Ick, ick, and double ick!! Mother Nature has been quite rude today. Snow, wind, dark heavy gray clouds, rain, hail, and more snow. Dreary. I did not try to ride. I stayed indoors and worked in my studio (Judy will be happy; wink, wink!) with the space heater going full blast. I went out to visit with the horses around 1pm. They were drearied out, too. "Nothing to do but eat!" said Keno. I took pity and gave them a snack.

I hope tomorrow's weather is better. I am worried that the Color Country Endurance Ride is coming up too quickly. It's only two weeks away. I'm afraid Riyah is not really ready; she has so much to learn still. Learning can still take place at a ride, but she needs to at least be fit enough to finish 25 miles. Obviously I'm talking about a slow 25 miles. (You have to finish within 6 hours to get a completion at a 25, so I would be shooting for 5 hrs 45 mins.) Right now I don't have a good sense of where she is on the fitness scale because the weather has kept things wet/muddy for so long. I need to get her out on a true 10 mile ride with a GPS and see what's in the tank. My friend Sharon is going to help me do that, if the weather ever co-operates.

No one is forcing me to go to the Color Country ride. It's just a goal to aim for. I admit I would like to go, but Riyah comes first. I don't want to over face her physically or mentally, so I will play things by ear for another week before making my decision. There are other rides coming up, and I don't want to rush her training. I hope to do endurance on her for years to come, so I want her preparation to be solid enough that she will have a positive experience at her first ride.