Not quite up to it

So I've wimped out. Rosie and I were supposed to jaunt off for a weekend of Eriskay trekking next week only we're not.

I had a goal for the winter of keeping Rosie "hour fit". Which meant we needed to be able to cope with an hour lesson or an hour hack. And we can. At least a shared lesson and a hack at Rosie-pace. I think I thought that having lessons through the winter, and rugging her more, would mean she was fitter and less furry. And she probably is, but not quite fit enough.

Back in early April, we even did a taster endurance ride within the required speed/time (!!)

And maybe if we'd been able to get a few longer rides in between then and now, it would be a different story. But fates (weather, headaches etc) have conspired.

We did a local rural access group ride a few weeks back and there are a few steep sections in there. Rosie was getting tired and it brought back a few memories of the previous trek where she just ground to a halt. She tries her heart out for me and I don't want to put her in that situation again.

Last weekend we did a 1.5 hr hack locally, which I tracked on the phone. The proposed route for the trek is between 15-18 miles. When I thought about what that meant, extrapolating from what the phone told me about speed, I realised Rosie really isn't fit enough to carry me for a whole day - and I'm not going to make drastic changes to her or me in 2 weeks. So I made the decision and pulled the plug.

This weekend we managed another longer ride - just under 2 hours. And the morning's drizzle had turned into blue skies and *sun*. Rosie did her usual trying-to-walk-with-her-legs-crossed act before remembering that she could wee while out on a ride. But she was a hot sweaty beastie by the time we got home.

I think that needs to be the goal for next year, if we want to go on the trek - to be "two hour fit". I'll keep working on fitness this year and do a few more organised rides through the year.