2/10/2018 Just about 3 miles in the snow

Despite having to work this past weekend I was able to get out during Hazel's nap and go ride! It was snowing but the wind wasn't blowing so the mid 20sF temperatures didn't feel horridly bitter. I was VERY bundled up and despite chattering the whole time about everything while I rode so the video would record it, I just sped everything up to keep it short and sweet.

But to summarize, I had leggings on, then my fleece riding pants, and then the riding skirt. Long sleeve shirt, fleece vest and Columbia jacket, plus balaclava for my head and gloves. I did stick toe warmers on my socks and they stayed decently warm in my muck boots. I didn't really get cold until near the end of the ride when I had cooled off from the debacle of trying to get on Gwyn. She had decided that standing still at the mounting block was optional and we had some discussion regarding her participation.

This was also my trial run of my grab strap that I made SUPER quickly right before riding. Since I've chopped her mane off I needed something to hang onto. This will do! It's just nylon strapping and a plastic buckle. It's adjustable and in a nice bright green.

We are playing the "stand the FUCK still" game.

Amusingly, I had brought cookies with me this time for some reinforcement of good behavior and it came in handy with our standing still game. If she kept her feet on the ground, I would give her a cookie. Once out on the trail we practiced halting and just standing, no dancing and I would give her a cookie. It definitely reminded her to relax and she caught on fast enough that when I halted her to look around and then asked for forward, she bent around to look for her cookie.

Smart mare.  Spoiled. Rotten. But smart. The next time we halted I definitely didn't give her a cookie. Gonna break that habit right quick.

On this ride I opted to go into a field I haven't before, because I was emboldened by the talk of the applicability of the No Trespassing signs to horseback riding. I'm not hunting, which is what they specifically forbid. It did allow me to see that there's not a good pass through to the next field that I can see until the snow melts. There's a real possibility that where I think is good, will be instead very treacherous because I can't see fencing that might be down on the ground under the snow. And no thanks, I don't want to walk over that and risk Gwyn's legs.  But getting to the Polly Ann without a trailer ride is so tantalizingly close. Gah!

I honestly thought the video captured the whole ride because I really wanted to screen grab how our evergreens looked with all the snow on them. It was so pretty. But it didn't. It cut out right in the middle of the new field.

Gwyn was pretty good for this ride otherwise. We had to have additional conversations about only picking one foot off the ground at a time (i.e. stay in a damn walk, please). She really wanted to jig but I don't trust the ground under the snow to do anything above a walk.

This is my second most favorite view, just as I'm about to get on.

Screen grab. We went counter clockwise to start this time!

On the road. The field to the right is the new one I did. 

It was very quiet and pretty. The snow was starting to taper off.

Happy after the ride.

"NO MOAR SELFIES"  We're both making bitch mare faces

There was also a brief meet and greet with the neighbor's grandkids.

2.91 miles. Not too bad. I'm comparing especially to this time last year when I hadn't ridden at all. So this is a big improvement.