Post by harleydales on Jan 10, 2008 19:26:12 GMT -1
I have managed to fill most of the year with things to keep him active and fit!! I don't really do 'planning' given last yearwhere pretty much everything went awry, but this is what I am aiming to do...
My hopes are to start Endurance again in February/early March, once his shoes are on - starting with pleasure rides and building up to 30 or 40 milers. There is a qualifying scale in Scotland - bronze, silver and gold thistle. We have got our bronze thistle, and I would like to go for the silver, but it is 2 40 mile rides at 7 mph (I think) to qualify, then a 50 mile ride at 7 mph. I'm not sure if he is a 7 mph horse, but I think we will have a stab at a qualifier at any rate. We can always retire if it is too much.
We are at 663 cumulative kilometres at the moment - it would be nice to get up to 1000.
Then we've got the Land's End to John O'Groats trip in June, where I am joining in on the far north leg from Lairg to John O'Groats - it will be a 3 day ride, covering 100 miles!! The first 2 days will be nearly 40 miles each, and the last day 21. It is a BIG ask of Harley, and will be mainly on the roads, but I think he is up to it. Mary will be in a power wheelchair doing 6 mph, but we may well do it a bit slower than that!
THEN, in August, Monica wants to do a long ride to raise money for the RDA. Moni is profoundly deaf and has been going to the RDA centre near here since she was tiny. It is a lovely place and they will make good use of any money she raises.
There is a long glen near here, close enough not to have to transport the horses to, so we are riding right up to the top of it and back down again. The glen is called Strathconon and it is 21 miles to the top, so it will be a 42 mile ride. We chose August because of the longer days so we don't have to hurry. Monica's folks will meet us with food for us and the horses and Mikewill be around should we need to be boxed out at any point.
Poor Harley will be a shadow of his former (or current) self after all this!!
What are your hopes for the year?
My hopes are to start Endurance again in February/early March, once his shoes are on - starting with pleasure rides and building up to 30 or 40 milers. There is a qualifying scale in Scotland - bronze, silver and gold thistle. We have got our bronze thistle, and I would like to go for the silver, but it is 2 40 mile rides at 7 mph (I think) to qualify, then a 50 mile ride at 7 mph. I'm not sure if he is a 7 mph horse, but I think we will have a stab at a qualifier at any rate. We can always retire if it is too much.
We are at 663 cumulative kilometres at the moment - it would be nice to get up to 1000.
Then we've got the Land's End to John O'Groats trip in June, where I am joining in on the far north leg from Lairg to John O'Groats - it will be a 3 day ride, covering 100 miles!! The first 2 days will be nearly 40 miles each, and the last day 21. It is a BIG ask of Harley, and will be mainly on the roads, but I think he is up to it. Mary will be in a power wheelchair doing 6 mph, but we may well do it a bit slower than that!
THEN, in August, Monica wants to do a long ride to raise money for the RDA. Moni is profoundly deaf and has been going to the RDA centre near here since she was tiny. It is a lovely place and they will make good use of any money she raises.
There is a long glen near here, close enough not to have to transport the horses to, so we are riding right up to the top of it and back down again. The glen is called Strathconon and it is 21 miles to the top, so it will be a 42 mile ride. We chose August because of the longer days so we don't have to hurry. Monica's folks will meet us with food for us and the horses and Mikewill be around should we need to be boxed out at any point.
Poor Harley will be a shadow of his former (or current) self after all this!!
What are your hopes for the year?
