Re: [RC] How Do YOUR Endurances Horses Live? - Ibiteraaarr
I'm acquiring to new living conditions also. I just moved from southeastern
Louisiana where it's warm and humid, and everything is green. My boys were on
24/7 turn out with shelter if they sought it. Now I live in the northwestern
outskirts of Rio Rancho, NM. My property is nothing but sand. My boys are still
on 24/7 turn out with shelter, no continuous grazing, and live in deep sand
footing. As I've only been in here a short time, I've had to adjust their
feeding regime to make sure I was giving them lots of hay every day for forage
to remain the prime staple of their diet. Now that things are a bit settled,
I've reintroduced beet pulp for them, and am in the process of purchasing 700 lb
bales to leave in their pasture.
My conditioning program has exploded since I've moved out here. In
Louisiana, I had no access to any real trails without trailering unless I rode
down streets and highways, and with no access to a truck or trailer, it was
limited to say the least. I did all my conditioning on an old farm running laps
around a large pond, and did my "hill work" in the ravines that landscaped a
small river that ran along the back of the farm. Now, I take a right out of my
driveway, ride up one block, and the pavement cuts off and I'm looking over
miles and miles and miles of dirty and rock trails through the high desert,
rolling hills create varied climbing: long and short slow climbs, steep climbs
on the high hills. My alternate is riding along a few highways going back
towards town where I've measured out mileage from the end of my driveway. Last
night, Loki and I did 12 and a half miles from 8 to 9 pm over this terrain, and
pulsed down in less then 5 minutes. It took a month or so for us to adjust to
the arid climate and change in atmosphere, but I really love it out here.
