conditioning and hard roads

[Chelle Sherman <cms@fluent.com>]

Hi folks - I've been wondering about something, and I'd love to hear
some opinions and wisdom from the field. This Winter here in New England
has been mighty strange - relatively mild but cold enough to freeze the
ground rock hard, and zero snow (so far). Aside from a small amount of
whining about having put borium on since Thanksgiving and not needing it
once, I've been happily conditioning my young horse. He is just coming 6
this Spring, and this is his first year under saddle. I'm riding 3 days
a week, 5 to 15 miles at a time, and always slow. My pace is usually
about 5-6 mph. I also get off and run/walk a lot for my own benefit. The
thing I'm concerned about is, I ride mainly on dirt roads, which are now
the consistency of pavement. My horse seems fine - hard, cold legs after
every ride and the same the next morning - but is all of this trotting
on hard roads not a good idea? Anybody had good/bad experiences related
to riding in these kind of conditions? Thanks!

Chelle Sherman and Mystik Star
Plainfield, NH


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