Vail Lake Endurance Ride 2012

Hoss and I arrived at ride camp fairly late, close to 5pm. After getting him set up with water and a nice bran mash, I set up camp and got my rider packet. Once Hoss had a chance to eat and drink, I took him and vetted him in. After he cleared the vet, I took him back and braided his mane. Evelyn Allen had sent me new riding tights, and many strips of cloth left over from making them. I used the strips as ribbon in Hoss's mane. Looked pretty cool, and we matched.

....Even if it does make him look kinda girly

The ride started at a marginal 6am. I much prefer the 7am start. Especially this time of year, there's little reason not to wait until 7am. Unless it's going to be particularly hot (like it was at Prescott), there's plenty of daylight to do a later start. Maybe it's just me. I don't want to have to be up at 4am.

Hoss wanted to just go. I made him start toward the back (we'd finish back there anyway; might as well start there). One of the biggest problems Hoss has is getting upset when another horse passes him. I decided we were not going to trot until he settled down and walked properly. It just was not happening. Instead he was doing a pretty passable pace. This reinforces the idea he probably has a gait, but doesn't do it as naturally as would be ideal. Several times I circled him to a stop before we continued. Still not walking. I got him to walk and was just about to ask him for a trot when another horse passed us and all bets were off. He was pacing again. It took quite some time and close to three miles, and much "reminding" him he's not allowed to look at other horses, before he walked decently and I was able to ask him for a trot.

Of course, the "trot" I got was more like the jackhammer Nazi trot style. I stood up in my stirrups and just rode it out until he settled a bit and started trotting more naturally. He still wanted to go faster than he really should, but at least he had a trot with a proper rhythm and a little bit of suspension.

The first leg of the ride was mostly on dirt roads. Hoss does very well on dirt roads. It's just about his favorite surface. So, despite some steep but short climbs, it was pretty easy for him to do. Unfortunately we were behind the time I was hoping to make due to his refusal to walk for the first three miles. We walked in to the first vet check about 9am. I had hoped to be there by 8:30.

Hoss recovered in about two minutes, with me sponging him. He really likes being sponged, even if it's not super hot. His favorite is to have the sponge placed between his ears and let the water run down his face. Once he'd pulsed down, I took him and vetted him through. I made up his bran mash and set out his hay. He was more interested in the weeds than the hay once he finished the bran, but he ate decently. I got a little bit of fruit and a couple of donut holes.

Once our hold was over, we got back out on the trail. The second leg was a bit of a shock. There was much more technical trail, including narrow single track along a steep hillside. It was narrow enough not to risk trotting on. Much of the trail through the hilly parts was clearly new, and not as stable as older, more established trail. There were large rocks to negotiate both up and down. Several times Hoss did stupid things and tripped. Once he nearly slid over the edge of the trail.

During this section I got my first notion this ride wasn't going to be as easy as I'd been led to believe it would be. Yes, the footing was "good," but the steep sections were really steep. I quipped to another rider, "Is this an endurance ride or a moto-cross track?" The roads we were on were often very steep. Too steep to more than walk up or down.

The second vet check was back at camp. I hopped off when we were within a few hundred yards of camp and led Hoss in. His heart rate came down in three minutes, again with much sponging off. We got in about 11:30, an hour ahead of the cut off time. It wasn't terribly warm yet, although I was down to my tank top (it's so nice to have nice weather). I took Hoss back to the trailer once he'd been vetted and gave him bran and a flake of alfalfa. I went and got myself a sandwich and drink, then sat with Hoss for the remainder of the hold.
 
During the ride meeting, we had been told the second half of the ride would be tougher than the first. If they were right, it was going to be really difficult. The first half hadn't exactly been a breeze.

Once our hold was over, we headed back out on trail. Once again we were using trail that had been recently created. Much of it was pretty nice, but there were areas that could use some work. While we were riding, we passed camping areas. One had a stage set up and live bands performing. That was kind of interesting. Hoss didn't seem to care at all. What got to Hoss was the sound of people yelling and screaming ahead at one point. I don't know what it might have all been about, but whoever they were they were loud!

We rode through another camping area where a pair of model dinosaurs had been erected on a hillside. I missed them with the camera – dammit. We rode past a pool were a large group of people were doing something indefinable, but it was clearly some organized event.

There was a great deal more climbing on the third leg of the ride. We rode along the top of ridgelines and climbed hard. Then coming down in to the vet check, the trail was steep and treacherous. And the worst was yet to come after the vet check.

We came in to the vet check at 3pm, half an hour ahead of cut off. This time, with the higher temperatures and the much more challenging trail, it took Hoss nine minutes to pulse down. There were no sponges at this vet check – I had been unable to find mine in the trailer during the second hold – so I used one of my empty water bottles to scoop water over Hoss's neck and face and front legs. Once again Hoss got a bran mash (the advantage of the three-hold ride – giving Hoss a bran mash with electrolytes at every stop rather than ramming it in to him with the syringe) and I gave him some hay. There were also popsicles for riders and I gratefully had one. By now it was particularly warm. I had emptied one bottle, which after I used it to scoop water on Hoss I refilled with Gatorade.

After our hold time we got back on the trail again. I saw other horses riding through the open field across from the vet check area, so I knew we should be over there. I realized pretty quickly as we rode along the road that we'd missed a turn. I turned Hoss back to look for the turn. He trotted along nicely, until I turned him where we'd missed. He thought we were going back to the vet check!

We trotted along the road and turned back up toward the hills. Trotting along this windy section of little-used dirt road, I heard a vehicle coming toward us. It was coming fast, and the driver had no way to know we were there. I urged Hoss to the outside of the road so we'd be visible as early as possible. An older white truck came screeching around the corner. I made eye contact with the driver, but he made no effort to slow down. As his truck started skidding sideways toward us, it was clear it was up to us to get out of his way. Hoss didn't really recognize the danger. Why should he? He's never had a vehicle do anything but avoid him. I kicked the hell out of him, sticking him hard with the spurs to get him off the road just in case that idiot driver lost control and rolled it. The truck flew on past and, heart in my throat, I got Hoss back on the road and trotting again. Then I heard a second vehicle, and a police truck came flying around the corner. This truck at least stuck to the road and I didn't fear he was about to wipe us out.

I was still running a little bit of an adrenaline high when we got to the water buckets. I let Hoss get a good drink while I contemplated the hill ahead of us. This hill, basically a dirt road, must have had a better than 7% grade. I've walked 6% grades, and this was definitely steeper. I decided I'd better tail Hoss up it. He wouldn't be able to walk any faster with me on him, and if he didn't have to pack me it would be at least a little easier on him.

The hill was long. Really long. More than a mile I tailed Hoss up the hill. Several other riders got off, but rode more than half the hill, usually getting off midway and getting back on closer to the top. Those horses trotted relatively easily up the hill. Hoss, on the other hand, doesn't do so well on hills. Even tailing up he goes pretty slow. It took us a long time. We're going to have to work on getting up hills better.

Once up the hill, we started down the other side. Well, sort of. It was a bit rolly. Sort of moto-cross track rolly. Again. There was very little trottable area, at least for Hoss, since he kinda sucks at the trotting uphill thing. So we trotted the flattest parts, trotted at the bottom of hills and starting up the hills. We needed to make time. We had less than two hours to complete.

Finally we got out of the hills and were able to get serious about trotting. The wind was at our backs. Who needs to eat someone else's dust when you can eat your own? The wind blew the dust just ahead of us, creating our very own personal dust cloud to ride in.

We were really coming down to the wire, but I could see camp and the end of the ride. Usually we walk the last mile or two back to camp, but we trotted in this time. We came in with just five minutes left on the clock. It turned out we were the last finishers. The final two riders behind us simply could not make the time. They were over an hour over time, partly because they realized they weren't going to make it and stopped trying.

In the end, this ride was a significant challenge. It was described as "moderate," which I would disagree with. After the first half I would have called it "moderate plus." Now I would be more inclined to describe it as "challenging." And the manager is talking about doing a multi-day event there. Oy! Only if it doesn't have quite so many vet checks….

2012 Prescott Chaparral Ride Day 3

One last day. At the ride meeting the prior night, we were told to expect a hard climb on this ride. We were riding in to the Granite Basin and it was considered to be the toughest trail of the three days. The reason it was held for the last day was because the Forest Service didn't want us out on heavily used trails during the week. So it was done on a Monday.

I got Hoss ready to go and headed out to the start. We trotted out for the vet and made our way out at the start.

The trails were truly beautiful on this day. Hoss and I were alone pretty much all day, not hooking up with any other horses during the ride. Just the way I like it.

It was very hot, and I was starting to get tired. I forgot what color ribbon we were supposed to be following. It didn't take me terribly long to realize my error and turn around and get back on the trail. We met up with another rider who briefly thought I was going the right way. I disabused him of the notion and we headed on up the trail.

We were with the other horse briefly, until the rider dismounted and led his horse. We had reached the climb (I didn't realize it was the "long arduous climb" described in the meeting; it seemed pretty tame to me). Hoss and I passed the other horse and rider and headed on up the hill.

It wasn't until we got to the top and started dropping down I realized the hill we had been climbing must be the one management had warned about the prior night.

There had been no water since before the climb and Hoss was beginning to show signs of being particularly thirsty. As we dropped down along the trail, I could see a stream running along down the embankment beside us. There was no safe way to get down there, but the smell was driving Hoss nuts. Finally we came to a spot where two other riders had made it down the embankment and their horses had been able to drink. Once they cleared out I rode Hoss down to the stream. He was so thirsty he wouldn't cross to drink from the flat side. Instead he stayed with his butt up on the embankment and dropped his head to drink. It was an awkward position for me, but we got through it. Once he'd slaked his thirst enough to be more reasonable I got him across the stream and allowed him to drink from there.

Once we got out of the trail down into the Basin we came to a parking area. I followed ribbon and realized somehow we'd gotten off track again. It took some riding back to find where we'd missed the turn but we did. The turn had not been terribly clearly marked. We had been told to work the trail "counter clockwise." Well, that doesn't mean much if you can't be sure where the trails are in relation to one another.

We finally reached the vet check. Hoss recovered well and we settled in for our hour hold. Hoss ate a bran mash and some hay and a little bit of soaked beet pulp.

After our hold we hit the trail again. I will say this was the toughest of the three days. We had to make time everywhere we possibly could. We climbed back up the trail alongside the stream and out of the Granit Basin.

Much of the rest of the trail back to camp we had covered on the prior two days. Hoss recognized it and at least didn't dally particularly.

Of the three days, this one took us the longest. I was pushing toward the end, worried about making the cut off. We made it in with a little over half an hour to spare. I was pretty happy with our time, considering how difficult the trail had been. While not impossible, it had been more challenging than the prior two days.

2012 Prescott Chaparral Ride, Day 2

Since Kody was back on the injured reserve list, Hoss and I were on our own for day two. This was the 55 mile day. It was flatter than the prior day, so should be easy enough. Management did decide to start earlier due to the high temperatures, so we started at 6am. This had its benefits, but I hate starting that early. It's better than 5am, I suppose.

The whole pack headed out at a steady trot. We were able to go along with the flow quite nicely to start. We were not riding with anyone in particular, and it wasn't long in to the ride before we were on our own.

As predicted, this day was largely flat. There were climbs, but nothing much. We did have to ride through some rolling stuff and some areas with a lot of turns. Hoss isn't real good at turning one way then the other. We've been working on bending through turns during our lessons, and I used the opportunity to work on getting him and me bent properly through turns.

The vet check was back at camp. It got pretty warm pretty early in the day. I sponged Hoss at every water stop. When we arrived back at camp for the hold, Kaity met us at the vet check area and helped sponge Hoss down. He pulsed down quickly and we got him checked and back to the trailer for food and electrolytes. Kaity walked him back so I could get some lunch. The ranch we were camping at donate grass-fed beef burgers, which were very good if rather small.

Once our hold was over we headed back out on the trail. While on this loop we got caught up by a group of other riders. Hoss wanted to stick with them, but he's simply not fast enough to stay with most horses. It wasn't long before the other horses were well ahead and Hoss was struggling to keep up with them.

This is the situation I dislike the most. Hoss gets obsessed with trying to keep up with horses. Often this gets particularly frustrating when we get to water stops just in time for the other horses to leave. This means if he stops for a drink, the other horses get farther ahead. There's no incentive for him to stop and drink rather than chase the other horses. I had to force him to stay at water stops. It was while this was going on that I discovered that, while you can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink, Hoss will drink if I whack him between the ears with my crop!

Again, the ride is something of a blur. I remember stopping at a water trough and dipping my helmet in it. It was a cow trough, so it was nasty and smelly. I didn't care. I was hot! Hoss got a good sponging as well.

Because this was the 55 mile day, I was feeling a little stressed out about getting done on time. My GPS was showing a good fifteen miles left to go and not really enough time to finish if we didn't get up and go. So I pushed Hoss to keep up his pace. It was tough through the twisty stuff, but he persevered.

Either my GPS was way off, or management's measurements were off. After starting at 6am, Hoss and I finished at 3:30pm. That's the fastest we've ever done. I have a hard time believing the mileage was right!

When we got back, the gentleman who greeted us said, "You won the lottery!" Being tired and having taken a painkiller for my hip, I was rather addled and his comment made no sense whatsoever. It turned out he meant our number had been drawn for random drug testing. It took a rather significant amount of time for the vet to draw the blood and prepare everything. Kaity finally came over, concerned something was wrong.

The vet finally wrapped up the whole drug testing thing and I was able to take Hoss back to the trailer.

2012 Prescott Chaparral Endurance Ride, Day 1

While I was finishing saddling up and fiddling with Hoss's heart rate monitor, and Kaity and Kody were finishing up as well, we heard someone start hollering for the fifty milers to check in. This particular human being had a rather loud voice, audible and clear throughout camp. It made us giggle. We finished getting ready and headed over to check in.

Hoss was doing fine until we were riding up and down waiting for the official start and Kaity asked Kody for a trot. I decided I didn't want to trot, and Hoss started to get annoyed. I asked him for a circle and what I got was bucking. Without changing what I wanted, I started kicking him forward and got my whip in hand. He really had some buck in him that morning. In our lessons, he had started bucking a bit in an effort not to do what was asked. It had worked a couple of times, at least temporarily, so he decided maybe it would work now.

Hoss managed to make quite a spectacle of himself. After the bucking I started backing him and he pointed himself right at one of the Porta-Potties. I allowed him to go ahead and back into it – lightly – then straightened him out and made him back some more. We did teeny little circles with his head cranked around. We did side-passing. He settled down a bit, but when we headed out on trail we were separated from Kody and Kaity and he was one unhappy camper. We did eventually catch up. In the mean time I was able to get Hoss to settle down and get to work.

It got hot pretty fast. Before we'd been out much over an hour I had my sweatshirt off and was down to a tank top. It was really quite nice. The first ride of the season I've been down to less than a sweatshirt. I was careful to apply plenty of sunscreen!

OMG, cows!

 Fairly early in the day we encountered a pair of cows and calves. They were right in the middle of the trail and showed no interest in moving. Kaity and Kody were in front, and Kody was frozen, staring at the cattle. I got Hoss out in front and rode him at the cows while hollering. It didn't take much of that – Kaity took up the call of "Come on, cow!" as well – before the cows and their calves barreled off into the underbrush.

Much of the first loop – indeed, much of the entire day – is a bit of a blur. The vet check was in a very nice area with lots of grass growing. I had sent a crew bag with a bran mash for Hoss and my extra water bottles. Lunch was a choice of a variety of lunch meats and chips and such.

Hoss was his typical self on the trot out. I showed him the whip before we started out in an effort to get him to trot appropriately. He did better on the way back than on the way out, since Kody was back at the vets. His CRI (Cardiac Recovery Index) was 48/52. That's not considered all that great. The heart rate should be the same or lower on the second check than on the first one. I had a feeling, though, the vets weren't really doing it right. The trot out area probably wasn't long enough, and I don't think they waited long enough between checks. Hoss's CRIs in the past have always been the same or lower. Based on how he was performing and how he was recovering, though, I figured he was fine.

During the second loop we had to climb a rather rocky hill. Kaity noted we "usually rock the hills." To which I couldn't resist responding, "Well, this hill is 'rocking' us!"

We finally made it to the downhill side. Kaity hopped off and led Kody down the hill while I continued to ride. It was an ugly downhill Very rocky and rutted. It was still nice to be heading down rather than up.
At the bottom of the hill was a cow trough where we stopped to let the horses drink. Hoss and Kody snuggled up pretty close to each other, so when I wanted to hop off to sponge Hoss, I had to dismount on his right side. As I was swinging my leg over, my left hamstring cramped. I wound up lying on the ground getting the cramp to release while Kaity wondered if I was going to make it. The cramp let go and I managed to get up and sponge Hoss.

After getting back on and making our way down the trail, we picked up the trot and Kaity immediately noticed Kody wasn't moving right. The same hip he was favoring after his fall at Nevada Derby seemed to be giving him a problem again. We gave him a little time and Kaity rubbed him a little, but in the end it was clear they were unlikely to make it in on time. They were walking.

Hoss and I continued on. Hoss wasn't particularly happy at first, worried about his buddy, but he settled in to trot us the rest of the way in. At the road crossing, I asked the volunteers if they might be able to reach ride management to give Kaity and Kody a ride back to camp. They were able to, and later Kaity and Kody had reached camp before we made it back.

We pushed back to camp and finished nicely.

Nevada Derby II

I arose before 5am to a light dusting of snow on the ground. This was bizarre because, as the night had worn on, I had shed layer after layer of clothing. As the temperature dropped, I got warmer and warmer.

Getting ready to head out on trail with a little snow on the ground

 I got Hoss saddled and we headed out on trail. Kody called from camp a few times, and Hoss looked back, wondering why his buddy wasn't coming along.

The trail headed out and almost immediately up a steep hill. Hoss was pretty hot to get going, wanting to catch up to or keep up with other horses. A paint horse and another (very fat) mustang were ahead of us and he temporarily chose them as the objects of his obsession.

Once we topped the hill, I got Hoss around the paint and the mustang and kept him trotting until we hit some rather rocky whoop-de-doos. I slowed Hoss to a walk to negotiate this section of trail. And behind us, the paint and the mustang sped up and trotted through it, catching up to and passing us! Worried I'd end up in another situation like the previous afternoon, at the next opportunity I got Hoss trotting again. We passed the pair again and by dint of much kicking and cajoling, I kept Hoss trotting down the trail. I didn't allow him to slow until we'd passed the photographers halfway up the next hill.

The first loop was quite long – some 20 miles. The manner in which the ride was split created a bit of a dilemma. I had only brought along four total tubes of paste electrolytes and had two left. I like to give Hoss the electrolytes at particular intervals, typically as close to every 12.5 miles as I can. Usually he gets one of those doses at the mid vet check in a bran mash. With the way this ride was split up, it wouldn't be possible to get the mileage right without another tube of electrolytes. I finally decided to simply split the two loops evenly, 10 miles between electrolytes on the first, 15 miles on the second.

We reached the 10 mile mark at a rather convenient point. There was a water trough. I stopped and offered Hoss a drink. He didn't drink, but I gave him his electrolytes anyway. My experience with him is it's best to just give him the stuff whether he drinks or no.

Now we were back on the long trek back toward camp on the same trail we'd been on the previous day. 10 miles back to camp, and I could see camp from where we were. We trotted quite a bit and made our way back to camp a good hour before I had expected to make it back. My GPS read about 2 miles less than the loop had been purported to be.

My husband asked me if I'd rather buy the lunch being prepared by ride management. I decided that would be good, as all we really had was soup or boiled hot dogs. Since I am not a fan of boiled hot dogs – I prefer them grilled – we decided to have the prepared meal. We took lunch back to the trailer and sheltered inside from the wind.

I took Hoss to the vet shortly before our hold was up. Hoss had eaten and drank pretty well. The vet who watched him trot out was concerned he was landing harder on his left front than his right front. The head vet watched him (I had to trot him twice) and decided he pretty much always looks like that and cleared us.

A cow beside the trail -- she never bothered to move

 The second loop was quite long – 25 miles. This was over much of the same trails as on day 1. It took a little cajoling to keep Hoss moving, and he did better when he had horses he could try to catch up to, but he did pretty well all things considered.

We stopped at the water stop just a couple of miles from the check point. There was also hay, but it looked suspiciously like orchard grass, so I couldn't let Hoss eat it. Fortunately management had put out a significant amount of carrots. Hoss ate those happily until I pulled him up and got him moving again.

At this point we were more or less following two other horses. Hoss would step out well while they were trotting and he was trying to keep up, but when they slowed down and I asked him to keep going, he'd slow down as soon as we were ahead. It was a little annoying, especially since the other pair would trot for a while, slow down, then trot for a while again. This made it easy for Hoss to wait for them.

When we reached the check point, rather than a human taking numbers, there was a clip board with a sheet on which to put our numbers and the time we got there. One of the other riders we were sort of with did the writing for the three of us. Then it was time to head back down the hill and toward the second vet check back at camp.

Hoss typically does better going downhill than up. He was more reluctant than usual on this ride. It took more work on my part to keep him going. It didn't help when other horses were coming up going the other way. While Hoss knew going the way we were would take us back to camp, it still gave him an excuse to slow down and try to stay with other horses.

While we were heading down the hill and other riders were coming up, I was asked a couple of times one of the more annoying questions I think a rider can be asked: "How much further?" One woman even gave me a rather dirty look when I couldn't give her an exact distance from where she was. What do I look like here, an odometer? Sheesh. This one ranks right up there with "How many riders are behind you?" How the heck would I know that??

Back at the water stop, we turned up the hill and back into the steep stuff we'd done twice on day 1. Hoss slowed down here when the horses we had been "with" stopped at the hay but I made him go on. Another pair of horses passed us and he got motivated again. Fortunately not quite as motivated as the day before. He didn't quite pull my arms off trying to catch up to them while I forced him to go slowly down the hills and not charge up them. He handled the rock "stairway" well and thankfully for the last time.

We came in to camp for the second vet check. I had my husband bring hay and a bran mash to the vet check area rather than take Hoss back to the trailer. Hoss ate well, and toward the end of our fifteen minute hold, I took him to the vet and checked him through.

By this time I was really starting to hurt, so I broke down and took a painkiller. Once it kicked in, I was sure glad I'd taken it. Up to that point I had been feeling grumpy and behaving rather poorly. I was surly and kinda mean. Taking the painkiller meant I was a bit more cheerful for the final five miles of the ride.

Hoss was not feeling particularly motivated. There were a couple of horses ahead of us and he showed no interest in trying to catch them. I got him trucking along at a rather slow trot for a time but when we started up a mild hill he died down to a walk. Normally I would've forced him to keep up his pace, but I was feeling pretty good about life and hey, less than five miles to go, so I let him walk up the hill. Besides, I had a great 
book to listen to.


When we turned off the uphill and started going down again Hoss was ready to trot. Once again feeling cheerful himself, we trotted along the road downhill back toward camp. There were a couple places he wanted to slow down and I saw no reason to deny him. He did trot most of it anyway. Once we got back to the road back to camp, I hopped off and led him in. We finished nicely, and I tucked Hoss in for his last night in Reno.

Nevada Derby I

We arrived at the ride site outside Reno, Nevada early afternoon on Friday. It was a long drive. We had over-nighted in Bishop at the fairgrounds after picking up Kaity Elliott and her horse, Kody, in Apple Valley. The horses shared a pen at the fairgrounds and I learned to my dismay that Hoss is not a very nice guy. He bit Kody at least three times over night! Guess I won't be putting him with other horses again.

The forecast for ride day called for steady rain starting around 2pm and the possibility of snow. I knew this well in advance, and had treated my windbreaker with waterproofing. I treated it with so much of the stuff the darned thing still stank so bad when we packed up I had to put it in the bed of the truck so we wouldn't all be high by the time we got to Reno.

The week before the ride, I started having trouble with my asthma yet again. I knew I really needed a breathing treatment, but I didn't have any drugs for the machine. I was ready to go to the ER, but my sister was able to come through with some medications and I spent the weekend trying to knock the attack down. By Monday it was clear I was not going to get any better without seeing a doctor first, and I couldn't get in to see my regular doctor. But I had a problem. There were only two bales of hay left in the garage. The only day I had to go to the desert was Monday. I had to go get hay. So I hooked up the trailer and drove out for hay. My husband helped me buck it when I got home, and afterwards, wheezing like a poorly sealed air compressor, I drove myself to the urgent care. The doctor said he didn't need a stethoscope to diagnose me. He could hear me from across the room. I was seen quickly and given prescriptions for steroids, antibiotics, cough syrup, and medication for the breathing treatment machine. They also gave me an injection of steroids. It was probably the first time in my life when someone asked if I wanted a shot and I said yes. When I arrived home with my new prescriptions, I immediately took the first dose of antibiotics, a slug of cough syrup, and sat down for a breathing treatment. By the time the Albuteral had me vibrating, I was breathing easier.

The result of all this was, I was arriving at a ride with my breathing still compromised enough that, while walking to dinner with Kaity and my husband, I couldn't keep up with them. Trotting Hoss out for the vets was a bit of a challenge. It didn't help that the vets couldn't seem to determine Hoss was fine, he just sort of lumbers in the trot out.

The winds were pretty bad, and all we had to sleep in was the tent. The big one. Since my husband needed to head back in to town anyway, we disconnected the truck from the trailer and used it to block the worst of the wind from the tent. The horses were happy, as we were camping with two other rigs and had them set up to block the wind reasonably well so the horses were protected in the center. It could only have been better if we'd had one more rig.

This ride started at a civilized 7:00am. So I didn't need to get up until 5:00 to feed Hoss. I had brought along beet pulp pellets. I wanted to feed them right away when I got up, so I left them to soak overnight. I don't think I've ever seen Hoss so persnickety about his beet pulp! He ate about half, and went to his hay, ignoring the rest of the beet pulp. I've even been feeding him a little corn and barley to improve the flavor of his breakfast and provide him with a little more energy. Not good enough in his mind. This meant that, when I saddled up and we headed out on the trail, he hadn't finished his food and had not gotten his full dose of electrolytes. It couldn't be helped. Hoss would start the ride anyway. Maybe he'd learn something. Probably not.

We headed out with Kaity and Kody pretty much right at the start. Ride management wanted everyone on trail by 7:15, and since we knew this ride was probably the closest we'd ever do to 50 miles without going over, we knew we needed to use every minute we had.

We got the horses warmed up and picked up a smart trot. At the first water stop Hoss drank a bit, then we continued on up the hill. I noticed Hoss's trot was slightly different than it had been before. I had changed his hind shoes in an effort to improve how he uses his hind end. It seemed to have worked. His gait was more efficient. I could only hope the change wouldn't cause him to tire out from using muscles he hasn't conditioned well.

Turning down along the hillside, we headed down a trail with quite a bit of whoop-dee-doos. This resulted in more walking than we would have preferred to do, but it was better than risking injury.

Once we got out of the worst of the woop-dee-doos and back on level ground, we were able to trot out well again. Then we turned back into the hills and rode along some more challenging trail. This section went up and down with some extremes. There were sections of flat where we could pick up time, but the downs and ups were rather steep. At one point there was a rather challenging rock obstacle. The horses had to step down after a hard left turn. It was rather like a stair case. Kody and Hoss negotiated it fine, even if the riders were a little nervous about it.

When we got back to the road, the horses took a good drink at the water stop some 2 miles before the vet stop. There was hay, but it looked suspiciously like orchard, so I couldn't let Hoss eat it. At least I knew he had hay and bran at the vet check and we couldn't be far from there.

The first loop was advertised as 11 miles. Someone who had done the ride in the past told us it was more 
like 9. It was a good thing we didn't live by that. By the time we came to the vet check, my GPS was reading close to 13 miles. Yup, they got it that far off.

As per usual, it took Hoss a few more minutes to come down to the 60bpm criteria than it did for Kody. He didn't drink in the vet check – which didn't bother me as he'd had a good drink two miles earlier – but sucked up his bran mash and munched quite a lot of his alfalfa. I took him to the vet close to the end of our hold. The vet wasn't happy with his trot out (oy vey) but passed him and we headed out on the trail.

The next loop was purported to be 19 miles. After finding the first loop two miles longer than advertised, I was nervous this loop might be off, too. It could be off either direction, longer or shorter! Based on the experience, we would be pushing ahead on the assumption the mileage was misreported. At least this time, we knew we would be able to see camp long enough in advance to have some notion how far out we were.

It was cold and windy, but Hoss was handling it quite well. Not that I'm surprised. He seems to be unaffected by weather extremes.

We trotted down the trail around the mountain until we came to the long downhill. Kaity hopped off Kody and led him on down the hill. I don't have that luxury. I get off and Hoss is faster than me. It just ticks him off. It's easier and less aggravating for both of us if I just stay on. Kaity can jog down the hill, so it's easier for her to go ahead and get off, and gives Kody a break.

Once we got to the bottom of the hill, Kaity mounted back up and we headed off. Several other riders caught up to us. We were now about 10 miles (if we went by the map) from ride camp. The road we were on was straight and virtually flat. We could just about see ride camp from where we were with ten miles to go. The horses that had caught up were going much faster. Kody happily picked up a canter and kept up with the others. Hoss, on the other hand, wasn't particularly interested in going quite so fast. On the theory he'd catch up later, he allowed himself to fall behind.

The wind picked up, and a dust storm stirred up toward ride camp. We could see the dust cloud blowing across the desert. I certainly hoped it would die down some before we got to it.

Once separated from the other horses, Hoss continued to drop back, although he continued to trot smartly enough. Kody was doing quite a lot of cantering. This meant he got further and further ahead of Hoss. Hoss has never been particularly fond of cantering. He'd rather trot than anything. Hoss did start to get upset about it, and I had to hold him back to keep him from ramming through some sections of trail he needed to walk through. By the time we were in sight of camp, it was clear we would be some time behind Kody and Kaity. This was not unexpected, as the same thing happened at Twenty Mule Team.

I hopped off Hoss when we arrived at the road to ride camp. This typically gets him to calm down on the way back in to camp. If I ride in he tends to stay hopped up. We walked in, gave our number to the in timer, and went to pulse down.

By this point Hoss was pretty hungry. He wanted to eat! It's not unusual for his heart rate to stay up unless I allow him to eat. I told the P&R person he'd come down if I let him eat, but she was convinced I shouldn't let him eat. Most horses' heart rates will increase if they put their heads down to eat or drink. Even Hoss's heart rate will go up when he eats. But at that particular moment, his heart rate was up because he wanted to eat. Once I let him drop his head and start eating some hay, his heart rate dropped immediately. I walked him back to the trailer and gave him bran mash and let him eat his hay.

Kaity and Kody had arrived back about fifteen minutes ahead of Hoss and me, so they'd be leaving before our hold time was up. I sat in the truck and took a breathing treatment as a preventive measure. My husband made me some lunch and I sat behind the trailer as much out of the wind as I could get and ate. By this time the wind had shifted so the rigs weren't creating as much of a wind break for the horses as we would have liked. Hoss was basically standing directly in the wind the entire time we were at the trailer.

Hoss was napping when Kaity tried to sneak out with Kody. It didn't work. Hoss immediately woke up and started calling for Kody. It was time to go ahead and vet him anyway, so I got our stuff together and headed up to the vet.

The vet checked Hoss over, giving him a "B" on skin tent (hydration) and asked if he'd had much to drink at camp. I allowed I wasn't sure, but that he had drank well on the trail and had been standing in the wind for nearly an hour. Then we trotted out. The vet had "the look" when we got back. She thought he was off. She asked how he felt on trail. I told her – honestly – he felt totally normal. She called the head vet over and I trotted him out again. The head vet assured the first vet Hoss always moves like that, and we were allowed to head back out on trail.

By this time the real weather had moved in. With about 20 miles left to go, the wind and rain had well and truly come up. We headed out in much the same direction we had started in the morning. Hoss and I were pretty much by ourselves at this point. As we trotted along the road with the wind in our faces, I was grateful I had decided to put his riding fly mask on. The rain had become snow. Stingy, needle sharp snow. Hoss had his fly mask to protect his eyes. I was not so lucky. It was dark enough if I put my sunglasses on I couldn't see any better than I could without them. I would be very happy once we turned back in the other direction and got the wind at our backs.

Somehow two of the horses that had caught and (I thought) passed us on the loop prior to lunch ended up behind us – and caught us again. Hoss immediately locked on to them. He wanted to keep up with them. Unfortunately they were simply too fast for Hoss. Yet more aggravating, they didn't maintain speed well enough to leave us behind.

We turned up and headed back toward camp, going the opposite direction on the same trail we had started out on in the morning. Now behind a pair of faster horses Hoss wanted nothing more than to catch up to, I was getting hauled along pretty hard. At this point I expected to have the wind at my back, but no, it shifted. The wind was once again in our faces. Hoss developed quite a collection of snow on his brow ridges.
A few weeks before this ride, I finally saw an orthopedic surgeon about my hip. He diagnosed IT band syndrome (look it up; there's just too much to explain on the blog), injected me, and told me I didn't need the painkillers I had been taking. Ooookay. So I stopped taking them, knowing I wouldn't be getting more from this guy, and figuring I'd need them to get through this ride. I had a few left over. I'm glad I'd kept them, because I don't think I would've gotten any sleep without them.

The section of trail we were on now was the extreme up and down part. We were riding alongside a barbed wire fence as well. I could not get Hoss to give up on the idea of catching up with the other horses. And they would slow down just often enough to always be just over the next hill.

We got to the rock obstacle we had gone down in the morning. Now we would have to go up it. Going up involved heading, for all intents and purposes, directly toward the barbed wire fence and nearly running into it before making a sharp right turn. Fortunately Hoss, despite his distraction, is a practical fellow. He paid enough attention to the obstacle to make it safely to the top before attempting to charge after the other horses.

Riding this section with my hip the way it is and no painkillers was not fun. The only way I could keep Hoss head up and keep him from plunging out of control down the steep hills was to brace against my stirrups. This resulted in my hip really being painful. I tried getting in the saddle and keeping my legs on him, but it wasn't as effective that far in to the ride. I simply had no leg left.

We got back to the road toward ride camp, still fighting to catch up to the pair of horses. I saw a familiar helmet in the near distance. After a mile or so, we caught up to Kaity and Kody. I was surprised. They should have been finished long before us.

Kaity explained Kody had slipped on the rock obstacle and she'd taken a fall off of him. When they got everything back together and continued on, it quickly became clear Kody had pulled a muscle in his hind end. Fortunately when we got back to camp Kody passed the final vet check, but he was done for the weekend. Kaity and Kody would not head out on trail Sunday.

After the miles of fighting with Hoss, I was happy enough to slow down and walk in the last few miles with Kody. At first, despite being back with his buddy, Hoss continued to fight to keep up with the other horses. I made him walk back with Kody. Kaity voted Kody through right away while I took Hoss back to the trailer and got him cleaned up and let him eat for a while before I took him to the vet. I needed to get his vet card for day two anyway.

Hoss vetted out just fine. The head vet teased me about actually wanting to head out on day two, which at the time I was a bit put out by. Later I realized she really was just teasing. I think the pain was making me extra sensitive. After I'd taken a painkiller I was less bitchy.

One day down, one to go!

Twenty Mule Team 100

Thursday evening I was still feeling a little less than perfect, but I felt well enough to go to the ride. I spent much of the afternoon napping, as we planned to leave around midnight in order to get to ride camp with 24 hours for Hoss to recover from the trailer ride.

My husband had spent Wednesday night pulling an "all-nighter" so he'd be able to drive most of the way to Ridgecrest. He also spent most of Thursday afternoon sleeping. It was a hot day, and I don't know how he managed to sleep in that hot bedroom. I couldn't do it; most of my napping was in my chair. I guess that Navy career really came in handy for this particular day.

It felt like a really, really long day, but midnight finally rolled around and it was time to load up and leave. Hoss saw the trailer pulled out and was ready to go when I brought the halter out to get him. D.C., however, was very unhappy and promptly began pacing. She spent most of the time Hoss was gone pacing. There went all the weight I'd managed to put back on her!

Our arrival in ride camp was delayed by the GPS directing my husband to the wrong place. I was still lying down in the back seat and did not see us pass the fairgrounds. When the GPS told my husband he had reached his destination, it was in the middle of a dirt road! It was still dark, so I had difficulty determining where we were in relation to where we wanted to be. After some fumbling around and driving into strange places, I took over the wheel and my husband used his iPhone to find where we needed to go. We made our way back to the fairgrounds and pulled in to ride camp a little after 6:00am.

After unloading Hoss and getting him set up, we unhooked the trailer and my husband headed back in to town to get us some breakfast. I got out my anti-gravity chair and hung out reading and keeping an eye on my horse.

The only drawback to getting to ride camp so soon is there's really not a whole lot to do. It's kinda boring, really. And it certainly doesn't help my anxiety level! By the time the ride meeting came around, I was so spun up I could've gotten on and rode right then. The extra time was good for Hoss, though. His heart rate was higher than usual, probably because he was standing in the sun all day, but otherwise he had recovered better than usual.

It finally got late enough to crawl in to bed. We had set up to sleep in the back of the trailer, as the weather was nice. The only problem is when Hoss starts digging deep in his hay bag, he makes the whole trailer move. It's not so bad in that I can be very sure he hasn't managed to untie or unclip himself and wander off.

About two hours before start, I got up and gave Hoss some more hay and his beet pulp mush. I laid back down for an hour, then got up to groom and saddle and get ready to go. My husband made me a wonderful breakfast of fried eggs and sausage.

Not having ridden with the flank cinch for very long, I wasn't sure how tight I should make it. As a horse works, it will tend to suck up its belly, resulting in the flank cinch becoming loose. When I'd ridden him to test the flank cinch, I hadn't ridden him long enough to determine how much he'd "shrink" his belly. I knew I wanted it to be snug enough to remain against his belly.

A little before start time we headed over to the start line. We met up with our riding partners for the day, Kaity Elliot and Kody. We headed out in the pre-dawn light. Hoss was a bit of a handful. You'd think after 1000+ endurance miles he'd be better than this. Instead I have a horse trying to bolt and generally acting a fool. Interestingly I've gotten rather good at putting up with this without yanking on his face or using the reins to hold him back. He pitched a nasty fit, behaving as though I was yanking on him when I had no pressure on the reins at all. I did find he settled down much earlier than usual. Whether that was because I wasn't fighting with him or he's finally decided it doesn't do any good I don't know.

The first sixteen miles went remarkably quickly. While we were riding on an old railroad track bed, Kaity found the turn, but a good ten or fifteen other riders (65 milers who had caught up to us back of the pack 100 milers) rode on past the turn. I recall when I attempted the 65 years ago with Phoenix we missed that very same turn. Added a good five or six miles to get all the way to a road, figure out we'd missed a turn, and make it back to the turn. This year the turn was not as well marked as it had been the year Phoenix and I missed it along with several other riders.

I noticed Hoss was not trotting quite like usual. He felt a bit choppy and short-strided. I looked at our shadow and noticed the flank cinch had become significantly looser. My guess was the loose flank cinch was a bit tickly and most likely the cause of his altered gait.

Just before we arrived at the first vet check, someone fired some sort of shotgun. Hoss really dislikes gunfire, and his heart rate shot up. Adding to his distress, Kody and Kaity had gotten fairly far ahead of us. Hoss really needs to walk in to vet checks in order to get his heart rate down. I had tried to slow him before Kaity had slowed Kody. This did not go over well. The result of all this madness was Hoss taking a good five minutes longer than usual to come down to criteria (set at 60 for this ride).

The first vet hold was 15 minutes. Once Hoss's heart rate had come down I took him directly to the vet and got him passed. My husband had set up Hoss's food and water across from where Kaity's crew had set up. Hoss was impossible. He was looking for Kody and not paying any attention to food or water. I finally gave up and we went over to be near Kody. Even though he was near Kody, however, Hoss did not really eat, instead more interested in looking around and nibbling on the local bushes.

Kaity decided to stay the extra time so we could leave the vet check together. We would make up the five minutes on the trail.

I had tightened Hoss's flank cinch during the hold. Once we had been back on trail a few minutes, we picked up the trot to continue on our way. Hoss's gait was more normal. I could only conclude the flank cinch had, indeed, caused him to trot weird. In the future I'll have to remember to snug it down further than it seems it should go.

The next 15 miles went somewhat less quickly, but quickly enough. Kaity and Kody cantered several times, but it became clear Hoss wasn't really interested in cantering. He'd rather trot. Not that he didn't want to stay with Kody, but he wasn't motivated enough to run to do it. The wind was blowing pretty hard, but it kept the temperatures down so I really couldn't complain. It wasn't blowing as bad as it had at Fire Mountain, so it really didn't feel like much in comparison.

We came in to the 31 mile vet check and hour hold, and I checked Hoss through. His heart rate came down much more quickly, and when Kody walked away from him he really didn't seem to mind particularly. The wind was blowing enough in the vet check area to put up dust clouds from time to time. My husband had set up a bran mash and hay for Hoss and was cooking up some soup for me. Hoss was being a bit of a pill. At first I didn't tie him off, and he wandered away. My husband had to go retrieve him. At that point I tied him to the workbench inside my truck. He still wouldn't eat once he'd finished his bran mash, so I took the hay bag off the truck and put it on the ground. Hoss doesn't like to eat with the hay bag up high. He can be more than a little persnickety. Once the hay bag was on the ground he ate a little better.

The next section was quite a bit longer. The next check was at 55 miles, making for 24 miles between the second and third checks. We took off with Kaity and Kody. We crossed under the train tracks and were on a relatively flat, broad section of trail. Once again Kaity and Kody cantered several times, leaving Hoss and me behind.

We came to a long uphill climb. Kaity and Kody had caught up with another rider. We had all three ridden together for a time, but Hoss faded back when we were going up the hill. The other two horses were simply faster up the hill than Hoss is. Hoss plugged along gamely enough, but he just couldn't keep up. The other two horses would periodically slow down, allowing Hoss to catch up, only to speed back up to a trot, and Hoss had to simply keep working. He was getting a little fed up with the whole thing.

After we topped the hill we came to a long, slightly downhill power line road. Hoss did better along this part of the trail. Still, when the other horses started cantering, he wasn't interested in doing the same. The other horses got further and further ahead, and Hoss quit trying to keep up with them, although he would have been happy to catch them. By the time we got to the next water stop, some three or four miles from the 55 mile vet check, Kaity and the other rider were well ahead of us. By the time we arrived at the vet check, Kaity and Kody were about ready to leave. Hoss's heart rate had come down, but I didn't feel like he was really ready to see the vet, as it looked to me from his heart rate monitor that he was still a little elevated. Hoss always seems to do his best if he gets to eat a little bit before going to the vet. Kaity asked if I wanted to go ahead and vet him while Kody was still there, but I sent her on her way. Hoss didn't seem to particularly care whether Kody was there or not. Which only lasted until Kody headed out on the trail. Hoss started calling for him almost immediately. It really didn't seem to make much difference, though. He gave it up pretty quickly in preference for the bran mash and hay my husband had laid out for him. Toward the end of the 15 minute hold, I took him to the vet and he passed well.

The next ten miles were difficult. Hoss was not particularly interested in going much faster than a walk. I suspect he was thinking this was just about over. I managed to get him to trot on the flatter and downhill parts of the trail, but he was dragging on the uphills. We finally arrived at base camp about 5:30pm, not bad really. Hoss's heart rate came down immediately and we headed to the trailer for our hour hold.

The vets wanted to see horses with saddles off for this check. I pulled Hoss's saddle while he ate and sat down for my own dinner, prepared by my awesome husband. (Do I say how great he is often enough? I don't think so.) When we had about fifteen minutes left in our hold, I took Hoss to the vet. He passed, once again with flying colors. I did have to take along a whip as a little incentive to get him to trot, but once he did he looked fine. He just needed a little more encouragement than the end of his leadrope waved at him could provide.

When I tied Hoss back to the trailer, he stuck his head back in his hay and started eating. Well, once I put the saddle pad back on his back, he stopped eating and got this absolutely disgusted look on his face. He made his displeasure evident when I mounted and headed him back toward the trail. Not interested, he said, and walked like a drunk. I did get him back out there, but he was less than pleased about the whole idea. He thought we should be done by now, dammit.

The next 25 miles were difficult to say the least. I could manage to kick Hoss up to a trot for forty or fifty yards, but then he'd fall back to a very slow walk and refuse to move any faster. When we reached the highway, another horse was waiting for a trailer. His rider had decided to pull. I let Hoss stop in hopes he'd drink, but he was more interested in food. Unfortunately the only hay available was stuff he can't have, so I was only able to allow him to eat the natural stuff – more like sticks – around the water tanks. (There were several other people around, and I always love it when people try to tell me I should just let Hoss eat whatever he wants. Would they tell me to eat shellfish if that was the only thing available, despite being allergic to it? I don't think so!) 

The trailer arrived right about the time I was getting Hoss back on the trail. He was really unhappy. He wanted to get in the trailer, too! When we crossed the highway, I couldn't get him to move faster than about 2 mph for some time. He did eventually give it up and move a little faster.

I was very grateful for a fairly good amount of glo-sticks. Had it not been for the dim glow in the distance, Hoss and I would've ended up out in the desert wandering around 'til dawn. One of Hoss's favorite tricks for slowing down is to start heading down what he knows is the wrong trail. At this point we were back on trail we had covered earlier, and there were turn-offs every 100 yards or so. It was down hill, so I was rather insisting Hoss trot. He would point himself down a wrong turn, and ignore my leg (which was pretty much gone by this point anyway) until I was forced to take up the reins and force him over. Well, of course, if I pick up the reins it must be because I want him to slow down! At that point in a ride (some 80 or so miles) I simply didn't have enough leg to keep him going and turn him at the same time. I would pick up the reins to push him over and he'd comply, and drop to a walk at the same time. We went through this several times.
When we finally arrived at the water stop a few miles from the final out vet check, I got off to give him electrolytes. The muscle in the back of my right leg promptly cramped up. For several minutes I was laying on the ground beside my horse hoping I could get the cramp to die down enough to finish the ride.
The cramp finally released enough for me to get back up without ending up falling down. I gave Hoss his electrolytes, although he didn't drink at that point, then managed to get back in the saddle.

Hoss recognized where we were and sped up, but not much. We still mostly walked the rest of the way to the vet stop.

While we were walking through the wilds, I saw a pair of eyes glowing off to my left in the light of my head lamp (due to my extremely poor night vision, I must use a flashlight at night; I did try several times during the night to go without the light, but Hoss would have succeeded in getting us off trail if I had). About thirty seconds later, a silver fox darted across the trail. I could only see it because of the head lamp. Not long after that, I saw the glow of the fox's eyes again, and once again it darted across the trail. This went on for about a mile. It was truly a cool experience. I really wish I had a camera that could take good night shots!

We finally made it to the vet check and Hoss was just so hungry I couldn't make him just continue on after being checked over. This was a "pulse and go" style hold, so we did not have to stay, but I gave Hoss fifteen minutes to eat before we made the final 10 miles back to camp.

Hoss really knew now we were headed back to camp. While he still didn't want to trot, his walk picked up. I did bring along the whip I had put in the truck for the final out vet check, in an effort to get him to move out at least a little more. It didn't work as well as I had hoped. There was no way he was going to trot uphill at all. He would trot some on the flat and downhill, but not fast. Really for the most part it was just as easy to let him walk. By this point he was at least walking at a reasonable pace.

We finally walked in to camp at 4:30am. Hoss's heart rate was well below criteria, and he passed the final vet check quite well. I would've liked for him to trot out better, but it was adequate. I took him to the trailer and got him untacked. I was thinking it wasn't very cold and I might leave his blanket off until I happened to check my husband's clock with the thermometer on it. It was 36 degrees! Much cooler than I felt it was. So I went ahead and put Hoss's blanket on, even though I knew once the sun was well up I'd have to take it off.

My husband didn't stir as I got in the trailer and changed. He woke up a bit as I crawled into my sleeping bag, and I teased him about not being up to see us come in. The end of an endurance ride is a little anti-climactic, unless you happen to be the one on the horse. I was asleep in minutes after I lay down.

We were awakened a few times. Once by another entrant asking if I had finished. Which prompted me to have to get up to check on Hoss. He was fine, but I gave him more food. We slept another hour or so, then headed over for breakfast. The ride meeting wasn't until much later, so back to bed I went. Unfortunately my hip started to really give me some pangs, and the painkillers were not touching it. Later in the morning I was able to rest comfortably in my anti-gravity chair.

I remember a time when a twenty five mile ride left me exhausted. I remember when fifty miles was enough to cripple me for days. After having completed my first 100 mile endurance ride, I can say this is the truest test of endurance for horse and rider.