Sunday, January 15, 2012

A Frigid Ride...Welcome to January in Maine!

The Gang
Brrrrr..........I think someone said it made it up to 12 degrees today. Well at least we hit the double digits! The water buckets had drinking holes punched in them, the manure pinged off the fork like golf balls, and the horses were feeling rowdy.

I felt like the Michelin Woman (4 layers on top, 2 on the bottom) trying to maneuver my recalcitrant mount past the spooky snow-capped stumps. Mind you, we'd spooked at them yesterday as well, so I should have just dismounted and led Harley. He was no help, and a bad influence, for Ruffy. Unlike the day before, when we half-passed and jigged back up the road, Harley settled down once he realized he'd won and we were heading for home. Except, I pulled a fast one! John stopped at the barn, while I made him keep going, past home and up the road a ways. So there, Harley. You can't always get what you want.  But if you plea and make begging faces, you know you'll wheedle carrots out of my pockets. Oh you rascal!

Tomorrow is another day, and if we go back down the road, I fully intend to get my stubborn steed past the scary stumps. With the frigid temperatures, the road is the best place to ride. A breakable crust coats the snow except in the case where snowmobiles have passed. For once, I see a need for one--to pack out the trails! Orris Falls was snowshoed out, but just barely. It needs to warm up in order to soften the crust. The picture below shows Harley's playful nature,"Come on Vance, let's play tag. Got you, you're it!"
Harley and Vance sparring


2 comments:

  1. I am so sorry for your temperatures. Your ride makes my 25 degree ride today seem balmy. That Harley is a little cutie pie. Don't you feel unsafe as the Michelin woman? I do. I can't bend correctly. My feet barely fit in the stirrups. Still, I do think that if I go off, it won't hurt as bad because of all the layers.

    I hope you get a warm up. We are supposed to by Sunday so maybe you will!

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  2. Exactly! Bumbles bounce! And I do indeed feel like I would. It's somewhat cumbersome, but my winter riding boots (Mountain Horse) aren't as bulky as Sorels. If I rode in those, I'd switch out my stirrups to a western style, probably. I covet John's Carhartt coveralls and may go try on a pair for myself. Whenever things start to feel really unsafe, I just bale out and walk with Harley.
    It's supposed to warm up--snow, then rain. But then plummet into the single digits again Wed. night. This is the time we always struggle with. If we at least had snow, sans crust, we could ride in the woods! And skijor!

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