A Stupid Excursion

Sunday morning was hot.  Hot and humid.  Sundays are our trail ride day.  It's a tradition, a habit, a special time for us.  You could call it our church time and be right on the money.

Sunday morning at 8:30 am it was 90F with 50% humidity.  We really shouldn't have gone.

I had ordered some trail boots for Winston.  I want to keep him barefoot so I don't want his hooves to wear down on our hard, rocky terrain.  First I received some boot shells, in three sizes, to use to determine the best fit.  Winston's feet are square.  Seriously.  The measurement across is the same as the length.  EasyBoot sent me the fitting kit for the price of postage.

Good thing I got the kit.  He's right between a 1.5 wide and a 2 wide.  His left is a tad wider than the right, so I got one of each.  Then I sent the kit back and waited for the boots to arrive.  They came Saturday afternoon.

So, we had to ride Sunday morning so I could try them out.  Right?

When I finished grooming Winston, putting on the boots, and tacking up I was sweating, panting and feeling a bit sick.  Brett suggested that maybe we shouldn't go.  I assured him I would be alright so off we went.

The boots were great.  Winston didn't mind them, they stayed on, he had great traction on the road and over rocks, and they didn't rub.  But it was a miserable ride.  We didn't carry any water with us, thinking it was just the usual two hour loop.  Stupid.  ...when we got back, I was seriously dehydrated.  I staggered to the barn refrigerator, grabbed two bottles of water, and downed 32 ounces in nothing flat.

I'm not sure if the horses had to pee or were just too hot and tired to keep their junk up, but they were dropped down from the minute we got back to the tie rail.

I was worthless the rest of the day.

In the afternoon, a thunderstorm came through and put on quite a show, including a big downpour.  I sat outside on the patio and drank in the wet cool air, the smell of damp leaves and the sound of rain.

Sometimes, I'm so stupid.  The horses and Brett did fine.  I just don't do well with heat.  I know that.  I should have listened to my body.  Silly girl.  Oh, but my toes did great.  No pain at all, the entire time.  Yes!