Death Valley and Storm's Graduation Ride (part 2)

One of the views from up top...Balarat is to the right of that flat thing in the background. (Photo by Terri Tinkham)

Ok, so a few days behind in the update, that's new. It is hard to get motivate to write these things, though I DO like it, just not the blogger format, sighhh... and I get soooo distracted while writing too, LOL :) But onward....

So I had decided that I would either ride a 50 or an LD on day 3, depending on what the trails were...though leaning more towards the LD, as I kinda wasn't sure I wanted to venture out on a 50 without knowing how the boo-boo foot would hold up. It looked great, but then you don't know what miles will do. I went to the ride meeting, and the trail for the 50's looked to head over the Slate range to Panamaint Valley to lunch at the 'Charlie Manson Bus' (hmmm...bad juju if you ask me, to have lunch at a place like that!), then back over the Slates to camp. Hmmmm...not really an easy day AT ALL...a lot of climbing and a lot of being out in the middle of nowhere out of camp, and tromping through the rocky mountains... So I decided to do the LD instead. That alone would be a decently tough ride...We would have to haul over to the radar Station on the road to Ballarat, then ride to lunch, then up and over the Slates back to camp. A nice, 30 mile tromp over the mtn to warm Storm up after standing around all week, LOL... Hauling to Ballarat also turned out to be a quick panic to figure out how to get there... Our rig was totally not set up to go anywhere (hot fence hooked to it, pop-top camper up, etc), let alone that I didn't have a driver, since Terri was riding the 50..and during the meeting, Susan was contemplating just going for another 50! But then she changed her mind and said she could haul me... turns out though, there were only 4 of us that we knew of (at the meeting that night), that were riding the LD, and one of them happened to have a 4-horse rig with a driver :) She offered to haul all of us over...how handy was that?! Great! So we made plans to meet the next morning, tacked up and ready to go. I'd navigate, as I was the only one in the group who had done the ride before, and knew how to get to Ballarat.
I got up with Terri, and we got the ponies ready. It was great to be up and getting to RIDE this time:) By 7, we were over at the hauling rig. It was going to be me, Susan, Janet Tipton (on a cute as a button Mustang pony sized mare, and she was also our chauffeur that day...THANKS!), and Kara Henry riding Carla Richerson's backup horse on his second day of LDs here. We tossed in Janet's mare, Ladybug, in first, then the two geldings, then Storm got the last slot. Everyone loaded well and was well behaved on the 20 minute or so drive over the Mtns...it was fun to see the Slates from the truck, and ponder where we'd have to cross on the horses. Ride start was to be at 8am, but no one was around yet when we got to the radar station. All the horses were unloaded, tack checked, then we stood around and chatted, and walked the horses, while we waited for the starters. Soon the water truck arrived...still no Annie...then a caravan of rigs arrived! Three or four more horses were starting, that we didn't know about last night, and Annie was leading the rig pack. Sometime after 8, with everyone up and ready, we got the go-ahead to start and were off .
Susan and Cash...happy pony even on day three and looking good :) (Photo by Janet Tipton)

Susan and I were trying to stick together, but Storm walks out much faster than Cash, and kept getting ahead...Kara and Janet were also with us, and the other riders were kinda getting out ahead, except for one gal on a wonderfully spotted Appy (Dalmotion was his name, we later found out...and he did look a bit like a Dalmatian!). After a few miles, we all started to string apart, as Susan and I wanted a nice, LONG warmup, and much of the trail was rocky road anyway and not very conducive to trotting/gaiting. Dalmotion and his rider (sorry, just can NOT remember your name...so I guess you'll be D's rider in the post now, LOL) stuck with us, as her guy was a)kinda bonding with us (didn't want to trot away, even with crop use, LOL) and b) totally barefoot...no boots! Hmmm, wonder how he'll do on rock heaven...not the sandiest desert around...But so far he looked fine, but of course she didn't want to run him on the rocks. She'd get ahead a little on the sandier parts, then we'd catch her again on the 'ok' parts, and we'd all walk the rocks. We hopscotched that way for some time, until we hit the edge of the dry lake bed (which actually had a shimmer of water in it this time...quicksand heaven I bet!) and had good footing.
Dalmotion...now isn't he cute?? Like a big dalmatian :) (photo by Janet Tipton)

D's rider went on down the trail at a brisk trot, and Susan and I went between moving out some and walking, depending on how Cash was feeling (or really, what his heart rate monitor was saying, as HE was saying she should let him run the whole way back to camp, LOL). Storm was gaiting along decently and eventually we saw the vet check off in the distance. We walked in, then handwalked, the last 100 yards. Went to the waters and both drank, and Annie pulsed us in..both boys were down with no issues. Good :) The check was only 15minutes, as we were around 10 or so miles in...I love Duck rides...I hate going to rides that make LDs spend a whole hour in the VC (thus making you go faster on trail to make up time)...a 1/2 hour is good, and one CAN always stay longer if you want or your horses need. And we did..15mins was too short to get some food in them, AND in us (mmmm, Cup-O-Noodles for 'lunch', hot chocolate or coffee/poor man's mocha...good way to stay warm on a winter ride day!) and let the ponies rest up for the long trek over the hills back to camp. The other LDers mostly left on their 15 minutes, but that was their thing...and then one 50 was already!! into the VC...hmmm...didn't recognize him either (usually at Duck rides, there are always 3 or 4 ppl that are the 'usual suspects' for coming in the first few places, as the rest of us just meander along the trails at a more leisurely pace)... and at the time, didn't know he was a 50 either.
I watched the ponies while Susan got the human vitals for us. Storm and Cash were being really good, and practically eating out of the same dishes and bags. Of course they thought each others food was more interesting than their own! But they shared very nicely...love my boy :) And they were also sharing with Chris Heron's goofy looking Bulldog with the goofy name of 'Cornfed'...now who names their dog that?! Chris of course...LOL. He was also trying to share MY food too...noooo..MY soup! Go get your own! By around 25mins, we vetted through and then started packing up, and by about 35mins in, we were headed back out on the trail. Storm vetted through fine, and his foot looked good too. I had been desitining it at every 'stop'...water, pee, or tack rearrangement breaks. Then at the VC I cleaned it completely, looked it over, put more Bickmore's on it and then more Desitin. Then continue with slathering Des at other stops. Seems to have worked and got Storm through both days with no problems :) I also checked his other boots at the VC, taking them off, checking for sand, any rubs on his feet or pasterns, etc. It all looked good! There was a tiny bit of sand in the bottom of the boot, but nothing really that would bother a horse. And I LOVE how easy this check is to do with Gloves...you pop the boots off and check them, and back on in less than 5 mins for all four..and he had one glued, so that made it even faster. I even do it out on the trail at water stops if I have gone through deep sand or other bad footing...it's just THAT fast and easy, and no tools required, LOL.
So off we went out of lunch, continuing our easy pace and walking when the horses needed it or the footing dictated it. We didn't see anyone for some time, until the 50 miler blew by us...I at first thought he was a local-yocal, there to show us endurance riders 'how it's done', as he was set up in total cowboy gear for both himself and his horse (no offense to those that use that at e-rides, but one rarely sees that anymore...usually it is e-saddles or english saddles, tights, and maybe a few jeans here or there...but not full cowboy wear and tack on the horse...so it is a tad surprising when you DO see it), and he was setting somewhat of a fast pace, cantering along on his smallish horse.
Well, didn't the other riders...we found the all (well, cowboy dude was cantering UP THE MOUNTAIN at that point, in the distance, so he found the trail) milling about at the base of the Slates, where the jeep roads we had been on, petered out onto a single track motorcycle trail....
And no ribbons....Hmmm....had everyone confused, but I had done the trail before and knew there was NO other way up that range around there, but that motorcycle track. The others were not sure and were trying to find the 'real' trail and ribbons...no such luck guys! So I told them to just follow me :) And as we picked our way through the rocky foothills, I did recognize it was the right trail. It was a tad disconcerting, but hey, these things happen...sabotage, hungry cows (no really...for some reason, cows like to eat brightly colored trail ribbons!), or who knows what, can lead to ribbon loss on a trail. And then a resourceful rider pulls out their map (and there really was only ONE way up the mtns...not like there were a bunch of branching choices) and finds the way...or just follows someone that knows ;) For once, that someone was me! Usually I am the one following someone else that has done a particular trail before, LOL.
Storm did great leading on up the hills, until we came to a steep hill. He kinda went up it, but halfway through, decided (as per usual with him...he hates uphills that to him make no sense, when he thinks he can turn around and find an easier way up, LOL) to stop and try to find a better way...no good...this was a steep up...well, Cash was behind him and just went right on around him and plowed on up the hill like a REAL endurance horse, LOL. Then Storm figured it must actually be the only way up after all, and followed Cash.. Boys...too many heads to think with...it confuses them sometimes and he makes silly decisions ;)
Storm on top of the first ridge... Cash looking on and telling him to 'Smile already!' Storm only did grumpy ears...not happy about all that climbing around hillsides like goats ;) (photo by Janet Tipton)

We continued on this neat motorcycle track (thanks whomever made it! It's very well constructed, a lot of fun to ride, and offers excellent views!), alternately switch backing across the hillside, or going straight UP it, for a little while...then we hit the top of the first little ridge, and stop to let the horses rest a little and all of us take pictures. At this point, we had a nice little group going with the four of us from Janet's rig, and D's rider.
Kara on Carla's horse...seems he was the group's class clown! :) (Photo by Janet Tipton)


The horses all paced similarly (not that any of us really wanted to go fast in the rocky and hilly terrain) and got along great. We alternated who was in front and behind and had a great time chatting, taking pictures, and making our way through the mountains. We mostly walked the whole way, and had a wonderful time :) Bout 2/3 of the way through, going down a switchback, we hear a motorcyle coming...hmmm??? And as it comes up the wash we were headed for, I saw ribbons fluttering off of it..it was The Duck! Turns out, the guy that was supposed to mark the trail, hurt himself or got really sick or something... the Duck gets an email (after all of us had been on trail for hours of course), saying "I'm hurt and can't mark that mtn trail...will that be a problem?" or some such...Problem?!!? Lol.. it sure is! So TD had to hop on his bike right quick, and get the trail marked. Luckily, all us LDers were there first, and we were in no rush..I'd like to see the top ten 50's wanting to make time, have to figure out if they were on the right trail or not :)
We continued on our way, and then not far from there...oh look! There is the cowboy on his little horse...smacking it down the trail (not really beating him, but whacking it on the butt a bit...but still....) with...a what the heck is that?? I think a piece of junk metal?!
Didn't think it would take long to catch him...not many horses can canter through the mtns the way he was for long... And the horse (turns out it was a little mustang) was smart enough to know it too, and decided it was walking, only walking, and nothing the guy could do would convince it to do otherwise. It didn't look totally spent or anything, but definitely like it was tired of running around like an idiot. Heck, the guy was (at that point we found out he was a 50 miler) so far ahead of the other 50's, he really didn't have to go fast in that terrain. The mustang agreed, and tagged along with us...the guy tried to make it go ahead of us several times (a few times when we'd turn on a single track from a jeep trail), and it would balk each time it got a half a nose in front of the lead horse (mostly Storm at that point), and put on the breaks. The whole train would then stop, and we'd watch him try to goad the horse along for about 10 seconds, then cut in front of him and suggest he should just let his horse stay with us and walk. He did, but you could tell he was not happy. Well, we were not either...the poor horse was not having fun, and he wasn't really listening to it... I tried talking to him a little and see what was up....can't remember his name, but he said he was from the Auburn (I think?) area and this was his horse's second or third ride (and he's running for first on a tough, mountain 50??)..but he 'packed all over the moutains'...um, packing and endurance RACING (and when you are in first, you are racing dude) is NOT the same thing...anyway, he wanted to do Tevis this year (better slow down or the horses won't even get to Tevis, let alone through it) and this was his way of getting his horse ready for it. Hmmm... Well, I tried to talk to him a little about how a horse needs at least a year or two of rides before it should try Tevis (ja, some go earlier, but he needed the hard line read to him) and that generally it's a 'slow and steady wins the race' type of ride, not a go out and ride as fast as you can.... and other helpful advice. I tried to phrase it in such a way, as to be helpful, and not just ream him out (most will just ignore you if you do that anyway), and I sure hope some of it sank in, for his horse's sake at least.
At any rate, he finally separated from us all, as we walked down the long canyon out of the mountains...he at least got off his horse, and jogged on down the road leading him at a trot...Next time I saw him was in camp...the horse had just vetted through and looked 'ok'...but had a bunch of tack galls on him. I think he'll have to revise his equipment for Tevis as well, or he'll never get through the ride... The next day he was on a new horse, also in the top ten, also with gals on the horse...sighhh...Oh well...he'll learn one way or other, and I hope his horses come through ok. Nothing against ppl that have good horses to top ten on and are well prepared...but this person did not seem to fit the category...
When we finally got to a water trough on the other side of the mountains (the last was at the vet check I think...), all the ponies dove in. Storm didn't even look at any other horse...he drank...and drank...and drank....other horses left and more came...and he drank....and drank...and some more! Sheesh! I never saw a horse tank that much! The water level in his bucket went down quite a bit, LOL. What a good boy! He really is great about eating and drinking, and of course energy conservation, LOL... At this water, the next few 50's finally caught us too and went on down the trail. And this group WAS the 'usual suspects'...and at least half an hour behind the other guy. I'd have to see the results, to see if they caught him or not...
From the waters, we walked down the canyon and finally dropped down into the desert. At this point everyone kinda split apart again, and Susan and I were mostly on our own, with occasional sightings of the other riders. Finally, we came onto the long road into camp and decided to walk in the last few miles and let the horses relax and cool down and whatnot...We were riding with Janet and Ladybug at that point, and none of the horses were too happy about walking...they all knew were 'home' was now, and wanted to get there in a bit more of a hurry, than we did. But we mostly were able to keep it down, and finally hand walked in the last little bit.
Got to the finish, and more drinking at the water trough, and then pulsing in...both were in with no problems...yes! Finished! Oh, and Dalmotion seemed to finish fine totally bare too...pretty good in that terrain!
Now we only had to pass the vet check. So back to the trailer we went, and let him eat and relax a little and clean him up, then back. Oh, and Susan said we should show for BC, since we were all in the top ten and one should never pass up an opportunity to show, if the horse is in decent shape. Well...I remember my and Storms only other showing for BC....at this ride a year ago as a matter of fact. And I am sure Kristen, the vet, did too! LOL... Suffice to say, Storm did NOT win BC then..heck, I couldn't even get him to move out faster than a walk (he thought when the ride is done, it is DONE...none of this running around afterwards stuff, LOL...we practiced trot outs a bunch when we got home from THAT ride...)
I went ahead and showed anyway...what the heck, good practice and maybe a way to redeem ourselves from last year, too. We had to wait for the 50 BCers first (lost of activity just that point in time, LOL) and then Susan showed first...course with her Ay-rab, she looked pretty dandy with that fagged tail and smart trot :) Cash did look pretty darned good for a 3rd day horse! Then it was my turn, and I crossed my fingers and took off, hoping my horse would follow.... and he DID! Whoo hoo! Not a fancy gait-out by any means (not sure he'll EVER look as snazzy as an Arab...he just is too lazy to put in any more effort than needed), but he moved out the entire out, circle in both directions, and back! Success! And at arrival back at the vets, Kristen said "That was MUCH better than last year"...guess she had remembered, LOL :) If nothing else, that was worth showing... That done, we went back to the trailers and relaxed (and were fed and catered to by Susan's wonderful crew) until Terri came in, and then went to the meeting. Storm felt great all day and his gait and foot felt fine, so I was going to go for the 50 again tomorrow. Susan said Cash's back was a tad sore (something she has been battling and having to make saddle and pad adjustments) and she was going to opt out of riding the next day. At the meeting, someone else won BC (no surprise, even if both horses had looked great, we were WAY far behind and most likely less or equal in weight to other riders) and the route for tomorrow's 50 was laid out...BACK into and to the top of the slates, lunch in camp, and a final, shorter loop around the desert. Well, guess Storm was going to have to buck up, and do a tougher 50 than I had planned...it would be a great test though, especially after the tougher LD today. Time for him to graduate and become a real endurance horse ;)
Next: Part three, and graduation day....

And here is Janet and Ladybug...they are having too much fun, no? Cute mustang pony!

Death Valley and Storm's Graduation Ride (part 1)

Storm in the second camp, looking like a wild, handsome, windblown mustang...with a binkie! LOL...

Death Valley Encounter marks Storm's one year anniversary as an endurance horse. He did his very first (and second) LD at this ride a year ago, and now he has done his first (he DID do one other, local, 50 in Sept, but it was SO easy, I don't count it as a real 50, as it really didn't test his capabilities of doing a real, tougher 50, like we usually have them out West here) 50 as well. He also did a tough 30 miler the previous day, and now has 80 miles as a good start into the 2011 AERC season. Whoo hoo! This ride was very scenic, so I think I will run this blog post mostly off of pictures with captions :)
It was going to be very iffy on whether or not Storm was going to go, because after coming home late at night from Desert Gold, Terri had forgotten to close the pasture gate (which lets horses into the middle, roundpen pasture and shares a fenceline with Storm's pasture) when she let the horses out of the trailer and put up Storm. This resulted in Terri's new mare teasing Storm over the field fencing that is in that pasture (and usually has a hot tape on top, but was not hot due to the solar charger being dead...no issues with geldings, but an in heat mare? Even good boys find that too tempting), and him going over the top of it. Terri found the fence stomped down and Storm in with the mare and geldings...two weeks later, a preg check showed nothing, so luckily it was late enough in the year to result in no real breeding. Good thing! But sheesh! Too much excitement. I had initially checked him over superficially that morning, and no lameness or big bleeding wounds, so back in the paddock and mud (over fetlock deep) and I fixed the fence (which had torn wire squares and holes, but was mendable). Issue over....so I thought.
A week later, we go out to the beach for a nice ride, and I was able to really clean storm of all his mud...I get to his hind legs, and WTF!?!?! His right rear pastern is puffy, warm, and looks skinned up and crusty...almost like after a rope burn...hmmm...I clean it up more, and find two shallow cuts in the 'bend' of the upper part of the pastern. Sighhhh...so he didn't get away from the fence jumping cleanly after all. I cleaned it up well and it looked fairly good, and checked for lameness...none I could tell. So we decided to lightly walk-ride him and stick him in the ocean waves...salt water baths are always good for these things.
Then began the long convalescence...I figured I would clean and goop up his foot really well and wrap it up like a porcelain vase...keep it as clean and dry and pliable as possible, til it finished healing. Clean and Dry? In a Humbildt Winter????? Riiighhhttt....two weeks to DVE and there was MUD just EVERYWHERE! And it was constantly raining, so Terri had the mare in the shelter area (which is in the same pasture as the roundpen) since she had no winter coat, having come from hot eastern Texas a few months ago. So putting Storm in the non-muddy roundpen was out (didn't need a leg stuck in pipe corrals or some other crazy thing, with her on the pipe corral talking to him). That left trying to keep him locked in his shelter....not stall...shelter...
First two nights: baling twine a corral panel across the front of it....FAIL...Storm was out of there quick, he just barreled right through the 'gate' and broke the baling twine...he does NOT like being stalled! So I went and scrounged around the property until I found some corral panel connectors in the tack trailer. That took care of one side, what about the 'gate' side? Two stout lead roped fed between the side wall and the roof support pole...wrapped several times around the other end of the panel. It was ugly, but solid...not good if we had to evacuate in a jiffy, but with all the rain, not like the shelter was going to burn, LOL. That kept the beast in....
Next issue: after almost 5 days of this and lots of rain, the mud and water outside had no where to go but inside. And his floor was plain old dirt....shit! More mud happening...I tried old hay...I tried straw...I thought of shavings, but they would just melt. After a week or so, I was thoroughly frustrated! And having to run to Trinidad at least once a day to muck out his stall and drag out mud and such, was not fun and time consuming and damned short winter days meant most that happened around dark...my headlamp got a lot of use! BUT...my wrap would have made most vets proud...even with all that (I changed the wrap every 2 days), he was CLEAN under the wrap and mostly dry..just a tad damp from the moisture in the mud seeping through. Not bad! And it looked to be healing ok. It would just be a race against the clock to see if it would be ok enough (since we were going to the alkaline desert...aka SCRATCHES heaven, it REALLY had to be nicely healed, or I'd just be asking for scratches...) to take him to DVE. With about 5 days or so left, the rain finally let up (but not the mud) and I was able to put him in the roundpen area and get him out of the mud a bit better.
Finally, a day or so before we left and one last wrap change, I tried to show up in daylight so I could actually see the foot a bit better. It looked really good, and he was totally sound on it (was the whole time really) at all gaits... So I decided to take him. If nothing else, I could tend it better in the dry desert and do a few Duck Miles, if he couldn't do a full ride day on it. That decided, off to DVE we went!
My original plan after he did so well at Desert Gold, was to ride 2 50's. Ride a day, rest, ride a day, rest.....or ride, rest, rest, ride. But with his foot as it was, and by ride weekend, over 3 weeks of no real riding, I wanted to take it easy. I decided that I would let him chill the first two ride days (and with the travel and rest days as well, it would be almost a good week of more healing time), then ride an LD on the third day to see how he felt both foot and energy wise, then ride the last day's 50 if all went well. Or another LD, or nothing if he really did horribly on day 3 for whatever reason. I could also help the ride management on the two off days that way as well.
We left Christmas Eve (I celebrate Solstice anyway as my christmas and new year...makes so much more sense to celebrate the world getting LIGHT again, LOL....the pagans had the right idea there! So I don't mind being gone over the holidays) and headed down to our first stop over in Healdsburg. Then drove to Tehachapi on the 25th. No rain and only a little wind. Our friends who left the 25th and drove as far as I think Los Banjos, got POURED on...and it was miserable driving...the storm must have been chasing us (and we did have to outrun a few dark spats on I-5 that almost caught us during one rest stop...so we barely missed the storms) the whole way south. From Tehachapi it was smooth sailing for the last few hr leg to the first DVE camp spot. We saw a bunch of tire ruts and rigs were parked in odd places...guess it rained a bunch here too! I held the horses while Terri tried to find a spot................and promptly got stuck! She went RIGHT for a set of those tracks and didn't have enough speed up to go over the dips it made, and spun out the back tires (obviously we only have 2WD)...sighhh..saw it coming! LOL...Luckily Anne Nicholson (part of ride management) was there with a bigger truck and towed Terri out. I think we will have to pay more attention on the XP ride, since ppl supposedly got stuck there a lot too...not good to start out the year with embarrassing yourself in front of the other riders, LOL... But she found a solid and dry spot and slanted us a tad downhill in case it rained some more, so we aught to be able to get out of camp :)
We spent that day and the next relaxing and getting ready to ride. It was so nice to be in the dry (well, drier than at home...the sand was actually wettish as it had rained so much the week before...odd for the area, but still 'dry' for us, LOL...made for a NICE, HOT grounding for the electro fence though!) desert again and the temps were nice during the day and not horrid at night. Our friends from Humboldt, Susan Wardrip and her husband and daughter, as well as her close friends from the Redding area (boy did we get spoiled by their crewing by the end of the ride!) arrived later that day as well. Susan and her friend had grown up as a kid in Trona, not too far from where we were going to be riding. This was going to be her first trip back to the desert since she was about 10! How exciting! She was also bringing along a younger, new horse, so we were planning on doing some easy rides together. We went on a short ride through the desert on the eve before day 1, and Storm felt good! His foot seemed much better to. So it looked good for a Day 3 start :) I was keeping the wrap off, but lots of good goop (a healing ointment as well as a good, thick layer of desitin) on it all the time. Storm and Kashmere (Susan's horse) seemed to get on well together on their ride as well. Good!
The next day, Terri went out on the 50 and finished well, but right around sunset. Susan did fine on her guy as well on the LD. We had been told the new plan was to move camp to the new camp after today's ride (originally this was to happen after day 2, but a rainstorm predicted for the night of day 1, would turn the old lake bed to mush...so everyone was heading out after riding day 1). I had spent most the day working the finish line, and watching Storm in his pen across camp. He behaved all day, only talking a few times when he thought he saw a familiar horse. He is SO easy as a 'camp' horse...so many of them just throw major fits all day when their buddies head out on the trail. He whinnies once, then goes looking for his mush bowl....love it! :) I also cleaned and packed up camp and set it up most of the way ready to head out, once Terri got back. She came in not long after Dave Rabe and Les Carr, and as we were taking down the pop top to the camper, I hear my name called. It was Dave...he wanted to know (most the camp was cleared out by that time) if I would be willing to drive Les' rig over to the new camp..... ???.... Turns out, Les was still recovering from some broken ribs from a riding mishap, and had over calculated his strength. He managed to finish the 50, but was totally exhausted and not feeling good at all, and couldn't see straight/feeling dizzy. Obviously NOT a safe idea to drive 25 miles in the dark with a horse trailer to the next camp. Hmmmm...well, sure! Why not? Guess it was time to jump in the fire and go for it....Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh.......
Let me explain that...not many ppl know, but I have a slight 'big rig phobia', LOL... I HATE driving big and unfamiliar trucks/rigs...always worried I will crash, or do something wrong and break stuff, or whatever... part of that is due to my depth perception issues, which or FINE for driving really (horrid for parking though, LOL), but just doesn't let me feel confident hauling a long/wide vehicle, at least until I get used to its dimensions. I had the biggest fears before I first drove Terri's rig, but now feel mostly ok with hers. Les'??? A bigger truck, a much bigger camper, and a heavier/longer steel horse trailer! And in the dark in totally unfamiliar territory! YIKES! LOL... But I didn't want to be a) a total wussie that everyone was going to laugh at, and b) let down Les, who is such a nice guy and has been helpful when others have needed it in the past...so who could let him down now, when HE needs help? That would not be a good XP child! So I finished packing Terri up and down the road I went..though first I had to figure out how the hell to get out of the danged lake bed (it helps to figure out your lights and brights...they were so weird to keep on, compared to mine. But got it eventually) and then not crash into the vet hauling the ride horse trailer, parked in the middle of the only path out..oops...just missed her! LOL...hmmmm, not a good start..least we were crawling along on a dirt road ;) HOLD ON TULIP! Nutcase driving your trailer! Poor horse! Sheesh... ;)
We made it onto the mostly deserted rode (thank heavens for that), and headed off to the new camp. I only had a vague idea where it was (turn right at the big T-intersection, go through the town you eventually hit, go out the back of town, then on the right eventually will be camp...), since last time I saw it was a year ago...coming from the total OTHER direction (camps for this ride change around a lot from year to year), and wasn't even sure how far we had to go (I had those directions with Terri in HER rig)...great. Shoulda waited and let Terri or someone else go first and follow! Oh well, this way at least I could crawl along the highway at 40mph and get familiar with the rig... We finally arrived at the T and made the turn, found town and drove through...only problem, it did not look familiar in the dark! We did go through it last year in the day time, heading for one of the other camps, then doubled back to the camp we were going to now, from the other direction a few days later...thus the vague idea of where to go. I hadn't remebered crossing train tracks...TWO gas stations, or that school! Ummm....we didn't take a wrong road in town, did we??? I THOUGHT there was only one way through, but in the dark, who knows! I finally got REAL nervous when I saw signs for 'loose gravel', and other 'bad road' things...(lots of flooding signs too from the rains), and was sure we were heading off into the desert to get lost and stuck somewhere! So as I saw more lights (cars or ??) behind me, I pulled over in a big turnout next to kinda a junk yard, hoping to get re-oriented. As a rig I recognized drove by! And then Terri pulled in behind me too! THANK HEAVENS! I guess if they were all going that way, I wasn't lost! Whew! So I got back on the road and followed the other rig, and Terri followed me. Turns out we were at most a mile or so from the camp, LOL... I just had let my doubts get the best of me again!
All the drive over, Les was being real nice about telling me what a good job I was doing, how well I was driving, etc (as I white knuckle clutched his steering wheel, LOL) and then he was trying to explain where all Tulip's 'stuff' was and how to set him up for the night, as Les really could only manage to crawl into bed when we got there. I told him not to worry, his pony was in good hands! (Well, least once we stopped driving and got to camp, LOL). Once in camp, I got Tulip unloaded and set up with food, water, and a binkie, while Terri found our camping spot (saved ahead of time, thanks to Susan and her crew!) and took care of our ponies. Then I went over to finish setting up camp with the electro corrals and the like. We also had dinner waiting with Susan's friends again (like I say, we got spoiled that week! Whatever will we do at the next ride, when it is back to Ramen noodles and doing all the camp chores alone?? LOL ;) ) and ended up into bed later than planned, but happy :)
Hanging out in camp on Day 2...

The next day, Terri rode the 50 again, and Susan ended up joining her. She finished the LD riding with Terri (who was coming into lunch), and Kash looked so good, she elevated up. Whoo hoo! He finished that day looking great as well! I spent the day hanging out (since the vet check was in camp, there was plenty of help and I was off the hook that day) with Bill and Este (husband and daughter), messing with boot conversions, saddle/tack, repairs and taking Storm for a little walk for a final check of his engines... all well there, so I decided he'd go on the LD the next day.
He looked out this end of camp a lot...he liked looking out into the desert, vs at other horses left in camp...

He's so pretty in his brand new, turquoise blankets (a light and mid weight matching set)...it took me a while to find some in this color, that were not a gawdzillion dollars... Tough-1 makes LOTS of colors, in a decent quality, for a great price! Mine came from Chick's Saddlery...


I had planned on using Easyboot Gloves all the way around, as he goes really well in them with no boot losses and no extra stuff needed. But then decided I would put a Glue On on the bad hind foot, so I could keep it gooped up all day and not worry about gooping up a gaiter, or stuff getting trapped in the goop in the gaiter and causing issues. It was really windy that day (but sunny...the storm never showed up the night before or that day...just blew on by, pushed by the gales) and I had a heck of a fun time trying to set up so I could glue the boot without sand going all over, or things blowing away, LOL.
Most of Day2 in camp looked like this...big clouds would blow over the mtns, look threatening, then blow right on by.... no rain at all, just WIND WIND WIND...


But other than that, I have to say gluing is now WAY easier than last time I had used it (over a year ago I think). The new glue gun is SO easy to use one handed, and the glue seemed to be a different consistency, so it didn't set so fast (it was cold, which helped, but I had glued boots on a client a month back, in warmer home temps, and it was the same...no rush!), I was all alone as Terri was still riding, but I got that boot on with no issues in no time flat (after I spent a bit extra time PREPPING...that's an important step). The boot stayed on beautifully for 4 days and 80 miles and when I WANTED to pop it off, came off much easier than in the past too...so I think gluing for XP will be easy peesy! A quick check of all my gear, go vet Storm in, and I was set for the next day.
Part 2: Riding!
"Aren't I just adorable?!?!"

Desert Gold, Part 3

Happy boy! Look at that blue sky behind us! Much nicer today!

Ok, back to blogging :) Day 3! The morning went as the previous two days went. Judy went home the day before, so no one to ride day 3 with... that was fine, always someone out there to pass by, or hang with and chat, or just chill on my own too. The day was nice and going to shape up warm. We had a 15 mile loop that came back to camp, then the same loop in repeat, to finish. So if anything went wrong, I could pull (or be pulled as it may be) in camp and not have to sit around waiting to go home again. After Terri left, I went to find a vet, and see if we Storm got the final ok to go. Same vet from the night before was still out and about, so she watched him gait out and gave us the thumbs up! She also did a full VC (since we didn't finish the day before, and on a multi-day ride, usually your previous night's finish vetting is the pre-vetting for the next day) and said he must be REAL excited....his pulse was "a whopping 36"...LOL. And all the rest was an A too. Goodie! He looked great to me too :) Back to the trailer and get tacked up, and over to the start. I was starting a little behind, hoping I could get him to calmly start out and do a nice, LONG warmup before we moved out. Give his muscles as much a chance as possible.
That worked for a little while, but as on the previous days, the 50's caught up with us yet again. Luckily we'd been going a few miles, and he felt good, so I let him play with the 'big boys' for a few miles again, before slowing him down again. We varied between going along in our own hole by ourselves, and going along with some 50's, all the way to the vet check. Storm felt awesome, and we were able to move out at a fairly consistent pace, so that we were into the check by 10:20-something... That put us ahead of our usual 5mph pace, LOL... Nice, as I knew we'd have tons of time to finish, and I could take it easy later if I had to.
I hand walked from the 'finish line' area, to the pulsing and vetting in the main camp. We stop by the water at the finish, and at the pulsers, and he drank both times. Got our time from the in-timers as well, and went straight to the pulsers. Storm was at a 52. Then we walked right to the vets (they funneled us that way, no way to go to the rig first and untack or feed the horses or whatnot...kinda odd, but ok!), where we got checked right away as there wasn't anyone in line. Same vet as before...she has us gait out and then do her check (kinda make it like a CRI that way, with the pulse in pulse)...Storm was at a 48! Super! All the rest were A's too...and then her husband, who was scribing for her, looked under Storm and said "see, he does still have his equipment" or something to that effect...LOL... So she looks, and says something along the lines of "Huh, you're right! What a really nice guy!" I joked and said that was why he still had his 'equipment' :) She had vetted him most the weekend, except a few times, and hadn't noticed til then! LOL... That is how I like it...every ride, someone new will see how good he is, and will think favorably on his breed...and maybe we'll attract a few more Mtn Horse lovers as a result! I know I keep saying it, but it really is my new passion..to spread the word about these awesome horses...and if a stallion can show them, all the better...because most ppl think stallions are wild, and if they see he isn't, they might just think about how good the geldings and mares of the breed could then be!
Anyway, vetcheck done, we headed to the trailer and had lunch. The sun was out and I was happily relaxing (though had to take Duke for another walk...downside of the check in camp, he knew I was there and wouldn't hush up til I let him out! He definitely is still a young and insecure dog! LOL... As Storm was happily chowing away and then taking a nap, I stayed a good while longer...had about an hour of a break, instead of only 1/2hr, since I had so much time on the clock still. After his nap, I tacked him up again and out we went, back around the same loop. Kinda boring, but at least we both knew where we were going :) Storm was content to mellow out and go along at a steadier pace than the morning. We again encountered several ppl, but mostly spent the rest of the day alone. Which of course made him less happy............BUT!....
Unlike our time at Chamberlain, when I asked him to move out, he would, and walk when I asked him to walk. No more refusals and shutting down! I think the good part of sharing trail with the 50's all weekend, was that he FINALLY figured out that he was not REALLY all alone out there.... that there was always a horse to find, or that would find us! So he was much perkier and happy to be out on the trail... YES!!!!! I can't say HOW HAPPY that makes me :) I really HAD been way in the dumps after Chamberlain, no matter how many times someone told me 'young/new horses always do that at some point'...so to see it really was just a funk he'd been in, and not a death knell to our endurance career, made me totally happy!
He was slowing down a good bit towards the end, but at that point it had really warmed up and it was the end of 3 days after all, and with plenty of time left, I was happy to poke along and let him pick the pace. So we ambled (heck, with a gaited horse, amble really works as a word, LOL) into the finish. Luckily THIS time, Scott (the ride manager) was the only one waiting there on his quad, and once I told him I was an LD, I was told my finish was in camp. WHOO HOO! No more of that pulsing down issue! So I hopped off and walked in, and sure enough, we were right down again. Can't remember where...not as spectacular as our lunch pulsing, but in the 50's and 'in' nonetheless. I went to the trailer, untacked, fed him a little mush and walked the dog. Then took him back over to the vet. All was good :) So we finished our third day, with no issues, and no hint of the previous day's cramp issues. WHOO HOO! All in all, a happy ending to a weekend full of ups and downs and lots of things to learn :) And with as well as he felt and did all weekend, and finally having the energy to want to run with the 50's and gait well most the day, I had a new goal. :)
Next in line: maybe two days of 50's at Death Valley at the end of December!

Going along happily on our last day :):)

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

Desert Gold...all sorts of adventures... (Part 1)

Storm Day 3 (no photographer day 1...photo by Renee Baylor)

After a hectic trip to Germany, I was looking forward to riding for the end of October. I was going to take Cheyenne to Lake Sonoma, and do a 50 on Storm at the Lake Almanor ride. Unfortunately, rain canceled the LS ride, and then Terri got really sick with some flu/cough thing, that knocked out LA. I tried to get a last minute ride with someone, but it wasn't going to happen (doesn't help to have a stallion in that case..even though he is such a gentleman, many ppl just don't want to deal with a stud in their rig and camp...though I have seen more mares have issues with each other, and horses getting kicked or stepped on, than Storm ever has with any sex of horse..he just is so mellow!)...So there went October! And our normal, early-November ride was also canceled this year, Lake Oroville. That meant the next ride wasn't until Thanksgiving! I also didn't have much time to ride over the month, so I decided to take Storm, but only do the LDs. All three days were 30 milers, so I figured if he did well and could do 90 miles in 3 days, he could do a few 50's at the next ride. Plan hatched, I was all set.
Terri's Mtn Horse from Canada, Boots, wasn't working out for her. He just was too skittery for her tastes an was going to be too much work to get broke and ride. So she sold him to a Mountain Horse breeder and trainer in Arroyo Grande. To seal the deal, she agreed to haul him down there as well. AG was about 3 hours south of the Desert Gold camp, in Fort Ord, so we figured we'd drop him off on the way down. We stayed just south of San Jose on the first night, then drove as far as King City, where there is a really nice fairgrounds. Terri dropped me off with the two endurance boys, then drove the last 1 1/2hrs south to AR to drop off Boots.
I amused myself for the next 4 hours or so, grooming the boys, braiding them for the ride, letting them run in the arena, and reading. Right around sunset, Terri pulled back into the fairgrounds, and we got ready to set up the camper and trailer for the night (we'd haul back up to Fort Ord in the morning). As Terri opens the back of the horse trailer, out jumps this big, black and tan dog! WTF?!? Where did that come from?
Duke, with his dopey look and goofy ear, at home...

So here is his story... The gal who was taking Strom, had to run off to Montana or somesuch, to pick up some horses while there was a break in the weather. She left her assistant in charge of the ranch, and Terri handed off Boots to her. When Terri got there, there were several dogs running about, our new charge right up front to greet Terri. So Terri unloads the horse, trailer door stays open...she chats with the assistant for just a little bit, then goes to close the door. Then chats with the other gal another while, meanwhile not a sound from the trailer. She gets in the truck and drives to King City... and we now have a god! Oooppss... Turns out he was dumped at the ranch a few months back, probably due to his goofily cropped ear and too long of a docked tail. He's a goofy, young Dobberman boy though, and we were willing to have him hang with us until the ranch owner could come up to the ride and get him. That whole thing didn't work out though, so we ended up taking him home, and I think I have found him a nice home up here with another local e-rider. It was quite a crazy ride though, to have to deal with a big, boisterous, young dog in camp. He needed lots more attention than we had time to give, and was going a bit stir crazy!
Nice dog and a bit cute, once you get used to him :)

So back to the ride! It was supposed to be cloudy and cool all three days, with possible rain on the second day. At night, it was COLD (high 20's to low 30's, which is not normal for the coast) and some rain prior, made the trail sand nice and firm. The roads had been graveled, which made for better trails overall, but not as nice for the horses..grrr...oh well. Glad I had Storm though, as old Chey's joints would not have liked the gravel. The night before was Thanksgiving, and like every year, we had a wonderful potluck dinner with all the fixings (and even some special treats like venison!) and lots of desert. I was totally stuffed and happy :) After dinner, there was a good ride meeting around the central fire pit. There was going to be an out vetcheck, about 18 miles into the ride, then back home. Sounded good to me. We tucked the horses in with lots of food and blankets for the night, walked Duke (the Dobbie), and went to bed.
Up early and a bit cold, I helped Terri get Oli ready (this gives me at least a half hour more sleep, so I was happy to trade off with some help) and then I had to walk the dog again. Puttered around a little, and then it was time to get Storm ready as well. I had agreed to ride with Judy, a rider I had met before, that just wanted a slow and easy ride and a good finish. I was hoping with another horse along, Storm would preform better than at Chamberlain. As I was almost ready, Judy came by the trailer, and told me she'd head to the water tank at the far end of camp (on the way to the start line), then head back over here if I wasn't heading her way. Fine with me, I only had to grab my helmet and adjust a few things.
I headed to the tanks not but a few minutes after she left...but no Judy...I didn't pass her coming back, but there WAS a second way back. I waited a few minutes in case she'd doubled back, but with no one coming, and a minute or two past start time, I decided to handwalk to the start and she could catch up. Or maybe she'd also headed that way and was waiting... Nope, no one there, so off I went. A few other LDs passed me after I hiked up the first hill and got on, and Storm actually was pulling on me and wanting to go. I made him walk and warm up properly, and we hit a split in the trail with a spotter and a gaggle of 50's waiting around for something... The spotter told me to go on ahead after asking what distance I was in, so on I went. The 50's had a short loop first thing in the morning, then they were to head to the vetcheck on trails that shared a good bit with ours (with I think a few split offs that made it a longer loop to the VC, but always coming back to our trail). I had forgotten that about previous years' rides, and it would be interesting to see what Storm did, when the front runners all rushed by us.
Interesting indeed...not 2 miles down the trail, and just starting to gait out a little, here they came! They all passed us politely, but Storm still got caught up in the excitement of it all, and was acting like a real dork...just getting all fired up and wanting to RUN. Guess it was better than quitting on me, LOL...but still! Not the exactly the behavior I expect from him. So we did lots of flextions, sidepassing, etc, to get him more focused on me, and not taking off after everyone else. I did find a few fifties that were going at a moderate trot, that matched his gait a bit better, and let him go along with them for a little bit. But after a few miles, they picked it up more, and I wanted him to slow down again. Ohhhhh no, no...he did NOT want to let them go. I ended up getting off and leading for a while again, until we found a pocket of our own and he had settled.
This worked well... he was still wanting to go (now that he knew he wasn't all alone), but not running off like a mad man. Perfect! We continue this way for a while, up some hills, down some hills, up some more hills...then low and behold, I see Judy up ahead! We'd caught her again :) Perfect. So we rode the rest of the way to the vet check together, and Storm was happy as a clam...so was I, as Judy's horse had a nice, mellow trot, that we could gait along to just fine. Actually, were gait was concerned, he was gaiting as nicely as ever today! When he was wanting to chase those 50's and I was holding him back, he was racking along like crazy! Tick-a-tack-a, tick-a-tack-a...oh the fun! And with Judy's horse he did a slow rack, or sometimes a saddle rack..but no step pace or hard pace... Awesome! I swear he gaits nicer every ride, the stronger he gets and the more time he spends in gait at rides..at home he is still lazy at times and drags along in a step pace when he doesn't want to animate...but at rides he has been really picking up gait, and this day was superb!
Anyway, we got to the vets in plenty of time, checked in, and moved to the pulse box. Storm was at 48! Wah?!!? I though the pulser must have had it wrong, but wasn't going to argue... that is as low as it has ever been at a check! Hmmm... On to the vet, and he went through with great scores, and after Judy checked through fine too, we found our crew stuff and set up for a nice lunch. It was only a half hour, with tack optional (we left it on, as it was still cool), which I LOVE...gives you way more time on the trail, which lets you take it easy out there instead of chasing the clock. And if the horse really needs it, you can always stay longer (and often I do, especially if I am in plenty of time), and by the time the horses had eaten their fill and we'd had lunch too and were set to go, it was prob. 45mins before we left.
Off we went, back up some good hills towards home. Up and down, up and down, we gaited and walked our way towards home. We had to walk a lot on the gravel roads, as Judy's horse was totally barefoot (she had been told the footing was 'great'...well, I think that person was thinking of last year, BEFORE all the roads got graveled..uggg) and though he was 'ok', he wasn't wanting to really run on the rock much. This cut into our time a good bit, and after a while, I was worried about cutoff, as I couldn't tell how close to the end we were. So we trotted most the good footing, even some of the up hills. Storm was getting a little warm as the day got warmer (I had meant to trace clip him, but hadn't been able to find the clippers! Gggrrrr :(...so he is pretty fuzzy) but he seemed ok. We had just finished walking a spell, when we hit a nice, sandy road again. So we moved out at a decent clip....until I started recognizing where we were...oh no! Not far from the finish! I reined him in and sure enough, there was the turn to go down the last hill to the finish....Opppsss... I normally walk in the last mile, esp when it is really warm or the horse is really fuzzy, or whatever. This usually gets us pulsed in by the time I cross the line. We walked from there and I had planned on hopping off at the water trough where the start had been and handwalk in. Toss some water on him and hopefully we'd be down by the time we hit camp.
Next mistake: I had also forgotten that the finish was where the start was, even for the LDs...not in camp! Shit! So I had basically trotted a while, then walked right to the finish...NOT my normal routine!
We hopped off, I let him drink and loosened the girth, and poured some water on him. He didn't seem too high (my HRM watch is broken, so I have been just feeling his heartbeat at the girth and guessing..when it feels close to what I guess is about a beat a second, we are close), so asked for a quick check. 72...MmmmKkk...not down yet... sighhh. I scooped some more water and in another minute or so, went for another check...still 68-70ish..hmmmm.... Storm was not helping eihter, as he kept squirming and tossing his head around and wanting to walk off. See, camp was just across the road and he was NOT happy to be stuck here! He was sweaty, itchy, hot, and hungry and wanted to find his buddy in camp (little did he know Oli was still out on the trail). He was quite irritated with this waiting around with camp in smelling and hearing distance. And of course the 50's were all coming in too...and THEY got to keep walking back after they signed in. This was the first time I had Storm in such a situation. Normally we always finished in camp, or a mile or so away, where he didn't know it was right there.
So more scooping (though he didn't feel as hot anymore, but heck, it couldn't hurt, right?) and then I even pulled his saddle. Judy also took some time to come down (she also thought it was camp related, and it turns out lots of the LDs were having the same issue that day...least it wasn't just my silly horse!), but pulsed before me. As 15 minutes went by, and he still wasn't down (he'd drop to 64, even 62, then shoot back up to 68-70 every time he squirmed or another 50 went by or he would fling his head all over...sheesh, just stand still and settle!!), I of course broke out the "paranoid mommy" side again...maybe something WAS wrong...he never takes this long to come down...sure, he looks fine, is acting pissy and impatient, but maybe....just maybe, it was all a little too much for him after almost 6wks off with only light riding....sighhh...there he goes again, worrying me! LOL..Bringing along a new horse, is so nerve wracking! They have so much still to learn, and you still have so much to figure out about them! Sighhh.... Of course now we also had the added worry that we'd be pulled. If you don't pulse down within 30 minutes of your finish time, you are out! ACK!...Me getting all upset about it wasn't helping either of course. 20 minutes went by, still no go...21...22...FINALLY! We finally were able to get a 60 pulse on the HRM handheld, and we were IN! Thank heavens! Our friend Laney, who was working the finish line, stuck with me and kept coming back to check him. She also was able to keep with him through his fidgeting, and was able to calm me (and thus him) down, when I started loosing it. I was really gratefull for her sticking with me, LOL.. I was so not a happy rider at that point (after having had an othewise AWESOME ride!) and she got us through the tight spot :) Many thanks!!
I flung the tack back up and rigged it enough to get back, and started hand walking him in again. Once at the trailer, I pulled it again, took Storm to a sandy spot for a role (he really enjoyed that...winter coats make them SO itchy when they sweat), and then he tucked into his food like crazy and drank a bunch more too. It was all he wanted...get back to camp and get to relax. I took his pulse again, and sure enough, it was mid 50's.....sighhh...what a dork! Yet ANOTHER thing we'll have to work on, though not sure how one could simulate that situation at home in training runs... after 20 mins I dragged him off the food and took him to the vet for our final run through. All good again. Whoo hoo! So we'd start the next day. Judy was going to sit that one out, so I was on my own.
Back at the trailer, I was finally able to relax a little and Storm was able to eat and relax too. Then walk the dog some more (seems every time I'd try and sit a bit it was time to walk the dog!) and putter around getting camp organized (we had to pick up manure at this ride, so I dragged several bags of it to the dumpster every day, as well as having to pick up water on the way back) and then brushing up storm after he dried. Soon enough, Terri showed up and not long after, it was time for the ride meeting again...how'd that happen??? Well, we did have a late (8am) start, so that cuts into the day a bit... So much for relaxing though! At the meeting rain was predicted for the next day (ick), an 8am start again, but a longer (20 miles) way around to the vet check, then the same trail back (wouldn't that make it over 30 miles?? Hmmm). Tucked the horses in again, walked Duke AGAIN, and back into bed. That was over fast!
Next: Our first pull and a rebound for the last day. More in Part 2!

Chamberlain Creek

Ok, I'll start the updates with the 'downs' first... Guess it is always best to get the bad news out of the way first! And with two months between the ride and now, and a very successful 'up' at the Thanksgiving rides, I can look back on it in a better light! :)
In retrospect, what we went through is fairly typical of many 'young' horses at their first endurance rides. Just that Storm is usually so good, and not young in age, that I forget sometimes that he is really still a greenie! It was just so frustrating at the time, that I got a tad bit carried away at the time. So to start... Chamberlain Creek is a 'close' ride to us...at just over 3 hours away, it's nice to not have far to go for a ride. A lot of local e-riders go there, and a lot of their local riders ride our rides, so it's almost like a local club ride....everyone knows each other and it's a great big family outing, helped along by excellent management. It's not an easy ride, despite being within 20 or so miles of the coast. We have some pretty significant coastal mountains in California, thanks to the wonderful plate tectonics around here. They are not 10,000 ft tall or anything, but they are UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN without relent. So I chose to do an LD on Storm here, as it would be a fairly tough one. Often, the weather also gets really warm, despite the fall months and nearness to the ocean (ocean only helps in sending humidity to add to the heat). Last year it was close to 100, with added humidity. But it is also a really fun ride, with good ppl (though after recent logging operations, the trails are not as nice as they used to be...lots more gravel :(...oh well).
Storm and Oli enjoying some breakfast together, while we do last minute packing of the trailer.

We got out early Friday and took off for the ride. We were going to meet up with some friends, Linda and Slim, who were also bringing along two gaited horses for the LD there. Terri was of course going for the 50 with Oliver. When we got there, hardly anyone was there yet, so we got to pick a great camp and save a spot for Slim and Linda as well. This camp is small and in the forest, so it can get VERY tight (ppl literally backing between two trees, that may be 6" on either side of the trailer, is common) and it helps to get there early, and have as small a rig setup as possible. We were able to get in one of our more liked areas, backed up to the small bluff over the creek. This lets you spread out in the 'back' and still not be in anyone's way.
Storm's camp corral setup with highline to the trailer and Oli in his corral behind him.

We set up some corrals between trees, and a highline for Storm's night time tie, and got the horses and everything else set up for the next day (the downside of Friday arrivals...I like arriving Thurs, and then having all day Friday to do stuff as well as relax...arriving on a Friday makes it all a bit more hectic. Linda and Slim arrived sometime while we were organizing, and set up next to us with their ponies on hie-ties. Then we all got to bullshit a while and catch up on what we'd been up to.
We soon signed in, vetted through, and then went to dinner and the ride meeting.
Storm with all his goodies...three kinds of hay, mush, and water. All set up on the highline too.

Nothing new from last year, and the weather was supposed to be fairly warm, but not super hot. Goody! I didn't eat too much, as I was feeling a bit off...not real sick, but not right either. Good thing too, as that night whatever I had (felt flu-like...chills and just BLAH and bad digestion) had escalated. Basically, I was up all night with only fitful periods of sleep, and wore out by the time morning hit. But, I was feeling somewhat better... not a ton, but enough to climb my way up onto my horse and sit tight for 6hrs and Git 'er Done....
I was hoping to ride with Slim and Linda, but they sometimes like to go a bit faster than I do, esp for Storm's current conditioning on the level of trail we were going to be on. But we at least were going to start together. The start is across the creek and up a steep, slippery, but short hill, on a logging road. Better than in camp, as otherwise it can be a free for all with horses not crossing the creek, bucking up the hill, slipping and falling down, etc. We were going out with some other LDs, and S+L's horses were getting a bit cranked up, with Storm feeding off that. So we all waited until everyone got up ahead, then headed to the start. Storm drank first thing, right in the creek, and S+L's horses got a tad out of sight up the hill..so he got a tad excited and wanted to hunch up up the hill...oh oh...guess I should ride him a bit before a ride, rather than get fat and sassy resting at home! LOL... once on top, I hopped off and decided we were NOT going to behave like that, and I was going to lead him til he settled down. That was fine, except now S+L were really getting out of sight, which made him more antsy. FINE...we'll just hand walk slowly, til they are gone, and ride alone...They were already starting to gait off, which was faster than I wanted to go right off the bat anyway. I figured there was plenty of time to catch up later, if I wanted to, and maybe a few ppl behind us as well.
Well, that plan backfired...big time. Maybe it was my own lack of energy, or whatever, but Storm basically quit on me. All was ok up until the first vet check...he was a bit pokey, but with the hills and no one to motivate him (turns out there was no one at all behind us), that wasn't too big a deal. But he just wasn't wanting to go much...least he WAS going, albeit at just the minimum 5mph...We even missed the photographer, who left thinking everyone had passed him. Once in the vetcheck, all was well..pulsed right down, vetted through with great scores (I was a tad concerned before, as he was dragging his heels so much), tucked right into his food and all.
We left the VC and headed for the second vetcheck...this is where we started to fall apart...I had to use my crop (wish I had worn the spurs, but he was so good at the last ride, I didn't bother...oops) to get him to even leave the check. I think he figured he hadn't seen ANY horses all day, and now that he had 'found them' (the 50's shared the check, so even though I was last in the LD, there were 50's coming through on their second loop), he wasn't about to leave them all again.
This is something that I have been told is a 'green horse' issue. I was lucky, and my first endurance horse was a been-there-done-that horse, that knew his job already. My mare, though she hadn't done endurance, was such a well broke and been-everywhere horses, that even though she wasn't excited on her own, she plodded right along when I told her to. Storm on the other hand, did what other greenies do, and decided he was quitting. From the lunch vet to the next vet, I could barely get him out of a walk. We made it to the next check, and again his scores were fine (except 'attitude and gait' of course...couldn't hardly get him to do a gait-out, so he wasn't stellar there), but I had an even harder time getting him to leave THAT check. Some other riders had left 10 minutes before, so I was hoping he'd catch them and could draft off them (while he was dragging along, I kept thinking it was 'attitude', but of course my paranoid mommy side was trying to come out and say something was wrong with him, and that was why he was dragging, and maybe we should quit...uggg...that emotional roller coaster...mad, worried, mad, worried, etc...was not making me happy...). But ten minutes is a long time, in endurance and they didn't come into sight for some miles yet.
At this point, I was seriously worried we'd go overtime, as we were barely moving along. I knew where the last check (really just a water stop with spotters that have some goodies for ppl and horses) was, and how far from there to the finish. I knew we were close. But every time I'd kick him up to a gait, he'd drop right out after a few yards, or just ignore me totally, or even stop if I stopped. Sighh... And I just had no energy to deal with it, after being sick all night.
We almost caught a few ppl near the last water stop, but they took off around the corner, as I was turning toward the water. Storm drank, ate some hay, and off I went again, hoping he'd perk up if we caught them. And we did....and he did! But....they were walking along slowly (50's with plenty of time left to finish) and I was REALLY close to time...so I had to get Storm by them...he REALLy did not want to pass and leave them...sighhh...
I was getting more frazzled and at this point was literally having to take the rommel on my reins and smack him every few minutes... I was at the point, where I was so mad, I was ready to get off, tie him to a tree, and walk back to camp without him. I just felt soooo let down! It was totally unreasonable, but lack of sleep will do that to you, LOL. As we beat our way down the trail that way, constantly checking the clock (I had less than a 1/2 hr left, and was not totally sure where I was vis a vis the finish), I FINALLY realized where I was...bout 2 miles from the finish I guessed.. and not much time left! Ride management puts out signs starting about...ohhh...I would guess a mile or so from the finish? They are a series and say things like "Almost".... "There"... "Just"..."A bit"...."Further"...etc I knew if I saw those signs, I would be within grasping distance of the finish... The clock was ticking and no signs..and ticking... FINALLY! With not ten minutes left, I saw the signs... I was nearly in tears at that point, for real! Those that know me, know that is rare for me. But I was just SO relieved to see the signs, and so done physically and emotionally... But I still had to make it OVER the line, and pulse down in TIME! So I kept kicking and wacking and finally saw the turn in the trail, that meant I was right about there. Checked the clock...2 or 3 minutes left! ACK!
We crossed the line, gave the vet card to the timer, I hopped off, loosened Storm's girth and took him to the water. After all that, I hoped to whatever powers may be, that he would just pulse down and we'd get our completion.... Pulser came by as I was tossing a little water on his neck, and started counting...I am waching the clock... DOWN!! And yes, with less than 30 seconds on the clock we had MADE IT! I about collapsed right there. Storm seemed fine (and happy again, as a few 50's walked in as I was standing around the water) and we headed back to camp (camp is down a mile or so of trail and across the hwy...). I just hand walked, as I had to vet in once back in camp (this is a ride that having only 1/2hr to vet after finishing at the finish line, is dumb...sighhh....no time to do anything but walk back, dump tack at the trailer, and walk to the vet line) and just didn't have any 'ride' left in me at that point anyway. Storm happily was pulling on me, trying to catch up to the other 2 horses (who were being led faster than I could muster at that point) and oblivious to whatever issues I was having...typical male. :)
Back in camp and tack dropped, we went to vet in, and despite my still nagging mommy-brain still thinking something just HAD to be wrong with him, he vetted through with flying colors as always. I took him back to the trailer and set him up with his post ride goodies, and just flopped in a chair and vegged. Thank heavens THAT was done. I sure hoped he learned that he could do a ride alone, and not die...cause he darn near killed me! UGGG... Greenies are not easy I guess! Up til then, we'd either done a ride with another horse, or always found horses around us. This was our first 'alone' ride, and it was enlightening. I had all sorts of doubts in my head after, but was willing to set them aside for a few more rides, and see if we had just fluked at this one.. With a trip to Europe to visit family imminent, the next ride wouldn't be til the end of October. I'd see how he did then.
Turns out the October rides didn't work out, but we went to the Desert Gold 3-day over Thanksgiving and had some more interesting things to learn...but more to that in the next post!