Tevis Vacation 2016

July 29, 2016July 30, 2016 / Ashley Wingert / 4 Comments

This year was a little bit different…plans got sufficiently gremlinized that I ended up not crewing for any one specific person, but rather ran around doing some Tevis webcast photography, and catch-crewing (aka “throwing ice cubes at people”) down at the Chicken Hawk (mile 64) vet check.

I also got in some excellent riding time and trail exposure, and a much-needed confidence boost and self-validation.

To start, I flew in to Sacramento on Wednesday afternoon. Lucy picked me up and we headed straight to Auburn for the pre-Tevis barbecue. Kaity met us there, and we did our annual round of “eat food, catch up with people, and tour the barns.” I’ve been existing in a somewhat introverted, hermit-y stage of life right now, with the majority of my human contact being via email or over the phone…and the in-person contact with friends and people of my endurance tribe was exactly what I needed. Nothing like the therapy of good friends and some saddle time.

Tevis moon from the back porch of Tevis Low Camp (Lucy’s)

Since we didn’t have a significant amount of pre-ride prep to do, Kaity and I were able to do things like get in a morning run:

good practice for our plan to run the Crown King 50k together next year. pleased to report we have similar pacing and running strategies, so this just might work after all.

It was a pleasant surprise to realize that I didn’t completely die tackling the rolling hills after doing nothing but flat surfaces for the past several months, and very little by way of running. Small victories, right?

And then we got to go ride. Since I’m slated to take Lucy’s Roo (aka “my favorite little grey Arabian gelding”) to the Tahoe Rim Ride next month, I wanted to get as much saddle time in with him as I could during this trip. So we loaded up and headed down to Auburn, with the plan to ride from the Tevis finish at the fairgrounds up the trail to the Lower Quarry check and back, about 12 miles round trip. I’ve ridden from the finish to just past No-Hands Bridge before, but never crossing Hwy 49 and going up to Quarry.

The trail is lovely — lots of single-track, plenty of shade, and even some water crossings. Roo was in a bit of a spooky mood (he always has to test me) so I was doing some pretty engaged, active riding…but for whatever reason, even with his spooks and shenanigans, I’m very comfortable riding him. He reminds me very much of a just slightly larger, spookier, gelding version of Mimi, and 98% of the time, his spooks either make me laugh or swear, but rarely scared.

Kaity and Ani leading across No Hands Bridge — this is heading out in the opposite direction of the way the ride goes

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me-n-Roo

On the river road heading to Quarry, Roo gave me a very impressive hard-stop-and-partial-spin spook…the kind that I was pretty much resigned to not being able to save…and then my knee ran into the pommel of the Specialized saddle I was trying, and all was well, and Roo didn’t get the inglorious title of my first catch-ride to offload me. Normally I really like my English saddles, but the little extra security of the Western-style endurance saddles may be a good thing right now (and maybe always on something that may be a little more spooky and/or unknown).

The river road is wide (albeit with a drop-off edge on one side, but everything has a drop-off of some sort around here), and is a good trail to be able to “let down” mentally, provided you have a horse that isn’t fresh and looking for things to spook at. :P (Translation: On ride day, this is a good “mental break” section for you and the horse, since it’s in the dark, and they’re probably not interested in spooking after 94 miles.) Since it was hot, with no shade, we trotted all the way to Quarry, then rode past the check a short ways to the now-closed Mountain Quarries Mine.

Kaity reading about the mine history

There was a nice cool breeze blowing through, so we hung out in the shade and breeze for about 15 minutes, getting a snack and cooling off, before heading back down the trail. It was a repeat of heading out — moving out when we could, random Arab spooks, and committing as much of the trail and specific turns and intersections to memory as possible.

It was sufficiently warm when we got done, and a quick stop in to the 7-11 on the way home netted me heaven in a cup — a Coca-Cola slurpee, which I haven’t had for years…but sounded perfect at the moment. Logistics for how to obtain one and still keep it slurpee-esque for a vet check might have also been discussed. ;)

Finish line trough…a fun, successful 12+ miles done

Swimming, grocery shopping, and dinner and drinks on the back porch while discussing the who’s who on the Tevis rider list rounded out the day.

Friday morning, Lucy and I headed up to Robie Park to watch the vet-ins and for me to do my usual “connect with the Renegade riders.” I got some photos, remembered how hard it is to breathe at 7200′, and obtained an impressive Robie Park dirt tan-line on my legs after tromping around for just a couple of hours.

Friday evening, half a dozen of us that would be doing various and sundry webcast and/or crewing/hanging-out duties the next day gathered for Mexican food and margaritas. Half a dozen endurance ladies do not need margaritas to have a good time, and much hilarity was had before we packed it up and headed out to the Squaw Valley area to truck camp for the night. The plan was to be at the Hwy 89 crossing when the riders went through (roughly 6 miles into the ride) and get video of them going by. (I did this in 2012 as well, and this year, the normal video-taker, Crysta, was riding!)

The bench seats in the cab of crew cab Chevy Silverado are not designed to promote comfortable sleeping. Just saying. I was actually glad for 5AM to roll around and for an excuse to finally just fully wake up and get on with the day. A corner 7-11 took care of the immediate morning coffee needs, and we made a beeline down Hwy 89 to the point where the trail comes down the side, crosses under the highway next to a bike path, then comes up and runs along the overpass bridge (concrete barrier between the vehicles and the trail) before picking up the single-track trail that climbs up and away from the highway.

The first riders were there just before 6:00, and the field was through by 6:30. Once we wrapped up there, we headed to Auburn, with a brief stop at Starbucks for more coffee and breakfast, then onward to Robinson Flat.

I circulated around RF, taking pictures of riders coming in, and vetting, and leaving. It was interesting to stand and watch continuous vetting and a number of different horses going through, not just the extreme focus and concentration that comes from crewing a specific rider and concentrating on just getting them through the ride.

coming in to Robinson Flat — the blue canopy is the in-timer

riders leaving Robinson Flat

past the pulse-in area, heading for the mandatory blood draw (used for research purposes post-ride)

trot-out

vet area and trot-out lanes

getting a pulse

leaving Robinson Flat (Lori Stewart on her way to her 20th buckle)

Robinson Flat — crew tucks in-between the trees and scope out relatively flat spots to stash horse/rider for an hour

Soda Springs Road — riders come in on this road, crews line up to meet them and start pulling tack

friend Crysta and her horse Digs (they finished, C’s 2nd buckle and Digs’s 1st!)

past the in-timer, water before heading to pulse

We stayed until most of the riders had left, and then gathered our things and headed back down for a brief stop in Foresthill to gather some things (a few people had asked us to haul ice in to Chicken Hawk for cooling), and then we headed back out to the Chicken Hawk check. At this particular check, you have to park about a mile out and then walk in to minimize traffic.

The front-runners came in about 3. At 64 miles in, and the two largest canyons behind them, the horses all look pretty tired at this point. Front, middle, or back of the pack…I saw very few that were perky and sparkly at this stage…but they’re also only 4 miles away from another hour-long hold at Foresthill and the revival of nightfall. (Even the front-runners will end up spending at least a few hours in the dark.)

I ended up helping probably half a dozen friends and acquaintances at this check — we had lots of ice, so were able to generously dole it out and create buckets of ice water for sponging. When the time comes for me to do this ride, I will definitely be sending a crew member in with ice at this point, because it makes such a huge difference in cooling. The water at the check isn’t always cold, especially the later the day gets and the longer it sits out, and I’m shocked by how much body heat horses can hold/generate, so the ability to cool them down quickly and have them stay cooled down is invaluable.

We stayed at CH until about 7:15, then went back to FH to drop off people’s coolers, hang out for a few minutes, and then decided that the need for dinner, after munching on snack food all day long, overruled everything else. A stop in to the McDonald’s drive-through (because trust me, after a day of Tevis, you are not fit to actually go anywhere that would be considered “in polite company” since you have horse mash on your shirt, sunburn spots where you obviously missed with the sunscreen, your legs are the color of red Sierra foothills dirt from the knees down, and your socks are filthy enough to stand on their own power) netted us dinner, and the Kaity and Renee headed to the fairgrounds to watch the finish while Lucy and I went down to No Hands Bridge.

That was quite exciting to watch the front-runners come through at that point. Karen Donley came through within 5 minutes of us getting there. She had a bright headlamp that lit up the trail, and the came trotting down the trail, around the turn, and then tore off at a gallop across the bridge.

Not 3 minutes later, the Fords come down…no lights on their horses, no headlamps on themselves. There was a brief pause to slosh water on their horses, then they too went galloping across the bridge, and we all waited to see what the outcome was…would they catch Karen in those last 4 miles?

Ultimately, no, they wouldn’t, and Karen would end up coming in 19 minutes ahead of them.

I actually had cell service at that point, and had texted Kaity and Renee with a heads up of what was happening and to let us know the second someone crossed the finish line. We stayed for the first 6 horses to get to the bridge, then headed back to the finish to watch the rest of the top ten come in before finally wrapping things up around midnight and heading back to Lucy’s.

It was really sweet to get a real shower, a real bed, and a solid 6 hours of sleep before going to watch Haggin Cup Sunday morning. This year, all of the Top Ten horses showed for it (there have been years where a couple of them have elected not to show) and the Haggin Cup ended up going to Lisa Ford’s horse GE Cyclone.

Final results were 165 starts and 87 finishers.

Monday rolled around…and this was the day I had been waiting for. I was going to get to see the California Loop, or “Cal Loop”, the trail after Foresthill. (Known for its narrowness, switchbacks, and drop-off trails above the American River…most of which ends up being done in the dark. Fun times.) I’ve been wanting to see the trail for a while now…but at the same time, I was also quite nervous, as I’ve not exactly been the bravest and most confident soul of late. Thursday’s ride had helped in that department, but this has been somewhat of a slow, insidious process of demoralization and loss of confidence…it probably won’t all come back overnight.

However, I was riding a horse who has ridden it multiple times, being escorted by two other horses and riders who have ridden it multiple times, both in training and in the ride.

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group photo, L-R: Lucy, me, Kaity; this is the first time all three of us have ridden together

Since, despite the name, Cal Loop is a one-way thing, (well, you can make it a loop, but it ends up being something like 38 miles) Lucy’s hubby Patrick was our trailer shuttle driver, dropping a car at the end, driving the trailer up to the start, waiting for us to head out, then dropping the trailer at the end and taking his car home.

We started off pretty much right in town, outside the Foresthill cemetery, versus further down at the mill site (which is private property and only open/accessible on Tevis events), and I was treated to the “full Foresthill experience” including trotting down the road to get to California Street and the trail access.

“I see dead people”

As for Cal Loop? I loved it. It’s an active ride, and there’s a few parts that made me make sure I was really sitting up and staying balanced, and Roo made me squeak a few times when he was tailgating too close and would trip on a rock <scowl>, but overall, I thought it was amazingly gorgeous, and I have every confidence that by the time I get to Tevis with my own horse that I’ve put a lot of training and ride time and miles on, I will not have a problem with trusting that horse and trotting onward through the dark.

Apparently I’m in quite the habit of leaning to the right…which doesn’t actually help when the dropoff is to your left. ;) I’m very strongly right-side dominant, but this has gotten to the point where if I’m centered, I actually feel like I’m sitting off to the left. Riding with others and having it pointed out was quite helpful, and something I need to concentrate on addressing.

All told, we did about 22 miles. We didn’t follow the ride route exactly, since there’s no way to safely cross the river without it being lowered. So we went about a mile down the trail towards the river before turning around and heading up Driver’s Flat road to where the trail was parked. Roo impressed me to no end with his very grown-up marching up the road…which is about an 1800′ elevation gain in 3 miles, all uphill, and I’m feeling really good about tackling Tahoe Rim with him next month.

Sadly, even Tevis vacation has to end sometime, and I wrapped things up and headed back home on Tuesday. Sad to go, but I was also missing the dogs, and my very own pony. It was a fabulous trip, I learned quite a bit, added to my own personal “notes for Tevis” file, and got some much-needed saddle time in…and some very good downtime and time spent with my friends and endurance “tribe.” Sometimes it’s really, really tough to live such a distance away from so many of my really good friends, so I have to make the most of the times I do get to see them…and be thankful that there’s easy communication via things like texting and Facebook.

And that’s a wrap on Tevis…until next year…

Groom Creek Horse Camping Girl’s Weekend

May 25, 2016 / Ashley Wingert / 8 Comments

Back in February at the AERC Convention, Kaity and I put our heads together and decided we needed to get together more often. We generally manage to get together at least once a year, but that also tends to revolve around more stressful events such as riding or crewing Tevis — not always the most relaxing environment — or at another ride. Rarely have we had the chance to just hang out and relax, with no major agenda or schedule to follow.

The idea of horse camping was brought up — somewhere that would be a little cooler, up in the mountains somewhere — and we settled on Groom Creek Horse Camp in Prescott, AZ, the second weekend in May. Kaity also very generously offered to take the driving route that would go through Kingman so that she could pick up and bring Liberty down for me.

Prep started the weekend before, because horse camping in my world means a ton of stuff. Not only for myself, and the horse…but the Decker duo would also be joining us, since horse camp isn’t complete without canine mascots. This would be Artemis’s 4th camping trip, and while Sofie has been to rides with her previous owners, this would be her first trip with me.

Saddle pads were washed, tack and gear was sorted, dog blankets and beds were packed, a new air mattress procured, and a cartful of food from Trader Joe’s purchased. Camping box sorted through and restocked, bedding packed, and dogs washed after Sofie tried to roll in something dead. (A futile gesture, though, since she spent as much time as she could wallowing in the dirt at the campsite. Farm dog.)

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so much stuff…and that’s not all of it

Prescott is only a couple hour drive for me, so I headed out early afternoon. The most eventful part of the drive was the fact that Sofie hyperventilated/panted the whole way (not world’s most happy traveler, that one…), and roughly two and a half hours later (hello, Prescott traffic) I pulled in to the Groom Creek site.

Driving through Mayer, Bradshaw Mountains ahead. Groom Creek is on the back side of this range.

Artemis sleeps, while Sofie looks less than impressed.

I love the final stretch back in to Groom Creek…twisty, turning mountain road through the trees. It’s not that far out of town at all — maybe 20 minutes — but you just feel like you’re getting away from everything once you’re there.

first go drive through this tree-lined historic residential area

and then you end up on this twisting mountain road through the trees

The campground hosts gave me directions for where our site was located (37 sites on 3 small loops…hard to get lost here), and I made my way back to what turned out to be a lovely, spacious site perched right on the top of the hill, overlooking a small ravine/drainage area. A good scattering of trees provided shade on a good part of the site, there was a decent area to set up my behemoth monster of a tent (theoretically fits 10 people…or one person and two terriers), and although it was slightly less convenient to have the picnic table and fire ring a bit of a distance from the parking loop of the site, it also meant the horses weren’t right up next to the campfire.

monster tent

The only unfortunate part? The bathrooms (vault toilets…that really needed a good pumping out…euw…my only major complaint of the weekend) were down the road…down the hill. Umm, yay for hillwork? Were were equidistant between two hose bibs, and the campground-provided wheelbarrows (for hauling trash and manure to the dumpsters) made it easy to haul water jugs over to be filled up.

Kaity would be arriving later, so I used the time to set up what I could — my tent, the dogs’ tie ropes and high-lines, and my part of the camp kitchen and other miscellaneous stuff. I took the dogs for a walk around the whole campground (which meant deterring all of the loose dogs people had running around on their sites…apparently people think the edict of “dogs must be leashed at all times” means only when they’re walking around the campground…having one dog that is overly friendly and one dog that is space defensive makes me very cranky when I have to deal with other people’s off-leash dogs…) and got to take a good look at all of the campsites available, to be filed away for future camping endeavors.

Kaity pulled in around 9, and we got the ponies (my Liberty and her Ani) unloaded and settled — Libby in the 16×16 campsite corral, and Ani on Kaity’s trailer hi-tie — with hay, water, and Kaity’s special recipe beet pulp sloppy mashes. (Liberty is learning one of the perks along the road to Becoming A Real Endurance Horse: delicious extra food other than subsisting on just hay.)

Once the equines were taken care of, Kaity whipped up a quick and delicious dinner of orange chicken with couscous and snow peas, and built up my start of a little campfire into a nice, toasty warm bonfire. The small indulgences of horse camping vacation versus competition weekends…the time to cook really good meals, enjoy adult beverages, and no set time clock, schedule, or plan other than “have fun.”

We munched on chicken, drank beer, and started in on what would be a weekend-long exchange of war stories, ideas, and the utter rabbit-trail randomness that happens every time we get together, while the dogs diligently guarded us from the vicious attack deer that were moving along the hillside below us.

Artemis + Sofie: “Grrr. Grrrrrrrrr. Barkbarkbark. Grrrrrrr. Woof.”
Me: <Oh, great, there’s probably a bear out there.>
Kaity: “What’s out, there, huh? Something interesting? Shall we see?”
Me: <She’s gonna get eaten by a bear.>
Artemis + Sofie: “Grrrr. Grrrrrr. Grrrrrrrrrrr.”
Kaity: “Hey, look at all those eyes!”
Me: <We’re all gonna get eaten by bears. *drink*>
Kaity: “Aww, look at all those deer. Bambi and his five best friends came out to play.”
Artemis + Sofie: “Bark. Barkbarkbark. Woof. Wooooooooooofffff. And some more grrrrrrrrrr for good measure.”
Me: “Good girls, protect us from attack Bambi.”

It was late by the time the campfire burned down, and starting to get chilly, so we headed off to our respective beds. As is standard for me, first nights anywhere are always a little restless, but I countered the worst of it with the help of some melatonin tabs. Throughout the night I could hear Liberty shuffling and pacing — the scrape of her hoof as she worked on an excavation project, the clang of the corral gate as she’d bump the fence, and the chewing of hay, since not even some anxiety over being in a new place stops her from eating.

view from my tent first thing in the morning

The girlies are early risers at home, and true to form, started shuffling around once it started getting light out…sorry, girlies, but 5:30 in a vacation morning isn’t happening! Go back to bed! They did, and I went back to bed until around 7:30, when we finally crawled out into the bright but still a bit chilly morning.

Sofie communing with Libby — who has historically not always liked dogs

Since it had been dark when Kaity pulled in, the trailer set-up wasn’t 100% ideal, so we quickly did some vehicle and rig shuffling around while camp was still empty (per the camp hosts, it would be full all weekend starting Friday), then started the morning off right with fresh French press coffee and a breakfast of an egg scramble with sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, and avocado, with tortillas on the side (or as a breakfast burrito like I did).

After breakfast, it was time to do what we had come to do: ride!

The goal for the day was the Groom Creek Loop, a 9.7-mile loop that climbs from 6200′ at the campground/trailhead up to the lookout tower at 7600′, and back down again. It’s single-track 98% of the way, has enough technical to make a green horse pay attention, but still safe as long as they have some trail sense. It had been probably at least 10 or 11 years since I had last ridden there, and I was battling a fire-breathing pony the whole time, but I remember it was really pretty and very interesting.

Liberty was very “up”, more so than I’m used to seeing at rides, so I decided to hand-walk her through camp, and up the first 3/4 of a mile of the trail around the campground, through the trailhead, and up the Groom Creek Loop trail a little ways before mounting up. Once in the saddle, she was settled enough to lead out, and we very quickly started a game of leapfrog of who would lead and who would follow. Yay for green horse brain training!

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getting ourselves sorted out before mounting

The trail starts climbing almost immediately, just winding its way up the side of the mountain, opening every so often to some incredible vistas and views. The footing is still pretty nice in this section, so we would trot where we could, walk where it was necessary.

and away we go!

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beautiful views!

Partway up the climb, we encountered some people who were hiking with their dog…and a pack llama.

I’ve only encountered llamas once before on horseback, and they were behind a fence and still managed to cause mass hysteria among the group of horses I was riding with. (For the record, Mimi was alarmed but curious, and just wanted to stare at them.) Historically, llamas manage to cause concern at the very least among most horses, and I had no clue if Libby had ever even seen a llama before.

Discretion being the better part of valor (it’s bad form to die on the first day of your riding vacation), as well as the fact we were on a single track trail with drop offs, I jumped off and lead her in hand past the llama. Fortunately, we were at a spot where they had a clear area they could step aside.

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climbing!

And it was a total non-issue. (With both horses.) I think Liberty was more interested in the Golden Retriever. Go figure…but better safe than sorry. Once we passed, I hopped back on at the next convenient mounting rock, and we scuttled up the trail, pausing every so often to let the ponies grab a bite of nice green mountain grass.

At the top of the mountain, we took a few minute break to grab a snack and visit the vault restroom, and from there, it was a fun four miles downhill back to camp. Liberty did some great footwork on some of the technical/step-down obstacles, and for the most part, I stayed out of her way and provided support, but tried to let her make her own smart trail decisions.

d’you love our matching hers-n-hers bays with orange tack? Ani’s more of a bright bay to Libby’s dark bay, but the close matchiness was pretty amusing…

We had some impressive reining horse sliding stop moments when she spooked at some of the trail traffic — fortunately, her head comes up and she skids to a stop, so it’s pretty easy to stay with.

The loop itself might be around 9.7 miles, but with leaving on the trail out from the horse camp, and by the time we got back, it put us at 10.5 miles. Excellent start to the weekend! While we didn’t have specific goals, I thought it might be nice to try to get 25+ miles over the course of the trip.

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Once the ponies were untacked and settled in with more sloppy mashes, it was happy hour time for us…hard root beer, caprese salad skewers, crackers, chips, and onion dip to munch on while we chatted, then started working on dinner.

True to “we’re having an enjoying and relaxing camping trip and going to take our time making nice meals” form, the menu for the evening called for me grilling tri-tip steak, Kaity made mashed potatoes and a salad, and then I did a campfire blueberry cobbler for dessert. Another nice campfire hangout time (no visiting Bambi), and then off to bed.

Saturday morning, the pups once again tried to convince me to get up early, but were persuaded to lay low until around 7. We did our standard morning routine of visiting the bathroom, the rock outcroppings for them to explore, then back up to the campsite to throw the Hungry Hungry Hippo some more hay while I cleaned her corral, and then attempted to give her a touch-up rasping on her hooves.

Actually, I was hoping for a more thorough trim, but touch-up was all I got, since she was in a mood for hoof handling, and I wasn’t getting enough cooperation for in-depth trimming. Oh, and I attempted all of this before my morning coffee.

Once Kaity was up, coffee was procured, and we set to the task of map reading and figuring out a route for the day. We ended up plotting out a course that would take us south of the horse camp, down to the Hassayampa Creek, and along the way, have some off-shoot trails for potential exploring.

After breakfast, the wind started picking up, and some fairly ominous-looking clouds started building in the distance. May is when monsoons start happening, especially in the mountains, and I crossed my fingers that this wouldn’t turn into the fourth camping trip in a row in which I got rained on. (Mostly because I hate having to set up and dry out the wet tent back at home.)

Please go away, clouds…fortunately for me, they never actually produced any rain, but kept things really pleasant, temperature-wise

We saddled up and headed out…and I knew almost right away that I was going to be in for A Day with the mare. Back to back days are, I suspect, something of a novel concept to her, and she felt uptight and edgy, like she was just looking for an excuse to blow up. That’s always a fun feeling on a green horse I still don’t know all that well (since, let’s recap, this was actually only my 6th ride on her…) and don’t entirely know her reactions.

We had a few “hmmm, which way?” moments where we weren’t 100% positive which forest road would get us to the original direction we had planned, so we scrapped that plan and followed the more readily-marked route.

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There was quite a bit of trail traffic out — it was a Saturday, and it was a multi-use trail that allowed hikers, bikes, horses, and off-road vehicles like quads and dirt bikes, so the horses had some good exposure to other trail users.

We paused for a brief stop at a little tiny creek where Ani drank, and people (okay, me, having gotten the “stern voice” from Kaity the previous day over my lapse in taking good care of myself along the way) drank/ate/electrolyted.

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One of my S-Caps electrolytes had broken open when I grabbed it, so I was trying to convince Liberty to lick the salt from my hand. Didn’t really work…

Kaity luvs her pony (all 16+hh of him…)

The next section of trail was lovely, some nice single-track through the trees (where we passed a very cute mountain biker, and I almost regret not stopping and getting his phone number… ;) ) and up onto some wide open forest roads that allowed for some trotting.

At one point, the trail paralleled the Hassayampa Creek, and we were able to go down at one of the road crossings and let the horses drink. And drink. And drink. One of Liberty’s virtues is no matter how uptight or nervous she is, she reliably eats, drinks, pees, and poops along the trail and under saddle.

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Once off the forest roads, the trail went back to some lovely single track, mostly uphill back to camp. We had another stream crossing, and then were at the trail junction from earlier in the day.

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We were almost to the trail turnoff that would take us back to camp when we had an equine brain melt experience. There was a Polaris-type ATV approaching us from the front, and a dirt bike coming up behind us. Normally, Libby really doesn’t care — she’s used to off-road vehicles all around the ranch — but she was still on edge and I suspect the stimulation was a bit much.

We walked past the ATV, then pulled over and had the dirt bike slowly pass by us. All was well, and we almost immediately turned down the trail to go back to camp, only to have Ani, and then Libby, pause to pee in tandem. And then when we walked over Ani’s pee spot, that was the final straw and big mare pitched an epic temper tantrum fit. It felt like she wanted to simultaneously buck, rear, bolt and spin all in one move…and given my past history of several different horses who could essentially pull off that maneuver, that’s what my panicky little squirrel brain immediately went to, and I reverted to my “cling like a mollusk” mode…and then as soon as I could get her to stop dancing and throwing her fit for two seconds, off I bailed.

I was really close to one of my “angry because I’m scared” reactions in response (because that’s always helpful…) when Kaity wisely intervened. She’s started and worked with a number (at least half a dozen) green horses, and is a way braver rider than I am, so she handed me Ani’s reins, hopped up into the saddle, and proceeded to give Liberty the firm but quiet schooling session that she really needed.

I’ve ridden some very sensitive but reactive horses in the past, the kind that you had to handle with kid gloves lest they explode, and so that has become my default reaction to handling naughtiness and misbehavior.

Kaity schooled Liberty the whole way (maybe a mile?) back to camp on not jigging, walking politely, and not throwing her little temper tantrums because she isn’t getting her way.

I have to take a moment here to gush about and admire Kaity and her riding. There was no drama on her part, just a firm, quiet, low-key response with lots of circles, walking away from camp, walking back politely, more circles when she wanted to rush or jig, following behind Ani, leading, and back and forth. She set a really, really good example for me, and was able to give me a really good read on Liberty’s temperament and misbehavior.

And as a credit to her, Ani was a gentleman and took complete care of me in my fragile, “feeling like a failure because I’m never going to be able to cope with anything other than my trained pony” depressed and emotional mental state.

The good news? Kaity’s assessment of Liberty was “she’s got a good brain, she’s smart, and she’s very uncommitted to her bad behavior.” My biggest worry was when she was crowhopping that it might escalate into her going up into a full rear, but Kaity was convinced that her temper tantrums were just that — low-grade tantrums without a whole lot of commitment behind them; basically, a kid acting out and looking for guidance.

Liberty getting a schooling session from Kaity

We managed 8 miles, although I suspect some of that was Libby’s extra circles and schooling session.

Back at camp, it was another round of happy hour snacks + drinks, and after looking at the clock and the amount of daylight still left, decided to take the dogs out for a hike (they spent the day while we were riding in the back of Kaity’s trailer where they had their bed, blanket, water, fluffy shavings, shady…and the coolest spot in the whole camp). We did a loop out and around the horse camp, and probably got in 3 miles or so.

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evening in camp

Dinner that evening was my homemade vodka marinara meat sauce with pasta, salad, and campfire cheesy bread…and lots of discussion about green horses, riding, dealing with fear, effectiveness of riding and a whole myriad of related topics.

The wind kicked up overnight, and off and on through the night I could hear parts of the rain fly on my tent thwapping in response. Great, just what we need. Wind. Because that’s great for keeping horses calm. (And that right there is a really good example of my “looking for trouble” thinking I have to break. Because that is the kind of thinking horses end up picking up on, and they’re really good at then providing you with self-fulfilling prophecies.)

During breakfast, we discussed our trail options and opted to go for a repeat of most of the Groom Creek Loop, but to explore one of the cutoff trails shown on the map for something different instead of going all the way to the lookout tower.

I’ll freely admit: I was really scared to get started that morning. When I went in to the tent to change, I sat down on my mattress and just started crying. I hate the part of me that is overrun by fear and anxiety, that thinks of worst-case scenarios and threatens panic attacks…and that threatens to interfere with something I love to do.

But the thought of not doing this anymore, of not pursuing and fulfilling my long-held dreams, is even more unbearable. So I put on my tights and half chaps, filled my water bottles, and (shhh, don’t tell, it’s my secret weapon…) took a tiny little nip of whiskey.

(Seriously…not condoning drinking + working around horses. It was less than half a mouthful, but more of the mental placebo effect than anything.)

One of the things Kaity had told me about what how “mentally visual” horses are, and in her experience, they can sense “thought bubbles” that we have…so try to think and project happy, positive images when you’re around the horse, as well as try to carry on a normal conversation with them. (I do this all the time with the pony, so I’m not sure why it doesn’t transfer over to working with other horses.)

Another change we did was to switch her from her s-hackamore to a snaffle. Libby’s still too green to use an s-hack properly — doesn’t neck rein, still needs more direct lateral pull, doesn’t bend or give well when asked, and seems to overly react to too many point of contact. At the same time, Kaity said she was seeking out some kind of contact, so the Myler snaffle I had with me would allow me to take up steady and consistent guidance and contact, without the multiple points of pressure and contact that come from a curb device such as the s-hack.

mare models her bit set-up

And finally, I was going back to my show days of pre-riding lunging. Not all the way back to “stand back and let them yeehaw on the line”, but more than “three courtesy stretch circles and you’re done.” There was a nice sandy open spot in front of the bathrooms, so after the ponies were tacked up, we traipsed down there and I put Liberty to work trotting circles for a good ten minutes. Several changes of direction, asking her to listen to me and stay engaged, but maintain the steady trot work that slowly bleeds of pressure and puts them in a working frame of mind.

We hand-walked through camp, across to the trailhead, and I mounted up and we set off down the trail. Kaity had also instructed me on making some changes to my riding position…and the changes she had me make are the missing puzzle piece I’ve been searching for on my own for a number of years. I had been mistakenly adopting too much of a chair seat, thinking that was the key to trying to stay centered, but in reality, it was tipping me back too much, not letting me put leg on the horse, and being countered with my tendency to then hunch my upper body.

Implementing Kaity’s suggestions immediately had me feeling balanced, centered…and much braver. I also consciously kept light but consistent contact on my reins, since I have a tendency to get lazy and let the contact drop, and made sure I was mentally engaged and actively riding for success.

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leading out…Brave New World

It was a 180° change from the previous day. Liberty was alert, but moving out well (really well…she discovered she can do more than a 2.5mph molasses crawl walk!) and responding to the contact and direction. We did some leapfrogging off and on, although the nice thing about leading was having Kaity behind me reminding me to keep my shoulders back, chest up, heels down.

Near the top of the mountain we stopped for a quick breather and mental break (and snack break) for both me and Libby before continuing on to our turnoff trail, which looked like an old mining trail, and it obviously hadn’t been maintained for a few years based on the amount of deadfall trees and obstacles. It was true trail riding at its core — going up and around on re-routes, stepping through multiple logs, lots of navigation, and so much brain work for the horses…and a pretty intense trust-building exercise for a green horse and her scaredy-cat rider.

I was so proud of how well Liberty held it together…we were following Ani (like most horses, she feels more vulnerable being the one in the back, and can be sensitive to the idea of things jumping her from behind), there was some very technical trail obstacles, we were going downhill on a pretty good grade, and to top it off, the saddle was threatening to slide up on her ears and I’m sure it wasn’t particularly comfortable. (She will definitely be a crupper horse.)

At the bottom, we were rewarded with finding a little creek, and there was enough space for us to lead the horses in one and a time and let them drink and eat some lovely green grass.

Ani at the creek

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very happy for the water break

After that, it was a good climb back to to where we re-connected with the Groom Creek Loop trail, which would be repeat trail from Friday, heading home. Aka “ripe for another green horse tantrum.” But no time like the present to nip her behavior in the bud and get in a schooling session.

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climbing up and out from the creek

She actually did really well for the first mile or so on the repeat trail, and then couldn’t stand it…had to start throwing a little jigging hissy fit. At which point I turned her off the trail, and asked for some circles around the closest tree, and around some bushes. Once she offered a relaxed neck and relaxed walk, she was given the opportunity to continue in the “home” direction. If she rushed, she got to do some more circles until she was ready to walk nicely again, and then we could continue on.

That did the trick for the next mile and half, and then she started getting snorty and amped. (She give you warning, at least…she does these little snorts as she goes along…one or two snorts is “I’m relaxed and having a good time” but consecutive small snorts is a precursor to “I wanna go and if you don’t let me I’ll throw a tantrum.”

The last half a mile or so, she got more and more wound up, and we ended up pausing and taking about ten minutes to do some slow, deliberate schooling of circles and serpentines over and around some convenient logs. We also took a more circuitous route around to return to the trailhead, so right about the time she thought, “Oh yeah, we’re back”, we continued on for another quarter mile for a total of an 8.5 mile loop.

All in all, couldn’t have asked for a better counter to the previous day. I was actually glad she acted up towards the end, as I was able to implement Kaity’s suggestions, and realize that I can handle her, that I do know what I’m doing, and am capable of doing this.

Afternoon back at camp was definitely a celebratory happy hour, with delicious fresh melon, cheese, lunchmeat, chips, onion dip, and the ubiquitous hard root beers. It was also warm(ish) enough for me to briefly brave using the sun shower to scrape off several days of dirt (baby wipes just aren’t the same), although with the still-blowing wind, it was cold. But being clean was worth it.

Our final wrap-up dinner that night was “clean out the cooler salad” — I made a big salad with baby greens, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, mushrooms, mozzarella and feta cheeses, croutons, bacon bits, bell peppers, avocado, and topped with the leftover tri-tip cut into thin slices, and Kaity made a side of a broccoli and cheese macaroni.

We did a big roaring bonfire to use up most of the firewood, stayed up way late with discussions over a thousand and one different topics, and finally headed off to bed when the temperatures dropped enough that the fire wasn’t even enough to keep us warm.

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campfire

That night was the only night I was really cold — I keep forgetting that the fuzzy acrylic socks don’t actually do any good on cold camping nights, and keep bringing them with me. Plus, it was cold enough that the air in the air mattress was chilly — in the future, I will further insulate the mattress by putting a foam layer between the mattress and the bed sheet. (Since it’s nearly impossible to fit one person and two dogs into a standard-sized sleeping bag, I opted for the route of putting bed sheets on the air mattress, and unzipping the sleeping bag into more of a comforter. It worked really well, especially with the bed-and-blanket-hog pups.)

Monday morning was pack up time…got the camp all cleaned up and put to rights, ponies loaded right up in Kaity’s trailer, she headed out, and I followed just a few minutes behind her. Heading home, Sofie settled within about half an hour, and both dogs slept the whole way home. Since I was coming home on a week day, I didn’t hit the standard Sunset Point traffic on I-17, and made it home in two and half hours with plenty of time to unpack the vehicle, get stuff put away, and start getting back into the swing of things.

It’s been a while since I’ve been horse camping just for fun, and this trip was one of the most invaluable learning experiences I’ve had for a very long time in my entire horse career. I learned some tools that will carry me forward, not just for this horse but for all future horses, I squared off with some of my own personal demons and beat them back, and I had a blast getting to spend several days with one of my best friends.

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Ride Photos

March 29, 2016March 29, 2016 / Ashley Wingert / 6 Comments

One of my favorite mementos from a ride, beyond t-shirts and buckets and other logo’d items, are ride photos.

If a photo is available, I buy it.There have only been a small number of rides I’ve been to where there has not been a photographer, and as a result, I have an entire album that is filled with photos. It’s one of my prized possessions, kept in an easy-to-grab location, and is worth hundred, if not thousands, of hours of memories.

Just for fun, I thought I would go through and post a photo from each ride that I have…the good, bad, and hilarious, from the beginning (March 2001) up through the most recent ride (Feb 2016).

Taxman. Estrella Mtn Park NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Goodyear, AZ. March 2001

Skip Me Gold (“Mimi”). First of Spring NATRC. Novice 1 Day. El Cajon, CA. April 2002

Skip Me Gold. Helen Logan River Romp NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Santa Ynez, CA. June 2002

Skip Me Gold. Descanso Desperados NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Descanso, CA. October 2002

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ Sage Hill NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Santa Ynez, CA. November 2002.

Skip Me Gold. Estrella Mtn NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Goodyear, AZ. March 2003

Skip Me Gold. First of Spring NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Warner Springs, CA. April 2003

Skip Me Gold. Chino Hills NATRC. Novice 2 Day. Chino Hills, CA. April 2003

Skip Me Gold. Helen Logan River Romp NATRC. Novice 2 Day. Santa Ynez, CA. June 2003

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ Descanso Desperados NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Descanso, CA. October 2003.]

Skip Me Gold. RAHA Rally NATRC. Novice 1 Day. Ramona, CA. October 2003

Skip Me Gold. Estrella Mtn NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 2 Day. Goodyear, AZ. March 2004

Skip Me Gold. First of Spring NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 1 Day. Warner Springs, CA. April 2004

Skip Me Gold. Man Against Horse 25. Prescott, AZ. October 2005

Skip Me Gold. Land of the Sun 25. Wickenburg, AZ. January 2006

[MISSING PHOTO: Zander Syene @ Old Pueblo 50. Sonoita, AZ. March 2006.]

Skip Me Gold. Desert Forest Spring NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 2 Day. Wickenburg, AZ. March 2006

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ First of Spring NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 1 Day. Warner Springs, CA. April 2006.]

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ Man Against Horse 25. Prescott, AZ. October 2006.]

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Skip Me Gold. Las Cienegas 25/25. Sonoita, AZ. December 2006

Skip Me Gold. Desert Forest Spring NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 2 Day. Wickenburg, AZ. March 2007

Skip Me Gold. First of Spring NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 1 Day. Warner Springs, CA. April 2007

Skip Me Gold. Descanso Desperados NATRC. Competitive Pleasure 2 Day. Descanso, CA. May 2007

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ Man Against Horse 25. Prescott, AZ. October 2007.]

Skip Me Gold. Land of the Sun 50. Wickenburg, AZ. January 2008

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ Devil Dog 60. Williams, AZ. June 2008.]

[MISSING PHOTO: Skip Me Gold @ Man Against Horse 50. Prescott, AZ. October 2008.]

JM Scatez Harley. Land of the Sun 25. Wickenburg, AZ. January 2009

Skip Me Gold. Valley of the Sun 50. Fountain Hills, AZ. February 2009

Skip Me Gold. Man Against Horse 50. Prescott, AZ. October 2009

Skip Me Gold. Valley of the Sun Turkey Trot 50. Fountain Hills, AZ. November 2009

Skip Me Gold. Land of the Sun 50. Wickenburg, AZ. January 2010

Brahma PFF. AHAA Halloween Ride 30. Fountain Hills, AZ. October 2010

[MISSING PHOTO: Rushcreek Thor @ Resolution Ride 30. Rio Verde, AZ. December 2010.]

Kodaakhrom. Fire Mountain 30. Ridgecrest, CA. January 2013

Rocco. Old Pueblo 55. Sonoita, AZ. March 2013

French Splendor. Old Pueblo 50. Sonoita, AZ. March 2013

Rocco. Prescott Chaparral 55. Skull Valley, AZ. April 2013

Liberterra (“Liberty”). Prescott Chaparral 30. Skull Valley, AZ. April 2013

[MISSING PHOTO: Rocco @ Ride the Divide 55. Socorro, NM. May 2013.]

Kodaakhrom. Bill Thornburgh Friends & Family 30/25. Inyokern, CA. October 2013

Liberterra. Lead, Follow or Get Out of My Way @ Bumble Bee 25. Bumble Bee, AZ. January 2014

Liberterra. Lead, Follow or Get Out of My Way @ Bumble Bee 25. Bumble Bee, AZ. January 2016

Liberterra. Wickenburg’s Land of the Sun 25. Wickenburg, AZ. February 2016

Special thanks to photographers: Cristy Cumberworth, Jane Grey, Cheryl Erpelding, Ray Brezina, Vern Wingert, Laura Bovee, Dean Stanton, Robyn Burgess, Steve Bradley, Tony Wilkie, and Susan Kordish.

Post-Game Analysis: Wickenburg 25

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 / Ashley Wingert / 6 Comments

As always, I was mixing up/messing around with gear…girl’s gotta have a hobby, right?

The biggest change was using one of Gina’s spare saddles: a Frank Baines Reflex dressage, fully kitted out with extra rings and such for endurance. I’d been having problems with the Duett leaving Liberty with a sore back (that was a first for me…) and after some examination, concluded that the tree was likely too flat for her, coupled with it being maybe just a touch narrow, thus further tipping it back on her loins.

The FB fit her really well (holy wide tree…FB’s 4W tree, which is the largest they offer in that model!) and it was surprisingly comfortable for me. At an advertised 17″ (although I measured it at 17.5…) it’s maybe just a touch small, especially with the deeper seat and higher cantle, but it was super-secure and I felt really comfortable and balanced in it…so it’ll work for now.

Meet Frank. Frank has only been used once before this and still smells like new leather. ♥

In my quest to find/make the perfect saddle pad, I had obtained a sheet of Supracor material, chopped it up into the appropriate shapes, and stuffed them into one of my existing Skito pads. It worked fabulously — I’m a fan of the support of the Supracor material, which doesn’t collapse and compress under pressure the way most the foams do, and it’s really breathable. Making inserts was 1) Cheaper than getting a new Supracor pad and 2) allowed me to use my favored wool underside of the Skito pad.

I used a rope halter under her s-hackamore headstall instead of the beta halter — it takes up a little less space, especially under the chin, and didn’t seem to interfere quite as much. (Even if I do like the look of the beta halter better…*sigh*)

For whatever reason, I switched back to the curb chain on the hackamore — thinking it might be longer/have a little more space than the solid strap — but that was a mistake. She’s definitely sensitive to too much curb pressure, and tucks her head and gets way behind the vertical when you apply contact. (And I ride with contact, which is why she’s generally pretty bold and not spooky, because she knows I’m up there, and I can feel when she’s getting tense or looky and give her a bit of leg or rein as necessary versus waiting until she’s already spooking halfway across the trail.)

So I rode carefully for the first part of loop 1, then swapped out the bottom solid hobble strap off the hack with the chain and the rest of the loop went way easier, and then once back at camp, replaced it with the solid curb strap.

I’m also going to switch out her hackamore noseband, because despite the “training“, the padded one still ends up flattening out versus draping nicely, and that makes it harder to put the bridle on without it being really tight around her nose. (I also may experiment with some kind of “hook” mechanism on the curb strap, kind of like the curb chain on a kimberwick that can easily be hooked or unhooked.)

25 miles has left me convinced I’m not a fan of the Gaston Mercier “comfort” leathers. Great concept, questionable execution: wider and more padded leather uppers, with the more narrow and flexible beta straps from which to hang your stirrups as the lower part. Unfortuantely, the d-ring that the beta straps hang from hits me right in the middle of my calf and creates a ton of pressure, even through the thickly-padded leather (and I was wearing half chaps). It’s possible that getting a longer padded section would alleviate this (or it would just move the pressure point to lower down onto my unpadded ankle bone)…but the company was such a pain to try to work with (customer service oriented…not!) and I had to jump through so many hoops to try to get them in the first place that I’m loathe to attempt another pair…especially since I provided height and inseam measurements and relied on their opinion and expertise for the size I need, since my height puts me somewhat between sizes.

I will probably go back to my old standby of Webbers + fleece covers, although the Australian fenders idea has me curious…

For stirrups, I had a pair of Amidale ones that I was trying for the first time. They were actually pretty good…certainly no worse than anything I’ve tried in the past, and possibly even better…only noticed a tiny bit of foot pressure developing, and that was during our endless walking campaign over the last few miles. Definitely worth trying out some more.

Amidale stirrups…of course, the best part is they’re orange!

I had to do some problem-solving with her boots along the way. We started in Classics all around (due to materials/color testing), with Viper heel captivators on her hinds after discovering her lameness from Bumble Bee most likely came from a rock getting under the captivator and creating a cut/crease between her frog and heel bulb. (She has very well shaped and defined heel bulbs, which means there’s actually a tiny pocket of space between her bulbs on the Classic captivator, which has a slightly flatter profile. Not normally an issue…unless you’re riding in some very deep and rocky sandy.)

About 5 miles into the ride, after some significant slogging through sand wash, I noticed her develop a subtle-but-consistent head bob on what looked like the left front. She had gotten quite a bit of sand in her boots, and even some small rocks between her toe and the boot toe. When that happens, it pushes the hoof backwards, and in effect creates a “tight” captivator, the same thing that happens if the cables are not the proper length or the tension strap is fastened too tight. She was responding to the pressure on her heels, and as soon as I pulled the offending boots, she started trotting just fine, no head bob.

She’s a good illustration of “select the proper shape of boot for your horses hooves, especially wen doing high-performance tasks.” Her toe angle naturally sits lower than the Classic shell toe angle, even on a super-fresh trim and appropriately short toes. When that happens, it creates a gap at the top of the boot shell that then allows sand to enter into the boot shell at a rate faster than it can empty out of the back of the boot.

You can see the differences. While her feet aren’t necessarily that round (she fits into more oval-proportioned Viper sizes of 140×135 and 140×130), in her case, it’s the angles and captivators that make a difference

I replaced her boots with Vipers at the lunch hold, and we did the second half of the ride, which also had significant amount of sand — everything from fine, powdery dust to pebbly gravel — and when we finished, she didn’t have any sand accumulated in her boots. Lesson learned: She has Viper hooves/heel bulbs, and in high performance hoof booting, attention to detail matters.

We’ve had a bit of an unseasonal heat wave this spring and the ride day was predicted to be a high of 83°, so I took the time Friday afternoon to braid Liberty’s very long, somewhat thick, mane. It served the purpose of helping to keep her cool, and it actually gave me easier handholds than trying to grab her flying mane.

Lots of mane to braid

As for myself, though I prefer to be unencumbered by it, I did wear a hydration pack — the same one I’ve used for running, the UltrAspire Astral. I definitely drink much better from a pack versus bottles, and I drank about 40oz of water on loop 1 and drained the pack (60oz) on loop 2. It also didn’t make my shoulders/neck muscles hurt any worse than not wearing it.

I also wore Kerrits IceFil from head to toe: IceFil Tech Tights (I got a pair when they originally came out and I really didn’t like them…weird waistband that sags, hot material…but I loved the pockets and the low-profile silicone grips. They did a re-design to them, featuring a wider and more elastic waistband, and the material feels different and cooler, so I snagged a pair, and I’m glad I did.) and a long-sleeve IceFil shirt. I’ve had the shirt for a bit now, and while I’ve done some hiking (Grand Canyon backpacking trip!) and running in it, I hadn’t used it at a ride. So glad I did — I feel like it really made a difference in keeping me cool, as well as sun-protected, without having to mess with sunscreen. Must get more…I think I may become Queen of Sunshirts.

UltrAspire Astral pack, IceFil shirt, IceFil tights, Jodz half chaps, Ariat Terrain boots, Tipperary Sportage helmet, Buff headwrap under helmet.

I also did pretty well in the food department: squeezie applesauce, Clif ShotBloks, Bounce energy ball/bar, and string cheese out on trail; ham, string cheese, pudding, and protein smoothie at lunch.

I electrolyted Liberty Friday evening, and then after we finished on Saturday…thinking I probably could have done some at lunch for her? She drank really well out on trail, and her vet scores were all excellent, but she is a larger-bodied, dark-colored horse…my gut tells me she may be one I end up messing around with e’lyte protocols on, especially as temps and distance increases. (But she’s got to get better with the syringe. Right now, she’s even more of a pain than Mimi…which is saying something.)

I think that pretty much covers it…if there’s something I didn’t mention, or you want more info about, just let me know in the comments!

Ride Story: Wickenburg’s Land of the Sun 25 2016

March 1, 2016March 11, 2016 / Ashley Wingert / 6 Comments

I apologize for the complete lack of brevity in the regaling of this tale. It truly turned into one of those Milestone Rides for us, and I’m trying to capture every moment of it.

Getting the Wickenburg ride to come back has been an event several years in the making — the last time it was held was the last time I rode it, back in 2010. It came back under new management, and a new ridecamp location (the fabulous Boyd Ranch, which is totally worth the 8-mile drive on rutted dirt roads to get back to it)…but like all new, or essentially new, ride, there tend to be some kinks to work out, and you know going in to a first-time ride that you as the rider are going to be something of a guinea pig.

At this particular ride, it was the trail itself that would prove to be the greatest challenge and need the most ironing out — very technical, with a lot of rocks, climbing, and deep sand, with not enough areas to safely move out to balance it out and be able to make up time. Ultimately, we came in overtime, but the fact that we unexpectedly ended up going it alone for most of the ride — the first time Liberty has done that — I was really happy with the outcome, and it was the absolute best learning and training experience I could have hoped for.

Wickenburg is a “local” ride for me — only about 2 hours away, including the last 8 miles of really rough, washboard dirt road that can take about 30 minutes alone if you’re hauling a trailer. (The road should have served as a preview of the terrain that was to come…)

the long road in…

welcome to Wickenburg!

Kirt and Gina were only about 10 minutes behind me, so I secured a good spot in camp (on the outskirts, but we had room to spread out and set up the electric pens). They had brought the usual suspects of my Liberty, Yankee for Gina, and Wicked (the big grey mare who is Liberty’s pasture-mate…it’s good for her to get the trailering and camping exposure…and good “oh, yes, you will leave your BFF” training for Liberty…)

welcome to camp!

great signage!

ponies in pens…Liberty, Wicked, Yankee

While Kirt set up the pens, Gina and I went and checked in and grabbed our ride packets, then pulled horses out and gave them a thorough brushing before heading over to vet in. (Shedding season…I scraped quite a bit of hair off Libby.)

hydrating before vetting

I’ll be the first to say it: Liberty was a brat for vetting. She was fussy about letting the vet look at her mouth (although she did stand nicely for getting her temperature taken), her pulse was a little high (44) since she was excited over leaving Wicked back at the trailer, and then she had to trod on my foot during our trot-out (trail running and endurance riding: Toenails Optional), which earned her an impromptu schooling session (and a second trot-out). Still needs some more work in the Manners Department.

The predicted forecast was going to be warm: 83°, and while I wished for clippers, I settled for mane braiding on both Liberty and Yankee. Their hooves needed a bit of attention, so they each got a trim, I checked boot fit and did some adjusting (even with a trim, I wasn’t loving how the Classic shells fit her…keep this in mind for later…), and then gathered tack together for the morning.

vetted in and numbered

all braided!

I haven’t been happy with how the Duett has worked, or rather, not worked, on her, since she’s been sore in the loins every time, even with three different saddle pads. Irony: All of the horses I’ve catch-ridden, she’s been the only one it hasn’t worked on. Fortunately, Gina had a spare saddle I could try: a Frank Baines Reflex dressage saddle, fully kitted out with all the necessary rings and such for endurance. I put it on the saddle stand, sat my own butt in it and determined it felt good enough to at least start the ride in (could always switch at lunch if need be), and then checked the fit on Liberty. I liked how it sat on her, and there’s a little more rock in the tree than the Duett, which is where I think I was running into problems. Also: She’s a tank. The tree is the 4W, which is the widest tree they offer in that particular model. It’s also a monoflap, and substantially lighter than my ridiculously-heavy Duett.

ktting out the Frank Baines with packs and stirrups

testing the fit…good enough to start with, at least!

low withers mean the “2-3 fingers” guideline doesn’t necessarily hold true for her, but the angle looks pretty good

I also electrolyted Liberty and Yankee at this point, knowing the next day was going to be warm. Liberty hates syringes and electrolytes (oh, yay, another one…) so there was Drama and head flinging and electrolytes splattered everywhere…but we eventually got it done…and Yankee was a good boy and took his without complaint.

One of the perks offered at this ride was dinner on both Friday and Saturday night, so around 5ish, we wandered down to the pavilion where management and volunteers had an appetizer spread ready while the dinner of beans, several kinds of pulled pork, coleslaw, and tortillas were being set out.

Ride meeting was really brief — pretty sure there were still people trickling in as the meeting was wrapping up — although it covered the salient points: “Follow these color ribbons on these loops, watch for the chalk arrows/lines/numbers on the ground, when in doubt read your maps with trail descriptions, hold times and pulse parameters are ‘x’ and ‘x’.” (I’m not a fan of long ride meetings, so I appreciated the brevity.)

It was nice to have had enough time in the afternoon to get everything I needed to done, so the evening was relaxing, and I even managed to get to bed in decent time, aided by my new BFF, a tab of melatonin, which helps with my “first-night-in-new-place-plus-pre-ride-jitters” restlessness. I give myself plenty of time (2+ hours before the start) on ride mornings to slowly wake up, dress, make coffee, force myself to nibble on something (green juice smoothie, poptart, banana), then boot/tack up.

tacked up and almost ready to go…just need bridles

We were tacked up and ready to go by the time the 50s started, but both Yankee and Liberty were fairly “up” so I took a few minutes to have Liberty walk/slow trot some circles around me and get her brain re-focused before I mounted. She had some moments of wanting to twirl around and head back to the trailer while we were walking over to the start, so I did a lot of walking, and circles, and making her pay attention to me, before we headed over to check in at the start line.

antsy-pants displaying her favorite indiscretion: pawing

I made one mistake, and I realized it as soon as we started: I had swapped the solid curb strap back to the one with the chain (why???) and I knew immediately it was too much for her, as she tucked her head extremely behind the vertical and got very fussy. *sigh* Too late to change now…but it meant I had to be extremely conscious of how much contact I was using (not as much as I prefer, especially at a ride start). Fortunately, she was much better behaved this time, only hopping a couple of times over the whole passing/being passed thing and then really settling in after the first mile or so (versus the first 6 miles at Bumble Bee). She really does get better and more mature with every ride.

walking over to the start…so excellently matchy-matchy

heading out at the start…oh, look, it’s part giraffe.

We were sitting about middle of the pack for the first couple of miles, but then the trail quickly turned into deep, uphill sand wash…which neither Yankee or Liberty are legged up for doing much by way of speed work in. So we walked. And people passed us. And we walked some more. We hit some nicer sections of double-track road where we were able to move out…but neither Liberty nor Yankee were feeling particularly like being the Brave Leader, so did a lot of yo-yoing back and forth where one would surge ahead, then the other…it was like riding equine bumper cars.

Gina and Yankee

sand…lots of sand!

It was during one of these trotting sections in a not-as-deep sand wash that Liberty started doing a mild-but-consistent head bob on her left front. (Remember, it was her RH she was off on at Bumble Bee.) Uggghhhh. Gina noticed that her boots had accumulated quite a bit of sand, even some small rocks jammed down in the front toe flap, pushing the shell forward and creating the same effect on the captivator as over-tightening the cables would do — pressure on the bulbs and somewhat limiting the movement of the captivator. Apparently I’ve got two horses that are “particular” about their preferred model of boot/captivator.

I pulled the offending boot off, climbed back on…and she trotted off sound. Riiiiggggghhhhtttt…memo to self: “Viper shells and captivators only on this horse from now on.”

Shortly after this point, we pulled off the trail to let a couple of people pass us, and as the last horse passed by, she kicked out and nailed Yankee right in the chest! Seriously?!? What next?!?

Fortunately, Yankee seemed fine, but we took our time, just to make sure — because of course right after this we would be leaving the wash and heading up some very rocky, technical climbs. After climbing out of the wash, there was a water stop/number check. Neither horse drank here, although Liberty drank a little bit at the first water stop (~3 miles in).

Heading out from the water stop, I managed to get Liberty to stay in front for more than twenty feet of trotting…and then all of a sudden she bobbled and started three-legged hopping, kicking out with her right hind leg. I immediately jumped off, and as far as we could tell, it looked like Yankee had crowded her from behind and possibly stepped on her hind boot. Again, this was her “off at Bumble Bee” leg, so I don’t know if it could have been something to do with the weird split that had developed between her frog and bulb (best we could tell at BB, a rock got under her captivator), or what was going on.

So now her hind boots got removed, and I was going to take her totally barefoot. (At the speeds we were going, that was hardly my biggest concern. She also has amazing, rock-crushing hooves from growing up in the desert and running on acreage her entire life.) I hand-walked her for a bit, probably about half a mile, just to make sure she was okay, before climbing back on.

Just when you think, “okay, we’re in the clear, right?”…Gina and Yankee are leading, heading up another technical, very rocky and steep climb that involves cutting a sharp right and then left to stay on the trail and out of the worst of the rocks. Only Yankee doesn’t cut right, but tries to just go left, over-corrects, does a “four legs in eight directions” flail, gathers himself up enough to get back on the trail…and then does it again. Liberty isn’t fazed by any of this, but when we get to the top of the hill, Yankee is off on one of his front legs. Nothing obvious, but he’s ouchy.

So we get off and start hand-walking again. Yankee isn’t improving, so Gina tells me “get back on and keep going, you don’t need to stay with me.”

Easier said than done, since Liberty has had very little solo training time, and never at a ride. Well, what’s a ride other than on-the-job training, right?

I got Liberty trotting away, but every time we would get out of eyesight of Yankee, she would slam to a stop and wait until she could see him again, then get moving. Needless to say, we were not making great progress until we hit a spot of shared trail with the 50s, and I was able to catch a tow from a couple of friends, enough to get us moving and for Liberty to realize “not alone out here. Maybe not going to die.” (Thanks, Cathy and Elaine, for letting me tag along!)

The shared trail split off at that point, but we had gotten far enough ahead of Yankee that Liberty was rolling along nicely…and the internal compass was pointed “due camp.” Photographers John and Sue Kordish were set up along this loop, and for the first time, Libby didn’t even pause to stare at them…so I got some nice trotting action photos of us!

photo: Susan Kordish/Cowgirl Photography

photo: Susan Kordish/Cowgirl Photography

Shortly after passing Sue, the trail opened up to this fairly smooth, wide, level dirt road…and I got to do something I’ve been dying to do…canter Liberty. In the past, I’ve been tempted, but have held back, not wanting her to learn too early on that canter was an acceptable option, especially during the start and early-on ride excitement. I am also not brave when it comes to cantering new/strange horses…it is the gait where I feel the least secure and comfortable, like I can be all-too-easily off-loaded if they spook or buck…but now, the timing felt right.

photo: Susan Kordish/Cowgirl Photography

Fortunately, she has apparently been trained in the standard canter cue (sit, kiss, little bit of rein, use one heel to cue) and moved right into this lovely, rolling canter.

*cue heavenly choir of angels singing*

She has one of the most wonderful canters I’ve ridden. Smooth, powerful, efficient…and perfectly controllable. And completely business-like — it was like she just locked onto the trail and had no interest in anything other than steadily moving forward. I have a feeling I will be working her up to this and utilizing it to great effect in the future.

We cantered for probably less than a quarter mile, then I broke her down to a trot to navigate through some rough areas, and then when the trail spit us onto the big dirt road leading to camp, I got one more canter in. (Super pleased with how responsive she was…and it didn’t make her rushy or at all race-brained to be allowed to move out…she came right back to a trot and walk as soon as I asked.)

So I basically power-trotted and cantered the last mile into camp, and hopped off right at the gate and hand-walked in the last 100′ or so to the in-timer. (Y’know…”how to bring a horse in nice-n-easy for pulsing down…”) I let her drink while I sponged her, and then she insisted on being allowed to munch on some of the alfalfa and bran mash that was sitting right there…so by the time I got her sponged and she got her initial munchies fulfilled, it took 5 minutes to pulse. I had the volunteer check her right when we came in and she was up at 80, then dropped to 70, hung there for a minute…and then when she checked her again a minute later, she had dropped to 52. (Criteria was 60, I believe. Or 64. Maybe 64 was the finish?)

She vetted out with all As — and was better behaved this time, although she still didn’t like the vet messing with her mouth. Her trot-out was excellent and she stayed right with me and didn’t use my feet for target practice.

Back at the trailer, I was surprised to see the corral was empty, and figured Kirt was maybe taking Wicked out for a walk around camp to keep her from missing her buddies. Well, I was partially right…he ended up saddling her up and taking her out on the fun ride! (Which was the same trail as loop 1 of the LD.) So Liberty had to stand at the trailer, all by herself, and alternate between drinking, eating, pawing, and screaming for her lost BFF. (And the learning experiences just keep on coming.)

I got her a bucket of water and flake of alfalfa, sponged a little more of the sweat off of her, and left her to her own devices for a little bit while I refilled my water pack, used the bathroom, and grabbed some lunch for myself. I took a couple of minutes of downtime to send a quick text update to friends/family, then got back to work: swapping out the curb strap on the hackamore, fishing my riding crop out (I knew we would need the extra encouragement if we were going to do the second loop all by ourselves), and re-booting her with Vipers on her fronts.

Gina got back with Yankee partway through my hold — the vet had taken a look and hadn’t found anything on his leg that would indicate tendon or ligament involvement, so it was likely that he probably tweaked something in his fetlock area. Gina said the vet had pulled a large, inch-long thorn out of Yankee’s leg as well (probably from a crucifixion thorn bush, fairly common to the area, with thorns that are larger/sturdier than cactus spines).

Liberty was good about walking away from camp — we had about 3 minutes to wait at the out-timer, and she did some circling and calling at that point, but with a little “hand on the halter and point in the right direction” assist from Gina, we got out on the trail — trotted out of camp, woohoo!! Which lasted all of 100 yards before we saw 50s coming in from one of their loops, and she had to stop, scream, and try to go with them. A couple of solid whacks with the crop got her persuaded that listening to me was the better idea, and he headed out on Loop 2A. There were more parts in this loop where we were able to move out — nice single-track running atop ridgelines — and then more technical climbs in and out of some big washes.

we just came up the hill from down in the wash

navigating semi-cross-country single track

Towards the end of this loop, we encountered Kirt and Wicked on a section of shared trail. What are the odds, right? Of course, neither mare wanted to separate from the other, so we both ended up jumping off and walking our recalcitrant mares away from each other down our respective trails. I ended up having to hand-walk Liberty for about half a mile before she stopped her screaming and twirling (with several “discussions” along the way about respecting personal space) and I was able to get back on and keep jamming down the trail.

To pick up the second part of the loop (Loop 2B) we had to cross in front of the ranch — more fun convincing the big mare that we were *not* going down the same in-trail we had earlier. Once I got her un-stuck and past that point, we swung by the water trough that was out and she drank well — impressive for her still being mentally keyed up and wanting to join her buddies — and then started into the second part of the loop.

We passed photographer Sue again, and then almost immediately, a cluster of 50s come up on us. Very good news for us: It was Stephanie DuRoss and her group, and they didn’t have any problem with me falling in with them and catching a tow for the next several miles of shared trail. (Thank you, Taylor, Steph, and Kecia!) Another excellent learning experience: Liberty had to be the caboose in a train of strange horses that she didn’t know, and had to choose to either act like a grown up and follow them, or end up on her own again (remember her “omg, stange horses, I must bounce up and down and act like I don’t know what another horse is” antics from Bumble Bee?). She decided that New Friends were a very good thing indeed and it was a sad time when our shared trails parted ways and we had to go forth on our own yet again.

photo Susan Kordish/Cowgirl Photography

We did some pretty good climbing, basically cross-country, and I’d coax a bit of a trot out of her on smooth sections here and there, but basically we walked. At about 2.8-3mph. Speed demons, us. ;) I also started singing at this point as a way to keep both of our spirits up…it’s a good thing we were alone, since I’m not exactly musically gifted.

Eventually the single-track spit us down and around into a large wash, but shallower and running slightly downhill, so we were able to get into a pretty good trot rhythm. I have pretty good navigational and “point of reckoning” skills, and I knew camp was basically on the other side of the hills we were winding our way through…so when we came upon one of the number checkers, I asked how far we were from camp…”oh, probably another 45 minutes to an hour.”

so much sand wash

Oh. So much for the hope that the ride would “measure short” and we were just around the corner from being done.

We had about 20 minutes left on the clock as this point, so I knew we weren’t going to make it, time-wise…which totally took the pressure off. Sure, we weren’t going to finish in time, but we were going to stay out there and finish the course.

Once out of the washes, we went through a really pretty section of single-track that wound through some trees and grass before spitting us out into a big open flat field with the single-track cutting straight through it, leading to the next water stop. It was here that Liberty had her one big spook of the whole ride…at a century plant next to the trail. She did a pretty impressive sideways spook with about a quarter of a spin…enough to just slightly unseat me, but a handful of mane braids (and the fact she stopped) kept me in place, she got a boot in the side for her troubles, and we proceeded onward to the water tank.

KODAK Digital Still Camera

It was a Super Scary water stop, with a windmill and shed and lots of stuff right around the trough, but she stopped and really tanked up. There’s a rough formula of ~30 swallows = 1 gallon (give or take, depending on horse size and gulp capacity), so just for fun, I counted her swallows…ended up being right around 50 swallows, so she had almost 2 gallons in one go! Gooooooood mare! (She is really good at EDPP on trail…very self-preserving and takes care of herself and her rider. That right there is solid gold.)

We had to “tiptoe” past the old building and wooden corrals, and then I let her walk for a few minutes after her large drink. Finally, finally, the trail turned back towards camp, and we got some more forward motivation…that lasted until we encountered the Dead Barrel Cactus of Doom laying right next to the trail. Since we were surrounded by cholla, and there was no good “go around” option, we stood there quietly until she inched her way past it, step by step. After that, we kind of hit our wall, as the trail was very twisty and turny, rocky, and lined with enough cholla that trotting didn’t seem like an inviting option.

So we walked. And we walked. And we walked some more. I worked my way through a pack of Clif energy ShotBlocks and drained the rest of my water pack. A few short trot bursts through sand and some flatter stuff, but more up and down cross-country rocky stuff, now heading away from camp…and then crossing a bit of trail from the morning…and more up-down-rocks…and then back on shared trail from loop 2A. Shared trail + directly heading towards camp = motivated trot, and we trotted the last mile or so back in to camp.

out trudging on our own…

We were so overtime (by about an hour) but I still treated our finish like we were still in the game: come in, let her drink and eat while I pulled her saddle and sponged her down, and got her pulse (pulsed down to 60 in just a couple of minutes, impressive with it being as warm as it was, and her being a dark, still-fluffy, large-bodied horse), and then took her over to vet out.

photo Susan Kordish/Cowgirl Photography

She finished with all As (still didn’t like the vet handling her mouth, *sigh*) and a lovely trot-out, and then she got to chow down on the lovely bran mash + carrots provided by the ride for a few minutes while I sponged her off a little more (and then flopped the saddle back on her, since we were parked a ways away and it’s still not *that* light) and then we headed back to the trailer.

vet card: lunch check and finish

She got to rejoin her BFF in their corral, I committed the grave crime of electrolyting her again, and then afterwards, I flopped down on a lounge chair with a water bottle in one hand, cold beer in the other, and plenty of snacks, and regaled Kirt and Gina with our Tales of Being On Our Own and Not Dying. After the beer ran out and I’d put a dent in the food supply, I headed over to the ranch bathrooms where they have lovely permanent showers. (Living quarters are really nice, but the perk of permanent bathrooms at a facility is you don’t have to worry about draining the water tank or running out of hot water, so if they’re there, I will use them.) I washed a ton of trail dust and sweat off, changed into fresh, clean clothes, and headed back to the trailer for a bit before ride dinner.

post-ride consumption of the food and water

I really have to give a nod to ride management at this ride. They provided some excellent perks, including dinner both nights, the volunteers were friendly and helpful, the trail markings were fabulous…it was just the trail itself that wasn’t entirely practical for endurance competition purposes, and management has already expressed a desire to take into account any constructive feedback and use that for the betterment of the trails for next year. (And kudos to the ride attendees: Everyone I have talked to or have seen feedback from has remained polite, courteous, and provided appropriate constructive criticism, versus just complaining and bitching. So good job, all around.)

That grilled hamburger dinner tasted delicious (and I really liked not having to cook), and it looked like a decent number of people stayed around for dinner/awards. We had planned from the beginning to stay Saturday night, so we had time to socialize and catch up with people before retiring back to the trailer for hot chocolate and cookies, and eventually bed.

I crashed hard until about 7, when sunrise and quiet horse murmurings pulled me out of the sleeping bag. I appeased the starving herd, then fortified myself with coffee. Liberty looked great — legs cool and tight, no back soreness (!!! and there hadn’t been any when we finished), bright-eyed, and most important: still talking to me. Yankee was back to normal — while I was out on the second loop, Gina had taken a closer look and found another thorn pretty deeply embedded in his fetlock, and once she removed that, he immediately started moving better and was completely fine by morning.

We did some hoof/boot consultations (Kirt have me one of those “show me what you’ve learned” tests by having me evaluate the hoof and what I would adjust on the trim…I passed with flying colors, which is always nice to hear since I tend to second-guess and doubt my abilities and skills when it comes to hooves and trimming) and slowly started to pack things up. Gina and I took the horses for a walk around camp, then loaded up and hit the road.

nomming camp leftovers with Wicked

I swear, the road going out was almost worse than coming in, but I had good music on the radio, and a happy sense of success and fulfillment after a dynamite weekend, so the drive home went fast, and I was back by early afternoon to be greeted by my very excited Terrier Greeting Committee.

I am so, SO proud of this mare, I could just burst. She has not done very much training solo, and never at a ride. This is only my fourth time riding her, so she really doesn’t know me that well…and this was only the third time I would take a horse through a ride by myself. (The first was Mimi’s and my first 25, the second time was when I took Beamer on an LD at McDowell — both times on horses I knew very well and had spent a lot of time around.)

I felt so safe and comfortable on her. She’s sensible, not over-reactive, and keeps her head even when fairly stressed (such as leaving or meeting-and-leaving buddies). She never blew up, and she wasn’t even what I would consider particularly spooky. She’s got a stubborn streak that definitely shows up, particularly when she needs a mental break, and a walk that’s slower than a sloth dripped in peanut butter crawling over a glacier…but those are things that will be improved on with time. (And her trot and canter make up for her walk…and in-hand, she walks out quite nicely, so she can learn to do it.)

I don’t think of myself as particularly brave, but in this case, there wasn’t any second thoughts about heading out by ourselves. This horse and I feed off each other — she gives me confidence, she challenges me in all the right ways, and she makes me want to be the best version of the horsewoman I can be.

That was the longest 25 I’ve ever done, but it was worth taking whatever time we needed to make sure we both had a good experience. Liberty will for sure have a long, slow distance base on her, and all of her rides thus far (with the exception of the Bumble Bee pull) have had her on the trail for 6 or so hours, so she’s never learned the “race fast and you’re done in two hours” mentality…to her, you’re always on the trail for 6+ hours, so while moving up in distance will be a change, the longer time out on the trail won’t be as much of an adjustment. (It’s unconventional as a training method but maybe it’ll work?)

So, a Gold Star weekend for both of us, and one more building block layer in Creating a Distance Horse.

Go Pony • Go the Distance

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Ride Story: Wickenburg’s Land of the Sun 25 2016