As promised, work has been busy after returning from the Buck clinic. Still I’ve carved out a get back on the trail afternoon for a 12 mile ride and snuck in a morning to warm up our arena skills inspired by seeing the work in action in Reno.
I saw some cool reins at the clinic and after being on a year long casual search with nothing really interesting me more than my current biothhane reins (which I like) I found horse hair mecates.
I am not quite ready to go whole hog ranch style so the 22 foot mecate set up wasn’t really what I wanted however I did want to find horse hair and as luck would have it, at a last stop to a western tack shop on the way to the airport (because once I got home the Internet was going to be my only option) – they had one non-mecate Mexican made mane hair 9 foot continuous rein with rawhide connectors (maybe my favorite part!).
SOLD
I had also decided to go back to a snaffle bit at least for some work. A main reason I had transitioned to the Imus comfort bit was at that early time I had considered seeing if Khaleesi would gait (rack most likely) and though I didn’t want to weight her feet and tie down her head, some poll action to encourage her to carry herself in a way that would make a gait easy seemed to make sense. Especially because I like the bit and it doesn’t operate through pain.
However if I wanted to experiment with a soft feel and eventually ride in a bosal I decided going back to the snaffle would simplify the communication and make her use her mind more than my aids.
I am not sure yet where this path will go- it’s a journey. So I hope no one will hold me to either bit in the future! We will see how the results are and go from there.
So we have temporarily lost the red head gear (which will continue to hold my comfort bit for now should I need to grab it) and have set up an old pretty leather temporary headstall with a nice sweet iron D ring snaffle and my Mexican horse hair reins with rawhide connectors.
First ride back in the snaffle was fine. We climbed the mountain over into Bolar property and rode right through downtown (for any of you who haven’t ridden in my area- Bolar was a bustling center of activity 100 years ago or more and now is almost a ghost town- but a pretty place). The climb with some rocks near the ridge is a great workout for the OD and we did a lot of trot and canter back to keep the heart rate up.
Khaleesi seemed willing to work after her long vacation and since Susan beat me to the barn (I had morning appointments) she brought the girls in alone-
I’ve seen those cartoons of people trying to bring in more than one horse at once like triton wrangling monster sea horses. Not my girls! One little source of pride I have is you can walk both of mine safely together calmly next to you.
She played around with the snaffle a little and I had to add a hole to bring it high enough that she couldn’t get her tongue over it. She doesn’t seem to mind it and though it was a new feeling to return to (we did early work briefly in a snaffle) it was fine.
She asked to turn around more than usual and I decided instead of holding fast on her head to go into the turn and do circles whenever she tried it- I am not using a chinstrap at the moment and though the D is likely to stop it- I didn’t want to risk pulling the bit through her mouth as she pulled hard the other way.
On the way home we picked up the energy and both girls got a little racy. I had less stopping and slowing power physically and knew I wasn’t getting her mind with me so both Susan and I made both horses run forward and slow and be passed etc (a little leap frogging) to bring their minds to us instead of feeding off each other.
Sunday morning however was less positive.
We are so exited to have Pam back in the neighborhood and she is going to ‘play’ with us this week to help work on some fundamentals.
Being a concert day and short on time I went to the barn at 7am to get a couple hours in and decided to go into our little arena to try some leg yields, soft feel and serpentines. Also trot on the rail with control – we always seem to drift in the trot and I’m not sure if it’s her mind that I’m not in sync with or if it’s my body doing something funky to translate the drift. Also I never trot circles so I can’t ever figure out the correct diagonal. Thought I’d at least give that one more try!
We had a list of things to try which was good considering I didn’t want to burn her out on anything for too long.
The morning began beautifully. She walked with me like a dream, we did some back up and leading practice. What a team!
We went to the arena where the boys could watch – and she could watch them watching her- and she’s in heat.
So… Though we did some nice work she also wanted to stop at one side to look at handsome Levi the sun King gazing at her from a distance. And when I asked to trot the rail she started ok, then began to fuss-
I don’t like this direction, let’s go back the other way.
That ground pole makes me have to pay attention, I’m going around it.
I want to go through the middle.
I hate you! You never let me do what I want.
(Ok that last one could be a tiny bit of anthropomorphic hyperbole)
After the argument began she eventually reverted to crow hopping and shaking her head in frustration and since that is so out of the ordinary with her I decided to get off and work her. I pulled my reins off and sent her around at a trot.
You are going to do this. It’s going to be worse for you if I’m not up there!
We went back to hook on-join up or whatever you want to call it where my goal was to get her to choose me again a her comfort and place she can relax.
How did that go you ask?
She was stubborn.
She was trotting, I turned her, kept her feet moving around me and she would she the signs- smaller circle, ear on me… I would relax my energy and allow her to stop, and change my posture, invite her to me.
No.
She would stand perfectly still. Never tried to eat the grass- looking at me but would not soften and would not come with me.
I sent her on 4 times with about the same results.
The last time I knew I was running out of time and also losing the opportunity to make something positive out of this.
I walked up to her and put my pinkie through the D ring and asked her to walk a few steps with me. She did. I let go and kept walking- she took at least two more steps- I stopped and rubbed her.
Not a glorious partnership but something.
I got back on from the fence and we walked around a few more times and then called it a day.
After that we were fine again.
I can disagree with you and still love you I suppose.
Someone with more experience might have sorted that out more cleanly but this is where we are together. Figuring it out.
Bull butter… It’s not natural horsemanship. There is nothing natural about it. You’re asking a horse to give up their nature and partner with you. It’s opposite of natural for them to think and not run. –Buck Brannaman
I took a long weekend to spend a few days visiting my mom in Reno, NV. Partly inspired by my horse life and partly ready to fulfil a dream she hadn’t thought possible, she bought her first horse this year and found a trainer to help mentor her through the process of new horse owner.
As she researched local options one woman had the distinction of learning over 20 years from Buck Brannaman (who anyone who has read my blog for very long knows I greatly admire) and she uses his methods to the best of her ability. I agreed that she seemed like the best choice.
Over the winter my mom let me know that Karyn (her trainer) was hosting the Buck Brannaman clinic in May and for my birthday this year (which is in July) she offered to bring me out to Reno to audit the clinic with her and meet her horse (who it turns out Karyn used in the morning classes). It seemed like a good opportunity to see my mom and share in an experience together which included meeting one of my heros.
my mom’s new horse Shine
I worried going in that it wouldn’t be all I’d hoped for. I am not a hero worship kind of girl and believe we all put our riding rights or jeans on one leg at a time. However Buck is a little larger than life for me and if he turned out to be snotty, snarky, jaded, unapproachable or jerky I would have been disappointed.
The clinic wasn’t exactly what I’d expected- it was actually more helpful and inspiring than I would have believed.
Note: if you are not sure about participating or auditing, definitely audit. I was considering enrolling to participate in a clinic close to home in October and after auditing I’ve decided to audit that clinic as well.
I got immense value from being able to sit and watch both him and riders and horses of various levels instead of trying to process and act on it right then. Now I want to go home and get some experience then go watch again for more detail. Someday when I’ve gotten somewhere on my own I will be ready to try to ride for Buck and get his input I might actually gain something deeper from it.
Also- I’ve watched the videos. I have the 7 clinics and I’ve watched the groundwork DVD. I’ve seen some of the snaffle bit series before I went to observe. It all builds in layers
If you have the chance to get to one: GO. mom and me with Buck’s morning horse behind us
If you want to learn how to do the dance my suggestion is first:
watch the videos.
Go back to your fundamentals and see where your horse has holes in her education.
Work seriously at it at home!
Go watch a clinic (make a trip out of it, drive all day if you have to… It’s worth it!)
Go home and do more work!
Then repeat steps one and two as much as you want or need…
Meanwhile save your pennies (it’s expensive but still a great value!)
Then try to get into a clinic to ride and hone your skills.
And for the rest of your life, go home and do the work.
What I saw holding people back from excellence and dancing with their horse are:
unwillingness to put in the time it takes to do the work.
unwillingness to put in the time it takes to do the work.
inconsistent work (do you ask your horse the same exact correct way every time? Usually due to #1)
less than perfect timing (probably due to #2)
I think my horse has some decent fundamentals. She’s solid. We are working as a team and she likes to be with me. She trusts me as her leader. This is a great first step!
We are pretty good.
When I see how bad pretty good looks when compared to seamless and light I can’t imagine settling for pretty good. I’m not just hungry for seamless… I’m starving for that kind of lightness.
I just want to see you get your horse to operate as if it is your legs. When your game of riding becomes a game of inches and not yards then we can talk about what kind of riding you want to do. –Buck
Fundamentals. I just rode our first 55 mile endurance ride on a willing horse and for most of those miles rode with me alone- her human leader. We were in a completely new environment with hundreds of horses in camp and on the trails. She was completely with me a good deal and I never struggled to stay in the leader role. I had pretty good light control- rarely had to do more than change my energy to steer or transition, and we finished healthy.
Our fundamentals are pretty good.
We are going to change that.
I was inspired by Elise on the first Biltmore loop because she rode her Arab in a bosal. That is more than pretty good. That is where I’d like to be. There were hundreds of horses at an international ride away from the comfort of home. Her horse had to see her as the only important factor that day. That is partnership. That is lightness.
Every chance you get to work on flexion do it. Be able to get that without them moving their feet. Ray used to say ‘you can’t do that too much’. When I reach for my horse he is reaching for me. No delay, no bracing. If your horse braces before he gives he’s already late in the movement. Even if he gives light as a feather eventually if he braces first you have no timing- the horse isn’t punctual.
I better understand now what Buck means by soft feel. I understand how that concept plays into lateral and vertical flexion and what it looks like when it’s done correctly and as you reach for the horse, she reaches for you.
Fundamental to everything.
I understand better how that plays into a quality back up and how to ask for it correctly on the ground and in the saddle.
I understand how that soft feel and flexion corresponds to the hind feet and using that to rebalance and get better impulsion from the hind.
10,000 times isn’t enough to ask for that flexion and soft feel.
I understand.
I also know I’m going to screw it up. So many details about being consistent: how to ask, when to ask, what context is appropriate, when to release, what is plan B if you don’t get it the first time, do it enough times – you can’t do it enough- however don’t over drill, don’t frustrate or get them bored.
This is the other reason riders don’t get there. It can be overwhelming at best and ‘pretty good’ starts to look ‘pretty good’.
There were countless examples of a simple fundamental that tied into common training or riding questions.
When a horse falls apart it has everything to do with his fundamentals being sloppy. It’s like that with everything. If your fundamentals are rock solid you can take that somewhere.
He talked about true quality of leading and how soft and light that should be. He gets frustrated when someone asks after that how to load a difficult horse.
But the horse leads fine, it’s just the trailer.
No he doesn’t. The horse leads when comfortable in its surroundings. The horse is showing you the holes in its training or his lack of believing in you are the leader and source of comfort when you get to the trailer. You are not truly in control of that horse’s feet.
But most of the time people don’t truly want to fix the fundamentals, they want another quicker magic solution.
That’s something else that sank in as I observed: Many people believe they have a solid horse and good relationship because things work when the horse is comfortable. In reality it’s the environment or other horse that is the source of comfort and not you the rider.
The more dialed in my horse gets to me, the less they are worried about all that other stuff. Pretty soon my horse gets so tuned in to me he’s blocked out all other distractions.
Once the comfort is removed you see where your fundamentals really are. That became apparent watching some of the participants whose horses (they said, and I believe them) were solid at home. Here they were in a strange place with strange horses, wind & tarps/tents, spectators, a speaker that occasionally made funny sounds, and probably a self conscious rider who is also out of their element. Many horses were pulled aside by one of Buck’s cute young cowboy apprentices for some remedial help. Watching them work with a slightly troubled horse off to the side was a great bonus.
I came an hour early on day 2 to watch the cowboys perform a ‘divorce ceremony’ with two herdbound horses. The boys were kind enough later to talk to me about ideas for getting Faygo less bound to Khaleesi.
He spent a good amount of time interweaving the things that we can do to become that source of comfort for the horse. It takes time to prove that you are worthy of that kind of trust. It is quick and easy to destroy it through both neglect and/or intent.
Punishment is what bad riders do after something happened. Comfort is what good riders do when they sense trouble and reach for their horse a little. Be good enough to help your horse before he gets into trouble. A lot of people ride their horse like its crisis management all the time… Pretty soon instead of the human giving comfort and support they’re just winding their horse a little tighter.
In the end of the advanced classes you could see how the fundamentals came together when they brought in the cows. It makes me want to go ride through some local herds and play!
I have been reflecting on what these things mean to me as I travel the endurance road.
I also found so much overlapped with the Simple Equine Teaching I’ve been learning.
There are obvious things of course. Out in the wilderness of the OD 100 or Tevis you had better have a horse that is encouraged to think and communicate with you but then trusts you when you make a decision. Your lives could be at stake.
If I can help my horse balance herself and use use body in balance and flexion she is less likely to suffer overuse injury and be healthy for the 10,000 and more miles I hope we rack up together.
If I can encourage her to power from her hind maybe we can pick up a little speed in the process.
Bits & Hacks: I’m generally happy in my comfort bit and haven’t wanted to switch to a standard hackamore which relies on nose pressure however if I knew I had the trust, softness and control to ride her in a bosal style hack I believe that would be the best possible option for her. I read articles in the past year that discussed performance of endurance horses based on bit vs. bitless even going as far as to discuss the importance of the seal of the horse’s lips over long distances. I’m not 100% convinced it is not more marketing but I would make the switch if we could. I’ve also understood some poll pressure from the curb action can help a horse carry itself better- but now I believe flexion and softness is the better way to get that flexion.
Riding in a bosal A soft feel is the start of collection and it is a tool- I would not consider riding my horse for miles having to hold that.
Buck’s concept of the rectangle is also helpful to an endurance rider. He explains that your horse has a rectangle around him. You want your horse in the center of the rectangle – not pushing forward outside (faster than you want to go), not dragging on the back like a horse leaning on the butt bar in a trailer (slower, lack of impulsion), and not veering either right or left if you stop holding him in place with legs or reins.
Early on your rectangle might be yards around you as you try to get your horse to understand how to move straight or to not run through your hands, but when you’re good enough the rectangle just brushes past your legs, his nose and rear end. That’s the game of inches.
I think of this with some of the endurance Arabs I see and hear their riders talk about ruining their hands, tearing holes in their gloves and hurting their shoulders and necks from holding back the horse for miles and miles. I could never judge another circumstance and have not had a horse like that- but I do believe that is not a good situation for the human or the horse. It exhausts the horse and rider to fight that and is an example of the horse pushing out the front of the rectangle. While sometimes I wish my horse were a little more motivated (she is sometimes inclined to rest on the back of the rectangle), at least we are lucky enough to finish strong because we aren’t fighting the racing mind. In some cases letting the horse ‘run’ might be the answer but most of the time that wouldn’t work for the long haul- they would be spent too soon.
It seems like a training issue to me … And it also seems like it would take a lot of time to get that horse’s mind back on race day. More time than most people have or are willing to put in.
So the rectangle- especially the front and rear lines of it seem especially important to me in the endurance world. The sides can be helpful when trying to move to one side of the trail whole someone passes you- or you want to ride together for a while.
Anyone interested in finding a clinic can check out his website:
To end the trip my mom and I went to the BLM site near her house and we watched some of the penned herds waiting for adoption or transfer.
Almost more than anything I want to adopt a wild horse. It is my long term dream.
But for now I have a great project mare I adore that was practically feral (not a lot of human interference before I got her) and is a great training ground for me to hone my skills. We have some work to do and some endurance goals that take all the ‘free’ time I have and more.
My little herd the day I came home – my ‘good’ horse waiting to greet me… my project horse way down the fenceline as independant as ever.
I also have a low-maintenance horse in Faygo the Fine that most people with a little horse sense can ride safely. So for now I am holding my ground and waiting until things change.
Someone asked me again recently what got me interested in endurance. It’s kind of an odd niche in the horse world to stumble upon as a relatively new horse person.
I thought about it: I didn’t stumble into endurance riding as much as I’d heard about someone who rode 100 miles in one day and being somewhat drawn to extremes I thought that was an awesome goal to aim for with the young horse I had just started (at 4) and who wasn’t even riding on trails yet.
I like big goals. I like challenge.
It so happens that 100 mile one day rides fall into the umbrella of endurance riding.
I didn’t hear about endurance and say “sure, I’ll try out a limited distance or an into ride and see if I like it…” I started with the goal of 100 and set out to find the steps to get there.
I head a Freakonomics podcast recently regarding successful people, goals and grit.
Gritty people are the ones who set out to do something out of the ordinary then find the steps and keep walking those steps no matter what the weather, inconvinience and discomfort.
I ran a marathon even though I don’t love running to see if I could.
I participated in the local triathlon (3 years actually) even though I didn’t know how to swim and actually hate riding a bike.
And I probably took on a practically feral horse to see if I could successfully start and train her.
Do I have what it takes? Do I have grit?
The loneliest 7 miles of our lives.
For the first time today she’s begun to stumble. Her feet were heavy. She begged me to slow to a walk.
Have I asked too much? Am I going to break my horse?
It was warm in the late afternoon. The sun had come out and we were both tired. Mile 48 out of 55. Farther than either of us had ever gone in one day.
No way! We are not quitters! I know you are tired- you can walk a minute but you need to trot!
We hadn’t seen another soul in at least 45 minutes. A trio of riders on the 75 mile course passed us at a pace Khaleesi couldn’t manage this late in the day though she did try for a while and calling after them as they slowly left our view across the endless pasture roads.
If we slow too much this cycle will never end. We have got to get back to a familiar trail into base camp I know she’ll perk up if she only knew how close we are. We can’t afford to slow to a halt right here at the edge of the woods.
view in the last 7 miles
The last loop seemed endless and we were losing steam. How could I encourage her to give more than she already had? I knew she was not in physical distress. She was tired. She was mentally tired too. I didn’t want to ‘beat’ her but I didn’t think she was truly ‘finished’ either.
Think of why people have a personal trainer- to be the one to say YOU ARE NOT DONE YET! YOU HAVE ONE MORE REP, one more mile, you have it. Dig deeper.
You aren’t the slave driver you are the gym trainer.
YOU DONT GET TO QUIT NOW! TROT ON GIRL! YOU CAN DO THIS!
She didn’t quite believe me. I might not have completely believed myself. But we picked up a trot that might have been faster than her walk.
You get what you need (recurring theme of my life)
Just then Tom Hagis came upon us also headed to the finish line for the 75 mile.
He had a good pace and seeing another of her kind Khaleesi came alive and hit her stride again. We followed Tom a couple miles to familiar territory. I was so thankful an Angel showed up exactly when we’d come to the edge of ourselves.
Tom got off to walk a steep hill and we had enough juice now just 3 miles from the finish to go on!
I knew it! I knew you could! I knew you had it in you!
She moved forward again covering the ground with a second (or maybe third or fourth) wind until we crossed the final bridge to the grass ‘landing strip’ they made for the finish line.
At the ride meeting we were given permission to race off and all alone, just like we’d ridden almost the entire day we hit a canter and ran that last 500 yards. It was a race off against fear and failure. I was laughing out loud with joy.
We did it!
Until about 10 yards from the finish line- she stopped cold.
What is the deal with the tent? Why are those people all looking at us?
I had a feeling her first true finish line crossing might cause her pause, so we stopped and I let her look and process. The finish timer shouted to us-
What’s your number honey?
213! This is our first finish line- she’s not quite sure what to make of it.
I waited for her to take in her surroundings as people watched us stand just short of the finish line.
Take your time- we’re here. You’ve earned a minute or two if you need it. The finish line is a human concept- I will wait for you.
Official finish time 6:08 pm. Start was 7am.
Loop average speeds:
Loop 1 orange (14.5mi): 6.9mph
Loop 2 yellow (14.9mi): 7.2mph
Loop 3 blue south (11.1 mi): 6.3mph
Loop 4 white River (14.1mi): 5.9mph
This weekend green to 100 reached a milestone step toward the big goal. We completed an endurance length course and were considered fit to continue.
Now we can say we are an endurance pair.
Grit
I have been reflecting recently on the concept that gritty people are not always the easiest to…. Have as a daughter… Be friends with… Be married to.
Gritty people put tons of energy into things they are passionate about and can be selfish about how they spend their time.
Well I suppose that’s not a total surprise.
But- the interview continued – without that persistence the goals are left unachieved and leaves the gritty person unhappy, frustrated and sometimes depressed. That people around gritty people who love them want to see them succeed.
I do try to find some balance. I am thankful openly to the people who help me. Not only the people around my world who play small vital parts but of course my husband who is in the position to get the best and worst of me and often abides my riding hours (that rack up faster than my home project hours) mostly in silence and is even happy for me when I attain a step in my journey and helps send me only way in good gear and even a positive attitude.
He must understand me at least in part. I not only love but respect him as he is at least as gritty as I hope to be. He’s gone through some difficult times and never given up- and when he has a goal there is little that can stop him from success. I’ve certainly found my match.
The Biltmore Challenge Endurance Experience
Quick stop to look around at the North Carolina Mountains
The haul was long. Thankfully Ed told me the truck was not hauling properly and I needed to get it looked at. He was right and a new radiator meant smooth sailing on what could have been a stressful trip. Still. Asheville was a solid 7 hours including gas stops, mountains to climb and driving a farm truck and horse trailer through downtown to get to the estate! Khaleesi is a fantastic traveler and she doesn’t get stressed or upset in the trailer.
Biltmore Main Entrance
Arriving at the estate was stunning. This is a bucket list ride. In fact any horse person out there should either take a horse and go pay to ride there, or rent a horse.
Ed was right- there were times I felt like I was Lady Mary cantering through grass paths with Downton looming ahead on the hill. I never made it into the house but I saw a more of that 8000 acre property than most non-horse people will get to. It was lovely.
Upon arrival at camp we looked for Ricky and Amy Stone who had arrived on Wednesday and held us prime real estate as awesome team members!
They could be at the control check area and Ricky said to just move his truck – keys were in it- if they weren’t there. We found what seemed just like what they described and a truck in the middle of a held spot. I walked around the area and saw nothing else even close to fitting the description.
Well? I guess I’ll see if the keys are in it… Ok…Keys in ignition.
I started to move the truck and a guy came out of the adjoining trailer asking what on earth I was doing!
That is not Ricky!
Thankfully we had a good laugh as I showed him the description and text and apologized for starting to drive off with his truck! Turns out I wasn’t even close. This was the suburbs and we had to drive another half mile up to main camp where we had a downtown (primo) spot and Ricky was waiting for us.
He and Amy helped us quickly get the electric pen set up while Madge walked Khaleesi around and had some great tips for the fencing for me. (Don’t forget to pick up the extension cord wheel for the electric tape!) Check in, ride meeting, all easy.
Madge in hammock
Madge and I set up hammocks in the trailer and I slept ok. Our start time was 7am. It was a particularly cold night and morning but at least not raining!
I got up in the dark (4:45) to make coffee and get started. I never have ‘too much’ time ride morning and did not want to be rushed. I let Madge get some more sleep- gotta be good to your crew!
Our mentor Lyn was in camp as well and came through to see how we were doing and picked up some coffee on her way to watch the 100s start. My first rule of ride morning: always have enough coffee…. For you and anyone else who might need a cup!
ready!
All went smooth, I was tacked up and in the saddle by 6:45 and Khaleesi was excited but not wild. Just right for ride day.
Elise was taking a new to 55 rider through today and I said I’d like to join them on the first loop at least and see how it went. The woman she was with had an Arab who was a little excited and doing some fancy footwork from the start. We waited for most of the riders to get started before leaving camp and tried to help the settle in and stay calm.
Pretty morning on the first loop
The first loop was 14 miles and we were cool and fresh finishing in about 2 hours.
In the group of three we all took turns leading and Khaleesi loved being the front horse and stretched out ears forward at a great metronome trot around 7mph when she had the chance. At Leatherwood she wouldn’t go in front of our pack for anything. Here she shined as a leader but also did well in the middle and back. I was glad to work together especially to help a rider whose horse wasn’t always a happy camper but during this first loop I saw that Khaleesi and I had prepared ourselves for this, and it was time to go.
Time to ride our own ride- for the first time in an event.
Each vet check she had great scores and was taking good care of herself. Her heart rates came right down as fast as we could pull the saddle and get her through to vet. Her CRI recoveries were solid (best one was 60/54) and she had good grades on attitude and impusion. She was well mannered, stood still for the vet and is better at letting the them get cap refill (touching her gums).
Starting on the second loop and the rest of the day we set out alone and hardly saw anyone on the trails (except the parts that were multi-purpose where we saw everything you could throw at us!).
This was the perfect first endurance ride for us. The trails were in great condition, they were easy riding for us, not much mountain climbing, and the weather stayed cool most of the day.
Things I noticed, used, or learned:
Heart Rate
Her heat rate was solid. Most of our trotting was between 90-120bpm depending on incline. She rose up to 150 range only a couple times climbing a hill or in a really hot sunny section of trail when she started to get tired. I trotted right into camp each time at a good clip and she would be around 70bpm as I was dismounting. She is fit.
Food
I learned to have a variety of horse munchies- between my Stone’s Run crew and green to 100 we had all kinds of mashes, hays, carrots and apples, hydration hay and beet pulp. Khaleesi ate and drank the entire hold like a vacuum cleaner (AWESOME!) but I need more variety of human food! In my LD rides a couple PB&J were great. After my second hold I would rather starve than eat a PB&J. And actually something cold in summer might help too. Watermelon in a cooler? A meat & cheese wrap? Maybe something lighter than wheat bread…
Electrolytes
How much electolyes to pre make? This is the second time I made too much- I hate wasting it after a ride but don’t want to save it for a month. I also am afraid to come up short. This ride I electolyted before starting each loop and once 3/4 through the third loop where it had gotten hit and she was now riding more miles than we’d trained. It really helped perk her back up.
I did not do it at the finish. She was eating and drinking so well and looked so good I did not believe she needed it. That may not always be the case.
Going forward I will plan to make one for each loop and the finish, two extras for on trail if I need, and then have the stuff to make more if we need it. Also: get capped syringes!
Using our training… Energy
This course took us in and out of camp each loop. It got increasingly hard to ask her to leave camp alone with me. As I write this I feel I should clarify- there was never any question we were going, and those watching may not have even noticed her hesitation but I knew it was there.
She was not forward in her energy. This was not a serious problem for us, but it’s a place I used the force and it felt a lot like how I would have to drive her with all my energy out the iron gates at home when she didn’t want to go out alone. She did try a turn around in the last loop (who could blame her! We’d ridden close to 50 miles at that point and she likely wondered what on earth I was thinking!) She did move through and trust me but it was a BIG question.
Ride Better!
55 miles can be the biggest arena you’ve ever been in when it comes to learning about your riding skills. I focused as much as possible on how I rode. I used the force as much as possible. Early in the day when we led our group of 3 through the orange trails- there were many multi pronged intersections and I looked well ahead down the trail or over my shoulder for tight turns and I tried to never need a rein to communicate which trail without any hesitation in our average 7mph trot speed. It was FUN! She was so responsive to my energy. We transitioned and turned as one- both fresh and eager. She gave mare ears to our pack on occasion but moved over on wide trails like a dream to ride side by side with Elise and Jubilee or to let the group pass.
Also I felt her begin to get heavy on her front feet in the third loop. I first asked what can I do about it and noticed I was getting tired and slouching forward. I sat up this loop engaged my core more and and thought of the line through my body lifting my head up to the sky from Sally Swift as well as the bubbling spring giving me energy from my feet.
It helped. She started powering more from her hind again and we floated off.
One thing I knew before but stands out to me for real now- you cannot get through endurance miles without improving your riding skills, and if you pay attention (which most endurance riders do or they wouldn’t be there in the first place) you have the best opportunity to improve. I struggled to stay balanced and light as we both got tired, but it was a challenge that I enjoyed.
That challenge was somewhat exacerbated by my ‘bum’ leg. I went into the weekend feeling almost 100% though I’m learning about minor injuries that hang on longer than welcome. I was tossing a heavy poop pile over a fence Friday and slipped on wet grass re-pulling my leg that had started to feel just about normal. (How do you reinsure your leg mucking poop?!)
Then coming in the home stretch on the second loop we were cantering a manicured grass stretch parallel to the finish line where they were setting up the tent and lights for later. When she noticed the tent going up in the distance (it had to be a football field away!) she jumped and took a sideways jig mid-canter. I stayed on just fine but it pulled my leg once again and now it was back to bothering me. Im not whining about my discomfort- it was minor – but the weakness did affect my riding and with one side ‘off’ I struggled to know if I was even in my weight.
I struggled to switch diagonals again- one side was off and she felt it. Every switch she would slow imperceptibly for a moment as if to ask are you ok up there? Or hey that is not right can you switch back?
I wasn’t sure if I should just ride that day on the ‘good’ side or keep switching to help build the other back. I tried to work out why the bad side was so off- was it in my hip allignment or in my weight in that foot? In the end after miles of trying to fix it on my end I found that on one diagonal I focused on the left foot and the other diagonal the right foot and it seemed to begin to smooth out.
The other effect was at one point on the third loop I thought going up a hill (and the sun was out) she was getting a little tired, I thought I’d jog a little beside her – give her a break and change it up a few minutes. As soon as I hopped off and got started I remembered why my gym trainer said I was not allowed to run for at least 6 weeks.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Since I was off I decided to hand walk just a minute and was glad I did. We were about to cross under the blue ridge parkway and it was a tunnel. We’ve never done a tunnel. It wasn’t bad to try it on foot and she followed me just fine.
Bombproof?
As I mentioned earlier we shared the road in some central areas near camp with everyone you can imagine! If we weren’t prepared for ‘everything’ before we sure are now: baby carriages, cars, motorcycles, bikes, runners, and a gaggle of segways (that kind of freaked me out) We passed cattle, pigs, goats and sheep over all kinds of bridges and the changes in pavement to brick was especially worrisome for her!
At one point we crossed under the freeway with loud semi trucks rumbling just above our heads. She had to think through some of them and I had to drive her with my leathers a few times, but she was solid for the most part. The worst was the jump while cantering by the finish tent. She even ended sharing the road pretty confidently with a biker (thanks Cathy! You’ve been training them about bikes for years as you ride by their pasture and wave to them.)
Metabolic
Art listens for gut sounds which means she is eating and drinking enough to sustain herself
She had great hydration and gut sounds all day but she only drank when she was ready. She passed up many opportunities to drink but always grabbed a bite if she could (she could even grab a leaf branch on the go and sometimes would be seen carrying a small branch down the trail slowly working it into her mouth as she trotted along!). She did always drink eventually- however she did not pee until standing in line at the final vet check. It was light yellow but I had been slightly worried about her not peeing all day. I already stopped if I felt she was pulling off trail and gave her a chance. And she had 3 holds to go as well. She just didn’t pee! (For those that know us she actually pooped at a trot this ride (thanks Elise for telling me she was pooping!) That is huge for me considering she’s been known to stop the whole procession on a single track and toss me forward to drop a load then start up again!)
Speaking of sweat, eating and drinking: I weighed her pre-race at vet in and she was 973. After her final check she weighed in at 946. She lost very little! Lynn said that was amazing.
Post Ride
with menor-extrordinaire Lynne Gilbert
I believe I owe the fact that she had such a good attitude at the finish and the next days to the Simple Equine Teaching work.
I asked a lot of her and we did it together, she wasn’t a soldier, she was my partner. I let her communicate to me and tried to listen to her questions through the day. I did everything I could to encourage her and rub her when she was moving nicely and help her when she was unsure (the brick/pavement, the segway mob, the sheep…) I never berated her for spooking, stumbling or taking a wrong turn against my direction but redirected and told her how amazing she was doing. She physically could have gone faster but she wasn’t mentally ready yet. (SET RULE #1: NEVER PUT YOUR GOALS AHEAD OF YOUR HORSE) She will grow into herself if I am patient.
I believe in her. I am proud of her. I want to always listen to her questions so she never becomes a horse-robot. She came to the gate in the pasture the next day to meet me. That says a lot to me.
Physically she is great. Her joints have a little fluid but not bad and not sensitive. Her back is not at all flinchy and tight. No rubs or galls anywhere. She seems hardly the worse for wear.
Madge pops the celebratory bubbly as we look toward the future
Hope
I believe in the concept that your greatest strengths are also your greatest weaknesses and as I approach 40 this year I am beginning to think about who I am and ways to balance my personality without losing what makes me ‘me’.
I don’t want to take advantage or hurt people in my life, but I also will not live someone else’s concept for me. I hope that my grittiness also makes me a friend, wife or daughter that hangs in there when things aren’t easy. I hope it gives me the strength to not say things in the moment I will later regret. I hope it helps me to choose the hard route when I don’t feel like it. To build something worthwhile in my professional life.
In choosing not to squash my grittiness even when it makes me not so easy to live with, I hope I chose to have a life lived in joy and exuberance for truly living- and to spread these to others. For not fearing to fail but choosing to learn. To also give others a second chance and a third and a fourth because I’ve also been there.
I hope it can be used for good and not only selfish purposes.
Future.
Meanwhile Khaleesi rests up for the next two weeks and I turn my attention to work and travel to visit my mom (and attend a Buck Brannaman clinic!).
She needs to be ready for the next ride which will be the OD. The beast of the East. Registration paperwork goes in the mail today for the Old Dominion 50 in June. It should be a more challenging ride, but she is ready.
That girl has grit.
Picture Postlude
A whole day’s worth of pictures… I’ll include some here:
early morning in base camp The lagoon
Ricky and Ziggy getting ready to head out Sporting the Rockin Mtn Monsta shirt Was neat to ride through the vineyards!near the blue ridge parkway
Heading back out… which way for that loop? im confused! one of the Lady Mary fields the big house in the view We ride along the French Broad River much of the day beautiful view in the last loop, 7 miles to go at the finish! She looks good! Lynne and me – photo by Nancy Sluys We celebrate!! evening and some rest our bedroom… ride days are a bit chaotic! We missed dinner so unhooked and trucked into downtown for amazing burgers- it ended up being a fun way to celebrat although a trip into downtown wasnt planned!
well deserved burgers and fries! Horse husband makes me a homecoming dinner and cork!
Things are a bit quiet on the green to 100 front lately. After a successful 30 miles at the Old Dominion No Frills I came home and dug into the rest of my life which is immensely busy right now.
And dug in is appropriate because my husband and I are building a dog fence at home and I dug a few fence post holes last week. I also began my college spring term which is more concentrated teaching schedule as classes are condensed into a 4-week term. My faculty chamber music concert was May 1 so that included extra dress rehearsals and some last minute practice (the concert went well by the way!).
Despite some plans to get on my horse and at least stretch her legs after a few days rest, the heavy occasional rain with thunderstorms (which I did not have the mental or physical energy to push through) I only rode once last week- a day I went out super early to get in some miles before work.
My horses look fantastic with their sleek fresh coats almost complete. And I know Khaleesi is in great shape.
I read one rider who has a rule of 2 weeks rest before a 50 mile ride…… And I talked to a very successful rider during the No Frills who said he used to over work his horses and wished he would have learned sooner the concept of rest being more valuable than too much training. But I am finding that rest is one of the hardest training concepts for me!
come on Khaleesi… play with me!
I have stolen moments at the barn, and spent a little time Sunday morning (pouring rain) doing some adjustments to my saddle (new sheepskin on my leathers and adding new rings to custom fit my favorite pommel pack). I’ve spent a few minutes walking the fields and scratching the horses favorite spots.
And the small amount of downtime I went back to review the Chinese element types to see if I have a better guess as to which personality Khaleesi is.
The five types are Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire and Water. I am not completely certain how much scientific value these types have but I do believe that horses have personalities and these descriptions can be helpful in how you see the horse and its needs. And it’s something to think about when the weather and free times to ride don’t coincide!
I started with process of elimination. What is she definitely not.
She is not a water horse. Water horses can be intelligent and brilliant performers but are very sensitive, tend to spook easily and have to be constantly in motion. They have a tendency toward fear and intense reactivity. Without a clear solid handler these horses can seem unpredictable and dangerous. Many Arabs fit this and I think that is part of why they are so good at endurance – they are constantly moving. It would be a stretch to fit her here.
She is not a fire horse. Fire horse need to be at the center of attention (ok, this part might be true) they love to be groomed and bathed and told they are beautiful (nope – she tolerates grooming but would rather be left alone). Makes a wonderful show horse but often too hot for some handlers without the experience or emotional control to deal with their outbursts. I don’t see Khaleesi as this hot, sensitive or prone to emotional outbursts.
She is not a Wood horse. These horses love to run and are breathtaking competitive athletes. These are often the thoroughbreds you find at the racetracks- but I think Faygo is a wood horse. She has two speeds – moving along and fast- and there is a joy in her canter especially when she kicks into the next gear, bares down to the ground and flat out runs. She will always try to win that race off even if she is about to die from exhaustion. When working at the basics the wood horse gets bored easily and becomes willful. That is Faygo to a ‘T’. She is very smart and once she gets something you are wise not to continue to drill it. She will revolt and stop giving you what you ask for. Having a wood horse in Faygo makes me pretty certain I don’t have one in Khaleesi.
I don’t think Khaleesi is an Earth horse. Though there are some points along our journey I’ve wondered. Earth horses love above all respect and food. (Hmmm, both my horses love food). They are solid citizens and can be seen as lazy but do not have to be, they do not tend to push themselves to succeed. What they lack in ambition however they make up in willingness and stamina. They are not complainers and you have to be on the lookout for ill fitting saddles or physical issues that develop – they will often soldier on through discomfort (this doesn’t fit… Khaleesi is pretty opinionated if she isn’t comfortable). They tend to be big boned and heavy horses (Khaleesi is a bit leggy and not very heavy boned) and often Bay or dark in color. I think we are getting closer, but I have come to believe she is not really lazy or unmotivated, and she doesn’t really exhibit a laid back “let’s all get along” vibe to me.
That leaves Metal. These horses exhibit shiny coats, noble heads and strong backs and are often striking to behold. They exhude self-confidence. (Yes. I always felt Khaleesi is full of self-confidence from the first time I laid eyes on her).
Aloof by nature these horses don’t enjoy being pampered and are quite happy on their own. (Absolutely- she puts up with grooming but I can almost hear her when I rub her head <sigh> “don’t touch!”)
These horses are strong and durable and are not big picture thinkers but do best when a job is broken down into small elements (like the parts in a well tuned engine). They are strong and athletic but not necessarily fast or agile. They often win through consistency over brilliance. (Check).
They can seem to take the longest time to process new information but once they get it they have the best memory and it will stay with them forever. Once you are sure a metal horse understands the request and has responded correctly give them plenty of time to process. (Licking and chewing, yawning and thinking – Khaeesi does this more than any other horse I’ve seen)
Not everything fits- for example they say metal horses are often less flexible and I see Khaleesi often scratch her head with her back foot like a cat and she is very flexible.
Here is one of the websites I used to read up on the 5 types:
Horse Temperments
Understanding that she is prone to this temperament can help me in a few ways:
First it is a goood reminder that she needs time. I just read a FaceBook memory from a year ago when I was just beginning to extend her mileage on trail rides. Each new expansion brought a tired toddler the last few miles. She was more prone to bratty behavior if another horse invaded her space bubble and less responsive to my requests. She did fine in the long run but it took patience to let her process everything. She is very solid – and always has been- but needed time to grow incrementally into what was being asked of her.
It also helps me to accept the fact that she can learn to tolerate a rub as a reward or the fact that I need to be able to rub her forehead and more importantly be handled anywhere by vets and farriers but she may never like it. NOT touching her and release of pressure may be my best training rewards. She occasionally does like a good scratch, and she communicates clearly where and when she wants to be scratched. I’ve seen this over and over when people meet her and want to touch her. Who doesn’t want to touch a horse!? Her ears go back and she tolerates it but doesn’t like it.
please dont touch…
As we head toward our first 50 mile on Saturday I am getting quicker at packing and we will do an easy ride or two to keep her legs stretched and mind engaged. I suppose a little rest for my body is not a bad idea either as my leg improves every day and I’m probably back to 75% normal now. Susan reminded me recently that we sometimes forget our part in the team when it comes to taking care of ourselves. I need to be mentally and physically rested and fresh as well.
I have some excess nervous energy in apprehension of this unknown territory (it’s starting to sink in… 50 miles is a long ride… Longer than I’ve ever ridden in one day… It seems so normal because im around people who do this all the time… But it’s a good 20 miles more than I’ve ever ridden in one day!!) I’m headed into and I’m grounded from my go-to coping-release which is running. So I’ve felt inner turmoil generating and I don’t like the energy it creates. Each ride this year has been preceded with a panic dream. The first was trying to run and not being able to run fast enough and letting my horse down. The second one everyone else had horses but I had a bike and at one point I lost it (or it was taken – that detail is fuzzy) and still couldn’t find my horse. This morning was a dream that Khaleesi died in an epidemic that took a few local horses. I was relieved to wake up from that and realize it wasn’t real.
But I have great friends who have collectively said “you’ve got this” and some who’ve even been able to say “and I’ll help you” and a few who have reminded me that “Kahaleesi has got this!” And when the nerves and energy start churning those all help immensely!
We arrived at a decent time on the second day which meant the primary camp was full and we were in the suburbs. The walk to everything is farther- but the flip side was we had a little more space to spread out. The electric fence was great and we had a decent sized field for the girls.
When I did walk through main camp it was like downtown Manhattan! Generators, portioned off campsites where sometimes 3 horses were in small areas for one campsite. At the ride meeting I learned this was one of the biggest turnouts for the No Frills in recent years.
This is Faygo’s last ride for now. Susan has gotten quite an introduction to endurance and been a great training partner. She isn’t ‘done’ but the warmer the weather the less likely it is for Faygo to do well and my focus is Khaleesi and it’s hard to really do that when both girls are running.
Thus Susan brought two daughters (Jess and Kathleen) and Kathleen brought her boyfriend Charlie to help us crew. It’s wonderful to have a team. Last year I rode crewless and it’s do-able, but help is really really nice.
Unfortunately for Susan and the crew, No Frills doesn’t have the space for all teams to put crew at the vet check, thus they have official volunteers only and I suggested a while back if they are coming they are going to need to sign up as volunteers for all in order to help mom.
They were great volunteers and I am really thankful that they had the spirit of not only helping us, but spending their entire day (half in the rain) helping put on a great ride and helping many riders through. I am really proud to call them part of team green! Thanks to Jess, Kathleen & Charlie!
Somehow (maybe it was the new fencing, maybe I’m just finally getting used to this) I slept better than usual but woke up on and off the the sound of rain on my trailer roof.
At 5am I lay in my hammock wondering if I just stayed cocooned a little longer would it stop? Later my friend Roger (who rode in the 55 with a 7am start) said “I heard that cold rain and honestly thought about not getting up! I’ve never come to a race and scratched but the thought crossed my mind!”
I wouldn’t say I ever seriously considered that…. But not getting out of my dry warm cocoon was a teeny bit tempting.
It was a good thing I had to pee so badly. That does it every time. And once you’re up….. Time to get moving.
rainy morning in the suburb camp
I threw on my muddy creek rain coat and got to work on coffee (first thing first).
Thanks to Ed I am pretty well prepared for rain. My crew bag is a dry bag and my rain coat puts me in a dry bubble from head to toe, my pop up is regulatly waterproof sprayed. I also have a layer in almost every weight I could imagine to stay warm or not too warm.
He’s been a good sport about my obsession with endurance riding. As I tell Susan from time to time- this isn’t a sport you can dabble in. It takes miles of training riding and my mind is always clicking around what I need to improve next. Then there are the monthly race weekends with prep and unpacking on either side.
When I got home I found he had opened a bottle of wine I was curious to try – when I asked how it was he said it was good, and he even signed the cork (which he doesn’t do often) for our wall. I dug it out of the cup we keep them in before they are glued on the cork wall… This is what I found:
Back to Saturday.
Right as we had to get serious about tacking the rain decreased to spittle. Horses were still wet, but at least our gear wasn’t.
We are getting the hang of race morning and Susan was good on her own this time- knowing what to expect. Our ‘crew’ of course had been gone for 2 hours now already seeing the first 55 mile riders coming through the vet check. We were on our own in camp. Mental note next time leave one of the 3 in camp to help us in and out!
We headed toward check in and warmed up around ‘town’. The plan going in was that I would challenge Khaleesi and ride out in the first wave and stay well ahead of Susan and Faygo who would hang back 10 minutes to leave as a turtle group. I believed we had gotten our tweaks down since leatherwood and looked forward to riding our own ride today moving out and seeing how she would do when pushed into some of that untapped potential I believed she had.
For Susan- her goal was to ride Faygo conservatively so she could finish with a healthy horse in the back of the pack and to stay clear of Khaleesi and me because it’s tough to separate Faygo. Once you do it she is fine, but Susan didn’t need to go through that more than once in a day.
If we were both successful we wouldn’t see each other again until I cheered her at the finish line.
When the course opened we separated, Susan went back through camp and I headed out with the riders. Khaleesi was happy, forward and moving great. We were off.
The beginning of the ride was beautiful. There was mist from the morning rain and we kept a good pace although the first part of the ride is where the biggest climb is.
some of the rocky trails in the first loop
My ride photo came from this loop. Thanks Becky Pearman once again for a cool photo!
My very favorite part of the day was in the first hour when we were cantering up and down dirt ridge roads and you could hardly see in front of you – the riders were like shadows ahead. That was a neat moment for me – we were riding alone for a few minutes there and just us, a team of two.
Not long after we came upon a rider down, someone holding horses and I believe it was all ok but the group asked if I would wait to pass until they sorted out. I (tentatively) said I would and wasn’t long until I heard a familiar voice in a group approaching.
Jaime?
It was Susan and Faygo. This was not good.
I had no idea what the rider we were waiting for was doing but I said to the group- I really need to move along here (she was not hurt and her horse was in control) and I passed by hoping that we might still get some distance and I might have moved off in time.
It was too late. I heard Faygo calling from behind. I slowed and they caught up again. This was not at all what I had planned.
Susan had left camp right after me with a group of riders who were probably more mid-pack than turtle, and she had ridden the first leg too fast with them thinking it was ok (it can happen easily when you are with a group- also it was a cold morning and Faygo had convinced Susan she could do it) but I looked at Faygo with years of knowing that horse who was breathing like a dragon and thought about how fast I had taken those hills on a healthy fit horse and was at a loss.
This was not good.
We tried one more time to separate and Susan promised to hold her back and walk a while but now she would be alone – at least for a time – because the riders she had been with were moving along.
I pushed Khaleesi on. She was also confused now. Early on she was forward and eager, now she heard Faygo calling and kept slowing down. I was fighting, Susan was fighting. This was not a way to continue for long.
I had to think fast but options were not good and I couldn’t make a call. One thing I did know was I couldn’t leave Susan to fight with Faygo alone back on the trail, and I couldn’t drive my horse forward while my mind was with Susan.
We pulled over and she caught back up, fighting to hold Faygo back as she promised but now wasting energy in the struggle Faygo was even worse than before and hot and breathing hard.
Susan was sorry- of course she didn’t do it intentionally and she didn’t have the experience to see what I saw. I wasn’t mad at her but I was frustrated that we were all now pulled into Faygo’s ride again when I wanted to finally ride Khaleesi’s ride. This was too early in the ride for this to happen.
But it was. Now what?
First we had to get off and hand walk. Faygo would never chill out with a rider on her at this point. I’ve seen her like this- she’s been worked up and hot and heavey breathing hard and it was not going to be easy to get her down and the only way to slow her up at this point is to get off and lead her.
This was not good for any of us.
I was still trying to formulate what to do.
We needed a plan B. And fast.
Susan was part of the team, she had been there for me in the rain and snow and freezing wind and I brought her here and couldn’t strand her. I had to give up my hopes for a strong finish and take care of her and both my horses.
I honestly didn’t know if Faygo would recover well enough to get through vetting with this kind of first loop, especially because we had just wasted time and we’re now hand walking if we picked up the pace to what we needed to get through she might get pulled.
Then what?
If she gets trailered back to camp alone, she’s left to manage a herd separated horse in camp with no one more experienced to help her. Faygo CAN be separated but the circumstances were not the ones that will make that easy. I could deal with her, Susan would not fare as well.
Meanwhile as I was mulling over any new ways we could pull off a last separation wondering if I could salvage the original plan I suggested we get back on the horses. It was wet and now sweaty and my originally tight girth was just loose enough that when I put my right foot in the stirrup I vaulted up and my saddle pushed down. As I tried to stabilize Khaleesi turned in a circle with her saddle slipping (not dangerously underneath her, just enough that I was unstable) and I heard two pops from my leg as the muscle pulled twice before I could hop off. Ouch. It hurt but I could walk- and i did walk a bit more to see how bad it was. Then I fixed my saddle and climbed on.
If I needed a message that did it.
Switch gears Jaime. You have a new job today. Get all 4 of you to the finish line healthy in time. That is plan B.
We had a very slow 10 mile first loop into the vet check. I honestly thought the drag riders might catch us. I had my job cut out for us. And my leg hurt. I was not in good spirits.
But we did get into the vet check. Khaleesi pulsed down immediately (in fact the P&R volunteer said ok, this one is sleeping) but it took Faygo a good 6 minutes. I couldn’t leave here at the pulse box to go take care of Khaleesi as Faygo would never pulse down left alone. Then we had to pull Faygo’s saddle to get pulse – this was only a 10 minute gait & go and I didn’t even get out of the pulse box in 10 minutes. We still had to re-tack Faygo.
waiting for Faygo to pulse down
The vet check was a soupy mud mess and this ride was not going well. We lost 20 minutes at least in that stop. We really couldn’t afford those minutes.
Thankfully our crew members were able to come over and help us. Both horses dove into the hay and food they provided with some apples and water and we electolyted Faygo. I didn’t dose Khaleesi as it was only 10 miles and she hasn’t worked very hard. I decided to bring them on trail and use them if I needed a little later.
We headed into the 13 mile second loop that includes the 7th ring of hell (or valley of the shadow of death) and I calculated how we could get Faygo through to finish in time with much time lost early on.
This course is hard. Having the knowledge of it from last year is the only way I was able to make it work. The weather was perfect – very cool- for Faygo and we got serious right away.
As soon as we hit the grassy roads I pushed us into a canter. We are going to run this section. It’s open and not too much climb. Faygo is fast and we are going to push her because I know that soon we will be stuck at a fast walk as we finish climbing the mountain then we will descend into the rockiest technical riding I have ever done.
We need to make up speed right now. Don’t let her slow down until the single track a few miles ahead.
So we ran.
Once we hit the single track climb we walked. Faygo was working hard but she was ok. I knew she could come out on the other side cooled down from the walking in the valley. (The ring of hell part). But I also knew Faygo is able to navigate that section faster than most horses there.
That is her strength. I was counting on it. As for Khaleesi, I would have ridden her a little differently. She doesn’t like the rocks as much, but this ride she would have to keep up- and that would help us too.
single track climb
It was exactly as I thought and we easily passed a handful of riders navigating that section of trail. It isn’t the ring of hell or valley of the shadow of death because it’s not beautiful. In fact it is, it’s just hard riding. I was grateful for our pads.
I took pictures this year:
a good couple of miles like this I don’t have good pictures of the rock faces you have to scale up – those I was riding two handed and with the best balance I could give her to help as she scrambled up them Roger kept teasing we would all see rocks in our sleep tonight! these are the embedded into the dirt ones – they dont move as you slip around themnot as easy to see but the mud is a layer over fist sized loose rocks
When we came out the other side Faygo had been pulling Susan into water holes and drinking like a camel (great!) Khaleesi was still sleeping (that’s our joke now). Her heart rate was rarely above 110 which is fantastic (even in the trotting and cantering).
Faygo was breathing easy and cool after gliding through the rocks in the valley.
We hit the grassy roads again and my plan was to run those again to make up time and we did. These all out cantering miles on the grass roads encouraging the horses to give everything they had were some of the highlights of the ride.
The road goes back to single track woods a mile from the vet check where we would have a 45 minute hold.
We needed to pulse Faygo down faster this time so I stopped us at the start of the single track and I electolyted both horses (Khaleesi’s first, Faygo’s second) and we began our slow walk in to cool down. About 1/10 of a mile in we got off and hand walked. I told Susan to breathe deeply and think peaceful thoughts.
We arrived quietly, dropped saddles and walked to pulse. Khaleesi was immediately in at 60 (64 is the required) and Faygo was about 71. Not terrible. About 2 minutes later she made pulse (so much better than the first loop!) and we headed to go through the control vet.
Both horses were great. Khaleesi got a B on impulsion but they all agreed it was more likely my limpy leg run to trot her out that had her confused. Both horses passed and had decent hydration and gut sounds.
They spent the hold eating voraciously and my favorite part was that Khaleesi kept turning over her water with her front foot and Charlie was such a good sport to get her another bucket even though I assured him it was ok- she’s not drinking it! She had his number and he refilled it at least 3 times before he believed me that it was a losing battle.
notice the water bucket
Our out time was 2:32 which meant we had at least 90 minutes (finish time 4:15) to get the last 9 miles to finish. The last loop is the easiest- packed gravel road and mostly downhill. We were now looking good and I was confident we could complete. Even if we ended up under the wire and Faygo didn’t pulse in time I was sure Khaleesi would.
We tacked up, electrolyted once more and were out the gate at 2:33 to tackle the third loop.
My leg was tight and I was not feeling balanced in the saddle (all day, but stiffer after the 45 minute hold) and trotting this road for miles slightly downhill was not easy – it was ok for me, I wasn’t in pain – but I know I was off, tight and not bearing weight equally on the right side and had hoped I wouldn’t cause problems for K. Every once in a while if I changed diagonals she would slow up and turn her head as if to ask What are you doing? That doesn’t feel right.
I wasn’t sure if I should still change, or just use the one that felt easier.
God told me (in the end with a muscle pull) to stay with my team and he provided us cool weather all afternoon. I had to put my long sleeve shirt on for the last loop and tha kept Faygo able to gait in a good speed without trouble.
We kept that metronome 7-8mph going as much as possible. The only time we stopped was when Faygo dragged us into the stream we were alongside for a drink (which she did at least 3 times). She was taking care of herself well.
waiting for faygo ar a stream
I knew where camp was on my GPS and when we were a mile or so out with lots of time to spare I knew we had done it- both horses in great shape, and Faygo even pulling ahead to gait through the wooded trail after almost 30 miles of hard riding.
these stats aren’t official- it includes the 20 minutes lost at vet check 1 and part of our 45 minute hold
I felt so proud of our team and the motto to finish is to win never meant more to me than when we walked to the finish line at 3:30 with 45 minutes to spare on a hard ride that I believed we may not complete.
For an LD you don’t officially finish until pulse to 60. We pulled saddles and walked to the pulse box. We were not in any hurry and Khaleesi pulsed officially at 3:42. Faygo just a few minutes later.
I think our official time might be about 5:51. ** for curiosity sake I looked up last years’ ride time and it was exactly 5:51… How funny is that?!
Khaleesi passed the vet check as if asleep again. She had a pulse in the low 50s to start and after trot out her CRI test went down to 40. (That is phenomenal). I worked on my bum trot out and she had great impulsion and attitude. All As for both horses.
We did it together!
I heard from a drag rider who rode both days that the trails on Saturday were in worse condition than Friday and it made for a harder ride. From the rides I’ve done in the last year I can say the No Frills has to be one of the most challenging I’ve seen- of course I love it.
I really like being in Old Dominion territory. I think that organization does the best at putting on great rides with great volunteer structure and for a No Frills ride they provide a lot to help each rider. The rides are challenging and you really feel good about finishing healthy!
After returning to camp and feeding them a mess of wet beet pulp, grain, apples and carrots, I did a back check. I was sure I would find some soreness from my bum riding all day- we also did a fair amount more cantering that I had planned. She had tiny ticklish reactions in a spot but no dipping or soreness. No dry spots. Her lower back was also not tight.
I had been unsure of what to do about Biltmore if we didn’t push this ride harder, but the things I’d worried about were all in good shape. After talking to my mentor we are moving ahead with our plan to ride our first 50 in two weeks. It’s time.
We have learned a lot in the LD (learning distance) and we may do more LDs in the future depending on the circumstances, but for now it’s time to take the step and try.
This ride may not have been the one I planned, but I am grateful now that I was forced into the one we had. We helped each other through a hard ride and Susan got a strong completion under her belt with a horse who really needs to be managed well. Kudos to her for completing this ride!
Speaking of that horse, Faygo is all heart. She may be held back by physical limitations but take that away and she would make a monster of an endurance horse. She is fast, agile and willing and would die before she quit. In some ways it breaks my heart that she is limited physically because she (even weeks away from turning 18) is not ready to retire to occasional trail use. Her story is far from over but it’s a little unclear what exactly to do with her from here. That doesn’t bother me- things become clear as they need to.
As for Khaleesi, she has a career ahead of her and shows a lot of promise. She has a great mind and good physical traits to build on. I am working on staying the course to build her gradually for a decade team horse who loves her job and stays sound and healthy.
We stayed overnight on Saturday and as my leg was lame I appreciated the slower pack up and some down time. Most retired early and as I was walked to the bathroom at main camp before bed I ran into Sherry who suggested I come out to the bonfire – I didn’t know there was one and though tired and considering bed, I accepted and brought a beer down to relax.
It was nice to have some time without the blur of activity with some of the new friends I’ve made. We shared bourbon and moonshine.
It’s also nice to know I’m not the only one who can’t stop mulling over the details – what went right and what can be improved. Everyone else is also talking about their pull and what they learned- asking each other for thoughts on better management… Laughing about some things, groaning over the rocks… the rain… the sloppy mud at the vet check…
We crept off to bed one at a time and I slept well again though it was colder under a clear sky.
I thanked the stars that I didn’t get what I wanted…
But if you try sometimes… You might find… You get what you need.
Last year the Old Dominion No Frills ride was my first taste of the endurance community.
The low was 35, it drizzled all night and I slept in my open trailer – cocooned in my hammock with 5 layers including a hat and scarf to keep from freezing.
This year it is my 6th ride and it is drizzling again, but with a low of 55 and I’m tucked into an upgraded trailer and it’s too hot to get into my sleeping bag yet.
Last year I was all alone and didn’t know a soul and was thankful to Pascale for helping me sort out the details of my first base camp.
This year I am surrounded by a team green-to-100 crew of Susan, her two duaughters (Jessica and Kathleen) and Kathleen’s boyfriend Charlie.
We drove through the rain to get here- then got a long afternoon break to set up camp.
Both horses vetted in perfectly- well except that Faygo had someone crossed the electric fence at home yesterday and ate all the good grass she wanted. Not truly a problem but herbody condition score was a ‘6’ which is still well in healthy range but I had to wonder if a day on the whole pasture gave her that little grass belly look.
Body condition score is 1-10 with 1 being emaciated and near death and 10 being super obese. 5 is the middle and a good score- but it depends on the horse and breed. A lean muscled Arabian might score a 4 and still be healthy but a well built stock horse could be at peak in a 6.
Either way – whatever number you assign her, she is in exactly the condition I’d like to see her in. She’s not an Arab and will never have that anorexic look.
Khaleesi got a ‘5’ but by a different vet.
As I enjoy the rain on my roof I get ready to get some sleep before A leisurely start time of 9am- the vet check is too small at this ride to overlap so the 55 riders leave at 7am. That gives them a 2 hour head start to get in and out before the first wave of 30 mile riders.
It’s nice to get some extra morning time, and we are looking at a cool day tomorrow- but the normal drawback to a later start is dealing with higher temperatures in the afternoon.
It’s nice to be back at what has become one of my favorite rides!
Take a leg stretching leisurely 5 mile ride on Tuesday with no goals except to enjoy the horse-human relationship. No speed work, no mountain climbing, we used our horsemanship open to and close a lot of farm gates (mounted) and explored some open woods that could mean a new route someday.
We meandered through trees, got stuck in some random ancient fencing (trust building!) and took a few fun canters and jumped some downed logs in the trail. We rode under 2 hours and did the ‘F’ word – according to a friend of mine.
That is F-U-N.
Groom…
We had some fun leisurely grooming which involved the clippers. I got a decent trace on Khaleesi (it’s not professional groomer looking but will help her stay cool) and though Faygo is not a fan still, we got a little Frankenstein cut on her sides. Considering a year ago I had to sedate her to get the clippers anywhere near her- this is actually a pretty big accomplishment. She isn’t as easygoing as Khaleesi but we got a few good swipes that will help her cool.
She can tolerate a couple minutes and then she gets antsy which leads to highly unhappy which would eventually lead to melt-down if we allowed the process to continue but we stop when we’re ahead and she realizes she didn’t die and I didn’t hurt her.
Packing and tack/brush cleaning!
My favorite thing about using biothhane tack is how easy it is to clean. Yes. I ran it through the dishwasher! I love that! Halters and pads in washing machine and no leather to oil.
Packing gets easier each ride as I start to leave things in tubs unless I need them!
My running checklist gets updated each ride with new tweaks to the system.
Open up some more pasture
The girls get some extra grass before the ride. Not all of it (now I’m terrified of too much change right before an event) but I gave them some of that sweet grass the electric fence has been protecting. They were on it like flies on horse poo!
my helpers
Mix up some electrolytes
We have a new recipe and are using enduramax. It combines better in the blender so this is the new night before travel routine. Hopefully they will like the recipe and it will help them have a successful day!
As promised after Leatherwood I have also cut up some carrots and apples for quick snacking and will carry some on the trail along with a handful of alfalfa cubes. I won’t feed bulk alfalfa hay but I think the cubes can be a good quick treat.
Sleep?
And last of all I am hoping for the last true sleep I’ll get in the next couple days since I can’t sleep soundly in camp – at least not before the ride. I’m still up later than I’d wanted with last prep due to working all day but now it’s as done as it can be before throwing ice in the cooler and the last bag on the truck.
So a few minutes in the hot tub and a last cup of water (yes… No bourbon tonight for me) and a moment to take in the full moon and I will to my best to get some rest.
One last big training ride on Sunday took us 26 miles on a warm day in the mid-70s. Horses both did well and we kept our best training stats yet of 5.5 mph moving and 4.8 mph overall (includes stopping for water, munching grass etc).
Khaleesi is younger and stronger than Faygo although the old gray mare is still a great training partner for us and some adjusting after our vet visit has given her a little more ability to train harder which has helped her as well.
We do hold back for her on longer rides but it’s not a bad thing for Khaleesi right now to save some reserves for ride day.
I am glad to have run into Susan because she has made the training process more fun (a buddy always does) and yesterday as we were zipping along around 6-7 mph on some of my home trails that include ducking, slight detours and ground obstacles – after 20 miles in the saddle- I wondered who else would find this part as fun as I do?
It’s one thing to ‘move out’ on friendly terrain… Good footing, slightly uphill, open trail… But it’s another to be holding your speed up and down inclines having to keep your legs and head clear of branches and try to find the best footing you can.
We certainly slow down for dangerous terrain (slick pavement, hoof-turning rocks, open wood detours, steep downhills…) but if we can keep moving we keep moving.
The saying kept going through my head- the way to finish an endurance ride safely in good condition is “Never hurry, never tarry.” Always move if you can. If you need to slow down or take a water break always do it.
For 25, 30, 50 and more miles you have to be always ‘on’ deciding how fast you can move without stepping over the line into panicked rushing around or demanding more than your horse can or will willingly give. Either temps injury or a metabolic pull. Every minute, every mile counts. If you screw up (tarry) early on you could be forced to rush (hurry) later as the clock ticks on. That is never a good thing. Especially because my horse does not understand the clock ticking!
To excel at this sport you can’t waste a minute or an opportunity. You can’t miss an angle (hoof care, saddle fit, mental training, rider position, nutrition, heart rate, what you should carry with you- what you shouldn’t…) little room for error to be good at this. I guess that challenge is fun to me.
We rode that saying well on Sunday because we made good time with sound horses at the finish.
In answer to the inevitable question:
Yes, we took a ‘vet check’ rest around mile 13.
walking the last feet into our ‘vet check’ stop near the hidden valley trailhead We stopped in the Jackson river after a few recent good water stops where Faygo splish-splashed her belly (and Susan). They ate 30 minutes straight of lush grass in a shady spot while we snacked. We went back into the river and electolyted them as well where they could drink more if they wanted and I rinsed their mouths too. Good news is they seem to like the enduramax recipe!
The weather was unseasonably warm for April and honestly took me unprepared. It snowed last weekend so though I wore a t-shirt, I didn’t have sunscreen and my liter bottle of water ran thin about half way through the ride.
Susan and I noticed a plethora of campers at poor farm a few miles off and I decided we’d check with them for a little water to refill. They were friendly and glad to spare a couple bottles. Water never tasted so good. I suppose we were doing an LD cavalry style- for the most part we were fine but some extra water and a crew at hidden valley would have been sweet!
Susan holds Khaleesi while i ask for water from some campers. my horse looks so small compared to Faygo!
I spent a decent amount of time in the past year worrying I had a slow poke horse but trying to remember to put her first in my training. Not to push her more than what she was mentally ready for no matter what my own goals were.
I am really pleased with her now as she is developing into a solid mover who runs with her ears forward (unless they are pinned at Faygo momentarily) and though she isn’t ready to take a first place yet- she is keeping a respectable 6-7 mph trot with a heart rate generally around 110 unless we are uphill, and her recoveries are fast.
With a young horse and me a green trainer I’ve been conservative with her with the hope confident slow steps would get us into less trouble. This meant I took a lot of time and jumped through some hoops before really asking her to pick it up. With the pieces falling into place (especially the mental part) I have begun asking for more specific speeds and she has been doing well working willingly together.
I always begin with my energy (which is fun when that works!) if not I use my leg but I won’t dull her with constant leg so in the off-chance she either doesn’t understand or isn’t in the mood to MOVE with more life- I use my leather rein tail and drive her by popping back and forth and though this is a last resort it is effective and the few times she and Faygo have collectively dawdled along this push has made all the difference.
For the long ride I rarely used my leathers and she picked up my energy willingly and also rarely tried her turn around trick.
My most recent SET lesson discussed what kind of leader your horse needs in terms of what kind of boss is effective. I work on being clear and encouraging without being patronizing. I want her to know I will listen to her questions and respect her input however I make the final decision. I want a partner where we both agree that I am the leader.
Right now that seems to be going well!
After over 20 miles on Sunday she still volunteered to canter up hills and push up her trot speed without tripping or showing signs of fatigue. We pulled into the barn with plenty of horse left.
We kept at a pace for Faygo that would follow another rule I read in an AERC magazine. It said that you are probably working your horse appropriately if they show signs of being tired the last 10% of your ride. If they are tired much before that you have over-ridden them. If they don’t start to tire in your last 10% then you probably can push a little more.
Faygo was strong until the last couple miles when she was still wiling to move out but then would slow her pace and occasionally trip. We held back the last leg for her (till then our moving average was 5.7mph) and she looked great at the barn. Eyes still bright – both girls chomping at the grass until we could drag them in the barn for some beet pulp soup.
healthy horses after 26 miles slurping wet beet pulp for hydration and some forage-fuel
One thing I learned while scribing for a vet is what a horse who has been over-ridden looks like. Dull in the eyes and not interested in food and water, drags on the lead. I try to watch for early signs and they both snacked and drank well on the trail.
Thankfully Khaleesi is still having good even sweat patterns and I have removed the shim pad completely. I tested her back and was very happy at the minimal flinching that is a world away from her leatherwood finish (which was less miles than we rode Sunday!). I checked her Monday morning and she was still in great shape!
My farrier came back on Friday. I have said before that he is my most trusted and valued equine professional. Thankfully his son seems to want to follow his footsteps and is showing a lot of promise in the art because I could outlive him and I worry about what on earth I will do without him!
He has been fantastic with Khaleesi. I try to prepare her as much as possible but there’s only so much re-creation I can do with the experience of hot shoeing and the sizzle of burning hoof and the cloud that forms. Absolutely it’s scary for a minute but it does not hurt and is important to getting the best fit possible and with the rides we are doing, we need the best fit possible.
She is decent at holding still for most of the process now but after a conversation of where we’ve been (Leatherwood and conditioning locally) and where we’re headed (No Frills 30 which is rough and rocky then hopefully Biltmore 50 which recommends hoof protection for all rides and suggests pads for the 75 and 100 milers) he made a few adjustments that required a good seating with the heat in order to ensure the best chance of keeping her feet protected and setting her up in a way to help her push from her hind with power and roll over easily on the front.
She has good feet in general. They are hard, they don’t chip, and we (knock on wood) haven’t seen any white line even in the wet season- and no abscesses or stone bruises. This time all four shoes wore more evenly (great!) He said this visit that her only problem is they don’t grow very fast. That coupled with the fact she has slightly dropped soles which I think contributed to her sensitivity to rocky terrain.
I wonder if that could be connected to the same nutritional issues that inspired Jeannie to suggest the power pack wormer. I wonder if we did have issues with encysted parasites (clean now) that her hooves may start growing better. If not we will try adding biotin to see if that makes a difference – but the slow growth is not a big problem in the scheme of things.
Regardless of her strong hooves- she is still tender footed on rocks. She was like that in the renegade boots and she is like that in metal shoes. If the rocks are bad enough they slow her down. I was considering asking my farrier about padding options but in his questions about our riding he beat me to it.
Is she tripping much?
No…
Does anything seem to slow her down? How is she on rocks?
She has always been finicky about rocks.
How is the no frills ride? Is it rocky?
We have a nickname for one loop that seems like 5 miles descending in a dry riverbed hollow: The 7th ring of hell.
I’d like to try padding her fronts to see if that helps.
Great idea, let’s do it.
She is still under 10 shoeing visits in her life and only the last 2 have we even tried to hot shoe. He introduced it with a pretty brief and quick burn and it sent her three legged hopping back down the barn aisle with my farrier in tow-
Don’t punish her- she’s just got to learn its ok- she’s actually doing really well!
Ok… If that is doing really well I can’t imagine what his job is like…
The second visit the burn was still minimal and we would school her (back her, move her feet) for not standing – but still gave her the benefit of learning curve.
This – the third visit we had to get serious because he needed a more seated burn to make the set up work.
We did the fronts first and true enough she tried to rear. She didn’t carry Brandon across the barn at least and we worked together: when she acted up and he dropped her foot I would back her down the barn aisle hard and fast to communicate that I want her to stand still even though it’s uncomfortable.
She’s a tough cookie. She got a little better and it was in the end the noise more than anything. At the last setting we talked loudly to distract from the sizzle sound and it made a big difference.
When we switched to her back feet she was basically over the worry and stood better. He assured me she is doing well and this just takes time.
After the farrier visit we took a climb up the mountain and the ridge road has a fair amount of embedded rocks – overall she seemed to not mind them as much; her willing speed picked up and we had to slow down her trot to wait for Faygo who Madge was riding for team green. Madge is a nice rider and very experienced but most people not used to gaited horses have a learning curve and she needed to hold Faygo back in order to encourage her to gait and not canter or jig her.
Khaleesi’s heart rate was stable around 120-130 as we trotted gradually uphill around 7mph. Occasionally she’d ask to canter and her heart rate would drop down to 110. This I found interesting. When we stopped cantering it would shoot up for a few seconds to 140 then either settle back to 120-130 as we trotted or if we stopped it would drop to under 100 quickly and if we stopped for more than a minute down to 60. Just data to watch. Her recoveries are still quick and she’s in great shape.
I recently read a post by a seasoned endurance rider who was going over his conditioning plan and he mentioned avoiding junk miles.
Junk miles are miles (for a horse in good condition) that serve no specific purpose and are counterproductive by physically wearing down or mentally frustrating your horse.
I haven’t had to think too much about this through the winter because any miles served the purpose of keeping us moving and we weren’t competing. Now that we are headed toward two rides in short time span – a tough 30 and possibly our first 50, it’s a concept I’ve been considering.
I had a shorter work day on Wednesday due to the end of my college teaching term. I had planned to get home at a reasonable hour in the afternoon and get out for a solo ride on Khaleesi. Also I haven’t ridden much in the afternoon/evening and was looking forward to a sunset ride.
Then my week got filled and the day added up and I didn’t get home until 4:30 after a busy two days previous.
Yes- I could have ridden a couple hours and come in after 8pm when last light is- but that would mean missing dinner. Again.
I am rarely home mid-week for dinner.
It’s not because my husband would pressure me… He is great about being on his own. But I like being home for dinner once in a while and getting to spend some time with him.
So that would mean a super short ride if I went… Tack up and be back in 90 minutes or so.
I thought about it.
Where would we ride? No time to trailer…
What would we accomplish?
Not distance in such short time…
Not mountain climbing- not enough time to really climb the mountain and return.
Not speed either… By the time I got her into the mindset of moving along leaving the barn we would get so little time to really move I didn’t think it would truly build our speed quotient- and probably frustrate me.
Purpose of short ride this afternoon:
– say I rode. (Check the box. Getting my riding days in)
– feel happy. (I like riding!)
Right now in our conditioning calendar that looked like junk miles to me.
Monday we had a fabulous ride where we really clicked. We are doing well mentally. I didn’t need a short ride to keep me mentally in the game. It seemed after some thought that a rushed get-in-and-get-out ride with no specific purpose would be more counterproductive than some field time together.
So I took the dogs to the barn, fed the girls and hung out in the field a little while. Faygo mostly hung back and ate grass but Khaleesi for the first time asked me to scratch her. She is not a touchy feely mare. She seems to communicate ‘no touch please’ when we work together and I rub her to reward her for doing the right thing.
It was a conversation- she invited me into- and that was fun. She would put her neck right in front of me and I scratched and she would adjust slightly to say ‘now there…’
All the way back to the first days she spent with me if she turned her butt to me I took it as a sign of rudeness- but I’ve been learning no horse behavior necessarily has absolute meaning. Turning her butt to me could say ‘I would prefer to ignore you right now’ or it could mean ‘thanks for spending some non-agenda time with me, I like that. Would you scratch my butt?’
Knowing the difference is pretty important as well as deciding when it’s ok to say ‘yes, I would love to scratch your favorite spot’ and when it’s time to say ‘no, I would like you to work right now‘.
Either way I want a horse who communicates with me on a two-way street. One who knows I’m listening and will answer back fairly and with clarity.
So yesterday I scratched her rump when she asked and she was on cloud nine. She doesn’t disrespect me- it’s a request. I may not always scratch her rear when she asks, but I think she preferred a scratching session to junk miles last night.
PS: to clarify; any ride that doesn’t build mileage or speed or heat training or night riding etc. isn’t necessarily junk miles for us. A casual trail ride with friends – allowing her to meander with some other horses- or a short ride to work on a training issue might be exactly what we need at some point. As with anything horse related……. It depends.
We are so exited to have Pam back in the neighborhood and she is going to ‘play’ with us this week to help work on some fundamentals. 
green to 100 