March 29 2011
Well it all started with a blizzard back in February. The weather was too bad for us to go to MD Anderson in Houston Texas for my wifes annual breast examination. Icy roads and sub zero temps forced us to cancel her appointment. This is the 5th year after her surgery and chemo, so we really wanted to get it done. When she looked at re0schduling dates available, March 24th popped up. I checked and realized that the Shanghai Trail Endurance ride was 2 days after that. They were offering a 100 mile distance for the first time this year.
After doing some creative math, I figured that driving the big rig and pulling a horse trailer would cost us only $150 more when figuring in motel rooms and dining out costs if we drove a car. So we decided to multi task the trip and do the exam and then I would do the 100. It worked out even better when Kris Anderson, near Houston needed a horse hauled down there, which I agreed to do for $150. Yay, now we broke even... Ha!
Piper had done the 100 at Blazing Saddles on February 26th, so would have had 4 weeks off. We only did one 10 mile conditioning/tuneup ride between these two 100 mile rides. He was strong and full of himself, so I decided to do another 100 on him. It is about 700 miles from our home to Houston, so we planned how to give him the best recovery trip possible. We went down south on Wednesday, stayed at Darolyn Butlers place, and stole her car on Thursday to drive into Houston. There we had the tests done, which determined that Patsy was 100% fine, so she went shopping!! Now we are not broke even, we are just broke.
Friday we drove the 1 1/2 hours to camp, and hauled Boomer, one of Darolyns horses who doesn't play well with others along with us. Set up, vetted through.and went to the ride meeting. There we found out it was going to be much hotter than we expected. Upper 80's were expected, with high humidity and wind. The weather had been very dry there, and the trails were rock hard. They were flat as can be, but no cushion at all. Very concussive. The black loam had 1-2 inch wide cracks in it. In addition, some of the trail was in uneven cow pasture. Not bad, but deceptively smooth. We had 11 entries in the 100, and 8 in the 75 mile ride. The 75's had the option of elevating after completing the 75.
Saturday morning was cloudy and seemed cool. I had on my lucky Western Australia Endurance Rider shirt with a t-shirt underneath. Off we went at first light. The faster riders quickly disappeared down the trail, and we settled into a group of 3-5 riders. It warmed up quickly, and we let several other riders go on by. The first loop was 22 miles and we did it at about 9 mph. When I went into the rig, I pulled off the t-shirt. it was soaking wet. This warned me that the wind was drying the sweat off the horses and making it look cooler than it was. Piper had pre-warned me of this by drinking deeply at every water tank, rather than his normal first loop tactic of not drinking or maybe taking a sip one time. So we backed off on speed a bit during the second loop. And some more on the 3rd loop. Riders kept getting pulled left and right. We lost Dave Goetz from Oklahoma who was riding with us at 46 miles. Scott Godwin had some issues and dropped back some more. Several of the front
runners were pulled.
On the 4th loop we came across Sophia Bashir. She was off her horse sitting on the ground with her helmet off, horse tied to a tree, and she was very unhappy. We asked if the horse was ok, and she told us he was fine , but refusing to go. In the small world strange encounter cataqory, it was Boomer, who we had hauled there. Boomer was at the WEG in Kentucky as a mount for Olivia Mattai on Team Namibia. I was the groom for Boomer there and knew him, and his attitude well.
So the conversation with Sophia went something like this:
Sophia: "I will be ok. They are coming to get me"
Me: " No they are not. You are not on a road, this is just a trail along a fence. There is no breeze here. It is too hot to just stay here. They won't be able to find you. Get back on the horse and come with us."
Sophia: " He won't go. It must be me"
Me: "Fine. Put on your helmet"
Sophia: " But he will just stand there"
Me: "That's fine. Tighten up the girth"
Sophia: "You will see . He won't move"
Me: "That is wonderful. Now get in the saddle"
Alexis Jones was with us, and I asked her to start walking off with her horse. I got Piper behind Boomer and started herding him like a cow. I knew he would kick or bite if he had the chance, so stayed back out of striking range. " Hyah!!! Git up!!! Hyah!! Move it !!!" I even threatened to start yodeling if he wouldn't move. He decided that following Alexis was less irritating than listening to me, so down the trail we went. When ever Sophia asked me how much further we had to go, I would reply, "Just a bit further to camp I think". Along the way, Sophia complained about her knees hurting and I told her my secret for ignoring knee pain. She was excited to hear it... until I told her that my secret to ignoring knee pain was
because my back hurt much worse. We nursed her along for the 10 miles for the loop which was her first 50 mile completion. I had told her that completing would fix knee pain, and I was correct.
We lost Alexis at that 61 mile vet check, and now there were only 3 of us left in the 100. It was getting lonely out there. Piper was still going strong, He vetted through great all day. From arrival time to pulse in time was 5 minutes one time. 4 minutes twice and 3 minutes the rest of the time. His pulse rate was 56 once, then 52's with two 48's. At one vet check, he pulsed at 48, and after trot out and the one minute re-check was at 44. This was incredible for such a hot humid day. He ate exceptionally well all day. We focused on grazing in camp as much as possible and then eating hay and grain. My wife was incredible in helping do this, Normally I ride with little or no crew help, but this day was wearing me down, and I needed to rest and take care of myself at the holds, so I could take care of him on trail. Without Patsy's help, this would have been impossible. In addition to eating it kept him moving a bit during the holds.
On the next loop I caught up with Britteny, who was the lone adult 75 mile rider left. There was a Junior who had lost 2 sponsors that day, behind her who was hunting for a sponsor to finish. Britteny and I came in together. I tried to get her to play a joke on the waiting people and tell them that she was elevating to the 100, but she forgot to do this :-)
So off we went. Now down to just us, and Jennifer Masters who was on her first 100 and about 2 hours behind us. It was dark, and Ride Management decided that the glowsticks were not adequate, so sent us us following ATVs. They would go ahead and open gates alongside cattle guards, and close them behind us, then go off into the night. All day, those cattle guards and other gates had been staffed by Boy Scouts volunteers. Jennifers guide got lost and she pulled. So now Piper and I were the only chance for a 100 mile rider to complete. I toll my guides, David from 7-IL Ranch that I was not going to try and keep up with them, but was going to walk the bad footing, and let him graze when needed, He said that was no problem. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the last 11 miles. Piper vetted through great. Our first 100 mile win in the blazing time of about 15:40 ...zooommm!!! Not likely to happen again, so we enjoyed the moment. To Finish was indeed to Win
KMA Chazz Piper is a narrow built 14'2 hands tall Arabian 14 year old gelding. He wear OO shoes, has small cannon bone, and we have to special order 22 inch girths for his Specialized Saddle as he has such small chest depth. He weighed 780 pounds at the start of the ride, carried 212 pounds for 100 miles and only lost 20 pounds. He never balked or tried to quit. He seems delicate at first glance, and many people mistake him for a young filly. He is so calm and good natured that most people would not see how tough and determined he is. Of his 780 pounds, it is almost all heart and grit. I know that the congratulation we got after the ride were due to his effort and his willingness to let me come along for the ride.
It was a tough day. Only one out of 11 finished the 100. Only 2 out of the 8 starters in the 75 completed. Why?? My gut feeling is #1) the normal wear and tear stuff that happens in 100's. #2) Deceptively hard concussive footing that might have fooled some riders into going faster than they would have. At one point on trail, Alexis wondered if we were on trail, and she could see any hooftprints in the dirt. I told her to look behind us as there were still no hoof prints. (Then we saw a ribbon, so we knew we were ok). Riding a horse who lives on rocks helped me as he was used to concussion. #3) The wind dried the sweat from horses, so riders couldn't tell that the horses were working as hard as they were. We grazed a lot on trail and in camp. Plus Patsy had bought a watermelon that was not quite ripe yet, so Piper got to eat it. I think this all helped to keep his gut working and to keep him hydrated.
The next day, Piper looked great. There were Ride and Tie riders getting ready to go 20 miles who invited us to come along. I declined.:-) He ate like a horse while we packed up camp. We headed towards home, and soon blew a tire on the RV. While waiting for the service truck, he grazed in a field next to the truck stop for 2 hours straight. We spent the night at Val Jaffes place south of Dallas, where he had a round pen to move around in. We were fed a delicious meal, got a good nights sleep, and got home the next evening. Piper came prancing out of the trailer, trotted proud around the barn lot, and galloped off to be with his pasture buddies. Then, just for the fun of it, he did a victory lap around the field. Nothing quite like bringing a horse home from a ride that feels good enough to do that.
Now we get ready for the next ride.
Paul N. Sidio
KMA Chazz Piper (who now has completed five 100 mile rides)
Spokane MO
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Blazing Saddles 2011 - Keith Kibler
Shawneesunrisefarm.net - Full Story
March 15 2011
One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu. Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under. So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=139.msg184#msg184
March 15 2011
One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu. Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under. So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=139.msg184#msg184
Blazing Saddles - and fried hot peppers
Keith Kibler
One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu. Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under. So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Flat road riding is the worst thing in the world for Kate. I love this little mare and know her like I have never known a horse. That being said, she is the most challenging gaited horse that I ever ridden. Her running walk is great and very smooth up to 7.5 mph. She then wants to shift into a stepping pace but will, with careful attention rack up to about 11.5 mph. Well, I should have used the word “sometimes” in the previous sentence. I hate a pace. Of course, she will flat foot walk, canter, lope and gallop. She only uses the last three gaits on cue and I very rarely let her gallop.
We went out in the dark for the first 15 mile road loop just behind the leading group of 5 Arabians. Yes, all the other horses in the race were Arabians. Things were going well until about mile 8. Kate was all systems “go” and drank well at the only water stop in the 15 mile road loop.
Then my ride dramatically changed. Trying to be delicate, I would suggest to you that all of us know what it means to have “nature come calling” in a ride or race. “Nature came calling”, but not with a gentle knock on the front door. It kicked in my door. My camper was 19 miles away at camp. The riders behind me must have thought I had lost my mind because I peeled off the road and headed Kate into the woods in a hurry. As I tied Kate to a tree, she seemed to look at me with a confused eye.
Meanwhile, there was an endurance ride passing us by. My friend Paul Sidio caught us once we were back on the road. I was very glad to have company as I really did not feel well. We finished the first 24 mile loop together and I saw Sandy come into the ride camp after Kate had cleared the vet check with flying colors. I don’t think I would have been labeled as “fit to continue” if the vets had looked closely at me.
Sandy has a frozen shoulder and Cheyenne is so tall Sandy had to use a picnic table to mount her. I made the decision to let my out time slide by to help her, and just take the turtle award with Kate. This decision was fateful later.
As Kate and I headed out alone, the temperature rose to about 80 degrees. By mile 40 I was so dehydrated that I was seeing orange colors in the woods that I knew were not real. My thoughts became cloudy and I had to concentrate to stay upright on the horse. I got dizzy and caught myself leaning forward in my English saddle to stay upright. Kate took care of me and we slowed down.
We were now firmly in possession of the turtle, which of course means we were last. I just wanted to complete and try to keep hydrated as well as I could. We headed out of the mile 70 vet check with only one B+ on our vet card to go with a lot of “A”s. Kate seemed to have a loss of energy from mile 75 to mile 80. When her energy level dropped, we walked and then picked up to a running walk for a while. Her heart rate during this time was often between 80 and 90. She really picked up energy from mile 80 to the next vet check at mile 85. Thankfully, Sandy was waiting for me at ride camp and as soon as Kate dropped her heart rate, I headed to the trailer for my own needs.
When I went back to climb back into the saddle, Sandy and the vets where still looking at Kate. Sandy had counted 24 swallows at the trough during the break and Kate had eaten well. But her gut sounds were quiet and she did not look perky. Her heart rate was a bit higher than normal for her. Her gut sounds came back on all quadrants, but I did not think Kate was herself.
I simply did not like the look in her eye. I rode this horse 1000 miles last year and I have bonded with her in a way I did not know a rider and horse could bond. Dr. Otis mentioned her eye. I interrupted him and said that was “exactly what I am concerned about .“ I told the vets that Kate had taken care of me all day and that I was making the decision to take care of her and we were taking a “rider option” if they would allow it. They did just that.
Kate was fine after the walk to the trailer and some more eating and water. Paul said I was seeing the reflection of my own eye in Kate’s eye, riding the end of a flat hot 100 by ourselves. With almost 8 hours left and only 15 miles to complete I could have walked or jogged with her but I did what I thought was right. We both healed up and I learned or relearned three valuable lessons.
1. Always take care of your horse. Awards are nothing in relation to the welfare of your horse.
2. Never, EVER, eat a plate of fried hot peppers before 100 mile ride, no matter how hungry you are.
3. Just because you ride a horse that doesn’t trot during a ride doesn’t mean you might not end up trotting yourself.
Rack on my friends,
Keith
 |
 |
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Flat road riding is the worst thing in the world for Kate. I love this little mare and know her like I have never known a horse. That being said, she is the most challenging gaited horse that I ever ridden. Her running walk is great and very smooth up to 7.5 mph. She then wants to shift into a stepping pace but will, with careful attention rack up to about 11.5 mph. Well, I should have used the word “sometimes” in the previous sentence. I hate a pace. Of course, she will flat foot walk, canter, lope and gallop. She only uses the last three gaits on cue and I very rarely let her gallop.
We went out in the dark for the first 15 mile road loop just behind the leading group of 5 Arabians. Yes, all the other horses in the race were Arabians. Things were going well until about mile 8. Kate was all systems “go” and drank well at the only water stop in the 15 mile road loop.
Then my ride dramatically changed. Trying to be delicate, I would suggest to you that all of us know what it means to have “nature come calling” in a ride or race. “Nature came calling”, but not with a gentle knock on the front door. It kicked in my door. My camper was 19 miles away at camp. The riders behind me must have thought I had lost my mind because I peeled off the road and headed Kate into the woods in a hurry. As I tied Kate to a tree, she seemed to look at me with a confused eye.
Meanwhile, there was an endurance ride passing us by. My friend Paul Sidio caught us once we were back on the road. I was very glad to have company as I really did not feel well. We finished the first 24 mile loop together and I saw Sandy come into the ride camp after Kate had cleared the vet check with flying colors. I don’t think I would have been labeled as “fit to continue” if the vets had looked closely at me.
Sandy has a frozen shoulder and Cheyenne is so tall Sandy had to use a picnic table to mount her. I made the decision to let my out time slide by to help her, and just take the turtle award with Kate. This decision was fateful later.
As Kate and I headed out alone, the temperature rose to about 80 degrees. By mile 40 I was so dehydrated that I was seeing orange colors in the woods that I knew were not real. My thoughts became cloudy and I had to concentrate to stay upright on the horse. I got dizzy and caught myself leaning forward in my English saddle to stay upright. Kate took care of me and we slowed down.
We were now firmly in possession of the turtle, which of course means we were last. I just wanted to complete and try to keep hydrated as well as I could. We headed out of the mile 70 vet check with only one B+ on our vet card to go with a lot of “A”s. Kate seemed to have a loss of energy from mile 75 to mile 80. When her energy level dropped, we walked and then picked up to a running walk for a while. Her heart rate during this time was often between 80 and 90. She really picked up energy from mile 80 to the next vet check at mile 85. Thankfully, Sandy was waiting for me at ride camp and as soon as Kate dropped her heart rate, I headed to the trailer for my own needs.
When I went back to climb back into the saddle, Sandy and the vets where still looking at Kate. Sandy had counted 24 swallows at the trough during the break and Kate had eaten well. But her gut sounds were quiet and she did not look perky. Her heart rate was a bit higher than normal for her. Her gut sounds came back on all quadrants, but I did not think Kate was herself.
I simply did not like the look in her eye. I rode this horse 1000 miles last year and I have bonded with her in a way I did not know a rider and horse could bond. Dr. Otis mentioned her eye. I interrupted him and said that was “exactly what I am concerned about .“ I told the vets that Kate had taken care of me all day and that I was making the decision to take care of her and we were taking a “rider option” if they would allow it. They did just that.
Kate was fine after the walk to the trailer and some more eating and water. Paul said I was seeing the reflection of my own eye in Kate’s eye, riding the end of a flat hot 100 by ourselves. With almost 8 hours left and only 15 miles to complete I could have walked or jogged with her but I did what I thought was right. We both healed up and I learned or relearned three valuable lessons.
1. Always take care of your horse. Awards are nothing in relation to the welfare of your horse.
2. Never, EVER, eat a plate of fried hot peppers before 100 mile ride, no matter how hungry you are.
3. Just because you ride a horse that doesn’t trot during a ride doesn’t mean you might not end up trotting yourself.
Rack on my friends,
Keith
Monday, March 07, 2011
Mendocino Zanzibar - Sam Yates
by Samantha Yates
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Yes I know, I’m a bad girl for failing to update this blog regularly. Real life just gets in the way!
I am currently in New Zealand, but more of that later…
First back to summer 2010 and Ricochet Ridge Ranch, in Fort Bragg, California.
Life at RRR is hectic to say the least! Guiding trail rides from 1 1/2 hours to 1 week-long, we all work long and hard.
We have about 40 horses at the ranch – half are the ‘string’ horses – suitable for taking beginners up and down the beach, and the other half are the ‘trek’ horses – better for more experienced riders and for week-long vacations. And then there are the guide horses – the ones not quite ready to put paying guests on yet!
If you remember I broke both of my legs on the last trip to this ranch, and was very much looking forward to completing a whole season with no injuries.
It was Lari, my boss, who introduced me to endurance in the first place. Back in the UK I had done a bit of dressage, jumping and cross-country, and I enjoyed riding and re-training ex-racehorses, but I had never had an interest in endurance. Who wants to trot around for 6 hours? And Arabs? Ha! As a thoroughbred lover I considered arabs to be far inferior!
However Lari offered me the chance to compete in an endurance ride at the end of the season if I wanted and if my legs were feeling up to it. Quite honestly it was just another box to check for me – I’d tried polo in Argentina and lassoing in Ecuador, so why not endurance?...
Read more here:
http://cageybird.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/mendocino-zanzibar/