We continued on our ride, keeping a slow pace, but every now and then I`d take off on Dance Line, cantering and checking his responses, especially in the deep sand. I had almost decided, or Dance had decided for me, that the canter would be the gait of choice on this ride, if Dance`s heart, respiration rate and, especially, his legs can handle that pace. I felt that it would be safer, with Dance`s old tendon injury, in a canter than in a trot with the softness of the ground here. I wasn`t too worried about Rebel and Jennifer being able to keep up.
I didn`t get to talk much with Saint Sandy, since her Arab mare didn`t want to be near my guy at all. And once, during the ride, Sandy`s horse got too close to Rebel and he kicked her right in the breast collar. Rebel`s never kicked another horse before on the trail, so Jen and I were very surprised and apologetic. St. Sandy (this kinda stuff helps confirm her Sainthood) said not to worry about the kick; it was her mare`s fault and she hopes her horse learned something.
We returned to ridecamp a different way then we left, so I didn`t get to see if my naked sunbather was still catching some rays. I considered taking a solo ride back that way, but decided a beer was more important. Jen and I say good-bye to Sandy and Samantha, untacked our horses and put them back in their portable corral. I throw some hay at them and tell Jen I`m taking a nap.
I give her instructions as to where she can go (Samantha`s rig or the Pavilion or Roxanne`s rig). Roxanne is a close friend who is kinda my mentor when it comes to endurance riding. I met her at this ride last year and have spent time with her at almost every ride I`ve attended (I think I`m up to 8) and have learned to respect her advice. She also does 100`s and is a possible sponsor for my daughter if Jen ever gets to that level. Rox adores Jennifer and I plan on using this as my selling point for sponsorship. The truth is I sure as hell won`t and probably can`t do a hundred. I didn`t even want to do a 35 let alone a 50; but Jen has me sold on the idea of a 50 at our next ride if we do well here tomorrow. Last year I used to say I`d never do a 50 cause it would interfere with my naptime. haha.
I take my nap and dream. I dream of Angie. It`s not a sexual dream, in fact quite the opposite. I haven`t told you about her, but mentioned her earlier and you may be wondering just who I was talking about. So, I`ll tell you. Angie`s a southern endurance rider, who has done quite well in the 50`s. As far as I know she and her horse aren`t 100 mile material, but Angie has acquired quite a few miles and won the GERA 50 when I attended. I did a measly 25. I met Angie, prior to the GERA ride, on the computer (online) by way of a website that caters to endurance riders and endurance wannabes, like myself.
Besides being an endurance rider, Angie`s also a writer (sound like anybody you know?). And she has an attitude with a "male ego" attached. She is a witty and humorous writer and I made the mistake of "taking her on" with my thoughts on this particular website, that`s really like a delayed chat room. Anyhow, we became adversaries at the start and it hasn`t gotten much better with time. Basically, I`m a Florida Gator, and she`s from any other Southern State that happens to beat the Gators during that particular year (and she says she doesn`t even like football). This year she`s from Alabama, since the Gators beat Tennessee and Georgia, but lost to Alabama twice. But, I digress....back to my dream.
I dream of riding the GERA 2000 classic, which I know will be the first ride I will do after my summer break (summer breaks are required if you live in Florida). I`m in the 50 and I don`t take Jennifer. Don`t want any baggage with me this time, cause I`m hunting for bear. And my quarry is Angie. AS GOD IS MY WITNESS (sorry) I`m gonna beat her one time before I die. (Now, remember this is all a dream, I don`t really think like this.) I don`t have to win the GERA, even though Angie won it last year. All I have to do is beat this wild woman, who rides like a jockey with a tongue that whips like a riding crop. In my dream, as I yell at the rude drivers in Atlanta on my way to ridecamp, instead of using curse words when someone cuts me off, I yell "Angie." As in "Angie you asshole." Actually, that should be "Angie you Angie," but "Angie, you asshole" sounds funnier to me, for some reason. Hey, it`s a dream and kind of fuzzy.
Anyhow I get to ridecamp, set up and at the preride briefing Angie and her buddies make fun of me. Tell me how they`re gonna kick my butt and how men really shouldn`t wear tights, even on a horse. One of them decides to call me Robin Hood, the Merriest of Men. I take it all in stride, smile, don`t start anything (remember, this is a dream), and just smolder inside. They don`t realize it but they have all just fed the machine a lot of fuel. I know I will beat her tomorrow, or I will die trying.
I`ll digress here a bit from the dream and tell y`all that endurance riding has become my life. It`s what I live for (you might want to skip the next two paragraphs if you don`t like sentimental crap). It permeates my dreams and influences my life. It`s all I think about, I`ve become obsessed. The camaraderie at ridecamp, the feeling that most riders really care about the sport and their horses and, like I`ve said before, the intensity of the event. And riding with my 11 year old daughter, watching her compete against full grown adults, and do well; it`s all a bit too much for me sometimes.
I`ve yet to see a poor rider at any of the endurance rides I`ve attended and to win is something to be very proud of. I`m consumed by it all; I`ve even learned camping, though I still am not crazy about that aspect of endurance riding, especially when it gets down to 20 degrees. But to me, the main ingredient is the love of your horse. It`s indescribable how I feel about Dance Line, and I know more than anyone how special he is. Sure he has a few bad habits, he nips at me when he`s nervous and he might rear up if I force him to go where he doesn`t want to. I could probably beat these bad habits out of him, but I choose not to. Instead, he and I both make modifications to accommodate the other. Anyway, I`ll just close this paragraph by saying there are a few riders I really do respect and want to beat on my 17 H non Arab horse, and Angie`s on top of the list.
Back to the dream. We start off early the next day with Angie and her friends still making fun of me in my tights and my tall legged horse, who doesn`t have one drop of Arab blood in him. I smile, but maneuver to the front of the line in this controlled start. We take off slow, but as soon as the leader releases us we are all off in a gallop. I stay right behind Angie and follow her the entire way. After the third loop, at the vet check, Angie realizes I`m in for the long haul and says to me, "Shorty, I`m gonna kick it up a notch, so don`t get in my way." More fuel has just been added to my fire and she doesn`t even know.
She and I leave the vet check at the same time and she keeps her word. Forgetting the canter, she gallops into the forest, with lots of knee breaking trees that can rip off your legs, with sharp twists and turns, the trail becomes a real challenge, especially on my horse, who has the longest back in the world. She gets a long lead on me and Dance and, soon, is out of site. This infuriates me but I stick to the plan of mostly canter, occasional trot, all the way. Towards the end I spot her. Her horse seems to be tired and she`s walking. I gain on her, pass her, raise up my butt high in the air so she can get a good look, turn my head around at her and say, "Take a peak at my best asset BAMA." And I win the race, ten minutes ahead of Angie, who comes in second place.
OK, it`s a dream, but I wake up invigorated. I almost wish Angie was here, but for some reason she chooses to skip the Florida rides. It`s almost dark outside and I start worrying about The Far Out Forest Pervert and go look for my Jennifer. I find her at Samantha`s rig, both playing this Gameboy handheld computer toy and I hang out with the kids for a few minutes. I tell Jen we have to go feed the horses, we do this, and then wander to Roxanne`s rig. Roxanne has these two adorable miniature dogs (haven`t a clue as to the breed) that we take with us to the dinner and subsequent pre-ride briefing at the Pavilion.
For some reason I end up with both dogs, each on a leash, inside the Pavilion (it`s a French thing) while everyone stands in line for their spaghetti dinner. I get lots of strange looks from people in line because of the tiny dogs. They probably think I`m either gay or French since I look kinda out of place with these two tiny dogs, whose combined weight is less than my cat back home. Roxanne and Jennifer return and I get in line for my food.
After eating, the manager starts his thing and all I really want to know is the start time for the 35. Somewhere during his talk he says the 35 milers will start at 6:30, along with the 100 milers, and the 50 milers will start at 7:00 AM. Whoooooaaaaa there Mr. Ridemanager, whatever happened to the LD`s starting late and sleeping in? I almost get up to object to this scenario, but decide otherwise. Man, it doesn`t even get light until 7:00 AM. I`ll have to tack up in the dark, something I avoid whenever possible. This is the first ride I`ve attended where the LD`s are not the last group to leave. I hope this isn`t a trend.
After dinner breaks up Jen decides she`s going to bed. I let her walk on up alone to our tent (making sure she has her flashlight), inspite of The Far Out Forest Pervert, and go have a few beers with Roxanne, who has a campfire going. We talk about the deep sand, about other riders (I do love gossip) and a couple other friends join us around the campfire. Allison, one of Rox`s friends, is there and she tells me she has actually read and enjoyed my endurance stories. Since I don`t have too many fans, when I find one, I treat them like gold. I offer Allison beer, wine, a back rub, anything to keep her reading and liking my stuff. She laughs, but declines on all offers. After a while I say good-bye to all and head off to my tent. The night is crisp, but not freezing, and we`re only hours away from lift off.
Sleeping in a cold tent is not an easy thing to do. I ignite a gas heater inside, the one that says "Don`t use indoors," and put it close to my face. I`ll probably wake up with a sunburn tomorrow. It`s not freezing out, but one of those nights that`s just a bit too cold to sleep outside, tent or no tent. I eventually get a few hours sleep, but it`s not a deep one and I don`t dream (lucky for Angie). I wake up at 5:00 and decide it`s time to get up, feed the horse and light up my flame throwing burner for coffee.
Normally, I can count on a couple of GA buddies for coffee, but they didn`t make this ride, so I`m on my own. I feed the horses, rub Dance`s head between his eyes and tell him, again, if he gets me and Jen and Rebel through this today there is nothing I won`t do for him. Nothing. I put my burner on top of my cooler (I regret this action later), pump up the alcohol, turn the crank, and light up Flame Thrower. And it does. Six feet atleast. And I put the darn thing under a tree again, what the heck was I thinking?
I go grab a blanket, for possible use, but the flame does eventually die down. The burner did ignite a few leaves on the tree overhead, but no one will ever notice. I put on the tea kettle and get this really cool thing out of a Wal-Mart box that`s made especially for toasting bread on a gas outdoor burner. I love new shit. And it just so happens I have some bagels, also from Wal-Mart, and I light the other burner, put on my new toaster gadget and add a bagel. Too cool, and I didn`t lose a tree.
So there I am, drinking coffee, toasting bagels, just having a really great time. I wake up Jen, let her go get some hot chocolate at the Pavilion. As I enjoy my food I start to think that, maybe, I actually have this camping thing down. Jen comes back and asks me for the time. I look at my watch, with my flashlight (it`s still dark outside), and scream, "Oh shit, it`s 6:30." Damn. How`d that happen?
Part IV
We rush tacking up the horses in the dark, I put out all fires, and I`m pissed. Just can`t believe the time got away from me like that. We finally get the horses tacked, Jen mounts Rebel by herself (you should see this) and I find a stump that aids me with getting on top of my giraffe. I look at my watch and it`s 6:53, 7 minutes till the 50 starts. We trot pass Roxanne, who is warming up her horse for the 50. She yells, "Man, are you two late!". We yell out our numbers to the clipboard lady, and canter off down the trail.
I tell Jen we will still stick with our plan of a slow canter, even though we missed our starting time (way to go Dad). All because of that new cooking gadget from Wal-Mart, hot coffee and a couple of toasted bagels. I want to stay ahead of the 50 milers, as much as possible, even if we only have a 7 minute jump on them. And the only way to do this is to canter. Dance is in the lead, as usual, and Jen and I have the trail completely to ourselves. There is daylight, but it`s predawn daylight, so not very bright out. The sand is deep, but in some places the trail is in good shape, if you keep your horse on the side where it hasn`t been torn up by the 4 wheelers.
Lot`s of low branches here, so I try not to look behind me at Jen, cause I know as soon as I do one of them will get me. And on my tall horse I have to duck more than most riders. We clip along at a good pace, with motivation being not letting the front runners in the 50 catch us. I know our lead from them won`t last forever, I`m just trying to delay them passing us right away. Both Dance and Rebel are into this run and know they have buddies somewhere up ahead. If I die and reincarnate I want to come back as an endurance horse with a young, pretty female owner who gives me lots of beer.
The trails are deep sand, where the 4 wheelers have tore deep into the ground (I`m not a fan of this motorized sport), but most of it isn`t too bad. I spot a lot of hidden roots and try to avoid them by riding the high end of any holes. Rebel follows us perfectly. It is a beautiful morning, a nice chill is in the air, and it just might be perfect weather for my horse. He is overly excited, which is normal for him in an endurance run. I try and control his pace, to keep Dance from breaking out into a racehorse sweat. The brisk weather is helping.
The mist rises above the lakes here giving it an eerie quality. The fog, created by the lakes, would make great cover for The Far Out Forest Pervert this morning. Thanks Jean, for letting me know about some of the whacko people who live in these woods. I push out the bad thoughts and think of my sunbather, with that smile on her face. Much better.
As Jen and I continue, I get that feeling of "this is the greatest sport in the world" and I wish I had started it earlier in my lifetime. I`ll just have to let Jen make up for my lost riding time. I know she`s into it as much as I am; I hope it continues. I plan on distracting her from the one thing that may hinder this goal, boys, till she`s 35. She`s still at an age where they`re almost a nonentity, but I know it`s coming, sooner than I would like.
For once Jen isn`t talking a lot. I look back at her, when it`s safe to do so, to make sure she`s OK. I can hear Rebel constantly, he has this type of breathing where he exhales loudly every time his front hooves hit the ground while cantering. Sounds kinda cool. Reminds me of a professional tennis player, how they grunt when they whack at the ball. "Ummmmmmmpppppphhhhhhhh" says Rebel. This, also, lets me know how close he is. I do love Rebel, almost as much as Dance Line, cause he has this habit of never passing me on the trail, no matter how much Jen pushes him to do so. I consider this a safety feature that keeps my kid from losing control of her horse in, what a lot of people consider, an extreme sport.
I duck to miss a branch, but not enough and my helmet cracks the limb. Man that would have knocked me out cold if I didn`t have this helmet on. I`m at the point where, if you, as an endurance rider, choose not to wear one, I feel that you`re a complete idiot and not serious about the sport or haven`t done enough rides. If I saw a downed rider who wasn`t wearing one, I`d stop and help but he/she would hear it from me about their stupidity, coma or no coma.
After a while, I eliminate all negative thoughts and just enjoy what Jen and I are doing. No one is ahead of us. We go on like this for at least 5 miles. Very little hills (hey, it is central Florida) and the most change in elevation is about 6 feet (Florida Mountain). I do love my state, and wish more riders would come down here to run with us locals. This time of year the bugs are dead and the snakes are buried deep underground, out of site where I like them. Few tornadoes and no hurricanes; what more could you ask for? I did forget the fire danger is high, but nothing`s burning yet.
I notice Dance is sweating a little more than I`d like to see, so I slow down to a trot and then to a walk. Not long after doing this I hear the first group of 50 milers closing in. Jen and I let the group of 4 riders pass. I ask my partner if she wants to try and keep up with the big boys. She yells a resounding YES and off we go. Dance always seems more motivated when he can see a horse or two in front of him. And today is no exception.
I keep the riders in site and sometimes we even get close enough to pass. But I hold back, knowing these riders will canter all the way. And they do. Not once do any of them trot their horses; even after we follow for several miles. The trail is wide enough for a vehicle, but it better be 4 wheel drive. Jen and I stay right behind the leaders for almost 5 miles, then I pull back on Dance and we trot for a while. And then I notice something bad. Damn.
Dance`s head is bobbing every so often, in the trot, even though he doesn`t feel off. I curse to myself, knowing I might have pushed him too hard. I get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that he`s gonna get pulled at the first vet check, which is only a couple more miles ahead. Even if Dance isn`t lame, if the vet sees his head bob while trotting out I`m gonna be stuck out here in the middle of nowhere.
We walk a bit and I try and figure out if Dance is lame or just tired. I play around with his trot, post on the left diagonal then the right, to see if it`s the left front, where his old tendon bow is. He stops bobbing his head, so I wonder if he`s OK? I feel no sign of lameness and hope we might atleast get thru the first vet check without a hitch.
And up ahead I see a group of people hanging around and realize we just covered 14 miles. I`m ready for a break. Jen and I give our cards to the check in lady, who marks our in time, and hands them back. We dismount and walk over towards the vet area. I bend down and feel Dance`s old bow, no swelling or tenderness that I can see. Good! Rebel and Dance are both pumped up cause of all the other horses and activity. We stop for water at a large trough, and I spot Phil, who crews for his wife. I know he has at least a stethoscope. I ask if he`ll check out Dance`s heart rate, it tends to run high, and Phil pulls out this really cool electronic thing, puts it on the left side in front of the girth, and in less than ten seconds tells me it`s 70. He checks Rebels and it`s in the low 50`s. Damn Arabs rule when it comes to pulse and respiration.
We walk around a little with our horses, Rebel and Dance cannot be separated in this situation, with me looking for my bucket of feed. I don`t see it anywhere. There`s not much of a line at the P&R area so I decide to gamble on Dance`s pulse. I turn Dance so he can look at Rebel while the lady uses her stethoscope and she gives us a passing 64. Rebel is 50. I go up to one of the vets, he does his thing super quick and then tells me to trot out. Dance and I take off and I can tell he`s OK. Back to the vet, check complete, all A`s, and wait for Jen to finish. Too easy, what was I so worried about? Jen finishes with all A`s also and we start our 30 minute hold.
We wander together, looking for my lost bucket loaded with beet pulp, some grain and other goodies. I spot Phil again, and he offers this beet pulp mash that he has left over. Phil`s a classy southern gentleman who I hang out with any chance I can, hoping some of it will rub off on me. This has yet to happen. His wife, who does 50`s, is getting ready to leave the vet area. She has to be in that 4 group that we followed for so long. Dance and Reb dig into the food, both gobbling it up, which makes me and Jen quite happy. They also steal some nearby hay and drink a lot of water. These two are into this run today.
I get concerned about them stealing the hay, Phil comes by and tells me it`s his, help yourself. What a cool dude. I`m still irked that my bucket is not here, because I had two syringes of oral electrolytes I wanted to give the horses. Oh well, crewing for yourself is the pits (pun intended).
Our 30 minute hold flies by and we mount up, tell the clipboard lady we`re leaving and off we go. I spot Roxanne up ahead, with a few other riders, and Jen and I join them. We work our way up to the canter, and off we go. Jen loves talking to Roxanne, so the Mouth of the South (Jen) starts in on her. Poor Rox, I know she`s gonna hear whatever is on Jennifer`s mind for the next 5 miles or so. It always amazes me how Jen can talk and canter her house, simultaneously. When I first started riding endurance I was never able to do this, and I`m still not crazy about it. But I notice a lot of women have this gift, while a lot of men either don`t have it or elect not to use it.
Speaking of men, I forgot to tell y`all, I saw two male riders at camp and both had cuts on their cheeks, a result of running into the low hanging branches. One gentleman was bleeding so heavily I was concerned and mentioned it to him. This kind of struck me as funny, for some morbid reason, especially when I noticed not one female had even a tiny scratch on her face. Must be a macho kind of thing, instead of ducking we`ll just go through those branches.
I ask Rox to point out the tricky turn the 35 milers have to take. Evidently, a large number of riders missed the intersection last year and ended up doing a 50. She says she will and that it`s not much further up ahead. OK, my conversation is over, and Jen takes my place. The mind of an eleven year old girl is constantly evolving, and I do believe if the mouth doesn`t continue to move the whole process stops.
Rox points out the turn to us and we all separate. One rider has joined us and she asks if we mind her company. I advise her she might want to wear ear plugs, Jen gives me a dirty look, and we introduce ourselves. Her name is Maria and she is riding a tiny Arab mare about Rebel`s age (ten). It`s Maria`s first endurance ride and she seems to be enjoying it quite a bit. I tell her we plan on cantering most of the way, and she says, "No problem, I`ll try and keep up." Dance leads the way and the three of us continue on a wide path out in the middle of nowhere. We`re so isolated I feel like a Knight whose job it is to protect these young women on a dangerous trail while traveling between castles. Any pervert shows himself out here and I will lop off his head. haha.
This loop definitely seems more remote than the first. It`s not really a loop, the entire ride is one loop. The only people who do it twice are the hundred milers, and from what I hear there are only a few of them riding today. I still don`t understand why the number of riders is so low. The weather is perfect and the trails are well marked. And we`ve run into just a few 4 wheelers, who have all been courteous to us, pulling over and some of them even turning off their machines. If Dance keeps up the pace I still might have time for my afternoon nap, even though we`re adding an extra ten miles to our normal 25.
WHEW, almost done. Please let me know some of you are reading this.
cya,
Howard
Thursday, February 17, 2000
Far OUTTTT Forest With the Kid: Part V - Howard
I`m riding alone on the trail, searching for her. For some inexplicable reason I just can`t get this woman out of my mind. Dance and I turn a corner and up ahead and I see her. She`s still sunbathing, still nude, exactly like the last time I saw her. The reflection of the bright sun resonates from her well oiled body. She looks up, smiles and waves to me, first as in Hello, then a hand gesture telling me to come closer. I approach her on horseback, and when I`m about ten feet away, I start feeling dizzy. My mind enters some kind of hypnotic trance as I find myself looking at this beautiful creature. She`s a well proportioned, young brunette, with the most perfect body I have ever seen. And that smile, on her lovely face, melts any inhibitions I might have. I try not to stare, but just can`t resist her power. She says, "Hi, my name is Debbie. Why don`t you get off that big horse and sit down for a chat."
I get off Dance, hook up his reins to the saddle, and walk towards her. "I haven`t been able to stop thinking of you, since yesterday," I say. Deb says, "I know, would you like a beer?" I answer, "Sure," and WHAACKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.............a tree limb has just knocked me off my horse, I do a double somersault backwards, and land in the deep sand. "Dad, are you OK? Didn`t you see that branch?" says Jennifer. Maria is there, also, just wondering what the heck happened here.
I notice that the visor on my helmet is now hanging to the side, I pull on it and off it comes. Man, I must have been in some kind of trance or something. Not a safe thing to do out here. I tell Jen and Maria I`m OK, get back on Dance Line, and off we go, hoping they forget about my faux pas eventually. Maria asks me, "Would you like me to ride in front?" "Sure thing," I tell her, knowing she`s lost confidence in my ability to lead.
This part of the loop definitely seems more remote than the first. This trail is not a series of loops like I`m used to. It`s one long 50 mile loop, with a cut that the 35 milers take. The only people who do it twice are the hundred milers, and from what I hear there are only a few of them riding today. I still don`t understand why the number of riders is so low. The weather is perfect and the trails are well marked. And we`ve run into just a few 4 wheelers, who have all been courteous to us, most of them pulling their vehicles to the side of the trail to get out of our way. Some of the drivers even turned off their engines, making it easier for us to go by. If Dance keeps up this pace, and the nonriders continue to be so polite, I still might have time for my afternoon nap, even though we`re adding an extra ten miles to our normal 25.
Dance is hardly sweating; I`m glad I sponged him thoroughly at the last vet check. Jennifer had won this cool sponge at the Osceola ride for finishing first in juniors. It has a long plastic cord (long enough to hit the ground from atop my giraffe), with metal hooks and a ring attachment, all making it easy to separate and throw into a river, lake, pond, or puddle. She`s letting me carry it today, knowing my horse needs it more than hers. I`m convinced that using a sponge, as often as you can, especially on a tall legged Saddlebred, is one of the keys to this sport. I can`t tell you how many sponges I`ve lost because of a poor knot, to rivers, swamps and hungry gators.
Maria is keeping a good pace, we mostly canter, with her tiny Arab leading the way. Jen keeps talking, telling me I should always be ready and pay attention. "Were you sleeping, Dad?" she asks. I`d like to tell her what happened, but just grunt in the affirmative to her question. I lean down and hug the long neck of my gelded male companion, telling him that I`ll keep my mind alert and block out thinking of my nude sunbather for the rest of our ride.
After a few miles we come up on our last remote vet check. Hardly any riders are here; in fact there are more volunteers and crew members than riders and horses. Jen and I both dismount. I take Dance over to a water trough, he drinks and Jen and I go over to this makeshift vet area that parallels a dirt road. Dance still has alot of energy and he`s a bit hard to control. I kinda yell at him to settle down, but inside I`m amazed at the fire this horse still has in his belly after 26 miles. I love his spirit.
The lady with the stethoscope says he`s 64 and I go up to the female vet. She recognizes me from the Hahira ride, and tells me my horse has really put on some weight since she last saw him. I tell her it`s not the same guy, even though they are cousins and have the same chestnut color and similar markings. As she is doing her checks, Dance moves around constantly. This volunteer, wearing a bright orange cap, comes over and tells me rather sternly, "You need to keep on the side of the horse that the vet is on."
I remember seeing this guy before, at the pre ride briefing. I think he even got up and said a few words on the danger of us losing our trees or, maybe, it was trails. My face flushes with anger, I`m about to lash out at this tree hugger, but I keep it in. I want to offer him the reins, to see how well he thinks he can do with my hyper giraffe, who presently isn`t too keen on being checked for anal tone, but, instead, I keep quiet. I kinda nod my head, knowing that if I speak the words would wound him, and orange cap wanders off, thinking he`s helped me immensely.
I`m grateful to anyone who volunteers at these rides, but instruction is not something I`m looking for, especially from a non rider who is just observing. I have a jumpy horse and I kinda like him that way. Orange cap is lucky Dance didn`t bite him; my horse moonlights as a guard dog, protecting my back yard during the weekdays. You should see him patrol my fence!
The lady vet asks me to trot my horse out and we do so without a hitch. The vet says, "That was lovely, he`s looking good." I think she likes my horse or maybe it`s just my winning smile. Haha. I get out of the way, but hang close by to keep an eye on Jennifer. I want Rebel to know his buddy is still around.
Rebel and Dance seem to need each other at these stops; the bonding that develops between the two horses, during an endurance run, is unbreakable. Because of this I actually walk the road that parallels the trot out area, to make things easier for my 47 inches tall, and still growing, daughter. She gets thru the check fine and we walk away from the vet area. Maria is next in line, with about three other riders behind her.
This last remote vet check seems too empty to me; few riders and not much activity, especially when compared to our last stop. I look for my other bucket, but don`t see it anywhere. I see Allison, taking a break, and Jen and I go sit next to her. Allison, my number one fan, tells me what I did wrong with my bucket placing last night. I definitely did not pay attention at the pre-ride briefing and, evidently, placed my buckets in the wrong location. One of them is at the second vet check, the one the 35 milers never see. Sometimes my stupidity amazes even me.
Allison offers us her hay and some feed for my horses. The two gobble it up and Rebel tries to rub up on Allison to thank her. She gives Jennifer a bottle of Gator Aid, a granola bar, and some other stuff to eat. Allison then says Good-bye, because her hold is over and it`s time to mount her Mustang. If it wasn`t for the kindness of others I don`t think I would make it through a ride. I sure can`t count on my own organizational skills. I know, in a year or two, Jennifer will have this whole thing managed perfectly.
Maria joins us and I tell her Jen and I will start out slow, since we might leave ten minutes or so ahead of her. She nods her head and I notice she looks a bit tired. It`s my guess that Jen`s conversational skill has worn Maira down, but I keep the thought to myself. Maria doesn`t seem to be in the mood for my humor right now.
A very nice gentleman (not orange cap) comes over, tells Jen and me we can leave, and does so by using our first names. What a nice guy. I tell Jen we should try and get the horses to drink again, so we walk over to the water trough. Feeling kinda sore, I`m not in any hurry to mount up. Jen and I just watch our two funny companions splash each other in the face, playing with the water more than drinking it. These two horses have just made our day; man, do I love these guys.
During this time Maria leaves the vet area and I don`t think she noticed us next to the water trough. By the time I realize this Maria is out of sight and I tell Jen we need to get going. Jen gets onto her horse by herself (this never ceases to amaze me) and I put Dance in a ditch, using the higher ridge area as my stool. I feel something pull in my back, as I mount up, wondering how that`s going to feel tonight. I hear a few of the crew people chuckle at seeing me climb aboard and wave to them as Jen and I depart the area. It`s rare that Dance and I don`t get a laugh or two from people watching us.
We start out in a trot but soon hit our gait of choice today, the canter. Maria is nowhere to be seen and I have the feeling she`s moving quickly, thinking we are ahead of her. I mention this to Jen and she suggests we go a little faster to try and catch the woman who is trying to catch us. The trail is much like it`s been all day, loose sand, but plenty wide, with not too many turns. I avoid all deep holes just knowing there is a hidden tree root in there.
During our run Jennifer gets her horse to pass me, she sticks her butt up in the air, turns her head around, points to her hip and says, "This is what I`ve had to look at all day." Haha, I only wish mine was that small. Jen and Rebel keep the lead for a few miles, still no sign of Maria.
After a few spooks from Rebel, Jen decides she doesn`t need to be in the lead anymore and lets me pass her. We finally spot Maria, I yell at her but she doesn`t see or hear me. Maria and her tiny Arab mare are booking down the trail. We increase our speed a little, Dance spots Maria`s horse and is more than willing to play catch up.
We get to a marking with an arrow pointing left and notice Maria missed the turn. I yell for her as loud as I can and get her attention. Big lungs in a little body pay off sometimes. I yell again saying, "Wrong way," and motion for her to come in our direction. We wait for her and Maria says, "I thought you guys were ahead of me. I was really getting frustrated not seeing you at all." Looks like I`m not the only daydreamer in the crowd.
We continue on the final section of this huge loop and catch up to Allison, who is in a trot. She stays with us for a while until we get to another intersection, where the sign for the turn seems incorrect since the arrow points straight up. We stop, I pull out my map and think I find our location. As we are talking, discussing which way to go, I spot a group of men sitting around a table next to a small trailer. I don`t see any vehicles next to their trailer. The men see us, get up and walk our way. On the table I notice an empty bottle of Jim Beam, tons of empty beer cans, and what looks to be a water pipe or bong of some kind (don`t ask how I know these terms). Oh great.
One man in the group yells out to me, "Hey mister, you lost? We know which way to go." The man then starts waving his arms wildly in kind of a circular motion. I have no idea what this guy is up to. He then stops the motion, crosses his chest with his arms and points out in two different directions with both of his hands. At the same time he says, "You go this way," perfectly mimicking the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of OZ." His buddies all laugh, slapping themselves silly and acting like this is the funniest thing they have ever seen. Too much! I`m wondering if they were the ones who messed with the directional arrow.
This gives our group the incentive to hit the trail, even if we`re going the wrong way. I`m sure the men were harmless, but I just can`t imagine a lone female, doing a 100 miler, out here late at night after dark, running into this group. The Far Out Forest Pervert could be hiding behind any of these bushes out here. The fact that I didn`t see a car anywhere is what freaked me out. I`m not a gun nut by any means, but if I were that lone female rider I would definitely consider carrying one after witnessing what the four of us just did.
Jennifer starts asking questions about the men. I try and assure her they were just having fun, but Maria and Allison give looks that indicate otherwise. Allison drops off behind us and it`s just the original three, still cantering along. I`m amazed at how well Dance is doing today. His leg, with the bowed tendon, is holding up and he seems to be having a great time out here. After going a few more miles, around a lake, and down a dirt road with no vehicles, I spot our campground. We`ve come full circle and are back to our temporary home.
Jen and I are the first to enter the vet area and no other rider is around. The head vet (this guy is so cool) comes out to meet us and says, "One of you is in tenth place, the other is in eleventh." I look at Jen and it`s a no brainer. "She`s in tenth, I`m behind her," I say. This smile comes over Jennifer`s face that I`ve never seen before; she`s extremely full of herself and I`m quite proud of my daughter. The vet does his checks and then tells Jennifer she needs to come back with her horse, in less than one hour from now, so he can look at Rebel for Best Conditioned horse. Wow!
The vet also tells her to remove all tack and weigh herself in at the Pavilion. After he finishes looking at my horse I help Jen with the tack and she hits the scales, barely able to carry her saddle and pad. And the man records her at a whopping 89 lbs. Too bad they don`t have an award for lightest rider.
We walk back to our campsite and Jen`s excited. She asks me, "What do we do with Rebel?" "How should I know? I`ve never top tenned," I respond, with a smile. "Dadddddddd." I tell her to brush off her horse, we`ll feed them and clean him up as much as we can. I get out the beet pulp, water it down, add some grain, and feed both horses. I throw them some hay and grab a beer and sit down. My body is aching. I know I`ll hardly be able to get out of bed in the morning.
As Jennifer brushes off her horse she continues talking. "I just can`t wait to tell Samantha and Roxanne that I top tenned. And now I`m going up for BC....yada, yada, yada, yada." Actually, I`m quite enjoying this and wish I had the energy to go get out the video camera that`s in the truck. Jen`s normally a very happy kid, but she has just peaked at total satisfaction. I`m so glad I`m here to see, and hear, it all. Watching and listening to her, I know this memory, will stay with me till the day I die.
I help Jennifer clean up Rebel, letting the horse continue to eat while doing so. We then leave our campsite and go back to the vet area. Again, no one is ahead of us and Jennifer does her thing. At the end of the trot out Jen kinda stops a bit too suddenly; Rebel stops right behind following her lead. His legs dig into the deep sand and the horse goes down, all the way to his front knees. The crowd that had gathered around all goes, "OHHHHHHHHHH," thinking Jen might get hurt or the horse has just injured himself. I kinda chuckle to myself, knowing that neither is the case. The vet, Dr. Cool, seems to know the horse is fine. Rebel gets up and the BC check is complete. I feel that Rebel knew his show was over and he was just taking a Bow for the audience.
That`s it. My story`s done, complete, finished. I will tell you it got so cold that night, after the run, Jennifer and I slept in the truck, with the diesel engine running. Since all our neighbors, Roxanne and Stuck Lady, left I knew we weren`t keeping anyone up. Jen didn`t get BC (weight is a factor), but she did get a lot of neat stuff for top tenning. In closing I`d like to ask all my Southern neighbors to please put this ride on your calendar for next year. We`re down to three endurance rides a year in Florida and I`d hate to lose this one, due to lack of participation. If I can finish on my Saddlebred, I know you guys can too. If you show, beer`s on me. Promise.
And, no, I didn`t go looking for HER the next day. But she was on my mind as I pulled out of ridecamp with my rig. haha.
cya,
Howard
I get off Dance, hook up his reins to the saddle, and walk towards her. "I haven`t been able to stop thinking of you, since yesterday," I say. Deb says, "I know, would you like a beer?" I answer, "Sure," and WHAACKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.............a tree limb has just knocked me off my horse, I do a double somersault backwards, and land in the deep sand. "Dad, are you OK? Didn`t you see that branch?" says Jennifer. Maria is there, also, just wondering what the heck happened here.
I notice that the visor on my helmet is now hanging to the side, I pull on it and off it comes. Man, I must have been in some kind of trance or something. Not a safe thing to do out here. I tell Jen and Maria I`m OK, get back on Dance Line, and off we go, hoping they forget about my faux pas eventually. Maria asks me, "Would you like me to ride in front?" "Sure thing," I tell her, knowing she`s lost confidence in my ability to lead.
This part of the loop definitely seems more remote than the first. This trail is not a series of loops like I`m used to. It`s one long 50 mile loop, with a cut that the 35 milers take. The only people who do it twice are the hundred milers, and from what I hear there are only a few of them riding today. I still don`t understand why the number of riders is so low. The weather is perfect and the trails are well marked. And we`ve run into just a few 4 wheelers, who have all been courteous to us, most of them pulling their vehicles to the side of the trail to get out of our way. Some of the drivers even turned off their engines, making it easier for us to go by. If Dance keeps up this pace, and the nonriders continue to be so polite, I still might have time for my afternoon nap, even though we`re adding an extra ten miles to our normal 25.
Dance is hardly sweating; I`m glad I sponged him thoroughly at the last vet check. Jennifer had won this cool sponge at the Osceola ride for finishing first in juniors. It has a long plastic cord (long enough to hit the ground from atop my giraffe), with metal hooks and a ring attachment, all making it easy to separate and throw into a river, lake, pond, or puddle. She`s letting me carry it today, knowing my horse needs it more than hers. I`m convinced that using a sponge, as often as you can, especially on a tall legged Saddlebred, is one of the keys to this sport. I can`t tell you how many sponges I`ve lost because of a poor knot, to rivers, swamps and hungry gators.
Maria is keeping a good pace, we mostly canter, with her tiny Arab leading the way. Jen keeps talking, telling me I should always be ready and pay attention. "Were you sleeping, Dad?" she asks. I`d like to tell her what happened, but just grunt in the affirmative to her question. I lean down and hug the long neck of my gelded male companion, telling him that I`ll keep my mind alert and block out thinking of my nude sunbather for the rest of our ride.
After a few miles we come up on our last remote vet check. Hardly any riders are here; in fact there are more volunteers and crew members than riders and horses. Jen and I both dismount. I take Dance over to a water trough, he drinks and Jen and I go over to this makeshift vet area that parallels a dirt road. Dance still has alot of energy and he`s a bit hard to control. I kinda yell at him to settle down, but inside I`m amazed at the fire this horse still has in his belly after 26 miles. I love his spirit.
The lady with the stethoscope says he`s 64 and I go up to the female vet. She recognizes me from the Hahira ride, and tells me my horse has really put on some weight since she last saw him. I tell her it`s not the same guy, even though they are cousins and have the same chestnut color and similar markings. As she is doing her checks, Dance moves around constantly. This volunteer, wearing a bright orange cap, comes over and tells me rather sternly, "You need to keep on the side of the horse that the vet is on."
I remember seeing this guy before, at the pre ride briefing. I think he even got up and said a few words on the danger of us losing our trees or, maybe, it was trails. My face flushes with anger, I`m about to lash out at this tree hugger, but I keep it in. I want to offer him the reins, to see how well he thinks he can do with my hyper giraffe, who presently isn`t too keen on being checked for anal tone, but, instead, I keep quiet. I kinda nod my head, knowing that if I speak the words would wound him, and orange cap wanders off, thinking he`s helped me immensely.
I`m grateful to anyone who volunteers at these rides, but instruction is not something I`m looking for, especially from a non rider who is just observing. I have a jumpy horse and I kinda like him that way. Orange cap is lucky Dance didn`t bite him; my horse moonlights as a guard dog, protecting my back yard during the weekdays. You should see him patrol my fence!
The lady vet asks me to trot my horse out and we do so without a hitch. The vet says, "That was lovely, he`s looking good." I think she likes my horse or maybe it`s just my winning smile. Haha. I get out of the way, but hang close by to keep an eye on Jennifer. I want Rebel to know his buddy is still around.
Rebel and Dance seem to need each other at these stops; the bonding that develops between the two horses, during an endurance run, is unbreakable. Because of this I actually walk the road that parallels the trot out area, to make things easier for my 47 inches tall, and still growing, daughter. She gets thru the check fine and we walk away from the vet area. Maria is next in line, with about three other riders behind her.
This last remote vet check seems too empty to me; few riders and not much activity, especially when compared to our last stop. I look for my other bucket, but don`t see it anywhere. I see Allison, taking a break, and Jen and I go sit next to her. Allison, my number one fan, tells me what I did wrong with my bucket placing last night. I definitely did not pay attention at the pre-ride briefing and, evidently, placed my buckets in the wrong location. One of them is at the second vet check, the one the 35 milers never see. Sometimes my stupidity amazes even me.
Allison offers us her hay and some feed for my horses. The two gobble it up and Rebel tries to rub up on Allison to thank her. She gives Jennifer a bottle of Gator Aid, a granola bar, and some other stuff to eat. Allison then says Good-bye, because her hold is over and it`s time to mount her Mustang. If it wasn`t for the kindness of others I don`t think I would make it through a ride. I sure can`t count on my own organizational skills. I know, in a year or two, Jennifer will have this whole thing managed perfectly.
Maria joins us and I tell her Jen and I will start out slow, since we might leave ten minutes or so ahead of her. She nods her head and I notice she looks a bit tired. It`s my guess that Jen`s conversational skill has worn Maira down, but I keep the thought to myself. Maria doesn`t seem to be in the mood for my humor right now.
A very nice gentleman (not orange cap) comes over, tells Jen and me we can leave, and does so by using our first names. What a nice guy. I tell Jen we should try and get the horses to drink again, so we walk over to the water trough. Feeling kinda sore, I`m not in any hurry to mount up. Jen and I just watch our two funny companions splash each other in the face, playing with the water more than drinking it. These two horses have just made our day; man, do I love these guys.
During this time Maria leaves the vet area and I don`t think she noticed us next to the water trough. By the time I realize this Maria is out of sight and I tell Jen we need to get going. Jen gets onto her horse by herself (this never ceases to amaze me) and I put Dance in a ditch, using the higher ridge area as my stool. I feel something pull in my back, as I mount up, wondering how that`s going to feel tonight. I hear a few of the crew people chuckle at seeing me climb aboard and wave to them as Jen and I depart the area. It`s rare that Dance and I don`t get a laugh or two from people watching us.
We start out in a trot but soon hit our gait of choice today, the canter. Maria is nowhere to be seen and I have the feeling she`s moving quickly, thinking we are ahead of her. I mention this to Jen and she suggests we go a little faster to try and catch the woman who is trying to catch us. The trail is much like it`s been all day, loose sand, but plenty wide, with not too many turns. I avoid all deep holes just knowing there is a hidden tree root in there.
During our run Jennifer gets her horse to pass me, she sticks her butt up in the air, turns her head around, points to her hip and says, "This is what I`ve had to look at all day." Haha, I only wish mine was that small. Jen and Rebel keep the lead for a few miles, still no sign of Maria.
After a few spooks from Rebel, Jen decides she doesn`t need to be in the lead anymore and lets me pass her. We finally spot Maria, I yell at her but she doesn`t see or hear me. Maria and her tiny Arab mare are booking down the trail. We increase our speed a little, Dance spots Maria`s horse and is more than willing to play catch up.
We get to a marking with an arrow pointing left and notice Maria missed the turn. I yell for her as loud as I can and get her attention. Big lungs in a little body pay off sometimes. I yell again saying, "Wrong way," and motion for her to come in our direction. We wait for her and Maria says, "I thought you guys were ahead of me. I was really getting frustrated not seeing you at all." Looks like I`m not the only daydreamer in the crowd.
We continue on the final section of this huge loop and catch up to Allison, who is in a trot. She stays with us for a while until we get to another intersection, where the sign for the turn seems incorrect since the arrow points straight up. We stop, I pull out my map and think I find our location. As we are talking, discussing which way to go, I spot a group of men sitting around a table next to a small trailer. I don`t see any vehicles next to their trailer. The men see us, get up and walk our way. On the table I notice an empty bottle of Jim Beam, tons of empty beer cans, and what looks to be a water pipe or bong of some kind (don`t ask how I know these terms). Oh great.
One man in the group yells out to me, "Hey mister, you lost? We know which way to go." The man then starts waving his arms wildly in kind of a circular motion. I have no idea what this guy is up to. He then stops the motion, crosses his chest with his arms and points out in two different directions with both of his hands. At the same time he says, "You go this way," perfectly mimicking the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of OZ." His buddies all laugh, slapping themselves silly and acting like this is the funniest thing they have ever seen. Too much! I`m wondering if they were the ones who messed with the directional arrow.
This gives our group the incentive to hit the trail, even if we`re going the wrong way. I`m sure the men were harmless, but I just can`t imagine a lone female, doing a 100 miler, out here late at night after dark, running into this group. The Far Out Forest Pervert could be hiding behind any of these bushes out here. The fact that I didn`t see a car anywhere is what freaked me out. I`m not a gun nut by any means, but if I were that lone female rider I would definitely consider carrying one after witnessing what the four of us just did.
Jennifer starts asking questions about the men. I try and assure her they were just having fun, but Maria and Allison give looks that indicate otherwise. Allison drops off behind us and it`s just the original three, still cantering along. I`m amazed at how well Dance is doing today. His leg, with the bowed tendon, is holding up and he seems to be having a great time out here. After going a few more miles, around a lake, and down a dirt road with no vehicles, I spot our campground. We`ve come full circle and are back to our temporary home.
Jen and I are the first to enter the vet area and no other rider is around. The head vet (this guy is so cool) comes out to meet us and says, "One of you is in tenth place, the other is in eleventh." I look at Jen and it`s a no brainer. "She`s in tenth, I`m behind her," I say. This smile comes over Jennifer`s face that I`ve never seen before; she`s extremely full of herself and I`m quite proud of my daughter. The vet does his checks and then tells Jennifer she needs to come back with her horse, in less than one hour from now, so he can look at Rebel for Best Conditioned horse. Wow!
The vet also tells her to remove all tack and weigh herself in at the Pavilion. After he finishes looking at my horse I help Jen with the tack and she hits the scales, barely able to carry her saddle and pad. And the man records her at a whopping 89 lbs. Too bad they don`t have an award for lightest rider.
We walk back to our campsite and Jen`s excited. She asks me, "What do we do with Rebel?" "How should I know? I`ve never top tenned," I respond, with a smile. "Dadddddddd." I tell her to brush off her horse, we`ll feed them and clean him up as much as we can. I get out the beet pulp, water it down, add some grain, and feed both horses. I throw them some hay and grab a beer and sit down. My body is aching. I know I`ll hardly be able to get out of bed in the morning.
As Jennifer brushes off her horse she continues talking. "I just can`t wait to tell Samantha and Roxanne that I top tenned. And now I`m going up for BC....yada, yada, yada, yada." Actually, I`m quite enjoying this and wish I had the energy to go get out the video camera that`s in the truck. Jen`s normally a very happy kid, but she has just peaked at total satisfaction. I`m so glad I`m here to see, and hear, it all. Watching and listening to her, I know this memory, will stay with me till the day I die.
I help Jennifer clean up Rebel, letting the horse continue to eat while doing so. We then leave our campsite and go back to the vet area. Again, no one is ahead of us and Jennifer does her thing. At the end of the trot out Jen kinda stops a bit too suddenly; Rebel stops right behind following her lead. His legs dig into the deep sand and the horse goes down, all the way to his front knees. The crowd that had gathered around all goes, "OHHHHHHHHHH," thinking Jen might get hurt or the horse has just injured himself. I kinda chuckle to myself, knowing that neither is the case. The vet, Dr. Cool, seems to know the horse is fine. Rebel gets up and the BC check is complete. I feel that Rebel knew his show was over and he was just taking a Bow for the audience.
That`s it. My story`s done, complete, finished. I will tell you it got so cold that night, after the run, Jennifer and I slept in the truck, with the diesel engine running. Since all our neighbors, Roxanne and Stuck Lady, left I knew we weren`t keeping anyone up. Jen didn`t get BC (weight is a factor), but she did get a lot of neat stuff for top tenning. In closing I`d like to ask all my Southern neighbors to please put this ride on your calendar for next year. We`re down to three endurance rides a year in Florida and I`d hate to lose this one, due to lack of participation. If I can finish on my Saddlebred, I know you guys can too. If you show, beer`s on me. Promise.
And, no, I didn`t go looking for HER the next day. But she was on my mind as I pulled out of ridecamp with my rig. haha.
cya,
Howard
Far OUTTTT Forest With the Kid: Part I & II - Howard
The kid and I were raring to go. Jennifer hasn`t shut up about THE RIDE since ten days to takeoff and I was getting kinda edgy myself. Even though we have never come close to placing in the top ten at any of these endurance rides, we always think we have to potential to do so. Some egos never die, and my kid`s idea of competing kinda keeps feeding mine.
Course I just hope to complete, cause when you ride a 17 H Saddlebred, you don`t always get to finish. I had returned my other Saddlebred (Skeletor), that I was leasing, to his owner cause I was having serious weight problems with the horse and knew he and I were not a match. Even though he was one of the craziest horses I`ve ever ridden (you`d think that would be a match right there) I just could not keep weight on him no matter what I did. For the Far Out Forest, I was putting all my chips on Dance Line, the tallest horse at Ridecamp, no matter where I go, who has had some leg problems in the past. My pull rate at these endurance rides, with Skeletor or Dance Line, is almost 50 percent; Jennifer, riding her Arab, has never been pulled at a ride.
The big day finally comes. I think one of the reason`s Jennifer loves these rides is that I usually pull her out of school a day or two so we can get to camp early. FOF is the closest endurance ride to my house, a 55 mile trip, if you can believe that. If only they were all like that I`d be in endurance heaven.
We get up early, wife is hanging around watching me pack up (actually I started packing two weeks ago), just laughing her butt off at me because of my nutty way of doing things. When I bought out the duck tape to seal the cooler (and, yes, I did put the food in first) she had to hit the bathroom she was laughing so hard. One of these days she`s going with us and I can`t wait till she sees me cook with an alcohol burner that is so old it has a born on date of 1944. I lit it on one trip and 8 foot flames started coming out of this tiny burner filled with alcohol (did I buy the right stuff?), igniting a tree that I had put it under (duh) and melting my tea kettle and the cooler I had been using as a table underneath the burner. If you camp close to me you must carry a fireman`s ax, fireproof blankets, and a water hose.
I finish packing everything I can think of loading and do the last thing that I hate doing. Loading the horses. Now Jen`s horse, Rebel (yea, I know his name is Politically Incorrect), loads real easy. Walks right in. Skeletor was a pain in the butt and Dance Line is not much easier. Dance is sooooooooo tall and his neck is sooooooo long he has to put his head down quite a bit to get in my rather tall trailer. And his body requires two spaces in my three horse slant load. But I have learned a trick or two and I`d tell y`all what I do, but some of you might try it without me, and if I`m not there to show you how to do it, you might injure your horse a bit. So it will be my little secret. I get Dance Line in using my "method," hook him up and notice his back legs are still on the ramp. This guy is so long I have to special order any blanket to get it close to covering his butt.
I figure I`ll just get behind him and push him in, but as I go to exit the trailer, Dance starts freaking out and pulling hard on the trailer tie. I "exit stage left" as quick as my little legs can move, watch Dance pull back so hard the rubber mat slides from his back legs to his front and down goes Dance`s body, all except the head, still attached to the tie. The break away didn`t break; and I`m actually kind of glad. Maybe he learned something there. Dance stands up quivering, I yell at him to get his body completely in (he does), raise the ramp, close the top and know I`m off with a couple of first class nags and an 11 year old who is gonna talk my ear off the next 55 miles.
HEY, Gotta go to work but I`ll finish it (sometime), promise.
cya,
Howard
PART II
The drive was uneventful, except for listening to my daughter talk incessantly, the entire trip, without taking hardly a breath for air. I actually knew the way to this campground; I was there last year. It was the Far Out Forest ride where I pulled my horse, even before I started, during the pre-ride Vet Check. I reluctantly did this after hearing the advice of the head vet (he was supposed to be there this year and is my favorite vet of all times) and from an endurance rider who was a reliable friend. Tendon problems are not good ones and can put your horse out of the game permanently. But I had heard some phenomenal comeback stories, endurance related, and I was planning on Dance being one of them. Actually, I was kinda praying cause I was having insecure feelings (non Jesse Ventura type) about my horse`s legs.
And here I am driving to the same ride with the same horse. Look up the word stubborn in a dictionary and you`ll see a picture of me and my horse. We were returning, this time accompanied by Jennifer and Rebel, to a ride so close to my house I wouldn`t pass it up even if the entire ride was one big sand dune (it isn`t). As I drove to Doe Lake I attempt sending telepathic thoughts to my horse, Dance Line. I tell him I consider him a superior, athletic specimen, whose Achilles` heel is a left front tendon. I mentally transmit, "Dance, OLE buddy, if you get us thru the 35 miles of deep sand at this ride, your status will be elevated highly in my back yard. I will let you pick the gait for most of the ride. As God is my witness (I love "Gone with the Wind," sorry), you will be adored as no horse before you (hey, it is telepathic thought, so I embellish)."
Unfortunately, Dance was too busy worrying about the mat he uprooted from the floor of my trailer (I could feel the back end sway every so often as I drove, especially when I made a turn or stopped) to answer me. But I knew he and I would have plenty of time to discuss it, face to face, before the start of the ride tomorrow morning. I had left the house by 10:30 AM (I got up at 6 to put the finishing touches on my packing, haha) and hit Doe Lake by high noon on a beautiful, but brisk, sunny day with not one cloud in the sky.
As I pulled into the Ridecamp area, I noticed not too many rigs were here. This surprised me because I remembered at the ride last year, this time of day, it was twice as crowded. And Jean`s ride, at Osceola last month, had a lot more riders and rigs. I started wondering if, maybe, the deep sand and the three vetchecks outside ridecamp were the reason for the lack of riders. Oh well, I know just the spot I want, way back in the corner with Lakefront property. And I take it.
I set up the portable corral in record time (for me under 30 minutes), exit the horses, look at Dance making sure he`s OK (he is) and start out with the tent. I had made the mistake of letting Jennifer run off, not realizing I needed her to help me with the poles. So I wander to search for the kid and to see if any riders are registering. I check for my wallet, with my fresh AERC cards in the front pocket (I have it), and wander towards this huge pavilion meeting hall they have here. The building has a fireplace, which I figure will be popular later tonight.
I find Jennifer, say hello to a few folks and go into the hall. Only one person in front of me in line. Yesssssss. Too cool. Then, as I`m standing there I realize I forgot to bring the Coggins papers. Duh. So, I leave the Pavilion, say hello to a few more folks, who have their stuff together, and watch them form a line that was nonexistent a few seconds ago. Damn.
I force Jen to escort me to our campsite, get her to help me erect my Wal-Mart tent special that sleeps 6, and then let her wander off again. I go back to the Pavilion and get in a line that isn`t too long. Looks like lines will not be a problem at this ride. In front of me is Jean, from Osceola, and I talk with her a bit. During this time Jennifer and her friend join us for a couple minutes. Jean looks at my daughter, then at me and proceeds to tell the tale of The Far Out Forest Pervert who molested and killed a young girl and then killed her family somewhere near here a couple years ago. Not far from this very spot, in the same forest, that is to be our home for the next three days. I look at my daughter and wink, hoping she will think Jean`s story is fiction, which I find myself also wishing. My kid needs her sleep tonight and if Jean`s tale keeps her up or gives her nightmares I`m gonna be pissed in the morning.
Jean finishes her tale, I don`t let her know she`s irritated me a bit, and we finish registering. I grab Jennifer again and tell her we`re gonna beat the vet line today. We hurry and grab our two horses, and I notice my new female neighbor has just gotten herself stuck in the sand next to our campsite. Before I leave our portable corral with our horses I go up to her and ask if I can help. She`s in a foul mood and tells me help is on the way. Good thing cause my 2 WD diesel wouldn`t be able to get out of the hole she`s dug her truck into. I leave with the horses, feeling I`ve been a good neighbor, and Jen and I hit the vet check area, with only one horse and rider in front of us.
The vet doing the check is the best I`ve ever seen at an endurance ride, so I listen to him pass on to the rider in front of me some valuable information concerning horse conformation. He has spotted something with her horse`s front legs. He has her horse do a figure 8 kinda thing and the horse comes up lame in one particular direction, twice. The vet kinda knew this would happen before it did, which amazes me cause the horse looks pretty good, in my opinion. Anyway, he doesn`t disqualify the rider but does give her some advice concerning this ride and I look at Dance and think, "It`s showtime, and I`m not gonna mention last year." We breeze through the check with all A`s and then I get to watch my Jennifer.
I`m not sure if I told you but even though Jen is 11, she could easily pass for 7 because of her height. Since I have a living Grandmother (she`s 85) who is 4"10" my genes have to take the responsibility for this part of Jennifer`s physical appearance. Riders in line watch her trot out her 15 H Arab, and are usually impressed. So is the vet and he talks to her the entire time, hardly looking at the horse (I`m joking). Rebel gets strait A`s also, and we hike back to our camp. I spot Truman in line, he yells out something funny about my horse ("It sure must be colder up there on top of that mountain you ride"), a few other riders in line laugh, and I ask Truman why he`s not wearing shorts, since that`s what he wore at Osceola when it was 35 degrees outside. I can`t retort as well as Angie, off the cuff, but I still give it a shot.
A few of the riders in line next to Truman laughed (out of courtesy I think) and Jen and I go back to our campsite. No one is camped next to me, except for the STUCK LADY we have for a neighbor. I ask Jen if she wants to see if her friend Samantha and Samantha`s Mom (St. Sandy) want to ride with us, after they vet in. Jen takes off to ask them. I`m realizing that Sandy is the only Georgia buddy I got that`s showing up at this ride. Sandy has too much class to bother me while I`m napping, so this might be a good thing, even though I`ll miss the drinking company.
I relax and have a beer. Find some food, eat and realize I`m nap material all ready. Jen comes back and tells me Sam and her Mom are saddling up. Damn, there goes the nap, but it is a beautiful day. By the time Jennifer and I are done tacking up Dance Line and Rebel, St. Sandy and Samantha ride up to us and say Hello. The four of us leave the camp area on horseback and head out around Doe Lake.
We ride a bit, Sandy says something about my tights asking if I`ve lost weight. I tell her I might have, I`m down to only a twelve pack a day right now, a drastic reduction. haha. I canter on ahead, Sam and Sandy want to take it easy cause they`re doing a 50 tomorrow, and end up ahead of the other three so much they`re out of site. Jennifer had decided she wanted to stay behind with Samantha. I come up to some camp area and notice a woman who appears to be sunbathing. She must be a Yankee, cause it`s too cold for most Southerners to be in a bathing suit today.
I ride a little closer to the young lady, just to make sure she`s OK, and notice something quite unique about her. She`s totally naked, trying to get that all over tan. Wow. I wonder if she`ll want to come over and pet my horse? haha. I decide to stop wandering towards her, even though it`s really what I want to do, because the camper next to her might contain a male or guard dog (is there a difference?) and I don`t think either one of them will want to pet my horse.
So I just wait for the gals, admiring the view, the young lady catches me looking, smiles and waves. This gives me the incentive to wander over closer but then I hear the other horses coming my way. I ride towards St. Sandy and the gang, not wanting them to think I`m some kind of pervert or something. I don`t tell anyone about the naked lady and we continue on our ride.
Course I just hope to complete, cause when you ride a 17 H Saddlebred, you don`t always get to finish. I had returned my other Saddlebred (Skeletor), that I was leasing, to his owner cause I was having serious weight problems with the horse and knew he and I were not a match. Even though he was one of the craziest horses I`ve ever ridden (you`d think that would be a match right there) I just could not keep weight on him no matter what I did. For the Far Out Forest, I was putting all my chips on Dance Line, the tallest horse at Ridecamp, no matter where I go, who has had some leg problems in the past. My pull rate at these endurance rides, with Skeletor or Dance Line, is almost 50 percent; Jennifer, riding her Arab, has never been pulled at a ride.
The big day finally comes. I think one of the reason`s Jennifer loves these rides is that I usually pull her out of school a day or two so we can get to camp early. FOF is the closest endurance ride to my house, a 55 mile trip, if you can believe that. If only they were all like that I`d be in endurance heaven.
We get up early, wife is hanging around watching me pack up (actually I started packing two weeks ago), just laughing her butt off at me because of my nutty way of doing things. When I bought out the duck tape to seal the cooler (and, yes, I did put the food in first) she had to hit the bathroom she was laughing so hard. One of these days she`s going with us and I can`t wait till she sees me cook with an alcohol burner that is so old it has a born on date of 1944. I lit it on one trip and 8 foot flames started coming out of this tiny burner filled with alcohol (did I buy the right stuff?), igniting a tree that I had put it under (duh) and melting my tea kettle and the cooler I had been using as a table underneath the burner. If you camp close to me you must carry a fireman`s ax, fireproof blankets, and a water hose.
I finish packing everything I can think of loading and do the last thing that I hate doing. Loading the horses. Now Jen`s horse, Rebel (yea, I know his name is Politically Incorrect), loads real easy. Walks right in. Skeletor was a pain in the butt and Dance Line is not much easier. Dance is sooooooooo tall and his neck is sooooooo long he has to put his head down quite a bit to get in my rather tall trailer. And his body requires two spaces in my three horse slant load. But I have learned a trick or two and I`d tell y`all what I do, but some of you might try it without me, and if I`m not there to show you how to do it, you might injure your horse a bit. So it will be my little secret. I get Dance Line in using my "method," hook him up and notice his back legs are still on the ramp. This guy is so long I have to special order any blanket to get it close to covering his butt.
I figure I`ll just get behind him and push him in, but as I go to exit the trailer, Dance starts freaking out and pulling hard on the trailer tie. I "exit stage left" as quick as my little legs can move, watch Dance pull back so hard the rubber mat slides from his back legs to his front and down goes Dance`s body, all except the head, still attached to the tie. The break away didn`t break; and I`m actually kind of glad. Maybe he learned something there. Dance stands up quivering, I yell at him to get his body completely in (he does), raise the ramp, close the top and know I`m off with a couple of first class nags and an 11 year old who is gonna talk my ear off the next 55 miles.
HEY, Gotta go to work but I`ll finish it (sometime), promise.
cya,
Howard
PART II
The drive was uneventful, except for listening to my daughter talk incessantly, the entire trip, without taking hardly a breath for air. I actually knew the way to this campground; I was there last year. It was the Far Out Forest ride where I pulled my horse, even before I started, during the pre-ride Vet Check. I reluctantly did this after hearing the advice of the head vet (he was supposed to be there this year and is my favorite vet of all times) and from an endurance rider who was a reliable friend. Tendon problems are not good ones and can put your horse out of the game permanently. But I had heard some phenomenal comeback stories, endurance related, and I was planning on Dance being one of them. Actually, I was kinda praying cause I was having insecure feelings (non Jesse Ventura type) about my horse`s legs.
And here I am driving to the same ride with the same horse. Look up the word stubborn in a dictionary and you`ll see a picture of me and my horse. We were returning, this time accompanied by Jennifer and Rebel, to a ride so close to my house I wouldn`t pass it up even if the entire ride was one big sand dune (it isn`t). As I drove to Doe Lake I attempt sending telepathic thoughts to my horse, Dance Line. I tell him I consider him a superior, athletic specimen, whose Achilles` heel is a left front tendon. I mentally transmit, "Dance, OLE buddy, if you get us thru the 35 miles of deep sand at this ride, your status will be elevated highly in my back yard. I will let you pick the gait for most of the ride. As God is my witness (I love "Gone with the Wind," sorry), you will be adored as no horse before you (hey, it is telepathic thought, so I embellish)."
Unfortunately, Dance was too busy worrying about the mat he uprooted from the floor of my trailer (I could feel the back end sway every so often as I drove, especially when I made a turn or stopped) to answer me. But I knew he and I would have plenty of time to discuss it, face to face, before the start of the ride tomorrow morning. I had left the house by 10:30 AM (I got up at 6 to put the finishing touches on my packing, haha) and hit Doe Lake by high noon on a beautiful, but brisk, sunny day with not one cloud in the sky.
As I pulled into the Ridecamp area, I noticed not too many rigs were here. This surprised me because I remembered at the ride last year, this time of day, it was twice as crowded. And Jean`s ride, at Osceola last month, had a lot more riders and rigs. I started wondering if, maybe, the deep sand and the three vetchecks outside ridecamp were the reason for the lack of riders. Oh well, I know just the spot I want, way back in the corner with Lakefront property. And I take it.
I set up the portable corral in record time (for me under 30 minutes), exit the horses, look at Dance making sure he`s OK (he is) and start out with the tent. I had made the mistake of letting Jennifer run off, not realizing I needed her to help me with the poles. So I wander to search for the kid and to see if any riders are registering. I check for my wallet, with my fresh AERC cards in the front pocket (I have it), and wander towards this huge pavilion meeting hall they have here. The building has a fireplace, which I figure will be popular later tonight.
I find Jennifer, say hello to a few folks and go into the hall. Only one person in front of me in line. Yesssssss. Too cool. Then, as I`m standing there I realize I forgot to bring the Coggins papers. Duh. So, I leave the Pavilion, say hello to a few more folks, who have their stuff together, and watch them form a line that was nonexistent a few seconds ago. Damn.
I force Jen to escort me to our campsite, get her to help me erect my Wal-Mart tent special that sleeps 6, and then let her wander off again. I go back to the Pavilion and get in a line that isn`t too long. Looks like lines will not be a problem at this ride. In front of me is Jean, from Osceola, and I talk with her a bit. During this time Jennifer and her friend join us for a couple minutes. Jean looks at my daughter, then at me and proceeds to tell the tale of The Far Out Forest Pervert who molested and killed a young girl and then killed her family somewhere near here a couple years ago. Not far from this very spot, in the same forest, that is to be our home for the next three days. I look at my daughter and wink, hoping she will think Jean`s story is fiction, which I find myself also wishing. My kid needs her sleep tonight and if Jean`s tale keeps her up or gives her nightmares I`m gonna be pissed in the morning.
Jean finishes her tale, I don`t let her know she`s irritated me a bit, and we finish registering. I grab Jennifer again and tell her we`re gonna beat the vet line today. We hurry and grab our two horses, and I notice my new female neighbor has just gotten herself stuck in the sand next to our campsite. Before I leave our portable corral with our horses I go up to her and ask if I can help. She`s in a foul mood and tells me help is on the way. Good thing cause my 2 WD diesel wouldn`t be able to get out of the hole she`s dug her truck into. I leave with the horses, feeling I`ve been a good neighbor, and Jen and I hit the vet check area, with only one horse and rider in front of us.
The vet doing the check is the best I`ve ever seen at an endurance ride, so I listen to him pass on to the rider in front of me some valuable information concerning horse conformation. He has spotted something with her horse`s front legs. He has her horse do a figure 8 kinda thing and the horse comes up lame in one particular direction, twice. The vet kinda knew this would happen before it did, which amazes me cause the horse looks pretty good, in my opinion. Anyway, he doesn`t disqualify the rider but does give her some advice concerning this ride and I look at Dance and think, "It`s showtime, and I`m not gonna mention last year." We breeze through the check with all A`s and then I get to watch my Jennifer.
I`m not sure if I told you but even though Jen is 11, she could easily pass for 7 because of her height. Since I have a living Grandmother (she`s 85) who is 4"10" my genes have to take the responsibility for this part of Jennifer`s physical appearance. Riders in line watch her trot out her 15 H Arab, and are usually impressed. So is the vet and he talks to her the entire time, hardly looking at the horse (I`m joking). Rebel gets strait A`s also, and we hike back to our camp. I spot Truman in line, he yells out something funny about my horse ("It sure must be colder up there on top of that mountain you ride"), a few other riders in line laugh, and I ask Truman why he`s not wearing shorts, since that`s what he wore at Osceola when it was 35 degrees outside. I can`t retort as well as Angie, off the cuff, but I still give it a shot.
A few of the riders in line next to Truman laughed (out of courtesy I think) and Jen and I go back to our campsite. No one is camped next to me, except for the STUCK LADY we have for a neighbor. I ask Jen if she wants to see if her friend Samantha and Samantha`s Mom (St. Sandy) want to ride with us, after they vet in. Jen takes off to ask them. I`m realizing that Sandy is the only Georgia buddy I got that`s showing up at this ride. Sandy has too much class to bother me while I`m napping, so this might be a good thing, even though I`ll miss the drinking company.
I relax and have a beer. Find some food, eat and realize I`m nap material all ready. Jen comes back and tells me Sam and her Mom are saddling up. Damn, there goes the nap, but it is a beautiful day. By the time Jennifer and I are done tacking up Dance Line and Rebel, St. Sandy and Samantha ride up to us and say Hello. The four of us leave the camp area on horseback and head out around Doe Lake.
We ride a bit, Sandy says something about my tights asking if I`ve lost weight. I tell her I might have, I`m down to only a twelve pack a day right now, a drastic reduction. haha. I canter on ahead, Sam and Sandy want to take it easy cause they`re doing a 50 tomorrow, and end up ahead of the other three so much they`re out of site. Jennifer had decided she wanted to stay behind with Samantha. I come up to some camp area and notice a woman who appears to be sunbathing. She must be a Yankee, cause it`s too cold for most Southerners to be in a bathing suit today.
I ride a little closer to the young lady, just to make sure she`s OK, and notice something quite unique about her. She`s totally naked, trying to get that all over tan. Wow. I wonder if she`ll want to come over and pet my horse? haha. I decide to stop wandering towards her, even though it`s really what I want to do, because the camper next to her might contain a male or guard dog (is there a difference?) and I don`t think either one of them will want to pet my horse.
So I just wait for the gals, admiring the view, the young lady catches me looking, smiles and waves. This gives me the incentive to wander over closer but then I hear the other horses coming my way. I ride towards St. Sandy and the gang, not wanting them to think I`m some kind of pervert or something. I don`t tell anyone about the naked lady and we continue on our ride.
Wednesday, February 16, 2000
Sunday, January 30, 2000
Shagya Arabians - Toni Jones
The stallion Sylvia talked about is *Oman, a german import, and is owned by Carolyn Tucker of Amara Farms, in Morgan Hill California. *Oman is a purebred Shagya stallion, bay, 15.3-1/2hh (really), does 4th level dressage (competes), jumps to 5 feet, wins many CTR competitions in his area, has attempted Tevis twice, the last time they got to the check within 13 miles of the finish and the vet said they could go, but Carolyn felt a foot/leg wasn`t quite right and so she pulled him (too valuable to risk and he`s her best friend, he`s fine now), and is licensed and approved with the International Sporthorse Registry/Oldenburg N.A.. There are 2 other bloodlines of Shagyas available in the United States. They came to the U.S. in 1986 and there are less than 150 purebreds registered at this time with NASS. Probably only about that many partbreds also. Separate registry. Purebred breeding stock MUST be inspected and approved (by Germans or other approved judges with International Shagya Society) before used for breeding.
The breed originated in 1789 in Babolna, Hungary. The Austro-Monarchy liked certain things about the purebred arabs, like their stamina, easy keeping abilities, movement. But wanted something a bit bigger, more bone, substance, calmer and with better riding and driving qualities for going to war, pulling artillery, etc.. Back then it was cheaper to fund state studs to produce your own horses for the cavalry than to buy from other countries. Countries went to war or had battles on average of every 7 years. Lots of horses died, they needed lots of replacements and often. So they developed the Shagya. For their foundation stock on the mares they started with performance proven mares of various breeds, including Arabs, TB`s, some of the local draft type mares and crosses of the above. Notice that the mares were performance tested, read, went to war and came back alive and had the qualities they were looking for and wanted to pass on. Sound, good feet, good legs, brains, willingness to please, etc. The Hungarians then went to Syria and thereabouts and looked high and low for quality purebred desert bred arabs to import for their breeding program. From that point on they only used their Shagyas or imported more desert bred Arabs for breeding every 4th generation. Their programs were far more complex than anything we do here, except maybe the TB on the race track.
Each Shagya was performance tested before being allowed into the breeding program. Both mares and stallions. A Shagya was sent to a regiment where careful records were kept on each horse. They did a 480 ride through forest, mountains and desert in 10 days, jumping, 2-mile sprints, long driving trips, etc., and factors of stamina, soundness, attitude, easy keeping abilities were all kept track of. Only about 1 in 30 stallions made the grade for breeding.
Before any purebred Arab stallion could be entered into the main breeding program, he had to breed 30 mares every year for 3 years. These would be Shagya mares and there would be 10 great quality, 10 medium quality and 10 lower quality (note: but still good enough for the breeding program). At the end of the 3 years all 90 offspring would be brought before breeding committee, if they did not meet the standard they and the stallion were eliminated from the breeding program. Read: sold to an agricultural based economy that used horses in everyday life.
The Shagya breed derived its name from the original Desertbred stallion "Shagya" which was imported from Syria in 1836. He was grey and stood about 16 hands according to the Babolna records. The Shagya was also developed, and is used, as an arab bloodstock source to improve other breeds. Shagyas when cross bred will retain size and substance while adding elegant correct movement. You can find them in many warm blood breeds. 2 or 3 Shagyas stood at the German State Hannoverian Stud during the 1960`s and the only outside bloodstock source allowed into the Lipizzans at Piber stud this century was a Shagya around 1980. In Europe Shagyas compete against warmbloods.
The Hungarian stud directors didn`t strive for anything over 16 hands although an occasional individual will get larger than that. They knew that Arabs over that size can have many soundness problems. The breed, since developed for war circumstances, excels at dressage, 3-day, hunter/jumper and endurance. They are prepotent for their traits mentioned before and are genetically predictable due to the Hungarian`s linebreeding program. IMO we`ve lost a lot of valuable knowledge over the years of other countries breeding programs that would help us today in our programs.
The Shagya has an interesting story, both in their country of origin, getting through WWII when most were slaughtered for food, and about how the foundation stallion was discovered here in the U.S. in Montana.
For my own personal part, I and O`Biwon have done three 50 mile endurance rides this year. Most people can`t believe they are riding next to a stallion, if they find out. Most don`t. He eats well, drinks well, is extremely sure footed (none of the silly 4 year old stumble bunnies that my other young arabs all had to go through before getting it figured out), not spooky, calm, takes things in stride, is under criteria at the vet checks when we come in even with all the excitement going on. Resting pulse in the pasture of 28. At the rides he was anywhere from 32 to 56, usually was around 48. He can go all alone or with a group, he doesn`t need another horse for motivation to just go on and on. Has a HUGE trot that we are still developing and a very comfortable cadenced canter. Correct legs, excellent feet that wear evenly, (seems impervious to rocks with or without shoes), tracks straight and is my pal. He`s very pleasant to be around as a companion. He just turned 6 in Sept. Next year we hope to take in a couple of dressage competitions, and go to a few more 50 mile rides just for completing. I can`t guarantee that all Shagyas are just like him, but based on what I`ve seen and heard, most are. They are trusting, sensitive, and would most likely follow you into the house.
Sorry for taking up so much space, but there seemed to be several people interested in the breed and rather than post each one separately, I did it this way in case there were more people interested.
Toni Jones
Shagya stallion O`Biwon (*Oman xAerial AF)
Prineville, Oregon
The breed originated in 1789 in Babolna, Hungary. The Austro-Monarchy liked certain things about the purebred arabs, like their stamina, easy keeping abilities, movement. But wanted something a bit bigger, more bone, substance, calmer and with better riding and driving qualities for going to war, pulling artillery, etc.. Back then it was cheaper to fund state studs to produce your own horses for the cavalry than to buy from other countries. Countries went to war or had battles on average of every 7 years. Lots of horses died, they needed lots of replacements and often. So they developed the Shagya. For their foundation stock on the mares they started with performance proven mares of various breeds, including Arabs, TB`s, some of the local draft type mares and crosses of the above. Notice that the mares were performance tested, read, went to war and came back alive and had the qualities they were looking for and wanted to pass on. Sound, good feet, good legs, brains, willingness to please, etc. The Hungarians then went to Syria and thereabouts and looked high and low for quality purebred desert bred arabs to import for their breeding program. From that point on they only used their Shagyas or imported more desert bred Arabs for breeding every 4th generation. Their programs were far more complex than anything we do here, except maybe the TB on the race track.
Each Shagya was performance tested before being allowed into the breeding program. Both mares and stallions. A Shagya was sent to a regiment where careful records were kept on each horse. They did a 480 ride through forest, mountains and desert in 10 days, jumping, 2-mile sprints, long driving trips, etc., and factors of stamina, soundness, attitude, easy keeping abilities were all kept track of. Only about 1 in 30 stallions made the grade for breeding.
Before any purebred Arab stallion could be entered into the main breeding program, he had to breed 30 mares every year for 3 years. These would be Shagya mares and there would be 10 great quality, 10 medium quality and 10 lower quality (note: but still good enough for the breeding program). At the end of the 3 years all 90 offspring would be brought before breeding committee, if they did not meet the standard they and the stallion were eliminated from the breeding program. Read: sold to an agricultural based economy that used horses in everyday life.
The Shagya breed derived its name from the original Desertbred stallion "Shagya" which was imported from Syria in 1836. He was grey and stood about 16 hands according to the Babolna records. The Shagya was also developed, and is used, as an arab bloodstock source to improve other breeds. Shagyas when cross bred will retain size and substance while adding elegant correct movement. You can find them in many warm blood breeds. 2 or 3 Shagyas stood at the German State Hannoverian Stud during the 1960`s and the only outside bloodstock source allowed into the Lipizzans at Piber stud this century was a Shagya around 1980. In Europe Shagyas compete against warmbloods.
The Hungarian stud directors didn`t strive for anything over 16 hands although an occasional individual will get larger than that. They knew that Arabs over that size can have many soundness problems. The breed, since developed for war circumstances, excels at dressage, 3-day, hunter/jumper and endurance. They are prepotent for their traits mentioned before and are genetically predictable due to the Hungarian`s linebreeding program. IMO we`ve lost a lot of valuable knowledge over the years of other countries breeding programs that would help us today in our programs.
The Shagya has an interesting story, both in their country of origin, getting through WWII when most were slaughtered for food, and about how the foundation stallion was discovered here in the U.S. in Montana.
For my own personal part, I and O`Biwon have done three 50 mile endurance rides this year. Most people can`t believe they are riding next to a stallion, if they find out. Most don`t. He eats well, drinks well, is extremely sure footed (none of the silly 4 year old stumble bunnies that my other young arabs all had to go through before getting it figured out), not spooky, calm, takes things in stride, is under criteria at the vet checks when we come in even with all the excitement going on. Resting pulse in the pasture of 28. At the rides he was anywhere from 32 to 56, usually was around 48. He can go all alone or with a group, he doesn`t need another horse for motivation to just go on and on. Has a HUGE trot that we are still developing and a very comfortable cadenced canter. Correct legs, excellent feet that wear evenly, (seems impervious to rocks with or without shoes), tracks straight and is my pal. He`s very pleasant to be around as a companion. He just turned 6 in Sept. Next year we hope to take in a couple of dressage competitions, and go to a few more 50 mile rides just for completing. I can`t guarantee that all Shagyas are just like him, but based on what I`ve seen and heard, most are. They are trusting, sensitive, and would most likely follow you into the house.
Sorry for taking up so much space, but there seemed to be several people interested in the breed and rather than post each one separately, I did it this way in case there were more people interested.
Toni Jones
Shagya stallion O`Biwon (*Oman xAerial AF)
Prineville, Oregon
Tuesday, December 07, 1999
Poem For Bravo - Bev Gray
I hear you call my name out loud
To my pasture the Cumulus cloud
Do not cry for me my friend
I did not die, it`s not the end.
My reflections` in the crystal spring
I`m with the song the meadowlark sing
I`ll guide you through the rugged ride
Turn a round, I`m at your side.
Look for me on Antelope trail.
Feel me in the Rockies hail.
Breathe me deep the rain on sage.
I`m always there, I do not age.
Hear my nicker to guide you home.
Follow my hooves in the granite stone.
My shelter is the forest tree.
The gate is open, I`m set free.
Ride me bareback though the flow
Of winter wheat in the snow,
Or marble canyon with full moon.
Think of me, I`m endless June.
I`m saddled for you everyday,
To dance Outlaw, I know the way.
Above the glow of Bryce we`ll fly.
Remember me, I did not die.
To my pasture the Cumulus cloud
Do not cry for me my friend
I did not die, it`s not the end.
My reflections` in the crystal spring
I`m with the song the meadowlark sing
I`ll guide you through the rugged ride
Turn a round, I`m at your side.
Look for me on Antelope trail.
Feel me in the Rockies hail.
Breathe me deep the rain on sage.
I`m always there, I do not age.
Hear my nicker to guide you home.
Follow my hooves in the granite stone.
My shelter is the forest tree.
The gate is open, I`m set free.
Ride me bareback though the flow
Of winter wheat in the snow,
Or marble canyon with full moon.
Think of me, I`m endless June.
I`m saddled for you everyday,
To dance Outlaw, I know the way.
Above the glow of Bryce we`ll fly.
Remember me, I did not die.
Friday, November 19, 1999
EPM: Lessons Learned. Part I Diagnosis - Karen Gehringer
I have spent the last seven months treating my horse for EPM. We should be done with treatment in two days. Anna looks really good now but I have a strong urge to knock on wood as I type that because relapse is always a possibility.
I would like to share with you what I have learned through this process because, chances are, more than a few of you will have to deal with EPM at some point. Maybe my experience can be of some benefit to you and your horse.
I would like to divide this up into several parts. The first would be “diagnosis”, the second “treatment”, the third “food for thought” and the fourth “resources”.
Part 1: Diagnosis
In mid March of 1999, Anna and I completed our first one day 50 mile ride at the Florida Endurance Classic. We went slow but I was so pleased that she came through with one B and the rest A’s. I was thrilled as this was a big step for my mare and I. The vets were excellent and since there was an FEI part to the ride, no doubt very qualified.
After a week or so of time off, it was back to work. Anna wasn’t quite right. Soon she was intermittently traveling crooked, with her hind end traveling several inches off to the left of her front end. After checking to see if the heart rate monitor was bothering her, then checking for saddle problems, I called my vet, Dr. Suzan Oakley. She came out the first part of April and made the diagnosis of EPM. The diagnosis was made due to muscle atrophy in the right shoulder and mild atrophy over the gluteals. Anna had proprioceptive deficits in all four legs (moderate delay in the front, extended delay in the hind). Tail pull was weak and she had a distressed facial expression. Should be noted that I rode her hard for 45 minutes (turns on the haunches, forehand, tight circles, backing etc) before I could get her to travel crooked prior to the vet’s arrival.
My vet started Anna on pyrimethamine/sulfadiazine 30 ml a day. She also gave her the rabies shot she was due which may or may not have been such a great idea at that point, but more on that later.
A month later she showed mild improvement to my vet. But to me, she was worse as it took no effort at all to get her to travel crooked. Although I believed my vet’s diagnosis because she is a skilled diagnostician and I had a gut feeling she was right, I decided at this point to get a second opinion.
My neighbor’s horse had just been diagnosed with EPM also so we took them both up to the University of Florida vet school. Dr. Maureen Long, a neurologist, saw Anna. She did a spinal tap on her, x-rayed her neck and did a neurological exam. The results were that Anna has some arthritis in her neck which may or may not be effecting her (although I bet that’s why she couldn’t do dressage)plus she had mild weakness in the RF,LH and RH and mild proprioceptive deficits. The spinal came back as a strong positive for EPM. Dr.Long recommended continuing the treatment my vet started. As a side note, Dr. Bryant who vets alot of rides checked on my mare several times while we were at UF and I really appreciated that courtesy. Although both vets felt they had enough to go on to diagnosis EPM, there is no definitive way to prove a horse has it. Some horses with positive spinal taps show no symptoms at all. No one really even knows what causes EPM. Recent controlled studies at UF failed to induce EPM in healthy horses.
My next post will cover a comparison of tx options (including cost), supplements, rehab and other tx considerations.
I would like to share with you what I have learned through this process because, chances are, more than a few of you will have to deal with EPM at some point. Maybe my experience can be of some benefit to you and your horse.
I would like to divide this up into several parts. The first would be “diagnosis”, the second “treatment”, the third “food for thought” and the fourth “resources”.
Part 1: Diagnosis
In mid March of 1999, Anna and I completed our first one day 50 mile ride at the Florida Endurance Classic. We went slow but I was so pleased that she came through with one B and the rest A’s. I was thrilled as this was a big step for my mare and I. The vets were excellent and since there was an FEI part to the ride, no doubt very qualified.
After a week or so of time off, it was back to work. Anna wasn’t quite right. Soon she was intermittently traveling crooked, with her hind end traveling several inches off to the left of her front end. After checking to see if the heart rate monitor was bothering her, then checking for saddle problems, I called my vet, Dr. Suzan Oakley. She came out the first part of April and made the diagnosis of EPM. The diagnosis was made due to muscle atrophy in the right shoulder and mild atrophy over the gluteals. Anna had proprioceptive deficits in all four legs (moderate delay in the front, extended delay in the hind). Tail pull was weak and she had a distressed facial expression. Should be noted that I rode her hard for 45 minutes (turns on the haunches, forehand, tight circles, backing etc) before I could get her to travel crooked prior to the vet’s arrival.
My vet started Anna on pyrimethamine/sulfadiazine 30 ml a day. She also gave her the rabies shot she was due which may or may not have been such a great idea at that point, but more on that later.
A month later she showed mild improvement to my vet. But to me, she was worse as it took no effort at all to get her to travel crooked. Although I believed my vet’s diagnosis because she is a skilled diagnostician and I had a gut feeling she was right, I decided at this point to get a second opinion.
My neighbor’s horse had just been diagnosed with EPM also so we took them both up to the University of Florida vet school. Dr. Maureen Long, a neurologist, saw Anna. She did a spinal tap on her, x-rayed her neck and did a neurological exam. The results were that Anna has some arthritis in her neck which may or may not be effecting her (although I bet that’s why she couldn’t do dressage)plus she had mild weakness in the RF,LH and RH and mild proprioceptive deficits. The spinal came back as a strong positive for EPM. Dr.Long recommended continuing the treatment my vet started. As a side note, Dr. Bryant who vets alot of rides checked on my mare several times while we were at UF and I really appreciated that courtesy. Although both vets felt they had enough to go on to diagnosis EPM, there is no definitive way to prove a horse has it. Some horses with positive spinal taps show no symptoms at all. No one really even knows what causes EPM. Recent controlled studies at UF failed to induce EPM in healthy horses.
My next post will cover a comparison of tx options (including cost), supplements, rehab and other tx considerations.
EPM: Lessons Learned. Part II Treatment - Karen Gehringer
There are three important points to keep in mind during the treatment phase. First of all, don’t give up. Your horse might look really hopeless at some points during treatment (i.e. unable to keep his balance) or have phases where she looks really good followed by serious backsliding. This can be heartbreaking and frustrating. However, sometimes the horses that look the worst off recover the quickest. And horses like mine, who have milder cases, can take a long time to heal. Nobody knows why this is the case but the key here is persistence. Secondly, be flexible. What works for the horse down the road may not work for yours. This is a highly variable process. Thirdly, be prepared to spend some bucks. I still refuse to total the cost because I really don’t want to know how much I’ve spent. All that said, I’ll move on to the medications.
I am familiar with the traditional medication (pyrimethamine/sulfadiazine) and Baycox (aka Toltrazuril). There is also a new medication called NZT but I am not familiar with it. My vet and the vet at UF recommended the traditional medication so that’s what I used for 6 months. It is an antibiotic that works by boosting the immune system to fight the protozoa (as I understand it). It costs $140 a month, give or take what mark up your vet tags on. In addition, you will add on monthly vet checks with anemia levels drawn. This treatment typically lasts 6-12 months. My horse seemed to get better, slide back, get better, slide back an infuriating amount of times. This can be caused by the die off of protozoa which temporarily worsens symptoms. The medication is a pain to deal with because it has to be given on a relatively empty stomach (2-3 hours after food has been ingested and no food given 1 hour after administered). You have to drench the stuff which most horses think is nasty tasting then not give them any treat afterwards. I’m surprised my horse still likes me after me starting every morning for 7 months coming at her with a syringe of the stuff. By the end of six months on this, Anna was traveling straight about 95% of the time, her placing test on the front feet was normal and she was only slightly delayed on the hind legs (used to take her 4 seconds to figure out her legs were crossed and how to uncross them, at that month it was less than a second-not quite normal but close). I can describe this test if anyone is interested. Her gluteal atrophy was gone, her attitude much improved and her rear end was stronger. She still had mild shoulder atrophy. By the way, the sooner you catch this thing, the better your odds are of healing the atrophy. At six months, I was faced with three to four more months of treatment. However, my neighbor’s horse had steadily declined on the traditional meds and had switched to Baycox. She had dramatic improvement on the Baycox in a very short time. More was known about Baycox at this point so I decided to get the Baycox and combine it with one last month on the traditional meds. My vet, after seeing the results with my neighbor’s horse, was in full support of this.
Baycox is a new drug that has not yet been approved by the FDA but can be special ordered by your vet through Bayer in Canada. The flat cost is $550 for a 28 day treatment including shipping. Your vet can of course mark it up to whatever the market will bear. Pray that your vet has mercy on you. This drug actually goes in and kills the protozoa directly (as I understand it). It usually takes 28 days to treat a horse. There appear to be no side effects with this medicine. It is easy to administer; I just pour it on Anna’s feed or you can drench it. The only problem I have heard is with relapse. This may be connected with insufficient dosing. It says to give 50 ml per day to any horse. I think that may be fine for my Arab but a heavier horse may need a bit more. Anyway, there are alot of unknowns because this is a new treatment. If I had to do it over again, I would start with the Baycox. After three weeks of Baycox, Anna could full out gallop a 15 meter circle around me leaning like a barrel horse. She looked completely normal to the left and only showed some slight weakness to the right in her left hind but this was at a full gallop. Her strength may improve since she’s had 7 months off but even if it doesn’t, her lasting effects at this point appear to be minimal. Her placement test is also normal now and her shoulder atrophy is improved.
No matter which treatment you chose, it is highly recommended to supplement with Vit E. KV Vet supply has a Vit E 8,000 designed to be the right dose for EPM treatment. It costs $70 for a 4lb container. Anywhere from 8,000-10,000 I.U.s is recommended. I used the E 8,000 but also used an E/Se supplement because we are Se deficient in Florida. Be careful not to over do the Se when adding E because the Se can be toxic. I used Lixotonic (like Red Cell) from Anico Vet Supply to keep my horse from getting anemic (she never did) and Fast Track probiotic to protect her stomach. My neighbor used an immune booster from Meadow Sweet Acres Herbs that she liked (didn’t go over well with my horse) and flax seed (which I am going to try). Some people use Equistem or Levimisole but I have no experience with either of those.
Rehabilitation
According to the UF vets and an article on EPM rehab in The Horse magazine, you should continue to work your horse on a limited basis to prevent further muscle atrophy. No doubt this is good advise for some horses but, if I were to do it again, I would leave my horse alone (with turn out) and let her heal. As it was, I did light riding for a time but I could tell this was not helping matters. When Anna acts tired there is something very wrong so I did not “push her through it” as advised. I tried lunging which didn’t work and stressed her out because she didn’t have good enough balance to do it, poor thing seemed to feel embarrassed. So I tried ground driving which was tiring for me and didn’t seem to help her. Then I tried some TTouch techniques (promise wrap, stretches, varied heights of cavalletti designed to get her to realize where her hind end was), Anna was very patient with all this but I don’t think it had much effect. Any of these ideas may work very well for another horse but Anna got better when I finally quit worrying her and left her alone. Grooming and sweet talk seemed to comfort her though. Some horses get really grumpy and sensitive during treatment so you might even need to minimize grooming.
I kept a journal of how Anna was doing so that I could see any patterns to her recovery. That helped me to remain a bit more objective and not lose hope. I also took pictures of her from the sides and down along the back so that I could compare any changes in atrophy.
Vaccines and Wormers during Treatment
The rabies vaccine and /or starting treatment wiped Anna out for an entire week. Given that the immune system is already stressed, I would avoid all vaccines during treatment. That is my opinion only and I’m not a vet.
As for wormers, Ivermectin and Quest tend to really set horses back that are being treated for EPM. Anna was not herself for three days after using Ivermectin. Panacur did not seem to adversely effect her and has been used with no ill effect on other EPM horses. However, I am now having fecal checks done and, unless I start to see worms, I’m not worming at all. If I do, I will likely use Strongid once a year and Panacur the rest of the time.
In the next section, I will include some thoughts on prevention.
I am familiar with the traditional medication (pyrimethamine/sulfadiazine) and Baycox (aka Toltrazuril). There is also a new medication called NZT but I am not familiar with it. My vet and the vet at UF recommended the traditional medication so that’s what I used for 6 months. It is an antibiotic that works by boosting the immune system to fight the protozoa (as I understand it). It costs $140 a month, give or take what mark up your vet tags on. In addition, you will add on monthly vet checks with anemia levels drawn. This treatment typically lasts 6-12 months. My horse seemed to get better, slide back, get better, slide back an infuriating amount of times. This can be caused by the die off of protozoa which temporarily worsens symptoms. The medication is a pain to deal with because it has to be given on a relatively empty stomach (2-3 hours after food has been ingested and no food given 1 hour after administered). You have to drench the stuff which most horses think is nasty tasting then not give them any treat afterwards. I’m surprised my horse still likes me after me starting every morning for 7 months coming at her with a syringe of the stuff. By the end of six months on this, Anna was traveling straight about 95% of the time, her placing test on the front feet was normal and she was only slightly delayed on the hind legs (used to take her 4 seconds to figure out her legs were crossed and how to uncross them, at that month it was less than a second-not quite normal but close). I can describe this test if anyone is interested. Her gluteal atrophy was gone, her attitude much improved and her rear end was stronger. She still had mild shoulder atrophy. By the way, the sooner you catch this thing, the better your odds are of healing the atrophy. At six months, I was faced with three to four more months of treatment. However, my neighbor’s horse had steadily declined on the traditional meds and had switched to Baycox. She had dramatic improvement on the Baycox in a very short time. More was known about Baycox at this point so I decided to get the Baycox and combine it with one last month on the traditional meds. My vet, after seeing the results with my neighbor’s horse, was in full support of this.
Baycox is a new drug that has not yet been approved by the FDA but can be special ordered by your vet through Bayer in Canada. The flat cost is $550 for a 28 day treatment including shipping. Your vet can of course mark it up to whatever the market will bear. Pray that your vet has mercy on you. This drug actually goes in and kills the protozoa directly (as I understand it). It usually takes 28 days to treat a horse. There appear to be no side effects with this medicine. It is easy to administer; I just pour it on Anna’s feed or you can drench it. The only problem I have heard is with relapse. This may be connected with insufficient dosing. It says to give 50 ml per day to any horse. I think that may be fine for my Arab but a heavier horse may need a bit more. Anyway, there are alot of unknowns because this is a new treatment. If I had to do it over again, I would start with the Baycox. After three weeks of Baycox, Anna could full out gallop a 15 meter circle around me leaning like a barrel horse. She looked completely normal to the left and only showed some slight weakness to the right in her left hind but this was at a full gallop. Her strength may improve since she’s had 7 months off but even if it doesn’t, her lasting effects at this point appear to be minimal. Her placement test is also normal now and her shoulder atrophy is improved.
No matter which treatment you chose, it is highly recommended to supplement with Vit E. KV Vet supply has a Vit E 8,000 designed to be the right dose for EPM treatment. It costs $70 for a 4lb container. Anywhere from 8,000-10,000 I.U.s is recommended. I used the E 8,000 but also used an E/Se supplement because we are Se deficient in Florida. Be careful not to over do the Se when adding E because the Se can be toxic. I used Lixotonic (like Red Cell) from Anico Vet Supply to keep my horse from getting anemic (she never did) and Fast Track probiotic to protect her stomach. My neighbor used an immune booster from Meadow Sweet Acres Herbs that she liked (didn’t go over well with my horse) and flax seed (which I am going to try). Some people use Equistem or Levimisole but I have no experience with either of those.
Rehabilitation
According to the UF vets and an article on EPM rehab in The Horse magazine, you should continue to work your horse on a limited basis to prevent further muscle atrophy. No doubt this is good advise for some horses but, if I were to do it again, I would leave my horse alone (with turn out) and let her heal. As it was, I did light riding for a time but I could tell this was not helping matters. When Anna acts tired there is something very wrong so I did not “push her through it” as advised. I tried lunging which didn’t work and stressed her out because she didn’t have good enough balance to do it, poor thing seemed to feel embarrassed. So I tried ground driving which was tiring for me and didn’t seem to help her. Then I tried some TTouch techniques (promise wrap, stretches, varied heights of cavalletti designed to get her to realize where her hind end was), Anna was very patient with all this but I don’t think it had much effect. Any of these ideas may work very well for another horse but Anna got better when I finally quit worrying her and left her alone. Grooming and sweet talk seemed to comfort her though. Some horses get really grumpy and sensitive during treatment so you might even need to minimize grooming.
I kept a journal of how Anna was doing so that I could see any patterns to her recovery. That helped me to remain a bit more objective and not lose hope. I also took pictures of her from the sides and down along the back so that I could compare any changes in atrophy.
Vaccines and Wormers during Treatment
The rabies vaccine and /or starting treatment wiped Anna out for an entire week. Given that the immune system is already stressed, I would avoid all vaccines during treatment. That is my opinion only and I’m not a vet.
As for wormers, Ivermectin and Quest tend to really set horses back that are being treated for EPM. Anna was not herself for three days after using Ivermectin. Panacur did not seem to adversely effect her and has been used with no ill effect on other EPM horses. However, I am now having fecal checks done and, unless I start to see worms, I’m not worming at all. If I do, I will likely use Strongid once a year and Panacur the rest of the time.
In the next section, I will include some thoughts on prevention.
EPM: Lessons Learned. Part III Prevention - Karen Gehringer
The current thought is that EPM is caused by horses ingesting possum feces which contains the EPM protozoa that they got from eating infected birds. This theory has yet to be proven in a controlled study. A study at U of Florida failed to produce EPM in healthy horses. Now there is the thought that horses who are unable to fight off EPM protozoa have a problem with their immune system. But nobody really knows why some horses get it and others who are treated identically don’t.
On the EPM horse list, many horse owners report that their horses became symptomatic after being wormed or receiving vaccinations. I know that vaccines and wormers are around for a reason, to protect horses from deadly diseases. And I also know that correlation does not prove causation. The timing could be coincidental. For myself, however, I am rethinking my approach to vaccines and wormers; perhaps more is not better.
I am going to worm my horses only as necessary from now on depending on fecal counts. I used to worm every 7 weeks. I also plan to do some serious thinking about vaccines and narrow them down to the bare necessities. When I do use vaccines, I will avoid the 3 or 4 in one type and I will space them out generously. I had spaced them out before but I had one, possibly serious error. My horse always reacted badly to the strangles shot so I decided to try the intranasal vaccine. I didn’t know it was a two part series the first time so the second in the series was given one week before the FEC 50. I can’t help but wonder if dealing with that vaccine combined with the stress of the ride compromised her immune system’s ability to fight the protozoa.
If the possum is the main carrier of EPM, the trick is prevent the horse from ingesting possum feces. This is not so easy to do because it can be in the hay you buy or out in your pasture. One simple strategy would be to contain your feed in metal containers or trash cans with lids. That reduces the temptation for possums to arrive at your barn. Also, keep your hay in some sort of enclosed area. Dogs and cats can serve as deterrents but don’t count on that because possums can be mighty bold. Finally consider using fencing that makes it tough for possums to get inside, like wire mesh, and regularly check for holes underneath it.
I sure do wish that I had had health insurance on my horse but I didn’t because “my horses never get sick”--famous last words. Having insurance gives you freedom from the financial stress of treatment and provides you with more options if you aren’t always having to check your bank account or reach for the credit card before you decide to try something new.
In the last of this series, I will share some resources for more information about EPM.
On the EPM horse list, many horse owners report that their horses became symptomatic after being wormed or receiving vaccinations. I know that vaccines and wormers are around for a reason, to protect horses from deadly diseases. And I also know that correlation does not prove causation. The timing could be coincidental. For myself, however, I am rethinking my approach to vaccines and wormers; perhaps more is not better.
I am going to worm my horses only as necessary from now on depending on fecal counts. I used to worm every 7 weeks. I also plan to do some serious thinking about vaccines and narrow them down to the bare necessities. When I do use vaccines, I will avoid the 3 or 4 in one type and I will space them out generously. I had spaced them out before but I had one, possibly serious error. My horse always reacted badly to the strangles shot so I decided to try the intranasal vaccine. I didn’t know it was a two part series the first time so the second in the series was given one week before the FEC 50. I can’t help but wonder if dealing with that vaccine combined with the stress of the ride compromised her immune system’s ability to fight the protozoa.
If the possum is the main carrier of EPM, the trick is prevent the horse from ingesting possum feces. This is not so easy to do because it can be in the hay you buy or out in your pasture. One simple strategy would be to contain your feed in metal containers or trash cans with lids. That reduces the temptation for possums to arrive at your barn. Also, keep your hay in some sort of enclosed area. Dogs and cats can serve as deterrents but don’t count on that because possums can be mighty bold. Finally consider using fencing that makes it tough for possums to get inside, like wire mesh, and regularly check for holes underneath it.
I sure do wish that I had had health insurance on my horse but I didn’t because “my horses never get sick”--famous last words. Having insurance gives you freedom from the financial stress of treatment and provides you with more options if you aren’t always having to check your bank account or reach for the credit card before you decide to try something new.
In the last of this series, I will share some resources for more information about EPM.
EPM: Lessons Learned. Part IV Resources - Karen Gehringer
Here is a list of resources for further information about EPM:
1. prevmed.vet.ohio-state.edu/epm This site gets about as detailed as most people ever want to get on a subject. Highly informative.
2. thehorse.com In the knowledge bank section there are several good articles about EPM. You can also down load the form needed to order Baycox.
3. Bruce.Kilmer.B@bayer.com He is a vet at Bayer who can answer all your questions about Baycox.
4. EPM@onelist.com This is a support group list for EPM horse owners.
My best resource has been my long suffering husband who never once questioned me about the cost of this thing and only razzed me occasionally about my obsession with it. Also my fellow horse loving friends, Mary Marshall, Edie Whiting, Becky Siler, Donna Shoaf, Linda Flynn and Jeanie Miller have been a huge support to me and I am grateful to them.
Anna had her first day without meds today. Any prayers, good thoughts or positive chi you could send our direction would be greatly appreciated.
Happiness and Health to all,
Karen
1. prevmed.vet.ohio-state.edu/epm This site gets about as detailed as most people ever want to get on a subject. Highly informative.
2. thehorse.com In the knowledge bank section there are several good articles about EPM. You can also down load the form needed to order Baycox.
3. Bruce.Kilmer.B@bayer.com He is a vet at Bayer who can answer all your questions about Baycox.
4. EPM@onelist.com This is a support group list for EPM horse owners.
My best resource has been my long suffering husband who never once questioned me about the cost of this thing and only razzed me occasionally about my obsession with it. Also my fellow horse loving friends, Mary Marshall, Edie Whiting, Becky Siler, Donna Shoaf, Linda Flynn and Jeanie Miller have been a huge support to me and I am grateful to them.
Anna had her first day without meds today. Any prayers, good thoughts or positive chi you could send our direction would be greatly appreciated.
Happiness and Health to all,
Karen
Tuesday, November 16, 1999
Money Enough and Time - A Report From Rural Vermont - John B. Ayers
Our competitive equestrian season is over and the Power Company shut off our electric for the day to upgrade the lines. We have no water, no furnace, no light and no TV. The battery in my laptop is fully charged and the phones are working so it seems like a good time to thank all of you for your inspiration and assistance and to report on our progress over the past two years.
To give you the setting, I started a fire in the old-fashioned cookstove and it`s warm and comfortable in the country kitchen of this 200-year-old farmhouse. The temperature outside is near freezing. Our most recent snow has melted but we can still see it on the mountains to the west. We live on 100 acres and are in the last house on the paved road with miles of gravel roads and trails on which to ride and drive. This part of Vermont is called "The Northeast Kingdom".
In May of 1997, at age 66, I knew nothing about horses or riding or driving. I started taking riding lessons and a few months later bought Meshack, a six year-old green-broke Arab pasture potato. We finished this season with two ribbons for Reserve Champion---one for CTR and one a Horse Show with riding and jumping, also a Blue Ribbon for Advanced Trail Class. This summer we started driving, entered several driving competitions and took two second-place ribbons. I can`t begin to tell you what an incredible feeling of accomplishment it is to have this animal develop into such a versatile athlete! It did a lot for my physical and mental health as well. I joined a health club to get in better physical shape. After I bought Meshack, several friends and family members suggested psychiatric counseling, but after meeting several other equestrians, I felt that some mental instability was an asset in this sport.
Over the past two years I learned three things of significance:
1. The Internet is an incredible resource for help on riding, driving, equestrian health, and to make some wonderful friends.
2. Having a horse that`s willing and intelligent makes it easy to afford professional help. I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the best here in the northeast and can never adequately express my appreciation!
3. Riding a horse is a lot more challenging than riding a bicycle, and it`s very important to keep the horse between the ground and me!
This summer we started "fine tuning" which included a switch to Nutrena "Compete", a mullen mouthpiece, running martingale, equine dentistry, new saddle, new farrier and developing his rear. For those of you interested in the details I`ll elaborate below. The rest can hit "delete" with my sincere thanks and appreciation for any help that you provided!
The switch to Nutrena was an accident. We won five bags and began to notice that he was much less "hyper". We think this was due to eliminating molasses and possibly the higher fat content.
We asked one of the trainers to try different bits after she questioned the full cheek snaffle we used for riding and the half cheek snaffle we used for driving. He really seems to like the eggbutt mullen mouthpiece for riding and the Liverpool mullen for driving.
The running martingale encourages him to keep his head lower and seems to give me that slight increase in control when he starts to get into the "Competitive" part of Competitive Trail Riding.
It took two vets, an equine dentist and his apprentice to get the teeth right. The second vet tranquilized him and clamped his mouth open to finish the bit groove and eliminate sharp edges toward the back of his mouth that were causing some bleeding.
His conformation changed dramatically over time, particularly after we started driving. My search for the fourth saddle in two years is another story, but we now have a used Smith Worthington all purpose model that Meshack and I both like. I thought that the last one was a good fit but now realize that the stirrups were too far forward making posting a real effort. If you haven`t done the arithmetic, in a 25-mile CTR you post 8000 times! The "Test" is being able to stand up in the stirrups.
The new farrier is doing the "Four-point" or "Natural" method with clips and trailers. It has almost eliminated his stumbling and lost shoes. The shoes are set back almost to the white line and the toes are squared off.
Several competitors recommended driving, in that the cross training would strengthen and teach him to use his rear. It made an incredible improvement in his ride. In addition we discovered that we both enjoy driving and driving competitions
It has not been easy being an elderly male in a sport dominated by attractive young and middle- aged females. It really hurts when so many see us and say "what a beautiful horse". They NEVER say anything about a beautiful rider!! (One Ridecamp member suggested that you could at least comment on how I "sit tall in the saddle with an aura of confidence and control"). Anyhow, it is almost worthwhile since we found a picture of Meshack and me driving with five year-old GREAT granddaughter, Kaelyn, on the cover of the Carriage Driving Rogues Gallery: ( http://www.trot-on.com/cd-l/cdmember.html ). Also look under "A" for Ayers.
My report would not be complete without mention of the quest for "Male Comfort". I was a bit concerned initially when a woman in San Diego suggested gelding (THE RIDER!). Another suggested Viagra, which sounds okay but is expensive. I have a theory that those parts get numb after a few hundred miles and the problem is greatly diminished (pun intended). If ordered on penalty of death, to father a child at the end of a 50-mile ride I would be doomed. I settled on good-fitting jockey undershorts and like to wear tights at least in competition. At the risk of being misunderstood, I would dearly love to have a little more of the padding with which female competitors seem to be blessed (you never thought of it as an asset??...no pun intended).
In exasperation, while trying to learn the "Two Point", I told my instructor that if I ever mastered it my next big challenge would be to try sex standing up in a hammock. I am happy to report that I can now do four jumps in succession, at the canter, in Two Point! Unfortunately my wife does not ride, and only an equestrian would have the combined skills for such an event. A bigger challenge might be convincing her that we could recover the money I`ve spent because Meshack will generate $10,000 in fertilizer for her flower gardens. She thinks THAT concept is a lot of horse manure!
During a challenging business career, I dreaded retirement, wondering how I could occupy my time. I read recently that to be happy you need something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. I would add financial security and good physical and mental health. This equestrian activity has provided the missing ingredients for my happiness. In addition, I`ve met many really great human beings. For the "look forward to" all we need do is enter the next competition.
Our next competitive season starts in January (the start of my 70th year) with the Vermont Riding and Driving Association`s "January Thaw". We can expect weather about as extreme as can be found in continental U.S. This year we rode in freezing drizzle and 3" of slush (like sand for you desert folks) and took Third Place. I have heard that in past years riders took turns blowing on the thermometer to get it up to the start minimum. I considered driving the next one, but when one of the members told me how cold he got driving the CTR in the rain on October 23rd, I decided to ride. We were comfortable riding in the rain and cold.
We hope to do many more CTRs, maybe a 50-mile endurance ride and a hunter-pace, at least two horse shows and two driving competitions next year.
The happiest day of my equestrian career was the day Meshack trailer loaded! He now walks on past me and stands quietly while I close the butt chain. How we got to this point is a story in itself. Two years ago I would have told you it was impossible!
The second happiest day of my equestrian career will be the day we finish a 50 mile endurance ride and Meshack behaves for 49 miles of it (give him the first mile to settle down). Angie McGhee will tell you that`s impossible as Meshack and Kaboot are physical and mental twins. If it happens, I hope you`re there to see it!!
If all the above sounds like self-promotion, I won`t deny it, but will tell you it`s been a real lesson in humility!
Happy Trails,
John and Meshack (See my photo in the birch trees)
http://www.bypass.com/~ayers (Vermont Equestrian Activities)
To give you the setting, I started a fire in the old-fashioned cookstove and it`s warm and comfortable in the country kitchen of this 200-year-old farmhouse. The temperature outside is near freezing. Our most recent snow has melted but we can still see it on the mountains to the west. We live on 100 acres and are in the last house on the paved road with miles of gravel roads and trails on which to ride and drive. This part of Vermont is called "The Northeast Kingdom".
In May of 1997, at age 66, I knew nothing about horses or riding or driving. I started taking riding lessons and a few months later bought Meshack, a six year-old green-broke Arab pasture potato. We finished this season with two ribbons for Reserve Champion---one for CTR and one a Horse Show with riding and jumping, also a Blue Ribbon for Advanced Trail Class. This summer we started driving, entered several driving competitions and took two second-place ribbons. I can`t begin to tell you what an incredible feeling of accomplishment it is to have this animal develop into such a versatile athlete! It did a lot for my physical and mental health as well. I joined a health club to get in better physical shape. After I bought Meshack, several friends and family members suggested psychiatric counseling, but after meeting several other equestrians, I felt that some mental instability was an asset in this sport.
Over the past two years I learned three things of significance:
1. The Internet is an incredible resource for help on riding, driving, equestrian health, and to make some wonderful friends.
2. Having a horse that`s willing and intelligent makes it easy to afford professional help. I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the best here in the northeast and can never adequately express my appreciation!
3. Riding a horse is a lot more challenging than riding a bicycle, and it`s very important to keep the horse between the ground and me!
This summer we started "fine tuning" which included a switch to Nutrena "Compete", a mullen mouthpiece, running martingale, equine dentistry, new saddle, new farrier and developing his rear. For those of you interested in the details I`ll elaborate below. The rest can hit "delete" with my sincere thanks and appreciation for any help that you provided!
The switch to Nutrena was an accident. We won five bags and began to notice that he was much less "hyper". We think this was due to eliminating molasses and possibly the higher fat content.
We asked one of the trainers to try different bits after she questioned the full cheek snaffle we used for riding and the half cheek snaffle we used for driving. He really seems to like the eggbutt mullen mouthpiece for riding and the Liverpool mullen for driving.
The running martingale encourages him to keep his head lower and seems to give me that slight increase in control when he starts to get into the "Competitive" part of Competitive Trail Riding.
It took two vets, an equine dentist and his apprentice to get the teeth right. The second vet tranquilized him and clamped his mouth open to finish the bit groove and eliminate sharp edges toward the back of his mouth that were causing some bleeding.
His conformation changed dramatically over time, particularly after we started driving. My search for the fourth saddle in two years is another story, but we now have a used Smith Worthington all purpose model that Meshack and I both like. I thought that the last one was a good fit but now realize that the stirrups were too far forward making posting a real effort. If you haven`t done the arithmetic, in a 25-mile CTR you post 8000 times! The "Test" is being able to stand up in the stirrups.
The new farrier is doing the "Four-point" or "Natural" method with clips and trailers. It has almost eliminated his stumbling and lost shoes. The shoes are set back almost to the white line and the toes are squared off.
Several competitors recommended driving, in that the cross training would strengthen and teach him to use his rear. It made an incredible improvement in his ride. In addition we discovered that we both enjoy driving and driving competitions
It has not been easy being an elderly male in a sport dominated by attractive young and middle- aged females. It really hurts when so many see us and say "what a beautiful horse". They NEVER say anything about a beautiful rider!! (One Ridecamp member suggested that you could at least comment on how I "sit tall in the saddle with an aura of confidence and control"). Anyhow, it is almost worthwhile since we found a picture of Meshack and me driving with five year-old GREAT granddaughter, Kaelyn, on the cover of the Carriage Driving Rogues Gallery: ( http://www.trot-on.com/cd-l/cdmember.html ). Also look under "A" for Ayers.
My report would not be complete without mention of the quest for "Male Comfort". I was a bit concerned initially when a woman in San Diego suggested gelding (THE RIDER!). Another suggested Viagra, which sounds okay but is expensive. I have a theory that those parts get numb after a few hundred miles and the problem is greatly diminished (pun intended). If ordered on penalty of death, to father a child at the end of a 50-mile ride I would be doomed. I settled on good-fitting jockey undershorts and like to wear tights at least in competition. At the risk of being misunderstood, I would dearly love to have a little more of the padding with which female competitors seem to be blessed (you never thought of it as an asset??...no pun intended).
In exasperation, while trying to learn the "Two Point", I told my instructor that if I ever mastered it my next big challenge would be to try sex standing up in a hammock. I am happy to report that I can now do four jumps in succession, at the canter, in Two Point! Unfortunately my wife does not ride, and only an equestrian would have the combined skills for such an event. A bigger challenge might be convincing her that we could recover the money I`ve spent because Meshack will generate $10,000 in fertilizer for her flower gardens. She thinks THAT concept is a lot of horse manure!
During a challenging business career, I dreaded retirement, wondering how I could occupy my time. I read recently that to be happy you need something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to. I would add financial security and good physical and mental health. This equestrian activity has provided the missing ingredients for my happiness. In addition, I`ve met many really great human beings. For the "look forward to" all we need do is enter the next competition.
Our next competitive season starts in January (the start of my 70th year) with the Vermont Riding and Driving Association`s "January Thaw". We can expect weather about as extreme as can be found in continental U.S. This year we rode in freezing drizzle and 3" of slush (like sand for you desert folks) and took Third Place. I have heard that in past years riders took turns blowing on the thermometer to get it up to the start minimum. I considered driving the next one, but when one of the members told me how cold he got driving the CTR in the rain on October 23rd, I decided to ride. We were comfortable riding in the rain and cold.
We hope to do many more CTRs, maybe a 50-mile endurance ride and a hunter-pace, at least two horse shows and two driving competitions next year.
The happiest day of my equestrian career was the day Meshack trailer loaded! He now walks on past me and stands quietly while I close the butt chain. How we got to this point is a story in itself. Two years ago I would have told you it was impossible!
The second happiest day of my equestrian career will be the day we finish a 50 mile endurance ride and Meshack behaves for 49 miles of it (give him the first mile to settle down). Angie McGhee will tell you that`s impossible as Meshack and Kaboot are physical and mental twins. If it happens, I hope you`re there to see it!!
If all the above sounds like self-promotion, I won`t deny it, but will tell you it`s been a real lesson in humility!
Happy Trails,
John and Meshack (See my photo in the birch trees)
http://www.bypass.com/~ayers (Vermont Equestrian Activities)
Saturday, November 13, 1999
Appreciate Every Day With Your Horse - Laura Curtis
TRUE TALES, by Laura Curtis
I was glad I had my sunglasses on; I didn`t want my vet to see me crying. The vet had just finished a rectal exam on my horse and was giving me the bad news. Dakota is my fiery bay Arabian gelding. We have been together ten years now. When I got Dakota, he was four years old, recently gelded, and well on his way to an unpleasant end. He had gotten aggressive and quite explosive to any provocation imagined or real due to mistreatment. Together, after lots of patience and time and love, he and I became the best of friends; he would do anything I asked of him. I had even had people walk up to me and ask to buy him for their children--quite a metamorphosis from his previous self. My life has revolved around this horse since I bought him--I love him dearly.
Last year while out trail riding he began to wring his tail. I thought perhaps he had dry skin although he showed no indication of it. Dakota is an extremely sensitive horse. For instance, he cannot tolerate square saddle blankets because he can`t stand the occasional touch of the corner of the blanket. He tends to react rather explosively in relation to the irritant--the touch of the corner of a square saddle blanket would launch him into a fit of bucking. So, I began to feed him corn oil. His aggravation and tail wringing only worsened while out riding. He also began to buck--not his usual `I`m happy to be alive` buck, but an unhappy, `something is bothering me` buck. I talked to my vet, and he suggested a fungal shampoo every day for 14 days. Maybe Dakota had seborrea, although again he showed no sign of it. We tried that to no avail--back to the vet who then suggested an anti-bacterial shampoo for 14 more days. This didn`t help either. Dakota had progressed to the point of being unridable. He would refuse to move at all after about 20 minutes of riding--even when I dismounted and tried to lead him home. He seemed to show no discomfort, however, when free in his paddock. The trigger for the behavior was either weight on his back or possibly the cinch. When I unsaddled Dakota, he would bite viciously at his sides, especially his right side. When I groomed his back over the loin area, he`d stretch his head up and roll his eyes, like I was scratching a terrible itch, and it felt so good. Something was definitely wrong--we just had to figure out what it was. I called my vet again who vaguely suggested that perhaps it was something to do with my tack or perhaps my saddle blanket was irritating Dakota. I tried not to get upset about this suggestion. I know my horse, and it was definitely not my tack. It had now been close to a year since the onset of Dakota`s vague but troubling symptoms. Nevertheless, I purchased a new saddle blanket that was a different material than what my previous blanket was made of. It did not help. Again I called my vet and persisted that we look further. Our next step was to take a skin biopsy to check for allergies. He did show some indication of allergies, so we did a blood test. Dakota showed up as being mildly allergic to barley, which I was feeding him, and grass hay, which I had also been trying to feed him, but which he wasn`t eating very well. My vet said that even though Dakota was not reacting strongly to these two items, they might be bothering him enough to cause Dakota to display that behavior that he was. We changed his diet to eliminate everything he was allergic to.
Several months later he was still no better. My vet came out to examine him once again. After pausing for several seconds in thought, he noticed that Dakota`s sheath was slightly enlarged, which I had noticed, too. I had also noticed that Dakota`s stream when he urinated was not as strong as it used to be. Both of these symptoms came on quickly--within two weeks. My vet decided to do a rectal exam. Sure enough, he could feel a large mass above Dakota`s bladder, and the bladder which normally is paper thin membrane felt thickened to my vet.. We then decided to take him in for an ultrasound and biopsy. The tumor turned out to be a lipoma which is a fatty tumor. Unfortunately, it`s location precluded it`s removal as it was sitting right on top of a large nerve bundle. Dakota has now developed these fatty tumors in his girth area in addition to the internal one we now knew about and the ones on his sheath. We did a urinalysis which turned out normal. Dakota bites at himself like he`s itchy. He rolls frequently. He does not run madly around his paddock with his tail flagged as often as he used to. He yawns often which my vet told me can be a sign of discomfort in horses. But my vet said that he could live a long life--I just can`t ride him anymore. I was devastated. I had always thought that if we just kept looking we would find and fix the problem. I never dreamed it would be something we couldn`t fix. We have to watch Dakota now and when the time comes that he`s no longer comfortable, I`ll have to call my vet again to put him to sleep. I have since found out that a significant number of colics that progress to surgery turn out to be these tumors.
I had ridden Dakota constantly since I had gotten him. We had the best times together. He was my escape, my salvation, my friend. Appreciate every day with your horse; we can`t take those moments for granted.
I was glad I had my sunglasses on; I didn`t want my vet to see me crying. The vet had just finished a rectal exam on my horse and was giving me the bad news. Dakota is my fiery bay Arabian gelding. We have been together ten years now. When I got Dakota, he was four years old, recently gelded, and well on his way to an unpleasant end. He had gotten aggressive and quite explosive to any provocation imagined or real due to mistreatment. Together, after lots of patience and time and love, he and I became the best of friends; he would do anything I asked of him. I had even had people walk up to me and ask to buy him for their children--quite a metamorphosis from his previous self. My life has revolved around this horse since I bought him--I love him dearly.
Last year while out trail riding he began to wring his tail. I thought perhaps he had dry skin although he showed no indication of it. Dakota is an extremely sensitive horse. For instance, he cannot tolerate square saddle blankets because he can`t stand the occasional touch of the corner of the blanket. He tends to react rather explosively in relation to the irritant--the touch of the corner of a square saddle blanket would launch him into a fit of bucking. So, I began to feed him corn oil. His aggravation and tail wringing only worsened while out riding. He also began to buck--not his usual `I`m happy to be alive` buck, but an unhappy, `something is bothering me` buck. I talked to my vet, and he suggested a fungal shampoo every day for 14 days. Maybe Dakota had seborrea, although again he showed no sign of it. We tried that to no avail--back to the vet who then suggested an anti-bacterial shampoo for 14 more days. This didn`t help either. Dakota had progressed to the point of being unridable. He would refuse to move at all after about 20 minutes of riding--even when I dismounted and tried to lead him home. He seemed to show no discomfort, however, when free in his paddock. The trigger for the behavior was either weight on his back or possibly the cinch. When I unsaddled Dakota, he would bite viciously at his sides, especially his right side. When I groomed his back over the loin area, he`d stretch his head up and roll his eyes, like I was scratching a terrible itch, and it felt so good. Something was definitely wrong--we just had to figure out what it was. I called my vet again who vaguely suggested that perhaps it was something to do with my tack or perhaps my saddle blanket was irritating Dakota. I tried not to get upset about this suggestion. I know my horse, and it was definitely not my tack. It had now been close to a year since the onset of Dakota`s vague but troubling symptoms. Nevertheless, I purchased a new saddle blanket that was a different material than what my previous blanket was made of. It did not help. Again I called my vet and persisted that we look further. Our next step was to take a skin biopsy to check for allergies. He did show some indication of allergies, so we did a blood test. Dakota showed up as being mildly allergic to barley, which I was feeding him, and grass hay, which I had also been trying to feed him, but which he wasn`t eating very well. My vet said that even though Dakota was not reacting strongly to these two items, they might be bothering him enough to cause Dakota to display that behavior that he was. We changed his diet to eliminate everything he was allergic to.
Several months later he was still no better. My vet came out to examine him once again. After pausing for several seconds in thought, he noticed that Dakota`s sheath was slightly enlarged, which I had noticed, too. I had also noticed that Dakota`s stream when he urinated was not as strong as it used to be. Both of these symptoms came on quickly--within two weeks. My vet decided to do a rectal exam. Sure enough, he could feel a large mass above Dakota`s bladder, and the bladder which normally is paper thin membrane felt thickened to my vet.. We then decided to take him in for an ultrasound and biopsy. The tumor turned out to be a lipoma which is a fatty tumor. Unfortunately, it`s location precluded it`s removal as it was sitting right on top of a large nerve bundle. Dakota has now developed these fatty tumors in his girth area in addition to the internal one we now knew about and the ones on his sheath. We did a urinalysis which turned out normal. Dakota bites at himself like he`s itchy. He rolls frequently. He does not run madly around his paddock with his tail flagged as often as he used to. He yawns often which my vet told me can be a sign of discomfort in horses. But my vet said that he could live a long life--I just can`t ride him anymore. I was devastated. I had always thought that if we just kept looking we would find and fix the problem. I never dreamed it would be something we couldn`t fix. We have to watch Dakota now and when the time comes that he`s no longer comfortable, I`ll have to call my vet again to put him to sleep. I have since found out that a significant number of colics that progress to surgery turn out to be these tumors.
I had ridden Dakota constantly since I had gotten him. We had the best times together. He was my escape, my salvation, my friend. Appreciate every day with your horse; we can`t take those moments for granted.
Wednesday, October 06, 1999
'99 Cosequin Challenge - Tommy and Mellisa Crain, song by Jim Baldwin, DVM
Our trip started on Wednesday morning. We left at about 11 am and drove to Wytheville, Va. where we camped at a KOA for the night. I tried to ignore the fact that we were headed right into the path of Hurricane Floyd. Luckily we didn`t get any rain, just some very gusty winds. we had Mel`s horse, Charbiel, and a mare, Topaz, who we have been training for Pam Wiedel from New Jersey.Pam was coming to the ride to do the 60 on Topaz.We got to the ride site at about 1 PM Thursday afternoon. The camp was located at Virginia Ingram`s wonderful ranch in Fort Valley, Va. We had electric hookups and trees for sun protection. Thursday night there was supposed to be a banquet and introduction of the riders but there were so few people there that we just had dinner and called it a night. Friday was the vet in and weigh in. Our friends , Judy and Doug Sandlin came up to do the60 also and Debi Sanger came from Denver to do the 100 miler. Pam brought a young girl named Jen to ride her other horse, Tee Whiz. Doug and Judy’s crew was not able to come so I had 6 riders to crew for. Oh boy what fun this is gonna be. The 100 started at 4 am and the 60 at 6 am. The first loop for the 100’s was on the road, 15.5 miles all in the dark. When the 100’s left the first VC the 60’s were starting their first loop . All were on the same trail at this point. Needless to say the 2nd VC was a little crowded but there were plenty of vets and PR people to go around so it went smoothly. Mel and Debi did fine at the 2nd VC. Doug, Judy and Jen also did fine at their 1st VC. Pam got pulled because Topaz was lame. One down out of my team. Mel and Debi did fine again at the 3rd VC as did Judy and Jen. Doug’s horses started cramping so he got pulled. Two down. I could see the buzzards circling Team Franklin. I looked up and said,”We ain’t dead yet y’all.” The 3rd loop was the toughest for the 100’s. It had a very steep climb and descent. It took them almost 4 hours to complete this loop. This was also the 2nd loop for the 60’s. Mel and Debi told me this was one of the hardest rides they had ever done. The forth loop was a repeat of the second loop. It was getting late in the day . Jen finished the 60 in about 4th place. This was her first ever ride and she did a great job. Poor Judy got pulled at the last VC for lameness only 5 miles out. Three down. More buzzards. The last two loops for the 100’s was a repeat of the road loop with an away VC 5 miles from camp. Mel missed a turn at almost dark about 1/2 mile from the VC and had to backtrack about a mile. By then it was dark. Charbiel was tired but looked fine to finish. While he was eating during the hold the klieg lights went out so we were really in the dark then. Mel took off and I headed back to camp. Mel and Charbiel crossed the finish line about 9:11. We got the completion thank you and went to the trailer to take care of the horses and get some rest. I tried to stay up for Debi to finish but fell asleep sitting up in the trailer about 12:30. Debi , God bless her , finished in last place, 15th, at 2:30 am.
The awards banquet on Sunday morning was really good complete with a delicious brunch. All the finishers got loads of stuff. Feed supplements, Troxel helmets, pro bi, a certificate for about $180 worth of Cosequin, and hoof dressing. Ride management also had a drawing for lots of other stuff like heart monitors, saddles, and free breeding certificates. This was a great ride. Lots of people have knocked it but you had to be there. We had a wonderful time.
Melissa says:
Charbiel and I finished the Cosequin in 10th place. We`re comin` home in great shape thanks to Tommy and Lanie. Tommy is my ultimate crew who takes care of me and Charbiel! I couldn`t do it without him. Lanie is this wonderful angel who came down from nowhere and often after every vet check and during the hold time baby-sat Charbiel like his mother, getting him to eat, drink and relax. Thank you Lanie! I RODE him this time, went conservative the first loop. It was dark on the road but after that we were able to move on. There were 6 significant climbs, roads, rocks and mountains that just wouldn`t quit.I rode by myself most of the time except the first loop I was with Jan Worthington and Achmed from the U.A.E. , and the 4th loop with Darolyn Butler. I only missed one turn on the 5th loop. I went about 1 1/2 miles and then came back to the trail. It got dark at the last Vet Check so I had to ride the last 5 miles in the dark. About 30 riders started the 100 miler and only 15 finished. there was quite a difference in the finishing times. Danielle Kanavy McGunnigal , the winner, finished about 6 PM. We started at 4 am and I finished about 9 PM in 10th place overall and 9th place FEI. The last horse and rider, Debi Sanger on Novah PR came in about 2:30 am. Virginia and Tracy Ingram and their friend Ski went out of the way to make everyone comfortable, happy and well fed. I can`t wait to go back next year.
Here’s a song by “The Singing Veterinarian”, Jim Baldwin, that he wrote for the AERC National Championship series. I changed the lyrics a bit to fit the Cosequin Challenge.
An endurance rides just another ride
When you’ve ridden several years
From the Old Dominion to the Tevis
They don’t strike too much fear
But let me tell about one
That will chill your very soul
It happens in the mountains
Where it’s high and it’s cold
In Virginia there’s a trail
That’s really hard to beat
It’s where the toughest riders
Gather to compete
The entry fee’s have all been paid
And the horses have been brought
We got a few more comin’
But it starts at 4 o’clock
Chorus
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey Danielle can you hack it
Has Jedi got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Jedi’s back in his pen
2nd Verse
The camp ground is quiet
‘Cept for sounds of people gettin’ ready
And horses millin’ ‘round
I asked the girl next to me
“How fast you goin’ out?
Will you hang back with me
And we’ll leave together with a shout”
Sittin’ on her horse she whispers
“ You better look out cause
I can’t wait till that trail is open
I’m gonna run out through that gate “cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey Hassein can you hack it
Has Gym got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Gym’s back in his pen
3rd Verse
The trail goes by quietly
So far it’s a breeze
But when you hit that mountain
The trail will start to tease
We’ll start a climbin’ and a climbin’
And climbin’ for the top
But that damned old mountain
Never seems to stop cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey Wendy can you hack it
Has Timmy got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Timmy’s back in his pen
4th Verse
We had plenty of time a while ago
But now the time is short
An official came by a while ago
And gave us a report
It’s gettin’ hot up on the pass
And the air is gettin’ thick
You need to get down off that mountain
And back down to the creek Cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey John can you hack it
Has Billy got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Billy’s back in his pen
5th Verse
Shortly before dark
The finish line comes into view
There’s a vet no I think I see two
I know it’s not over yet
I still have to get by Bob Beecher
And he’s a son of a gun of a vet cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Congratulations Danielle
You knew Jedi had the heart
You knew you were a tough rider
And you proved it in the end
When the final mile was over
And that big check’s in your den.
Tommy and Melissa Crain
SERA, UMECRA, AERC
lyrics by Jim Baldwin, DVM Central Region AERC
The awards banquet on Sunday morning was really good complete with a delicious brunch. All the finishers got loads of stuff. Feed supplements, Troxel helmets, pro bi, a certificate for about $180 worth of Cosequin, and hoof dressing. Ride management also had a drawing for lots of other stuff like heart monitors, saddles, and free breeding certificates. This was a great ride. Lots of people have knocked it but you had to be there. We had a wonderful time.
Melissa says:
Charbiel and I finished the Cosequin in 10th place. We`re comin` home in great shape thanks to Tommy and Lanie. Tommy is my ultimate crew who takes care of me and Charbiel! I couldn`t do it without him. Lanie is this wonderful angel who came down from nowhere and often after every vet check and during the hold time baby-sat Charbiel like his mother, getting him to eat, drink and relax. Thank you Lanie! I RODE him this time, went conservative the first loop. It was dark on the road but after that we were able to move on. There were 6 significant climbs, roads, rocks and mountains that just wouldn`t quit.I rode by myself most of the time except the first loop I was with Jan Worthington and Achmed from the U.A.E. , and the 4th loop with Darolyn Butler. I only missed one turn on the 5th loop. I went about 1 1/2 miles and then came back to the trail. It got dark at the last Vet Check so I had to ride the last 5 miles in the dark. About 30 riders started the 100 miler and only 15 finished. there was quite a difference in the finishing times. Danielle Kanavy McGunnigal , the winner, finished about 6 PM. We started at 4 am and I finished about 9 PM in 10th place overall and 9th place FEI. The last horse and rider, Debi Sanger on Novah PR came in about 2:30 am. Virginia and Tracy Ingram and their friend Ski went out of the way to make everyone comfortable, happy and well fed. I can`t wait to go back next year.
Here’s a song by “The Singing Veterinarian”, Jim Baldwin, that he wrote for the AERC National Championship series. I changed the lyrics a bit to fit the Cosequin Challenge.
An endurance rides just another ride
When you’ve ridden several years
From the Old Dominion to the Tevis
They don’t strike too much fear
But let me tell about one
That will chill your very soul
It happens in the mountains
Where it’s high and it’s cold
In Virginia there’s a trail
That’s really hard to beat
It’s where the toughest riders
Gather to compete
The entry fee’s have all been paid
And the horses have been brought
We got a few more comin’
But it starts at 4 o’clock
Chorus
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey Danielle can you hack it
Has Jedi got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Jedi’s back in his pen
2nd Verse
The camp ground is quiet
‘Cept for sounds of people gettin’ ready
And horses millin’ ‘round
I asked the girl next to me
“How fast you goin’ out?
Will you hang back with me
And we’ll leave together with a shout”
Sittin’ on her horse she whispers
“ You better look out cause
I can’t wait till that trail is open
I’m gonna run out through that gate “cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey Hassein can you hack it
Has Gym got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Gym’s back in his pen
3rd Verse
The trail goes by quietly
So far it’s a breeze
But when you hit that mountain
The trail will start to tease
We’ll start a climbin’ and a climbin’
And climbin’ for the top
But that damned old mountain
Never seems to stop cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey Wendy can you hack it
Has Timmy got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Timmy’s back in his pen
4th Verse
We had plenty of time a while ago
But now the time is short
An official came by a while ago
And gave us a report
It’s gettin’ hot up on the pass
And the air is gettin’ thick
You need to get down off that mountain
And back down to the creek Cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Hey John can you hack it
Has Billy got the heart
You think your a tough rider
And we’ll find out in the end
When that final miles is over
And Billy’s back in his pen
5th Verse
Shortly before dark
The finish line comes into view
There’s a vet no I think I see two
I know it’s not over yet
I still have to get by Bob Beecher
And he’s a son of a gun of a vet cause
It’s the Cosequin, the big one
The tough one of the sport
Congratulations Danielle
You knew Jedi had the heart
You knew you were a tough rider
And you proved it in the end
When the final mile was over
And that big check’s in your den.
Tommy and Melissa Crain
SERA, UMECRA, AERC
lyrics by Jim Baldwin, DVM Central Region AERC
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