed at a pile of black garbage bags, so I knew he still felt good. 

Things I learned:

1. We're done with LD's.  Jasper is DEFINITELY ready to step it up to "real" endurance.

2. Since he did so well completely barefoot and we do all our conditioning rides barefoot, I should probably start booting him for some of our rides to get him used to it.  I'm also considering giving the gloves a try and playing around with glue-ons for next season.

3. Although I didn't pack mash or grain in our vet bag, once we step up to 50's I definitely need to.

4. Jasper is competitive. I need to work on this to keep it in check so he's not wearing himself out early in 50's (and beyond!).  However, I don't want to squash it completely as he really seems to enjoy "winning."  

5. My goal for Jasper is to accrue lots of miles and for him to be healthy, sound, and enjoying his job for as long as possible.  I would also like to eventually do longer distances, like 75's and 100's, so long as that falls within the first part of my goal.  

6.  I think we may be done with the bit.  I didn't even take it with us on the second day, I knew he wouldn't need it.