Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Cold Ride to new places

Monday Zoe and I and Keri and Yemaya trotted a nice big loop which included a road we have never traveled on with horses before. The roads were slick even though sanded - and the horses were somewhat peckish and pouty that they could not travel side by each, but it was fun to be out.  Now and then we were able to get a nice side by side trot -- we found a couple of spots we could sneak in a short canter -- for the most part, we had a slow jog or walk.  Most of the trip took place under grey skies ... This trip both Zoe and I trialed a few new products geared toward warmth.


I stuck these toe warmers onto my socks -- Zoe tried the foot warmers... we were excited - usually my toes are the first things to frost up on a winter ride. Has anyone else tried these ? Although there was no way we could tell how cold our toes would have been had we not used these.. neither of us felt like they created all that much warmth. This experiment was a tad disappointing.





This illustrates just how cold it has been here in Vermont lately.  Water is freezing instantly and due to the very high water table -- it is flowing all the time.  We have glaciers everywhere along with beautiful icy springs like this.






We passed by some beautiful views along the way.






Found some evidence of the holiday season.






Part of our voyage included a short trot down Route 10.







More views from along Davidson Hill Road.





The brooks are full and gurgling.



This was a nice loop which we are going to incorporate into our roster of trotting options. half trail- half road.. it is perfect for winter riding. Now we know how long it takes to travel so when we have a time open for a certain number of hours- we can choose this trip if we want, knowing we'll have the time to complete it.


I am going to continue my quest for winter riding gear -- keeping my toes warm seems to be the biggest challenge so far.

I hope to get in another holiday tour before Christmas with Keri and Zoe and I think Teasel will accompany us on the next trip. 

Enjoy ~
Posted by Top O' The Hill Farm at

4 comments:

  1. LOVE the little glaciers. They are so cool!!! Haven't tried those toe warmers but if you do come across something that works I can't wait to hear it!!! I have frozen feet in July!! Merry Christmas

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  2. Do you have Muck Boots, Betsy? I found that they are the only thing that keeps my feet warm. I can stand on ice for hours and my feet don't get cold. I think the key, also, is to make sure your boots aren't snug. You need air as insulation around your toes. Believe it or not, my feet freeze in Sorrel's, which most people claim are "the" cold weather boot!

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  3. As usual, gorgeous pictures! Loved the natural ice sculpture. Some of those foot/hand warmers work and some don't. I will look up the ones that WORK! and let you know. We use them when ice fishing, I used them in Acadia to keep my feet warm at night (I am like Donna), and Michelle is right - you need a little extra room in the toe box to fit them in.

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  4. I loved this ride with you two! But Brrrr did it look cold! You two just crack me up...such diehards..and you can tell you aren't going for just an hour stretch either! =] I don't know if it will help, but I do have an extreme winter clothing on my products page here, Betsy. http://curlyhorsecountry.com/curlyhorseproducts_reviews.htm#ec

    ALSO, I strongly agree with Michelle on the Muck boots...they are fabulous. I also tried a new product for under my helmet..it is this..and I love it.
    http://www.smartpakequine.com/ProductClass.aspx?productclassid=8522&cm_vc=Search

    It is just enough to protect my ears, but it doesn't muffle the sound like some covers do. I need to hear cars coming or if I am riding someone I want to hear them. =]

    Thanks for the great pics..fun to see the Holiday decorations up!

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