Jake’s First Endurance Ride

August 22, 2010

Well to be truthful, he’s already done 30 competition miles… in utero! But this is the first ride we made it to this year.

Actually we packed up and got on the road on Saturday, but halfway to Bel Air Provincial Forest the timing belt on the car shredded and the vehicle died. Jake and I were stuck on the side of the road for an hour, in 30 degree heat. By the time we made it home, I did not feel like packing into the van and trying again.


The next day we packed into the van and started up to arrive just before people would be coming in for the 25s. I set up chairs for Jake and me, and settled down to chat with friends I have not seen in months. Tanya was there with her daughter, and she delighted in telling me how boys are NUTS as they get older. She has a big boy who will sleep one hour in a 24 hour period. I still have nightmares.

Then the five 25s all came in in a pack. I was pleased to see Rachel on Beamer. It was a very exciting few minutes as they all raced to pulse down and present.


I was quietly rooting for Rachel and her Walker. I really like that horse, have ever since riding with them on that CT ride last September. He is so mellow and businesslike about the rides, yet is very forward and you can tell he enjoys it. He looks like a joy to ride, and is so smooth. See, doesn’t he look great?!


I had lots of time to visit afterwards. Jake was great, just sitting in his chair, and watching the trees waving in the breeze. He really likes watching trees.

But I can’t wait to get back into competing! Unfortunately, mine won’t be old enough for two years. Maybe someone will lend me a horse?...

Who'd a thunk?

Well, things have definitely changed in my world. Four weeks ago today I gave birth to a baby boy, Jake. Hubby and I still look at each other and say; “I can’t believe we’re parents!” Many of my friends say the same, they would have sooner believed I’d cut off my left leg. I was always the dog or horse girl, depending on which crowd I was hanging with at the moment, the horsaii or the serious dog people.

But here I am with a baby. I stand rocking little Jake in the upstairs dormer window right now and point out the window. “That pale dun pony is yours, and the big buckskin over there… he’s mine. We are going to have so much fun together as you grow.”

A few years back now I started doing endurance with a leased Gotland mare. I met the breed when I moved in next to Canada’s biggest Russ breeder. Some of the other Gotland owners had wanted to try Endurance for years and so I went along. I got hooked immediately. I worked really hard and used Willow for two seasons, until it really became an exercise in endurance for me. I had to endure her mare-ish behaviour just to try to complete a ride.

During this time, I received an excellent xmas present from hubby; he would pay for stud fee and all associated costs to breed a Gotland foal. I decided that I wanted a more usable horse and so I talked it over with the Gotland owner, and she agreed to breed to a stallion of another breed. I was hoping for more size and improve some conformational weaknesses. We found a beautiful Spanish Colonial Horse Stud (ranch-bred Spanish Mustang), Silvertip.


Luckily, things turned out well. She has all the good points of both parents. But I have learned my lesson; I will never breed again, hoping to get a certain outcome. It is too much of a crapshoot. I had hoped for a colt, maturing around 14h, darkish in colour. Instead I got a short (likely top out at 13.2h), pale (silver dunskin), FILLY! Not more mares!! Horrors!


But it turned out ok. I became pregnant. And right away hubby said “you’re gonna need a different horse, Narra is going to be the kid’s pony”

I said OK. Isn’t he amazing?

But the timetable for getting the new horse was sped up, as Willow went back home to the breeder and Narra was living alone. She became a real handful! And I couldn’t correct her properly as I was too cautious around the horses in my pregnant state. She took shameless advantage.

So I began looking for a new horse. My criteria list was long. I wanted a youngish gelding, 14.2h to 15.3h max, even tempered; kind, willing, calm. I wanted a very forward horse that I wouldn’t have to push all the time for Endurance and Competitive Trail. I wanted good clean legs and well kept, hard feet (I do endurance without shoes). He needed to have great conformation, in that I wanted him to hold up for years at my chosen sport. I wanted a lighter build horse, so he would cool easier and not tire as quickly. After meeting Rachel’s Walkers, I was looking for a Tennessee Walker. They had the temperament and as I saw could do the sport.

Then I got an email from a woman in Alberta. And I fell in love with my dream horse. He is a gelding. But he is just turned two (two years before I can ride and compete on him). And he is an Akhal Teke Sporthorse (crossed with Arab). He was a really great price. Heck, I could probably put a bit of training into him and sell him for MORE than he cost me (training included). Unheard of! But I won’t. I love him already.


He plays with the filly, and has gotten her straightened out already.

I like her again. And I just stand there to watch him move. He is exquisite. I like the cross with the Arab, makes him better looking. While I am one of the few who actually likes the look of a purebred Teke (the equine greyhound/ snake look), the Arab blood does make him more appealing to the average person. I cannot wait to begin riding him… in a year. Sigh. He still looks so immature. I have many dreams of our future riding career together. I want to get serious about the endurance. I want to make it on the Manitoba team for the Nationals one year. I want to compete in at least one low level dressage show with him, just for fun.

But right now, right now, I am dreaming other things. As I hold Jake, I see a beautiful spring morning. Bright green spring grass and flowers on the wild cranberry bushes along the trail. And me and young Jake, riding The Big Guy and Narra on the trail, just enjoying the spring air.

The future is looking great.

Times are changing!

A lot has changed since the last time I wrote. I decided to retire Willow; she did not enjoy her last ride. And so we both decided to both just enjoy riding together occasionally; for a fun ride in the back woods. She stayed living with me for a few more months, but she moved back to her owners for the winter. Now they are talking of selling her to a new home. She will likely be bred this spring too! This is exciting to me as I LOVE her babies. So, I am looking for a new endurance prospect!

I love horse shopping!

I am looking at a really awesome prospect right now (not a Gotland though!) He has a lot of the great things I liked about Willow, but is built better to suit the sport I want to advance in now. I will have to go out and see him, make sure he has the spunk and willingness to suit the level I want to move up to in endurance. It's not that I have suddenly turned cometitive, but I would love to occasionally try a 50 miler, and I now know that would never happen on a Gotland. They just don't cool as well and they have to take twice as many steps! Too bad!

But I am not in a hurry to get a horse for this riding season, as I am pregnant! Hubby and I are so excited, we are already looking forward to all the fun kid stuff. But my second though was... well, there goes my riding plans for 2010!

Well, I'll just have to make other horsey plans.

So my horsaii goals for 2010:

* Work more on Narra, my half Gotland filly! She needs more work on...
* Her leading manners - bossy filly!
* Getting off the property
* Get her used to roads

* Work on my lounging skills, with Narra. A few short sessions just to get her started. She will be 2 in June, so good time to start then. I'll have "dropped" my own kidlet by then. I'll do this in all my spare time!

* Buy my next endurance horse! Fun!

* Volunteer more with my two long distance riding clubs on ride days.

* Get involved in fundraising for the two clubs to keep them going!

* Work on adding fencing to make more tracks for the horses.

* Get back in the saddle by fall!

* Figure out the great mystery of long-lining to get the young horse (horses if I buy the second horse!) ready for the trainer next spring.

I'll have to take some pictures of Nara in her winter woolies, she looks liek a yak right now. A yak with a beard.

Hope you guys are not freezing where you are!

Best Intentions...

If anyone is wondering where I went this summer and what happened to my big plans for more competitive rides...

I was riding on Willow, with Jill and Debbie and Jill's two guests from Switzerland. All of us were on Gotlands, it was quite fun! Jill borrowed Belle, Camelia's daughter that lives with Kit.

Willow decided to be a knob, and spook at a duck that flew up out of the grass under her nose. I mean, really, was that necessary? Actually, I think it startled me more than her! But she spooked down into the ditch, then spun and lunged back up it. I got tangled in one stirrup as I went to kick loose. There was nothing to hold onto on a Torsion, so I just slid off her butt. SPLAT!!! With my legs out in front of me.

Of course, I got back on the horse and rode for another 6 miles. This may be been the root of my problem. Or maybe it was the ride I snuck in a week later...

I visited the doc at the insistance of my hubby and friends. She said I didn't break anything. So I can go riding right?, I say. She says NO! you need to take 4-6 weeks off for the muscles and ligaments to heal (I buggered up ligaments and they can take longer to heal). I am going to do this right and not risk future pain by returning to riding too soon. My back is bad enough already!

So I have been good and not riding. I am pretty cranky. This week is week 4. I might last to the end of the week.

Willow is maintaining condition pretty good. I'll just start riding her slow again and work up her wind again and we should be ready for the fall ride in Bel Air! Woohoo!

Not as many rides as I might have wished, but we did pretty good this year. And I am deterimined to do my first 20 mile CT at Bel Air this year!

They're Here! They're here!

Well, it's been a long wait. But the horses are finally here!

I did all the fencing myself, so it took much longer than if I had hired someone! And there was that never-ending wait for the fencer to come in! I finished up the fencing on Friday morning, but didn't have the electric fence tester and I was too busy to finish after work (up to 1am baking for the Saturday Farmer's Market). On Saturday it poured all day. I don't know that much about electrical, but it seemed unsafe to play with it in the pouring rain. We also didn't have the riding mower to do one last trim before the horses move in. There is WAAY too much grass for Willow in here.

So early Sunday morning Mark and I woke up, I sent him the 1+ hour drive up to pick up the mower (friend fixing it for free). While I went over next door and loaded all my horse stuff that had accumulated into the quad and trailer (and borrowed Bill?s fence tester!). Wow, you sure accumulate fast! I filled my trailer! It began to rain? for the third day! I didn't care; they were coming home today, no matter what. I brought the stuff back to my place, and cleaned out an area in my gardening shed. I began moving things in. I built shelves, carried buckets of sand in to level the floor, made a saddle rack, hung hooks. I have a nice little area now. This small blue shed has two doors, one beside a big window that acts as my greenhouse and faces the middle yard (no horses) and the back door that leads out into the Paddock Paradise setup for the horses.

As I was finishing up, I heard Mark return home. It seemed like he had been gone forever! We unloaded the riding mower from the back of the van (yes, we did just drive it up inside the van! It was an awesome van - it kicked the bucket on that drive home - RIP). Mark didn't care that it was still raining, he started the mower up and mowed the grass on the tracks in the rain. Then he pestered me unmercifully until I put down what I was trying to finish, and we went over to get the horses. The rain stopped as we walked over, and the beginning of a beautiful evening appeared.

Pat came out to meet us as we brought the horses in and put the halters on them. My two were the only ones who willingly left the pasture to come stand by the gate to be haltered. The rest knew they weren't included on this trip. Mark took Willow while I led Narra, Pat followed along behind. Narra led nicely for once and we went down the road in a direction she had never been before. We passed our front yard with no event, as we had locked the dogs I the house. Then we were leading the horses into their new yard. We took them the whole circuit of their new tracks to see all the fencing.

Along the west edge near the pond.



In the Trees.

Then we put the grazing muzzle on Willow and turned them loose to explore.



Narra walking over the two jumps I put in the tracks for interest.


I took them over to the loose salt and mineral feeder I had built them, to make sure they knew where it was.

I took the muzzle off Willow so she could graze and relax for a while. The evening was perfect. Mark and I sat there, with a cooler in hand and just watched the horses on that perfect evening.



The next day dawned wet and dreary, but that was OK. I woke up at 6:30, just to go out and look at the horses. I took the muzzle off again to let Willow have her breakfast. 30 minutes later when I put it back on, she was actually enthusiastic about wearing it (may have been the special cookies I had in there...)

Later that day, just before Mark left for work, we took it off again for her to graze and this time we brought Enten in to see them.


Everyone is adjusting fine, and seems pretty happy. There are tracks already worn into the muddy ground and they are using ALL the trails we made. Awesome!

As I write this, the girls are out under the big oak tree. Narra lying down and Willow standing over her, both relaxing in the brief morning sun. Will it never stop raining?

Jen

We did it!

I achieved my goal, and finished in less time than last ride! I placed 9th... out of nine... but only 2 minutes after the 8th place finisher!

Summer is finally heating up here. And last weekend's ride was on the first real warm day we've had. So even though I groaned when I realized I would have to wake up at 6am, I was happy we were scheduled to start an hour earlier than normal.

It was a nice relaxing morning for me. I got to the barn by 7 and was on the road by 7:30. I actually arrived on time for once - no rushing! I got signed up, tacked up and was actually waiting around for the ride to start. Unheard of!

It was overcast and breezy, but you could feel the heat coming, so we were all anxious to get started. I stood around with all the experienced endurance horses at the start line. They were all anxious to get going... Willow was more anxious to get as much grass in her stomach as possible.

The time keeper finally said it was a go and we were all off quickly. Willow and I stretched out in a nice trot, but we were quickly outdistanced by the others. That was OK, I had one person behind me; he had a young horse and wanted to teach her to not gallop like a mad thing at the start. Willow was too sensible to do something like that... that would be too much like work!

We maintained a good trot for about a mile and a half before we were passed by the rider behind us. But that didn't last long as I called him back from the wrong trail. We continued on.

All of a sudden, a pack came up from behind us. I was confused! These people had long outdistanced me! They had taken the wrong trail.

Willow and I had a BFO (blinding flash of the obvious)... this meant we were in the lead! We'd NEVER been in the lead before! Now she got excited! I asked if they (six of them) wanted to pass. But they said Willow was setting a good pace. This surprised me as Willow was 2-3 hands shorter than all of them. And she wasn't even doing her power trot!

Willow was determined to stay in the lead, even though I could feel that she wanted to slow to a walk. She realized that they would then pass her. So she started playing her passive-aggressive/ psychological games. She would suddenly swerve, with no warning to me or the horse behind her, from one side of the trail to the other; like a car in movie chase scene. She would spook at nothing, as if to say "ahhh! It's gonna eat us! Turn around and run away! I'll distract it while you escape! (hehe)". And turning to give the evil eye while dancing around and casting a voodoo hex. OK, so the last was an exaggeration! BUT SHE WOULD IF SHE COULD!!!

Finally, after a mile, I pulled her back and let them pass. I didn't want her to blow her wad, all at the beginning. I got off and walked for a bit, let her cool down. Then I got back on and we began motoring again.

Around mile 6, the rider with the young horse came up behind us. Luckily it was a mare, so Willow wasn't tempted to kick her head of. The ONLY gelding she tolerates seems to be her son. Interesting.

My riding partner had done lots of endurance rides in the past, competing at the Nationals last year, so I took the opportunity to learn. He set the pace, but very soon his young mare refused to pass Willow. She was quite happy being second. And that's how Will liked it!

It started to heat up. We got off and walked a mile or so, trying to get them to drink at the many puddles. I was just hoping Will wouldn't get down and roll like she had last year here. I brought extra shoes this year.

We got back on and tried to finish the loop quicker to give us more time for the second one. We ended up pulsing down in the same time as last ride - 2h 53m. But this time we had already done 15+ miles. I was satisfied.

I ran Willow through her vet check - well actually she ran me! I practically had to sprint to keep up with her. The vet said she looked great. She had actually improved on a few of her scores and her slight limp from vet-in had gone away.

We wandered over to the trailer to get some food into Will. I had made up a bowl of soaked alfalfa cubes before I left. I added some ground flax and another 1/2 litre of water and pushed it in front of her. She slurped it up double time and then went over to her hay. I mixed her up a second bowl; 3/4 lbs Grow N' Win pellets, 1+ litre of water and a dose of electrolytes (safe to give her now that I got some water into her). This too disappeared in short order. I scarfed down a sandwich, then started brushing her off.

We were ready ahead of time at the end of our hold, so I let her have some more grass. She needed the water and electrolytes in it for the second loop - it was heating up. I set out with my riding companion of the first loop.

Neither horse was feeling really excited to be leaving camp. By five miles into the second loop, my legs were killing me from constantly urging her on. My companion had given up even any pretense of trying to pass me and set a quicker pace. The young, inexperienced mare wasn't prepared for this type of work and wasn't really feeling like moving very fast.

If I had been alone I could have probably completed faster, as Willow wouldn't have been constantly waiting for the mare behind her. We could have cantered more and made things interesting for her.

While I did cross the finish line before him, I had problems with my HRM and so we pulsed down 2 minutes after the young mare. Oh, well. I had still obtained my goal for the day and was very satisfied with Willow's performance.

Willow once again raced me up and down for the trot-out and got great marks for the day. Actually prompting the vet and the scribe to say that this was the best they've ever seen her at a finish, even though she did complete it faster. Awesome!

My goal for the next ride is to keep her in shape over summer and at the August Spruce Woods ride, to complete it another 15 minutes faster. ... now I just need to get hubby to stay home and watch the other animals for the weekend!

First ride of the Season! Bird's Hills Park

June 1st

Wheww!!! Tiring but AWESOME!

The trails in Bird's Hills were perfect. The trees were finally greening up, the sun was out and there was a nice breeze. It was warm enough to please me and with the cool breeze and sun dappled trails Willow was pretty pleased too. I spent the whole day in the trees, listening to bird song and smelling the cherry blossoms. It was the perfect day for a ride.

Hmm, that might have been part of my problem... too much time stopping to smell the flowers!

Willow was the fittest I had ever seen her. She has gone from ~850 lbs this winter to a fit 720lbs. She has so much more energy. The past two weeks I've been riding her around home.

She is pretty herd bound so I tried a new program with her. I took her out alone, so the others didn't have to try and keep up with us. We WALK down the road to the highway, dance over to the dike, and trot the full length (1 mile). Slowing only to cross the road and turning onto the other dike. We canter a half mile down there, cross back onto the road beside us and I try to contain her in a power trot down the road - paved or gravel; she ain't slowing! Then we make another turn into a wide grassy ditch and canter again (slow down; I said CANTER!) another half mile, walk a hundred feet or so back up to the road and trot the rest of the mile. Then in the turn to home, she has expended enough energy I can now walk. Whew!

At the barn I quickly switch to a halter and lunge her like crazy - no breaks and no treats! My GPS says this is another mile. Then I snap on the reins to my sidepull and remount and off we go to the highway, the whole time convincing her, yes, we really DO have to leave the yard! At the highway, as close as she will let me get to the whizzing by cars and trucks; I hop off, loosen the cinch and let her eat. Five minutes of that and then we walk home.

Every time, it gets easier to leave the yard. But man, it is taking more and more to tire her out! Remind me again why conditioning is a good thing?!

On Saturday, May 30 we did the full 25 miles and in the time allowed so we got our completion, but not a placing. We were considerably behind the leaders.

The first loop went well. Mostly trotting and the occasional canter and walk. We did 13.4 miles in 2 hours 53 minutes. She vetted in very well with only a few B's - a bit of dehydration. We wandered over to get lunch. Mark had joined me and helped us both get fed. I gave Will lots of soaked concentrated feed and a shot of electrolytes. I gave her a few bowl fulls to be sure she got enough to eat for the second loop. The second loop felt a lot faster. It wasn't much shorter at 11.3 miles but we did it in 2 hours.

About 3 miles into the second loop Will was getting very bored with all the trotting, and didn't want to go anymore. We were walking about 1.5mph, with her head turned back in the direction of camp. So finally I thumped her into a canter. She perked up a bit, so I urged her on, and on; soon we were tearing down the trails at 20mph. She had woken up. But then I though; no way we were going to finish in this amount of time! But I wasn't going to repeat my mistake of last year, so we went for it! I really pushed her. And we got back before max time. Whoot!

She pulsed down real quick and vetted pretty good. A little thirsty and STARVING, but that's it.

As I stood there letting her eat I chatted with the vet. I was getting to know this vet better, and realizing what a wealth of information he could be. He asked me what my goals were with Willow and the sport. He had been the Canadian team's assistant vet when they went to Malaysia last year, and was at the Nationals in Alberta last year - he knows his stuff!

I replied, in order of priority; I want to have fun, I want Willow and I to do it healthy, and I want to improve every time out! I know we will never be competitive with the others, she has to take twice as many steps, but it won't stop me from riding!

He said it is all achievable; he thought Willow still had lots of gas in the tank at the end of this ride. So now I have a better game plan and next time I will push her harder!

My goal for the Mars Hills ride in 2 weeks is to finish 15 minutes quicker.