Reynolds Racing - Full Story
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Jeremy and I loaded up 4 horses on Thursday morning at 4 am to head to Ft Howes to try our luck at another year of races in beautiful Montana. We took Cleopatrah and Chanses for the 100/160 FEI race and Honor and Bailey for the 75/120 FEI race. The drive from Durango is long but not compared to our drive we usually do from CA. It was going to take 14 hours plus stops. Actual time was 16 hours.
We had a very uneventful drive and drove through in one day. I read the Hunger Games book out loud as we drove and although we have both seen the movie it was still entertaining. We arrived at Ft Howes about 8 pm. We set up camp and discovered that our inverter on our living quarters had died. No power in the rig unless plugged into the generator. Oh well. Ron Donley was over helping while Jeremy Olson and Jeremy Reynolds were diagnosing. Ron brought us over two lanterns and we decided to just go to sleep.
Friday morning we got up and went for two rides to get all 4 horses out. They all felt good. Then we set up crew stuff and checked in. Skip and his two friends Karl and Brian showed up and looked over the crew area and made some tweaks to how they wanted it.
On Friday night the race had an awesome steak BB-Q after the ride meeting. Bill Stevens does an outrageous job grilling up steaks. Mark Devotee was playing live music while we ate. Very cool. Skip made a request for "Red Solo Cup" and Mark did his best to sing it although it was not one he knew well. It was funny, I had never heard the song before.
We headed back to our camp and we had about 12 people come over and all hang out. We listened to music and chatted until 10 when it was lights/noise out for the camp. We headed to sleep.
Saturday was the FEI 75. Bailey and Honor warmed up and then we were off. Bailey was having a rough loop...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/401/ft_howes
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Hat Creek Hustle 2012: Day 1, A Success - Bird
RedheadedEndurance Blog - Full StoryFriday-->Saturday 50 miler
I was out of the driveway by 7 am Friday and after a stop for fuel and ice we were on the highway headed for Lassen. My gps and google mapping directed me on a different route than my husband and I took last year to the ride, but the route I drove still seemed very familiar to me. It took me ¾ of the drive there to remember I had taken this scenic route toward Susanville to try out a horse a few years ago, before I bought Desire.
I ended up taking the tourist route through Lassen Park itself, which included a $10 entry fee and 30 minutes of white knuckled, map-double-checking driving (but careful, don’t check that map for long!) along the edge of a cliff. It was a beautiful, slow, windy drive at 15-25 mph tops. Snow was six feet on the sides of the road and the views were breath taking, as was the wicked drop off immediately on the passenger side of the road. I won’t take that route again with truck and trailer as the $10 fee and slow speeds were slightly resented (by moi), but it was worth doing once!
Ride camp was still pretty empty when I pulled in around 11 am and I tucked the rig back in the trees in almost the exact same spot as last year. No one was around to see my ungodly struggle to the get the canopy up, luckily. So, turns out the “Easy-up” canopies, while easy for 2 people, are incredibly sucky to put up by yourself. The winsomely simple illustration of squeezing the cross bars up to click the top into place…um, maybe if I had Schwarzenegger hand strength, but in my case it was more like pushing, pinching, squeezing, wedging, swearing, and CLICK! Triumph. So it wasn’t a pretty process, but I *did* recreate the cozy Arabian Nights Tent my husband usually constructs for us.
Read more here:
http://redheadedendurance.blogspot.com/2012/06/hat-creek-hustle-2012-day-1-success.html
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Owyhee Fandango 100 - Nick Warhol
Nickwarhol.com
May 27, 2012
There isn't much better than going to a ride for the first time, especially a new 100. There are not that many around, and I'm trying to do as many 100's as I can on Donnie while I can, so it seemed natural to pack up and drive fourteen and a half hours to Idaho for the Owyhee Fandango 100, located at Steph and John Teeters, about 50 miles south of Boise. We have known these guys forever it seems, and have visited their place in the past, but without horses. Their ranch is in the middle of basically nowhere, next to open space, near nothing really, except more empty land. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a ride!
We decided to try driving up in one day, giving the boys 2 full days to rest and recover in the glorious sunshine of Idaho before the ride on Sunday. Mistake number one of two. It was a long, long, drive. Too long, in fact, and we won't be doing that again soon. (The two day drive coming home was a world better) We stopped twice for them to get out for a half hour every four hours, and for fuel, and food, but it just droned on forever. Mistake number two of two- assuming the great state of Idaho has glorious sunshine all the time. Well, this particular week Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho all shared some pretty crappy weather. It was okay till about 4 hours from the end, but then the rain came down, hard at times. It got down to 36 or so degrees outside, in fact the truck helpfully warned us there was possibly ice out there! We had not seen that warning before. Great! We slogged through the wet and finally arrived at the ranch about 9pm. Set up camp, say hi, go directly to bed.
The ride was a three day of sorts over the Memorial Day weekend. It included no less than: a 50 and 25 on Friday, a 50 and 25 on Saturday, and a whopping 30, 60, 80, and 100 including an elevator option on Sunday. The overall turnout wasn't what Steph hoped for; I think on the first day 23 started the 50, and 11 on the 25 in the rain. Judy and I worked the finish line on Friday in the on-and-off rain and wind. (We got to stay in the camper during the rain in the morning!) We went for a ride in the late afternoon, but Judy noticed that Color was a touch off in the front. Hmmmm. She found a little eucalyptus acorn in his foot wedged into the shoe. We could not make the lameness re-appear, so we let it go until the next day. The first day ended with soggy, but generally happy riders.
The rain came down during the night, and continued all Saturday morning and into the early afternoon. We thought about those guys out on the ride who were really wet. We played cards, read books, napped and killed time in the nice, new camper. (It has a pop out!) The rain finally let up a little in the late afternoon, allowing us to go for another ride in the light rain. Color seemed fine, but then not, then fine- very inconsistent. We could not make it show up trotting him on the hard ground. We went to vet in for Sunday's ride, and on the pea-gravel he was off. Slight, but consistent. Judy could not start. We joked that Color just wanted a trip to see his 'native' Idaho, being an Appy, but that's the way the sport goes sometimes. Donnie was splendid, and felt very strong. I went to bed hoping the weather would calm down for ride day. I'd go out in a monsoon, but would sure rather not.
I didn't have to! The Idaho endurance gods smiled on all of us, providing cold, breezy, and dry weather. It was overcast on Sunday morning, but no rain. The rain had done us a favor- the sandy terrain was now wet and absolutely perfect. I call it 1-800-Traction; you can't buy footing like this. At 6am I left poor Judy and Color and headed out in the cold air. The 100 started out down the main ranch driveway for a half mile or so. We turned left at the water tough and onto the trails that were so perfect. A couple of little single track climbs up and down little valleys dumped us onto a few miles of prime roads and trails in the high desert. It was slightly downhill a few miles to the highway crossing, and once across, there were more washes and more perfect, single track trails. Donnie and I were riding alone, but he decided he'd rather go catch up with a pair of horses a little ahead of us. We boogied on up and hooked up with two riders, Trish Frahm and Kathleen Edman, who were both doing their first 100s via the 80 mile elevator option. We rode along pretty quickly through a section of an off-road vehicle area that looked pretty cool. We rode along for a few miles on more nice roads and trails across rolling terrain, then at 15 miles we hit the first vet check at the Sierra something or something Sierra ranch. This place was really neat- a big, modern, adobe ranch house, miles of grass or alfalfa fields, a lake- just beautiful. The owners were very nice to let us in and enjoy it. A quick 30 minute hold and we left and rode right onto the Oregon trail. The actual Trail. It's a tight, twisty, uphill climb up a little draw that was about a half mile long. It's a neat feeling riding on a piece of history, just like riding on the actual pony express trail at Fort Schelbourne. We trotted along for a while with Bruce and Nance Worman, talking about Charles Manson and outlaws who used to terrorize possys in this area. Why? Who knows? Suddenly we crested a little rise, and right before us lay the Snake River canyon. Wow! A mile across, a half mile deep, like a little Grand Canyon, and almost as pretty. I could not believe the view; we stopped and took some pictures. The trail hung a left, and we got to ride along the top of the canyon to the, well, left, for several miles. You could look down the canyon and see the river far below. We trotted across a couple of miles of flat meadow with green grass tufts that we let the horses stop and eat on occasion. We continued along in perfect footing until the turn! We hung a right and headed downhill on a gravel road for a mile and a half or so to the river. I mean right to the river, as in we got to stop and drink from it. Well, the horses did. Now we are in the bottom of the canyon with the walls going straight up for a long ways. The Snake is a real river- deep, swift, swirling, wide, and very cold. (In Las Vegas, where I grew up, moist ground is a creek, standing water is a stream, and if it moves it's a river.) It was Memorial Day weekend, so we saw quite a few campers and fisherman on the other side, quite a ways away. We started trotting along the river's edge and continued to do so for about 15 miles. On nice little two track roads, single track, up and down little hills, sometimes right next to the water. The trail took us through a section of original Indian petroglyphs that were as good as they get. The 60's turned around here and headed home on the same trail. We continued on along the river and into the half mile section called the boulders. Yes, they were. It was a very rocky section that only people or horses could get through. Slow, careful walking through here. It was a little like parts of the Granite Chief Wilderness on Tevis, but not as nasty. I called parts of it Dicey, but only if you tried to hurry through it. Once clear, we found nice, trotable single track for a couple of miles to the radio stop and water. We turned right as the river bent that way and rode another four miles to the bridge. Steph said we were going to cross the river on a bridge to the vet check. This river is a few hundred yards across, and I'm imagining a rope swing or something. Nope- it's a real, old, unused railroad bridge converted for people and horses. Donnie led the way across the long bridge, a long way up from the river. Very cool! Off the other end and a quarter mile to the vet check. We all pulsed down and spent 50 minutes eating and enjoying the scenery. There were still some dark clouds patches far away, but we had not seen a drop of rain. We heard a rumor that some riders had been hailed on, but how could that be? Not soon enough for me we headed out and back across the bridge. Now we just had to ride the same trail backward, back the 40 miles to camp. Just fine with me! I got to see all the stuff I missed going the other direction. We rode back through the nasty rocks, along the river, back through the petroglyphs, and all the way along the river to the climb out. We walked up it, with Donnie tailing me, all the way up. Once on top it was full trot back across the open plains and towards that amazing view spot. I realized something- it was warm! The sky was blue and it was warming up. More miles of nice trotting back to the Oregon Trail again and down to the ranch for another 50 minute hold. Dennis Sousa was there with a pair of good looking horses- both Jennifer and Joyce had been pulled for lameness. Bummer! That rarely happens to those guys. He helped out crewing as he always does, allowing me to eat my hot dog that the ride provided. The ranch owners had opened up a field of grass for us to graze on, so while I grazed on my hot dog Donnie got to eat for 45 minutes in a field of grass they were probably going to harvest soon. What a treat!
The weather was actually getting warm, so I peeled down to a tee shirt and tied the other layers around my waist. The three of us left the check together, but Trish's horse Sahara was slowing down a little. Kathleen held back with her, so Donnie and I trotted off alone for the 15 miles back to base camp. We cruised along at our nice consistent trot, gobbling up the short miles back to camp. We came back on a different trail that was a little faster; we got to ride up on top of the ridge along Stephs little valley. Back over the two little ridges on single track, then we trotted on in, getting back to camp at 80 miles at about 6:55 pm. Color was happy to see us, well, Donnie anyway, and the two whooped and hollered. I vetted through quickly and let the boy eat during his third 50 minute hold. Judy happily took care of my horse while I ate- thanks sweetie! (until she found out that I had finished the meat balls. Then not so happy!) My out time was 7:45, 20 miles to go, and there was still lots of daylight left. We said good bye to Judy and the bellowing Color and trotted back out the trail the way we had come in. We had to backtrack about 7 miles on the trail we had just done on the way in. We saw Meri at the water trough on the way out, and I said we were going it alone. She said yep, but it will just be you and him in the cool evening. (She wished she could come!) Donnie is so good about this- he just goes along at a nice trot, not caring that we were all alone and going back out. The evening was coming on, the weather was perfect, the footing great, the trail fun, the scenery just spectacular, me and my horse just bopping along- you can't ask for much more. Except maybe more miles.
We trotted along on nice, soft, two-track jeep roads that led to the highway crossing; once across I let him graze for about ten minutes, then we continued down the 3 miles or so of flat, wide, gravel road heading away from camp. We trotted along to the huge ranch at the end of the road, said hi to some ranchers, and then made the right hand bend back towards camp. This road was a nice, rolling, sandy two track that wound around a little in some small hills before making the actual turn towards home. The sun was getting low in the sky as we headed back towards the other highway crossing heading back. We saw the nice guys there taking numbers, had another drink (there was lots of water on the trail) and headed out to the most fun I have had on my horse in a long while. I'll set the stage: the sun was setting with a beautiful sunset, it was cool out, no wind, we were going across the open desert on single track trail through the sage brush that smelled so good, about 7 miles to go, mild rolling terrain, the footing was perfect, just him and me together, and my horse felt as if I had just gotten on his back in the morning. We were trotting fast, and broke into a canter. Donnie and I ran the couple of miles of this wonder trail, jumping bushes, weaving in and out, just flying across the desert the way the old cowboys made it look. I was just grinning the whole time. It was so much fun it's impossible to describe. That few minutes of riding made the whole trip worthwhile. If someone asks why in the world would you do endurance, this is why. To feel like this after 90 miles; I get goose bumps thinking about it. Am I weird? I hope not.
All and far too soon we ran out of desert to canter in. The trail dumped us back on the main driveway to the ranch which we trotted down for a couple of miles. There are cattle guards on this road, but not too worry- we hung a left and headed across the little valley towards the foothills that line the, well, one side of the valley. I noticed a glow stick for the first time since it was starting to get a little dark. We trotted along on a long road / sandwash behind the hills, still heading in the direction of camp. I knew at some point we had to climb up to the right and over the ridge to get home, but we went further than I expected to get to that turn. Donnie was sure camp was to the right- he was correct, but we sort of needed that trail to progress towards home. Finally we hung the right, and Donnie just jammed up that climb of a few hundred vertical feet. Whoa horsie! He cantered up and took off on the single track that rolled up and down a few hills, all on single track. We were cooking along, and finally after the little downhill we saw camp. Donnie called out to Color as he always does, Color responded, and we suddenly had the horse philharmonic going on. What in the heck are they saying to each other? We actually had to pass camp completely by a quarter mile or so and then come back to the finish. You would think we were going to Barstow! Horses, you guys are waking the dead! Those in camp sure knew I was coming! We crossed the creek and trotted briskly back to the finish camp in 7th place, ride time 13 and a half hours, where the two horses finally shut up. It was about 10:15 pm or so and getting cooler out. The D horse said something to Color at the finish water trough, drank a ton, and vetted out great. I wanted to go back out and do that section of desert again, but sleep sounded better. We put the boys to bed, I had a hot shower and retired for the night.
Monday morning dawned with the nicest weather yet. Cool, sunny, slight breeze. The ride provided a superb breakfast, (quiche, bacon, sausage, French toast AND pancakes!) and after the awards we began packing up camp. We said good bye and left around 9:30 and drove the 7 or so hours to Winnemucca to the fairgrounds for the night. There was a huge mule event going on the next weekend, and already the long eared beasts were showing up. I put the horses in the sand arena- Donnie rolled probably 10 times, jumped up, and then took off trotting. We were out of place with our spotted horse and my little Arabian pony compared to these giant mules. The people there were complementary- He did 100 miles? But he's so SMALL! That's what they all say. The fairgrounds at Winnemucca is a great place to stop for the night. We walked to downtown and had a nice vacation dinner at a Mexican place that was actually very good. Poor Judy- some vacation. 29 hours in a trailer, 3 days in ridecamp, and a Mexican dinner in Winnemucca. That's okay- there's next time. On Tuesday morning we drove on home, arriving in the afternoon. The two day trip is the ticket, and will be for future long distance events.
Suzanne Hayes and Sue Summers tied for the win with a ride time a hair short of ten hours, and Sue's horse Mag's Motivator (great name) would get the BC. Sixteen started the 100, 12 finished, and Kathleen did elevate up from the 80 and finished her first 100. Special thanks to Steph and John for putting on the ride. It was a great trail and a well done ride, and would make a great first 100, especially since you can choose to do the 80 and elevate to the 100 if your horse is looking good. If the ride were only a little closer to something, like California, say. The turnout was small, but all rides had excellent finishing percentages. No horse problems that I'm aware of, great trails, incredible scenery, plenty of water on the trail, (it would be kind of hard to have a ride full of horses drink the snake river), excellent vets and ride management- what else is there? Oh yes- the horse. It helps to have a horse like I do. He's sure fun to ride, and I hope to keep doing it for as long as possible. Next stop: Wild West 3 day, then Tevis.
Nick Warhol
Hayward, Ca
May 27, 2012
There isn't much better than going to a ride for the first time, especially a new 100. There are not that many around, and I'm trying to do as many 100's as I can on Donnie while I can, so it seemed natural to pack up and drive fourteen and a half hours to Idaho for the Owyhee Fandango 100, located at Steph and John Teeters, about 50 miles south of Boise. We have known these guys forever it seems, and have visited their place in the past, but without horses. Their ranch is in the middle of basically nowhere, next to open space, near nothing really, except more empty land. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a ride!
We decided to try driving up in one day, giving the boys 2 full days to rest and recover in the glorious sunshine of Idaho before the ride on Sunday. Mistake number one of two. It was a long, long, drive. Too long, in fact, and we won't be doing that again soon. (The two day drive coming home was a world better) We stopped twice for them to get out for a half hour every four hours, and for fuel, and food, but it just droned on forever. Mistake number two of two- assuming the great state of Idaho has glorious sunshine all the time. Well, this particular week Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho all shared some pretty crappy weather. It was okay till about 4 hours from the end, but then the rain came down, hard at times. It got down to 36 or so degrees outside, in fact the truck helpfully warned us there was possibly ice out there! We had not seen that warning before. Great! We slogged through the wet and finally arrived at the ranch about 9pm. Set up camp, say hi, go directly to bed.
The ride was a three day of sorts over the Memorial Day weekend. It included no less than: a 50 and 25 on Friday, a 50 and 25 on Saturday, and a whopping 30, 60, 80, and 100 including an elevator option on Sunday. The overall turnout wasn't what Steph hoped for; I think on the first day 23 started the 50, and 11 on the 25 in the rain. Judy and I worked the finish line on Friday in the on-and-off rain and wind. (We got to stay in the camper during the rain in the morning!) We went for a ride in the late afternoon, but Judy noticed that Color was a touch off in the front. Hmmmm. She found a little eucalyptus acorn in his foot wedged into the shoe. We could not make the lameness re-appear, so we let it go until the next day. The first day ended with soggy, but generally happy riders.
The rain came down during the night, and continued all Saturday morning and into the early afternoon. We thought about those guys out on the ride who were really wet. We played cards, read books, napped and killed time in the nice, new camper. (It has a pop out!) The rain finally let up a little in the late afternoon, allowing us to go for another ride in the light rain. Color seemed fine, but then not, then fine- very inconsistent. We could not make it show up trotting him on the hard ground. We went to vet in for Sunday's ride, and on the pea-gravel he was off. Slight, but consistent. Judy could not start. We joked that Color just wanted a trip to see his 'native' Idaho, being an Appy, but that's the way the sport goes sometimes. Donnie was splendid, and felt very strong. I went to bed hoping the weather would calm down for ride day. I'd go out in a monsoon, but would sure rather not.
I didn't have to! The Idaho endurance gods smiled on all of us, providing cold, breezy, and dry weather. It was overcast on Sunday morning, but no rain. The rain had done us a favor- the sandy terrain was now wet and absolutely perfect. I call it 1-800-Traction; you can't buy footing like this. At 6am I left poor Judy and Color and headed out in the cold air. The 100 started out down the main ranch driveway for a half mile or so. We turned left at the water tough and onto the trails that were so perfect. A couple of little single track climbs up and down little valleys dumped us onto a few miles of prime roads and trails in the high desert. It was slightly downhill a few miles to the highway crossing, and once across, there were more washes and more perfect, single track trails. Donnie and I were riding alone, but he decided he'd rather go catch up with a pair of horses a little ahead of us. We boogied on up and hooked up with two riders, Trish Frahm and Kathleen Edman, who were both doing their first 100s via the 80 mile elevator option. We rode along pretty quickly through a section of an off-road vehicle area that looked pretty cool. We rode along for a few miles on more nice roads and trails across rolling terrain, then at 15 miles we hit the first vet check at the Sierra something or something Sierra ranch. This place was really neat- a big, modern, adobe ranch house, miles of grass or alfalfa fields, a lake- just beautiful. The owners were very nice to let us in and enjoy it. A quick 30 minute hold and we left and rode right onto the Oregon trail. The actual Trail. It's a tight, twisty, uphill climb up a little draw that was about a half mile long. It's a neat feeling riding on a piece of history, just like riding on the actual pony express trail at Fort Schelbourne. We trotted along for a while with Bruce and Nance Worman, talking about Charles Manson and outlaws who used to terrorize possys in this area. Why? Who knows? Suddenly we crested a little rise, and right before us lay the Snake River canyon. Wow! A mile across, a half mile deep, like a little Grand Canyon, and almost as pretty. I could not believe the view; we stopped and took some pictures. The trail hung a left, and we got to ride along the top of the canyon to the, well, left, for several miles. You could look down the canyon and see the river far below. We trotted across a couple of miles of flat meadow with green grass tufts that we let the horses stop and eat on occasion. We continued along in perfect footing until the turn! We hung a right and headed downhill on a gravel road for a mile and a half or so to the river. I mean right to the river, as in we got to stop and drink from it. Well, the horses did. Now we are in the bottom of the canyon with the walls going straight up for a long ways. The Snake is a real river- deep, swift, swirling, wide, and very cold. (In Las Vegas, where I grew up, moist ground is a creek, standing water is a stream, and if it moves it's a river.) It was Memorial Day weekend, so we saw quite a few campers and fisherman on the other side, quite a ways away. We started trotting along the river's edge and continued to do so for about 15 miles. On nice little two track roads, single track, up and down little hills, sometimes right next to the water. The trail took us through a section of original Indian petroglyphs that were as good as they get. The 60's turned around here and headed home on the same trail. We continued on along the river and into the half mile section called the boulders. Yes, they were. It was a very rocky section that only people or horses could get through. Slow, careful walking through here. It was a little like parts of the Granite Chief Wilderness on Tevis, but not as nasty. I called parts of it Dicey, but only if you tried to hurry through it. Once clear, we found nice, trotable single track for a couple of miles to the radio stop and water. We turned right as the river bent that way and rode another four miles to the bridge. Steph said we were going to cross the river on a bridge to the vet check. This river is a few hundred yards across, and I'm imagining a rope swing or something. Nope- it's a real, old, unused railroad bridge converted for people and horses. Donnie led the way across the long bridge, a long way up from the river. Very cool! Off the other end and a quarter mile to the vet check. We all pulsed down and spent 50 minutes eating and enjoying the scenery. There were still some dark clouds patches far away, but we had not seen a drop of rain. We heard a rumor that some riders had been hailed on, but how could that be? Not soon enough for me we headed out and back across the bridge. Now we just had to ride the same trail backward, back the 40 miles to camp. Just fine with me! I got to see all the stuff I missed going the other direction. We rode back through the nasty rocks, along the river, back through the petroglyphs, and all the way along the river to the climb out. We walked up it, with Donnie tailing me, all the way up. Once on top it was full trot back across the open plains and towards that amazing view spot. I realized something- it was warm! The sky was blue and it was warming up. More miles of nice trotting back to the Oregon Trail again and down to the ranch for another 50 minute hold. Dennis Sousa was there with a pair of good looking horses- both Jennifer and Joyce had been pulled for lameness. Bummer! That rarely happens to those guys. He helped out crewing as he always does, allowing me to eat my hot dog that the ride provided. The ranch owners had opened up a field of grass for us to graze on, so while I grazed on my hot dog Donnie got to eat for 45 minutes in a field of grass they were probably going to harvest soon. What a treat!
The weather was actually getting warm, so I peeled down to a tee shirt and tied the other layers around my waist. The three of us left the check together, but Trish's horse Sahara was slowing down a little. Kathleen held back with her, so Donnie and I trotted off alone for the 15 miles back to base camp. We cruised along at our nice consistent trot, gobbling up the short miles back to camp. We came back on a different trail that was a little faster; we got to ride up on top of the ridge along Stephs little valley. Back over the two little ridges on single track, then we trotted on in, getting back to camp at 80 miles at about 6:55 pm. Color was happy to see us, well, Donnie anyway, and the two whooped and hollered. I vetted through quickly and let the boy eat during his third 50 minute hold. Judy happily took care of my horse while I ate- thanks sweetie! (until she found out that I had finished the meat balls. Then not so happy!) My out time was 7:45, 20 miles to go, and there was still lots of daylight left. We said good bye to Judy and the bellowing Color and trotted back out the trail the way we had come in. We had to backtrack about 7 miles on the trail we had just done on the way in. We saw Meri at the water trough on the way out, and I said we were going it alone. She said yep, but it will just be you and him in the cool evening. (She wished she could come!) Donnie is so good about this- he just goes along at a nice trot, not caring that we were all alone and going back out. The evening was coming on, the weather was perfect, the footing great, the trail fun, the scenery just spectacular, me and my horse just bopping along- you can't ask for much more. Except maybe more miles.
We trotted along on nice, soft, two-track jeep roads that led to the highway crossing; once across I let him graze for about ten minutes, then we continued down the 3 miles or so of flat, wide, gravel road heading away from camp. We trotted along to the huge ranch at the end of the road, said hi to some ranchers, and then made the right hand bend back towards camp. This road was a nice, rolling, sandy two track that wound around a little in some small hills before making the actual turn towards home. The sun was getting low in the sky as we headed back towards the other highway crossing heading back. We saw the nice guys there taking numbers, had another drink (there was lots of water on the trail) and headed out to the most fun I have had on my horse in a long while. I'll set the stage: the sun was setting with a beautiful sunset, it was cool out, no wind, we were going across the open desert on single track trail through the sage brush that smelled so good, about 7 miles to go, mild rolling terrain, the footing was perfect, just him and me together, and my horse felt as if I had just gotten on his back in the morning. We were trotting fast, and broke into a canter. Donnie and I ran the couple of miles of this wonder trail, jumping bushes, weaving in and out, just flying across the desert the way the old cowboys made it look. I was just grinning the whole time. It was so much fun it's impossible to describe. That few minutes of riding made the whole trip worthwhile. If someone asks why in the world would you do endurance, this is why. To feel like this after 90 miles; I get goose bumps thinking about it. Am I weird? I hope not.
All and far too soon we ran out of desert to canter in. The trail dumped us back on the main driveway to the ranch which we trotted down for a couple of miles. There are cattle guards on this road, but not too worry- we hung a left and headed across the little valley towards the foothills that line the, well, one side of the valley. I noticed a glow stick for the first time since it was starting to get a little dark. We trotted along on a long road / sandwash behind the hills, still heading in the direction of camp. I knew at some point we had to climb up to the right and over the ridge to get home, but we went further than I expected to get to that turn. Donnie was sure camp was to the right- he was correct, but we sort of needed that trail to progress towards home. Finally we hung the right, and Donnie just jammed up that climb of a few hundred vertical feet. Whoa horsie! He cantered up and took off on the single track that rolled up and down a few hills, all on single track. We were cooking along, and finally after the little downhill we saw camp. Donnie called out to Color as he always does, Color responded, and we suddenly had the horse philharmonic going on. What in the heck are they saying to each other? We actually had to pass camp completely by a quarter mile or so and then come back to the finish. You would think we were going to Barstow! Horses, you guys are waking the dead! Those in camp sure knew I was coming! We crossed the creek and trotted briskly back to the finish camp in 7th place, ride time 13 and a half hours, where the two horses finally shut up. It was about 10:15 pm or so and getting cooler out. The D horse said something to Color at the finish water trough, drank a ton, and vetted out great. I wanted to go back out and do that section of desert again, but sleep sounded better. We put the boys to bed, I had a hot shower and retired for the night.
Monday morning dawned with the nicest weather yet. Cool, sunny, slight breeze. The ride provided a superb breakfast, (quiche, bacon, sausage, French toast AND pancakes!) and after the awards we began packing up camp. We said good bye and left around 9:30 and drove the 7 or so hours to Winnemucca to the fairgrounds for the night. There was a huge mule event going on the next weekend, and already the long eared beasts were showing up. I put the horses in the sand arena- Donnie rolled probably 10 times, jumped up, and then took off trotting. We were out of place with our spotted horse and my little Arabian pony compared to these giant mules. The people there were complementary- He did 100 miles? But he's so SMALL! That's what they all say. The fairgrounds at Winnemucca is a great place to stop for the night. We walked to downtown and had a nice vacation dinner at a Mexican place that was actually very good. Poor Judy- some vacation. 29 hours in a trailer, 3 days in ridecamp, and a Mexican dinner in Winnemucca. That's okay- there's next time. On Tuesday morning we drove on home, arriving in the afternoon. The two day trip is the ticket, and will be for future long distance events.
Suzanne Hayes and Sue Summers tied for the win with a ride time a hair short of ten hours, and Sue's horse Mag's Motivator (great name) would get the BC. Sixteen started the 100, 12 finished, and Kathleen did elevate up from the 80 and finished her first 100. Special thanks to Steph and John for putting on the ride. It was a great trail and a well done ride, and would make a great first 100, especially since you can choose to do the 80 and elevate to the 100 if your horse is looking good. If the ride were only a little closer to something, like California, say. The turnout was small, but all rides had excellent finishing percentages. No horse problems that I'm aware of, great trails, incredible scenery, plenty of water on the trail, (it would be kind of hard to have a ride full of horses drink the snake river), excellent vets and ride management- what else is there? Oh yes- the horse. It helps to have a horse like I do. He's sure fun to ride, and I hope to keep doing it for as long as possible. Next stop: Wild West 3 day, then Tevis.
Nick Warhol
Hayward, Ca
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Soundness/Fitness Evaluation for the World Championship - Reynolds Racing Blog
Reynoldsracing.us - Full Story
by Heather Reynolds
3 June 2012
On Thursday Jeremy and I loaded up Kutt and Marvel to make the trip to Prescott, Arizona. We would be being hosted by the Rashid Family at Kytiri Ranch. The drive took 8 hours. The first part of the drive was scenic, then it turned to desert and then rock and then in Flagstaff it was forrest and then back to desert.
Prescott is at about 5000+ elevation. It was very hot out so we decided to leave Durango at 2 pm. We arrived in Prescott around 10pm. Terri was there with a smile on as well as her husband Rick. After our horses were settled in a nice BIG paddock we were taken to our sleeping quarters. We fell right asleep.
Friday morning we got up and went for a ride with Terri on the trail that we would be using as our evaluation trail. (Terri was supposed to do the trial with us but disappointingly, at the last minute her horse came up sore and it was blocked to the foot so it was just really bad timing.) It was a 3.1 mile out and then turn around and head back. It was a right handed fish-hook out, midway you went by a windmill then continued to a bush, looped around the bush to the trail you were just on and go back to the windmill and hook left to the start point. We were going to do this for 38 miles. The trail had nice footing and we chased some gazelle which was fun.
When we were done with the ride it was already very warm. Arizona has a really dry heat. We loaded up the horses and went to the local deli to pick up sandwiches for Terri's family and ourselves.
After we drove to the ranch we all had lunch and then Jeremy and I saddled up Marvel and Kutt to do the track that is on the property for a little stretch ride...
Read more here:
http://reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/400/soundness_fitness_evaluation_for_the_world_championship
by Heather Reynolds
3 June 2012
On Thursday Jeremy and I loaded up Kutt and Marvel to make the trip to Prescott, Arizona. We would be being hosted by the Rashid Family at Kytiri Ranch. The drive took 8 hours. The first part of the drive was scenic, then it turned to desert and then rock and then in Flagstaff it was forrest and then back to desert.
Prescott is at about 5000+ elevation. It was very hot out so we decided to leave Durango at 2 pm. We arrived in Prescott around 10pm. Terri was there with a smile on as well as her husband Rick. After our horses were settled in a nice BIG paddock we were taken to our sleeping quarters. We fell right asleep.
Friday morning we got up and went for a ride with Terri on the trail that we would be using as our evaluation trail. (Terri was supposed to do the trial with us but disappointingly, at the last minute her horse came up sore and it was blocked to the foot so it was just really bad timing.) It was a 3.1 mile out and then turn around and head back. It was a right handed fish-hook out, midway you went by a windmill then continued to a bush, looped around the bush to the trail you were just on and go back to the windmill and hook left to the start point. We were going to do this for 38 miles. The trail had nice footing and we chased some gazelle which was fun.
When we were done with the ride it was already very warm. Arizona has a really dry heat. We loaded up the horses and went to the local deli to pick up sandwiches for Terri's family and ourselves.
After we drove to the ranch we all had lunch and then Jeremy and I saddled up Marvel and Kutt to do the track that is on the property for a little stretch ride...
Read more here:
http://reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/400/soundness_fitness_evaluation_for_the_world_championship
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
I’ll get by with a little help from my friends
Horsebytes Blog - Monica Bretherton
“Do you guys like champagne?” Mary Krauss asked Cathy and myself as we grazed Danny and Galen near her rig.
Silly question. Ten minutes later, we were hosting the champagne in the refrigerator in Cathy’s camper, held to celebrate when Mary’s daughter Clara finished her fifty-mile ride on her pony, Benny.
Mary and I were only digital acquaintances prior to the ride, but after she mentioned Danny’s elegance several times, it was obvious we were on the same wavelength. Bringing champagne to a ride only underscored our shared interests. Before the celebration, though, there was work to do.
Cathy and I were waiting on Susan Bhatt, who hauled with us down to the Klickitat Trek with the intention of riding the 25-miler both days. Cathy and I had ridden the day before, and that was quite enough. It is actually harder to do that second day than to do the extra mileage all in one day, and a harder test for the horse. Susan was either completely insane or just a lot younger and more resilient than us. A lot more durable than many others, too – by Sunday the spot we had found on the fringes of ride camp, just shy of the “no camping” sign at the Glenwood Rodeo fairgrounds, was now a lonely outpost far, far away from the vet check and other rigs.
The over 100 riders the day before were down to a third – a few were doing a two-day fifty, others were riding a different horse the second day, and some were repeating the limited distance like Susan.
The meaning of “limited distance” had been expanded a bit on Saturday’s ride. A surprise release of irrigation water turned the crossing on the orange-and-white loop from moderate to dangerous, with slippery banks leading down to belly-deep, fast-moving water. More than one rider took a bath as their horses lost their footing in the current.
It was a reminder that when we ride even in managed forestry areas, not every element of the ride can be controlled. The surge in water level was man-made, sent down to fill irrigation ditches in the valley, but could just as easily have been the result of weather. Either way, ride management had to scramble. They rerouted riders to another water crossing where the approach and the channel depth were more manageable...
Read more here:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/2012/06/05/ill-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/
“Do you guys like champagne?” Mary Krauss asked Cathy and myself as we grazed Danny and Galen near her rig.
Silly question. Ten minutes later, we were hosting the champagne in the refrigerator in Cathy’s camper, held to celebrate when Mary’s daughter Clara finished her fifty-mile ride on her pony, Benny.
Mary and I were only digital acquaintances prior to the ride, but after she mentioned Danny’s elegance several times, it was obvious we were on the same wavelength. Bringing champagne to a ride only underscored our shared interests. Before the celebration, though, there was work to do.
Cathy and I were waiting on Susan Bhatt, who hauled with us down to the Klickitat Trek with the intention of riding the 25-miler both days. Cathy and I had ridden the day before, and that was quite enough. It is actually harder to do that second day than to do the extra mileage all in one day, and a harder test for the horse. Susan was either completely insane or just a lot younger and more resilient than us. A lot more durable than many others, too – by Sunday the spot we had found on the fringes of ride camp, just shy of the “no camping” sign at the Glenwood Rodeo fairgrounds, was now a lonely outpost far, far away from the vet check and other rigs.
The over 100 riders the day before were down to a third – a few were doing a two-day fifty, others were riding a different horse the second day, and some were repeating the limited distance like Susan.
The meaning of “limited distance” had been expanded a bit on Saturday’s ride. A surprise release of irrigation water turned the crossing on the orange-and-white loop from moderate to dangerous, with slippery banks leading down to belly-deep, fast-moving water. More than one rider took a bath as their horses lost their footing in the current.
It was a reminder that when we ride even in managed forestry areas, not every element of the ride can be controlled. The surge in water level was man-made, sent down to fill irrigation ditches in the valley, but could just as easily have been the result of weather. Either way, ride management had to scramble. They rerouted riders to another water crossing where the approach and the channel depth were more manageable...
Read more here:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/2012/06/05/ill-get-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Biltmore Endurance Race – We Went, We Conquered!
Horsejunkiesunited.com Blog - Full Story
by Misha Green
May 30 2012
HJU Endurance Blogger Misha Green discovered the crazy sport of endurance a number of years ago when her sister-in-law began competing in events all over Ontario.
She just completed her first FEI Event and sends us this report.
You can read her other articles here.
Thanks for sharing your sport with us, Misha!
The Biltmore Endurance Race was an experience I will never forget. From start to finish the entire experience far exceeded my expectations. The Canadian contingent made history with all but one of us completing our chosen distances and doing so at the top of the leaderboards!
We arrived at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina early on Wednesday May 2 after spending a night at McConathy Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. We set up “Camp Canada” with all of the other trailers bearing Canadian riders and horses.
On Wednesday afternoon, we all saddled up and headed out for a short ride to stretch legs and muscles and to explore some of the trail we would be racing in a few days time.
Thursday morning and Friday morning were also reserved for quiet rides to stretch legs and explore trail. Unfortunately, Emma Webb and I got lost on Thursday morning and ended up riding across the front lawn of Biltmore House!
Thursday afternoon, we toured the Biltmore Winery and explored some of the public areas of Biltmore House. We ran out of time to actually do the tour of the house but have promised ourselves to ensure that we take advantage of that tour next year.
Friday afternoon was reserved for vetting in our horses and for the ride talk. Vagas vetted through with all A’s and was declared ready to rock and roll in his first 50 mile FEI ride!...
Read more here:
http://www.horsejunkiesunited.com/2012/05/30/biltmore-endurance-race-we-went-we-conquered/
by Misha Green
May 30 2012
HJU Endurance Blogger Misha Green discovered the crazy sport of endurance a number of years ago when her sister-in-law began competing in events all over Ontario.
She just completed her first FEI Event and sends us this report.
You can read her other articles here.
Thanks for sharing your sport with us, Misha!
The Biltmore Endurance Race was an experience I will never forget. From start to finish the entire experience far exceeded my expectations. The Canadian contingent made history with all but one of us completing our chosen distances and doing so at the top of the leaderboards!
We arrived at The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina early on Wednesday May 2 after spending a night at McConathy Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. We set up “Camp Canada” with all of the other trailers bearing Canadian riders and horses.
On Wednesday afternoon, we all saddled up and headed out for a short ride to stretch legs and muscles and to explore some of the trail we would be racing in a few days time.
Thursday morning and Friday morning were also reserved for quiet rides to stretch legs and explore trail. Unfortunately, Emma Webb and I got lost on Thursday morning and ended up riding across the front lawn of Biltmore House!
Thursday afternoon, we toured the Biltmore Winery and explored some of the public areas of Biltmore House. We ran out of time to actually do the tour of the house but have promised ourselves to ensure that we take advantage of that tour next year.
Friday afternoon was reserved for vetting in our horses and for the ride talk. Vagas vetted through with all A’s and was declared ready to rock and roll in his first 50 mile FEI ride!...
Read more here:
http://www.horsejunkiesunited.com/2012/05/30/biltmore-endurance-race-we-went-we-conquered/
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Just Coe Crazy Ride, Henry Coe Park, Gilroy - Linda Cowles
5/28/2012
I’m still trying to ride 50’s and only getting 25 miles, but I’m having a great time anyway. The older I get (I’m 58) the less important the destination becomes and the more important the journey is.
25’s may be my thing, or Gabby’s thing. My heart wants to do 50’s, but my horse seems to be better at 25’s so thank you to everyone that holds them. I really want to ride the Grand Canyon ride in September, so…. I’m still trying. Would love multiday LD’s… I heard a rumor that someone I admire called them the Luxury Distance and… that really appeals to me!
Recap: my 19YO Gavilan (aka Gabby) and I took a 12 year vacation from endurance following our successful completion of the 2000 Swanton 100. I was laid off from my cushy high tech business development gig and essentially reinvented myself so that I didn’t need to work in that world; I now trim horses for a living and love it. Earlier this year I started getting back into endurance with > 1000 miles (mostly 50’s) behind me and it’s been a journey in itself.
We rode Lost Padres, day 1, it was hot and humid, and Gabby was determined to Top Ten (he forgot how hard 50’s were), so we pulled at the lunch vet. John Park was a wonderful riding companion on Remington for this first half of the ride, Gabby took in Remington’s sage advice, the ride was beautiful, camp was great and Ann Nicholson cooked a great meal for us, so we had a blast in spite of the lunch pull. We rode the LD the next day, Gab was very good and finished well.
Cache Creek LD was another extremely well planned & managed ride, and it was also extremely hot, but we had a great ride and again, Gab finished well.
So for Henry Coe State Park http://coepark.net/ ? I knew that tough park intimately and so did Gabby…. We used to live 10 miles away and, when he was a colt, I would ride Shatirr there and either pony Gab or turn him loose to follow along behind us. I was also a member of their Mounted Patrol for several years. I had essentially 3 25 rides behind me and quite a bit of conditioning, so I opted to ride the 50 because it went through Los Cruceros, a junction of creeks deep in the park that is one of my favorite places on earth…. This huge park has almost been closed several times and part of the reason Lori was offering the ride was as a fund raiser to help keep it open. I am a huge fan of Coe Park and want to try and host a few camping trips there if I can pull it off.
Henry Coe Park is a great ride even if you only ride the LD for conditioning and take your time to enjoy the views!. This is one of the few times we have access to the park for horse camping out of this location…. It is WONDERFUL conditioning…
Gab did something to his right hind somewhere between the 1st vet and lunch, and while it was minor, there was no question about me pulling him. He looked great when he was turned out in his pasture yesterday, but he’s 19 and I don’t want to screw him up….
The Barbeque was great – delicious tri tip steak and salad. Thanks Lori for a great ride! I hope you offer it again next year because I’ll be back. Thanks to Maryben for making me laugh at the lunch vet check… always great to see friends!
My hero’s are ride managers….
Linda Cowles
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Mt. Adams Endurance Ride - Cascade Gold Blog
Cascadegold Blog - Full Story
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2012
Monica and I went down to the Mt. Adams endurance ride this past weekend. This is a great ride – about 6 hours away, nice camping, just about perfect trails and views to kill for. We got there Friday night, got settled in and vetted and went for a short ride. My ankles were not happy, so we didn’t go far. We did some visiting around camp and then turned in for our early start the next day. We met Lisa Preston, who was there with her young Teke-Arab filly for her first LD ride. There was one other Teke cross there with Mona Thacker. Her Shiraz has been competing for quite a few years and has been racking up the miles.
Saturday morning dawned and we got ready. The weather was perfect – 60ish and sunny. Our plan was that I’d start behind the leaders and go fast, to save my ankles, and Monica and Danny would meander out later. As this is only his 3rd ride, she’s being very conservative (and rightly so). So, we waited until the majority of the 75 (yes, 75 riders in the 25 mile ride) went out. We walked out of camp after a bit of excitement – someone’s horse decided to warm itself up just as we were walking to the start line. They caught it after a few minutes and then we walked out on a loose rein. As soon as we got to the woods (there was about a half mile of pavement to walk on) we started our trot and passed and passed and passed people. Galen LOVES to pass other horses. We finished our first loop of 13 miles in around 1 ½ hours and vetted through just fine. We only had a short hold, so we went back to the camper and got resupplied and a bite to eat.
We headed out on our second loop and met Monica and Danny coming in as we went out. The horses felt that we should stand around and talk about it, but a small amount of ‘persuasion’ and Galen and I were off. This next loop was 12 miles...
Read more here:
http://cascadegold.blogspot.com/2012/05/mt-adams-endurance-ride-may-19-2012.html
MONDAY, MAY 21, 2012
Monica and I went down to the Mt. Adams endurance ride this past weekend. This is a great ride – about 6 hours away, nice camping, just about perfect trails and views to kill for. We got there Friday night, got settled in and vetted and went for a short ride. My ankles were not happy, so we didn’t go far. We did some visiting around camp and then turned in for our early start the next day. We met Lisa Preston, who was there with her young Teke-Arab filly for her first LD ride. There was one other Teke cross there with Mona Thacker. Her Shiraz has been competing for quite a few years and has been racking up the miles.
Saturday morning dawned and we got ready. The weather was perfect – 60ish and sunny. Our plan was that I’d start behind the leaders and go fast, to save my ankles, and Monica and Danny would meander out later. As this is only his 3rd ride, she’s being very conservative (and rightly so). So, we waited until the majority of the 75 (yes, 75 riders in the 25 mile ride) went out. We walked out of camp after a bit of excitement – someone’s horse decided to warm itself up just as we were walking to the start line. They caught it after a few minutes and then we walked out on a loose rein. As soon as we got to the woods (there was about a half mile of pavement to walk on) we started our trot and passed and passed and passed people. Galen LOVES to pass other horses. We finished our first loop of 13 miles in around 1 ½ hours and vetted through just fine. We only had a short hold, so we went back to the camper and got resupplied and a bite to eat.
We headed out on our second loop and met Monica and Danny coming in as we went out. The horses felt that we should stand around and talk about it, but a small amount of ‘persuasion’ and Galen and I were off. This next loop was 12 miles...
Read more here:
http://cascadegold.blogspot.com/2012/05/mt-adams-endurance-ride-may-19-2012.html
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Biltmore - Heather Reynolds
Reynoldsracing.us - Full StoryThursday, 10 May 2012
This blog should have gone out several days ago but I am just now starting to feel human again as far as sleep deprivation goes! On Wed May 2 we loaded up our 7 horses plus our friend Bob's horse to head to the Biltmore. The eight horses got on the trailer around 8:30 pm. Our plan was to drive thru the night to avoid the heat and humidity.
The reason we had so many horses was because we would be continuing from the Biltmore to our summer training that would take place in Durango CO. Ever tried packing for 5 horses and riders to do an FEI race and then also packing for the entire summer training with a trip abroad with potentially two horses flying??? A little bit of work.
The drive was uneventful. Rachel Shackelford had flown out to FL to help us drive to NC for the Biltmore. She was also going to help us with the crazy drive from NC to CO! What a hero!! I love her!!
We arrived Thursday with the two trailers, 3 dogs, 3 people and 8 horses around 10 am. We were in Zombie mode for sure! When we arrived several friends jumped in to help us get water and feed for the horses. This is when Bob's horse went with Bob. We then headed to town to go to breakfast. Melody and Chad went with and we had a great time. After this we went back to camp to get things organized. Jeremy booted a few horses while Rachel and I tried to stay awake.
For dinner we went to a BB-Q at our friends Lynn and Mark Ashby's camp. Very nice and fun catching up. Lynn and Mark are who we got A Kutt Above, Merlin (the chihuahua), Cleopatrah and An Honest Crook from. It was super fun because Merlin's mom, brother and niece were there! The Chihuahua's had a blast. We were party poopers and headed to bed super early, go figure!!.
Friday, Garrett Ford came to camp, he had landed at some unreal time in the wee hours of the am, I think Friday at 3:30 am or something! Jeremy and he went for a run. Rachel and I went to the Biltmore hotel and had breakfast with Elaine and Guy Lemeiux. These are our friends that we bought our newest horse, Honor, from. I think we had a lot more fun than the boys! Barbara also arrived later in the afternoon on Friday.
The rest of Friday was spent getting things set up, vetting, then pre riding, followed by the ride meeting. Then another early bedtime.
Saturday Jeremy and Stirgess started their ride at 6 am, Rachel and I were 30 mins later, followed by Garrett and Barbara another 30 mins later. The start of the race went very well for Rachel and I, both horses were traveling well and were relaxed. Our goal was to get Riverwatch aka Marvel his final qualification for the London World Championship and get Cleo through her first 2*...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/393/biltmore
Foxcatcher Endurance Results
Fairhillinternational.blogspot.com - Full Story
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
I'm a little late on results - sorry!
Foxcatcher Saturday was bright and sunny for the first time in a few years. And DRY. Which, for Foxcatcher, is absolutely amazing. We had 64 starters in the 25 mile ride, and 85 starters in the 50 mile ride, plus three ride and tie teams. To make things more exciting, we also ran an FEI 1* ride in the 50 miler, in which 7 riders participated. And the 50 mile ride was also the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 50 Mile Championship, in which 7 riders participated.
The 25 Mile ride started at 7AM. The riders completed a 15 mile loop, came in to base camp for a 40 minute hold and vet inspection, and then went back out for a 10 mile loop. The first riders finished around 10:15 or so. The 25 mile riders finish on their pulse time, not when they cross the finish line. This is to discourage riders from riding their horses too fast at the end. Those who have horses with a faster pulse recovery will have a better finish time than those whose horses take longer to recover. The winner of the 25 mile ride was Steven Hay riding Gotcha Covered PW, with a ride time of 2 hours 42 minutes (ride time does not include the 40 minutes of hold time). Delanie Kite, finishing in a tie for fifth place, was the first finishing Junior rider (juniors are under 16 years and have to ride with a sponsor). Out of our 64 starting riders, 54 completed the ride. Congrats!
The 50 mile riders also started at 7AM. They completed a 25 mile loop first, with a 10 minute "stop" part way through the loop to give the horses a little breather. After a 40 minute hold and vet exam, they went out for a 15 mile loop. Another 40 minute hold and vet exam followed, and then one last 10 mile loop. The first riders completed a little after 1PM.
Sandra Fretelliere (riding Tikis Twistyr) and Carmine Villani (riding TEF Sunflash) raced to the finish, with Sandra just edging out Carmine for the win. The 50 mile riders finish at the time they cross the finish line, so there is sometimes a race to the finish. All riders, however, must meet pulse criteria within a specified time after finishing, or risk being eliminated from the ride...
Read more here:
http://fairhillinternational.blogspot.com/2012/05/foxcatcher-endurance-results.html
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
I'm a little late on results - sorry!
Foxcatcher Saturday was bright and sunny for the first time in a few years. And DRY. Which, for Foxcatcher, is absolutely amazing. We had 64 starters in the 25 mile ride, and 85 starters in the 50 mile ride, plus three ride and tie teams. To make things more exciting, we also ran an FEI 1* ride in the 50 miler, in which 7 riders participated. And the 50 mile ride was also the Arabian Horse Association Region 15 50 Mile Championship, in which 7 riders participated.
The 25 Mile ride started at 7AM. The riders completed a 15 mile loop, came in to base camp for a 40 minute hold and vet inspection, and then went back out for a 10 mile loop. The first riders finished around 10:15 or so. The 25 mile riders finish on their pulse time, not when they cross the finish line. This is to discourage riders from riding their horses too fast at the end. Those who have horses with a faster pulse recovery will have a better finish time than those whose horses take longer to recover. The winner of the 25 mile ride was Steven Hay riding Gotcha Covered PW, with a ride time of 2 hours 42 minutes (ride time does not include the 40 minutes of hold time). Delanie Kite, finishing in a tie for fifth place, was the first finishing Junior rider (juniors are under 16 years and have to ride with a sponsor). Out of our 64 starting riders, 54 completed the ride. Congrats!
The 50 mile riders also started at 7AM. They completed a 25 mile loop first, with a 10 minute "stop" part way through the loop to give the horses a little breather. After a 40 minute hold and vet exam, they went out for a 15 mile loop. Another 40 minute hold and vet exam followed, and then one last 10 mile loop. The first riders completed a little after 1PM.
Sandra Fretelliere (riding Tikis Twistyr) and Carmine Villani (riding TEF Sunflash) raced to the finish, with Sandra just edging out Carmine for the win. The 50 mile riders finish at the time they cross the finish line, so there is sometimes a race to the finish. All riders, however, must meet pulse criteria within a specified time after finishing, or risk being eliminated from the ride...
Read more here:
http://fairhillinternational.blogspot.com/2012/05/foxcatcher-endurance-results.html
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Whiskeytown Chaser 2012: Trust Your Instincts & Wear Fleece-Lined Britches
Redheaded Endurance Blog - Full Story
Sunday, April 15, 2012
It was an inauspicious beginning. It poured all Thursday night and hadn’t let up a bit when I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep at 4 am. We had waited to pack the truck hoping for better weather in the morning but it hadn’t come, so when it got light I put on head to toe rain gear and got seriously soggy feeding all the critters and getting ready. The husband and I got it all wrangled into place eventually, waterproof stuff in the back of the truck, sleeping bags, clothes, etc in contractor grade trash bags and stuffed into the empty hay manger in the trailer. I stored the hay bale in the trailer up in the corner out of Desire's way, even with the divider open, and that worked fine. Finally we were ready to load the horse and get on the road around 9:30 am.
It was still raining lightly as I pulled Desire, threw a polar fleece on her, and loaded her into the trailer already waiting outside the gate. She was all gung-ho to leave her screaming baby and come with me in the rain to hop in the trailer, trooper that she is. As she hopped in the trailer her right hind skidded forward on the black mats and as she slid forward her left hind still on the ground clipped the edge of the trailer pretty hard as she went in. J and I both had small internal heart attacks as she held her hind leg up for a minute but she put it back down and assumed her usual shifty, ready to go position so we decided to drive the 5 miles down to the Bangor feed store, see if they had shavings to help with the slippery floor, and re-check her leg. I alternately swore and prayed the whole 5 miles and when we pulled her out there was a dime sized bloody spot on her hind leg from the hit but she walked, trotted out, and circled sound and I finally started breathing again. I gooped some of Trail-Rite's Magical Ointment onto it right away. The feed store didn’t have shavings (argh!) but did have sand and I decided to not risk the further 10 miles into town for shavings; we spread a bag of sand in the back of the trailer stall where it was slippery and it made Desire’s reloading much smoother, not to mention peace of mind for me. She is a clever one, when she loaded again she did a nifty hop up in with the dinged leg so there was no way it could hit again.
A brief stop at Wal-mart for a new air mattress pump and, mercifully, some nice new camp chairs to replace our crippling $9.99 Home Depot specials from last year, and we were on the road. It was about a 3 hour haul plus a stop for gas and the rain was off and on until we reached Redding when it finally actually quit.
We got a primo camping spot up on the hill and A and a riding buddy ended up pulling in and camping right next to us again, with C and F, the folks that put on Cooley ranch and Mendo Magic and old friends from the coast, camped just across from us. They didn’t bring Desire’s brother to this ride so no sibling photo opportunity this time. N pulled in in the afternoon and nosed her truck in next to ours so we were camping neighbors which was awesome...
Read more here:
http://redheadedendurance.blogspot.com/2012/04/whiskeytown-chaser-2012-trust-your.html
Sunday, April 15, 2012
It was an inauspicious beginning. It poured all Thursday night and hadn’t let up a bit when I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep at 4 am. We had waited to pack the truck hoping for better weather in the morning but it hadn’t come, so when it got light I put on head to toe rain gear and got seriously soggy feeding all the critters and getting ready. The husband and I got it all wrangled into place eventually, waterproof stuff in the back of the truck, sleeping bags, clothes, etc in contractor grade trash bags and stuffed into the empty hay manger in the trailer. I stored the hay bale in the trailer up in the corner out of Desire's way, even with the divider open, and that worked fine. Finally we were ready to load the horse and get on the road around 9:30 am.
It was still raining lightly as I pulled Desire, threw a polar fleece on her, and loaded her into the trailer already waiting outside the gate. She was all gung-ho to leave her screaming baby and come with me in the rain to hop in the trailer, trooper that she is. As she hopped in the trailer her right hind skidded forward on the black mats and as she slid forward her left hind still on the ground clipped the edge of the trailer pretty hard as she went in. J and I both had small internal heart attacks as she held her hind leg up for a minute but she put it back down and assumed her usual shifty, ready to go position so we decided to drive the 5 miles down to the Bangor feed store, see if they had shavings to help with the slippery floor, and re-check her leg. I alternately swore and prayed the whole 5 miles and when we pulled her out there was a dime sized bloody spot on her hind leg from the hit but she walked, trotted out, and circled sound and I finally started breathing again. I gooped some of Trail-Rite's Magical Ointment onto it right away. The feed store didn’t have shavings (argh!) but did have sand and I decided to not risk the further 10 miles into town for shavings; we spread a bag of sand in the back of the trailer stall where it was slippery and it made Desire’s reloading much smoother, not to mention peace of mind for me. She is a clever one, when she loaded again she did a nifty hop up in with the dinged leg so there was no way it could hit again.
A brief stop at Wal-mart for a new air mattress pump and, mercifully, some nice new camp chairs to replace our crippling $9.99 Home Depot specials from last year, and we were on the road. It was about a 3 hour haul plus a stop for gas and the rain was off and on until we reached Redding when it finally actually quit.
We got a primo camping spot up on the hill and A and a riding buddy ended up pulling in and camping right next to us again, with C and F, the folks that put on Cooley ranch and Mendo Magic and old friends from the coast, camped just across from us. They didn’t bring Desire’s brother to this ride so no sibling photo opportunity this time. N pulled in in the afternoon and nosed her truck in next to ours so we were camping neighbors which was awesome...
Read more here:
http://redheadedendurance.blogspot.com/2012/04/whiskeytown-chaser-2012-trust-your.html
Monday, April 09, 2012
USA Time Trial, Mt Pleasant Texas - Heather Reynolds
Reynolds Racing - Full Story
Saturday, 07 April 2012
The USA Time Trail was held last weekend, on the 31st of March, in Mt Pleasant Texas. On Monday the 26th around 5 pm the caravan pulled out of Florida to head West to Texas. Jeremy and Ellen Olson, Melody and Jeff Blittersdorf and Jeremy and myself. In our road circus we had 13 horses, a Great Dane, 4 Chihuahuas, 2 Pit bull mixes and Jeremy O's hunting dog which I forgot the breed of!
The circus was making great headway. We had decided to keep each other company as well as keeping motivated to drive straight through the night to get to the camp as quickly as possible while the weather would be at its coolest. Around 2 am we got a phone call from the Olson's who were in the back of the caravan. They had blown a trailer tire. The Blittersdorf's and us pulled off at the next stop, which was almost 10 miles up the hwy. As luck would have it the stop we made had a live tiger in a cage for exhibit! It was the weirdest gas station hole in the wall place. We waited for a long while. Jeremy O was trying to get his wheel jack (plastic ramp thing for trailer tire changing) to work but it was slipping on the asphalt and when he tried pulling into the grass more, the trailer sat too low to get the tire off... you can imagine the frustration. When the jack snapped into pieces it really topped it off! It was early am and sleep deprived fun was in full action!
At this point we headed back to them so we could try to help out. Mel and Jeff went ahead to find food. We had another plastic wheel jack. With a team effort we got the tire changed. We were rolling again! Hurray! It took about an hour and a half.
We caught up to Mel and Jeff and carried on. I think we were all more energized than normal as we were headed to the race we had all been looking forward to the entire winter training session in Florida...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/390/usa_time_trial__mt_pleasant_texas
Saturday, 07 April 2012
The USA Time Trail was held last weekend, on the 31st of March, in Mt Pleasant Texas. On Monday the 26th around 5 pm the caravan pulled out of Florida to head West to Texas. Jeremy and Ellen Olson, Melody and Jeff Blittersdorf and Jeremy and myself. In our road circus we had 13 horses, a Great Dane, 4 Chihuahuas, 2 Pit bull mixes and Jeremy O's hunting dog which I forgot the breed of!
The circus was making great headway. We had decided to keep each other company as well as keeping motivated to drive straight through the night to get to the camp as quickly as possible while the weather would be at its coolest. Around 2 am we got a phone call from the Olson's who were in the back of the caravan. They had blown a trailer tire. The Blittersdorf's and us pulled off at the next stop, which was almost 10 miles up the hwy. As luck would have it the stop we made had a live tiger in a cage for exhibit! It was the weirdest gas station hole in the wall place. We waited for a long while. Jeremy O was trying to get his wheel jack (plastic ramp thing for trailer tire changing) to work but it was slipping on the asphalt and when he tried pulling into the grass more, the trailer sat too low to get the tire off... you can imagine the frustration. When the jack snapped into pieces it really topped it off! It was early am and sleep deprived fun was in full action!
At this point we headed back to them so we could try to help out. Mel and Jeff went ahead to find food. We had another plastic wheel jack. With a team effort we got the tire changed. We were rolling again! Hurray! It took about an hour and a half.
We caught up to Mel and Jeff and carried on. I think we were all more energized than normal as we were headed to the race we had all been looking forward to the entire winter training session in Florida...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/390/usa_time_trial__mt_pleasant_texas
Friday, March 30, 2012
2012 Red Barn Run - Keith Kibler
Shawneesunrisefarm Blog - Full Story
Posted on March 29, 2012 by Keith Kibler
Red Barn Run 2012
We love riding and competing in endurance races in the South. The folks, as a group, are friendly and genuinely glad to see new comers. The vets are used to seeing alternative breeds other than Arabians.
The location of the ride is Chester GA. It is so tiny that it could be a suburb of Mayberry. It has the claim to fame of having been the home town of Pretty Boy Floyd. I mean the famous criminal, not the speed racking horse. It seems that Floyd left town for greener pastures. In a classic southern tradition not unlike direction advice that starts with, “turn where the tavern used to be”, the ride is named after a red barn that is no longer on the property.
The ride site is owned by the Perry family. They own all 4000 acres of the ride site, and this ride is the only time the family place is open to the public. Camping is great but rustic. There is a water spigot and you have to haul water back to your trailer. The Perry’s own an off site winery, and they offer wine and wonderful concoctions they call “slushies” that many women, including my wife Sandy, loved. Both the Friday and Saturday evenings were catered as a part of the ride fee. Friday night was barbecue chicken and Saturday night featured barbecue ribs.
The Perry’s are great folks and they turn the dinners into a Mayberry- like impromptu skits where they end up making fun of their relatives or friends. The top awards feature things like hand-made wooden giant rocking chairs and mounting blocks. The vets included Otis Schmitt, Ken Marcella and Dee Dee Huff. Each of the 4 rides had about 60 entries. The trails are flat, fast and often a bit sandy. Each road crossing is manned and the crossing guards are usually the Chester volunteer fire department or friends of the Perrys. This is one of our favorite rides and I urge you to try it.
It is always great to see the Angie McGee family, Joe Schoech, and the other SE riders. We had to haul 11 hours to get there and that means getting up at 3:30 am. My plan was to ride my sweet heart twh mare Kate both days, and take the twh Jazz as my back up. Sandy took one of her twh mares Cheyenne. I loaded the horses in the dark and off we went. Shortly after leaving, the dash cluster on our 2007 Ford diesel 250 went dark and the gauges went dead and the battery light came on. The motor did not die and when the gas pedal was tapped, the power came back on. This happened on and off for the whole trip. It meant you could not really listen to the radio and required us to go to a “happy place” as we drove.
We got to Southern Ga. no worse for wear and set up in a cotton field. While unloading the horses, Sandy happened to mention that I had brought Savanah instead of Jazz as my backup. Oops. I loaded the wrong black horse in the dark. So, we brought the wrong coggins and travel permits. That will teach me to go to bed earlier...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/wordpress/?p=259
Posted on March 29, 2012 by Keith Kibler
Red Barn Run 2012
We love riding and competing in endurance races in the South. The folks, as a group, are friendly and genuinely glad to see new comers. The vets are used to seeing alternative breeds other than Arabians.
The location of the ride is Chester GA. It is so tiny that it could be a suburb of Mayberry. It has the claim to fame of having been the home town of Pretty Boy Floyd. I mean the famous criminal, not the speed racking horse. It seems that Floyd left town for greener pastures. In a classic southern tradition not unlike direction advice that starts with, “turn where the tavern used to be”, the ride is named after a red barn that is no longer on the property.
The ride site is owned by the Perry family. They own all 4000 acres of the ride site, and this ride is the only time the family place is open to the public. Camping is great but rustic. There is a water spigot and you have to haul water back to your trailer. The Perry’s own an off site winery, and they offer wine and wonderful concoctions they call “slushies” that many women, including my wife Sandy, loved. Both the Friday and Saturday evenings were catered as a part of the ride fee. Friday night was barbecue chicken and Saturday night featured barbecue ribs.
The Perry’s are great folks and they turn the dinners into a Mayberry- like impromptu skits where they end up making fun of their relatives or friends. The top awards feature things like hand-made wooden giant rocking chairs and mounting blocks. The vets included Otis Schmitt, Ken Marcella and Dee Dee Huff. Each of the 4 rides had about 60 entries. The trails are flat, fast and often a bit sandy. Each road crossing is manned and the crossing guards are usually the Chester volunteer fire department or friends of the Perrys. This is one of our favorite rides and I urge you to try it.
It is always great to see the Angie McGee family, Joe Schoech, and the other SE riders. We had to haul 11 hours to get there and that means getting up at 3:30 am. My plan was to ride my sweet heart twh mare Kate both days, and take the twh Jazz as my back up. Sandy took one of her twh mares Cheyenne. I loaded the horses in the dark and off we went. Shortly after leaving, the dash cluster on our 2007 Ford diesel 250 went dark and the gauges went dead and the battery light came on. The motor did not die and when the gas pedal was tapped, the power came back on. This happened on and off for the whole trip. It meant you could not really listen to the radio and required us to go to a “happy place” as we drove.
We got to Southern Ga. no worse for wear and set up in a cotton field. While unloading the horses, Sandy happened to mention that I had brought Savanah instead of Jazz as my backup. Oops. I loaded the wrong black horse in the dark. So, we brought the wrong coggins and travel permits. That will teach me to go to bed earlier...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/wordpress/?p=259
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
2012 H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 6th Annual Equestrian Festival - Michelle Mattingly
This is an equestrian event not to be missed. It is an unbelievable event with much to offer for everyone. We even attended with our 15 month old son and had an absolutely fabulous time. It is truly a celebration of the Arabian horse within the UAE heritage. This magnificent festival reminds you how honored and privileged we are to be able to ride such an exquisite animal.
The festival was from March 1 - 10 and included the World Arabian Breeders Challenge, Riding show classes, Dressage, Equestrian Games for under 10 years, and a fantastic variety of Endurance races and Show Jumping.
The weather was fantastic!! Next time you are looking for a beach vacation consider Abu Dhabi, as there are beaches, city life and equestrian events to enjoy!! Not to mention lots of endurance racing. The camel races are something to experience as well. It is an amazing experience. It gives you more of an understanding how driving alongside your endurance rider may have begun.
The camel races begin with a mass start (the starting area can accommodate up to 80 camels). The gate lifted and approximately 30 camels blasted full speed (up to 40km/hr) out from behind the gate. They are all controlled by electronic jockeys (no live persons). As the camels gallop down the track the owners and spectators alike race along the track fence in their car enjoying the race up close. It is a real thrill.
We went around the track for several races and then enjoyed another option for watching. With this option you can enjoy the races from your car on a large drive-in movie theater screen, while viewing the camels, which are followed by a camera! A great treat with this option is enjoying Arabic tea or coffee served by Arabic men directly to your car window. There is also a grandstand where spectators may watch.
Unfortunately, we missed a highlight I was personally looking forward to and that was the Arabian racing at the track. This was something to be seen, but for such an intense trip I am not too disappointed as that was the only event we had to miss. Never wake a sleeping baby, right?
Boutheib International Endurance Village is spectacular. There was an exhibition with booths of the Arabian heritage, the Royal Family, UAE wildlife, tack shops and much more. As guests of H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan we were honored and privileged enough to be able to personally meet him. He is so incredibly kind. He had us treated like royalty. The endurance races are incredibly easy to spectate. The vet gate, the sheltered crew areas and finish and start are all in one area making it possible to see absolutely everything. The horses are amazingly fit, they go at great speeds and look fantastic at the end. The trainers and riders over here do this full time and it shows!
In the dining Tent the meals were sensational and served with a tremendous amount of gold and beautiful china. The tables are all immaculately decorated and everything is set upon gorgeous Arabic rugs. There are even wall murals hung around the royal table. The royal table is in a gigantic C shape with H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the center and his royal entourage and personal guests around him. The room is also filled with many circular tables to accommodate many, many more. The food is incredible with hors d'oeuvres too pretty to eat, main dishes of lobster, several different kinds of fish, traditional Arabic chicken and too many salads to even mention and then of course dessert. A meal truly fit for a King.
The show jumping was also exhilarating to see. H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan's son is an excellent jumper. The enormous indoor arena held the show where some excellent jumpers were shown. Their riders guided through a tough course of jumps against the clock. The footing was something to note. There was no dust. It consisted of sand with other synthetic materials and it appeared to make very superior footing.
HH Shk Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 6th Annual Equestrian Festival
We were lucky enough to receive a guided tour through Wrsan stables. This is something we will also never forget or for that matter probably ever see anything greater. The entrance is heavily guarded and rightfully so. Upon entrance one can see that the desert area has been turned into a wildlife and horse paradise that is so beautiful and incredible to see it will be in your memory forever. The flower and greenery gardens are breathtaking as you drive through the grounds. We visited the breeding stables first. The horses all enjoy lush green paddocks and air conditioned stables when needed. Each stable also has a built in natural air conditioner. Quite interesting to see, it works by natural airflow and is quite cooling. I stood under it in front of the famous Monarch AH's stall and could feel probably a 5 - 10 degree difference in temperature. By the way, the stalls are really like indoor paddocks they are so huge. A wonderful place to be a horse. Miss Deirdre Hyde had a most impressive parade of horses for us to view. We saw the most famous and beautiful Arabians from around the world. A few of this and last year's wonderful foals were also shown. It was unreal.
The endurance and race stables were just as amazing. The facilities were absolutely the most fantastic training facilities one could ever dream (a trainer's dream)! There was the swim training pool, the underwater treadmill, the outdoor exercisers (one even air conditioned), the indoor arena, the impeccably man-made groomed mountain and 5k trail for the endurance horses with man made hills and the most unbelievable training track you will ever see. There was even an graded incline dirt track approximately 3/4 mile long. The training track is about 2 miles with an additional mile of turf and dirt training tracks also attached. Absolutely unbelievable unless you see it.
The falcon building is another sight to be seen. This is like a super dome just for training the falcons. Really spectacular! The falcons definitely live in luxury like the horses. There is 24 hour surveillance over the hatchery for these very difficult birds to breed. In the entrance of the super dome is a museum of the falcon quite interesting to see. There are also exotic wildlife areas throughout the property. Your eyes just grow bigger and bigger, there is just so much to see.
The hospitality and kindness is a wonderful experience and nearly everyone speaks English. The road signs are all in Arabic and English. It is a very friendly city. We cannot thank H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan enough for this remarkable experience.
Michelle Mattingly
The festival was from March 1 - 10 and included the World Arabian Breeders Challenge, Riding show classes, Dressage, Equestrian Games for under 10 years, and a fantastic variety of Endurance races and Show Jumping.
The weather was fantastic!! Next time you are looking for a beach vacation consider Abu Dhabi, as there are beaches, city life and equestrian events to enjoy!! Not to mention lots of endurance racing. The camel races are something to experience as well. It is an amazing experience. It gives you more of an understanding how driving alongside your endurance rider may have begun.
The camel races begin with a mass start (the starting area can accommodate up to 80 camels). The gate lifted and approximately 30 camels blasted full speed (up to 40km/hr) out from behind the gate. They are all controlled by electronic jockeys (no live persons). As the camels gallop down the track the owners and spectators alike race along the track fence in their car enjoying the race up close. It is a real thrill.
We went around the track for several races and then enjoyed another option for watching. With this option you can enjoy the races from your car on a large drive-in movie theater screen, while viewing the camels, which are followed by a camera! A great treat with this option is enjoying Arabic tea or coffee served by Arabic men directly to your car window. There is also a grandstand where spectators may watch.
Unfortunately, we missed a highlight I was personally looking forward to and that was the Arabian racing at the track. This was something to be seen, but for such an intense trip I am not too disappointed as that was the only event we had to miss. Never wake a sleeping baby, right?
Boutheib International Endurance Village is spectacular. There was an exhibition with booths of the Arabian heritage, the Royal Family, UAE wildlife, tack shops and much more. As guests of H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan we were honored and privileged enough to be able to personally meet him. He is so incredibly kind. He had us treated like royalty. The endurance races are incredibly easy to spectate. The vet gate, the sheltered crew areas and finish and start are all in one area making it possible to see absolutely everything. The horses are amazingly fit, they go at great speeds and look fantastic at the end. The trainers and riders over here do this full time and it shows!
In the dining Tent the meals were sensational and served with a tremendous amount of gold and beautiful china. The tables are all immaculately decorated and everything is set upon gorgeous Arabic rugs. There are even wall murals hung around the royal table. The royal table is in a gigantic C shape with H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the center and his royal entourage and personal guests around him. The room is also filled with many circular tables to accommodate many, many more. The food is incredible with hors d'oeuvres too pretty to eat, main dishes of lobster, several different kinds of fish, traditional Arabic chicken and too many salads to even mention and then of course dessert. A meal truly fit for a King.
The show jumping was also exhilarating to see. H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan's son is an excellent jumper. The enormous indoor arena held the show where some excellent jumpers were shown. Their riders guided through a tough course of jumps against the clock. The footing was something to note. There was no dust. It consisted of sand with other synthetic materials and it appeared to make very superior footing.
HH Shk Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 6th Annual Equestrian Festival
We were lucky enough to receive a guided tour through Wrsan stables. This is something we will also never forget or for that matter probably ever see anything greater. The entrance is heavily guarded and rightfully so. Upon entrance one can see that the desert area has been turned into a wildlife and horse paradise that is so beautiful and incredible to see it will be in your memory forever. The flower and greenery gardens are breathtaking as you drive through the grounds. We visited the breeding stables first. The horses all enjoy lush green paddocks and air conditioned stables when needed. Each stable also has a built in natural air conditioner. Quite interesting to see, it works by natural airflow and is quite cooling. I stood under it in front of the famous Monarch AH's stall and could feel probably a 5 - 10 degree difference in temperature. By the way, the stalls are really like indoor paddocks they are so huge. A wonderful place to be a horse. Miss Deirdre Hyde had a most impressive parade of horses for us to view. We saw the most famous and beautiful Arabians from around the world. A few of this and last year's wonderful foals were also shown. It was unreal.
The endurance and race stables were just as amazing. The facilities were absolutely the most fantastic training facilities one could ever dream (a trainer's dream)! There was the swim training pool, the underwater treadmill, the outdoor exercisers (one even air conditioned), the indoor arena, the impeccably man-made groomed mountain and 5k trail for the endurance horses with man made hills and the most unbelievable training track you will ever see. There was even an graded incline dirt track approximately 3/4 mile long. The training track is about 2 miles with an additional mile of turf and dirt training tracks also attached. Absolutely unbelievable unless you see it.
The falcon building is another sight to be seen. This is like a super dome just for training the falcons. Really spectacular! The falcons definitely live in luxury like the horses. There is 24 hour surveillance over the hatchery for these very difficult birds to breed. In the entrance of the super dome is a museum of the falcon quite interesting to see. There are also exotic wildlife areas throughout the property. Your eyes just grow bigger and bigger, there is just so much to see.
The hospitality and kindness is a wonderful experience and nearly everyone speaks English. The road signs are all in Arabic and English. It is a very friendly city. We cannot thank H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan enough for this remarkable experience.
Michelle Mattingly
Monday, March 05, 2012
Fun In The Sun...Or Fun Melting in the Heat! - Heather Reynolds
Sunday, 04 March 2012
We went to the FITS ride this weekend. It is really great as it is only 20 mins down the road and it is three days of super well marked FEI racing.
On Wed night we headed over to the ride with the two horses that we would be riding on day one on Thursday. Cleo was slated to do all three days so that on day 3 she would be qualified for her FEI 1*. Bailey was the horse that I would ride on day 1.
We vetted in and said hello to a few people. Bailey and Cleo settled in at camp, they were obviously old campaigners by now, after all this was their 2nd ride!
It was SUPER hot and humid on Wed. It would have been a dreadful day to be racing. It was in the high 80's and was 91 percent humidity.
Thursday was foggy and warm. It was another hot humid day. Both horses did well and completed the ride, they ended up 13th and 14th.
After the ride the Donley's were in camp waiting for us. We took care of the two horses then we drove home to feed all of our other horses and to pick up Marvel and Chanses for day 2. They would be doing their first 2*...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/?y=2012&m=3
We went to the FITS ride this weekend. It is really great as it is only 20 mins down the road and it is three days of super well marked FEI racing.
On Wed night we headed over to the ride with the two horses that we would be riding on day one on Thursday. Cleo was slated to do all three days so that on day 3 she would be qualified for her FEI 1*. Bailey was the horse that I would ride on day 1.
We vetted in and said hello to a few people. Bailey and Cleo settled in at camp, they were obviously old campaigners by now, after all this was their 2nd ride!
It was SUPER hot and humid on Wed. It would have been a dreadful day to be racing. It was in the high 80's and was 91 percent humidity.
Thursday was foggy and warm. It was another hot humid day. Both horses did well and completed the ride, they ended up 13th and 14th.
After the ride the Donley's were in camp waiting for us. We took care of the two horses then we drove home to feed all of our other horses and to pick up Marvel and Chanses for day 2. They would be doing their first 2*...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/?y=2012&m=3
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Blazing Saddles - Jody Buttram
February 27 2012
Well, back from Blazing Saddles endurance ride in Laurel, MS. Ride management of Jack and Terry Price…..and just happens to be my favorite ride. But I think I have mentioned that before. Seems that this was a weekend from truck troubles, started with me, then spread to Angie McGhee and then on to Peggy Clark, both had issues on their way home. Joni and I were on schedule to pull into camp on Thursday, evening about 6:30pm. A little over an hour away, just hitting Meridian, MS we hear a popping sound under the hood, then a flapping, then smell burned rubber. The battery light goes on immediately, and I told Joni, we’re screwed. Started watching the gauges, not running hot, nothing looked off, but we know there is something wrong. When you drive a truck that is literally 24 yrs. old, my ’88 F-350, fondling referred to as “the old grey dinosaur”….I suppose you can expect something to go wrong. But, this old girl has been a good one, with right at 200,000 miles (yes, that’s right) it has had very little in repairs over the years. And more than once, I have passed way nicer/newer trucks broke down. But anyway, we go about 2 miles, and get off the interstate at a gas station, coming down the exit ramp, I find out we have NO brakes. YIKES. Standing on the brake, I get it stopped, pull into the gas station and start calling Joel. He DOESN’T answer the phone….repeatedly. Say some bad words (just a few), Joni calls her boyfriend, Hunter Burden, and I talked to his daddy. Yep, it was the alternator and the belt. I asked the nice guy in the station where an Autozone or something was, he tells me there is one only 1 mile from us. What luck !!!! So we drive very slowly to the Advanced Auto Parts, and pull in and park. I go inside and this really super nice guy, named Mark, comes out looks and he starts calling us a mechanic. We sit and wait, and I am beginning to wonder if it can be fixed that night, it was 6:00pm by then. He comes back out and informs us that the mechanic is out of town, but he knows another one. Turns out the second mechanic a really nice man from Panama can come look at it. So, then I start trying to call camp, thinking I may need someone to come gets us if we have to leave the truck overnight….and by the way, we were in like the worst part of town. The minute I pulled in, a homeless guy hit me up for money, to which I said, “Look, I need all I have to get my truck fixed…sorry”. Second thought, I should have given him a sandwich from the trailer. My bad. We counted 6 ambulances, and 3 cop cars, all with sirens going while we waited. Lots of “bad looking people” walking past too.
I had started trying to call camp, to find ANYONE that could help us. I tried Terry Price, no cell service, I tried Samm Bartee, nothing, but did leave her a message, I tried Fred Myers, nothing, I tried Steve Huffman, nothing, we had the computer with us, so I got on there and was trying to remember who would be in camp on Thursday, I thought of Mike Everett, looked up his number from the AERC page, and called him. YEAH!!!! He answered !!! I told him I needed him to do me a big favor and that if he could go find Mr. Steve (Huffman) I needed to talk to him because we were broke down. He did, and Steve called us back, and was kind enough to unhook and drive 70 miles to come help out. About the time he got there the mechanic did too. What a nice guy this mechanic was, he was the most jolly little, happy man, he even dragged his wife out who was on bed rest, and 9 weeks from having twins. Very sweet folks. Turns out that the parts place didn’t have an alternator for my truck, and the plan was: A. rebuild the one I had, and B. order one that would be there that evening (Friday at 4:30). Ok, that means leaving my truck in the ghetto overnight. So, now, we have to unhook my trailer, and move all my stuff that was on the bed of the truck into Steve’s truck and hook to his truck. And when I say move all the stuff, the word from the parts folks was, “If you want to have it in the morning, you better take it with you”. Spare tire included, empty my tool box under the bed, etc. So, the sweet little mechanic jumped in and helped us transfer all the stuff. Got ready to go, I had an adaptor for the lights, yes, LIGHTS !!! Started to pull off….brakes lock on the trailer. Well, Joni and I had this problem before when we pulled my trailer with another truck, so NO lights. On the way to camp, we passed about 3 cops on the interstate….good thing they were hungry for tickets. Whewww.
We get into camp about 11:30 pm or midnight, and there sits Fred Myers, Alice Smith, Benny, Alice’s right hand man, and Jana Smith. They all had waited on us to get there and then jumped in to help set us up, I didn’t have any water, because my barrel was on the truck …inMeridian. Alice gave the horses water, and tucked them in and was ready for bed at about 1 am. Next morning, I get a call from the mechanic, we’re in luck, the guy that re-builds alternators, has one that is re-built already and will fit my truck, so it will be fixed in a hour or so. He calls me a while later, and it’s ready to come get. Yeah, but now I have a problem of no cash really to pay him. I had $110, and the bill was $291. So, I walked over to Suzanne Solis’ trailer and Cindy Young, I tell them that I have some cash on it’s way, but if they had some could I borrow it for a few hours. Boy, endurance people are the BEST. Suzanne shelled out $120 and Cindy finished up what I needed, $80. I had $300 and was ready to go get my truck. Good ole Mr. Steve again was willing to haul me back to get my truck, I did put gas in his truck (to which he protested, but I won). Got my truck, got it back to camp….ALL was well now. Keith Kibler told me I should’ve asked him for the money and he would have given me whatever I needed. Again, another super nice endurance friend. I really do love these people, they are all there if you need them in a pinch. Mr. Steve has pulled my butt out of a crack or creek more than once, and he was rewarded with a nice chair from Jana Smith at the awards, in honor of Stephanie Waddington for his good deeds. I’d say he earned it this past weekend.
As far as the ride went, Mr. Marty, the most loved horse did an easy 50, completed with nothing but A’s on his card and was so cute sleeping in his hay nest and eating hay that night. Storme, aka the Lame horse, looked great all day in the 100, was pulled at 85 miles for the same thing that seems to be her nemesis. Left, rear lame. I spent some time talking to Dr. Dee Dee, and she and I kicked around that maybe she has some chiro issue there. So, the next morning, I had Dr. Ike Nelson (who does Marty’s chiro work) work on both of them…BTW, she was sound then. Turns out her RT front shoulder was really jammed up. He seems to think that she is compensating for the shoulder and causing the issue in the rear….and that she can be FIXED !!!! Wonderful, because she was really on her game.
This is the best ride, best management, best trails, BEST food !!!!, Best vets, people…everything. Thanks to everyone who helped put it on, and to everyone that helped me and Joni out this weekend. Endurance is the BEST !!!!
Jody
Well, back from Blazing Saddles endurance ride in Laurel, MS. Ride management of Jack and Terry Price…..and just happens to be my favorite ride. But I think I have mentioned that before. Seems that this was a weekend from truck troubles, started with me, then spread to Angie McGhee and then on to Peggy Clark, both had issues on their way home. Joni and I were on schedule to pull into camp on Thursday, evening about 6:30pm. A little over an hour away, just hitting Meridian, MS we hear a popping sound under the hood, then a flapping, then smell burned rubber. The battery light goes on immediately, and I told Joni, we’re screwed. Started watching the gauges, not running hot, nothing looked off, but we know there is something wrong. When you drive a truck that is literally 24 yrs. old, my ’88 F-350, fondling referred to as “the old grey dinosaur”….I suppose you can expect something to go wrong. But, this old girl has been a good one, with right at 200,000 miles (yes, that’s right) it has had very little in repairs over the years. And more than once, I have passed way nicer/newer trucks broke down. But anyway, we go about 2 miles, and get off the interstate at a gas station, coming down the exit ramp, I find out we have NO brakes. YIKES. Standing on the brake, I get it stopped, pull into the gas station and start calling Joel. He DOESN’T answer the phone….repeatedly. Say some bad words (just a few), Joni calls her boyfriend, Hunter Burden, and I talked to his daddy. Yep, it was the alternator and the belt. I asked the nice guy in the station where an Autozone or something was, he tells me there is one only 1 mile from us. What luck !!!! So we drive very slowly to the Advanced Auto Parts, and pull in and park. I go inside and this really super nice guy, named Mark, comes out looks and he starts calling us a mechanic. We sit and wait, and I am beginning to wonder if it can be fixed that night, it was 6:00pm by then. He comes back out and informs us that the mechanic is out of town, but he knows another one. Turns out the second mechanic a really nice man from Panama can come look at it. So, then I start trying to call camp, thinking I may need someone to come gets us if we have to leave the truck overnight….and by the way, we were in like the worst part of town. The minute I pulled in, a homeless guy hit me up for money, to which I said, “Look, I need all I have to get my truck fixed…sorry”. Second thought, I should have given him a sandwich from the trailer. My bad. We counted 6 ambulances, and 3 cop cars, all with sirens going while we waited. Lots of “bad looking people” walking past too.
I had started trying to call camp, to find ANYONE that could help us. I tried Terry Price, no cell service, I tried Samm Bartee, nothing, but did leave her a message, I tried Fred Myers, nothing, I tried Steve Huffman, nothing, we had the computer with us, so I got on there and was trying to remember who would be in camp on Thursday, I thought of Mike Everett, looked up his number from the AERC page, and called him. YEAH!!!! He answered !!! I told him I needed him to do me a big favor and that if he could go find Mr. Steve (Huffman) I needed to talk to him because we were broke down. He did, and Steve called us back, and was kind enough to unhook and drive 70 miles to come help out. About the time he got there the mechanic did too. What a nice guy this mechanic was, he was the most jolly little, happy man, he even dragged his wife out who was on bed rest, and 9 weeks from having twins. Very sweet folks. Turns out that the parts place didn’t have an alternator for my truck, and the plan was: A. rebuild the one I had, and B. order one that would be there that evening (Friday at 4:30). Ok, that means leaving my truck in the ghetto overnight. So, now, we have to unhook my trailer, and move all my stuff that was on the bed of the truck into Steve’s truck and hook to his truck. And when I say move all the stuff, the word from the parts folks was, “If you want to have it in the morning, you better take it with you”. Spare tire included, empty my tool box under the bed, etc. So, the sweet little mechanic jumped in and helped us transfer all the stuff. Got ready to go, I had an adaptor for the lights, yes, LIGHTS !!! Started to pull off….brakes lock on the trailer. Well, Joni and I had this problem before when we pulled my trailer with another truck, so NO lights. On the way to camp, we passed about 3 cops on the interstate….good thing they were hungry for tickets. Whewww.
We get into camp about 11:30 pm or midnight, and there sits Fred Myers, Alice Smith, Benny, Alice’s right hand man, and Jana Smith. They all had waited on us to get there and then jumped in to help set us up, I didn’t have any water, because my barrel was on the truck …inMeridian. Alice gave the horses water, and tucked them in and was ready for bed at about 1 am. Next morning, I get a call from the mechanic, we’re in luck, the guy that re-builds alternators, has one that is re-built already and will fit my truck, so it will be fixed in a hour or so. He calls me a while later, and it’s ready to come get. Yeah, but now I have a problem of no cash really to pay him. I had $110, and the bill was $291. So, I walked over to Suzanne Solis’ trailer and Cindy Young, I tell them that I have some cash on it’s way, but if they had some could I borrow it for a few hours. Boy, endurance people are the BEST. Suzanne shelled out $120 and Cindy finished up what I needed, $80. I had $300 and was ready to go get my truck. Good ole Mr. Steve again was willing to haul me back to get my truck, I did put gas in his truck (to which he protested, but I won). Got my truck, got it back to camp….ALL was well now. Keith Kibler told me I should’ve asked him for the money and he would have given me whatever I needed. Again, another super nice endurance friend. I really do love these people, they are all there if you need them in a pinch. Mr. Steve has pulled my butt out of a crack or creek more than once, and he was rewarded with a nice chair from Jana Smith at the awards, in honor of Stephanie Waddington for his good deeds. I’d say he earned it this past weekend.
As far as the ride went, Mr. Marty, the most loved horse did an easy 50, completed with nothing but A’s on his card and was so cute sleeping in his hay nest and eating hay that night. Storme, aka the Lame horse, looked great all day in the 100, was pulled at 85 miles for the same thing that seems to be her nemesis. Left, rear lame. I spent some time talking to Dr. Dee Dee, and she and I kicked around that maybe she has some chiro issue there. So, the next morning, I had Dr. Ike Nelson (who does Marty’s chiro work) work on both of them…BTW, she was sound then. Turns out her RT front shoulder was really jammed up. He seems to think that she is compensating for the shoulder and causing the issue in the rear….and that she can be FIXED !!!! Wonderful, because she was really on her game.
This is the best ride, best management, best trails, BEST food !!!!, Best vets, people…everything. Thanks to everyone who helped put it on, and to everyone that helped me and Joni out this weekend. Endurance is the BEST !!!!
Jody
Blazing Saddles - Keith Kibler
Shawneesunrisefarm.net - Full Story
Posted on February 28, 2012 by Keith Kibler
Early spring is too cold in the Midwest for rides and summer is too hot. So, Sandy and I have to travel. I have a 500 mile limit for Drs. Otis Schimtt, Dee Dee Huff and Ken Marcella. This ride was right at 500 miles and offered both Otis Schmitt and Dee Dee Huff.
It is also the only ride out of 15 that my twh mare Kate had not finished. Last year, I did a rider option at mile 85 due to a look in her eye and have been thinking about it. I know I did the right thing but I still think about it. I love my little 874 lb. Kate but she is the most challenging gaited horse to ride that I have owned or ridden. She is also the only horse I have ever ridden that gets stronger after 40 miles into a ride.
I can call this girl and she will leave the mare herd and come to me and kiss me. She may think I am her food slave but I fancy that she loves me and I sure do love her. Sandy wanted to ride (one of her) favorite Missouri Foxtrotter mares, Savanah, in the mare’s second 50 mile ride. So, off we go to southern Mississippi.
Naturally, we had truck problems. In the past we have blown trailer tires on trips. This time I replaced two extremely expensive truck tires before we left so I thought we were good. When, just into Kentucky, the engine light came on. Now, I had $ 8,000 of warranty work done on this truck in the last year and thought it was good to go. I was wrong. We pulled into a Ford dealership and they said it was just an EGR valve and I could keep going until I got home. 100 miles later it started surging. Okay, that gets your attention. Then, the entire dash cluster started going dead and shutting off completely. This was definitely starting out interesting. We prayed, drove on and prayed some more.
We finally got to Laurel, met Terry Price and parked. We looked for my friend Jody Rogers-Buttram but learned she had broken down too. My buddy Paul Sidio showed up. My endurance friends are an important part of my life and although I don’t get to see them often, I sure enjoy running into them as gypsy vagabonds with these horses we love. Some of my friends and fellow competitors and characters that showed up included Paul, Steve Huff, Jody Rogers-Buttram, Angie McGhee and Lucy Estabrook.
Sandy got the horses looking great with a spiffy weave into both of their manes. I am so proud of Sandy. She is my hero. Most women of her age would have retired to the couch with her physical challenges long ago. She will not go quietly into the night...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/wordpress/?p=236
Posted on February 28, 2012 by Keith Kibler
Early spring is too cold in the Midwest for rides and summer is too hot. So, Sandy and I have to travel. I have a 500 mile limit for Drs. Otis Schimtt, Dee Dee Huff and Ken Marcella. This ride was right at 500 miles and offered both Otis Schmitt and Dee Dee Huff.
It is also the only ride out of 15 that my twh mare Kate had not finished. Last year, I did a rider option at mile 85 due to a look in her eye and have been thinking about it. I know I did the right thing but I still think about it. I love my little 874 lb. Kate but she is the most challenging gaited horse to ride that I have owned or ridden. She is also the only horse I have ever ridden that gets stronger after 40 miles into a ride.
I can call this girl and she will leave the mare herd and come to me and kiss me. She may think I am her food slave but I fancy that she loves me and I sure do love her. Sandy wanted to ride (one of her) favorite Missouri Foxtrotter mares, Savanah, in the mare’s second 50 mile ride. So, off we go to southern Mississippi.
Naturally, we had truck problems. In the past we have blown trailer tires on trips. This time I replaced two extremely expensive truck tires before we left so I thought we were good. When, just into Kentucky, the engine light came on. Now, I had $ 8,000 of warranty work done on this truck in the last year and thought it was good to go. I was wrong. We pulled into a Ford dealership and they said it was just an EGR valve and I could keep going until I got home. 100 miles later it started surging. Okay, that gets your attention. Then, the entire dash cluster started going dead and shutting off completely. This was definitely starting out interesting. We prayed, drove on and prayed some more.
We finally got to Laurel, met Terry Price and parked. We looked for my friend Jody Rogers-Buttram but learned she had broken down too. My buddy Paul Sidio showed up. My endurance friends are an important part of my life and although I don’t get to see them often, I sure enjoy running into them as gypsy vagabonds with these horses we love. Some of my friends and fellow competitors and characters that showed up included Paul, Steve Huff, Jody Rogers-Buttram, Angie McGhee and Lucy Estabrook.
Sandy got the horses looking great with a spiffy weave into both of their manes. I am so proud of Sandy. She is my hero. Most women of her age would have retired to the couch with her physical challenges long ago. She will not go quietly into the night...
Read more here:
http://shawneesunrisefarm.net/wordpress/?p=236
Monday, February 27, 2012
Golden Horse Shoe Ride - Golden Girls Blog
Goldenhorseshoe-ride.co.uk - Full Story
Friday 24th February - The Golden Girls - the first episode of their blog...............
Nikki Routledge and Linda Kidd share the ups and downs of their very different training plans for this year’s Golden Horseshoe Ride. Follow their weekly progress right here.
Welcome to our blog. Now, preparing a horse for the Golden Horseshoe Ride is always a challenge I enjoy and this year, my good friend Linda Kidd and I intend to compete and COMPLETE the 160km class again. We achieved this together in 2010, with Angela Osborne completing the team of three. Rather tongue-in-cheek we called ourselves: ‘The No-Hoper, Joker and Rogue’ as per the Fisherman’s Friends song playing constantly on Radio 2 that year! I was on the Joker (always vets out last vet gate of the ride), Linda was on the No-Hoper (talented mare but totally bonkers) and Angela was on the Rogue (huge Irish Draught cross who tends to leave a trail of destruction behind her as she powers across the countryside). Only Angela’s horse had previously completed the 160kms, but in 2010 our luck held and with the hard work of our crews, who were as fantastic as the horses themselves, we all achieved the full 160km distance in good style.
So can Linda and I repeat our success this year? Well, join us on our journey to the 2012 Golden Horseshoe Ride and find out!
First, let us introduce you to our intended steeds:
I am riding my 13-y-o Arab mare Ca Daisha. Daisha was Linda’s mount (the No-Hoper) in 2010 when I elected to ride my (much nicer) little mare Mimi. Linda is riding her talented mare Drastik With A K, now a 12-y-o advanced mare. However, as Linda explains below, the road has not been a smooth one for Drastik...
Read more here:
http://www.goldenhorseshoe-ride.co.uk/latestnews.php
Friday 24th February - The Golden Girls - the first episode of their blog...............
Nikki Routledge and Linda Kidd share the ups and downs of their very different training plans for this year’s Golden Horseshoe Ride. Follow their weekly progress right here.
Welcome to our blog. Now, preparing a horse for the Golden Horseshoe Ride is always a challenge I enjoy and this year, my good friend Linda Kidd and I intend to compete and COMPLETE the 160km class again. We achieved this together in 2010, with Angela Osborne completing the team of three. Rather tongue-in-cheek we called ourselves: ‘The No-Hoper, Joker and Rogue’ as per the Fisherman’s Friends song playing constantly on Radio 2 that year! I was on the Joker (always vets out last vet gate of the ride), Linda was on the No-Hoper (talented mare but totally bonkers) and Angela was on the Rogue (huge Irish Draught cross who tends to leave a trail of destruction behind her as she powers across the countryside). Only Angela’s horse had previously completed the 160kms, but in 2010 our luck held and with the hard work of our crews, who were as fantastic as the horses themselves, we all achieved the full 160km distance in good style.
So can Linda and I repeat our success this year? Well, join us on our journey to the 2012 Golden Horseshoe Ride and find out!
First, let us introduce you to our intended steeds:
I am riding my 13-y-o Arab mare Ca Daisha. Daisha was Linda’s mount (the No-Hoper) in 2010 when I elected to ride my (much nicer) little mare Mimi. Linda is riding her talented mare Drastik With A K, now a 12-y-o advanced mare. However, as Linda explains below, the road has not been a smooth one for Drastik...
Read more here:
http://www.goldenhorseshoe-ride.co.uk/latestnews.php
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Eastern Mojave - Karen Chaton
Enduranceridestuff Blog - Full Story
Ride is going well so far, around 46 to 49 starting each day. Two days down, two to go. I rode Bo on day 1, and Chief today (day 2).
Weather was windy and cold the first day and we rode in snow and ice. It melted off, and then warmed up. Today we rode under brilliant blue skies with warmer weather and it was fantastic. You can see in the first photo that my jacket and rain gear are on the horse (and not me). Good sign!
Marking trail was a challenge as we did a lot on foot in high winds. Nannette and I also marked a lot on horseback, which was great. I love getting the horses out before a ride. This ride is great because there are so many long sections with excellent footing and I don’t need to use boots.
BBQ hot dogs at lunch today….yummy! I won’t eat hot dogs otherwise, but at an out vet check on an endurance ride they are a prize let me tell ya! It’s also always great to get to see Lavone...
Read more here:
http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2012/02/eastern-mojave/
Ride is going well so far, around 46 to 49 starting each day. Two days down, two to go. I rode Bo on day 1, and Chief today (day 2).
Weather was windy and cold the first day and we rode in snow and ice. It melted off, and then warmed up. Today we rode under brilliant blue skies with warmer weather and it was fantastic. You can see in the first photo that my jacket and rain gear are on the horse (and not me). Good sign!
Marking trail was a challenge as we did a lot on foot in high winds. Nannette and I also marked a lot on horseback, which was great. I love getting the horses out before a ride. This ride is great because there are so many long sections with excellent footing and I don’t need to use boots.
BBQ hot dogs at lunch today….yummy! I won’t eat hot dogs otherwise, but at an out vet check on an endurance ride they are a prize let me tell ya! It’s also always great to get to see Lavone...
Read more here:
http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2012/02/eastern-mojave/
Sunday, February 05, 2012
IAH Airport Express Endurance Ride - by QOS
horseforum.com - full story
I am sitting back home now. I just woke up in the middle of the night. I was sick when I left and still am.
We got to the huge staging area and it was ankle deep in mud. Some people got stuck but there were tractors to pull them out. We got our panels set up for the horses and got them hay and all tucked it. Our other friend arrived shortly after us.
We vet checked it - super nice vet from Idaho. Biscuit did fantastic on the vet check. Trotted out like a really good boy. Doc asked me if he always had a heart rate of 36 and I said every time I put the heart monitor on it says 36. He said FANTASTIC. Biscuit went back to eating hay.
We had the ride meeting and at first the ride was as clear as mud. They also said that the grounds were saturated with water and some trails were under water. Oh yay. Vet strongly suggested riding SLOW - that this was NOT the ride to blast off on that suspensory injuries could result from the deep mud. Another storm was coming at 1:00 am.
It rained some during the night and Lee Ann and I were glad it should be a slower ride but Biscuit is not a fan of sloppy conditions. At 5:00 AM it started POURING down rain, lightening and thunder popping everywhere...
Read more here:
http://www.horseforum.com/trail-riding/iah-airport-express-endurance-ride-111881/
I am sitting back home now. I just woke up in the middle of the night. I was sick when I left and still am.
We got to the huge staging area and it was ankle deep in mud. Some people got stuck but there were tractors to pull them out. We got our panels set up for the horses and got them hay and all tucked it. Our other friend arrived shortly after us.
We vet checked it - super nice vet from Idaho. Biscuit did fantastic on the vet check. Trotted out like a really good boy. Doc asked me if he always had a heart rate of 36 and I said every time I put the heart monitor on it says 36. He said FANTASTIC. Biscuit went back to eating hay.
We had the ride meeting and at first the ride was as clear as mud. They also said that the grounds were saturated with water and some trails were under water. Oh yay. Vet strongly suggested riding SLOW - that this was NOT the ride to blast off on that suspensory injuries could result from the deep mud. Another storm was coming at 1:00 am.
It rained some during the night and Lee Ann and I were glad it should be a slower ride but Biscuit is not a fan of sloppy conditions. At 5:00 AM it started POURING down rain, lightening and thunder popping everywhere...
Read more here:
http://www.horseforum.com/trail-riding/iah-airport-express-endurance-ride-111881/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)