Walking/Hiking with our minis and ponies - Mile Tracker!

[Cayuse]

I agree, people hear are complaining non-stop about the heat, but it's no worse than usual. It is dry, very dry, but the temps are the same. Oatie and I have been practicing in-hand dressage and he enjoys his walks. 10-15 minutes each day. He won a 5th in an online show in a "walk-only" test. I was tickled pink because he wasn't last. I never thought I'd be able to show him at all again. Sometimes the smallest victory is the biggest one. He has his liver values checked next week, it will be interesting to see where they are at.

 

[wfhill]

Hi All!

Here is where we can put our walking and hiking miles. If you don't know how to track those you can get the app Strava on your phone. This is a very accurate way to track walking miles. (I also use it for driving, set to the bike setting, and it's accurate that way too!) This app will track you whether you have service or not! BUT you will not be able to save your walk without connection. In that case I will just screen shot my walk so I still have all the info. I like to know how high we've climbed, how far we've went and how fast we went there.

For instance this was our walk yesterday:
View attachment 43308
I also write my miles down in my calendar book:
View attachment 43309
This past week the boys and I walked 28 miles, with one day off.

Something else I have done, to figure out mileage, is driven a few of my most common walks in my car. I know exactly how far I have to walk to make up 4 miles, 5 miles and 6 miles. I also know where I turn around to do a simple, fast 2 mile walk. We do the shorter walks when I don't feel very well, or the weather is particularly awful, or the old dog is with us.

Walking with our ponies and minis is such a wonderful way to connect with them, mirroring them as we walk along. I often will sprinkle in some grazing along the roadside, looking for particularly nice green patches of grass. This has resulted in VERY happy forward ponies when we are out. Even on the days we don't graze! They are ever hopeful, bless them

Walking with our ponies and minis doesn't require special equipment either. I use a flat soft strap halter and a 10' long yacht rope specially sized for the little guys. Sometimes I walk Zorro in a rope halter. Sometimes I'll ground drive him in a bridle using my 11' long yacht rope driving lines. Sometimes Zorro will wear his back pack and carry my water, on the longer walks:


Just use whatever you have!

We can track walks in our pasture, (I have a mowed driving track out in the 10 acre pasture that we walk sometimes. Three times around is one mile!) on the road, in the neighborhood, in the mountains on trails, where ever it is you like to walk with your minis and ponies!

Thank you for joining me on this wonderful journey

I saw that Strava charges to use. Are there any free apps like it?

 

[MerMaeve]

@wfhill I use “MapMyRun” which is free for the basic version of it, or my Mom uses “AllTrails” which is also free, and a very nice app.

 

[HersheyMint]

I use MapMyWalk It is free. It's like what MerMaeve has but I don't run I wish I could

 

[Cayuse]

20 minute for Cappy, ground driving and 10 for Oatie. I about boiled over but it didn't bother them at all. I probably had a hot flash

 

[HersheyMint]

20 minute for Cappy, ground driving and 10 for Oatie. I about boiled over but it didn't bother them at all. I probably had a hot flash

I'm impressed! I don't know how you do it in the heat.

 

[Cayuse]

I'm impressed! I don't know how you do it in the heat.

I didn't do it today!

 

[HersheyMint]

8/14

30 minutes for Mint and I today . 1 mile.
We worked on manners and desensitizing. She jumps at sudden movements. So, today I danced all around her. It wasn't pretty but it is working. Next time I need music

 

[Abby P]

Also hiked 1 mile with Rowan today. Tried out the fake dragonflies I got, one on his halter and one on my hat. They maybe worked? We saw only a couple of flies, last week we were nearly carried off. So a one-rat study with no control group but promising enough that I'll try it again!

HM - another goofy thing you can do, once dancing around becomes old hat, is randomly smack the end of your lead rope on the ground like you're trying to kill a bug, and really focus on that bug. Teaches them "it's not about you".

 

[Cayuse]

One hour of walking with Peanut yesterday. We went to a show and probably walk longer than that but an hour sounds pretty good. Ground drove 20 minutes with Peanut today and 30 with Cappy. 30 with Cappy on Thursday. I'm all out of order with my days! My feet hurt from yesterday!

 

[HersheyMint]

Also hiked 1 mile with Rowan today. Tried out the fake dragonflies I got, one on his halter and one on my hat. They maybe worked? We saw only a couple of flies, last week we were nearly carried off. So a one-rat study with no control group but promising enough that I'll try it again!

HM - another goofy thing you can do, once dancing around becomes old hat, is randomly smack the end of your lead rope on the ground like you're trying to kill a bug, and really focus on that bug. Teaches them "it's not about you".

Dragonflies, that's interesting. I hope it continues to work for you.
Oh I like that rope idea. I will try doing that. I'm always open to suggestions. Thank you

 

[HersheyMint]

One hour of walking with Peanut yesterday. We went to a show and probably walk longer than that but an hour sounds pretty good. Ground drove 20 minutes with Peanut today and 30 with Cappy. 30 with Cappy on Thursday. I'm all out of order with my days! My feet hurt from yesterday!

That's a lot of walking. Tonight put your feet up and rest awhile

 

[Abby P]

Someone on here suggested the fake garden dragonflies - I can't remember who! But thank you! They were not at all expensive and my 8-year-old daughter thought they were very cool and was happy to give a home to them if they didn't work at deer fly control. The person who suggested it said she puts them on the rein terrets so that they "fly" around while driving, which would probably work better than what I was doing which was wrapped around the crown piece of a rope halter, sliding off to the side and half covered by his insane thatch of mane and forelock.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Two miles with Billy and Dapper Dan. I wanted to walk him around the loop that I frequently drive. Hope to ground drive him there soon; a break in the heat is coming (they say) so we will have more chances to work. Billy is great to walk with; his gait matches mine well.

 

[Cayuse]

20 minutes with Oatie, 20 with Cappy ground driving. The ground is so hard right now, we need rain.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

20 minutes ground driving Billy. Then I left the bridle and harness on while the hoof guy was here. By the end of the time, Billy was hoof-resting and quiet with the bit.
He took quite a lot off the hoof, and measured with his caliper so I can get Billy some boots. He thought Dapper Dan's Easy Boot size 3 fit him. But DD has worn them for several years, so they are wallowed a little. Now I can research what boots to get Billy so we can do some serious ground driving on the road.
Billy has good feet--yay!

 

[Cayuse]

30 minutes with Oatie this weekend.

 

[MerMaeve]

.5mi for all, perfect weather, 75* and low humidity! Miss Stormy Rose is starting to get darker and fuzzier, does that mean summer is ending?!?

 

[HersheyMint]

.5mi for all, perfect weather, 75* and low humidity! Miss Stormy Rose is starting to get darker and fuzzier, does that mean summer is ending?!? View attachment 48109

Her color is beautiful!

 

[MaryFlora]

Tinker 1.5 miles.

Like MerMaeve, perfect gorgeous summer day out, and Tinker and friends are growing out their hair, also about 1/2 inch.

The past week we have seen mornings around 49 degrees. The weather news keeps throwing the Farmers Almanac in our face which is predicting “glacial, snow filled, a hibernation zone“!

I predict periods of frolicking ponies followed by spurts of walking mixed with ground driving followed up with a beverage.