LAST JANUARY UPDATE OF THE BBBDR

16C Maggie 74 miles
14 C Nicole 14.8
9 C Kerrie 134.17
5C Caitlin 155.9 *
4P Aurora 98.7  *
2C Elizabeth 32
1P Deanna 78.81
************************************************
Remember!  DO NOT POST ANY FEBRUARY MILEAGE on the BBBDR.  Keep a paper tab and post up the mileage the first week of March.  Let's see what happens!   ~ E.G.

A Slump of EPIC proportion

I'm experiencing an EPIC seasonal slump.  Lifting a leg to move from place to place is more than I find currently appealing...it is like the motivation and life has been sucked out of me.  I do well as long as I'm on track and inching forward.  It is the backwards moments that really tax my mind.  I'm not a person who enjoys the idle time of winter or rainy springs.  I'd make a lousy vampire... The little things are keeping me somewhat glued into place.  Got my trailer tags for the year,  park pass and bridle tags came in this week.  My gear is the cleanest I've seen it in two years ('cause we aren't working), I have the pads to test drive over park service road.  Front concavity of hoof continues to make progress.  The old bruising on her rear hooves has worked its way almost all the way down to the bottom of the hoof wall.


It would have been a nice sunny day to ride except for the gusty wind that had the horses running, snorting, blowing, with eye staring off into outer space at unseen demons.  I'm over riding "crazy."  Picking my battles seems to make more sense.  So it was hoof trimming instead for the girls.  Fitting pads to Journey's gloves on the fronts.  Checking Phebes for  scratches which have been problematic of late, but she looked okay.

I need a vacation.  Somewhere sunny and warm and QUIET.

The Sisterhood in the Kingdom of Mare

Journey and Phebes got off to a rough beginning.  Journey whipped Phebes into shape in a hurry as to who was going to be the Alpha-Mare in a herd of two Alpha-Mares.  It has been interesting to watch this dynamic over the months.  Things have settled down to a "sister-hood" of late.  Journey still wielding the power when necessary, but most of the time more like siblings in the back seat sticking their tongues out at each other and one  yelling "she touched me!"  Phebes gets chased.  A LOT.  But it is pretty passive now.  She trots a circle and twirls her head at Journey until Journey is no longer enchanted by the game.   Journey grooms Phebes against her will and Phebes stands there because she likes it, but gives snarky faces at Journey the whole time.  The last time I took Journey for a ride (you know...back when there was no sheet of ice, or flood warnings) Phebes was upset that Journey was leaving.  Phebes never gave a rat's butt about anyone's coming or goings before.  And Cree?  He is the center of the universe.  A twitch of an ear, or a dirty look generally puts things back into place.       ~ E.G.

Great Deal on a CREW BAG

Tough 1 crew bag  the price is nearly half the cost of other sources.  If they make their crew bags as well as their horse blankets this is a steal!

The herd threatening mutany!

The winds were gusting hard today.  Sheet metal rattling on the barn, wind whooshing through the trees, tarps and pool noodles flapping in the tree of death.  The horses were up.  In fact so badly up I thought one or the other was going to crash through the electric rope fencing.  I tried animal communication (desperate times call for desperate measures), arm flapping, petting and consoling.  The horses continued to splatter through the mud like out of control tumble weeds! What to do?  WHAT TO DO?

Three flakes of hay in three separate piles saved the day.  Why is the simplest measure the hardest to conjure up?

Whew!

This was the first time I've seen Journey all torqued up and she looked like a little spotted arabian.  Tail flipped up and giving it heck out there.

Weather of the Day

Let's just all sing along!  La la la la la la....

The ice has indeed melted, we had thunderstorms overnight (in January?) and now the creeks are flooded, and we are under a wind advisory with 45 mph gusts.

I guess I'm gonna have to resort to doing dishes (right after I put my clean sheepskin seat and leather covers back on my saddle).

Happy trails (at least someone, somewhere).

~ E.G.

Back to Work MELTING....MELTING!

So the ice persisted through yesterday with a THUNDERSTORM and subsequent downpour, and we are melting.  I figure by Wednesday  the flooding will be done and the trails will be accessible... since I'm working 12 hours straight and doing it again on Thursday.  That has been the trend for the past couple of weeks.  I get a weekend and it plunges to a deep freeze, or an ice storm, or a soaker, or, or, or...I just don't do cold and wet, or flooded, or dangerous.  Life is short, no sense making it shorter.  There is endurance tough, and then...there is stupid.

LSEGH moved manure mountain yesterday with the tractor.  We have seeded the new manure mountain wanna be as of this morning.  Hard to believe how much manure three horses make in eight or ten hours!  I take about a wheelbarrow load out of stalls each morning.  What do you do with your manure mountain?  Ours rots down for the garden eventually.

Have a great week!

A PROTOTYPE (NON HORSE)

A loosey goosey cuff bracelet using crochet.  It should be made of string, and with a WAY smaller hook, but it is a quick easy project if I get to the WALLY and pick up the right materials...

We have been awarded and we gratefullyaccept.  Thank you very much.   Love my peeps!  Speech over.  

~E.G.

♥

Inquiring Mind: BREED DIVISIONS

In one of the older books I was reading about endurance riding, there was mention of an Endurance Horse Registry back in the day.  I'm curious as to what happened to that organization, certainly it met an untimely death, but the idea behind it made sense.  Cross breeding "proven" horses in endurance back when the competing animals were more diverse than they are today with the highest percentage of horses being Arabian, or Half Arabian.  These horses more or less rule at the sport.  But this led me to wonder something else.  What would happen to the sport if BREED DIVISIONS were opened up.  Breed divisions that would attract riders of all breeds of horses.

 Now someone will ask why?  Why should we consider this ridiculous idea of breed divisions?  To excel at the sport as it stands, for the most part you need an arabian, and you need an arabian suitable (athletic, racing bred, endurance bred, well conditioned, and/  or just darned genetically lucky) to the sport, plus all that follows that goes into that.  Those horses compete against their own kind, they excel, they pretty well do it best, or there wouldn't be so many of them in the sport.  So again, why breed divisions?  Because it would attract ALL BREEDS TO THE SPORT.      It would not dummy down the sport, and it would not change the sport.  What it would do is open the door for greater numbers to participate as they could choose to ride against their own breed for regional / National mileage or points.  A plethora of Breeds would compete against there own to prove who had the best of the breed.    Imagine going to a local club, or regional club and saying we have a platform of competition for you!  Bring your best Paint Horses, Quarter Horses, Paso Finos, Appaloosa,  Tennessee Walker, etc.  and see how he stacks up as a distance horse against all those other horses of the same breed across the country.  We have a venue for YOU.  It wouldn't even be a bubble on ride managements radar as breed information is attached to your horse's record.  It would not effect any other aspect of the sport except for being inclusive of those who prefer to ride "their kind of horse" against "their kind of horse for some breed recognition at the end of season."

Now someone will say that should be up to the breed registry or club.  Folks, the breed clubs don't give a rat's petunia about our kind of rider for the most part.  A few have a distance program, but mostly they do not.  They want to prove those horses in the show ring, and register lots of offspring.  It is your serious trail riders who might find this an exciting new venue for their horse.

See what happens when I get iced in?  My mind starts chomping like a bear trap.

*sigh*

La la la, la la la.

I vacuumed the bedroom today.

La la la, la la la.
☺~ E.G.

Endurance Blurbs: Various interesting reads about riding long distance.

Riding for condition.   Jenni Smith details her journey to the 2011 Tevis Cup.  She discusses the finer points of preparing for Tevis.  But for our purposes here, a ride longer than 50 miles.  (Please let me complete a 50 someday!)




Over on Merri's blog....I loved this story.  It is about the great Witezarif.   Actually my deceased mare had Witez lines, good old CMK / Polish lines.  She is the reason I hoped that Phebes would shine in the sport.  The genetics were all there, good conformation, the heart to RUN.  But the likes of Witezarif are a rarity in the sport world.  Chris Martin has his own little rarity in MONK (another CMK horse).  It is a wonderful story of an incredible horse.  I hadn't read this before Merri, thank you so much for posting that up.  It was a wonderful find for me.

This next one is by Janine Elsner.  You will have to scroll down the page to find the piece on conditioning an experienced horse for the Tevis.


This story is written by Chris Martin on his last Tevis ride.  I've linked it before, but it kind of gets to me so I'm posting it again.


Diana MacDonald on everyone's favorite topic LSD.

We are iced over....La la la...la la.

1/3 inch of glaze over ground, vehicle, roadways.

La la la.....la la la....

Supposed to thaw out tomorrow, but the creeks may still be problematic.

INDIANA ENDURANCE RIDE CALENDAR for 2012

It is looking GOOD!
CHICKEN CHASE 1 & 2 on April 21 -22, contact:Amy Wallace-Whelan 606-638-4852 (arabsrun@lycomonline.com) for ride flyer, entry form, . Distances of 25 mile (LD) and 50 mile (E). Ridecamp on private property with no camping fee.


MAUMEE VALLEY May 11 & 12th, contact: conniecaudill@yahoo.com for ride flyer, entry form, and camping information. Distances of 25 mile (LD) and 50 mile (E) . To be held in the Hoosier National Forest with ride camp at MIDWEST TRAIL RIDES.


Top of the Rock June 1-2,contact: Lois McAfee ride manager (loisjmcafee@yahoo.com) 812-725-3211.Ride distances of 30 (LD)and 50 (E)miles both days. Ridecamp on private property with no camping fee.


SALAMONIE STOMP July 28-29, 2012 contact:Maureen Fehrs 218-879-1964 (mfehrs@aol.com) fax:219-879-1964. Location:Salamonie State Park, Lost Bridge West, Andrews, IN.

***Kentucky(not INDIANA but close!) Stampede  on October 13 and 14, 2012. Contact: Amy Wallace-Whelan 606-638-4852(arabsrun@lycomonline.com) for ride flyer, entry form, . Distances of 25 mile (LD) and 50 mile (E) both days. Knott County Kentucky, near Soft Shell.

SPOOK RUN October 26-27. Contact: Lois McAfee (loisjmcafee@yahoo.com) fax:812-294-3081 Where: Clark State Forest, Distances of 25 LD 50E and 100 miles (on the 27th). Contact ride manager concerning camping, and location.

Please always check the ride calendar at the American Endurance Ride Conference website for the most up to date information/ cancellations, or date changes.  Thanks!  ~ E.G.

BBBDR Friday Stats

#16 C Maggie 74
#14 C Nicole 14.8
#9  C Kerry 78.77
#5 C  Caitlin 135.1 (current leader in Cavalry)
#4 P Aurora 92.4   (current leader in Pioneer)
# 2 C Elizabeth 32
#1 P Deanna 76.55

REMINDER:  February will be a black out month.  Tally your miles on paper, keep good track and post February results up the first week of March.

~E.G.  who is waiting for an ice storm to roll in...

Determination

Determined, capable, single-minded, persistent, consistent, endurance tough all attributes of an endurance rider.  Willing to crawl out of bed in the dark to cram in a training ride, or come home from work mind or bone weary to do the same.   Having the stick-to-it-ness to build up a sport horse, sometimes from the ground up.  Riding long and slow for a year, or two to have a horse that can really hang with it.  Endurance riders are an amazing example of people willing to push the boundaries of their own personal capability to see "what is next."  Yet willing to set all their hopes and dreams aside for the sake of their horse.   Good people.  I'm trying....I'll get there.  (30 miles and counting...)  ~  E.G.

The Inner Child

Sometimes people get out of touch with their inner child.   They are the saddest people I know.   They have forgotten the glee of adventure, the wholeness of the moment, and the joy of just being.  I feel that is the one attribute of distance riders that I most admire…the inner child alive and well, that wholesome sparkle in their eyes that says I can still have fun!   The seventy-eight year old that says... I'm climbing up and we are going!The sixty-something year old that gave me a wicked grin and raced me across a snowblown ridge line one wicked winter day.  Me barely hanging with them….by the seat of my pants thank you much!  The ability at times to throw caution to the four winds and JUST DO YOUR THING.  To be present in the now with your horse.  The dropping blood pressure, the tension seeping out of your body, the smell of sweat, and leather, and the gentle rhythm of the horse.  It is mindful, it is wonderful.  I have a hectic life, don’t we all?  Those special times with my horse I get to be ME.  I have nobody to please, no person to make judgment, just my furry one and myself, the wind in our face, snow on our lips, or the sun shining in our eyes, and my inner child smiling broadly upon her back.  People, life gets no better than that.  ~ E.G.

Winter is here...la la la la....winter is here

Sound a little frenetic?  This type of weather drives me BONKERS.  I'm not a shut up in the house kind of gal.  But on the other hand I do not enjoy loosing the feeling in my fingers and toes by going out.

*miserable sigh*

We are not getting much done, and the forecast for my next two days off is more of the same when the weather man/woman says "wintry mix".  Our big creek was in flood stage this week, which cuts me off from trail usage in both directions.

La la la...............la la la.

~ E.G.

INSPIRATION

Next long ride...think about Ashley. Endurance tough.

Recommended Blog Post: Teaching vet check basics

Karen Chaton: Training your horse for the vet check.

January so far....

Distance:	43.33 mi
Time:	9:55:31 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:	4,313 ft
Avg Speed:	4.4 mph

Nothing to brag about, but we are getting a few rides in between rain, snow, and ice.  Couldn't cross the creek today for our LSD as it was pocketed with ice on the far half. Average speed continues to be glacially slow... But 4.4 falls pretty close to what LSD should be in the early stages, and teaching her the learning curve in a safe and sane way.  I'll take it.  Now if I can just handle the next two weeks of January weather!

Repeat after me: "There is no race.  THERE IS NO RACE!"

~ E.G.

Sunday.........Spiritual

We think the Arctic blast is over...

The last two days were so cold!  Our temperatures took an Arctic dip into the teens and low twenties, with swirling dusty snow.  Journey is definitely not a cold weather horse.  She is super-picky about hay and wastes more than she eats, hence she does not generate much heat through her daytime digestion.  By the time evening rolls around she is one hungry horse!  We've tried grass and she snarls her nose at that, we've tried timothy (good quality empty the wallet as you pay kind of timothy), she eats the seed heads uses the rest to sleep on...what she was used to having, and is not getting is alfalfa.  I don't like alfalfa now that I've read up on what it does to the Calcium / Phosphorus ratio.   Alfalfa as a daily feed is bad business.  I learned that the hard way.  So she isn't getting it unless it is low percentage to grass actually at a ride or on LSD rides during her break.  But I digress...it has been super cold and we have been on hiatus.  All I'm really hoping for is to hold the condition I have through this month, and cross my fingers for two or three rides on any given week.   I really feel like I have to keep her somewhat tuned up so that when the trails dry out we can get on with it.  I've got so many things that I have to figure out yet that have nothing to do with riding.

• FEEDING FOR ENERGY EXPENDED (how to feed post ride to refuel, but not have hoof issues).
• CONTAINMENT (electric pen?  I have reservations about that with her) (or get a high tie or portable corral?).
• GAITER RUBS (we had one on our last long ride, think I got the velcro too snug).
• FEEDING AT THE HALFWAY (again, she isn't a good eater, takes a good hour to relax and start eating).
• SPARE BOOTS (Journey actually needs boots, where Phebes did not.  So I find I'm needing spares to have a clean set of four ready at all times).
• GLUE ON PROTOCOL (I'm considering Goobering on shells and not using gaiters on LD's).
• FEED PAN SET-UP for the halfway.  This sounds like a no-brainer, but want to make sure she won't be one to catch her halter in things, and if she prefers buckets to flat pans.
• ELECTROLYTES (What kind, how much, and will they upset her?).

Doesn't sound like much, it is just the matter of getting down to doing each and sticking with it until I've found the answer, while finding the time to get in a ride here and there.

BBBDR BLACK-OUT DATE

Call me evil (been called worse *LOL*) but I want to put a little "twist" into the BBBDR for the month of February.   TRACK YOUR MILES on paper at home beginning FEB 1st.   DO NOT POST YOUR MILES until after the last day of February, so it will be a black out for the entire month.  First part of March put up your February miles.  I think this will make things ummmm.....interesting!  You might want to note where you rode (trail, arena, roadways) just keep it generic enough that you are safe from any nuts out there.     We will be having periodic black-outs...and I'm thinking on some other "stuff" to spice things up for bonus miles!  Distance ride meets SURVIVOR...well, maybe not that bad.  Ideas can be emailed to me privately and nothing will be a "must do" for anyone.  More of an "is it worth it to you" deal.

But first up, the FEBRUARY MILEAGE BLACK-OUT.

If you haven't been riding this would be a good time to slide in under the radar with some mileage and level the playing field.

Thoughts of total rebellion or wicked (but safe) bonus ideas can be sent to my email:  jackereynolds@yahoo.com

Crosspost on MONK

MONK goes to Abu Dhabi....

 Invitation for the H.H President of United Arab Emirates CupFEI CEI 3 ¶160Km, in Abu Dhabi on 11th February 2012

We received the invitation last Friday which was the 6th..  We had until Sunday to decide if we would accept or not.  The invitation said that horses would ship out of New York.  We did a accept with the condition that MONK would be shipped out of the West Coast.  Today we got a email giving a possible itinerary shipping out of LA on the 2nd and arriving in the UAE on the 4th, with stops and short layovers in Chicago, KY....

The invitation is for the topped ranked riders on the ranking list who have not been invited before. The invitation is for two horse and rider teams, plus one groom per horse.

Luckily MONK is in excellent condition.  We are headed for Reno this weekend where he will have 3 days of sand work.  Just some easy work along the shores of Lake Washoe...

Needless to say we are very excited at this opportunity and will keep holding our breath until we are on the plane.

See you in Abu Dhabi........   

**********************************************************************************

And the MONK fan goes crazy!!!  Just don't sell him  Chris... Go MONK !☺

Weekly Update of the BBBDR

Current Stats in the A.M. of January 13, 2012:

#1 Deanna/Pioneer  71.2 miles. (current leader)
#2 Elizabeth/Cavalry 32 miles.
#4 Aurora/Pioneer 69.2 miles.
#5 Caitlin/ Cavalry 108 miles. (current leader)
#9 Kerrie/ Cavalry 78.77 miles.
#14 Nicole / Cavalry 14.8 miles.
# 16 Maggie/ Cavalry 71 miles.

If in error, let me know...I'll fix it.  Pulling number off the BBBDR blog (last entry).

Endurance Blurbs: Tips for Winning Your Tevis Buckle

Donna Snyder Smith

I'm thinking the plan would also help in winning a completion for your first 100! Or 50!  If you modify.

Enjoy!

~E.G.

Promoting the AERC

I ride a lot of solo rides.  In fact, nearly all solo training.  For the most part, I like it that way except for the safety issue.  I can focus on my horse, and don't have to worry about what the other person is doing, and get to ride my own agenda that day.  This does not allow me a lot of opportunity to share information with others about the AERC.  So I've been thinking of ways that I could get the word out, and perhaps stir some local interest in the sport.  A few of my ideas include:

• Printing handouts with general local ride information.
• Posting these handouts where horse feed is sold, and handing out to people who ask about distance riding.
• Sending the handouts to local saddle club, breed, and trail ride organizations.
• Including a contact # where I can be reached and including the AERC website link.

So how could new riders in the sport be made to feel more welcome?

• If they have just joined your club and paid their dues email them a welcome letter.
• If you receive email from a new member take a moment to answer that email!
• Make sure that new riders know how to find the rides in their area.
• Help new riders to find the downloads for entry forms if they are not easily web accessible. Can they download it off the AERC website?  If not, who do they contact?
• Offer to ride with a newbie, especially over the course where a competition may take place.
• Be available to answer questions, lead, and guide without judgement, and maintain positiveness.
• Offer to share a trailer ride to someone new to the sport.
• If you see a new rider looking "lost" at a ride, introduce them around, and ask if they need assistance.  They probably don't know what is next and just need pointed in the right direction.
• Take the time to pull up a chair and ask about the new person's goals.  Ask if they are having problems and offer solutions.
• If you ride turtle offer to ride them through that first ride.  If you are a mid-pack or faster rider, explain that you shouldn't ride with them, and why.
• Introduce new riders at the awards ceremony and make them feel welcome with a big group hello!
• Sound like hand-holding?  Yes, a little, but worth it to go just a little further and make a person new to the sport think WOW!  These endurance people are SO NICE!  Nicer still that they enjoy their initial positive experience and return ride, after ride, after ride.

~ E.G.

Journey is on hiatus for a few days.

She's done about 30 miles since Friday.  We've had some awesome weather over the past four days for January.  Unheard of nice weather, but the bottom will drop out of that tomorrow and Thursday as snow moves in the temps plummet to January lows.  I think my girl has a fair base on her at this point.  We've been puttering along since July, and only very recently have managed to get our moving speed to average 4.5-4.8 mph (smokin!).  But for us, as squirrely as she started out it is a big improvement.  We've also pretty much ceased turning circles and one-rein stops except one little short stretch where she knows the turn is for home.  She breaks gait, and I correct even if I have to do it for an hour until those feet move at a walk.  I had a trotting speed of 10 mph at one point this evening and she was really reaching.  It will be a long time before she is strong enough to do that for any period of time.  Her canter too needs strengthening.  It is flash in the pan, and also the gait she is most likely to act out, though we've improved that significantly.  Her pulse downs are not great.  She gets there, but you can count on five to ten minutes to drop.  Phebes doesn't help out in that process as she starts racing the fence when Journey comes home, snorting, and carrying on... Nothing is "perfect" but her rides are improving, and her away rides are the best rides I've had on any of my horses, she is an agreeable sort, and for the most part she's easy to ride.  Next on our agenda is working out a feed ration that will better fuel the work without much grain.  She is holding her weight but putting down a chunk of chow. We are about to the point that she wouldn't clean it up if I gave her more of what we have.  She is also kind of a finicky eater.  Not just any horse cookie will do!  But anyway, we are getting there.  Ever so slowly, but moving towards the goal.  Some R&R is in order...while I sort out what is next. ~ E.G.

It is starting to become fun ☺

Journey and I are beginning to seem like a partnership lately.  Our last long ride was absolutely flawless.  I couldn't have asked for a better solo horse.  I had deep reservations after the initial purchase of Journey as to her ever being a horse that could be ridden out on her own.  She was so herd bound.  But go we do!  I'm amazed to find myself trotting along with reins flopping loosely, it is so liberating!  Being the worrier that I am our average speed cracking about 4 mph through mud, and muck, and mire concerned me that we could even hope for a slow finish by the end of summer...but those two muddy LSD rides seemed to have done something for her as I noticed her flat trotting speed was between 7 and 8.8 mph this evening on "dry land."  Guess she's building those trotting muscles slogging through all that old mud!   It will sound silly to some, maybe all of you...but I've taken to having some conversation with my horse.  I'm not fool enough to think she is understanding the conversation, but I do believe that she gets the intent.  That we are buds, and how good I feel she is doing.  Let's call it herd value.  My herd value has been increasing.   Maybe it is only reassuring to myself, but I've been doing it, and our rides have been getting better.  Maybe the positive affirmations are only helping "me", but either way it works.  My expectation is that she is a good horse, we will have a good ride, and by golly we do.

The weather has been beautiful lately too, maybe I should stand outside under the stars and tell the sky how lovely it is at 54 degrees in January *wink*.  Well, it couldn't hurt!

Highly Recommended Blog Post of the Week!

On endurance etiquette on trail.   Karen's Musings & Endurance Ride Stuff  ~Karen Chaton


This one is really near and dear to my heart...as a lot of the stuff listed as "NOT TO DO" has happened to me over the course of seven competitions.  Including being crowded, pushed at water stops, horses running off at water stops,  having a horse's nose stuck up my horse's rear on a steep downhill, and downright insulted by being cursed at for pulling an excited horse off the trail (trying to exhibit my own etiquette by hearing them coming and getting out of their way) to let other horses pass!  I know it is not a perfect world out there, excitement and tensions are high...but there is no thousand dollar prize at the end.  Just a t-shirt in some new color, or a feed bucket or something.


On the other spectrum I've been treated wonderfully by other riders too.  Mary from Ohio (who's last name I can't recall now), Sabine from Kentucky,  Chris from Indiana, and my horse "finders" when Phebes and I were separated.  


If I could expand that etiquette to blogging, facebooking, the same rules apply.  Consider your audience.  Consider who might be reading (or hurt), and act accordingly following the same rules of etiquette you would or should show out on the trail.   ~ E.G.

BBBDR this weeks mileage totals

#16C =74
#14C =14.8
#  9C = 78.77
#  5C = 105 (our current leader in Cavalry)
#  2C = 32
#  1P = 61.85  (current leader in Pioneer)
#  4P = 55.6

If I missed anyone or made an error, let me know.  I have updated as of January 8, 2012.

SCORE!!!

I love it when something starts coming together.  We did about a half hour of gradual hill climbs and descents this evening.  First at the trot, and then at a slow canter.  That process had a few bobbles (the Journey driving thing) but we worked that out after seventeen (yes) SEVENTEEN repetitions up the slope.  Headed for home.  It is my habit to dismount in our neighbor's field, allow her snatch some grass and then I hand walk her home.  We've been working on trot outs off and on with only moderate success.  But I seem to have unlocked the key to getting that working.  I said "let's go!" our cue for the trot out, and I stepped out for home at a nice little jog, and Journey jumped right in and was giving a nice little power trot up the paved road.  It was AWESOME!!!

Photo comparison 2011-2012

 2012 side view, dirty, but more muscularly balanced?

 2011Side view  (notice topline and croup)

 Front view 2012

Front view 2011

Journey On

Journey is juxtaposition.  Seriously.   She can have the neurotic angst of a woman in need of anxiolytics, or the placid calm of the one who already did.  She can be both in the space of one neural synapse leaping to another. She is queen in “the kingdom of mare.” She is a dedicated student of remarkable evasive tactic, yet does not have the work ethic to stay that course.   Yet…there is so much more right than wrong.  In my hands I've been gifted with nearly raw clay, ready to be shaped, and turned, and fired to mirror finish.  My hands will direct that process if only I steady the storm inside.  You see…all my life, from my earliest memory  my desire was HORSE.  Not people.   Not place.  Just simply HORSE.   Having been denied that gift for the greater part of a lifetime, I so often feel an urgency to do something.  In so doing my joy is pushed rudely into the future, always elusive, like grasping at smoke.  You can grasp at smoke forever and never gain tangible hold.  All the while burning brightly beneath is a fire of brilliant color, if you dare only to release the grasping hand, stop, and look down into the flames.  In this new year, new horse, new season, of fresh possibility I recognized that Journey stood still for her booting last ride.  She wasn’t so good about those hooves when she first came home.  She did not trust me that much!  But as I gently rocked on those front hoof boots, striking the toe with the mallet, and adjusting the Velcro strapping I sat each hoof down gently and was struck with how effortless that was.  Good girl Journey!  I realized how far we have come in this short five months.  She is loading pretty darned good! That our last ride on our training course was flawless for 12.5 miles on a trail she’s been down only once before, and this the first time totally solo.  I was struck by how she stands and does not walk away when I carry the halter out to the field, and she sticks her little nose right on in!  Sometimes I have to take myself aside:  “Don’t get mad.  Don’t get frustrated.  Slow down.  There is no race. THERE IS NO RACE.  There is no finish line. There is only this very moment in time.  Breathe. Remember the crooked line of success. “

A poignant reminder to myself.  ~ E.G.

Pretty is as pretty does...

"Mom says that makes me BEAUTIFUL!"

Next time out...

Go more than twelve miles next week?  You have got to be kidding me!




The current footing is very hard for Journey to navigate with the ice crust one day, and slick clay under-mud beneath it.  We've been booting the fronts, but at times I still notice sensitivity over rocks, and frozen ground.  Just a slight shorter stepping in her gait.  This weekend I hope to get the custom pads put into her front boots and see how things go from there.  We are doing some slow hills, but have set aside actual hill intervals until the footing is better suited to do so.  So that leaves us with stretching our distance...and flat trotting sessions.  Journey needs move of that as her pulse can sort of hang a bit post ride.  Still down in ten minutes, but often taking nearly the whole ten.  She is also very reactive in day parking, pulse up, down, up, up, up, down.  Definitely more exposure needed in this area.  On the whole I've been really happy with our rides lately.  She's been more focused, less shenanigans, more work.  When things go well with Journey I feel very lucky to have her, and I'm having a lot more of that lately.   She, like Phebes, is not a horse you can put away, then saddle up several days, or a few weeks later without some pre-work.  You kind of have to keep her tuned up, even if the session is short. I love how this little mare is out on the woodland trails.  Slow and steady, never balky, hasn't found her true go yet, but I figure time and condition will help with that.  The next ride goal is 14-15 miles.  Stay tuned. ~ E.G.

First Ride of the New Year

After two days more or less down for the count, I sucked down chicken soup, put on long johns, shirt, vest, jacket, and gloves determined to get a ride on my last day off until Friday.  Our first snowfall of the season started early this morning.Temps in the 20's. Blowing and very cold.  Journey was cold and shivering when I went out to get her.  I figured being tacked up and moving would soon warm her up.  The footing was not good for any kind of speed at all.     An icy crust over slick wet mud.  So we slogged to the back and climbed up some hills, trotted around the trotting track three times, then climbed some more hills.  The ups weren't so bad, it was the down hills that worried me, she currently has one speed downhill right now and it isn't good!   On our worst hill I had her take it in segments.  A third of the way down, stop, another third and stop, until we were at the bottom.  Breaking it up seemed to keep her from getting that rushing out of control momentum.  I'd like to be gaining ground at this point in her training, but with an Indiana winter it will be a crap shoot.  I'll be happy if I manage to just maintain, or maybe creep up our LSD inch by inch until early spring.

Journey's hobbles are being shipped.  Seems like I waited forever to get them ordered, but the holidays kind of bogged me down.  She is doing well with the rope, and being led by her front hooves (pastern /rope).  Maybe we can try it out this weekend...

  Blanketed to dry out and warm up!

From the forties to freezing overnight.

Fall weather just packed up her ditty bag and rode on out of town overnight.  I awoke this morning to a light dusting of powdery snow and a blowy frozen landscape.  Time to break out the boots in earnest and see if those sensitive little hooves can hack the hardness of the winter world.   But first!  Beat the flu...I have been down, down, down. ~ E.G.

Observations

 Sad when something as big as a horse can only partly block out the wideness of your butt!

 Hmmm...what is she up to this time?

 Here we go again and how humiliating to have purple tape on your nose.

We're back!  I'm a dirty muddy mess but she says I did good.

We headed out on this last day of December into the cold and wet gloom to attempt some intervals on a park service road.  Journey will have to get the pads into her boots if we are going to do that, she just was unwilling to move out.  The gravel is that sharp chunky stuff, so it just wasn't working.  Instead we ended up doing our 12 mile out and back course.  Not one step hardly out of the mud.  Places the mud was deep enough we had to pick our way through.  Journey is not a good mud navigator.  She wants to get on the high edge of the trail rather than plant her feet "on" the trail, which of course results in her feet sliding out from under her.  We managed to get it done though, took twenty minutes off the time of our last muddy ride (though still slow by endurance standards).  We passed a group of horses, and though she called out to them she kept going where I had her pointed.  No spooks, the pace was kind of a boy scout shuffle due to the footing.  I'm still looking for the perfect hill and not finding it.  I have great hills here to work on but they just aren't safe in the winter due to the clay soil, it is so slick.  So I'm going to have to pick up a caulking gun and get the pads Goobered into Journey's boots so she is more comfortable on rock than she is currently.  All in all...a good ride.

BBBDR Mileage UPDATE

We only have five teams that have posted mileage for December.  Don't forget the grace period is short, and you don't want to loose the miles you've ridden.  The rule was updated farther down on the blog (30 day grace period due to busy lives) (except Nov. 2012 which will have a final 7 day grace period to finalize the winner).

Okay!  On the BBBDR map are teams:
#1. 44.43 miles in P division.
#4:   55.6 miles in the P division.
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#5:   59.2 miles in C division.
#9:   51.01 miles in C division.
#14: 14.8 miles in C division.
#16: 71 miles in C division.  (current leader)

GO LADIES!  If I were in this race you'd be kicking my butt as Journey is only at 38 miles for the month (an all time low for me, when I'm in my groove I can average about 35 a week...not a month) *sigh*.

Okay, I've straightened out a couple of errors.  If anyone see's anything KEEP ME STRAIGHT.  I had # 4 in P on one blog and C in the other...Not good.   So the Pioneer people are listed and the Cavalry people are listed together here.  I'll get over to BBBDR blog and see that I've got it right there too.  Whew!

Dressage vs. Western ...this will make you smile

I've just had a wonderful day!

What happened?  A little dose of inspiration.  I've had two people in the past two days tell me this in one way or another: " You will one day get there...sometimes the path is as rewarding as the destination. " Enjoy the journey.  Two respectable people.  Two people I look up to in this sport.  


I have a goal for 2012:


Ride the horse, see what happens!  And I have a smile on my face.  Is Journey perfect?  Well ...nope, she has a few warts!  She has some issues to work through. But you know what?  When I attempted Phebes, she wouldn't load, she didn't trot out in hand, she wouldn't ride, she couldn't go five miles by herself, let alone 30,she couldn't camp, she wouldn't drink, she wouldn't eat, and I taught her all those things myself, and Journey has a much calmer mind than Phebes.  If I can get one as volatile as Phebes riding, I can do it with another.  It is mud outside to the poly-wog, it might slow us down, but it isn't going to shut us down.  


Someone else wrote (thank you) and sent me links to an expert (performance vet who specializes) on tye-up and the management of it.  I might at some point (after a year of R&R) even give Phebes another whirl and see what happens.  But first!  I'll journey out on my spotted pony☺  ~ E.G.

Distance Riding: From Start to Finish by Virginia Weisel Johnson and Thula Johnson

I finally got through most of Distance Riding: From Start to Finish by Virginia Weisel Johnson and Thula Johnson.  I think the reason the book did not initially resonate with my little brain was the narrative style of the writing in general.  A few things as I said previously I thought were kind of outdated.  Some of the general meat of the "process" of legging up would be useful information, but like most books in this genre the authors give you a loose framework and leave you there.  I'm coming to an understanding that the longer distances truly are not a "one size fits all" prospect, and there are so many variables in how a horse will respond to training that you don't find specific info out there (at least serious specificity in training regimen).  So much involves your resources (time and financial) and your end goals (LD, Endurance, racing, or completion).   For myself I want to build a horse as strong as I can, with an end game of completing, completing, completing.  The book was inspiring in that many horses of various breeds were documented as 50 and 100 mile horses.  In the time frame that this book was written, it seems the breeds participating were more diverse than you see today (in number).   Again, the mention of Appaloosa's as mainstream endurance horses kind of suprised me, but seems "back in the day" Appaloosas were pretty mainstream in endurance.  I wonder why they fell out of favor?    I give this book a thumbs up after all, but as light reading, not instructional. ~ E.G.

WISDOM

LSEGH Did It!

We have no dead air space in Journey's front boots.  She doesn't get a wide "V" on them, but if how hard it was to get the boots off is any indication she has transitioned successfully enough that we can kick some training butt!  She is 70% better at least in her barefoot locomotion, still bruises easily on her frogs though if we get onto gravel or creek beds of rock, so the boots should really, really help our cause here.

He said he would still like to see the heel come back as it is a bit under run.  Can you see the start of concavity? !!!  Look how tiny her hoof is...excuse the mud, it is all we have.    ~ E.G.

Endurance Blurbs: The Gifted Horse

Yes...I'm entrenched in Julie Suhr "isms" today.
Good stuff!

Quote: Concerning the eye of the horse.

I love reading Julie Suhr.  She is honest in the difficulties of her early efforts of distance riding, the errors, and hard-earned lessons.  She shares these things in that perhaps we or our horse be spared those early difficulties.  I found this today, and though it may be "old hat" to many, it resonates with me.  I've seen that look she speaks about in some horses at the few endurance rides I've attended.  I only saw it once in Phebes, and I rider optioned that day.  Look deep into those beautiful brown (or blue) peepers, they speak volumes.

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"If you know your horse well, the eyes will tell you more than all the veterinarian examinations or experts can. I have learned to always take an extra minute to study my horse's eyes at the stops on an endurance ride. I pace myself according to what I see." ~ Julie Suhr

A Christmas Story from Ridecamp

This totally touched my heart.  Thank you for sharing that Nancy Reed.

Her story.

Endurance Blurbs: THE TRAINING OF THE PERUVIAN TRAIL HORSE

This article is written by Julie Suhr.  The article showcases the breed, its training, and the use as a potential endurance mount.

Endurance Blurbs: A Comprehensive Look at Endurance

Link here.

A Question or Two (well...maybe three).

How is riding back to back LD's different than riding a 50 as far as the stress on the horse?  I know that sometimes people start their horses on 50's and never do the LD thing so the horse learns that they don't quit at 25 miles, learns to appreciate eating and drinking.  So how is having a horse do two 25's over a weekend harder than doing 50 in a day.  I'm actually weighing what I want to do as far as LD vs. Endurance.  So is a 2 day slow 25 any worse than just starting out on 50 in the first place?  The same?

How is your preparation different for a 50 (compared to an LD) as far as your weekly mileage and LSD in initially legging up a green horse?

While I'm on the fence I may as well be trying to figure out my options. ~ E.G.

Journey is "OFFICIAL"

Updated our AERC membership yesterday and added Journey as my horse.  So she is officially "almost" a distance horse.  At least she has a column with her name on it when they update after the holidays.  Sometimes it is the little things ☺  ~ E.G.

Looking Back

The past year has been a roller coaster.  The year started out great, with Phebes in slow-heart rate training, pacing well, and my heart full of hope.  We completed the first ride of the season, riding both days. The first day had its own drama when horse separated from rider and I had a near death experience with a downed tree. Her vet scores were okay, she was a little tight day two, but still graded out as a B on her muscle tone and A's pretty well across the board elsewhere.  This ride was also my first ride in the rain.  Cold, interesting, but definitely not as bad as I imagined.  In fact some ways better as I tend to overheat.  Then two weeks of torrential rain, and Phebes unable to work.  First ride out, tie up.  I had to roll all my hopes around and decide what to do about her.  After consulting a performance vet I decided to not do the distance thing with her, at least not for a year, perhaps not EVER.  I've since had several people tell me that tie-ups in distance riding are not all that unusual, particularly in hot emotional mares.  So Phebes may find a job again at some point, or I may find her a "terrific" home that would work towards her strengths.  I have not decided.  Next came the decision to try another horse. It took a while to find one that I felt even had a hope of trying the distance sports within my budget.  Journey moved in with her crooked little ear, and alpha-mare attitude.  I had to get her capable of riding off the property which was a job unto itself.  Loading into the trailer (another big work out).  Three clinics later we are beginning a conditioning program, and have an endurance coach.  The year did not turn out in any way as I'd anticipated.  My goals were not realized (again).  But we have persevered!  Journey is building her LSD (very slowly), learning to rate consistently at the trot (getting there...), and working on uphill intervals (again at the trot).  She has boots.  They fit!  She has saddle, pad, bridle, and Myler bit, all working.  But she has a few kinks which we will just keep working to solve.   Our trainer is going to be in Florida until the end of January, so Journey and I are on our own to do the best we can with what we have.  Goals for 2012?  Whew!  My mind can't wrap around that yet.  I'm not even sure of a long-term vision of what we will do and nothing ready yet with the current horse.  A part of me wants to finally conquer the 50 mile distance, and the rest of me (my fibromyalgic body) likes the idea of sticking with LD.  But in fact, I'm starting overwith this horse at square one, from the ground up.  It will just be as it will be.  ~ E.G.

Take Aways...Endurance Riding by Lew Hollander

First is the conditioning process for the horse.  The author sees 25 mile (LD) rides as "a worthless waste of time" chickies, so you have to shove your big girl panties on and train for a 50.

Month 1: 7 miles a day 3 days a week.
Month 2: 9 miles a day 3 days a week.
Month 3: 15 miles a day 3 days a week.
Month 4: 25 miles, 15 miles, 10 mile days, longeing for 20 minutes on non-working days.  This is also competition month.

The author stresses the importance of hill training.  Oh to find myself a 7 mile 15 degree sloping gravel road!  Riding up it at a good clip, and hand walking down to save the joints (the horse's joints).  Doing repeats of these based on pulse recovery.

Hollander quotes that I thought were useful:

"Your main opponent is the course-your goal is to cover it as quickly as your horse is able."
"You don't race the competition until the end is near."
"It is pure foolishness to begin racing at the start."
"If you got the best performance you could manage, you've won in a way many never do."  (I especially liked this quote, it resonates with the foundation principle of what endurance riding is supposed to be) (or in my case LD).  Lew Hollander, Endurance Riding.

Now to force myself to struggle on in the other one...

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!

Weekly update on the BBBDR and a RULE ADDENDUM (for fairness)

First the rule addendum:   Riders must post up their total mileage by the end of a given month.  For fairness to all involved.  For instance by the last day of January, post up any remaining December miles.  If you don't post your December miles by the following 30 days you lose the miles.  Horrid isn't it?  Ha!  Same with all the remaining months. On the last month November there will be a 7 day grace period, and the winner will be announced officially on that week. This way someone can't just keep a paper journal and post up their miles at the very end and blind-side the competition.

For the current stats:
TEAM 14- 14.8 miles
TEAM 9- 51.01
TEAM 5- 59.2
TEAM 4- 55.6
TEAM 1- 37.18

Recommended Blog Post of the Week: GO PONY

Let the Record Reflect: Go Pony


Ashley is dead on when she says:  "What the ride record doesn't tell you is how many hours I've spent training and conditioning.  I believe it was Julie Suhr that said something to the effect of, "If you don't enjoy the training, you're in the wrong sport."  Well, if it weren't for the training, I wouldn't end up doing much riding!" 


I often access the AERC's horse and rider record when I'm looking at training advice.  Especially having tried to fit a square peg into a round hole.   I weigh the advice given to me based on several things.


* The rider's pull record.
* How many horse's they have gone through if their record is long.
* And these days I add to that their "nice" quotient.  There is constructive advice, and demoralizing advice.  I'll give the former some thought, and block you from my email if you get "snarky".  I don't have the emotional energy for "snarky."  New people will keep the sport alive...don't drive them off by talking them down!


Still, I write about my experiences and thoughts, articles read, books on the topic, and my mental take away on all of those.  This horse thing gives me much of my happiness. If you are starting in the sport I can cheer you on, and I can help you with the mechanics of "slow heart rate training."  But aside from that, my feet aren't much wetter than yours in this sport. Four years in, three thousand training miles, and  I do the best I can with what I have (very limited financial means and time), I may be the cheerleader of try....and the world's biggest wanna be. 

 The strongest advocate for the sport, with the most impressive ride record (in my opinion based on the longevity of her horses), and most qualified go to source for a newbie out there has to be Karen Chaton.    If I could meet and greet and spend a day riding with anyone and learning from, it would be her.  Her blog is a great go to site with a lot of good information in the archives.


If I could learn from anyone in the world for a horse that races it would be Chris Martin (as I am a completely insane MONK junky) GO MONK!

Disclaimer:  The opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the AERC or its membership..  Or anyone else for that matter.  Research any advice given by others and  always do what is best for YOU and YOUR HORSE.  ~ E.G. ☺

Interesting take aways from a couple of books

I am currently reading a couple of books, one written in the late 70's and the other in the late 80's. I've picked up a few interesting things in my reading, and discounted some others as being dated, and no longer in vogue ( helmet-less for instance).

The first read is Distance Riding: From Start to Finish by Virginia Weisel Johnson and Thula Johnson. Don't know if I can struggle through it...I'm trying. Certainly some sound advice, but I'm not enjoying the writing style and it does not ascribe to my "Keep it simple stupid" style.

The second is Endurance Riding by Lew Hollander. I found it particularly exciting that the horse used to illustrate an endurance horse's body type was an Appaloosa! Although Arabians have always been dominant and prevalent in the sport, it seems that there was a time that the use of Appaloosa horses was much more the norm than today. (It gives me hope and makes my heart happy ♥).

My favorite take away quote so far: " The most essential qualities in an endurance rider are determination and persistence." ~Lew Hollander  
If there is one thing that I am, it is both those things.  I may not be good at what I do (yet), but I am certainly determined and persistent.

Another observation is that the authors mention training much faster than I ever have concerning endurance, and leave the "happy granny pace" more to CTR.  Sometimes I think I am a little misplaced.

The value of hill training is stressed in the second book, and again, doing it faster than my current comfort level.  Journey.  I suppose that some of that can come with time, she is still base-building and will be for at least this year.  I found the author's method of fitting up the horse over the winter months very entertaining!

One section in the second book I found  disturbing....how to cover up a lameness in the trot out, and how to fudge an inversion of high respiration by half!  *WHAT*?  Cover one nostril of the horse while the vet is at the flank and the horse's respiration will drop by half, and fake a stumble of your own to take the focus off your horse on the trot out turn?  SERIOUSLY? 

So for where I'm at now in the books I'm giving part (a small portion) of Lew Hollander's book a thumbs up and Distance Riding: From Start to Finish an on the fence as it "feels" outdated, though I'm sure I'll dig out a few things worth keeping, if I can just keep reading.        ~E.G.

Dynamic Suppling

 The Benefits of Suppling Exercise


Suppling is among the three areas of conditioning. The other two are Cardio and Strength Training. The benefits of suppling are an increase in your horse's flexibility and range of motion. Suppling exercises may be dynamic or passive.

Passive suppling is the gentle slow manual application of movement and stretching of a joint to the limits of its range of motion with a hold of the “stretch” for up to 30 seconds. Those nice carrot stretches are great for the the neck. Journey does a set of these each morning. She has got so good at it that she starts stretching before I can fumble the morning carrot out of my pocket! Another nice stretch that is good for the front shoulder is to pull the front leg forward and gently stretch it across the midline of the chest, crossing the front feet and holding just off the ground in a nice long stretch. Passive suppling reduces soreness post exercise and a further benefit to these kind of exercises is that they are wonderful “feel good” trust building relaxation exercises too. You will see a lot of licking, chewing, and yawning as your horse becomes accustomed to the exercise.

For best results your horse should be warmed up prior to serious stretching exercises.

Horse Stretching Benefits -- powered by ehow

Dynamic suppling is exercise that takes the horse through its range of motion as a result of weight bearing exercise. This is what makes cross-training and schooling the distance horse such a valuable tool. A warm up always precedes a dynamic suppling exercise, and a cool down follows it. The use of leg yields, trotting over raised poles, negotiating your horse slowly across the side of grade over both directions, working patterns in the arena at various gaits , bending around an obstacle course, are all beneficial examples of dynamic suppling.


Use dynamic suppling as a prelude to every training ride, and passive suppling post-ride and between rides to maintain optimal flexibility.




Full video series here.
Here for more on suppling.