Desert Gold, Part 2

Storm and I, wet but happy midway through the ride...

So, after a decent first day at DG, and a good night's sleep, I was up again in the morning helping Terri get Oli ready for the 50. Then more walking Duke, breakfast, and finally getting Storm ready for the LD start. I was all set, and walking across the road to the line, when I realized I'd left my vetcard in my OTHER jacket....so back to camp for the card, and BACK to the start. Sighhh... it will be nice to do Duck rides again soon, and not have to fuss with that or big, sticky numbers on my horse.... Anyway, back at the start, I was dead last as far as I knew, since I was now late starting. And just as I went up the first little hill again, the rain started as well. YUCK! I had my rain pants and good coat tied to my packs though, if it continued. Looked like it was clearer down the trail though. I figured we'd have a calmer ride for a while.
Well, that is until the 50's caught us again. They yet again had a short first loop, then on common trail with us all the way to the vet check. So, after the first few miles down the trail in relative calm, here we go again with the WANT TO GO! Hmmmm..well, he was warmed up and as long as he listened to me, I let him go along for a while... soon though, the rider I was following (a good ways back though...just kept him in site) was getting up a faster pace than I wanted, so Storm and I got to argue again about slowing down. A few more riders passed, and the same thing... until we finally went up a long enough hill, he figured it was a good idea to walk on his own.... yes! :) Though I did prefer his new (controlable) forwardness over Chamberlain's slacker attitude! Up top, another rider caught up to us, on a nice looking horse...wait, I recognize that horse..hey, I recognize that rider! It's Vicki Giles and Robin Hood. For those that don't know, Robin Hood is a BLM mustang, that (as of THIS ride day) has 10,000 miles and been all over the place. A great testament to Mustang toughness.
So as they trotted on by, Storm of course wanted to follow. Then Robin slowed down and Storm was still going, then he walked after a little and Robin caught up again and trot by, and Storm would gait and so on. We repeated that about 4 times, when I pulled him up and let him just walk too when Robin fell down to a walk. So Vicki and I started talking, of course starting with 'what is that horse?' We rode together from that point to just about the vet check. And she was starting to ooh and ahh over Storm as we went along...and didn't even notice he was a stallion :) Just how I like it. As we were talking about something or other about body shape, I mentioned something along hte lines of Storm's big honking neck and it being most likely related to him being a stallion. "He's a STALLION?! Wow, what a NICE boy" or something along those lines... LOL..it always surprises ppl, cause they are not used to so mellow (Robin had alternated with being RIGHT behind or in front of Storm, or just next to him almost bumping our knees on a wider road, and sticking his nose in the water troughs next to Storm's) and that makes Storm such a nice ambassador for his breed. By halfway to the vet check, she even mused about the outcome of a breeding to her older mare (just a fantasy musing...said she was too old to breed anyway) and asking about what the colors would be, etc. We also chit chatted about other random things. She's really nice! I had seen her at many rides, but never had a chance to ride with her, or really even meet her around camp. It was fun getting to ride with one of the well known people of the sport, on one of the more well known horses of the sport. Robin is an adorable horse, too! Least he was that day (I hear he has been known to be difficult and he and Vicki have parted ways a good number of times at rides, LOL), and he went along at a perfect pace for Storm...both horses wanted to mostly walk up hills, and move out more on the flats, so that worked well too!
Bout an hour into the ride, I finally realized the rain wasn't going to go away, so put on my rain pants. I was feeling a tad bored at the time (was still in the leap-frogging with Vicki part of my ride, and mostly alone) and thought I would see if I could get them on while ON the horse, walking along...hmmmm. Wish I'd had a video..it was FUNNY! I put one leg in, then swung the other leg over the saddle, side-saddle style, and got my other leg about halfway in. Then kinda got my leg back over the saddle, straddling the saddle. But they wouldn't stretch at the waist enough, to come over hips spread astride a saddle...hmmm. At this point, if Storm had been a twerp, I would have been in trouble, all tangled up in my pants and 'stuck' standing in the stirrups straddling the saddle, LOL. Instead, he kept moseying down the road we were on. So then I figured I had to be on one side of the saddle, to pull up the pants. So then I had to swing my leg BACK over the front, flip around so I was laying belly down over the saddle, and then put one foot in the stirrup on that side and pull up the pants..... And it WORKED! Whoo hoo! Now back in the saddle in normal mode, Storm still fairly obliviously wandering down the road with no one at the helm, LOL. He's a good boy :) That killed 5 minutes and would have probably made the Funniest Home Videos or something if it had been captured on film...how NOT to get dressed! LOL...
Anyway, it rained off and on for most the day, sometimes with a good wind blowing it all over and even a spat or two of sleeting or attempts to hail. YUCK...it was a cold rain, but I was tucked away in about 5 layers and was ok... Most the trail was good, but some of the single track was a little muddy and slippery, and Storm slipped out a few times. Nothing bad that I thought, but it probably tweaked something that later led to......our first pull.......
So sometime later, heading towards the vet check (maybe 6 or 7 miles? maybe less...wasn't paying much attention), some other riders came up behind us, then started passing us. One I saw, had a horse step pacing...ah ha! Another gaited horse! :) the rider pulled up with us, as we were walking, and let the others continue on. She was wanting to take it a bit easier from there on. Turns out she was from back East, had just move out to CA not long ago, and was riding a Racking Horse mare. Her horse was also barefoot (totally so...another rider that had been under the impression the footing was 'great', only to find out it wasn't! I just boot no matter what..saves me a lot of heartache later...one can always take them off, but hard to put them on if they are back in camp!) and doing ok, but not super happy by that point (we had been on a lot of the roads). She also had not ridden much lately, and thought her horse was getting tired. So we all rode together towards the VC for a while, chatting and having a good time despite the rain. We were not far from the VC, and Rackinggal (can't remember her name right now, darn it!!) decided her horse had done enough for the day, and she was going to pull at the VC. I think that may have jinxed me!
Not long after, I swore I felt Storm do something 'odd' in his hind end while gaiting... but not consistant...then again, I felt something...hmmm (still being relatively new to gaited horses, I am having to learn to feel what is 'normal' and what is not)...another 1/4 mile, and yup...a definite hitch in the left hind...Just to be sure, I asked Vicki and Rackinggal if they saw anything...yup... Shit :( It still wasn't hugely consitant, and only at a gait, but I knew we were done for the day. He probably pulled something slipping, or cramped up from the wet cold and wind (I rode with a rump rug, but on a bigger horse like him, it only covers so much..and the wind was whipping under it a good number of times, flipping it around). Bummer :( Just when we were doing so well! At that point, we hit a slippery, single track up over a hill, that dropped to the road into the vet check. I figured we were two miles tops from the check, maybe less. I hopped off and led, as I didn't want him slipping and sliding and doing more damage. Rackinggal stayed back with me, and Vicki went on ahead with a few other riders. We handwalked the rest of the way into the check, and the sun was even coming out after a while and it warmed up. After about 15 mins, Rackinggal (walking mostly behind me) said Storm was looking more normal...good! But even if he walked out of it, I was done...sure didn't want to hurt my boy more, and I knew from the previous day (the loop back home from the VC was the same), that there were a good deal of hills to go, and some slick spots. Better to quit now and save him for other days. 15 or so mins after, we hit the VC.
Checked in, told the timers we were pulling (or getting pulled), then went to the vet line. Storm pulsed in at 48 again, and was stretching out to pee as he got pulsed...pee looked great, but as he pulled up and walked out of the stretch, he did about 4 totally limping steps behind! Left Hind again....then walked normally. I thought the vet was kinda looking our way, so as I walked that way, I asked "You even want to see a trot out after that?" "After what?" Guess she hadn't been looking... So I told her what I had observed on the trail, what he just did, etc. She had him gait out and back, and looked real hard....not a thing. What??? She says he looks fine! Hmmm....so she checks the rest of his criteria and all is good. She says I should go ahead and ride, and I said nope, we are pulling, cause I am not sure what was up and thought he'd cramped or something.. She didn't seem too convinced, but went ahead and took my card and put down the pull. Then while that was all going on, she saw he was resting the left hind a little...she suggested pulling his boot in case something was up with it, so I did...nothing in the boot or where the gaiter was or in his foot... she shrugs... At that point Storm had been standing still for about two minutes or so, plenty to stiffen up. So I asked the vet to watch him walk off as we left the vet line...and yup, first 3-4 steps WAY hitchy...guess she believed me now, LOL :) So I definitely wasn't going to ride him home. Storm's first, official pull...albeit an RO-L. By the time we walked over to a free spot on the crew-bag trailer (how convenient! Not much else in the VC to tie a horse to, without going a good ways away from where the bags and stuff were). Then the waiting began. The ambulance trailer had just left with three pulls...and there was Rackinggal and I, and then another lady pulled....then three more! I think by the end of the ride, there were something like 17 pulls? There weather took its toll on the ponies, I guess! We waited for over an hour, but that was fine. I had plenty of blankets, the sun was out most of it, and Storm was happily resting and eating everything in sight.
When time came to load up, there was a slight concern because he was a stallion and there were only 'barred' dividers in the trailer. I told them he'd ride with no issues next to another stallion or a gelding, and if he had to, with his head tied up short even next to a mare (he rides with my mares at home, with just a clear vinyl thing I glued in the head part of the divider of the Brenderup...just squaks at them when they first get in, then is quiet, doesn't act on the squacking though). Luckily the Racking mare was the only mare, and the other pull with our group was a gelding. So we loaded the mare, then the gelding (who was sharing the crew trailer area with us while waiting, anyway, so Storm kinda knew him by then), then Storm. I tied his head just in case, but there wasn't a sound or squabble out of any of the horses. Off we went back to camp, all quiet the whole way (I heard that the driver later remarked about what a nice stud Storm was and how well he traveled... I can't imagine what horses everyone must meet, to think that it is so exceptional for a boy to act that way...maybe it is a gaited thing? All I know, is most gaited studs I know about are also quiet boys, not raging maniacs, LOL).
Back in camp, the weather was much better. Storm also looked really good, so after getting him untacked and camp cleaned up a bit and the dog walked and such, I decided to take him to the vet again. I had never had a horse cramp up on me, so wasn't experienced with the protocol...is it something that comes and goes? Leaves hidden damage or just goes away, etc? I have had a cramp or two in the past myself, running around or whatever...I was always fine after it was worked out. But I am not a horse, and sure not an endurance horse! So who knows... But I was wondering if I could take him out again the next day if he was sound, or if it would cause some kind of damage that would make matters worse. It wasn't worth an extra ride day, to hurt my horse, if there was any chance riding him would mess him up more.
I gaited him around a bit, and all looked great, so over to the vet I went when I saw a quiet time. I gave her the whole story up to this point, and asked her to check him over and if he was clear, if he could go out again, or if it would do him any damage. She had me gait out a ways and back, and said he was good...perfectly symmetrical and not a thing wrong that she could see. So her verdict was to bring him back in the morning for a final re-check, and if he was good, I should be fine to head out again that day. Whoo hoo! So the weekend wasn't lost!
Back to camp and more puttering around, then dinner and waiting for Terri. She came in after dark this time and after helping her a little, we went over to the fire to warm up and wait for the ride meeting. Next day's ride: the same 15 mile loop, twice, with a VC in camp. Hmmm...kinda boring, but good for Storm! If we got the green light to go and had an issue by lunch, at least this time we'd be in camp. Rain was clearing that evening and not to return, so the next day should be sunny and warmer...also good for Storm's muscles...no icky weather (which if it had been, I think I wouldn't have started...not worth it to maybe trigger another issue)! After the meeting, time to head back to the ponies, tuck them in for the night, one more walk for Duke, then bed.
Storm looking good...I look more like I am wearing a life vest or something, with all my layers, LOL...but it kept me dry and warm!

Next: Part 3...a great end to a crazy weekend