February 5, 2019.

For my brother Craig. 
RIP
5/9/70 to 2/5/19

My brother, Craig, died today.

His addiction to meth took him physically today; however, it took all that he was years ago.  Although I am grieving and so saddened by his passing, I feel relief, knowing he will no longer suffer.  He is finally free.



Some songs that remind me of him:

Pink Floyd, "Comfortably Numb"  This song, to me,  is about addiction calling out to those people who are struggling with whatever they are struggling with. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykam-0DfKA4&start_radio=1&list=RDykam-0DfKA4#t=11

We are a Decade Team!

July 14, 2018

Today. 
When it rains, where I live in Mammoth Lakes, CA at 8050 elevation, it pours.

I love the rain. 
I love how it brings out life. 
I love the smells mixed in with the different plant life affected.

(I know that rain can also be damaging as well.  Two of my communities were badly damaged because of rain storms in the last year.)

I got soaked while spending time with my horses this afternoon.  
Just to the skin.
Not to the bone.

I am an endurance rider.
I have been soaked to the bone,  riding on many of the trails that AERC ride managers provide.
We have also ridden through many windstorms and snow,  Caartouche CS (Rio) and I.  We are a decade team with over 3,000 miles.
Our favorite ride is Tevis.

2017

2016 and 2017

2017 was a very challenging one for me.  It started out in July at Tevis, 2016, when Rio tyed up badly in the beginning of the trail. I wrote about this experience in my last endurance blog, and we have not done an AERC endurance completion since then. 

Rio/Caartouche recovered, but  was diagnosed with PSSM-2.  It is manageable, but I was not able to condition him or enter him in any AERC rides because I had to take care of "family matters".

I am not going to go into detail of the below issues. I don't think that I am ready yet; however, for anyone who reads my blog, I want to write why I was pre-occupied.

I received a call that my mom was in intensive care and would most likely be dying shortly.
That was the week of Thanksgiving, November, 2016.  I was there for a week or more, staying at a local hotel in Redding, CA as well as sleeping next to my mama in her hospital bed.  She passed peacefully.  I took care of all the details, including the creamation process. I carried her ashes out to my car when all was done. My mom was a super sweet human, but we were not close as mom and daughter because she experienced severe addiction problems.  I could and may write an entire blog about her and my experience with her in my other blog that is not related to endurance in the future.  I probably should, since I wrote a blog dedicated to my cat.  Growing up as a child of an alcoholic is a difficult thing to write about, as there was so much dysfunction that happened.  There was more good stuff that happened though that I am so grateful for. 

My mom and dad have been divorced since I was 9.  My sister was 6, my brother was 3.  I am 54 now, so that is over 40 years ago. My mom remarried a few times and ended up living in Shingletown, CA.  with her latest husband, Richard.

My dad was the best dad ever.  He worked  his entire life, did the things that he loved, and retired in 2016 in a great mountain home and property approx.10 miles from where my mom and her husband, Richard, had bought a place. They were still friends.  I was very close to my dad.  My son, Erik and I lived with him in his condo in Santa Barbara, CA, where I was born and raised,while I pursued getting a college degree while working.  We moved to Mammoth Lakes in 1997 upon graduating with a B.A. when Erik was 8. 

It is one thing accepting that a dear family member, my mom, was dying, but I was able to be there with her for her last few days and say goodbye.

At the end of February, 2017, two months after my mom had passed, I received the tragic news that my father had died suddenly from a heart attack.  I was devastated.  I was not able to say goodbye.  I will definitely be writing about him and my life experience with him. My sister and I held a wonderful celebration of life for him in Santa Barbara in May, 2017, with over 80 friends and family attending. 

Unfortunatly, my dad did not have a will that I was aware of, so his Estate is in probate, I am the administrator, and dealing with two dysfunctional siblings.

I had to go to the same cremation place in Redding and carry out my dad's ashes as I had done 2 months prior with my mom's ashes.  My dad's ashes were heavier. 

The reason that I am including this blog in my endurance blog versus the "everything else " blog is to let others know why I disappeared from endurance last year. Also, in October of 2016, I purchased a second horse, a yearling, as my next endurance prospect.  He turned 3 this January and is starting his foundation training.  Lots of ground work training his first year with the help of my trainer, Rebecca Evans. 

Another wonderful thing that occurred at the end of 2016 is that Caartouche and I became a decade team!  Yee haa. That is worth a blog in itself, which I will be writing about next, as well as updates on my youngster.

Life is life and life goes on. I have a lot to be grateful for going into this new year, 2018, as challenging as it still is for me. 

I wrote this blog over a year ago.  I am finally sharing it now on my own FB page.  Not the AERC FB page. It is too personal.

Ending this blog with a positive attitude.  TEVIS is 9 days away!  I am signed up to volunteer at Robinson Flat same as last year.  I am soo excited for all of my friends and those I have not yet met who are going to be starting this most amazing, challenging, and historic ride.   Caartouche CS/Rio, and I have finished 3 of our 5 starts.  It is my favorite AERC ride/race.  I am so happy to be part of this ride as a volunteer.

Not Finishing Tevis, 2016

 

Pre-ride vet check and trot out.

I wrote this on my Facebook page the day after not finishing Tevis on Saturday, 7/23/16:

"Our long 100 mile trail ride (Tevis Cup) ended earlier than planned yesterday. Rio tyed up 6 miles into the ride. Very, very stressful for the both of us. Luckily, 1) we only had 1 mile to go to hwy 89 where a vet and horse transport was vs. being 5+ miles out in the middle of this beautiful, challenging trail. 2) Since it happened early, his hydration was good vs. tying up AND being dehydrated. 3) I have an even deeper appreciation for the Tevis volunteers. They are there to support all of us riders, whether we finish or not. Rio and I have finished strong 3 times. Not finished twice now. This was Rio's first metabolic pull in our endurance career. I do not care that I did not finish. I am so grateful that my horse is ok."

We arrived on Thursday, 7/21, and we were able to park in our preferred cul-de-sac at Robie Park near South Lake Tahoe.  We normally take our dog, Hana, and now our cat, Jack, with us on all of our endurance races, except Tevis.  This year our pet sitter could not do it at the last minute, so we took Hana and Jack with us.  Lake Tahoe was beautiful on our way to Robie Park.  I would of stopped to go swimming if it was not so busy and we weren't hauling a horse.

 

Friday at Robie Park was relaxing.  Lots of hand walking with Rio, visiting with endurance friends, getting organized for Saturday's ride, vetting in, etc.  My new crew person, Margaret,  showed up around 4ish.  After the ride meeting, she drove to Auburn as planned.  I had reserved a hotel for her to stay at Friday and Saturday.

 

Saturday morning started out as usual.  This was our 5th Tevis start.  Prior to 2016, we finished strong 3 times, and we were pulled once at Red Star for lameness.  That pull was not stressful for us.  Rio was not in pain.  Anyways, we started out this year in pen 1, which we had qualified for this year.  It was not my intention to race, so we started out close to the back of pen 1 when the controlled walk began at 4:55 a.m.  All was good and then when we arrived at the ride start and moved out, Rio was 100%.  About 5 miles into the ride, Rio felt "off" to me.  After slowing down and letting others pass us, I knew that was it for us and that we would be done at the hwy 89 crossing, where a vet and trailer were if needed.  I also knew that Rio was "off" because his normal forward impulsion was not there.  We went along the trail for another mile or so once I noticed that Rio was not right, but at a slower pace.  At one point, when I pulled over to let others pass us, Rio locked up.  He was not "off".  He had tyed up.  I was an emotional wreck with my horse being in pain; however, I got it together to be strong for my horse.  I took off his tack and put his saddle pad over his rump.  Every single Tevis rider asked if we were ok.  At first, I was crying and answering "no, my horse has tyed up and can't move.  Please let the vet know at the hwy crossing that we will need transport".  Once my meltdown was over, I said the same things to the passing riders without crying.

Rio has tyed up before, but not for a few years.  I now take banamine paste with me on all my rides in case he needs it.  I had it with me, and I gave him a dose shortly after he locked up.  He still could not move.  We were there for approx. 40 minutes after all of the Tevis riders had gone by.  Thankfully, the sweep riders arrived.  At the same time, someone arrived to help from the hwy 89 crossing.  Jenn.  Not sure of her last name.  They were all so incredible.  The sweep riders were compassionate and professional as they called into headquarters.  Jenn ran up the trail and met us with a huge dog blanket to help cover Rio's rump.  She is not even an official Tevis volunteer.  She took over calming my horse and I.  She put the dog blanket on Rio and talked to him and touched him in such a calming way.  She gave me her jacket to wear.  With her help, we got Rio moving down the trail.  The awesome sweep riders followed us down with Rio's tack.  Once Rio got moving, he walked at his normal fast pace, but with much stiffness.  Within 10 minutes or so, we were at the hwy 89 crossing with a few amazing volunteers along with the vet, Rob Lydon, and the horse transporters, Sage and Matt. 

Since Rio had tyed up, he needed fluids.  At each vet check, starting at Red Star, treatment (fluids + as needed) are available along with vets to give the treatment.  Since this incident happened so early on, there were no vets available at where Rio could of been trailered to.  Instead, we were trailered to Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center, about 20 minutes from the Auburn Fairgrounds.  This turned out to be the best choice.  I have great horse insurance with C. Jarvis, so besides giving him fluids, I had them do extra things to help determine why this happened. I could of taken him back to his reserved Auburn Fairgrounds paddock that evening, but instead I decided to keep him in his air conditioned stall for the night.

Oh my gosh! Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center is an exceptional facility with likewise staff with 24/7 care.  We got to know the place well.  When we first arrived, Peter and our grr animals had arrived first and already checked us in.  We stayed for 3+ hours until I felt that Rio was stable and comfortable.  My wonderful crew person, Margaret, went back home after helping me a few hours later.  Peter and I stayed at the hotel room that I had reserved for her for Saturday.  No extra charge for animals, which was nice, since we had 2. 

We went to the Auburn Fairgrounds around 9 p.m. and watched the exceptional top 10 horse and rider teams finish as well as visit with friends.  The next morning we picked up Rio and headed home. 

So, Tevis was short for us this year, but that is just the way it goes sometimes.  I am considering not attempting it again on Rio.  We have had the good fortune of finishing well 3 times.  Next year I will still be there though, either crewing or volunteering. 

Happy trails everyone!

Photo at the pre-ride vet check.
With Peter and Hana photo bombers.

American River Classic 50, 2016

Beautiful Day April 30, 2016

 

This is one of the most beautiful AERC races that I have rode.  It starts next to Folsom Lake, near Sacramento, CA. and ends at the fairgrounds at Auburn.  This is the first time that I have rode this ride.  It is now on mylist to do each year if possible.  I signed up for the Pioneer division, which means that you do not use any crew, including volunteers.  The only assistance that riders receive is if they need to use the rest room.  

 

Photo credit Baylor/Gore (I think)  Otherwise, Kumba.

 

The first section is next to the American River.  The weather was perfect.  It had rained the evening before (with a very exciting lightning storm!), and the trail was great.  Extremely beautiful, with green grass and wildflowers.

 Photo credit Baylor/Gore

 

Crossing the American River at No Hands Bridge for the second and final loop.

 

Second loop near Cool, CA. 

 

 Our camp site after the competition at the Auburn Fairgrounds.

 

The only thing that is a little funky IMO, is that there is no awards ceremony at the end.  Since most people live around there, they go back home after the ride.  So, once you vet through at the end you go and pick up your ride prize and that's it.  We stayed the night since it is 5 hour drive for us.  The ride prize is a very nice handmade mug. 

 

 

On 6/17/16, I left for a two day AERC ride/race, the Wild West Pioneer, which I will write and post next.  I received this lovely award in the mail that same day.

 

 



 

 

 

20 Mule Team Endurance Ride, 2016

20 Mule Team , February 27, 2016

50 Miles

 Beautiful day.

For anyone who reads my posts, I apologize for not writing a blog for so long.  2015 ride plans did not go as planned, but Rio was not injured, so it's all good.  Rio and I were both conditioned to start Tevis in August, 2015, but we were not able to start.  I wrote this on my Facebook page:

"Caartouche (Rio) and I were on the rider list to start Tevis again this year, 2015, but I had to cancel 3 days before the ride because bad re-shoeing 2+ weeks prior left Rio too sore to start.  My farrier and I worked with it the best that we could, but the problem was not fixed.

It is disappointing not to of attempted this challenging, beautiful trail.  It was our goal for the year, and Rio and I were in excellent condition not just to start, but to finish as well.  We had 100% completions on our AERC rides/races that we did prior to Tevis, with Rio finishing in the top 10 in 2 of our 3 competitions.

Well, it could of been much worse.  Rio's soreness was temporary.  After successfully rehabbing Rio from two potential career ending injuries, this was a hiccup.

Our next planned AERC competition was to be the third week of August:  The Eastern Sierra Classic, which is located only 45 minutes from where I live, in Bridgeport, CA.   We completed the LD distance in 2006 as our first AERC competition. We have finished the 50 mile distance 1 or 2 times.  The ride was cancelled this year a week or so prior due to one of the many wildfires occurring in CA."

I did not attend any more AERC competitions in 2015; instead, I enjoyed the beautiful trails in the Eastern Sierra where I live.  On October 12th, I broke my ankle/acute sprain, which put a hitch in my getti-up.  No surgery, but walking cast and non-weight bearing for a month and then physical therapy for 10 weeks.  Luckily, two days prior I had moved Rio back to his winter home at Millpond Equestrian Center in Bishop, where I board him.  It is a 75 mile roundtrip drive from where I live in Mammoth, so I normally have my trainer/friend, Rebecca, ride/condition/train him 2 times a week. 

Flash forward to last weekend's first AERC competition:  20 Mule Team, 50 mile distance, on Saturday, February 27th.  I have only been riding once a week for the last 5 weeks, so my fitness level is about 10% of what it normally is.  Rio is 100% fit. 

We had an incredible ride day.  We ended up placing 2nd out of 48 starters.  It was not my goal to race to win or even top ten, but we did it anyways because of the pace that we went.  A few horses passed us off and on the whole day, and I did not try to keep up.  Rio is a very ratable horse and listened to me when other's passed us.  His heart rate was under criteria in 2 minutes at both vet check 1 (48) and 2 (56).  I especially enjoyed the company of the two riders that I rode with off and on that day:  Tracy, who came in first 11 minutes before Rio and I, and Denise, who came in third a few minutes after us. 

My main challenge was my lack of fitness.  I did fine until the last 5 miles.  I hit the wall.  Riding did not hurt my ankle, but trotting him out on the vet checks was a challenge.  I needed assistance by the awesome volunteers at the finish line to weigh in for best condition.  Rio finished strong, alert, with a great attitude, so I showed him for BC an hour after we finished.  He did not win BC, but his vet scores were amazing.  48/48 CRI and mostly all A's.  I'm sure that my lameness trotting him out in circles affected his movement for the worse.  The vet had to hold my horse when I was done while I threw up by the fence, more than once.  Volunteers took over to hold my horse while I sat down and recovered. 

I did not sign up to ride Sunday's 50 mile distance because of my lack of fitness, but we did stay for the night as planned.  I did not attend the dinner that night because I was still feeling sick.  Instead, I unpacked and organized everything from my ride and took care of my horse.  I fell asleep at around
7 p.m., had a great night sleep, and felt back to normal the next morning (except having expected muscle soreness).  Pete, Hana,and I went to the ride breakfast and awards for the 50 and 100 mile finishers at 8:30. 

There is a choice on Saturday's races for each distance (35, 50, and 100 mile) to sign up as a team of four.  All four riders need to finish, and the team with the fastest combined time wins.  Woohoo!  My team won!

Besides my physical challenges, it was a fun and successful weekend for Rio and I.  It was great to see and visit with old friends as well as make some new friends.  It was also great to be horse camping with Rio, as well as being with Peter and Hana.  I like being close to the ones I love. 

Wild West Ride, Nevada City, CA. June, 2015

Wild West Ride

And The Many Shades of Green

Beautiful base camp after our completion.

 

The Wild West AERC ride is a three day multi-day ride in the foothills of the Tahoe National Forest, which Rio and I have done many times, but not all 3 days.   You can ride one, two, or three days.  I have done three, four, and five day multi-day rides with Rio, but I have only rode two of the three days of this ride because of my work schedule.  This year I could only ride on Friday because both Peter and I were very busy with work.

I love this ride for many reasons:

1.   The basecamp is located at Skillman Campground, which is a horse camp.  There are a few corrals available, and if you want to pay extra money for one and sign up early enough, you can reserve one.  I have done this the last few years. 

2.    The ride management, vets, volunteers,  ride photographers, and everything else are A+.

3.   The trails are lovely (mostly), and the scenery is outstanding.  The location of the ride, on the Western side of the Sierra, is so green and lush, especially at this time of the year.  The pine trees are very tall, and then there all the different levels and colors of the other greenery, as well as many flowering bushes and trees.  There is also a babbling brook here and there.   Much of the trails are in the shade. 

Rio and I had a fantastic ride day on Friday, for the most part. 

When we arrived at Skillman campground on Thursday afternoon and found our reserved corral, Peter noticed that the back of the truck and camper as well as the horse trailer were badly spattered with oil.  He looked under the truck and realized that the oil plug had blown.  For the entire time of our stay, Peter was very distressed about how he was going to arrange to fix the problem (without any cell service where we were as well). As usual, Peter was able to fix the problem, but man oh man, was he stressed out.  I pretty much tried to not talk to him or dare ask for his help with the bad mood (understandably) that he was in. 

The 55 mile ride started at 7 a.m. with 53 riders.  We started in the top 10 only because I know that the first section of this trail, after the first few miles, is single track.   I did not want to get behind anyone going slow.  Rio is awesome at technical, single track trail.  We cruised through it.

We finished the first 25 mile loop in 9th or 10th place, and Rio pulsed down to 56 and vetted out great back at ride camp with a one hour lunch hold.  Rio ate great and drank well.  Pete had taken the camper off the truck and went into town to see about getting it fixed before the ride started.

When we left for the second/final loop, there was no one in front of us or behind us.  Rio is so great at going out alone.  His impulsion, gait, and attitude were right on.  

The second loop was not marked as best as it could of been, at least in my opinion.  When we crossed the highway, I  went the wrong way for about 7 minutes until I realized I was not on the correct trail.  15 minutes later, we were back on the right trail, but now there were 3 riders in sight behind me.  They did not catch up to us until the water trough, and since Rio was now finally drinking a lot, I did not rush off.  We all left together.  Me and one of the other riders went a faster pace and took turns leading until we got to the steeper downhill section that goes to the second vet check.  Rio is not a good downhill horse, especially on steeper down hills; his strength is UP hills.  On this section, it was not a steep downhill, but the footing was bad.  It was on the old freeway and with the old asphalt and pine needles, Rio was slipping at a walk.  So, we walked this section.  Many horses passed us.  I would guess between 5 and 8.  It was not my goal to try and top 10 this ride.  I was just riding my ride with the goal of pacing my horse appropriately and enjoying the beautiful day riding my horse in such a spectacular place. 

Vet check 2 is in a green, lush meadow.  After vetting Rio through with even better vet scores then the first vet check, with Rio having a pulse of 48 and better hydration, we enjoyed our 30 minute hold.  Rio drank well and gobbled down the green grass. 

We left for home with someone in front of us, who we caught up with and rode with for some time.  I did not ask to pass because she was not riding any faster than I would of been going if I was in front. Another rider caught up to us, and  she did not want to pass either.  At some point, I did ask to pass when safe, and Rio did his awesome uphill turbo trot, with no one in front of us.  We caught up to 2 riders on a section of single track, but with plenty of safe space to pull over.  I asked if I could pass when safe, and instead, they sped up. I was having to hold Rio back as they were not going the same pace as he was.  I rode behind them for a minute or two a bit confused, and then I asked again if I could pass when safe.  These two riders were awesome and had great sportsmanship.  When I repeated my request, the front rider said that she thought that I had asked if they could speed up.  We had a laugh.  I would never ask someone to speed up, and they would of pulled over for others to pass when safe to do so if asked.  We both agreed that neither of us were that rude of a rider.  It was just a lack of communication.  They pulled to the side, and Rio and I went on our way, passing a few more horses. Rio passed his last vet check, and then we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. 

Peter was able to take the truck to Auburn on Friday to get the problem with the truck fixed and then come back to enjoy our night together at the campground. 

I am finalizing this blog a week after our race.  Friday, June 26, 2015.  I have taken Rio out on 4 easy trail rides this week.  In my experience, since Rio lives in a paddock, it works best to either take him out on the trail for 1 to 5 miles at a walk in hand or in the saddle at a walk/trot a few days a week after a race.  It is good for his mind,  muscles, and other body systems.  It's best that all of us living beings move our bodies.  Sometimes fast, other times slow.  Moving helps everything flow better.  Whatever pace you go. 

I signed Rio and I up for Tevis after our successful finish.  At this point, whether we finish or not, I feel confident that he is ready, at least to start this very challenging course. This will be our 4th start with 3 successful completions.