OK from vet and lots of pictures!

Rusty update: The vet said he was looking good and only needs to gain another 50lbs. He has a bit of a hay belly, but I'm sure the weight will re-distibute itself once we start riding regularly. She gave me the ok to start riding as well! Yeah for Rusty...lol She took some blood and I'll get the results on Monday, so hopefully all of his protein levels will be more normal.

This post is super long because I actually have some pictures!!

We went out for a short ride today - we walked a few laps around the arena and then went out around the fields. Richard and Max were with me, so all of us went out. It was a beautiful fall day, so it was nice to finally be out!

A little bit of a trot around the arena - I don't think that my western saddle fits him that well - it is sort of low on his withers. My leg position also needs work, but considering I have only ridden about 6 times since last October (!) I won't be too hard on myself.
Out in the hay field - taking a break.

In the barn with a close-up of his new western bridle. It isn't fancy, I just like the colour because it matches my saddle. His nose is also senstive to rubbing - he only wears his halter 2x a day for about 30 minutes and it rubs his nose. So, I feel bad putting on an english bridle with a noseband that will rub even more. What a spoiled horse. I guess I should buy a fuzzy noseband to put on his halter or something...

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Here are a few pictures from our day trip to Montreal last weeekend. It is about a 2.5 hour drive right into downtown. It is the closest "big city" to us. This is the first glimpse of downtown from the highway.

A shot of the Molson building. Molson is one of Canada's beer brands. I'm guessing it is probably owned by an international company now, as most other beer companies here end up being bought out by big corporations.

The bridge we had to cross to get to get to the two islands where the race was held. There are two islands (- I can't remember if they are both man-made or not) in the middle of the St. Laurence River.

This thing is called the Bio-Sphere. It looks cool, but I have no idea what it is. Google tells me it is an evironmental museum. Should stop by next time I'm in town...

Here is an aerial shot (courtesy of the Montreal Rowing Club web site) of the facility we were at. You can see the two islands. We were at the one in the foreground. The long straight bit of water is the rowing basin, built in 1976 for the Olympics.

This shot is of a big boat (ship?) heading down the river. It took me by surprise as I didn't quite realize that behind the trees the island went straight down to the river!

This is a view of the rowing basin. There was a triathlon and a duathlon held that day. The triathlon is a swim-bike-run combo - there are a bunch of distances people can do. Richard did the duathlon, which is a run-bike-run combo. He ran 10km, then biked 40km, then ran another 5km to finish off. The run course took him around the outside of the rowing basin. It looked very far! I'm sort of glad I was just taking the pictures! He didn't do as well as he had hoped because he had major leg cramps. He still managed to get a personal best time for the day though. This race may qualify him to go to the world championships for his age group (40-45 men) which is going to be held in North Carolina next year!

Here is a shot of Richard on his fancy bike. He sells these bikes as a second part-time business, so he gets a great deal on the cost of the bike and all of the equipment. I tease him that his bikes are the same amount as a horse, just minus the board. I'm glad he has a hobby/sport with lots of gear, as he sort of understands why I need so much tack... ;-) The crazy looking helmet in the picture is supposed to make him more aerodynamic when he is tucked down on the handle bars.

Richard bikes alot in preparation for these races. He was also part of a running group over the summer that met at a local track to do all kinds of training. I think he was training about 10-15 hours per week over the summer. I just help him get organized at the beginning of the race - check his equipment, find the start and transition areas, take pictures, etc.

After the race, we headed into downtown Montreal for dinner before driving home. We went to St. Catherine street, which is known for fancy shops and other types of "establishments", such as strip clubs and bars. This nice old church was nestled in amongst all of the high-rise buildings.

This place was right around the corner! Montrealers have no qualms about this sort of thing!