Today I hauled Cartman and Buddy over to the river to ride our jogging trail and the sand flats.
Since I have been mainly riding Cartman out on the trail this summer we haven't been working enough on our arena type exercises. I've notice that he is getting a bit lazy on the aids, and just wants to plow straight ahead- and do it quickly.
We started out by doing some halts, leg yields, and turn on the haunches (western style- with one hand on the reins).
I've been thinking back to last year and the clinic with Jack Brainard. I realize that I haven't done much to further his training in the arena. He can still complete the exercises but probably hasn't progressed as much as he should have in a year.
I feel badly about this and will formulate some sort of plan to rectify it.
It's funny, I think sometimes our personalities mirror our horses.
I love to go and gallop, love the endurance riding, love to jump, love to show, and love to take lessons and study training but when push comes to shove I am a bit lazy. I sometimes have trouble getting through the day to day stuff.
Perhaps this is partially due to my job being busy in the summer when the weather is good. In the winter work is slower- but I detest hauling out to ride in the rain.
Keeping my horse at home, I end up riding alone probably 95% of the time. When I boarded my horse I had many friends at the barn and always someone to hang out and ride with. I'm not a real social person but obviously having the social network of riding buddies helped me stay motivated.
My recent obsession with going to the gym is a direct result of joining the team training classes. Just knowing that I've committed to be there gets me out of bed at 4am. There is no way this would have worked for me without that aspect.
Back to today's ride....
We got a good aerobic workout and Cartman got nice and sweaty... on his neck. Buddy stayed right with us the whole time, other than when we ran into a lady jogger with a large Standard Poodle. Bud was behind at that point and the dog came tearing over towards Cartman.
I pulled up and faced the dog and just then Buddy burst out of the Scotch Broom and went racing towards the dog, tail wagging.
The poodle was having second thoughts about approaching us now and both the jogger and I took off going opposite directions and our dogs followed suit. Whew.
We ended up going about five miles and the dog's tongue was dragging the ground as we got back to the truck! He loves nothing more than to go with the horse.
I would have loved to do a 12 mile loop today but unfortunately Weyerhauser has locked us out of using their timber lands to ride July through January :( I could get a gate key and access the logging roads, but the 6month pass is $150, and since they are now letting people drive in with the pass I'm not sure it will be as safe to ride as before.
Its really sad to me that lack of trail access may make it even harder to train for endurance in this area. We do have the 5 mile path but the county refuses to enforce their own rules (no ATVS, no 4 wheeling) and the path has been destroyed in several areas by people in 4 wheel drives. If my horse wasn't very dependable I would be scared to ride him down there nowadays.
I want to be somewhere with endless trails, that doesn't rain 9 months of the year!!!!!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Sunday Ride
I had a great ride today with Cartman and Buddy. We went up to the local trails and spent about 3 hours out there.
Our long conditioning hill was opened back up, as the timber company had replace a huge culvert and the road had been impassable for several months.
We trotted and galloped the hill and at one point spooked up about 6 really large elk. Luckily Buddy was behind us when we faced off with them and I was able to keep him from chasing them.
Several times he did take off after deer or some smaller animal, I decided to see if he would come back and catch up to us instead of stopping and waiting and calling him. Both times he soon came tearing up behind us after a few minutes.
I'm getting better at trusting him not to get lost!
Cartman was really good, especially after having two weeks off. I had planned on riding him last weekend and then several times last week but we had some really irritating problems this week with our neighbors that caused a lot of undue stress, and then I got a sore throat/cold!
I think things are under control again and I'm getting over the little cold thing so I think we are back in action now.
Work has been completely crazy and I expect it to get nothing but worse over the next month or so:(
I'm still planning on going to Jubilee Ride in October so hopefully we'll be able to stay on track until then!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Santiam Cascade Ride
I wanted to post sooner, but I've been busy, busy since getting back from this ride and I want to do a good post about it because it was a BLAST!
For some reason I was nervous prior to going.. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think I was hoping that we could complete another 50 and that I wouldn't find out the first one wasn't just a fluke?
I had everything packed and was on the road by 9:30am. Despite the early hour, traffic slowed to a crawl on I-5 right by Portland Meadows. It was slow going from there until we cleared the Terwilliger Curves.
It's been years since I've driven the highway from Salem to Sisters and I'd forgotten how absolutely gorgeous the Detroit Lake area is. Despite being kinda scared of water I really wanted to stop there and get in the lake! It was the perfect summer picture: blue sky, sun, the lake, the boats, the beaches, and the forest. I was feeling more relaxed already and by the time I cleared the pass and encountered my all time favorite- Ponderosa Pine trees I was getting excited too!
Sisters was as cute as ever and before I knew it we were at the Rodeo Grounds. The parking was a lovely green meadow and I found a spot at the end of camp that was close to both water and a porta potty.
I set up camp while Cartman grazed on the hi-tie and then we went for a nice grazing walk about. There were quite a few trailers there and still room for more. I was saving a spot for M. next to us and expected her to arrive around 6-7pm. We walked and grazed.
I checked in and then walked C over for the vet-in. With that accomplished I could now relax a bit and get everything ready for the morning. It was really nice knowing that Michelle and Tucker were on their way.
Around 7pm Michelle and Tucker pulled into camp, the drive had been quite hectic (I can imagine) and both were excited to get out of the truck and trailer. We set up Tucker to eat some hay and them M ran to check in while I walked Tucker to the vet. He passed beautifully despite being off the trailer for only about 15 minutes!
Ride meeting was just about to start and I was determined not to miss it. After feeling kinda out of it doing the Bare Bones trail ride without attending the ride meeting I was not going into this ride missing any information I could get.
I've never attended a ride where the 50 had just one hold but this one did. So much for the boyscout motto, I was unprepared...
Doing the LDs I've gotten into the habit of feeding C his electrolytes in mash prior to the ride and at vet checks. I have never dosed him with a syringe. I had mixed most of my electrolytes into small quantities of grain for top-dressing over beet pulp. With one hold we would be out for 4-5 hours on each of the two loops. I decided to take some of the grain/elyte baggies with me and try to get him to eat it out on the trail.
Soon after the ride meeting (which was refreshingly brief) we were back at the trailer to choke down some dinner. About this time I realized that I had forgotten something.... Actually I knew I had forgotten something as I always do. So, about this time I realize what it is. My lettuce. I eat salad every day for lunch and at every ride I attend I have it for dinner. Usually salad with chicken, and avocado on Fri. night and salad with steak on Sat. night after the ride.
Hmmm.... I had the chicken, the dressing, the avocado.. but no lettuce. I decided to mix it up a bit and have a carrot salad with chicken. It was pretty good and I didn't go to bed hungry:)
Cartman had eaten a ton of grass Friday afternoon while we cruised camp, he was actually turning up his nose at Alflalfa! I gave him an assortment of hays to choose from- alfalfa/grass, straight alfalfa, and local grass and on Sat. morning it appeared he had eaten some of each variety.
The 50's went out at 5:30am! It was an early morning for us. Luckily I am usually up by 4:30 on weekdays so it wasn't too hard to get going. I poured a Starbucks Via into a half bottle of water and downed it first thing. There was no time for heating water and drinking hot coffee this morning. I wanted to make sure I was at the start no more than 5 minutes past time as it was a controlled start.
Everything went smoothly and at 5:25 I was saddled and ready to go. I'm not big on getting on early and riding around camp. I imagine if I was going to try and go out fast I would certainly do it, but since I have, so far, kept my focus on going out relaxed and easy it makes no sense to get on and mill around with all the other horses that may, or may not be behaving.
We said bye to Michelle and Tucker (they were doing the 25 this time) and headed over to the start.
It was barely light at this point. I could see fine, but it was still dark enough that things in the shadows looked odd and the second we passed the out timer Cartman gave me the biggest spook he's ever done. For a second I thought "uh oh!" He jumped sideways and started to whirl around. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the offending article, a giant wooden spool standing on its side.
Thank goodness for that fancy "Memal" leather on the new saddle because I was able to stick to it and we kept walking. Cartman was now on high alert. I seriously felt like I was riding a giraffe. I tried to keep a light contact but encourage him to drop his head a little and relax. No way, no how, it was not happening.
The sun was coming up fast and the trail was beautiful, everything was getting a golden orange glow and we were going west so could enjoy the sights without being blinded by the sun.
As soon as I felt comfortable taking one hand off the reins I started trying to take some pictures. Looking back at the time stamp on my camera this was one hour after the start! Holy cow- is this what happens when you get your horse fit enough to do 50s???? I had hoped that doing the longer distance would make Cartman more mellow, as he would know he had a long way to go. Maybe this will come later as he gets more experience but for now he has become the fire-breathing dragon, for miles...
I really can't complain though, at his worst he is still a pretty good boy and I never felt unsafe or that he was not paying attention to the trail.
We leapfrogged with several people and finally got into our own zone about mile 5.
It was already warming up at 7-8am so I got off at every water set (they were ample- thank you ride management!!! Every time I thought about water we would come to a trough). So, I got off and sponged him at each trough. He didn't seem to mind it as much this ride. Previously the sponging just seemed to really irritate Cartman and I'd end up with more water on me than him. Not fun.
We got into our own little zone and just kept chugging away at the trot. Trot is Cartman's gait of choice, despite the fact that he's a TB and really should prefer the canter! I was just loving the trail. At times I was all alone and it was so still and quiet out there. Heavenly. I decided that Central Oregon really is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I love it and feel really comfortable there.
There were some rocky places on this ride and some places with stationary rocks hidden under the trail dust. I pulled C back to walk whenever I saw a section like this or whenever we headed down much of a hill.
We rode through some burned area, but I'm unsure if this was from the fires this year or previous ones. It was really neat to ride through- there were still burnt trees that had fallen across the trail but it was easy to go around. I guess this would indicate that these areas are recent burns. Either way, the underbrush was starting to come back and was a brilliant green in contrast to the blackened trees. This area was beautiful in its own way and I hope they don't re-route around it next time.
Soon we had looped back around and were again at the second water trough crossing. Here we headed back onto the pink/white loop towards camp. I figured this must be about mile 15? Cartman had eaten a little bit of the grain/elyte mixture and had started to drink a bit by this time. He did drink well at the one stream we crossed.
He was still feeling strong so when we got to long stretch on some fine red gravel road I let him canter. I think he knew we were heading in the direction of camp because he wanted to go! Finally I pulled him up, realizing I hadn't seen a ribbon for a few minutes.
I looked down at the trail, too few hoofprints. I turned him around and we started walking back to where I'd seen the last ribbons. Soon I saw another horse and rider approaching. I asked her if she'd seen a ribbon recently and we both started looking for tracks. There were several sets besides mine going back towards the way we'd come. I started walking back and really quickly saw a pink ribbon, then another. Aha, the third one was on the ground and I'd blown right by the others because I was cantering and not paying attention. Sorry Cartman. Luckily we'd only gone a few hundred feet or so extra.
We picked up the trail again, this time single track and soon we were running into riders going out on the common trail- 25 milers already through their hold and going out for their last loop.
We made it back to camp and gave our number to the person at the gate. She seemed surprised that we were doing the 50. I explained, yes, we're just slow!
Cartman passed the vet check well and I finally got him to pick his head up out of the grass long enough to get back to the trailer! I unsaddled him and got his mash with electrolytes into the feed pan.
I like the hour hold, its enough time for me to re-organize my saddle bags and replenish water and snacks, plus sponge the sweat marks off Cartman and still have time to eat. I was starving as I hadn't eaten a bite out on the trail.
I drank a protein shake, ate some Greek vegetable salad and some chips, then drank a bunch of Fierce Grape Gatorade. I felt a small headache coming on so right before re-saddling I downed a Starbuck Double Shot and two Excedrin Migraine.
I swapped out the saddle pad for new ones and was back on and out of camp on time! Hey, there's a first time for everything :)
Leaving camp was much more relaxed this time, and I noticed they had moved the gigantic spool. I mentioned it to the guy at the gate and he's like "Yeah, I remember you!"
Michelle was just getting back and passed her completion exam as we were leaving. Yeah Tucker!
We picked up a nice trot and had made it about a mile when I noticed something odd. I didn't feel quite right. I kept going for a while but was feeling even more not right as we trotted on. Uh oh. I decided to walk for a few minutes and see if it went away.
It did not. I started to feel like I did when I went deep sea fishing with my parents in Mexico. I had to sit very, very still... Unfortunately this isn't really possible to do on a moving horse. I felt bad pulling him back to walk but had to. We walked and walked and walked. Finally I got off and walked with him.
I have an iron stomach and can count the times on one hand that I've gotten sick enough to throw up. I will do almost anything to not throw up. I finally decided it was either do it- or take the next 10 hours to walk the last 25 miles on foot.
Soon after I felt much better and managed to climb back up on the horse. We ended up walking for about 45 minutes so had lost a lot of time. Thankfully Cartman was still willing and we finally got to the first water set.
Here we were at mile 30 heading out and run into two riders already headed back in! It was a fortuitous meeting as they were very nice and gave me some great advice:) I told them it was his second 50 and one asked if I had electrolytes for him. I was a bit embarrassed to admit I did not. Instead of making me feel bad she took a tube out of her pack and told me to give it to him.
I'm always torn on the "don't try anything new at a ride" rule, but sometimes you just have to do it. I could tell these riders were experienced and I decided to trust their judgment. I gave Cartman the dose of Pink Electrolytes and then rinsed his mouth with water.
They also told me that this next section was the hardest part of the loop and to sponge him as much as possible, take it slow, let him eat when he wanted to, and keep going and we'd get through it. This was just what I needed to hear at this point. I can't thank them enough for taking the time to stop and help!!
After I had Cartman all sponged off again we headed out for the second water set and the blue and white loop.
We started passing lots of riders heading in. Thankfully Cartman is not bothered by this and still kept chugging along on the trail. There were a few riders that I know and they encouraged us to keep at it. Some seemed concerned that we were just heading out. Very nice people.
Finally, we arrived at the second water set. I've decided that Pink stuff is magic because C. drank, and drank, and drank, looked around, put his head down, and drank some more! I thought he was gonna dunk his whole head.
He really perked up and as soon as I was back in the saddle we headed out at a nice trot onto the blue and white loop. This loop wasn't too long, it had some sand and a few rocks but also some nice long spots where we could lope. Cartman decided he was famished at this point and I just let him graze as much as he wanted. I knew we were probably the last ones out there but I was really having fun and he seemed to be having fun too. Why hurry??
At one point we came around a corner and C spooked again (not as bad as with the spool) I looked over and a big deer was running right alongside us in the woods! We hit one more water set on the blue loop and again Cartman drank well. :)
Before long we were back at that second water set and headed back to camp. C totally knew where he was now and he didn't really want to stop long for grass or water. I knew he'd tanked up at the two previous troughs and had eaten quite a bit on the last loop so I didn't worry at this point. We were in the homestretch!
I stopped to take a few pictures and was feeling really well. Since I did get that horrible back soreness at the end of Sunriver I had decided to get off and walk or run some on this ride. I did walk about a mile total during the second half but running with Cartman was somewhat of a disaster. He is simply too fast. I can't run fast enough to keep ahead of, or with him and I end up having him almost circling me. So much for that idea.
Apparently all the walking while I was pukey and the getting off at troughs did the trick though, because I was feeling good as we headed to camp on this ride. Seriously, I didn't want it to end. We were about 1/4 mile from camp when my phone rang. Michelle wanting to know if we were OK. I assured her we were and that we were almost back.
As we got to the gate there was Anna and several other people waiting for us, they all jumped up and down and yelled "hooray!!!" I tried to get a picture, as we have never gotten such a reception before- the benefit of being the Turtle, I guess!
We headed straight to the vet, pulsed in and he got all A's on his card!!!!!! She said he looked great and I had taken good care of him, this made me very happy.
I got C back to the trailer and Michelle had cleaned up his area (so nice!!) so all I had to do was untack, and relax.
I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking a gazillion gallons of water and Starbuck's Refreshers. Finally about 8pm I got really really hungry. Some other campers were grilling hamburgers and they smelled SO good. I may have to break down and bring the grill next time. I can guarantee I won't forget my lettuce again.
We let the horses graze and wandered around visiting. At one point I spotted the Appy that belonged to one of the pair of nice riders that had given me the Pink stuff. I was able to meet "K and D" (I won't use their names, as I didn't ask if it was OK to blog about them- it still seems really awkward to me to do that). I got some more information about the electrolytes they use and some general endurance training info. It is so nice when experienced riders (and they are) are willing to share!
We managed to miss the awards- didn't hear the horn. But saw everyone heading back afterwards. We went over and got our awards- a nice little door organizer with the ride name on it. I also got the Turtle award for being dead last. This was a nice handknitted lap quilt! Love it. I don't think this being last thing is bad at all:)
The next day we were on the road by 8am and Cartman was back in this pasture by 2:30pm. Looking good!
For some reason I was nervous prior to going.. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think I was hoping that we could complete another 50 and that I wouldn't find out the first one wasn't just a fluke?
I had everything packed and was on the road by 9:30am. Despite the early hour, traffic slowed to a crawl on I-5 right by Portland Meadows. It was slow going from there until we cleared the Terwilliger Curves.
It's been years since I've driven the highway from Salem to Sisters and I'd forgotten how absolutely gorgeous the Detroit Lake area is. Despite being kinda scared of water I really wanted to stop there and get in the lake! It was the perfect summer picture: blue sky, sun, the lake, the boats, the beaches, and the forest. I was feeling more relaxed already and by the time I cleared the pass and encountered my all time favorite- Ponderosa Pine trees I was getting excited too!
Sisters was as cute as ever and before I knew it we were at the Rodeo Grounds. The parking was a lovely green meadow and I found a spot at the end of camp that was close to both water and a porta potty.
I set up camp while Cartman grazed on the hi-tie and then we went for a nice grazing walk about. There were quite a few trailers there and still room for more. I was saving a spot for M. next to us and expected her to arrive around 6-7pm. We walked and grazed.
I checked in and then walked C over for the vet-in. With that accomplished I could now relax a bit and get everything ready for the morning. It was really nice knowing that Michelle and Tucker were on their way.
Around 7pm Michelle and Tucker pulled into camp, the drive had been quite hectic (I can imagine) and both were excited to get out of the truck and trailer. We set up Tucker to eat some hay and them M ran to check in while I walked Tucker to the vet. He passed beautifully despite being off the trailer for only about 15 minutes!
Ride meeting was just about to start and I was determined not to miss it. After feeling kinda out of it doing the Bare Bones trail ride without attending the ride meeting I was not going into this ride missing any information I could get.
I've never attended a ride where the 50 had just one hold but this one did. So much for the boyscout motto, I was unprepared...
Doing the LDs I've gotten into the habit of feeding C his electrolytes in mash prior to the ride and at vet checks. I have never dosed him with a syringe. I had mixed most of my electrolytes into small quantities of grain for top-dressing over beet pulp. With one hold we would be out for 4-5 hours on each of the two loops. I decided to take some of the grain/elyte baggies with me and try to get him to eat it out on the trail.
Soon after the ride meeting (which was refreshingly brief) we were back at the trailer to choke down some dinner. About this time I realized that I had forgotten something.... Actually I knew I had forgotten something as I always do. So, about this time I realize what it is. My lettuce. I eat salad every day for lunch and at every ride I attend I have it for dinner. Usually salad with chicken, and avocado on Fri. night and salad with steak on Sat. night after the ride.
Hmmm.... I had the chicken, the dressing, the avocado.. but no lettuce. I decided to mix it up a bit and have a carrot salad with chicken. It was pretty good and I didn't go to bed hungry:)
Cartman had eaten a ton of grass Friday afternoon while we cruised camp, he was actually turning up his nose at Alflalfa! I gave him an assortment of hays to choose from- alfalfa/grass, straight alfalfa, and local grass and on Sat. morning it appeared he had eaten some of each variety.
The 50's went out at 5:30am! It was an early morning for us. Luckily I am usually up by 4:30 on weekdays so it wasn't too hard to get going. I poured a Starbucks Via into a half bottle of water and downed it first thing. There was no time for heating water and drinking hot coffee this morning. I wanted to make sure I was at the start no more than 5 minutes past time as it was a controlled start.
Everything went smoothly and at 5:25 I was saddled and ready to go. I'm not big on getting on early and riding around camp. I imagine if I was going to try and go out fast I would certainly do it, but since I have, so far, kept my focus on going out relaxed and easy it makes no sense to get on and mill around with all the other horses that may, or may not be behaving.
We said bye to Michelle and Tucker (they were doing the 25 this time) and headed over to the start.
It was barely light at this point. I could see fine, but it was still dark enough that things in the shadows looked odd and the second we passed the out timer Cartman gave me the biggest spook he's ever done. For a second I thought "uh oh!" He jumped sideways and started to whirl around. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the offending article, a giant wooden spool standing on its side.
Thank goodness for that fancy "Memal" leather on the new saddle because I was able to stick to it and we kept walking. Cartman was now on high alert. I seriously felt like I was riding a giraffe. I tried to keep a light contact but encourage him to drop his head a little and relax. No way, no how, it was not happening.
The sun was coming up fast and the trail was beautiful, everything was getting a golden orange glow and we were going west so could enjoy the sights without being blinded by the sun.
As soon as I felt comfortable taking one hand off the reins I started trying to take some pictures. Looking back at the time stamp on my camera this was one hour after the start! Holy cow- is this what happens when you get your horse fit enough to do 50s???? I had hoped that doing the longer distance would make Cartman more mellow, as he would know he had a long way to go. Maybe this will come later as he gets more experience but for now he has become the fire-breathing dragon, for miles...
I really can't complain though, at his worst he is still a pretty good boy and I never felt unsafe or that he was not paying attention to the trail.
We leapfrogged with several people and finally got into our own zone about mile 5.
It was already warming up at 7-8am so I got off at every water set (they were ample- thank you ride management!!! Every time I thought about water we would come to a trough). So, I got off and sponged him at each trough. He didn't seem to mind it as much this ride. Previously the sponging just seemed to really irritate Cartman and I'd end up with more water on me than him. Not fun.
We got into our own little zone and just kept chugging away at the trot. Trot is Cartman's gait of choice, despite the fact that he's a TB and really should prefer the canter! I was just loving the trail. At times I was all alone and it was so still and quiet out there. Heavenly. I decided that Central Oregon really is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I love it and feel really comfortable there.
There were some rocky places on this ride and some places with stationary rocks hidden under the trail dust. I pulled C back to walk whenever I saw a section like this or whenever we headed down much of a hill.
We rode through some burned area, but I'm unsure if this was from the fires this year or previous ones. It was really neat to ride through- there were still burnt trees that had fallen across the trail but it was easy to go around. I guess this would indicate that these areas are recent burns. Either way, the underbrush was starting to come back and was a brilliant green in contrast to the blackened trees. This area was beautiful in its own way and I hope they don't re-route around it next time.
Soon we had looped back around and were again at the second water trough crossing. Here we headed back onto the pink/white loop towards camp. I figured this must be about mile 15? Cartman had eaten a little bit of the grain/elyte mixture and had started to drink a bit by this time. He did drink well at the one stream we crossed.
He was still feeling strong so when we got to long stretch on some fine red gravel road I let him canter. I think he knew we were heading in the direction of camp because he wanted to go! Finally I pulled him up, realizing I hadn't seen a ribbon for a few minutes.
I looked down at the trail, too few hoofprints. I turned him around and we started walking back to where I'd seen the last ribbons. Soon I saw another horse and rider approaching. I asked her if she'd seen a ribbon recently and we both started looking for tracks. There were several sets besides mine going back towards the way we'd come. I started walking back and really quickly saw a pink ribbon, then another. Aha, the third one was on the ground and I'd blown right by the others because I was cantering and not paying attention. Sorry Cartman. Luckily we'd only gone a few hundred feet or so extra.
We picked up the trail again, this time single track and soon we were running into riders going out on the common trail- 25 milers already through their hold and going out for their last loop.
We made it back to camp and gave our number to the person at the gate. She seemed surprised that we were doing the 50. I explained, yes, we're just slow!
Cartman passed the vet check well and I finally got him to pick his head up out of the grass long enough to get back to the trailer! I unsaddled him and got his mash with electrolytes into the feed pan.
I like the hour hold, its enough time for me to re-organize my saddle bags and replenish water and snacks, plus sponge the sweat marks off Cartman and still have time to eat. I was starving as I hadn't eaten a bite out on the trail.
I drank a protein shake, ate some Greek vegetable salad and some chips, then drank a bunch of Fierce Grape Gatorade. I felt a small headache coming on so right before re-saddling I downed a Starbuck Double Shot and two Excedrin Migraine.
I swapped out the saddle pad for new ones and was back on and out of camp on time! Hey, there's a first time for everything :)
Leaving camp was much more relaxed this time, and I noticed they had moved the gigantic spool. I mentioned it to the guy at the gate and he's like "Yeah, I remember you!"
Michelle was just getting back and passed her completion exam as we were leaving. Yeah Tucker!
We picked up a nice trot and had made it about a mile when I noticed something odd. I didn't feel quite right. I kept going for a while but was feeling even more not right as we trotted on. Uh oh. I decided to walk for a few minutes and see if it went away.
It did not. I started to feel like I did when I went deep sea fishing with my parents in Mexico. I had to sit very, very still... Unfortunately this isn't really possible to do on a moving horse. I felt bad pulling him back to walk but had to. We walked and walked and walked. Finally I got off and walked with him.
I have an iron stomach and can count the times on one hand that I've gotten sick enough to throw up. I will do almost anything to not throw up. I finally decided it was either do it- or take the next 10 hours to walk the last 25 miles on foot.
Soon after I felt much better and managed to climb back up on the horse. We ended up walking for about 45 minutes so had lost a lot of time. Thankfully Cartman was still willing and we finally got to the first water set.
Here we were at mile 30 heading out and run into two riders already headed back in! It was a fortuitous meeting as they were very nice and gave me some great advice:) I told them it was his second 50 and one asked if I had electrolytes for him. I was a bit embarrassed to admit I did not. Instead of making me feel bad she took a tube out of her pack and told me to give it to him.
I'm always torn on the "don't try anything new at a ride" rule, but sometimes you just have to do it. I could tell these riders were experienced and I decided to trust their judgment. I gave Cartman the dose of Pink Electrolytes and then rinsed his mouth with water.
They also told me that this next section was the hardest part of the loop and to sponge him as much as possible, take it slow, let him eat when he wanted to, and keep going and we'd get through it. This was just what I needed to hear at this point. I can't thank them enough for taking the time to stop and help!!
After I had Cartman all sponged off again we headed out for the second water set and the blue and white loop.
We started passing lots of riders heading in. Thankfully Cartman is not bothered by this and still kept chugging along on the trail. There were a few riders that I know and they encouraged us to keep at it. Some seemed concerned that we were just heading out. Very nice people.
Finally, we arrived at the second water set. I've decided that Pink stuff is magic because C. drank, and drank, and drank, looked around, put his head down, and drank some more! I thought he was gonna dunk his whole head.
He really perked up and as soon as I was back in the saddle we headed out at a nice trot onto the blue and white loop. This loop wasn't too long, it had some sand and a few rocks but also some nice long spots where we could lope. Cartman decided he was famished at this point and I just let him graze as much as he wanted. I knew we were probably the last ones out there but I was really having fun and he seemed to be having fun too. Why hurry??
At one point we came around a corner and C spooked again (not as bad as with the spool) I looked over and a big deer was running right alongside us in the woods! We hit one more water set on the blue loop and again Cartman drank well. :)
Before long we were back at that second water set and headed back to camp. C totally knew where he was now and he didn't really want to stop long for grass or water. I knew he'd tanked up at the two previous troughs and had eaten quite a bit on the last loop so I didn't worry at this point. We were in the homestretch!
I stopped to take a few pictures and was feeling really well. Since I did get that horrible back soreness at the end of Sunriver I had decided to get off and walk or run some on this ride. I did walk about a mile total during the second half but running with Cartman was somewhat of a disaster. He is simply too fast. I can't run fast enough to keep ahead of, or with him and I end up having him almost circling me. So much for that idea.
Apparently all the walking while I was pukey and the getting off at troughs did the trick though, because I was feeling good as we headed to camp on this ride. Seriously, I didn't want it to end. We were about 1/4 mile from camp when my phone rang. Michelle wanting to know if we were OK. I assured her we were and that we were almost back.
As we got to the gate there was Anna and several other people waiting for us, they all jumped up and down and yelled "hooray!!!" I tried to get a picture, as we have never gotten such a reception before- the benefit of being the Turtle, I guess!
We headed straight to the vet, pulsed in and he got all A's on his card!!!!!! She said he looked great and I had taken good care of him, this made me very happy.
I got C back to the trailer and Michelle had cleaned up his area (so nice!!) so all I had to do was untack, and relax.
I spent the rest of the afternoon drinking a gazillion gallons of water and Starbuck's Refreshers. Finally about 8pm I got really really hungry. Some other campers were grilling hamburgers and they smelled SO good. I may have to break down and bring the grill next time. I can guarantee I won't forget my lettuce again.
We let the horses graze and wandered around visiting. At one point I spotted the Appy that belonged to one of the pair of nice riders that had given me the Pink stuff. I was able to meet "K and D" (I won't use their names, as I didn't ask if it was OK to blog about them- it still seems really awkward to me to do that). I got some more information about the electrolytes they use and some general endurance training info. It is so nice when experienced riders (and they are) are willing to share!
We managed to miss the awards- didn't hear the horn. But saw everyone heading back afterwards. We went over and got our awards- a nice little door organizer with the ride name on it. I also got the Turtle award for being dead last. This was a nice handknitted lap quilt! Love it. I don't think this being last thing is bad at all:)
The next day we were on the road by 8am and Cartman was back in this pasture by 2:30pm. Looking good!
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Bare Bones- The Trail Ride
Cartman and I headed up to Olympia this morning to do the trail ride at the Bare Bones Endurance Ride. I am planning on attending the Santiam Cascade ride next weekend so wanted to get a nice hard work out but not over do it.
Since this ride is only one hour from our house I was able to drive up the morning of the ride- good thing because I ended up working until 11pm Friday night :(
I did come home from work briefly to do chores, so I was able to get everything ready to go early this morning.
We vetted in and hit the trail about 1/2 hour late, but hey, we had all day!!!!
C was ready to go:) This trail is really fun if you have a sure-footed athletic horse. Pretty much every step on the 15 mile loop was either up, down, turning, or avoiding roots and rocks. We had a blast. It was a bit warm and in some areas the terrain blocks any breeze so it can get a bit hot.
Luckily it wasn't too humid today and every time he started getting really hot and sweaty we would pull out into an open area and the slight breeze cooled him right back down.
If you want to train bridge crossings the Capital Forest is the place to go- I think I quit counting at bridge 6 or 7. They are all in good repair and have safe approaches. C is good on bridges, but I had to keep pulling him back to walk as he just wanted to blast right over them.
We ran into several people we know and visited a bit, but kept a brisk pace and before I knew it we were back in camp! Cartman had no interest in water out on the trail despite the plentiful water sets. Once back in camp he drank really well though.
I manage to get off trail in camp- seriously..... They had re-routed to the finish line and blocked off the trail we went out on. I missed the sign and just wandered around until I found a way close to where we usually come in on this ride. Oh well.
Cartman vetted through well, with an A- overall.
I let him eat for about 45 minutes then we wandered through camp to check out the Rein rescue horse and try and catch up with a few people but it was starting to get pretty busy at the finish and I didn't want to leave C tied too long at the trailer, and was too lazy to pull out the hi-tie, so we loaded up and headed home.
Since this ride is only one hour from our house I was able to drive up the morning of the ride- good thing because I ended up working until 11pm Friday night :(
I did come home from work briefly to do chores, so I was able to get everything ready to go early this morning.
We vetted in and hit the trail about 1/2 hour late, but hey, we had all day!!!!
C was ready to go:) This trail is really fun if you have a sure-footed athletic horse. Pretty much every step on the 15 mile loop was either up, down, turning, or avoiding roots and rocks. We had a blast. It was a bit warm and in some areas the terrain blocks any breeze so it can get a bit hot.
Luckily it wasn't too humid today and every time he started getting really hot and sweaty we would pull out into an open area and the slight breeze cooled him right back down.
If you want to train bridge crossings the Capital Forest is the place to go- I think I quit counting at bridge 6 or 7. They are all in good repair and have safe approaches. C is good on bridges, but I had to keep pulling him back to walk as he just wanted to blast right over them.
We ran into several people we know and visited a bit, but kept a brisk pace and before I knew it we were back in camp! Cartman had no interest in water out on the trail despite the plentiful water sets. Once back in camp he drank really well though.
I manage to get off trail in camp- seriously..... They had re-routed to the finish line and blocked off the trail we went out on. I missed the sign and just wandered around until I found a way close to where we usually come in on this ride. Oh well.
Cartman vetted through well, with an A- overall.
I let him eat for about 45 minutes then we wandered through camp to check out the Rein rescue horse and try and catch up with a few people but it was starting to get pretty busy at the finish and I didn't want to leave C tied too long at the trailer, and was too lazy to pull out the hi-tie, so we loaded up and headed home.
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| first bridge? |
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| starting up the big hill |
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| Yes, that is a vacuum cleaner. sigh. |
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| Some riders we met along the trail |
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| Not touching that lovely clean water.... |
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| pretty trail |
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| We managed to find some mud! |
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| I'm blaming my off trail stunt on photo taking and not paying attention. |
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