This ride was not in the "plan" for this year. Then, pretty much at the last minute, I decided I really did want to go! The trailer was still loaded with hay left over from Mt Carmel, certainly enough for another ride, even one with as long travel time as this one. There was even enough food in the truck's non-perishables box for me. All I needed to do was hook up the trailer, pack my bags, put Hoss in, and we were ready to go.
I got a late start on Friday night, but we made almost 200 miles, which was good enough to get us to the ride in plenty of time to set up camp and get vetted in on Saturday afternoon. When we arrived, I found a decent place to park and set up camp. I am very grateful I have a water tank again, as I would have had to lug water a looooong way at this ride!
The wind was terrible. It was rather frustrating setting up the tent, but I am glad I found one as sturdy as this latest. Along with the four corners of the tent itself, the rainfly has seven additional stake points. The poles are also quite thick. This has so far allowed it to stand up to some pretty serious wind conditions.
The ride started at an inhuman 5am. I got my saddle ready and made sure everything was together for a quick getaway in the morning. I packed a crew bag, but I didn't make myself a lunch. I forgot my lunch bag, but my experience from last is was that I would be pretty okay with the lunch provided by the ride, so I wasn't worried about it. I also had plenty of dried fruit and gluten-free "granola" bars to pack in my saddle bags, so I certainly wouldn't starve to death.
Despite all my preparation, I managed to be late to the start. I decided, last minute, to put the breast collar back on Hoss's saddle. After the saddle on the butt debacle at Mt Carmel, I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to have a little extra insurance. That caused me to mount up a few minutes later than I had wanted to, and everybody had already started. The mule camped next to us was at the start, getting his bridle on, so he started behind us.
Hoss was really good on this ride start. He started out quiet and obedient, listening to me and prepared to do as he was asked. We trotted on by a fellow clinging to the reins of a little grey mare (looked kinda like he was flying an Arabian-shaped kite). Shortly after, the mule caught up and passed us, and the fight was on.
Once the mule passed us and showed he was distinctly faster than Hoss (nothing new there), Hoss was of course determined to catch up. I then spent quite some time working on keeping him to his safe pace.
We got to the top of the hill, and just as the previous year, there was a large flock of sheep. This caused Hoss to slow down. Despite several exposures to these harmless creatures, Hoss is deeply suspicious of them. He walked on by, giving them the hairy eyeball.
Once past the sheep, Hoss was once again focused on the horses and that mule ahead of us. I kept him checked back, but it was less than easy. I'd get him to slow down, then get his head down, and he'd speed back up. So it was a matter of doing the same things over and over again. I know: definition of insanity and all that.
Eventually, the guy with the little grey mare caught up to us. He stayed behind us, and asked if it was okay if he stayed there. I said sure, not a problem.
The early part of the ride is fairly rocky and slow going. Hoss is a slow walker, so this means we took more time than we usually would over the same distance. I had him trot every time it was clear enough to do so, even if it was only a few strides. Make time where and when we could.
The grey mare got ahead of us briefly, and I noticed she had spun off one of her hind boots. I let her rider know, then waited while he got the thing off of her. It was clear he wasn't going to have any success getting it back on, as he chased her around for some time just to get the gaiter off her. He put the boot away and got back on and we continued on our way.
The stop allowed Hoss to let go of the notion of catching up to other horses, and he dropped back to his usual pace. The mare stayed behind us, kept there by her rider, although she was clearly faster than Hoss. I didn't get it at first, but it became evident he was using Hoss to pace his horse, and in a pinch using his butt as a brake.
I suggested he take the lead, as his horse was faster, but the rider declined. His horse was of a different opinion. She asked Hoss to let her by, and he obligingly yielded trail, only to have the rider jerk her back in behind him. She ran up his butt several times.
It didn't take long for this to become a problem for Hoss. I didn't recognize what he'd done the first time, but he finally kicked out at her, pissed off because she was asking to pass, then not doing so, and running up his ass. After the second time Hoss kicked out, I mentioned to the rider that he wasn't happy with how close she was. He backed her off, but I kept hearing him talking (ostensibly to his horse), saying "That's too close, he doesn't like that." I don't know as he was trying to be snide, but it wouldn't surprise me.
We got to a steep and rocky downhill. I rode on down, following behind a 50 mile rider who had caught up to us. I was concentrating hard enough on getting down the hill that I failed to notice we'd left behind the grey mare until we had gotten to the bottom. I waffled about pulling up and waiting, and decided I'd rather not stick with the dude if I could help it. So we trotted on down, and stopped for a drink at the water tanks.
We were trotting on up the road when, darn it, that rider caught back up to us. I expected that, really. What are the odds Hoss would be able to leave her behind? Not high.
We trotted up the road, and I felt Hoss take a funny step behind. I only felt it once, and I paid close attention to how he felt until we got to the vet check and I got off.
Hoss pulsed down right away and we went to see the vet. When I trotted him out, she said he was moving funny. She had someone else trot him so I could see it, and he was definitely not right. He wasn't lame. I would call it "off." The vet did not consider it enough to pull him, but she was concerned after having watched Hoss at several different rides and noting he has always been consistent in the way he moves -- start to finish, day after day. I was alarmed, too. I certainly did not want to chance hurting him. I should note that, at no point did Hoss feel off under saddle, aside from that one bad step.
The vet did palpate Hoss and couldn't find anything. Not that this is particularly meaningful. Hoss is a pretty stoic fellow. He's unlikely to let a vet know if she'd found something unless it was really bad.
At the end of our hold, I took Hoss back for a re-check. He was better, but not normal. I was given the go-ahead to continue.
The next loop was 25 miles. I decided to pull. We still had a long way to go, he wasn't 100% normal, and the next loop was awfully long to take the risk. He probably would have been okay, but it wasn't worth risking his soundness for a completion. I loaded him in the trailer (he was quite confused by this development) and we took the long ride back to camp.
Link to our ride video
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
2013 Mt Carmel Endurance Ride, Day 5, 50 Miles
The last day. I awoke thinking I felt pretty good, and cautiously hopeful I'd thwarted the dreaded bronchitis. I got Hoss fed and cared for, and got my own breakfast. We hit the trail as the start was called, thinking Cheri and Helen would likely catch up to us in short order.
Hoss was really feeling the groove. He was not concerned about waiting for Echo, and didn't even seem to be looking for him. He wanted to step out and keep up with the "big dogs" in the lead.
Once the fastest horses disappeared, and we had managed to pass and stay ahead of one horse, Hoss settled in to his reasonable pace and we had a great morning. And then horses started catching up to us. First a few LD horses caught up shortly before a water stop. As is typical, they were faster -- not to mention fresher -- than Hoss. It took some doing to keep him from going much faster than he really ought to.
We arrived at the vet check at mile 17 in just over three hours, pretty fast but not too fast, unless you happen to be tired from doing 200 miles over the previous four days. Hoss drank and ate well, then took himself a nap, resting his head on top of my helmet where I sat on my little portable stool.
We were about 45 minutes into our hold when Cheri and Helen arrived. Wow, we had been going fast!
When our hold was over and Hoss passed the vet check we started out on trail. Because Echo had arrived before we were leaving, I knew Hoss was going to be difficult. Rather than mount up and have a fight about it, I led him until we were out of sight of the vet check.
Hoss still wanted to wait for Echo, but he went forward. After a while he gave up the notion of waiting for Echo, and picked up his comfortable trot.
Right about that time, he heard horses catching up. Elfta Hilzman and her friend were coming up behind us. Well, Hoss wasn't going to be doing a whole lot of trotting until they got by! I didn't see any point in getting into a fight about it, so I let him dawdle.
The other horses passed us up, and the fight was on. Nothing new, the horses were faster than Hoss. And now that he'd been passed, Hoss was particularly annoyed. I had to really keep checking him back.
We'd been having this argument for some time when we passed another horse. Hallelujah! Hoss settled down, satisfied he was "ahead" of someone.
It didn't last long. The rider of the horse we passed mounted back up and they trotted on by us. And the fight was on yet again.
We were coming up on the meadows after coming off the Rim of the World. Elfta and her friend were well ahead, and the other horse was putting distance between us. I knew I needed to keep Hoss back. There was no way he was going to be okay if I let him go at the ridiculous speed he insisted he wanted to do.
After a time the other horses got far enough ahead for Hoss to give up. Usually this results in him just picking up his good trot and doing what he needs to, but today, he sulked. His walk dropped to about two miles per hour.
Rather than fight about it, I stopped Hoss and offered him the opportunity to graze. Once he had a good mouthful, I got him moving again. When he'd finished, I stopped him again and let him get another mouthful. We made our way through much of the meadow this way, until he decided life wasn't so bad and picked up his trot.
I don't recall why, probably because I needed to answer a cause of nature, but I got off and led Hoss for quite some time. It was nice, I suppose, to walk and feel a little bit like we were just loafing along and hanging out.
Another rider caught up to us, and we rode along companionably for a while. By this time it was becoming evident I wasn't going to dodge bronchitis. I'd developed a "death rattle," and was alternately having trouble staying warm and staying cool. I kept my jacket on, knowing I really needed to just stay warm and my sense of my own temperature was off.
Hoss and I rode with the other rider through the farmland and to the highway. The other rider was pleased enough to stay with us, as she didn't want to ride along the highway alone. She wasn't particularly concerned her horse wouldn't be okay, but felt better about having a sturdy, steady companion for him.
We continued on together after the highway and crossed the Little Muddy together. One last steep uphill climb before we got back to camp.
While we were climbing the hill, I began to notice Hoss's stifles were hitting my heels. That had never happened before! It didn't take me long to realize the saddle must be slipping back. I hadn't tightened it quite as much as usual. We were in the middle of the hill, and Hoss didn't seem to be overly concerned about me gradually sliding back over his butt, so I let him finish working the hill before I got off. If that saddle had slid back any further, I really would have been sitting on his butt!
We made our way back to the finish and vetted out happy and done with five days, 250 miles.
On Monday morning, I got up and finished packing, and realized yes, I had bronchitis. I got us loaded up and headed out on the road. I dropped the hammer and got us home Monday night, so I would be able to get ahold of the doctor Tuesday morning and get my bronchitis treated.
And the link to the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx2GUpp_D_I&feature=youtu.be
Hoss was really feeling the groove. He was not concerned about waiting for Echo, and didn't even seem to be looking for him. He wanted to step out and keep up with the "big dogs" in the lead.
Once the fastest horses disappeared, and we had managed to pass and stay ahead of one horse, Hoss settled in to his reasonable pace and we had a great morning. And then horses started catching up to us. First a few LD horses caught up shortly before a water stop. As is typical, they were faster -- not to mention fresher -- than Hoss. It took some doing to keep him from going much faster than he really ought to.
We arrived at the vet check at mile 17 in just over three hours, pretty fast but not too fast, unless you happen to be tired from doing 200 miles over the previous four days. Hoss drank and ate well, then took himself a nap, resting his head on top of my helmet where I sat on my little portable stool.
We were about 45 minutes into our hold when Cheri and Helen arrived. Wow, we had been going fast!
When our hold was over and Hoss passed the vet check we started out on trail. Because Echo had arrived before we were leaving, I knew Hoss was going to be difficult. Rather than mount up and have a fight about it, I led him until we were out of sight of the vet check.
Hoss still wanted to wait for Echo, but he went forward. After a while he gave up the notion of waiting for Echo, and picked up his comfortable trot.
Right about that time, he heard horses catching up. Elfta Hilzman and her friend were coming up behind us. Well, Hoss wasn't going to be doing a whole lot of trotting until they got by! I didn't see any point in getting into a fight about it, so I let him dawdle.
The other horses passed us up, and the fight was on. Nothing new, the horses were faster than Hoss. And now that he'd been passed, Hoss was particularly annoyed. I had to really keep checking him back.
We'd been having this argument for some time when we passed another horse. Hallelujah! Hoss settled down, satisfied he was "ahead" of someone.
It didn't last long. The rider of the horse we passed mounted back up and they trotted on by us. And the fight was on yet again.
We were coming up on the meadows after coming off the Rim of the World. Elfta and her friend were well ahead, and the other horse was putting distance between us. I knew I needed to keep Hoss back. There was no way he was going to be okay if I let him go at the ridiculous speed he insisted he wanted to do.
After a time the other horses got far enough ahead for Hoss to give up. Usually this results in him just picking up his good trot and doing what he needs to, but today, he sulked. His walk dropped to about two miles per hour.
Rather than fight about it, I stopped Hoss and offered him the opportunity to graze. Once he had a good mouthful, I got him moving again. When he'd finished, I stopped him again and let him get another mouthful. We made our way through much of the meadow this way, until he decided life wasn't so bad and picked up his trot.
I don't recall why, probably because I needed to answer a cause of nature, but I got off and led Hoss for quite some time. It was nice, I suppose, to walk and feel a little bit like we were just loafing along and hanging out.
Another rider caught up to us, and we rode along companionably for a while. By this time it was becoming evident I wasn't going to dodge bronchitis. I'd developed a "death rattle," and was alternately having trouble staying warm and staying cool. I kept my jacket on, knowing I really needed to just stay warm and my sense of my own temperature was off.
Hoss and I rode with the other rider through the farmland and to the highway. The other rider was pleased enough to stay with us, as she didn't want to ride along the highway alone. She wasn't particularly concerned her horse wouldn't be okay, but felt better about having a sturdy, steady companion for him.
We continued on together after the highway and crossed the Little Muddy together. One last steep uphill climb before we got back to camp.
While we were climbing the hill, I began to notice Hoss's stifles were hitting my heels. That had never happened before! It didn't take me long to realize the saddle must be slipping back. I hadn't tightened it quite as much as usual. We were in the middle of the hill, and Hoss didn't seem to be overly concerned about me gradually sliding back over his butt, so I let him finish working the hill before I got off. If that saddle had slid back any further, I really would have been sitting on his butt!
We made our way back to the finish and vetted out happy and done with five days, 250 miles.
On Monday morning, I got up and finished packing, and realized yes, I had bronchitis. I got us loaded up and headed out on the road. I dropped the hammer and got us home Monday night, so I would be able to get ahold of the doctor Tuesday morning and get my bronchitis treated.
And the link to the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx2GUpp_D_I&feature=youtu.be
2013 Mt Carmel Endurance Ride, Day 4, 50 Miles
I was starting to feel better by day four, and really had hope to have licked the whole cold into bronchitis thing. I kept taking the medications I'd been relying on to keep me going, knowing I had a good chance of relapse if I didn't.
I got Hoss his breakfast and got us ready and our crew bag to the trailer. We headed out for the start. I figured we'd either meet up with Echo and Rocky or we wouldn't.
We did end up meeting up with Echo and Rocky pretty early on. Hoss spotted them right away and lagged until they caught on up to us.
So we had our typical day with Echo. Echo and Rocky got ahead of us and we spent most of the day following. Which is fine, really. Especially when we got to the tunnel under the highway, made of corrugated pipe. Hoss probably wouldn't have gone through the evil Tunnel of Doom had Echo not gone through first!
We wound through some single track pine forest and along the edge of canyons. It was a warm day, and I ran through quite a lot of fluids before we made it to the vet check.
The vet check was in an area known as Cow Camp. Once we'd pulsed down, I found our crew bag and got Hoss set up. There was a lot of deadfall around, and I lightly secured Hoss's lead to a fallen tree. It's not that he really needs to be tied off, just that I'll always tie him if I can.
Once I finished my lunch, I took my water bottles over to fill them up. While there, I was chatting with Alyssa (our vet) and Ann. We were chatting away when Hoss pulled just hard enough to break the branch he was tied to. He stared suspiciously at it, and I turned to Alyssa and Ann and said,
"I have to go back to Hoss; he's freaking out." Of course, Hoss's brand of freaking out looks like nothing. Another rider asked if Hoss could teach her horse to "freak out" like that.
After I got Hoss situated, he was wanting to graze and walk around rather than eat his hay. I accommodated him to a certain extent, but really didn't let him range far. There was plenty of grass so he didn't need to go far to get good grazing.
Then, he decided he wanted to roll. I've never told Hoss he couldn't roll, but the saddle was on, so I couldn't let him go down. I jerked the saddle off as quickly as I could, and he laid down for a good roll.
What happened next was more than a little frightening. Once down, Hoss did his typical rub up and down with his neck, and then laid completely still on his side on the ground. Never have I seen him do that. After a tense minute or so, I called Alyssa (who was watching, just as concerned as me, from the trailer) and she came over to check things out. Once Hoss saw the vet, he decided he'd better get up. He arose and shook, just like he normally would after a normal rolling. Alyssa checked him over carefully and pronounced him fine.
Once up, we realized he had laid down on a tree branch. Most likely it prevented him from rolling properly, so he just decided to lay there and have a snit about it.
I got the saddle back on and vetted Hoss through. I packed up our bag and we hit the trail once again with Echo and Rocky.
After the laying down incident, I was understandably worried about Hoss. I was concerned he wasn't going along so much because he was feeling good, but because he was being "pulled" by Echo. So I was relieved when an opportunity arose to separate from the other horses and see what he'd do on his own.
Another rider had lost a hind shoe but lacked a boot to act as a spare tire. Cheri had one in her packs of a suitable size to help out. So she and Helen stopped the help the other rider. I explained I'd like to see how Hoss was doing by getting him out by himself for awhile and we headed off on our own.
Hoss would really have preferred to wait, but he continued on with little urging. After a time, he decided this wasn't the worst set of circumstances in the world and picked up an easy trot. Once he'd done that, and kept it up, I felt a whole lot better about him.
It didn't take terribly long for Cheri and Helen to catch back up to us, as expected. We continued on, making our way through the open area, and Cheri realized we had gotten off course. Had I been alone, I would probably have followed the ribbons, still up from another day, and gotten us pretty thoroughly lost. Cheri realized we'd missed a turn, and knew where we should be in relation to where we were.
We hit off cross country. In due course we could see the road we should have been on, but there was a problem. There was a fence between us and it. However, as we got closer, it became clear the barbed wire was not hanging on the posts, and we were able to find a spot where it was buried sufficiently for the horses to safely step over it.
Coming into camp, we came down the new trail into the back side of camp. We finished in good time. Alyssa looked Hoss over with extra care, and pronounced him healthy. I told her he had gone alone for a time cheerfully enough and had been grazing greedily. I was satisfied he was okay, and so was she.
Here's the link to our video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2VGbecOWI
I got Hoss his breakfast and got us ready and our crew bag to the trailer. We headed out for the start. I figured we'd either meet up with Echo and Rocky or we wouldn't.
We did end up meeting up with Echo and Rocky pretty early on. Hoss spotted them right away and lagged until they caught on up to us.
So we had our typical day with Echo. Echo and Rocky got ahead of us and we spent most of the day following. Which is fine, really. Especially when we got to the tunnel under the highway, made of corrugated pipe. Hoss probably wouldn't have gone through the evil Tunnel of Doom had Echo not gone through first!
We wound through some single track pine forest and along the edge of canyons. It was a warm day, and I ran through quite a lot of fluids before we made it to the vet check.
The vet check was in an area known as Cow Camp. Once we'd pulsed down, I found our crew bag and got Hoss set up. There was a lot of deadfall around, and I lightly secured Hoss's lead to a fallen tree. It's not that he really needs to be tied off, just that I'll always tie him if I can.
Once I finished my lunch, I took my water bottles over to fill them up. While there, I was chatting with Alyssa (our vet) and Ann. We were chatting away when Hoss pulled just hard enough to break the branch he was tied to. He stared suspiciously at it, and I turned to Alyssa and Ann and said,
"I have to go back to Hoss; he's freaking out." Of course, Hoss's brand of freaking out looks like nothing. Another rider asked if Hoss could teach her horse to "freak out" like that.
After I got Hoss situated, he was wanting to graze and walk around rather than eat his hay. I accommodated him to a certain extent, but really didn't let him range far. There was plenty of grass so he didn't need to go far to get good grazing.
Then, he decided he wanted to roll. I've never told Hoss he couldn't roll, but the saddle was on, so I couldn't let him go down. I jerked the saddle off as quickly as I could, and he laid down for a good roll.
What happened next was more than a little frightening. Once down, Hoss did his typical rub up and down with his neck, and then laid completely still on his side on the ground. Never have I seen him do that. After a tense minute or so, I called Alyssa (who was watching, just as concerned as me, from the trailer) and she came over to check things out. Once Hoss saw the vet, he decided he'd better get up. He arose and shook, just like he normally would after a normal rolling. Alyssa checked him over carefully and pronounced him fine.
Once up, we realized he had laid down on a tree branch. Most likely it prevented him from rolling properly, so he just decided to lay there and have a snit about it.
I got the saddle back on and vetted Hoss through. I packed up our bag and we hit the trail once again with Echo and Rocky.
After the laying down incident, I was understandably worried about Hoss. I was concerned he wasn't going along so much because he was feeling good, but because he was being "pulled" by Echo. So I was relieved when an opportunity arose to separate from the other horses and see what he'd do on his own.
Another rider had lost a hind shoe but lacked a boot to act as a spare tire. Cheri had one in her packs of a suitable size to help out. So she and Helen stopped the help the other rider. I explained I'd like to see how Hoss was doing by getting him out by himself for awhile and we headed off on our own.
Hoss would really have preferred to wait, but he continued on with little urging. After a time, he decided this wasn't the worst set of circumstances in the world and picked up an easy trot. Once he'd done that, and kept it up, I felt a whole lot better about him.
It didn't take terribly long for Cheri and Helen to catch back up to us, as expected. We continued on, making our way through the open area, and Cheri realized we had gotten off course. Had I been alone, I would probably have followed the ribbons, still up from another day, and gotten us pretty thoroughly lost. Cheri realized we'd missed a turn, and knew where we should be in relation to where we were.
We hit off cross country. In due course we could see the road we should have been on, but there was a problem. There was a fence between us and it. However, as we got closer, it became clear the barbed wire was not hanging on the posts, and we were able to find a spot where it was buried sufficiently for the horses to safely step over it.
Coming into camp, we came down the new trail into the back side of camp. We finished in good time. Alyssa looked Hoss over with extra care, and pronounced him healthy. I told her he had gone alone for a time cheerfully enough and had been grazing greedily. I was satisfied he was okay, and so was she.
Here's the link to our video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2VGbecOWI
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
2013 Mt Carmel Endurance Ride, Day 3, 50 Miles
I wasn't feeling any better when I woke up on Day 3, but I wasn't feeling any worse. Besides, I was going to make all five days unless I couldn't get up. So up I was and fed Hoss and got myself going. I made sure to take the meds I needed and ate a decent breakfast.
The vet check would be in camp, so I didn't need to make myself a lunch or pack a crew bag. I'd get a decent hot lunch!
We started with Merina and Chance yet again, heading out across the highway along the Virgin River. We were able to keep up a nice trot on the flat dirt road and up onto the hills.
Merina had spoken with another rider who encouraged her to start letting Chance trot downhill, so we made a little better time. While I have always worked Hoss on trotting downhill, Merina had bought into the old yarn that a horse only has "so many" downhill miles. So after I had suggested I disagreed with that notion, she had spoken to someone who is well respected in endurance and confirmed what I said. At any rate, this made for a little faster going.
After a few miles, we caught up with a Limited Distance rider who was having difficulty with his horse. We let him hook up with us to help get his horse in check. Hoss did not like Monty, this new horse, and made sure Monty knew it. He wasn't terrible, but it was clear he'd rather Monty moved off on his own.
We circled around back to camp, only to pass through camp right by our trailer and back across the highway on trail. Hoss found this peculiar. He didn't complain about it, but he was pretty sure we should stop and have a vet check.
After we got out of camp and across the highway, the LD ride split off and we parted company with Monty.
While riding along, Chance developed a slight head bob. It was initially very mild, and it appeared she had bruised her foot because of dirt getting under her pad. Unfortunately as we continued on, Chance got worse, and Merina made the wise decision to pull. At the juncture where the LD went back to camp and the Endurance ride continued on, Merina turned and walked back to camp.
Hoss was quite distressed by this development. He really thought we should go the same way Chance was going. He went slowly, but he went, and he was very sad. It wasn't long, however, before Cheri Briscoe and Echo caught up with Helen and Rocky. Hoss likes Echo, so he was happy enough to hook up with them for the rest of the day.
The only drawback to being with Echo is, Hoss worries Echo won't wait for him. He didn't care if Chance waited for him. So when Echo would get ahead, rather than chug along at his own pace and catch up as he could, Hoss would get anxious and go faster than he should if I let him. This meant we disagreed a lot. I had to spend much more time controlling his pace.
We made the five or so miles back to camp, pulsed in, and went to the trailer for lunch. I gave Hoss his bran mash and a flake of alfalfa hay, then heated up a bowl of soup for myself.
I kinda like in-camp vet checks. I have everything I could possibly need, there's no chance of forgetting to pack something or needing something I didn't send. It does seem like an hour vanishes in no time in camp, probably because I'm doing more. An out check feels like forever as I sit around watching my horse eat, but in camp, I'm cooking and doing stuff and that hour goes by in three seconds.
Once we were close to the end of our hold, I took Hoss over and we vetted through. I kinda hoped Cheri and Helen would be gone already and we'd be able to go on our own. I put my spurs on, just in case I needed them if we were on our own and I needed to be able to cue him more strongly.
When we headed back out on trail, Cheri and Helen were there, so we went ahead and rode with them.
Hoss really cannot keep up with Echo or Rocky, and anyway he prefers to keep up the "rear guard action" if one of the other horses is a good leader. Rocky is especially swift, so he led most of the time. The three really went along together okay, other than Hoss getting left behind and playing catch-up.
We got through quite nicely. It was fun to ride with Cheri, who has done this ride in the past, and has a lot of knowledge about the area and many of the little tidbits of history. There is a house that Dave and Ann Nicholson used to live in on the top of a mesa. Dave used to stand up there and watch the horses go by on the ride. Now there is a small group of llamas living near the house, and they look down over the edge and watch us pass.
Listening to Cheri's stories and riding along, we got through to the end, and the new trail down into the back of camp. Hoss paused at the top and stared down into camp, contemplating how he could perhaps get there faster. I allowed as he could get down there sooner, but he wouldn't like the sudden stop at the bottom. Being a practical fellow, he chose to go down on the trail.
After we got to the bottom, I looked up, just to confirm for myself that it is not possible to see the trail from the bottom. It doesn't look possible to have a trail down the side of that mountain, but it's been done. Yikes.
After vetting Hoss through, I took him to the trailer and tended to his needs and my own.
At the ride meeting, I learned Chance had evidently suffered some sort of ligament or tendon injury. She was still lame after being tended by a farrier at the ride. She had gotten a little better when her shoes were changed, but it was clear she was done for the weekend.
Link to Day 4 Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhDYbRHaYac
The vet check would be in camp, so I didn't need to make myself a lunch or pack a crew bag. I'd get a decent hot lunch!
We started with Merina and Chance yet again, heading out across the highway along the Virgin River. We were able to keep up a nice trot on the flat dirt road and up onto the hills.
Merina had spoken with another rider who encouraged her to start letting Chance trot downhill, so we made a little better time. While I have always worked Hoss on trotting downhill, Merina had bought into the old yarn that a horse only has "so many" downhill miles. So after I had suggested I disagreed with that notion, she had spoken to someone who is well respected in endurance and confirmed what I said. At any rate, this made for a little faster going.
After a few miles, we caught up with a Limited Distance rider who was having difficulty with his horse. We let him hook up with us to help get his horse in check. Hoss did not like Monty, this new horse, and made sure Monty knew it. He wasn't terrible, but it was clear he'd rather Monty moved off on his own.
We circled around back to camp, only to pass through camp right by our trailer and back across the highway on trail. Hoss found this peculiar. He didn't complain about it, but he was pretty sure we should stop and have a vet check.
After we got out of camp and across the highway, the LD ride split off and we parted company with Monty.
While riding along, Chance developed a slight head bob. It was initially very mild, and it appeared she had bruised her foot because of dirt getting under her pad. Unfortunately as we continued on, Chance got worse, and Merina made the wise decision to pull. At the juncture where the LD went back to camp and the Endurance ride continued on, Merina turned and walked back to camp.
Hoss was quite distressed by this development. He really thought we should go the same way Chance was going. He went slowly, but he went, and he was very sad. It wasn't long, however, before Cheri Briscoe and Echo caught up with Helen and Rocky. Hoss likes Echo, so he was happy enough to hook up with them for the rest of the day.
The only drawback to being with Echo is, Hoss worries Echo won't wait for him. He didn't care if Chance waited for him. So when Echo would get ahead, rather than chug along at his own pace and catch up as he could, Hoss would get anxious and go faster than he should if I let him. This meant we disagreed a lot. I had to spend much more time controlling his pace.
We made the five or so miles back to camp, pulsed in, and went to the trailer for lunch. I gave Hoss his bran mash and a flake of alfalfa hay, then heated up a bowl of soup for myself.
I kinda like in-camp vet checks. I have everything I could possibly need, there's no chance of forgetting to pack something or needing something I didn't send. It does seem like an hour vanishes in no time in camp, probably because I'm doing more. An out check feels like forever as I sit around watching my horse eat, but in camp, I'm cooking and doing stuff and that hour goes by in three seconds.
Once we were close to the end of our hold, I took Hoss over and we vetted through. I kinda hoped Cheri and Helen would be gone already and we'd be able to go on our own. I put my spurs on, just in case I needed them if we were on our own and I needed to be able to cue him more strongly.
When we headed back out on trail, Cheri and Helen were there, so we went ahead and rode with them.
Hoss really cannot keep up with Echo or Rocky, and anyway he prefers to keep up the "rear guard action" if one of the other horses is a good leader. Rocky is especially swift, so he led most of the time. The three really went along together okay, other than Hoss getting left behind and playing catch-up.
We got through quite nicely. It was fun to ride with Cheri, who has done this ride in the past, and has a lot of knowledge about the area and many of the little tidbits of history. There is a house that Dave and Ann Nicholson used to live in on the top of a mesa. Dave used to stand up there and watch the horses go by on the ride. Now there is a small group of llamas living near the house, and they look down over the edge and watch us pass.
Listening to Cheri's stories and riding along, we got through to the end, and the new trail down into the back of camp. Hoss paused at the top and stared down into camp, contemplating how he could perhaps get there faster. I allowed as he could get down there sooner, but he wouldn't like the sudden stop at the bottom. Being a practical fellow, he chose to go down on the trail.
After we got to the bottom, I looked up, just to confirm for myself that it is not possible to see the trail from the bottom. It doesn't look possible to have a trail down the side of that mountain, but it's been done. Yikes.
After vetting Hoss through, I took him to the trailer and tended to his needs and my own.
At the ride meeting, I learned Chance had evidently suffered some sort of ligament or tendon injury. She was still lame after being tended by a farrier at the ride. She had gotten a little better when her shoes were changed, but it was clear she was done for the weekend.
Link to Day 4 Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhDYbRHaYac
2013 Mt Carmel Endurance Ride, Day 2, 50 Miles
Once again I hauled my butt outta bed and started getting ready for another ride day. I had forgotten to soak beet pulp for Hoss, so I ended up giving him his electrolytes and vitamins etc. in a bran mash. He loves bran mash anyway, so it was probably best. I set up beet pulp to soak for him to have with dinner and got all our preparations done.
We met up with Merina and Chance and hit the trail. Merina had used a snaffle bit the day before, but felt she still didn't have the control she wanted, so I loaned her Hoss's Kimberwicke. It turned out to be the perfect choice. Merina had much more control over Chance's silly behaviors and had better luck preventing her from doing her sideways spooks or bucking
Day Two went to the "Rim of the World," an apt name for that section of trail. It wasn't a particularly steep ride, but it had its moments. Several times other riders got off and led up or down, while Merina and I rode.
Much of the ride was on jeep roads. Not Hoss's favorite, but it'll do. He did just fine, especially with a trail partner.
Passing through a farm/ranch, we saw icicles had formed where water was running overnight on the hay fields. I truly did not think it had gotten remotely that cold, but several people mentioned ice forming on water buckets.
Somewhere before the vet check, Hoss managed to lose a shoe. I didn't even feel him do it. I did notice he slowed down a touch, but I attributed it to going down a slight hill. It wasn't until we were in the vet check, pulsed down, and I had fed him that I realized the shoe was gone. Luckily I had been smart enough to put a boot in my pack. Unluckily, I had used my multitool to open the bales of hay in the trailer and neglected to put it back on my saddle. A screwdriver was located with little effort, and I was able to apply the boot.
We vetted through and got ourselves back out on trail. Hoss felt a little weird at first due to the boot, but he adapts to that sort of thing quickly enough and it wasn't long before we were hotting along and he felt like his usual self.
We finished strong and in good time. Once again both horses vetted and were ready for the next day.
During the vet check I had mentioned I was getting sick and needed to find some medicine. It turned out Ann Nicholson had exactly what I needed. When I got back to camp, she had left it on my table for me. I still unhitched the truck to get myself some more water and ice for the cooler, but it sure was nice to have the medicine I needed without having to hunt for it.
*Link for our YouTube video. Blogger still can't find my videos.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1pSDUtbaYY&feature=youtu.be
We met up with Merina and Chance and hit the trail. Merina had used a snaffle bit the day before, but felt she still didn't have the control she wanted, so I loaned her Hoss's Kimberwicke. It turned out to be the perfect choice. Merina had much more control over Chance's silly behaviors and had better luck preventing her from doing her sideways spooks or bucking
Day Two went to the "Rim of the World," an apt name for that section of trail. It wasn't a particularly steep ride, but it had its moments. Several times other riders got off and led up or down, while Merina and I rode.
Much of the ride was on jeep roads. Not Hoss's favorite, but it'll do. He did just fine, especially with a trail partner.
Passing through a farm/ranch, we saw icicles had formed where water was running overnight on the hay fields. I truly did not think it had gotten remotely that cold, but several people mentioned ice forming on water buckets.
Somewhere before the vet check, Hoss managed to lose a shoe. I didn't even feel him do it. I did notice he slowed down a touch, but I attributed it to going down a slight hill. It wasn't until we were in the vet check, pulsed down, and I had fed him that I realized the shoe was gone. Luckily I had been smart enough to put a boot in my pack. Unluckily, I had used my multitool to open the bales of hay in the trailer and neglected to put it back on my saddle. A screwdriver was located with little effort, and I was able to apply the boot.
We vetted through and got ourselves back out on trail. Hoss felt a little weird at first due to the boot, but he adapts to that sort of thing quickly enough and it wasn't long before we were hotting along and he felt like his usual self.
We finished strong and in good time. Once again both horses vetted and were ready for the next day.
During the vet check I had mentioned I was getting sick and needed to find some medicine. It turned out Ann Nicholson had exactly what I needed. When I got back to camp, she had left it on my table for me. I still unhitched the truck to get myself some more water and ice for the cooler, but it sure was nice to have the medicine I needed without having to hunt for it.
*Link for our YouTube video. Blogger still can't find my videos.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1pSDUtbaYY&feature=youtu.be
2013 Mt Carmel Endurance Ride, Day 1, 50 miles
We arrived in base camp on Tuesday, after I locked the keys in the truck in Las Vegas and my GPS routed us through Zion National Park. That made for a rather expensive day! At least I had everything I'd need for the next five days and shouldn't need to spend money for more than a bag of ice or two.
By the time we arrived, I realized I was developing a head cold. For most people this is nothing more than a nuisance. For me, especially so far from home, it is potentially a problem. It is almost inevitable that a cold causes me to experience bronchitis. And it wasn't like I could just call my doctor and get a prescription called in to the neighborhood pharmacy. I had no cell service, and there was no neighborhood pharmacy! I'd just have to muddle through.
I set up camp and debated about my sleeping arrangements. It was very warm, but the forecast I checked before I left called for temperatures in the 40s or lower overnight. So I chucked all the sleeping bags into the tent, but only set up the summer weight one. I could always get more out if I needed them.
We vetted in and I attended the ride meeting (just about a first in a long time). It was light until nearly 9pm, but once I'd taken care of Hoss I crawled into the tent. If I was gonna fend off a bout of bronchitis I needed every bit of rest I could get.
In the morning I fed Hoss and got us ready to head out on trail. Not feeling particularly like doing bunches of cleanup, I just had cereal and fruit for breakfast for myself. I sent my lunch along with Hoss's to the vet check, and we headed out to the start.
While riding around warming up and waiting for the start to be called, we ran into Merina Mitchell and her mare, Dual-E Grand Chance, known as Chance for short. Merina asked if I would mind her hitching up behind me and Hoss. I said no problem, and we set out on trail together, Merina using Hoss's butt to keep Chance in line. I had to keep Hoss in line, of course, as he was excited and more than ready to go.
Once we felt we had our horses in hand, we picked up an easy trot. Chance is ever so slightly faster than Hoss, so after a time she did most of the leading. She wanted to follow Hoss for a while, but once she got bored with being kept to a slightly slow pace she was happy enough to lead.
The views were spectacular. Hoss liked having Chance as a trail partner. He wasn't worried about whether she'd wait for him, and kept to his usual pace quite nicely even when she disappeared ahead on the trail.
We didn't go terribly fast. Chance had hurt her back at her previous ride, just two weeks earlier, and Merina was being understandably conservative. I was happy enough to go slow and enjoy the day.
We made the vet check in decent time, and stood down for our hold. Hoss ate well, and both horses shared a pile of the hay Merina and I had individually brought along. I sat and ate my lunch and minded horses so Merina could get her lunch. Then she tended the horses while I got some stuff as well.
Hoss vetted through nicely toward the end of our hold. Chance did fine, under increased scrutiny due to being pulled just two weeks before. We got ourselves ready, packed up our bags, and headed back out on the trail.
Some of the climbs were interesting. Very steep up or down. The one mentioned in the ride meeting was dubbed the "Hill of Death." To my mind, it wasn't as bad as some of the others. It earned its name because it comes down and makes a 90 degree left turn at the top of a rather steep cliff. Dave Nicholson's description on the ride map said something to the effect of, "If you fall off your body will vaporize before hitting ground." It was recommended to lead horses down, but I stayed on. With my hip in the condition it is, I'm safer on Hoss than the ground. In fact, he seems to know this and will frequently try to "force" me to get back on if I get off.
There was some nice single track curvy stuff through the trees, which Hoss just loves to do. We don't go fast, and Chance got far ahead several times. Hoss just kept his head down and powered through it. Still we kept up much of the time.
The last hill down toward camp was, in my opinion, far more treacherous than the Hill of Death. We were again advised by our trail description to dismount, but again, I'm safer on Hoss than on my own two feet. I trust his four more than my own two any day. He's careful and contemplates what's ahead. He'll even stop to think about how he's going to manage an obstacle or to allow the horse ahead to get further ahead so he has room to work himself. Smart fella.
We made it down the hill in good form and rode back to camp for the finish. Everyone vetted out fine for the next day's start.
I got Hoss settled in for the night with a huge pile of hay and bran mash. I felt a little bad I wasn't blanketing him, since everybody around me was blanketing their horses, but I just didn't think he needed it. I was sleeping in the summer weight sleeping bag in shorts and a tank. How could he possibly be cold? So I left him naked.
*For reasons I am unable to fathom, I can't get Blogger to recognize my YouTube videos. Below is the link to the video for Day One of Mt Carmel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN13w_YZ-Wk
By the time we arrived, I realized I was developing a head cold. For most people this is nothing more than a nuisance. For me, especially so far from home, it is potentially a problem. It is almost inevitable that a cold causes me to experience bronchitis. And it wasn't like I could just call my doctor and get a prescription called in to the neighborhood pharmacy. I had no cell service, and there was no neighborhood pharmacy! I'd just have to muddle through.
I set up camp and debated about my sleeping arrangements. It was very warm, but the forecast I checked before I left called for temperatures in the 40s or lower overnight. So I chucked all the sleeping bags into the tent, but only set up the summer weight one. I could always get more out if I needed them.
We vetted in and I attended the ride meeting (just about a first in a long time). It was light until nearly 9pm, but once I'd taken care of Hoss I crawled into the tent. If I was gonna fend off a bout of bronchitis I needed every bit of rest I could get.
In the morning I fed Hoss and got us ready to head out on trail. Not feeling particularly like doing bunches of cleanup, I just had cereal and fruit for breakfast for myself. I sent my lunch along with Hoss's to the vet check, and we headed out to the start.
While riding around warming up and waiting for the start to be called, we ran into Merina Mitchell and her mare, Dual-E Grand Chance, known as Chance for short. Merina asked if I would mind her hitching up behind me and Hoss. I said no problem, and we set out on trail together, Merina using Hoss's butt to keep Chance in line. I had to keep Hoss in line, of course, as he was excited and more than ready to go.
Once we felt we had our horses in hand, we picked up an easy trot. Chance is ever so slightly faster than Hoss, so after a time she did most of the leading. She wanted to follow Hoss for a while, but once she got bored with being kept to a slightly slow pace she was happy enough to lead.
The views were spectacular. Hoss liked having Chance as a trail partner. He wasn't worried about whether she'd wait for him, and kept to his usual pace quite nicely even when she disappeared ahead on the trail.
We didn't go terribly fast. Chance had hurt her back at her previous ride, just two weeks earlier, and Merina was being understandably conservative. I was happy enough to go slow and enjoy the day.
We made the vet check in decent time, and stood down for our hold. Hoss ate well, and both horses shared a pile of the hay Merina and I had individually brought along. I sat and ate my lunch and minded horses so Merina could get her lunch. Then she tended the horses while I got some stuff as well.
Hoss vetted through nicely toward the end of our hold. Chance did fine, under increased scrutiny due to being pulled just two weeks before. We got ourselves ready, packed up our bags, and headed back out on the trail.
Some of the climbs were interesting. Very steep up or down. The one mentioned in the ride meeting was dubbed the "Hill of Death." To my mind, it wasn't as bad as some of the others. It earned its name because it comes down and makes a 90 degree left turn at the top of a rather steep cliff. Dave Nicholson's description on the ride map said something to the effect of, "If you fall off your body will vaporize before hitting ground." It was recommended to lead horses down, but I stayed on. With my hip in the condition it is, I'm safer on Hoss than the ground. In fact, he seems to know this and will frequently try to "force" me to get back on if I get off.
There was some nice single track curvy stuff through the trees, which Hoss just loves to do. We don't go fast, and Chance got far ahead several times. Hoss just kept his head down and powered through it. Still we kept up much of the time.
The last hill down toward camp was, in my opinion, far more treacherous than the Hill of Death. We were again advised by our trail description to dismount, but again, I'm safer on Hoss than on my own two feet. I trust his four more than my own two any day. He's careful and contemplates what's ahead. He'll even stop to think about how he's going to manage an obstacle or to allow the horse ahead to get further ahead so he has room to work himself. Smart fella.
We made it down the hill in good form and rode back to camp for the finish. Everyone vetted out fine for the next day's start.
I got Hoss settled in for the night with a huge pile of hay and bran mash. I felt a little bad I wasn't blanketing him, since everybody around me was blanketing their horses, but I just didn't think he needed it. I was sleeping in the summer weight sleeping bag in shorts and a tank. How could he possibly be cold? So I left him naked.
*For reasons I am unable to fathom, I can't get Blogger to recognize my YouTube videos. Below is the link to the video for Day One of Mt Carmel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN13w_YZ-Wk
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