8 miles

Tonight I got out for a ride. I should be at Mt Adams but it wasn't in the cards for us this weekend. Good luck to Ruth and Otto, I hope they do great!

I rode the motorcycle out to the barn. It took me about 20 minutes to get there. I am getting more comfortable on the bike but still not there yet for taking corners at a decent speed.

Upon inspection I noticed that Sinwaan's rump has been peeling. I was able to remove a big patch of old dry skin and it felt like paper. It was really odd. Underneath I could see fuzz of little hairs already coming in. That was a relief. He is looking much better up there.

I had been out to Bordertown and luckily they had the right size english saddle pad for me so I picked up a new one and replaced it under my saddle. Tonight I removed the saddle bags and rode bare bones. No GPS, no HRM, no water.

The first couple of miles were brutal because of the heat. It was really warm today (in the 80s) and I forgot sun-block. Sinwaan was very good, no tricks. Thanks to the last three weeks on vacation he was ready to go - no pushing him tonight - he went along really well for me at a fairly steady trot. He did not feel off or bothered by his bald spot.

We saw three dead raccoons on our journey, in varying stages of decomposition. A hippie hanging out at an intersection compete with a guitar and VW van. Not a whole lot to report on. Heading for home he started pulling on my arms pretty good. I may start using a martingale to try and get his head out of the clouds. I let him have a good gallop when it was safe.

According to google maps we did about 8 miles. The ride time was 1:35.

After the ride I hosed Sinwaan down and applied more MRT to his spot. I started using this yesterday at the recommendation of Cheryl. I hand grazed him a bit while he dried and of course as soon as I turned him loose he had a good roll. I am thinking a little dust on his spot will help keep it from burning.