Shawneesunrisefarm.net - Full Story
Posted on March 8, 2011 by Keith Kibler
Red Barn Run
March 2011
You know the old story about the battle being lost for the want of a nail? Mammals don’t function well with foot problems. The same is true for human mammals. When I was in my 40’s, I was the runner of the year in Southern Illinois. Then a trailer hitch failed and dropped a fully loaded band trailer on my left foot and crushed it. I was told I would never run again and would end up in a wheel chair. The Dr’s were wrong, as I completed two Iron Man Triathlons after their prophecy of doom. Prayer and hard work won the day and I learned to never give up. My license plate is “Triagn”.
Shortly before Red Barn Run in Ga., I had to unhook my diesel truck from our stock trailer and hook up the live aboard. The ball hung up on the transfer as I tried to raise the stock trailer and I found it would not release it. I stepped on the truck to use my body weight to jostle the ball out of the hitch. The problem was that I stepped on the hitch instead of the bumper. The truck came lose, rolled back into the chocked stock trailer and pinned my right foot against the stinger of the stock trailer. I called out to my wife Sandy and told her I was in trouble and needed HELP! She walked my direction. I suggested pointedly she should hurry as my “good foot” was being crushed. She carefully used the brake and gas pedal to pull the truck off of my foot. It was very bruised, but not broken, as far as I could tell.
The race in Ga. was on and I was glad to leave 30 degree weather. The drive was 12 hours and I went to the ride meeting as Sandy signed us up. We had taken Cheyenne, a 7 year old TWH mare for Sandy. I had taken my two favorite horses. That would be my rocket fast MFT racking horse Blues and my 100 mile TWH mare Kate. Blues is a Ferrari and Kate is a Honda.
Sandy decided to change the order of when the horses would be ridden due to the weather forecast. Kate is much slower than both Cheyenne and Blues, but is not affected much by heat and humidity. Blues is heavily muscled and is affected more by hot weather...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/wordpress/?p=172
Monday, May 09, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Ozark 100--It Rained....(Notice how that sounds a little like Noah's Ark) by Lucky Six Nellie
My-endurance.net
by Marirose Six
April 29 2011
I got suspicious when Mom fitted me for shoes, 2 pair even, but didn't nail them on. Then came the haircut. We must be going someplace warm. Then the shoes were nailed on. Now I am getting excited, I love seeing new places. We trailered a short ride to another trailer & my buddy Hawk. It's always fun to travel with friends. From there we rode two more days to a place called Missouri. Each night we stopped at really cool places where Hawk & I could move around & relax.
Turns out that it really was kind of warm in MO. I had forgotten about humidity, I was reminded.
When we got to Brushy Creek Lodge, Hawk & I got to wander around some eating grass--my favorite thing to do. We didn't stay long before being loaded again & dropped off for a short ride. I just love new trails. It was so much fun to cruise down the trail with hawk & Kerry. That is until it rained. Thunder, lightning, the whole deal. That didn't slow us down though, I was headed for the trailer & another ride to the next camp at Bass River Resort. We were able to hang out at Bass all the next day. While there I ran into my friend Skylark, she & Ronnie were going to be riding with us. We vetted in for the ride in the afternoon. And then it rained that night.
Come early morning Mom saddled me up in the rain. Then she unsaddled me, I heard that Brushy Creek Camp was under water (that is where we were supposed to be riding to today & then beyond to finish on the trail we rode Thursday). The start of the Ozark 100 was postponed. It rained. A new trail plan was put together, the ride must go on...
By the time Mom saddled up again the rain had stopped & we headed out on the trail. Nine horses & one mule (me, of course) hit the trail. What a beautiful trail it was too. Dogwoods blooming, creeks gurgling. Everyone was having fun. Then it rained again, but that didn't stop the fun or the beauty of the trail. Birds were a singing but only one squirrel braved the rains to run across our trail all day...
Read more here:
http://www.my-endurance.net/profiles/blog/show?id=932467%3ABlogPost%3A62534
by Marirose Six
April 29 2011
I got suspicious when Mom fitted me for shoes, 2 pair even, but didn't nail them on. Then came the haircut. We must be going someplace warm. Then the shoes were nailed on. Now I am getting excited, I love seeing new places. We trailered a short ride to another trailer & my buddy Hawk. It's always fun to travel with friends. From there we rode two more days to a place called Missouri. Each night we stopped at really cool places where Hawk & I could move around & relax.
Turns out that it really was kind of warm in MO. I had forgotten about humidity, I was reminded.
When we got to Brushy Creek Lodge, Hawk & I got to wander around some eating grass--my favorite thing to do. We didn't stay long before being loaded again & dropped off for a short ride. I just love new trails. It was so much fun to cruise down the trail with hawk & Kerry. That is until it rained. Thunder, lightning, the whole deal. That didn't slow us down though, I was headed for the trailer & another ride to the next camp at Bass River Resort. We were able to hang out at Bass all the next day. While there I ran into my friend Skylark, she & Ronnie were going to be riding with us. We vetted in for the ride in the afternoon. And then it rained that night.
Come early morning Mom saddled me up in the rain. Then she unsaddled me, I heard that Brushy Creek Camp was under water (that is where we were supposed to be riding to today & then beyond to finish on the trail we rode Thursday). The start of the Ozark 100 was postponed. It rained. A new trail plan was put together, the ride must go on...
By the time Mom saddled up again the rain had stopped & we headed out on the trail. Nine horses & one mule (me, of course) hit the trail. What a beautiful trail it was too. Dogwoods blooming, creeks gurgling. Everyone was having fun. Then it rained again, but that didn't stop the fun or the beauty of the trail. Birds were a singing but only one squirrel braved the rains to run across our trail all day...
Read more here:
http://www.my-endurance.net/profiles/blog/show?id=932467%3ABlogPost%3A62534
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Ozark Trails 100
Keith Kibler
April 2011
Keith's blog at http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=142.msg190#msg190
Paul Sidio is my friend. We have ridden several 50s together and one previous 100. When I heard that he had the idea of doing a point to point 100 in the extremely remote Ozarks in So Missouri I was immediately interested. When I learned that no one had made it more than 65 miles, in the last ride, I did have a bit of concern. So, when Paul asked if I could help clear part of the trail, I took the chance to help and preview the course at the same time. The trail was no worse than the Shawnee National Forrest and that is where we normally train and ride. I took some advice and invested in Vettec for additional hoof protection.
The week before the ride featured my 2007 ford developing a head leak. The truck could not be repaired in time and Sandy’s truck could not pull the live aboard. Our only option was a stock trailer and a tent. Sandy said, “great, I love a tent”. She was not being sarcastic and is such a trooper.
Sandy, the super crew!
We went to the ending spot, which was a horse campground called Brushy Creek near Black Mo. As we set up our tent outside the stock trailer, I had the thought that the Clampets had arrived. We slept in the tent through a night of raining and headed off to the Bass River resort for the start.
Barry and Linda Cole were the race directors. They took Paul Sidio’s vision and had the courage and daring to run with it. They are to be admired. I do!
Lions
Nine riders started the ride in the 100 and one in the 75. We were supposed to start at 5:45. It started to rain. The Forest Service predicted rain and more rain, which meant seriously swollen water crossings. The race start was pushed back. It was announced that the race plan was modified and that we would find out more later but that we would not be riding point to point. We would ride down the trail until the 20 mark and meet our crews. Sandy is as thrilled with Endurance as I am, but 100 miles is too far for her. Sandy is a wonderful crew and I looked forward to seeing her.
We all put on our rain gear and took to the trail. Lucy Estebook and her fine Arabian "Flyer" went to the lead. Kate and I went with her. We wound around the trail and had a blast together. We were the first though the "gate and go", which was around 9 miles from the start. Lucy’s horse threw a shoe and she had no boot. I gave her what I had. At the first Vet check, at mile 20 we were 18 minutes up. Sandy put a little smaller boot on Flyer.
Lions and Tigers
The race director told me to ride until I got to Hazel Creek Campground. He said I would know it when I came to a sign that said “Hazel Creek Campground”. We were told to turn around when we got to the sign. Off we went and Flyer was flying. I stopped to take a nature break and found Lucy on up the trail, across a small wide spot in the trail, that had a couple of picnic tables. There was no sign of a “Hazel Creek” sign and so we kept going. We eventually came to a sign that said that “Hazel Creek” was was 4.5 miles behind us. It was not our best moment. We turned around. We headed into the vet check knowing we had ridden at least 9 miles too far on the trail. Flyer was done as a result of the shoe issue.
As Kate and I started to leave, the co-race director was on the mobile to the race director. She said, “don’t leave, the race may have to be canceled because of flooding.” Someone started to pull Kate’s saddle. Then the race director said, “the other riders are across a creek that can’t be crossed now and here is what we are going to do. You can go on but you have to turn around and come back. As long as you do 100 miles you can ride back and forth. Just do a 100 miles.” I agreed, took off, went to the creek, and then turned and came back. Did I say it was black as ink out by now?
When I came back for the next vet check, I was told that the race had changed again and that the other riders were now on the same side of the impassible creek. I was told to ride until the next vet check. I did that. On the way the rain increased and it actually started hailing. Kate paused and seemed to ask me what I had gotten her into. As we racked along, I noticed two orange beads glowing in the brush off the trail. I went back and looked again. It was a large rattle snake coiled on some dead fall. We left him alone. I continued to ask Kate to step into raging creeks in the dark. She never missed a step. She did step into a deep spot in one crossing that left me thinking we were going under.
Lions, Tigers, and Bears
We got to the vet check, and the race director said I had to ride some extra miles, to make up the section where the others had crossed the creek that I couldn't cross, and I did that. At one point, I was told to ride down a trail following glow sticks for 5 miles. I did that and on the way back I noticed that a second set of glow sticks were on the trail. I was in a loop. 5 miles became 7 miles. I could not find my way back to the vet check. It started to rain again. It was 2:30 am and I had been sopping wet 17 hours. I called out loud for help. No answer came back. I was on the verge of panicking. The only thing I could think of was to get off of Kate and sit under a tree and wait for help. I realized it might take days to get that help. I was desperate. It was time to pray. I did just that and got the answer of which way to go. 15 minutes later and I found myself at the vet check where the other riders were waiting. We all did 4 miles of road riding and the race director told us to head down the trail for 10 miles to the finish.
Kate was in racking mode and off we went. A mile later, Kate and I came to a point where the trail went into a larger trail that made a sharp right turn. It had an OT sign on it but it did not look right. I went backwards on the trail, and found my friend Paul and the other riders and asked if there was a road ahead. I heard “what road” back from the dark. I turned Kate around and we went back to the sign and headed down the wider trail. I heard the others behind me. I turned and went back to where they were and they were gone. I could not believe it. I called for them. I called loudly. I heard nothing.
So, I went back to the vet check again and the vet crews were gone. I turned around again and went the mile back to the sharp turn. I knew something was wrong. I looked closely at the OT sign and saw there was a second OT sign behind it and a smaller trail. At 4:30 am, in the rain and with wet bifocals, I simply could not see the second sign. I was elated to have found the right way on trail again but realized I had once again given away the lead. Worse, I would now have to hustle to finish within the 24 hour time limit.
We were now well over 100 miles, not including the back and forth over the last few miles at the wide spot. We had 10 miles to go and Kate acted like she was starting the event. We racked on. I watched the GPS and the clock and I knew it would be close. The trail wound around so much it became maddening. Dawn broke and it stopped raining. By 7 am I had 35 minutes to finish and I knew that if I could stay on Kate, we would make it.
We racked into the final vet check to find my Sandy’s beaming face and what sounded to me like thundering applause. Everyone thought I was lost. Sandy knew we would make it somehow. I had a problem. I could not get off of Kate. I could not raise either leg. Sandy and another helper took my feet out of the stirrups and I hugged Kate and rolled to the ground. Once Kate completed I was standing talking to Sandy and all of a sudden a wave of emotion swept over me and I started crying. I felt like a complete goober but I really couldn’t help myself.
I had gone from elation to despair to elation and been wet and cold for 24 hours. Our finish time was 23:35. The other riders had done their 100 miles. Not including the riding back and forth at the wide spot, Kate had carried me 119 miles and finished 15 minutes behind the leaders. I love this horse.
Lions, Tigers and Bears, OH MY!
It appeared we were the only horse that could stand for BC. I fed Kate and got 1½ hours of sleep and a shower. When I went to the vet, the race director came up to me and said, “You are not going to believe this, and I am SO sorry”. I had no idea what he was talking about. He said that one of the other female riders from Wyoming was objecting to my getting placing because the race directors had had me do parts of the course in a different order than the others when they thought the impassable creak was separating me from the competitors. I was in shock. I mentioned I had done what I was told to do to the best of my ability and he said he totally agreed. He said they knew I had done the mileage and more but she was objecting.
I told him I understood that someone might object to Kate standing for B.C., but I had no idea why someone higher in the placing order would object to our getting last place. He said it was crummy, that he knew we had done well over the 100 miles, and he was visibly upset.
This man had done a wonderful job and the last thing I wanted to do was see him upset by anybody. I told him that I argued for a living but would not argue for myself and accepted my belt buckle as my completion award. I should say, “Kate’s completion award.” They made a special “hard luck award” and he announced at the awards lunch that I had done everything asked of me for 24 hours and that Kate was a super horse. I truly appreciated that.
It has been my pleasure to have completed over 80 triathlons, 2 Ironmans and 10 x 500 mile biking events. This race was the hardest thing I have ever done. The trail is not impossible as 6 of us completed the event. However, you need to have a really tough horse, a crew and a good attitude. I would also say that faith would be important. It sure was for me.
I will cherish my belt buckle the rest of my life. Thank you Barry, Linda and Paul!
Rack on my friends. ( Well. Many of you can “trot on”)
Keith and Kate
Got to go hug my horse, well, as soon as I wake up.
April 2011
Keith's blog at http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=142.msg190#msg190
Paul Sidio is my friend. We have ridden several 50s together and one previous 100. When I heard that he had the idea of doing a point to point 100 in the extremely remote Ozarks in So Missouri I was immediately interested. When I learned that no one had made it more than 65 miles, in the last ride, I did have a bit of concern. So, when Paul asked if I could help clear part of the trail, I took the chance to help and preview the course at the same time. The trail was no worse than the Shawnee National Forrest and that is where we normally train and ride. I took some advice and invested in Vettec for additional hoof protection.
The week before the ride featured my 2007 ford developing a head leak. The truck could not be repaired in time and Sandy’s truck could not pull the live aboard. Our only option was a stock trailer and a tent. Sandy said, “great, I love a tent”. She was not being sarcastic and is such a trooper.
Sandy, the super crew!
We went to the ending spot, which was a horse campground called Brushy Creek near Black Mo. As we set up our tent outside the stock trailer, I had the thought that the Clampets had arrived. We slept in the tent through a night of raining and headed off to the Bass River resort for the start.
Barry and Linda Cole were the race directors. They took Paul Sidio’s vision and had the courage and daring to run with it. They are to be admired. I do!
Lions
Nine riders started the ride in the 100 and one in the 75. We were supposed to start at 5:45. It started to rain. The Forest Service predicted rain and more rain, which meant seriously swollen water crossings. The race start was pushed back. It was announced that the race plan was modified and that we would find out more later but that we would not be riding point to point. We would ride down the trail until the 20 mark and meet our crews. Sandy is as thrilled with Endurance as I am, but 100 miles is too far for her. Sandy is a wonderful crew and I looked forward to seeing her.
We all put on our rain gear and took to the trail. Lucy Estebook and her fine Arabian "Flyer" went to the lead. Kate and I went with her. We wound around the trail and had a blast together. We were the first though the "gate and go", which was around 9 miles from the start. Lucy’s horse threw a shoe and she had no boot. I gave her what I had. At the first Vet check, at mile 20 we were 18 minutes up. Sandy put a little smaller boot on Flyer.
Lions and Tigers
The race director told me to ride until I got to Hazel Creek Campground. He said I would know it when I came to a sign that said “Hazel Creek Campground”. We were told to turn around when we got to the sign. Off we went and Flyer was flying. I stopped to take a nature break and found Lucy on up the trail, across a small wide spot in the trail, that had a couple of picnic tables. There was no sign of a “Hazel Creek” sign and so we kept going. We eventually came to a sign that said that “Hazel Creek” was was 4.5 miles behind us. It was not our best moment. We turned around. We headed into the vet check knowing we had ridden at least 9 miles too far on the trail. Flyer was done as a result of the shoe issue.
As Kate and I started to leave, the co-race director was on the mobile to the race director. She said, “don’t leave, the race may have to be canceled because of flooding.” Someone started to pull Kate’s saddle. Then the race director said, “the other riders are across a creek that can’t be crossed now and here is what we are going to do. You can go on but you have to turn around and come back. As long as you do 100 miles you can ride back and forth. Just do a 100 miles.” I agreed, took off, went to the creek, and then turned and came back. Did I say it was black as ink out by now?
When I came back for the next vet check, I was told that the race had changed again and that the other riders were now on the same side of the impassible creek. I was told to ride until the next vet check. I did that. On the way the rain increased and it actually started hailing. Kate paused and seemed to ask me what I had gotten her into. As we racked along, I noticed two orange beads glowing in the brush off the trail. I went back and looked again. It was a large rattle snake coiled on some dead fall. We left him alone. I continued to ask Kate to step into raging creeks in the dark. She never missed a step. She did step into a deep spot in one crossing that left me thinking we were going under.
Lions, Tigers, and Bears
We got to the vet check, and the race director said I had to ride some extra miles, to make up the section where the others had crossed the creek that I couldn't cross, and I did that. At one point, I was told to ride down a trail following glow sticks for 5 miles. I did that and on the way back I noticed that a second set of glow sticks were on the trail. I was in a loop. 5 miles became 7 miles. I could not find my way back to the vet check. It started to rain again. It was 2:30 am and I had been sopping wet 17 hours. I called out loud for help. No answer came back. I was on the verge of panicking. The only thing I could think of was to get off of Kate and sit under a tree and wait for help. I realized it might take days to get that help. I was desperate. It was time to pray. I did just that and got the answer of which way to go. 15 minutes later and I found myself at the vet check where the other riders were waiting. We all did 4 miles of road riding and the race director told us to head down the trail for 10 miles to the finish.
Kate was in racking mode and off we went. A mile later, Kate and I came to a point where the trail went into a larger trail that made a sharp right turn. It had an OT sign on it but it did not look right. I went backwards on the trail, and found my friend Paul and the other riders and asked if there was a road ahead. I heard “what road” back from the dark. I turned Kate around and we went back to the sign and headed down the wider trail. I heard the others behind me. I turned and went back to where they were and they were gone. I could not believe it. I called for them. I called loudly. I heard nothing.
So, I went back to the vet check again and the vet crews were gone. I turned around again and went the mile back to the sharp turn. I knew something was wrong. I looked closely at the OT sign and saw there was a second OT sign behind it and a smaller trail. At 4:30 am, in the rain and with wet bifocals, I simply could not see the second sign. I was elated to have found the right way on trail again but realized I had once again given away the lead. Worse, I would now have to hustle to finish within the 24 hour time limit.
We were now well over 100 miles, not including the back and forth over the last few miles at the wide spot. We had 10 miles to go and Kate acted like she was starting the event. We racked on. I watched the GPS and the clock and I knew it would be close. The trail wound around so much it became maddening. Dawn broke and it stopped raining. By 7 am I had 35 minutes to finish and I knew that if I could stay on Kate, we would make it.
We racked into the final vet check to find my Sandy’s beaming face and what sounded to me like thundering applause. Everyone thought I was lost. Sandy knew we would make it somehow. I had a problem. I could not get off of Kate. I could not raise either leg. Sandy and another helper took my feet out of the stirrups and I hugged Kate and rolled to the ground. Once Kate completed I was standing talking to Sandy and all of a sudden a wave of emotion swept over me and I started crying. I felt like a complete goober but I really couldn’t help myself.
I had gone from elation to despair to elation and been wet and cold for 24 hours. Our finish time was 23:35. The other riders had done their 100 miles. Not including the riding back and forth at the wide spot, Kate had carried me 119 miles and finished 15 minutes behind the leaders. I love this horse.
Lions, Tigers and Bears, OH MY!
It appeared we were the only horse that could stand for BC. I fed Kate and got 1½ hours of sleep and a shower. When I went to the vet, the race director came up to me and said, “You are not going to believe this, and I am SO sorry”. I had no idea what he was talking about. He said that one of the other female riders from Wyoming was objecting to my getting placing because the race directors had had me do parts of the course in a different order than the others when they thought the impassable creak was separating me from the competitors. I was in shock. I mentioned I had done what I was told to do to the best of my ability and he said he totally agreed. He said they knew I had done the mileage and more but she was objecting.
I told him I understood that someone might object to Kate standing for B.C., but I had no idea why someone higher in the placing order would object to our getting last place. He said it was crummy, that he knew we had done well over the 100 miles, and he was visibly upset.
This man had done a wonderful job and the last thing I wanted to do was see him upset by anybody. I told him that I argued for a living but would not argue for myself and accepted my belt buckle as my completion award. I should say, “Kate’s completion award.” They made a special “hard luck award” and he announced at the awards lunch that I had done everything asked of me for 24 hours and that Kate was a super horse. I truly appreciated that.
It has been my pleasure to have completed over 80 triathlons, 2 Ironmans and 10 x 500 mile biking events. This race was the hardest thing I have ever done. The trail is not impossible as 6 of us completed the event. However, you need to have a really tough horse, a crew and a good attitude. I would also say that faith would be important. It sure was for me.
I will cherish my belt buckle the rest of my life. Thank you Barry, Linda and Paul!
Rack on my friends. ( Well. Many of you can “trot on”)
Keith and Kate
Got to go hug my horse, well, as soon as I wake up.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Australia: Shk Majid al Maktoum Challenge - Jay Randle
April 18 2011
We arrived on Friday afternoon and I was astounded at the location! It was very easy to access; from the highway it looked like something special was happening, and the lay-out was well designed.... with the exception of the requirement that all vehicles had to be parked in an east-west direction.... which made the large paddock a very hot place to be, with no shade available. For the next ride at this location, may I suggest that (if the same requirement for all the parking to look "neat" is in effect) all vehicles should park on a north-south axis to allow for shade patches to be utilised??
The big screen was certainly an eye-catching feature! However the repetitive nature of the videos played pre-ride was pretty ordinary. Once the screen was showing actual ride and vetting footage, it was great! I thought it was fun to try to spot the camera operator!!
The site is used for field days, and has some permanent structures and some concrete pads which are used for temporary display stands. Although there seemed to be plenty of power boxes, and a number of water taps, both power and water were unavailable for over half of the area due to a lack of generator power, I believe. Hopefully this will be rectified in time for the June event.
There was a free feed put on on Friday evening for all riders, officials, strappers, volunteers, etc. Which meant everybody! The food was good, and plentiful, and the atmosphere was similar to some American and European rides I have attended where similar style catering is common-place. Maybe a bar would have made it even more fun...
4am Saturday morning saw the start of the 160km 3-star event, with 6 starters. At 5am the 120km 2-star event commenced, with 27 Open and 10 Youth starters. That the track was fast was evidenced by the quick pace of the first leg, and it certainly made the strapping and vetting areas very interesting! It was pretty clear early on that there were going to be heavy casualties with lots of lamenesses visible. From talking to various riders I discovered that the track, although flat, had a multitude of different types of footing, including soft sand, hard packed tracks, rocky patches, muddy patches, and muddy soft patches with hard spiky rocks underneath! Most people I spoke to mentioned that it would be a good idea to pad for this ride in future.
A 40km training ride was also offered on Saturday, with pre-ride vetting from about 7am, and the ride commencing at 10am. Although the morning dawned quite warm, and then it turned hot for about an hour, by 10am it was raining lightly and quite cool! So the training riders set off on a wet track, although most looked like they were enjoying it! My good friend Kate Gadsby had delivered a 40km horse for one of my young riders, Sam Barling, to do her second 40km on, and they both set off looking great. The training ride was 2 legs, of 25km and 17.5km, and Sam and Deep Forest Contest completed the ride very well and easily. Thanks to Kate Gadsby for allowing Sam to ride her beautiful Connie!
By this time the 120km ride was really getting interesting, as I had 1 horse entered in the Youth Division: Aloha Farina (owned by Lisa Stone) being ridden by Natashja Burton. Farina and Natashja did the first leg of 40km in 2:35, the second leg of 30km in 1:46, the third leg of 25km in 1:39, and the final leg of 25km in 1:34, for a consistent average speed of over 15km per hour. Farina vetted well after each leg, and ended up with a total ride time of 7:51:56.
The weather during the day fluctuated from drizzly and mild to hot and steamy, with patches of windy and cool. Quite a number (more than half the field, I believe) of competitors were lame in the trot-outs, and a couple of horses were treated during the day. After the third leg, Natashja and Farina were in 5th place, however the leader vetted out at the third Vet check. I then told Natashja to pass one particular rider who was just in front of her, and so the pair ended up in 3rd place, just under 6 minutes behind the winner! Natashja rode a very good ride, and Farina looked great throughout.
The strapping area gave everyone plenty of room, and the water supply was maintained by one of the ride volunteers who worked his butt off to keep the troughs filled. Because the ground is mainly sandy, there was not that terrible problem of sloshing through increasingly wet and muddy conditions in the strapping area.
Saturday evening saw some celebrations, and Sunday morning saw the start of the 80km 1-star event at 5am. We had one entry, Splendacrest Superb (owned by Clare Fleming) ridden by Gerard Bou. The 80km ride was in three legs: 25km, 30km, 25km. The first leg of 25km wasn't enough to even begin to tire out Super, and he was still jumping out of his skin after the second leg. It was only after he completed the 80km that he started to look tired, although G was pretty tired well before then! Super and G completed in 4:53, for 7th Open placing.
There was an exciting gallop finish between the 2 front-runners, and I heard that the "maximum speed" registered on the GPS unit of one of them was 49.4km per hour! There was also a protest after the race, second against first, due to the location of the finish line having been changed without the knowledge of the riders. However the original placings were upheld, with the winner's time being 3:38:30. Pretty fast ride!
I was very pleased with our results on the weekend, and look forward to the June ride at the same location. My overall impression of the event was favourable, and I acknowlege the effort put in by the Toft family and all the volunteers, FEI Officials, QERA volunteers, and anyone who helped to make this event such a good one. I would certainly recommend the June ride as an event not to be missed, however the inclusion of an AERA 160km alongside the FEI*** 160km ride would be welcomed.
We arrived on Friday afternoon and I was astounded at the location! It was very easy to access; from the highway it looked like something special was happening, and the lay-out was well designed.... with the exception of the requirement that all vehicles had to be parked in an east-west direction.... which made the large paddock a very hot place to be, with no shade available. For the next ride at this location, may I suggest that (if the same requirement for all the parking to look "neat" is in effect) all vehicles should park on a north-south axis to allow for shade patches to be utilised??
The big screen was certainly an eye-catching feature! However the repetitive nature of the videos played pre-ride was pretty ordinary. Once the screen was showing actual ride and vetting footage, it was great! I thought it was fun to try to spot the camera operator!!
The site is used for field days, and has some permanent structures and some concrete pads which are used for temporary display stands. Although there seemed to be plenty of power boxes, and a number of water taps, both power and water were unavailable for over half of the area due to a lack of generator power, I believe. Hopefully this will be rectified in time for the June event.
There was a free feed put on on Friday evening for all riders, officials, strappers, volunteers, etc. Which meant everybody! The food was good, and plentiful, and the atmosphere was similar to some American and European rides I have attended where similar style catering is common-place. Maybe a bar would have made it even more fun...
4am Saturday morning saw the start of the 160km 3-star event, with 6 starters. At 5am the 120km 2-star event commenced, with 27 Open and 10 Youth starters. That the track was fast was evidenced by the quick pace of the first leg, and it certainly made the strapping and vetting areas very interesting! It was pretty clear early on that there were going to be heavy casualties with lots of lamenesses visible. From talking to various riders I discovered that the track, although flat, had a multitude of different types of footing, including soft sand, hard packed tracks, rocky patches, muddy patches, and muddy soft patches with hard spiky rocks underneath! Most people I spoke to mentioned that it would be a good idea to pad for this ride in future.
A 40km training ride was also offered on Saturday, with pre-ride vetting from about 7am, and the ride commencing at 10am. Although the morning dawned quite warm, and then it turned hot for about an hour, by 10am it was raining lightly and quite cool! So the training riders set off on a wet track, although most looked like they were enjoying it! My good friend Kate Gadsby had delivered a 40km horse for one of my young riders, Sam Barling, to do her second 40km on, and they both set off looking great. The training ride was 2 legs, of 25km and 17.5km, and Sam and Deep Forest Contest completed the ride very well and easily. Thanks to Kate Gadsby for allowing Sam to ride her beautiful Connie!
By this time the 120km ride was really getting interesting, as I had 1 horse entered in the Youth Division: Aloha Farina (owned by Lisa Stone) being ridden by Natashja Burton. Farina and Natashja did the first leg of 40km in 2:35, the second leg of 30km in 1:46, the third leg of 25km in 1:39, and the final leg of 25km in 1:34, for a consistent average speed of over 15km per hour. Farina vetted well after each leg, and ended up with a total ride time of 7:51:56.
The weather during the day fluctuated from drizzly and mild to hot and steamy, with patches of windy and cool. Quite a number (more than half the field, I believe) of competitors were lame in the trot-outs, and a couple of horses were treated during the day. After the third leg, Natashja and Farina were in 5th place, however the leader vetted out at the third Vet check. I then told Natashja to pass one particular rider who was just in front of her, and so the pair ended up in 3rd place, just under 6 minutes behind the winner! Natashja rode a very good ride, and Farina looked great throughout.
The strapping area gave everyone plenty of room, and the water supply was maintained by one of the ride volunteers who worked his butt off to keep the troughs filled. Because the ground is mainly sandy, there was not that terrible problem of sloshing through increasingly wet and muddy conditions in the strapping area.
Saturday evening saw some celebrations, and Sunday morning saw the start of the 80km 1-star event at 5am. We had one entry, Splendacrest Superb (owned by Clare Fleming) ridden by Gerard Bou. The 80km ride was in three legs: 25km, 30km, 25km. The first leg of 25km wasn't enough to even begin to tire out Super, and he was still jumping out of his skin after the second leg. It was only after he completed the 80km that he started to look tired, although G was pretty tired well before then! Super and G completed in 4:53, for 7th Open placing.
There was an exciting gallop finish between the 2 front-runners, and I heard that the "maximum speed" registered on the GPS unit of one of them was 49.4km per hour! There was also a protest after the race, second against first, due to the location of the finish line having been changed without the knowledge of the riders. However the original placings were upheld, with the winner's time being 3:38:30. Pretty fast ride!
I was very pleased with our results on the weekend, and look forward to the June ride at the same location. My overall impression of the event was favourable, and I acknowlege the effort put in by the Toft family and all the volunteers, FEI Officials, QERA volunteers, and anyone who helped to make this event such a good one. I would certainly recommend the June ride as an event not to be missed, however the inclusion of an AERA 160km alongside the FEI*** 160km ride would be welcomed.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tough Sucker 2011
Karen Bumgarner
When I think of a ride in the Owyhees the first thing that comes to mind is the magnificent Snake River. The Snake winds around through the desert and tall canyon walls, creating quiet oasis and beautiful ranches. The pioneers followed much of the Snake and the Oregon Trail still exists. And lucky us as Tough Sucker riders, we get the privelege of riding portions of the Oregon Trail. To trot where the oxen pulled wagons and the pioneers walked is an amazing experience. And from the dry hill tops looking back towards the river, one wonders how they must have felt leaving the river behind, and knowing that if they stayed there that it could mean death from the Indians. Recall the Utter Disaster blogspot from last October.
It is amazing that much of the Owyhees are as wild as they were 150 years ago. Minus the Indians. :-) But as you ride along its pretty easy to replay some of those old westerns in your head and imagine Indians popping up along the horizon. Hmmm maybe thats what makes Thunder look for something to jump at!
These Owyhee rides remain some of my favorites. And they must be the favorites of others too as riders drove in to the ranch near Oreana for the ride on Saturday April 16. It wasn't a big crowd but it was a happy bunch of riders as we started the day with no wind and a promise of sunshine. The first loop took us to the Snake River and it was peaceful and gorgeous. Even though the water was high and rapid we still had a nice spot for the horses to drink. The trail then went out to the Snake River Birds of Prey area and wound around the desert all day long. Some folks find the desert boring but it is chock full of beauty if a person just looks for it. Even the dry washes with their high walls can be entertaining especially when Thunder is on "Troll Patrol". HAHA.
I think the ride had roughly 40 riders all total on the 25, 50 and 75. Only 5 of us were on the 75 and Thunder and I managed to place third about 30 minutes behind the front runners. He was still full of spooks and playful moves, all in a days work of Keeping me entertained and improving my riding skills. We finished about 8 PM and it wasn't even dark yet. Hooray! We vetted in for the last time of the day with A's on his vet card all day long!
Except for a 5 minute rain shower, it was a sunny beautiful and warm day. So unlike Tough Sucker weather but I truly enjoyed it!
Karen's Horsetales Blog
When I think of a ride in the Owyhees the first thing that comes to mind is the magnificent Snake River. The Snake winds around through the desert and tall canyon walls, creating quiet oasis and beautiful ranches. The pioneers followed much of the Snake and the Oregon Trail still exists. And lucky us as Tough Sucker riders, we get the privelege of riding portions of the Oregon Trail. To trot where the oxen pulled wagons and the pioneers walked is an amazing experience. And from the dry hill tops looking back towards the river, one wonders how they must have felt leaving the river behind, and knowing that if they stayed there that it could mean death from the Indians. Recall the Utter Disaster blogspot from last October.
It is amazing that much of the Owyhees are as wild as they were 150 years ago. Minus the Indians. :-) But as you ride along its pretty easy to replay some of those old westerns in your head and imagine Indians popping up along the horizon. Hmmm maybe thats what makes Thunder look for something to jump at!
These Owyhee rides remain some of my favorites. And they must be the favorites of others too as riders drove in to the ranch near Oreana for the ride on Saturday April 16. It wasn't a big crowd but it was a happy bunch of riders as we started the day with no wind and a promise of sunshine. The first loop took us to the Snake River and it was peaceful and gorgeous. Even though the water was high and rapid we still had a nice spot for the horses to drink. The trail then went out to the Snake River Birds of Prey area and wound around the desert all day long. Some folks find the desert boring but it is chock full of beauty if a person just looks for it. Even the dry washes with their high walls can be entertaining especially when Thunder is on "Troll Patrol". HAHA.
I think the ride had roughly 40 riders all total on the 25, 50 and 75. Only 5 of us were on the 75 and Thunder and I managed to place third about 30 minutes behind the front runners. He was still full of spooks and playful moves, all in a days work of Keeping me entertained and improving my riding skills. We finished about 8 PM and it wasn't even dark yet. Hooray! We vetted in for the last time of the day with A's on his vet card all day long!
Except for a 5 minute rain shower, it was a sunny beautiful and warm day. So unlike Tough Sucker weather but I truly enjoyed it!
Karen's Horsetales Blog
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Home on the Range Endurance Race
March 28 2011
Well, we are home from the endurance race. I was so sore yesterday, I could barely walk. Here I prided myself that I was in good shape - yah, right. I guess not so much. Traveler, my husband and my kids and I loaded up the motor home and headed over to the beautfiul Palouse country for the first endurance race of the season. We just went out on the 25 miler - and overall, Traveler was great. I was worried about his "stallion" behavior, but he held it in check for the initial vetting in and was in good shape and vetted through perfectly. He spent the night tied to the trailer and I kept one ear open all night listening for any low nickering, to make sure a mare didn't get loose and visit us in the wee hours of the morning. At one point I thought I heard something and I bolted up right, listening intently, when I realized it was just my husband snoring. LOL. And then the race started. He had been doing really well, listening to me and being under control, and then 50 mares in heat took off at a run and they were leaving him behind!...
Read more here:
http://rideacurly.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-on-range-endurance-race.html
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Shanghai Trails 100 Mile Ride Story - Paul Sidio
March 29 2011
Well it all started with a blizzard back in February. The weather was too bad for us to go to MD Anderson in Houston Texas for my wifes annual breast examination. Icy roads and sub zero temps forced us to cancel her appointment. This is the 5th year after her surgery and chemo, so we really wanted to get it done. When she looked at re0schduling dates available, March 24th popped up. I checked and realized that the Shanghai Trail Endurance ride was 2 days after that. They were offering a 100 mile distance for the first time this year.
After doing some creative math, I figured that driving the big rig and pulling a horse trailer would cost us only $150 more when figuring in motel rooms and dining out costs if we drove a car. So we decided to multi task the trip and do the exam and then I would do the 100. It worked out even better when Kris Anderson, near Houston needed a horse hauled down there, which I agreed to do for $150. Yay, now we broke even... Ha!
Piper had done the 100 at Blazing Saddles on February 26th, so would have had 4 weeks off. We only did one 10 mile conditioning/tuneup ride between these two 100 mile rides. He was strong and full of himself, so I decided to do another 100 on him. It is about 700 miles from our home to Houston, so we planned how to give him the best recovery trip possible. We went down south on Wednesday, stayed at Darolyn Butlers place, and stole her car on Thursday to drive into Houston. There we had the tests done, which determined that Patsy was 100% fine, so she went shopping!! Now we are not broke even, we are just broke.
Friday we drove the 1 1/2 hours to camp, and hauled Boomer, one of Darolyns horses who doesn't play well with others along with us. Set up, vetted through.and went to the ride meeting. There we found out it was going to be much hotter than we expected. Upper 80's were expected, with high humidity and wind. The weather had been very dry there, and the trails were rock hard. They were flat as can be, but no cushion at all. Very concussive. The black loam had 1-2 inch wide cracks in it. In addition, some of the trail was in uneven cow pasture. Not bad, but deceptively smooth. We had 11 entries in the 100, and 8 in the 75 mile ride. The 75's had the option of elevating after completing the 75.
Saturday morning was cloudy and seemed cool. I had on my lucky Western Australia Endurance Rider shirt with a t-shirt underneath. Off we went at first light. The faster riders quickly disappeared down the trail, and we settled into a group of 3-5 riders. It warmed up quickly, and we let several other riders go on by. The first loop was 22 miles and we did it at about 9 mph. When I went into the rig, I pulled off the t-shirt. it was soaking wet. This warned me that the wind was drying the sweat off the horses and making it look cooler than it was. Piper had pre-warned me of this by drinking deeply at every water tank, rather than his normal first loop tactic of not drinking or maybe taking a sip one time. So we backed off on speed a bit during the second loop. And some more on the 3rd loop. Riders kept getting pulled left and right. We lost Dave Goetz from Oklahoma who was riding with us at 46 miles. Scott Godwin had some issues and dropped back some more. Several of the front
runners were pulled.
On the 4th loop we came across Sophia Bashir. She was off her horse sitting on the ground with her helmet off, horse tied to a tree, and she was very unhappy. We asked if the horse was ok, and she told us he was fine , but refusing to go. In the small world strange encounter cataqory, it was Boomer, who we had hauled there. Boomer was at the WEG in Kentucky as a mount for Olivia Mattai on Team Namibia. I was the groom for Boomer there and knew him, and his attitude well.
So the conversation with Sophia went something like this:
Sophia: "I will be ok. They are coming to get me"
Me: " No they are not. You are not on a road, this is just a trail along a fence. There is no breeze here. It is too hot to just stay here. They won't be able to find you. Get back on the horse and come with us."
Sophia: " He won't go. It must be me"
Me: "Fine. Put on your helmet"
Sophia: " But he will just stand there"
Me: "That's fine. Tighten up the girth"
Sophia: "You will see . He won't move"
Me: "That is wonderful. Now get in the saddle"
Alexis Jones was with us, and I asked her to start walking off with her horse. I got Piper behind Boomer and started herding him like a cow. I knew he would kick or bite if he had the chance, so stayed back out of striking range. " Hyah!!! Git up!!! Hyah!! Move it !!!" I even threatened to start yodeling if he wouldn't move. He decided that following Alexis was less irritating than listening to me, so down the trail we went. When ever Sophia asked me how much further we had to go, I would reply, "Just a bit further to camp I think". Along the way, Sophia complained about her knees hurting and I told her my secret for ignoring knee pain. She was excited to hear it... until I told her that my secret to ignoring knee pain was
because my back hurt much worse. We nursed her along for the 10 miles for the loop which was her first 50 mile completion. I had told her that completing would fix knee pain, and I was correct.
We lost Alexis at that 61 mile vet check, and now there were only 3 of us left in the 100. It was getting lonely out there. Piper was still going strong, He vetted through great all day. From arrival time to pulse in time was 5 minutes one time. 4 minutes twice and 3 minutes the rest of the time. His pulse rate was 56 once, then 52's with two 48's. At one vet check, he pulsed at 48, and after trot out and the one minute re-check was at 44. This was incredible for such a hot humid day. He ate exceptionally well all day. We focused on grazing in camp as much as possible and then eating hay and grain. My wife was incredible in helping do this, Normally I ride with little or no crew help, but this day was wearing me down, and I needed to rest and take care of myself at the holds, so I could take care of him on trail. Without Patsy's help, this would have been impossible. In addition to eating it kept him moving a bit during the holds.
On the next loop I caught up with Britteny, who was the lone adult 75 mile rider left. There was a Junior who had lost 2 sponsors that day, behind her who was hunting for a sponsor to finish. Britteny and I came in together. I tried to get her to play a joke on the waiting people and tell them that she was elevating to the 100, but she forgot to do this :-)
So off we went. Now down to just us, and Jennifer Masters who was on her first 100 and about 2 hours behind us. It was dark, and Ride Management decided that the glowsticks were not adequate, so sent us us following ATVs. They would go ahead and open gates alongside cattle guards, and close them behind us, then go off into the night. All day, those cattle guards and other gates had been staffed by Boy Scouts volunteers. Jennifers guide got lost and she pulled. So now Piper and I were the only chance for a 100 mile rider to complete. I toll my guides, David from 7-IL Ranch that I was not going to try and keep up with them, but was going to walk the bad footing, and let him graze when needed, He said that was no problem. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the last 11 miles. Piper vetted through great. Our first 100 mile win in the blazing time of about 15:40 ...zooommm!!! Not likely to happen again, so we enjoyed the moment. To Finish was indeed to Win
KMA Chazz Piper is a narrow built 14'2 hands tall Arabian 14 year old gelding. He wear OO shoes, has small cannon bone, and we have to special order 22 inch girths for his Specialized Saddle as he has such small chest depth. He weighed 780 pounds at the start of the ride, carried 212 pounds for 100 miles and only lost 20 pounds. He never balked or tried to quit. He seems delicate at first glance, and many people mistake him for a young filly. He is so calm and good natured that most people would not see how tough and determined he is. Of his 780 pounds, it is almost all heart and grit. I know that the congratulation we got after the ride were due to his effort and his willingness to let me come along for the ride.
It was a tough day. Only one out of 11 finished the 100. Only 2 out of the 8 starters in the 75 completed. Why?? My gut feeling is #1) the normal wear and tear stuff that happens in 100's. #2) Deceptively hard concussive footing that might have fooled some riders into going faster than they would have. At one point on trail, Alexis wondered if we were on trail, and she could see any hooftprints in the dirt. I told her to look behind us as there were still no hoof prints. (Then we saw a ribbon, so we knew we were ok). Riding a horse who lives on rocks helped me as he was used to concussion. #3) The wind dried the sweat from horses, so riders couldn't tell that the horses were working as hard as they were. We grazed a lot on trail and in camp. Plus Patsy had bought a watermelon that was not quite ripe yet, so Piper got to eat it. I think this all helped to keep his gut working and to keep him hydrated.
The next day, Piper looked great. There were Ride and Tie riders getting ready to go 20 miles who invited us to come along. I declined.:-) He ate like a horse while we packed up camp. We headed towards home, and soon blew a tire on the RV. While waiting for the service truck, he grazed in a field next to the truck stop for 2 hours straight. We spent the night at Val Jaffes place south of Dallas, where he had a round pen to move around in. We were fed a delicious meal, got a good nights sleep, and got home the next evening. Piper came prancing out of the trailer, trotted proud around the barn lot, and galloped off to be with his pasture buddies. Then, just for the fun of it, he did a victory lap around the field. Nothing quite like bringing a horse home from a ride that feels good enough to do that.
Now we get ready for the next ride.
Paul N. Sidio
KMA Chazz Piper (who now has completed five 100 mile rides)
Spokane MO
Well it all started with a blizzard back in February. The weather was too bad for us to go to MD Anderson in Houston Texas for my wifes annual breast examination. Icy roads and sub zero temps forced us to cancel her appointment. This is the 5th year after her surgery and chemo, so we really wanted to get it done. When she looked at re0schduling dates available, March 24th popped up. I checked and realized that the Shanghai Trail Endurance ride was 2 days after that. They were offering a 100 mile distance for the first time this year.
After doing some creative math, I figured that driving the big rig and pulling a horse trailer would cost us only $150 more when figuring in motel rooms and dining out costs if we drove a car. So we decided to multi task the trip and do the exam and then I would do the 100. It worked out even better when Kris Anderson, near Houston needed a horse hauled down there, which I agreed to do for $150. Yay, now we broke even... Ha!
Piper had done the 100 at Blazing Saddles on February 26th, so would have had 4 weeks off. We only did one 10 mile conditioning/tuneup ride between these two 100 mile rides. He was strong and full of himself, so I decided to do another 100 on him. It is about 700 miles from our home to Houston, so we planned how to give him the best recovery trip possible. We went down south on Wednesday, stayed at Darolyn Butlers place, and stole her car on Thursday to drive into Houston. There we had the tests done, which determined that Patsy was 100% fine, so she went shopping!! Now we are not broke even, we are just broke.
Friday we drove the 1 1/2 hours to camp, and hauled Boomer, one of Darolyns horses who doesn't play well with others along with us. Set up, vetted through.and went to the ride meeting. There we found out it was going to be much hotter than we expected. Upper 80's were expected, with high humidity and wind. The weather had been very dry there, and the trails were rock hard. They were flat as can be, but no cushion at all. Very concussive. The black loam had 1-2 inch wide cracks in it. In addition, some of the trail was in uneven cow pasture. Not bad, but deceptively smooth. We had 11 entries in the 100, and 8 in the 75 mile ride. The 75's had the option of elevating after completing the 75.
Saturday morning was cloudy and seemed cool. I had on my lucky Western Australia Endurance Rider shirt with a t-shirt underneath. Off we went at first light. The faster riders quickly disappeared down the trail, and we settled into a group of 3-5 riders. It warmed up quickly, and we let several other riders go on by. The first loop was 22 miles and we did it at about 9 mph. When I went into the rig, I pulled off the t-shirt. it was soaking wet. This warned me that the wind was drying the sweat off the horses and making it look cooler than it was. Piper had pre-warned me of this by drinking deeply at every water tank, rather than his normal first loop tactic of not drinking or maybe taking a sip one time. So we backed off on speed a bit during the second loop. And some more on the 3rd loop. Riders kept getting pulled left and right. We lost Dave Goetz from Oklahoma who was riding with us at 46 miles. Scott Godwin had some issues and dropped back some more. Several of the front
runners were pulled.
On the 4th loop we came across Sophia Bashir. She was off her horse sitting on the ground with her helmet off, horse tied to a tree, and she was very unhappy. We asked if the horse was ok, and she told us he was fine , but refusing to go. In the small world strange encounter cataqory, it was Boomer, who we had hauled there. Boomer was at the WEG in Kentucky as a mount for Olivia Mattai on Team Namibia. I was the groom for Boomer there and knew him, and his attitude well.
So the conversation with Sophia went something like this:
Sophia: "I will be ok. They are coming to get me"
Me: " No they are not. You are not on a road, this is just a trail along a fence. There is no breeze here. It is too hot to just stay here. They won't be able to find you. Get back on the horse and come with us."
Sophia: " He won't go. It must be me"
Me: "Fine. Put on your helmet"
Sophia: " But he will just stand there"
Me: "That's fine. Tighten up the girth"
Sophia: "You will see . He won't move"
Me: "That is wonderful. Now get in the saddle"
Alexis Jones was with us, and I asked her to start walking off with her horse. I got Piper behind Boomer and started herding him like a cow. I knew he would kick or bite if he had the chance, so stayed back out of striking range. " Hyah!!! Git up!!! Hyah!! Move it !!!" I even threatened to start yodeling if he wouldn't move. He decided that following Alexis was less irritating than listening to me, so down the trail we went. When ever Sophia asked me how much further we had to go, I would reply, "Just a bit further to camp I think". Along the way, Sophia complained about her knees hurting and I told her my secret for ignoring knee pain. She was excited to hear it... until I told her that my secret to ignoring knee pain was
because my back hurt much worse. We nursed her along for the 10 miles for the loop which was her first 50 mile completion. I had told her that completing would fix knee pain, and I was correct.
We lost Alexis at that 61 mile vet check, and now there were only 3 of us left in the 100. It was getting lonely out there. Piper was still going strong, He vetted through great all day. From arrival time to pulse in time was 5 minutes one time. 4 minutes twice and 3 minutes the rest of the time. His pulse rate was 56 once, then 52's with two 48's. At one vet check, he pulsed at 48, and after trot out and the one minute re-check was at 44. This was incredible for such a hot humid day. He ate exceptionally well all day. We focused on grazing in camp as much as possible and then eating hay and grain. My wife was incredible in helping do this, Normally I ride with little or no crew help, but this day was wearing me down, and I needed to rest and take care of myself at the holds, so I could take care of him on trail. Without Patsy's help, this would have been impossible. In addition to eating it kept him moving a bit during the holds.
On the next loop I caught up with Britteny, who was the lone adult 75 mile rider left. There was a Junior who had lost 2 sponsors that day, behind her who was hunting for a sponsor to finish. Britteny and I came in together. I tried to get her to play a joke on the waiting people and tell them that she was elevating to the 100, but she forgot to do this :-)
So off we went. Now down to just us, and Jennifer Masters who was on her first 100 and about 2 hours behind us. It was dark, and Ride Management decided that the glowsticks were not adequate, so sent us us following ATVs. They would go ahead and open gates alongside cattle guards, and close them behind us, then go off into the night. All day, those cattle guards and other gates had been staffed by Boy Scouts volunteers. Jennifers guide got lost and she pulled. So now Piper and I were the only chance for a 100 mile rider to complete. I toll my guides, David from 7-IL Ranch that I was not going to try and keep up with them, but was going to walk the bad footing, and let him graze when needed, He said that was no problem. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete the last 11 miles. Piper vetted through great. Our first 100 mile win in the blazing time of about 15:40 ...zooommm!!! Not likely to happen again, so we enjoyed the moment. To Finish was indeed to Win
KMA Chazz Piper is a narrow built 14'2 hands tall Arabian 14 year old gelding. He wear OO shoes, has small cannon bone, and we have to special order 22 inch girths for his Specialized Saddle as he has such small chest depth. He weighed 780 pounds at the start of the ride, carried 212 pounds for 100 miles and only lost 20 pounds. He never balked or tried to quit. He seems delicate at first glance, and many people mistake him for a young filly. He is so calm and good natured that most people would not see how tough and determined he is. Of his 780 pounds, it is almost all heart and grit. I know that the congratulation we got after the ride were due to his effort and his willingness to let me come along for the ride.
It was a tough day. Only one out of 11 finished the 100. Only 2 out of the 8 starters in the 75 completed. Why?? My gut feeling is #1) the normal wear and tear stuff that happens in 100's. #2) Deceptively hard concussive footing that might have fooled some riders into going faster than they would have. At one point on trail, Alexis wondered if we were on trail, and she could see any hooftprints in the dirt. I told her to look behind us as there were still no hoof prints. (Then we saw a ribbon, so we knew we were ok). Riding a horse who lives on rocks helped me as he was used to concussion. #3) The wind dried the sweat from horses, so riders couldn't tell that the horses were working as hard as they were. We grazed a lot on trail and in camp. Plus Patsy had bought a watermelon that was not quite ripe yet, so Piper got to eat it. I think this all helped to keep his gut working and to keep him hydrated.
The next day, Piper looked great. There were Ride and Tie riders getting ready to go 20 miles who invited us to come along. I declined.:-) He ate like a horse while we packed up camp. We headed towards home, and soon blew a tire on the RV. While waiting for the service truck, he grazed in a field next to the truck stop for 2 hours straight. We spent the night at Val Jaffes place south of Dallas, where he had a round pen to move around in. We were fed a delicious meal, got a good nights sleep, and got home the next evening. Piper came prancing out of the trailer, trotted proud around the barn lot, and galloped off to be with his pasture buddies. Then, just for the fun of it, he did a victory lap around the field. Nothing quite like bringing a horse home from a ride that feels good enough to do that.
Now we get ready for the next ride.
Paul N. Sidio
KMA Chazz Piper (who now has completed five 100 mile rides)
Spokane MO
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Blazing Saddles 2011 - Keith Kibler
Shawneesunrisefarm.net - Full Story
March 15 2011
One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu. Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under. So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=139.msg184#msg184
March 15 2011
One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu. Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under. So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=139.msg184#msg184
Blazing Saddles - and fried hot peppers
Keith Kibler
One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu. Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under. So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.
We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Flat road riding is the worst thing in the world for Kate. I love this little mare and know her like I have never known a horse. That being said, she is the most challenging gaited horse that I ever ridden. Her running walk is great and very smooth up to 7.5 mph. She then wants to shift into a stepping pace but will, with careful attention rack up to about 11.5 mph. Well, I should have used the word “sometimes” in the previous sentence. I hate a pace. Of course, she will flat foot walk, canter, lope and gallop. She only uses the last three gaits on cue and I very rarely let her gallop.
We went out in the dark for the first 15 mile road loop just behind the leading group of 5 Arabians. Yes, all the other horses in the race were Arabians. Things were going well until about mile 8. Kate was all systems “go” and drank well at the only water stop in the 15 mile road loop.
Then my ride dramatically changed. Trying to be delicate, I would suggest to you that all of us know what it means to have “nature come calling” in a ride or race. “Nature came calling”, but not with a gentle knock on the front door. It kicked in my door. My camper was 19 miles away at camp. The riders behind me must have thought I had lost my mind because I peeled off the road and headed Kate into the woods in a hurry. As I tied Kate to a tree, she seemed to look at me with a confused eye.
Meanwhile, there was an endurance ride passing us by. My friend Paul Sidio caught us once we were back on the road. I was very glad to have company as I really did not feel well. We finished the first 24 mile loop together and I saw Sandy come into the ride camp after Kate had cleared the vet check with flying colors. I don’t think I would have been labeled as “fit to continue” if the vets had looked closely at me.
Sandy has a frozen shoulder and Cheyenne is so tall Sandy had to use a picnic table to mount her. I made the decision to let my out time slide by to help her, and just take the turtle award with Kate. This decision was fateful later.
As Kate and I headed out alone, the temperature rose to about 80 degrees. By mile 40 I was so dehydrated that I was seeing orange colors in the woods that I knew were not real. My thoughts became cloudy and I had to concentrate to stay upright on the horse. I got dizzy and caught myself leaning forward in my English saddle to stay upright. Kate took care of me and we slowed down.
We were now firmly in possession of the turtle, which of course means we were last. I just wanted to complete and try to keep hydrated as well as I could. We headed out of the mile 70 vet check with only one B+ on our vet card to go with a lot of “A”s. Kate seemed to have a loss of energy from mile 75 to mile 80. When her energy level dropped, we walked and then picked up to a running walk for a while. Her heart rate during this time was often between 80 and 90. She really picked up energy from mile 80 to the next vet check at mile 85. Thankfully, Sandy was waiting for me at ride camp and as soon as Kate dropped her heart rate, I headed to the trailer for my own needs.
When I went back to climb back into the saddle, Sandy and the vets where still looking at Kate. Sandy had counted 24 swallows at the trough during the break and Kate had eaten well. But her gut sounds were quiet and she did not look perky. Her heart rate was a bit higher than normal for her. Her gut sounds came back on all quadrants, but I did not think Kate was herself.
I simply did not like the look in her eye. I rode this horse 1000 miles last year and I have bonded with her in a way I did not know a rider and horse could bond. Dr. Otis mentioned her eye. I interrupted him and said that was “exactly what I am concerned about .“ I told the vets that Kate had taken care of me all day and that I was making the decision to take care of her and we were taking a “rider option” if they would allow it. They did just that.
Kate was fine after the walk to the trailer and some more eating and water. Paul said I was seeing the reflection of my own eye in Kate’s eye, riding the end of a flat hot 100 by ourselves. With almost 8 hours left and only 15 miles to complete I could have walked or jogged with her but I did what I thought was right. We both healed up and I learned or relearned three valuable lessons.
1. Always take care of your horse. Awards are nothing in relation to the welfare of your horse.
2. Never, EVER, eat a plate of fried hot peppers before 100 mile ride, no matter how hungry you are.
3. Just because you ride a horse that doesn’t trot during a ride doesn’t mean you might not end up trotting yourself.
Rack on my friends,
Keith
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We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses. Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt. Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH. All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food. The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.
Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride. Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance. Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.
Did I mention how cold it had been in Illinois? Cheyenne was as wooly as a sheep. After the 11 hour drive, we had a rest day before the ride. At the vet in, the vet said Sandy needed to shave the wool off of Cheyenne. Fortunately, she had electric clippers. Now, you need to understand that telling Sandy she needed to trim a horse and turning her loose with an electric set of clippers is very much like telling a chocoholic they should add a bit of coco to their diet. Sandy is infamous for her clipping work amongst our gaited buddies. Please note I said “infamous”. There is very little that my little woman can do to make me mad. Approaching any of “my” horses with anything sharp enough to trim hair is an exception to that rule. She has left one of my favorite mares looking like Billy Idol singing “Rebel Yell” with a prominent Mohawk.
As it turned out, the neighbor in the next trailer provided help. He mentioned that he and his wife owned a sheep ranch and loved shearing. Sandy was in hog heaven and the results looked pretty humorous. Cheyenne lost a considerable amount of weight in fur. In hind sight, I should have made use of our new friend’s expertise and sheared Kate.
5 minutes before the start, Sandy turned Cheyenne around and went backwards on the course. Cheyenne was the only gaited horse in the 50 mile ride. Sandy started Cheyenne out after the other 20 riders had left. 2 more late starters passed her while she was trying to keep Cheyenne calm and in gait. She looked at her heart rate monitor and discovered it had no signal. At least her GPS watch worked. Cheyenne started out a little rough with a lot of head tossing because she wanted to GO! Sandy calmed her down and backed way off from the last riders, then moved her into an even gait. Cheyenne eased into a racking gait between 8.5 and 13 miles an hour.
Cheyenne is a long legged and muscular mare. She is a beautiful bluish grey dapple with a black mane and tail. She has what I would call a “big motor” and is capable of really moving down the trail in a square racking gait. Cheyenne started picking off the horses ahead of her, one by one.
She had started the last of 22 riders and finished in 12th place. Sandy was very happy with those results on Cheyenne’s first endurance ride, especially after an 11 hour haul. She had all As on her vet card except for one B+ on gut sounds at the 2nd vet check.
The 100 started out pre dawn. Kate is about as good as I could hope for during the pre start and many of the Arabians get pretty worked up. My concern for the day was twofold. First, the weather was going to be warmer than previously thought and would prove to be about 80 degrees with high humidity. Secondly, the course was going to be a little different than I had thought and would be about 55 miles of flat road riding.
Flat road riding is the worst thing in the world for Kate. I love this little mare and know her like I have never known a horse. That being said, she is the most challenging gaited horse that I ever ridden. Her running walk is great and very smooth up to 7.5 mph. She then wants to shift into a stepping pace but will, with careful attention rack up to about 11.5 mph. Well, I should have used the word “sometimes” in the previous sentence. I hate a pace. Of course, she will flat foot walk, canter, lope and gallop. She only uses the last three gaits on cue and I very rarely let her gallop.
We went out in the dark for the first 15 mile road loop just behind the leading group of 5 Arabians. Yes, all the other horses in the race were Arabians. Things were going well until about mile 8. Kate was all systems “go” and drank well at the only water stop in the 15 mile road loop.
Then my ride dramatically changed. Trying to be delicate, I would suggest to you that all of us know what it means to have “nature come calling” in a ride or race. “Nature came calling”, but not with a gentle knock on the front door. It kicked in my door. My camper was 19 miles away at camp. The riders behind me must have thought I had lost my mind because I peeled off the road and headed Kate into the woods in a hurry. As I tied Kate to a tree, she seemed to look at me with a confused eye.
Meanwhile, there was an endurance ride passing us by. My friend Paul Sidio caught us once we were back on the road. I was very glad to have company as I really did not feel well. We finished the first 24 mile loop together and I saw Sandy come into the ride camp after Kate had cleared the vet check with flying colors. I don’t think I would have been labeled as “fit to continue” if the vets had looked closely at me.
Sandy has a frozen shoulder and Cheyenne is so tall Sandy had to use a picnic table to mount her. I made the decision to let my out time slide by to help her, and just take the turtle award with Kate. This decision was fateful later.
As Kate and I headed out alone, the temperature rose to about 80 degrees. By mile 40 I was so dehydrated that I was seeing orange colors in the woods that I knew were not real. My thoughts became cloudy and I had to concentrate to stay upright on the horse. I got dizzy and caught myself leaning forward in my English saddle to stay upright. Kate took care of me and we slowed down.
We were now firmly in possession of the turtle, which of course means we were last. I just wanted to complete and try to keep hydrated as well as I could. We headed out of the mile 70 vet check with only one B+ on our vet card to go with a lot of “A”s. Kate seemed to have a loss of energy from mile 75 to mile 80. When her energy level dropped, we walked and then picked up to a running walk for a while. Her heart rate during this time was often between 80 and 90. She really picked up energy from mile 80 to the next vet check at mile 85. Thankfully, Sandy was waiting for me at ride camp and as soon as Kate dropped her heart rate, I headed to the trailer for my own needs.
When I went back to climb back into the saddle, Sandy and the vets where still looking at Kate. Sandy had counted 24 swallows at the trough during the break and Kate had eaten well. But her gut sounds were quiet and she did not look perky. Her heart rate was a bit higher than normal for her. Her gut sounds came back on all quadrants, but I did not think Kate was herself.
I simply did not like the look in her eye. I rode this horse 1000 miles last year and I have bonded with her in a way I did not know a rider and horse could bond. Dr. Otis mentioned her eye. I interrupted him and said that was “exactly what I am concerned about .“ I told the vets that Kate had taken care of me all day and that I was making the decision to take care of her and we were taking a “rider option” if they would allow it. They did just that.
Kate was fine after the walk to the trailer and some more eating and water. Paul said I was seeing the reflection of my own eye in Kate’s eye, riding the end of a flat hot 100 by ourselves. With almost 8 hours left and only 15 miles to complete I could have walked or jogged with her but I did what I thought was right. We both healed up and I learned or relearned three valuable lessons.
1. Always take care of your horse. Awards are nothing in relation to the welfare of your horse.
2. Never, EVER, eat a plate of fried hot peppers before 100 mile ride, no matter how hungry you are.
3. Just because you ride a horse that doesn’t trot during a ride doesn’t mean you might not end up trotting yourself.
Rack on my friends,
Keith
Monday, March 07, 2011
Mendocino Zanzibar - Sam Yates
by Samantha Yates
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Yes I know, I’m a bad girl for failing to update this blog regularly. Real life just gets in the way!
I am currently in New Zealand, but more of that later…
First back to summer 2010 and Ricochet Ridge Ranch, in Fort Bragg, California.
Life at RRR is hectic to say the least! Guiding trail rides from 1 1/2 hours to 1 week-long, we all work long and hard.
We have about 40 horses at the ranch – half are the ‘string’ horses – suitable for taking beginners up and down the beach, and the other half are the ‘trek’ horses – better for more experienced riders and for week-long vacations. And then there are the guide horses – the ones not quite ready to put paying guests on yet!
If you remember I broke both of my legs on the last trip to this ranch, and was very much looking forward to completing a whole season with no injuries.
It was Lari, my boss, who introduced me to endurance in the first place. Back in the UK I had done a bit of dressage, jumping and cross-country, and I enjoyed riding and re-training ex-racehorses, but I had never had an interest in endurance. Who wants to trot around for 6 hours? And Arabs? Ha! As a thoroughbred lover I considered arabs to be far inferior!
However Lari offered me the chance to compete in an endurance ride at the end of the season if I wanted and if my legs were feeling up to it. Quite honestly it was just another box to check for me – I’d tried polo in Argentina and lassoing in Ecuador, so why not endurance?...
Read more here:
http://cageybird.wordpress.com/2011/03/02/mendocino-zanzibar/
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
An Exciting Year of Endurance Riding in Arizona - Kim Abbott
Scottsdaleparadise.com - Article and pictures
by Kim Abbott on January 14, 2011
“I love you Arizona, your mountains, deserts and skies”… it’s a verse from a song written by the state balladeer, Dolan Ellis, about beautiful Arizona. But it should be the words spoken by every endurance rider in the state of Arizona and surrounding states. Especially this year… 2011 is offering many exciting new Arizona endurance rides! Here is a list of the 2011 Arizona endurance rides:...
More here:
http://www.scottsdaleparadise.com/featured-articles/an-exciting-year-of-endurance-riding-in-arizona/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
by Kim Abbott on January 14, 2011
“I love you Arizona, your mountains, deserts and skies”… it’s a verse from a song written by the state balladeer, Dolan Ellis, about beautiful Arizona. But it should be the words spoken by every endurance rider in the state of Arizona and surrounding states. Especially this year… 2011 is offering many exciting new Arizona endurance rides! Here is a list of the 2011 Arizona endurance rides:...
More here:
http://www.scottsdaleparadise.com/featured-articles/an-exciting-year-of-endurance-riding-in-arizona/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Death Valley and Storm's Graduation Ride (part 1)
http://stallionadventures.blogspot.com/2011/01/death-valley-and-storms-graduation-ride.html
Death Valley Encounter marks Storm's one year anniversary as an endurance horse.
He did his very first (and second) LD at this ride a year ago, and now he has done his first (he DID do one other, local, 50 in Sept, but it was SO easy, I don't count it as a real 50, as it really didn't test his capabilities of doing a real, tougher 50, like we usually have them out West here) 50 as well. He also did a tough 30 miler the previous day, and now has 80 miles as a good start into the 2011 AERC season. Whoo hoo! This ride was very scenic, so I think I will run this blog post mostly off of pictures with captions :)
It was going to be very iffy on whether or not Storm was going to go, because after coming home late at night from Desert Gold, Terri had forgotten to close the pasture gate (which lets horses into the middle, roundpen pasture and shares a fenceline with Storm's pasture) when she let the horses out of the trailer and put up Storm. This resulted in Terri's new mare teasing Storm over the field fencing that is in that pasture (and usually has a hot tape on top, but was not hot due to the solar charger being dead...no issues with geldings, but an in heat mare? Even good boys find that too tempting), and him going over the top of it. Terri found the fence stomped down and Storm in with the mare and geldings...two weeks later, a preg check showed nothing, so luckily it was late enough in the year to result in no real breeding. Good thing! But sheesh! Too much excitement. I had initially checked him over superficially that morning, and no lameness or big bleeding wounds, so back in the paddock and mud (over fetlock deep) and I fixed the fence (which had torn wire squares and holes, but was mendable). Issue over....so I thought.
A week later, we go out to the beach for a nice ride, and I was able to really clean storm of all his mud...I get to his hind legs, and WTF!?!?! His right rear pastern is puffy, warm, and looks skinned up and crusty...almost like after a rope burn...hmmm...I clean it up more, and find two shallow cuts in the 'bend' of the upper part of the pastern. Sighhhh...so he didn't get away from the fence jumping cleanly after all. I cleaned it up well and it looked fairly good, and checked for lameness...none I could tell. So we decided to lightly walk-ride him and stick him in the ocean waves...salt water baths are always good for these things.
...more
Death Valley Encounter marks Storm's one year anniversary as an endurance horse. He did his very first (and second) LD at this ride a year ago, and now he has done his first (he DID do one other, local, 50 in Sept, but it was SO easy, I don't count it as a real 50, as it really didn't test his capabilities of doing a real, tougher 50, like we usually have them out West here) 50 as well. He also did a tough 30 miler the previous day, and now has 80 miles as a good start into the 2011 AERC season. Whoo hoo! This ride was very scenic, so I think I will run this blog post mostly off of pictures with captions :)
It was going to be very iffy on whether or not Storm was going to go, because after coming home late at night from Desert Gold, Terri had forgotten to close the pasture gate (which lets horses into the middle, roundpen pasture and shares a fenceline with Storm's pasture) when she let the horses out of the trailer and put up Storm. This resulted in Terri's new mare teasing Storm over the field fencing that is in that pasture (and usually has a hot tape on top, but was not hot due to the solar charger being dead...no issues with geldings, but an in heat mare? Even good boys find that too tempting), and him going over the top of it. Terri found the fence stomped down and Storm in with the mare and geldings...two weeks later, a preg check showed nothing, so luckily it was late enough in the year to result in no real breeding. Good thing! But sheesh! Too much excitement. I had initially checked him over superficially that morning, and no lameness or big bleeding wounds, so back in the paddock and mud (over fetlock deep) and I fixed the fence (which had torn wire squares and holes, but was mendable). Issue over....so I thought.
A week later, we go out to the beach for a nice ride, and I was able to really clean storm of all his mud...I get to his hind legs, and WTF!?!?! His right rear pastern is puffy, warm, and looks skinned up and crusty...almost like after a rope burn...hmmm...I clean it up more, and find two shallow cuts in the 'bend' of the upper part of the pastern. Sighhhh...so he didn't get away from the fence jumping cleanly after all. I cleaned it up well and it looked fairly good, and checked for lameness...none I could tell. So we decided to lightly walk-ride him and stick him in the ocean waves...salt water baths are always good for these things.
...more
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Barefoot Endurance ItaliaFriday, December 10, 2010
Impressions from an Endurance Newbie - Jamie Bratt
Equinejournal.com - Full Story and photos
North American Shagya Arabian Society December 2010
December 5 2010
It was a weekend of firsts. My horse’s first competition, my first endurance race, the first year of the “Canter Over the Mountain” ride in West Virginia. I had been training all summer with my Shagya-Arabian.
I had purchased Shagya Skamp AF as an endurance prospect; his sire Janos was a successful 100-mile competitor who had been exported to Japan to train for FEI level competitions. Skamp also inherited excellent conformation and temperament from both sides of his pedigree. He exemplifies the famous Shagya-Arabian combination of brains, bone and buddy-up personality. But, at just five years old and after just a few months of training together, would he live up to the promise in his first competition? And what about me, was I ready to race for 25 miles?
Thankfully, I had read the AERC primer for new endurance riders the year before and heeded much of the good preparation advice. The best thing I did was volunteer at a few endurance races before Skamp arrived at my farm in Maryland. Not only did I come to understand the organized chaos of the ride camp and crewing areas, I also witnessed some great tricks of the trade to emulate and some classic mistakes to avoid. Most importantly, I connected with several experienced endurance riders in my area who quickly became mentors and friends. Though I had been riding for over 20 years, I had so much to learn about the unique challenges of endurance (and I still do)...
Read more here:
http://www.equinejournal.com/articles/north-american-shagya-arabian-society-december-2010
North American Shagya Arabian Society December 2010
December 5 2010
It was a weekend of firsts. My horse’s first competition, my first endurance race, the first year of the “Canter Over the Mountain” ride in West Virginia. I had been training all summer with my Shagya-Arabian.
I had purchased Shagya Skamp AF as an endurance prospect; his sire Janos was a successful 100-mile competitor who had been exported to Japan to train for FEI level competitions. Skamp also inherited excellent conformation and temperament from both sides of his pedigree. He exemplifies the famous Shagya-Arabian combination of brains, bone and buddy-up personality. But, at just five years old and after just a few months of training together, would he live up to the promise in his first competition? And what about me, was I ready to race for 25 miles?
Thankfully, I had read the AERC primer for new endurance riders the year before and heeded much of the good preparation advice. The best thing I did was volunteer at a few endurance races before Skamp arrived at my farm in Maryland. Not only did I come to understand the organized chaos of the ride camp and crewing areas, I also witnessed some great tricks of the trade to emulate and some classic mistakes to avoid. Most importantly, I connected with several experienced endurance riders in my area who quickly became mentors and friends. Though I had been riding for over 20 years, I had so much to learn about the unique challenges of endurance (and I still do)...
Read more here:
http://www.equinejournal.com/articles/north-american-shagya-arabian-society-december-2010
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Tom Quilty 2010 - Kelly Jol
Zameelarabians Blog
December 1 2010
This year I rode the Manilla Tom Quilty, not on my own horse, but on a sweet horse with the name of Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner, know to most, and from hereon, as Petey. He is a horse owned by Jay Randle of Splendacrest Endurance Stables.
My preparations for Scrupulous had gone wrong - and he was not ready and fit enough to warrant making the long trip to NSW to compete. I missed having my show pony stallion at the event - there is something special about a stallion that all notice, they simply draw eyes and attention - however I will not digress.
Petey is a big striding grey, and very pleasant to have around. Very fit - he was still used for teaching many small children, as young as a 2yo boy having his first ride. Worth his weight in gold!
Petey had already done two 160km rides and is a seasoned horse. He gave me a nice quiet and steady start at the midnight ride. There were 300 plus horses milling around, the riders all keen for the silver buckle. It is very exciting at the start of a Quilty - I was rapt to be in the saddle and not watching on the sidelines - like the year prior!
The first two legs were very jarring, and there was a high vet out rate. Petey was solid...
Read more here:
http://zameelarabians.blogspot.com/2010/12/tom-quilty-2010.html
December 1 2010
This year I rode the Manilla Tom Quilty, not on my own horse, but on a sweet horse with the name of Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner, know to most, and from hereon, as Petey. He is a horse owned by Jay Randle of Splendacrest Endurance Stables.
My preparations for Scrupulous had gone wrong - and he was not ready and fit enough to warrant making the long trip to NSW to compete. I missed having my show pony stallion at the event - there is something special about a stallion that all notice, they simply draw eyes and attention - however I will not digress.
Petey is a big striding grey, and very pleasant to have around. Very fit - he was still used for teaching many small children, as young as a 2yo boy having his first ride. Worth his weight in gold!
Petey had already done two 160km rides and is a seasoned horse. He gave me a nice quiet and steady start at the midnight ride. There were 300 plus horses milling around, the riders all keen for the silver buckle. It is very exciting at the start of a Quilty - I was rapt to be in the saddle and not watching on the sidelines - like the year prior!
The first two legs were very jarring, and there was a high vet out rate. Petey was solid...
Read more here:
http://zameelarabians.blogspot.com/2010/12/tom-quilty-2010.html
Last ride of the season: Desert Gold - Karen Chaton
Enduranceridestuff.com Blog
As with many rides this time of year, getting to and from the ride is as much or more of an adventure than the ride itself. This time was no exception. I hadn’t really been planning on going to Desert Gold though I always like going to rides that I haven’t done before. What made me decide to go for sure was because Dave Rabe’s truck was (is) still in the shop. I don’t think they’ve quite solved the problem yet. I didn’t want him to miss going to this ride because he needed to complete at least one day in order to win the mileage championship.
So we worked it out that he’d go with me. Since he only needed to ride White Cloud it would work because each of us could bring a horse and that would leave us with enough room for all of our combined “stuff”. Les was going to bring Tulip for me to ride on the middle day. I had already done over 1300 miles on Chief this season so didn’t really care if he did another ride or not.
Everything always works out the way it does for a reason...
Read more here:
http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2010/11/ride-season-desert-gold/
As with many rides this time of year, getting to and from the ride is as much or more of an adventure than the ride itself. This time was no exception. I hadn’t really been planning on going to Desert Gold though I always like going to rides that I haven’t done before. What made me decide to go for sure was because Dave Rabe’s truck was (is) still in the shop. I don’t think they’ve quite solved the problem yet. I didn’t want him to miss going to this ride because he needed to complete at least one day in order to win the mileage championship.
So we worked it out that he’d go with me. Since he only needed to ride White Cloud it would work because each of us could bring a horse and that would leave us with enough room for all of our combined “stuff”. Les was going to bring Tulip for me to ride on the middle day. I had already done over 1300 miles on Chief this season so didn’t really care if he did another ride or not.
Everything always works out the way it does for a reason...
Read more here:
http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2010/11/ride-season-desert-gold/
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
2010 Eagle Ranch - Keith Kibler
Shawneesunrisefarm.net - Full Story and photos
November 29 2010
Somehow, I knew the last ride of the year would be special. I had lost my Dad, my brother in law, and Sandy’s favorite uncle shortly before the Thanksgiving day ride and we decided we would rather go ride than look at empty chairs at the table.
We were all ready to go except loading up the three we were taking and as I went to let them catch me the sky opened up into a gully washer deluge. We were into a 3 month drought and this was the moment for it to end. It rained so hard I was drenched under a poncho. It was about 60 degrees when we left Southern IL. By the time we hit Springfield Mo., it was snowing. A misunderstanding in the directions, coupled with a road closure turned a 7 hour drive into a 9 hour drive.
I got up at 4:30 to get Kate, my almost 7 year old twh mare ready to do the 50 mile race. Sandy is the inquisitive type and always wants to know what the temperature is. We have an inside the trailer temperature gauge, an outside the trailer temperature gauge, and a gauge in the truck. The outside gauge said 15 degrees. At least there was no snow and no ice.
Eagle Ranch is outside of Collins Mo, which is "near" Springfield Mo and Kansas City. The camp has stalls and electric hookups and a shower house. Winnie Clutter is the ride manager and just does a super job. She had a wonderful group of volunteers and vets.
Kate had about 900 miles of training so far this year, including 3 50s and a 100. She had a good taper rest and I really thought she was ready. Kate is one of our slowest horses and the most challenging gaited horse to ride that I have ever owned. She has a great running walk, but wants to do a stepping pace rather than a rack if left to her own devices. In the pasture this girl paces. That being said, she is my favorite horse and I love her...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=135.0;prev_next=prev#new
November 29 2010
Somehow, I knew the last ride of the year would be special. I had lost my Dad, my brother in law, and Sandy’s favorite uncle shortly before the Thanksgiving day ride and we decided we would rather go ride than look at empty chairs at the table.
We were all ready to go except loading up the three we were taking and as I went to let them catch me the sky opened up into a gully washer deluge. We were into a 3 month drought and this was the moment for it to end. It rained so hard I was drenched under a poncho. It was about 60 degrees when we left Southern IL. By the time we hit Springfield Mo., it was snowing. A misunderstanding in the directions, coupled with a road closure turned a 7 hour drive into a 9 hour drive.
I got up at 4:30 to get Kate, my almost 7 year old twh mare ready to do the 50 mile race. Sandy is the inquisitive type and always wants to know what the temperature is. We have an inside the trailer temperature gauge, an outside the trailer temperature gauge, and a gauge in the truck. The outside gauge said 15 degrees. At least there was no snow and no ice.
Eagle Ranch is outside of Collins Mo, which is "near" Springfield Mo and Kansas City. The camp has stalls and electric hookups and a shower house. Winnie Clutter is the ride manager and just does a super job. She had a wonderful group of volunteers and vets.
Kate had about 900 miles of training so far this year, including 3 50s and a 100. She had a good taper rest and I really thought she was ready. Kate is one of our slowest horses and the most challenging gaited horse to ride that I have ever owned. She has a great running walk, but wants to do a stepping pace rather than a rack if left to her own devices. In the pasture this girl paces. That being said, she is my favorite horse and I love her...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/simplemachinesforum/index.php?topic=135.0;prev_next=prev#new
Friday, November 19, 2010
“I can’t even THINK about bowls!” - Patti Stedman
Life Lessons from and Unlikely Endurance Rider blog
November 19 2010
Sometimes life gets just a little too stressful.
As a self-employed consultant, when there is work available, I work. There are enough lean times that I rarely turn down work, and sometimes find myself with too much travel, too many clients all needing assistance “urgently”, and too many technically demanding training programs to deliver. A classic symptom for me is that disturbing moment where I find myself standing in a hotel elevator with the little key card in my hand and absolutely no recollection of my hotel room number.
I get homesick, miss all of the critters, miss sleeping in my own bed, miss my routine on the farm, miss my husband.
Work has been that way lately. Back to back classes scheduled, such that one weekend was simply an exercise in driving home, unpacking, doing laundry, repacking and hitting the road again. A non-weekend, of sorts.
In the middle of this hectic schedule, my friends Rachel and Pam and I started plotting a way to get ourselves to the Mustang Memorial Ride in New Jersey.
The Mustang ride is a bit of an enigma. The trails there, while lovely, are miles and miles of the same scenery — pine trees, sand, more pine trees, more sand, sand moguls, pine trees, puddles, sand. Did I mention the sand? So to say that the views from the saddle are not awe-inspiring is a bit of an understatement...
Read more here:
http://www.pattistedman.com/2010/11/i-cant-even-think-about-bowls/
November 19 2010
Sometimes life gets just a little too stressful.
As a self-employed consultant, when there is work available, I work. There are enough lean times that I rarely turn down work, and sometimes find myself with too much travel, too many clients all needing assistance “urgently”, and too many technically demanding training programs to deliver. A classic symptom for me is that disturbing moment where I find myself standing in a hotel elevator with the little key card in my hand and absolutely no recollection of my hotel room number.
I get homesick, miss all of the critters, miss sleeping in my own bed, miss my routine on the farm, miss my husband.
Work has been that way lately. Back to back classes scheduled, such that one weekend was simply an exercise in driving home, unpacking, doing laundry, repacking and hitting the road again. A non-weekend, of sorts.
In the middle of this hectic schedule, my friends Rachel and Pam and I started plotting a way to get ourselves to the Mustang Memorial Ride in New Jersey.
The Mustang ride is a bit of an enigma. The trails there, while lovely, are miles and miles of the same scenery — pine trees, sand, more pine trees, more sand, sand moguls, pine trees, puddles, sand. Did I mention the sand? So to say that the views from the saddle are not awe-inspiring is a bit of an understatement...
Read more here:
http://www.pattistedman.com/2010/11/i-cant-even-think-about-bowls/
Monday, November 01, 2010
The Spook Run - Endurance Granny
Endurancegranny Blog - Full Story
Saturday October 30 2010
We packed up and headed out on Thursday for the ride at Henryville. Set up camp, dropped off our box of turtle stuff, then headed out for an hour long fairly slow warm up ride, a little uphill trotting in the mix. But the warm up wasn't so much about the warm up as it was getting the lay of the ribbons at the start so I would not botch my ride like last time. I don't know who marked the trail this time but it was CRYSTAL CLEAR where you turned, and where you did NOT. The person who marked the trail should be commended for a job well-done. Ride management in general did an extraordinary job at this ride. Even the sun smiled on us eventually.
But did I mention it was cold? OH MY GOSH....I had a Buddy Heater going in my dressing room / sleeping area and I could still see my breath. The temperatures dropped into the low thirties overnight, and a wicked wind was blowing on ride day Friday. I was concerned about the start as that is usually a big part of her emotional unraveling, and even though I stayed where I thought was in the back, unravel she did. So I just one-reined her and shut her down, again, and again, and again. It was pretty hairy. Then along came Mary from Ohio (who's last name I never did get, I'm so sorry)...who graciously offered to let us ride along with her "slow" horse. The horse was a very big Anglo-arab, very nice gelding. I'd let Phebes lead until she would get another horse on her radar, then I'd tuck her nose behind the big gelding. It worked out well except when leading she was difficult to rate. She'd hold her trot, however my nice little jog got up and went and the trot expouned to 9-13 mph depending on how flat the trail was.
Did I ever say that endurance riders in Indiana ride FAST?...
Read more here:
http://endurancegranny.blogspot.com/2010/10/spook-run.html
Saturday October 30 2010
We packed up and headed out on Thursday for the ride at Henryville. Set up camp, dropped off our box of turtle stuff, then headed out for an hour long fairly slow warm up ride, a little uphill trotting in the mix. But the warm up wasn't so much about the warm up as it was getting the lay of the ribbons at the start so I would not botch my ride like last time. I don't know who marked the trail this time but it was CRYSTAL CLEAR where you turned, and where you did NOT. The person who marked the trail should be commended for a job well-done. Ride management in general did an extraordinary job at this ride. Even the sun smiled on us eventually.
But did I mention it was cold? OH MY GOSH....I had a Buddy Heater going in my dressing room / sleeping area and I could still see my breath. The temperatures dropped into the low thirties overnight, and a wicked wind was blowing on ride day Friday. I was concerned about the start as that is usually a big part of her emotional unraveling, and even though I stayed where I thought was in the back, unravel she did. So I just one-reined her and shut her down, again, and again, and again. It was pretty hairy. Then along came Mary from Ohio (who's last name I never did get, I'm so sorry)...who graciously offered to let us ride along with her "slow" horse. The horse was a very big Anglo-arab, very nice gelding. I'd let Phebes lead until she would get another horse on her radar, then I'd tuck her nose behind the big gelding. It worked out well except when leading she was difficult to rate. She'd hold her trot, however my nice little jog got up and went and the trot expouned to 9-13 mph depending on how flat the trail was.
Did I ever say that endurance riders in Indiana ride FAST?...
Read more here:
http://endurancegranny.blogspot.com/2010/10/spook-run.html
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