Uncategorized

Meet Sofie

/ Ashley Wingert / 2 Comments

Two weekends ago, I made a very last-minute road trip up to Moab, UT, to go pick up the newest addition to the family.

IMG_4930

Meet BriarBey Sofie. She’s a 4-year-old Decker Rat Terrier — and the mother of Artemis.

She’s a very sweet, snuggly girl who really loves to go for walks, tolerates Artemis’s overabundance of enthusiasm, and has been a fabulous addition to the household in the week that she’s been here.

IMG_4867

picking up a dog and sneaking in a ride

We’ve most often had two dogs at one time in the household, and I think the addition of a second dog will ultimately be really good for Artemis to have the canine company. (Currently going through some growing pains as the spoiled child is adjusting to having to share her world…fortunately Sofie is really uncomplicated.)

IMG_4913

Artemis at left, Sofie at right

It’s an interesting dynamic, bringing the mother dog into a household where the daughter has been the only dog…I’m still not quite sure how everything will play out with the pecking order. But I’ve definitely been guilty of spoiling Artemis, so the good thing about all of this is it is making me readjust my approach to dog handling and to start correcting some of the misbehaviors and indiscretions I’ve allowed to happen.

IMG_4935

old saddle pad = excellent dog bed

IMG_4865

pretty Sofie

IMG_4792

“play with me!”
They look very similar, but easy enough to tell apart: Artemis has a black back, Sofie has more white and spots.

IMG_4947

a girl and her Deckers

Delayed Gratification

/ Ashley Wingert / 5 Comments

endurance

noun en·dur·ance \in-ˈdu̇r-ən(t)s

the ability to withstand hardship or adversity; especially: the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity

See also: “delayed gratification”.

I’ve said it before, and it bears repeated: endurance ain’t for the faint of heart. Or the impatient. Or anyone who can’t deal with bouts of “one step forward, two steps back.” Some people make it look easy, but that’s rarely the whole story. I would say it’s somewhat unusual to not have some kind of setbacks, injuries, plans going awry, and life definitely not going as intended. And, speaking from personal experience, trying to adhere to a rigid plan and schedule is what creates so much internal angst and pressure on our parts.

Our horses don’t care about a “schedule.” They have no concept of time as we see it, nor do they understand our impatience when they “won’t get with the program.” You can’t rush success/progress/experience…and if you try, it’s more apt to be a shortcut/patch-job that will likely later end up blowing up spectacularly. There’s a reason for the popularity of “made” endurance horses: Appeal to those that may not want to take, or have the time to start a young horse from scratch.

602064_10151578850655649_1694629132_n

And, as a friend recently put, “dry spell” is spelled “e-n-d-u-r-a-n-c-e-r-i-d-e-r”. Which is so true. The whole endurance journey is a lot of ups and downs — and I’m not just talking about the hill climbing. It’s probably going to be somewhat rare to have constant smooth sailing. Of course there are steps you can take and things you can do to help minimize some obstacles and potential stumbling blocks…but sometimes life just happens. Personally, I’m in the middle of one of those dry spells right now, and really, this is a case where temporarily accepting it, versus working myself up into a major angst-fest over things I have no power to change or influence, is the healthiest course of action. (Not to say I always take the healthiest course of action. This blog post was written in one of my more rational and charitable frames of mind.)

ride pics 002

Life tends to have cycles and seasons all on its own, and throwing something as involved, complicated, and time-consuming as endurance into the mix can be that much more complicated. Sometimes it turns into an exercise in evaluating your priorities, learning balance, figuring out the “can’t do it all” factor…and then a bit of “the stars aligning.”

Julie Suhr once said about finishing Tevis that it is “one third horse, one third rider, and one third Lady Luck.” I would say the same applies to endurance in general.

And in a perfectly timed “universe has a sense of humor” coincidence, this year’s copy of the Tevis Forum magazine got delivered in the mail when I initially started working on this post. Ha. Hahaha. As anyone who has followed my blog for any period of time knows that’s one of my ultimate destination goals…and that the closest I’ve come to the stars aligning is multiple times of crewing, and some chances to preview and pre-ride sections of the trail. It’s all leading up to that point…steps in the journey…but in the meantime, I can’t help but sometimes feel a bit of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” syndrome…and wonder just how long I have to keep delaying gratification?

1269820_10201512739731618_1562979893_o

So why do we do this???

Because when it does all come together, it’s so worth it. Because sometimes have plans go awry can result in interesting and unexpected detours or re-routes, not all of which are a bad thing. And because it’s life. Life is unexpected, and rarely follows our idea of a well-behaved and orderly plan and function.

But that’s all part of living.

Desert Forest Ride066

Do What Works

/ Ashley Wingert / 3 Comments

payson 9-16 012Treed vs Treeless.
Barefoot vs Booted vs Shod.
Brand X vs Brand Y.
Bitted vs Bitless.
Minimalist vs Maximalist.
Training programs.
Diet choices.

Did I manage to hit just about every major hot topic button out there liable to start online riots?

Most of us probably have some sort of an opinion on any of the above topics. And since it is our opinion, there’s a good chance we’re probably pretty convinced that we’re right. (No one likes to have a wrong opinion, right?)

But when it comes down to it, who’s to say what is right or wrong? Obviously there are some hard and fast rules of the world — like I’m pretty sure running a red light is illegal in all 50 states, no matter your opinion on whether stopping for other traffic is stupid or not. But there are a wide range of subjects in which “Your Mileage May Vary” and one size definitely does not fit all.

Especially on those topics that we feel very passionate about, we (myself included!) can get somewhat…ardent in our beliefs. And that passion and enthusiasm is awesome, and usually contagious. It’s the reason for the success of word-of-mouth referrals — you’re going to be more apt to consider something that you received direct information and/or feedback about from a personal, reliable source, versus just a shiny marketing ad.

Where I begin to have a problem is the black-and-white extremism that says “This is the only way to do something and everything else is just wrong” and doesn’t consider that maybe what works for them won’t work for someone else. Very few things in this world are absolute, and while there are times that “If it’s not working, you’re doing it wrong” are applicable…more often than not, it’s better to keep an open mind, be flexible, and willing to do what works.

Naturally, me being me, of course I have an opinion on all of the above topics. ;) However, just to keep life interesting, I’ve had to re-visit some of these opinions depending on the horse in question, and learn to be very flexible.

bumblebee

At the last ride, Liberty tended to get behind the vertical with her s-hack, which tells me she isn’t ready for that many points of pressure and contact; back to more snaffle-basics for her. I prefer the s-hack for ease of eating/drinking/not removing headstalls…but when the training occasion calls for a bit, that is what I will use.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of treeless saddles…for me. I recognize that they work really well for a lot of people, but my experiments with them have been mostly underwhelming. I also admittedly ride off my stirrups probably a little more than I should, so pressure dissipation on a treeless has the potential to be an issue with me. After sitting in several models of them, I would dearly love to try a ReactorPanel at some point, as their specific flex-panel technology intrigues me. And in the meantime, my old faithful Duett still continues to do the job.

The barefoot vs booted vs shod debate could probably take up a post all on its own. Suffice today: I have barefoot, booted performance horses. I want them barefoot and moving around as much as possible when they’re not working; but the majority of the time when they’re being ridden, I use boots. My personal stance on that is that under saddle, I’m asking them to do things that are unnatural, such as carry and balance weight, and move at speeds that may be faster than the terrain would ideally dictate, especially in a competition setting where we’re racing against the clock and may not have the luxury of slowing down for every questionable section.

As a caveat to that, I will say that training barefoot on a young horse can be a handy training tool. Not only does it teach them to pay attention to their feet — and that landing on rocks is a bad idea — it can also help curb excessive enthusiasm on a more forward horse after they clatter through a few rock piles and realize that might not have been the best idea.

016

Sometimes Arizona footing can be barefoot friendly. And then sometimes it’s really not.

And it’s not going to be for everyone. It can take a lot of time, dedication, and the right set of circumstances to have a successful barefoot performance horse. And if it’s hurting the horse, it’s not worth clinging to an ideal…do what your horse needs not what you want.

Oh, and FWIW, on the running front of happy debate topics, I haven’t been able to successfully use minimalist or maximalist shoes. So there. ;) Actually, the challenge of finding appropriate running shoes for myself has been even harder than it was finding boots that worked on Mimi.

Bottom line: Do research, take a moment to think about the arguments being made for or against something, try something, and don’t be afraid to say if something doesn’t work.

Tevis 2013: As the Crew Sees It

/ Ashley Wingert / 5 Comments

About ten (uhhh…it’s been a standing deal since we were about 15…so more than 10…) years ago, two girls agreed between themselves to crew for each other when they would ride Tevis. Never mind neither of them actually had a Tevis horse at that time, or had even ridden a 50-mile endurance ride.

Kaity Elliott and I were those two girls.

July 20, 2013, I was the first one to fulfill the crewing agreement when Kaity rode her horse Kody through their first Tevis…and first completion.

I already went into detail about the Wednesday before Tevis pre-ride in which I borrowed Lucy‘s pone Roo and got to ride from the Finish to No-Hands Bridge and back.

Thursday was the day dedicated to packing and prep. In order to comfortably accommodate rider + crew, as well as for faster set-up and break-down time, we were taking Lucy’s rig, a 3-horse semi-LQ gooseneck, plus Lucy’s Subaru Baja as the crew car.

As anyone who has ever trailer-pooled before, working out of a rig that is not your own and different to what you’re used to can be interesting. Speaking from personal experience, I always knew where that one errant little item you’d never think to need until you really need it was — but would someone else think to have it? Fortunately, Lucy, Kaity, and I are all cut from a similar cloth: paranoid over-packers who bring everything + an extra kitchen sink. And fortunately, Kaity is very organized and believes in making lists. (I firmly believe in the power of The List when it comes to ride prep and organization.)

So we went down the list, pulling what we needed from Kaity’s trailer and transferring it into Lucy’s, and double-checking things that Lucy had that we didn’t need to pack. We also hitched up the truck + trailer…a first for both of us, as it was a gooseneck trailer, and it happened with a minimum of drama and colorful language.

Slightly more drama was involved when it came to moving horse feed, in the form of an entire fluffy bale of  bermuda hay exploded over Lucy’s driveway…much colorful language was uttered at that moment, as the poor bale of hay turned into the outlet for all pre-Tevis stresses and nerves. Eventually we got it together (figuratively and literally), got the hay packed in such a way it probably wouldn’t completely blow out of the truck before we hit Robie Park, then ran into town to grocery shop.

Kaity and I both love food, and are the kind of riders who, if we don’t eat during rides, tend to turn slightly homicidal. So food is of the Utmost Importance…and the two of us food shopping together can be a dangerous combination. (If you’re one of those riders, set aside enough in your Tevis budget for plenty of food. You will thank yourself later…and your crew will love you.)

Lucy’s poodle Finn helping me clean boots

The rest of Thursday was spent with more packing, and organizing. The rest of Kaity’s crew, in the form of boyfriend KC and sister Brenna, arrived late afternoon. Lucy brought home pizza, and I’m pretty sure a semi-reasonable bedtime was managed by all.

On the road to Robie, precious Kody cargo in the trailer.

We caravaned up to Robie Park late Friday morning, KC, myself, and Lucy’s friend Sally (another Tevis rider) in the Baja crew car, and Kaity, Brenna, and Lucy in the truck with Kody ensconced in the trailer.

The drive up to Robie Park is so gorgeous. I love that I-80 drive, with all of the trees and mountains. The dust on the last few miles in to Robie Park was, as always, impressive, and KC and I belatedly remembered Lucy’s comment that the Baja A/C was out…so we either rolled down the windows and got dusted out, or rolled up the windows and sweltered. We compromised for partway rolled-down windows and a light dust coating.

Upon arrival, we found a lovely parking spot (not telling where…it’s lovely and somewhat hidden and not dusty and easy to make the early-morning escape…and it’s ours!!!), Lucy parked the rig, we settled Kody in, Kaity finished some paperwork, then we all wandered down to scope out the vendor area and get Kaity her rider packet. And I shopped. (New crupper to go with all my orange gear, new tights, and new water bottles.)

Kody loves his food.
Finishing off the part they read  when you finish and take
your victory lap around the stadium…
Rider packet!

No photographic evidence of my shopping expedition.

Kaity then went back to the trailer to tack up Kody for a short pre-ride while Lucy and stayed down in the vetting areas to watch riders and horses vet in. We oohed and aahed over our favorites, greeted people we knew, and took lots of pictures. (I thought I took more pictures. Turns out I was too busy watching to actually use my camera for any useful purpose.)

Melinda and Farley

Before too long, Kaity was back, and we got Kody untacked and Kaity vetted him in.

Was it something I said?
photo by Lucy
All business
Happy smiles after getting the “good to go”
photo by Lucy
Getting the official butt number
photo by Lucy

After getting Kody settled back at the trailer, we hoofed it back down (so. much. walking. It really helps, as a crew person, to be in decent shape for this ride.) to the dinner and ride briefing. I’m always a bit shell-shocked by how big the briefing is. So many people, between riders, and crew members, and volunteers, and management.

And I’m always surprised by how short the ride briefing really is, when you get down to it, especially considering how large and important of a ride it is. I know I’ve done local rides that have had a longer ride meeting than Tevis.

We had pretty much everything packed in the crew car ahead of time, so we wrapped up with a last-minute mini crew briefing of our own, and retired to our respective sleeping spots.

Honestly, I’m pretty sure sleep at Tevis is highly overrated, even for crew members, as I don’t ever remembering really sleeping well until it’s all over…and then it’s the sleep of the dead for 10+ hours, usually.

Ride start is at 5:15, which means camp is usually stirring around 3:30-4:00. Some people call this “morning.” I say that I only like to see one 4:00…and AM ain’t it. Ah, the things we do for endurance…

Fortunately KC had coffee brewing (if I must do mornings, caffeine is an absolute necessity), and we got the pony fed and dressed…and the girl fed and dressed…and then it was time for Kaity to mount up and head down to the start. Lucy and I walked with her (and I proceeded to find every rock, hole, and tree root to stumble on in the dark), and hung out off to the ride until they released the Pen 2 riders, then we hustled back up to the trailer where KC and Brenna had packed things up and were waiting to go.

photo by Lucy

Vehicles can’t start up/leave until 5:30, since riders leave on the same road out of Robie Park, so we twiddled our thumbs until the appropriate time, then joined the Great Trailer Race back down to Auburn. Anyone who has crewed Tevis will remember this…a several-miles-long line of trailers and cars, bumper-to-bumper, and a line of dust that can probably been seen from several miles away.

Since KC and I had the car (and could drive faster than the faster speed limit than vehicles with trailers), we zipped ahead, down I-80, and stopped for gas/Starbucks while Lucy and Brenna proceeded directly to Foresthill. We actually caught up with them several miles out from FH, so just followed them right in, where we found a pretty awesome parking spot for the trailer that was not only easy to find (“directly under the cell tower”), but would be easy to pull the rig out of again.

Rig parked, we all jumped into the car and headed up to Robinson Flat.

Once there, we hit a minor snafu in that, unbeknownst to us (nothing was said/published about it), they shut down the caravan line (that would allow you to drive up to the top, drop people/stuff off, drive back down and park, and have the driver walk back up) at 8:30. It was 8:45 when we got there. We were furious.  Especially because Kaity believes in being…ummm…”well-stocked” with supplies, so it wasn’t exactly as simple as hauling one little crew bag onto the shuttle bus and being done with things.

Well, we made it work…ended up being the last people on the bus, wedged in with a ton of stuff…and poor KC had to start hauling the (non-folding) cart up the mountain. The bus dumped us off at the top, and Brenna and I proceeded to haul stuff by hand (but we found a killer crew spot…and no, I’m not sharing where ;)) while lucy headed back down to help KC. Fortunately a kind person who had permission to be driving on the road back and forth stopped and put KC and the cart in the back of their truck and drove him up.

We got the crew spot laid out beautifully…buffet for Kody, a chair and cooler full of food for Kaity, then headed up to the road the riders come in on to wait.

Lucy was our photographer extraordinaire and got some great shots in action…

the handoff…I led and fed while the others stripped tack

photo by Lucy
They were taking blood samples between P&R and the vet
exam as part of a completion/pull study. Kody hates needles
so I distracted with a pan of sloppy and he didn’t even protest.

photo by Lucy
Kaity chatting with the vet

photo by Lucy

Post vet exam, I whisked Kody away to our crew spot and set him up, first with his hay. (Rule was he had to eat some hay for forage/fiber first, and once bored with that, he could have his beloved sloppy.) As he munched, I worked on sponging the worst of the grime off, and checked to see if I needed to do any boot adjusting.

While I tended to Kody, everyone else tended to Kaity. As you can see, they were very attentive…

time to clean the grubby rider…
(FWIW, fresh mountain water is COLD.)

photo by Lucy

Apparently rider care included sponging, feeding, and foot massages. (Hey, waitaminute…I want hercrew when I ride…)

Kody is Mr. Shy Pee’r, so I had to stealth-ninja peek at him
to check for color and volume. Crewing is SO glamorous.

photo by Lucy

That hour hold passes by really fast (although fortunately Kaity didn’t have to wait in long lines for P&R or vet), but we got her in the saddle and out on time.

and away they go…

photo by Lucy

Then came the fun of getting everything back down the mountain. We begged a ride off another crew person who was able to drive her truck up to the top of the road, and we proceeded to play “endurance rider Tetris” with everyone’s stuff…

Th best part was riding this load down the mountain, sitting on the back of the dropped tailgate. Fortunately it’s all downhill and gravity worked in our favor for once, and no items or crew people were lost along the way. (Move over Disneyland…this is an endurance rider’s idea of an E-ticket ride.)

Between Robinson Flat and Foresthill is a long stretch of downtime, as it’s probably at least 6 hours before you’re going to see your rider again. Lucy headed back out to go to the Chicken Hawk check (a gate-and-go-style of check, but it’s apparently nice to have a smiling face and extra set of hands meet you there). We got the back of the trailer swept out and the shower area all set up and ready for Kaity to use. I arranged the crew cart with everything we would need for later, then wandered around a little bit looking for people I knew, including Funder, crewing for Mel, and A, crewing for Karen. I loaded A down with more Renegade goodies and we chatted for a bit before she had to go.

Around that time, Kaity’s parents showed up, so I spent some happy time catching up with them (again, known them as long as I’ve known Kaity and they’re sort of like another set of parents to me), and then her dad and I drove down to the Foresthill market for ice and provisions re-stocking (more Gatorade).

After we got back and hung out around the trailer a little more, Interesting Things started happening, which meant riders were starting to come in. I wandered down to Bath Rd to watch and cheer, since it was still at least a couple hours from when we anticipated Kaity arriving.

Once Lucy texted from Chicken Hawk to let us know Kaity was through and headed to FH, we grabbed the cart and stuff, and trundled further down the road to wait. Lucy made it back before Kaity arrived, so got more Crew In Action shots…

see how we’re a blur of motion?

photo by Lucy

We stripped tack, and started cooling — water is plentiful here in FH, including a hose, and the ice I’d fetched earlier. It was HOT this year, and we did some pretty aggressive cooling/hosing/sponging of ice water on Kody as we headed up the road. It worked, as he pulsed right in, and Kaity and I headed over to the vet line.

letting the hungry hippo eat

photo by Lucy

After a successful vet exam, we went back to the trailer, where Kaity was shoved to the back of the trailer to shower, and the rest of us worked on getting tack set up for nighttime (glowsticks, headlamp) and I messed with/replaced a couple of boots Kody had pitched in the canyons.

heading to the out-timer

photo by Lucy

There was a brief delay at the out-timer when the Desitin in Kaity’s saddle pack turned up missing, and Lucy had to run back to her trailer for more, but we still managed to get her on trail in a timely fashion.

waiting at the out-timer

Once we saw her on her way, the rest of us headed back to the vehicles, packed up what looked like the aftereffects of a tornado, and drove back down to Auburn and the fairgrounds.

Kaity had gotten one of the horse camping slots next to the finish line area, and we had scoped it out ahead of time. End spot with lots of room for rig, vehicles, tents, and horse. We dropped the rig off and left the camp set-up in the capable hands of KC and Brenna. Lucy and I had volunteered to help work the Lower Quarry check during that “downtime” of dropping off the rig and Kaity’s arrival in Auburn (all part of my plan to see/experience as much of the ride as possible before actually riding it), so we headed down there.

We missed the Top Ten riders coming through, but then saw the majorit of the rest of the riders come through in the next several hours. As volunteers, we were basically available to help riders with whatever they needed: hold their horse, cool/sponge them, provide hay/mashes, refill water bottles, point riders in the direction of the food table, do a courtesy pulse check.

It was really, really fun to interact with so many different horses and riders and help them, in some small way, with their ride. We offered Kaity the same basic services as everyone else (since crews are not allowed at Quarry), and after she was through the check and on her way, we made our exit and booked it up the road. We managed to hitch a ride with some volunteers who were driving out, so we didn’t have to jog/walk the whole way back to the car, so we had plenty of time buffer to drive back to the fairgrounds and settle on the “grassy knoll” overlooking the finish line at the water trough.

Crewing wasn’t allowed until after riders were through the stadium, so we waited for her to arrive, cheered like a bunch of lunatics, and walked with her down to the stadium.

TEVIS FINISHERS!!!

photo by Lucy

I admit it: I cried when I watched them go around the stadium. I know this has been a long-time dream of Kaity’s, and to do it on a horse that she raised up from a fuzzy baby to a beautiful, grown-up, 100-miler TEVIS HORSE is an accomplishment that goes beyond description.

post-completion exam…a SUCCESSFUL FIRST TEVIS!!!

photo by Lucy
friends that have been through this long journey together

photo by Lucy
it takes a village to get through Tevis

photo by Carol Elliott

Tevis has been doing a post-post-completion check 1-2 hours after finishing, so we went back up to the trailer where I wrapped Kody’s legs, and by the time we got him all wrapped and clean, it was time to go for the re-check, which we did, then staggered back to the trailer and fell into bed. It was probably around 6AM at this point. (Seeing two sunrises in the course of 24+ hours is a bit much.) I passed out for a couple of hours, but woke up around 8:30 or so feeling like a turkey baking in an oven. (Metal trailer, full sun, closed doors.) Lucy was also up, so we blearily stumbled down to the showers, washed over 24-hours of Tevis grime off, and searched out breakfast.

After food (and coffee), we watched the Haggin Cup judging, which is always interesting to see, then we browsed the vendors, looked at ride photos, then lolled about in the shade and grass until it was time for awards.

I was definitely done by the time awards were about halfway through…lack of sleep and full depletion of all of my energy reserves meant I teetered on the edge of an emotional breakdown, as all I really wanted to do at this point was go back to Lucy’s and sleep.

(Full confessions: Tevis is very emotional for me, both good and bad, and part of me always has a bit of a hard time coping with seeing other people getting what I want so badly. Mostly I hide it well, but part of my coping mechanism is “let me disappear and have a good cry for a little bit.”)

The rest of the afternoon/evening is a bit fuzzy…I know I got back to Lucy’s, had my private meltdown, then crashed for several hours. I think we all kind of slept in shifts…in typical “me” fashion, I woke up around dinnertime, ate something, then stayed up for a few more hours chatting about all things endurance and Tevis before crashing again.

I’d wisely given myself an extra day before having to head home, since I had extra stuff I needed to send home (Renegade boots, shirts, and a saddle I was borrowing from Lucy), so I got to see more of the scenic Sierra foothills as Kaity and I drove to the UPS store (and searched out junk food).

I flew back home Tuesday, and promptly spent the next week getting my sleep patterns back in order.

AS I mentioned, Tevis is always a very emotional thing for me. I’m in love with this ride and I want to do it SO bad…all it takes is for the yearly entry forms to go up online and I get Tevis Fever all over again. And yes, I’m already committed to crewing (for Lucy) for Tevis 2014…