2026 Old Selam Day 3 - Riding with the famous Two Step Betty LTH

The Equestrian Vagabond blog

September 6 2026
by Merri Melde

Neither Willie nor I were tempted to do a 50 today (much less the 100 that our pasture mate DWA Papillon and Connie were attempting), so we slept in and saddled up for the LD.

I gave Willie a good walk-about warm up for 15 minutes before the start, and scouted out our competition. Not to see who we could beat, but to see who we might ride with, or, any hot horses we might avoid, as I just wanted, as always, an easy fun ride with no Rocket Pony beneath me to have to apply brakes to for 25 miles.

Nobody looked to be in a big rush anyway, with half the 12 starters standing around talking. Willie was a bit amped, but completely controllable, though I was glad I stuck with his Kemberwick bit and not his jaquima halter sidepull. On our walkabout we met Two Step Betty LTH with Jessica aboard; Betty pinned her ears at Willie, and Jessica laughed. “She hates everybody.”

And once the trail was open, a couple of riders took off, and we ended up walking out beside Betty and Jessica (with plenty of space in between). Betty wasn’t in a big hurry, just off on another day of endurance business, and Willie wasn’t in a big hurry, so we sort of headed out together. Once we crossed the creek and the road and started out on a two-track logging road, Betty was trotting ahead of us and going exactly the pace I wanted for Willie, which he was completely agreeable to. He had his head bowed to his chest, looking all macho and powerful, but he wasn’t pulling on the reins at all. I think Phinneas (RIP) taught Willie to do this, because it makes a horse look like a magnificent racehorse galloping on the track.

Jessica said we could try riding with Betty, I said we’ll stay back, and if Betty gets mad, we will let you go ahead! We gave Betty plenty of space, which one should do anyway, and not ride up another horse’s butt, for so many reasons. I’m going to write an article on that one day, called “Get Off My A$$...”

Read more here:
https://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026-old-selam-day-3-riding-with-famous.html

2026 Old Selam Day 1: Riding with my Hero! - Merri Melde

The Equestrian Vagabond blog

September 4 2026
by Merri Melde

I’d planned to ride Willie on all 3 days of LDs at the Old Selam Pioneer ride. It’s still one of mine and Willie’s favorite rides ever, in the Boise National Forest, on fabulous trails of rolling soft logging roads.

We didn’t train *super* hard ahead of time, but Willie was plenty fit enough for LDs, and we’d have fun riding all 3 days. Horses get better and stronger on the third day in a row, right?

After I vetted in on Thursday for Day 1, my Endurance mentor/hero Suzy Hayes, said, “Don’t you want to ride the 50 on Day 1 with me and Tru? We won’t be going fast and we won’t be going slow.”

First I laughed. Willie and I got our 50 in for the year at City of Rocks. But once it got in my head, it didn’t go away. I’ve never ever gotten to ride with Suzy and finally after all these years, here was the opportunity! This is Suzy Hayes, you know, over 28,000 miles, with one horse in the Hall of Fame in 2011, Kootenai Zizzero, and Pard’ners Award with the same horse in 2007, winner of the Big Horn 100 in 2020 just six weeks after a horse wreck where she broke 10 ribs, fractured two vertebrae, punctured a lung and lacerated her liver, and spent five days in the ICU and 10 more days in the hospital. Yes, that Suzy Hayes! Didn’t take me long to change my mind and my plans, and I told Willie about it, and he was all in. (After an extra bucket of carrots.)

The rather unusual forecast for Old Selam this year was so thrilling, cooler weather and chances of rain!

I don’t like saddling up in the rain - it rained at night - but I didn’t have to. The rain let up when I woke early to get ready, and we carried rain jackets for the ride...

Read the rest here:
https://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026-old-selam-day-1-riding-with-my-hero.html