tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73904198934208537492024-03-14T02:09:14.660-07:00Life is Beautiful. Eastern Sierra Endurance RiderJennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-13776705686284694842023-08-21T18:59:00.000-07:002023-08-21T18:59:01.177-07:00February 5, 2019.<br />
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For my brother Craig. <br />
RIP <br />
5/9/70 to 2/5/19<br />
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My brother, Craig, died today.<br />
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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.<br />
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Some songs that remind me of him:<br />
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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. <br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykam-0DfKA4&start_radio=1&list=RDykam-0DfKA4#t=11">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykam-0DfKA4&start_radio=1&list=RDykam-0DfKA4#t=11</a><br />
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-37145401222194272202023-08-21T18:58:00.000-07:002023-08-21T18:58:20.890-07:00We are a Decade Team!<br />
July 14, 2018<br />
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Today. <br />
When it rains, where I live in Mammoth Lakes, CA at 8050 elevation, it pours.<br />
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I love the rain. <br />
I love how it brings out life. <br />
I love the smells mixed in with the different plant life affected.<br />
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(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.)<br />
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I got soaked while spending time with my horses this afternoon. <br />
Just to the skin.<br />
Not to the bone.<br />
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I am an endurance rider.<br />
I have been soaked to the bone, riding on many of the trails that AERC ride managers provide.<br />
We have also ridden through many windstorms and snow, Caartouche CS (Rio) and I. We are a decade team with over 3,000 miles.<br />
Our favorite ride is Tevis.<br />
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-60446672210945988702018-07-14T14:40:00.000-07:002018-07-19T17:19:07.536-07:0020172016 and 2017<br />
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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. <br />
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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".<br />
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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.<br />
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I received a call that my mom was in intensive care and would most likely be dying shortly. <br />
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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-45042757424134216172016-08-02T19:11:00.000-07:002016-08-02T19:11:44.682-07:00Not Finishing Tevis, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
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Pre-ride vet check and trot out.</div>
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I wrote this on my Facebook page the day after not finishing Tevis on Saturday, 7/23/16:<br />
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"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."<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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Happy trails everyone!<br />
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Photo at the pre-ride vet check. <br />
With Peter and Hana photo bombers.</div>
Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-75737833059736576692016-06-28T14:17:00.000-07:002016-07-12T16:55:23.194-07:00American River Classic 50, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
Beautiful Day April 30, 2016</div>
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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. </div>
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Photo credit Baylor/Gore (I think) Otherwise, Kumba.</div>
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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.</div>
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Photo credit Baylor/Gore</div>
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Crossing the American River at No Hands Bridge for the second and final loop.</div>
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Second loop near Cool, CA. </div>
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Our camp site after the competition at the Auburn Fairgrounds.</div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-42609148062774986512016-02-29T18:31:00.000-08:002016-02-29T23:01:39.701-08:0020 Mule Team Endurance Ride, 2016<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">20 Mule Team , February 27, 2016</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">50 Miles</span></strong><br />
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Beautiful day.</div>
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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:<br />
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"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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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."<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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 <br />
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. <br />
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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!<br />
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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. Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-4279106283892872702015-07-19T21:35:00.003-07:002015-07-20T08:23:32.991-07:00Wild West Ride, Nevada City, CA. June, 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Wild West Ride</strong></div>
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<strong>And The Many Shades of Green</strong></div>
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Beautiful base camp after our completion.</div>
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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.<br />
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I love this ride for many reasons: <br />
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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. <br />
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2. The ride management, vets, volunteers, ride photographers, and everything else are A+.<br />
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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. <br />
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Rio and I had a fantastic ride day on Friday, for the most part. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-20799081338284032622015-04-09T18:17:00.001-07:002015-04-10T15:18:12.909-07:00Nevada Derby I, 50 miles. Flying On The Ground.<div style="text-align: center;">
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Peter, Rio, Hana and I arrived at ride camp at Washoe Lake, NV. on Friday, April 4th in the late afternoon. Rio and I would be riding the 50 mile endurance race the next day. After setting up our nice camp site, taking Rio through his pre-ride vet check as well as taking him and Hana on a few walks, then going to the ride meeting, I went to bed early and fell asleep instantly. <br />
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The 50 mile race would be starting at 7 a.m. I set my alarm to wake up at 5:30, but I had such a great night sleep that I woke up at 5. After dressing and putting water on for coffee, I went out to give Rio his breakfast. Although I had gone to bed with a bright full moon, it was pitch black at 5 a.m. A lunar eclipse was happening. Beautiful! I was happy to see that Rio had ate all his dinner and drank quite a lot. I fed him his breakfast of grass hay, and then went inside to get ready.<br />
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In the last two endurance rides/races that we have completed this year, Rio has proven to me that his fitness level is to the point of finishing his last 10 miles as fast, or faster, than his first 10 miles. I feel that I am doing him justice and allowing him to be the exceptional athlete that he is by going a faster pace now that he has proven himself. He is either pulsed down upon arriving at a vet check, or within 4 minutes. He takes good care of himself, and his attitude is great!<br />
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For me, racing Rio to be in the top ten depends on a combination of things, including the pace of other riders, and how Rio is doing that day. On this particular day/race, Rio did great. A few horses passed us, but I did not try to keep up. They were going faster than I wanted to go. For at least 15 miles of the 25 mile first loop, it was just Rio and I on the beautiful trails in the hills behind Washoe Lake. Flying on the ground. <br />
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Rio and I had a great day. We finished in 6th place out of 72 starters. I showed him for BC (best condition), but his trot out was weak, and I was pretty sure that his points would not add up to win BC. (He did not win.)<br />
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When we were finished, Rio continued to take care of himself, eating his hay and grain with brief breaks to take gulps of water. One of the many perks of this ride is that there are hot showers! After taking a hot shower, I packed everything up as we would be driving home after the awards/dinner. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio doing well after 50 fast miles. <br />
5.5 body score, ideal for an endurance horse.</td></tr>
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The Nevada Derby I is the first of three competitions of the Triple Crown (all in Nevada -see link below.) The second race is the NASTR 75 mile at the end of May, and the third and final race is the Virginia City 100 at the end of September. At this point, I do not have the Triple Crown as a goal; however, I am planning on doing the NASTR 75 because the timing works for me as a conditioning ride for Tevis. If we have a successful finish at NASTR, then the Triple Crown will be an option. Rio and I entered and finished our one and only V.C. race in 2007, and we have not attempted it since. I would like to attempt it at least one more time, but I'm not sure if it will be this year. </div>
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Next race: NASTR 75 miles at the end of May. Happy trails to all, whether you ride a horse or not. My advise: just get out there. We live in a beautiful world. <br />
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Triple Crown/NASTR: <a href="http://www.aerc.org/Calendar/2015NASTR.pdf">http://www.aerc.org/Calendar/2015NASTR.pdf</a><br />
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-42524195972369227852015-03-01T19:30:00.001-08:002015-03-06T15:44:14.021-08:0020 Mule Team 2015 Endurance Ride: 50 Miles<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>The Good, The Bad, and The Great</strong></div>
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My dressage endurance horse, Caartouch CS (Rio)</td></tr>
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We arrived at The 20 Mule Team Endurance ride, located in Ridgecrest, CA., on Friday 2/27/15, and we were set up by 4:15 p.m. Ridgecrest is only 2 1/2 hours from where I board Rio (in Bishop), and Rio and I have done this ride more times than I can remember, the first time in 2007. Two 100 mile distances, finished the first time time sponsoring junior, Rachel Lain, and her horse, Cody,when she was Rachel Shackleford then, (Rio and I did not finish our second 100 mile attempt) as well as numerous finishes in the 65 mile distance. This year, Ride Managers, Melissa and Robert Ribley, changed the 65 mile distance to 50 miles. They also had a 35 mile distance and 100 mile distance. We would be riding the 50 mile distance this year. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partial Photo of Some of the Riders at the Ride Meeting Friday Night.</td></tr>
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There was a huge turnout this year. 30 or so starting the 35 mile, 69 starting the 50 mile, and <strong>53 starting the 100 mile! </strong>We found a nice, quieter area in the back to set up camp. I was happy to of parked just 2 camps away from Mike Shackleford, (Rachel's father), who was traveling with another friend of mine, Amber. I knew that Amber would be riding, but not Mike. Amber would be riding the 100 the next day and Mike, the 50. </div>
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<strong>The Good</strong></div>
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There was a 30% chance of rain for Saturday, but it did not rain. It was a beautiful, crisp and cool day, with snow on the Sierra Mountains. Recent rains had brought the desert alive with grass and wildflowers. The scenery was gorgous: the desert was a carpet of green grass with large patches of yellow wildflowers and/or purple flowers, with a splash of white wildflowers. The heavy winds did not seem to be a challenge for Rio. Even with the strong headwinds, Rio powered through it with the strongest impulsion I have ever felt riding him in an endurance competition. There was a lot of other good stuff, but I will write about it in The Great section.<br />
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<strong>The Bad</strong></div>
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Rio did phenomenal all day (except the bolting incident), but I was seriously challenged by two separate issues that caused me huge pain. The morning started out with a bang. To my hip. With the high winds, Rio was feeling very anxious. When I got on him, he bolted before I could get my right foot in the stirrup, and I came off hard on my left hip and bum. My helmet/head only lightly hit the ground, as my left rump took most of the impact. I instantly got up to fetch him, and I felt fine. Rio stopped about 100 feet away and was caught with the help of a few fellow endurance riders. Rio was fine too. That was the first time that Rio had dumped me when trying to get on him. <br />
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With 69 horses starting, we went out in about 15th-20th place or so. I'm not going to go into too much detail regarding my first issue. Briefly, I developed a painful rash on a sensitive part of my body about 10 miles after the start. Rashes, especially in that sensitive area, are bad enough without having to make contact with something over and over. I did more two pointing on this ride than usual! Thankfully, Peter surprised me by meeting me at the first vet check (mile 16). I was glad it was a 50 minute hold. After vetting Rio, Peter took care of him for me during the hold, and I was able to go in our camper and take care of myself. <br />
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The next section was 23 miles to vet check #2. My next issue/challenge started at about mile 20. I started feeling terrible pain in my left hip area, and within 20 minutes it had traveled down to my entire left leg. It was from my fall off of Rio that morning. I soon realized that I was riding completely unbalanced, with my left foot much heavier in the stirrup than my right foot to the point where my saddle was off balance as well as me. This was pointed out to me by Mike Shackleford, who I had been riding with since mile 6 or so. He suggested that I focus on putting my weight more on my right side, which I was barely able to do. Every mile was worse and worse, and we still had 19 miles to go. When we moved out, I did a two point and had to hold on to the pommel of the saddle with my left hand, something I had never had to do before. I also had to lean forward in order to try and balance myself versus sitting straight and balanced. I had the worst equitation for the most part of that day. I'm glad/lucky that my lack of balance did not affect Rio to be off balance and be lame like me. I was taking many more walking breaks than normal. I told Mike to go ahead; however, as this was his horse's first 50, he was not in a hurry. Rio took the lead, as he is a good leader horse. There were a lot of good places to canter at in this section. When we weren't taking walking breaks, we covered a lot of ground. I was weakening, but I had a lot of stamina and strength despite the pain that I was experiencing. We still made good time. Out at vet check #1 at 10:28 and in at vet check #2 at 1:01. It only took us 2 1/2 hours to go 23 miles. We averaged over 10 miles an hour, which included a lot of walking breaks because of my pain. I told Mike that he should go ahead of me after vet check #2 if I didn't feel any better. I was determined to finish even if I had to walk the entire last 11 miles. However, walking was not much better for me than trotting or cantering pain wise, but it gave me a chance to rest. My plan, once we arrived at vet check #2, was for me to go lay down in our camper, eat, and take a lot of Advil during the 50 minute hold while Peter took care of Rio.<br />
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It got worse before it got better. I normally get off Rio and walk in the last 1/4 mile or so to cool Rio down before arriving at a vet check, but I could not get off of Rio by myself at this point. When we arrived, Peter found me thanks to Mike and one of his crew, John, and he helped me down while a volunteer held Rio for me. I could barely walk. Peter had to trot Rio out for me at the vet check. I could not even stand up. I sat in a chair while Peter vetted Rio. I told Peter that I would stay with Mike, (Mike's crew met him at this vet check), while he went back to the truck to get Rio's crew bag. I knew that Rio would be more comfortable having his lunch break near his new horse buddy. One of Mike's crew was holding Rio while he ate, and I decided to head on down to our camper to lay down. I took about 2 steps and then my chest/lungs started seizing up. I walked about 2 steps back to the shade of Mike's crews' camper, and I called out that I needed help as I sat down on the ground. I had to repeat myself two or three times because I could barely breathe, much less talk. Within seconds I was surrounded by the most caring people in the world, most of them people that I had never met. Many thanks to all of you. Mike's crew, Hillorie and John, were especially helpful, as was Mike, who was so worried about me that he wanted to call 911. John was with me first and I was trying to tell him I was having a hard time breathing, but I could barely get the words out because I was struggling to breath so badly. Hillorie and others went to get the assistance of one of the vets. For about 2 minutes it continued to get worse, and then it started subsiding. As it was subsiding, I was letting John know that it was getting better. Sitting down in the shade and focusing on breathing to relax helped whatever had happened. Someone who was with me yelled to someone else to tell the vet that I was O.K., but someone else suggested that I get checked out if needed. As this was all happening, Peter was coming back from the camper with Rio's crew bag and was understandably upset upon seeing all the commotion going around me while I was sitting on the ground. The vet asked me some good medical questions, and as more time went by, I started feeling better. I was only down for about 10 minutes at most I would guess. It was the strangest thing. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. I do not have asthma, but I think this is what someone with asthma would experience when they are having an asthma attack. John helped me up, and Peter and the vet walked me back to the camper to make sure that I was ok. I was able to walk on my own and my breathing was back to normal. I think that what had happened is that being an endurance rider, I had pushed my energy level over the top with all of the pain that I was enduring, with the combination of the morning issue and then the afternoon issue. Even though I was determined to finish with only 11 more miles to go, I would of rider optioned out unless I felt stable. Riding in pain is one thing, but there was no way that I would of taken the chance of something like that happening to me while riding my horse and not been able to get down by myself. I ate and drank, took Advil, and relaxed in the camper. Peter was taking care of Rio with help from others and checking on me every 10 minutes or so. He saw that I was back to my more perky self, more stable as well as not being in as much pain as when I had arrived. Although I had told Mike to go ahead of me if I was going to slow down to a walk if needed for the last section, he decided that if I continued that he would ride with me. What a great guy! I'm really glad he did, as I would of much preferred to ride with someone else to help me if needed. If I were to of continued without Mike, I would of waited to find a sponsor to ride with me for the last section. I think it would of been irresponsible for me to ride by myself at this point with the challenges that I had experienced that day.<br />
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I took an extra 5 minutes+ of my 50 minute hold time before heading out so that I could continue to rest and walk around some to move my stiff, hurting lower left side. That helped me loosen up, and along with the Advil now kicking in, I was in much less pain. I felt well nourished and hydrated. The last section of this ride was great and kept getting better.<br />
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<strong>The Great</strong></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtFg3DZ1JLZa7ESsiUxkceJYSwI6kBGEy0uFfVE8PLkDSWC6Ue-xExsimPcLKezsrRTiAcyW8MEJvmTGgqpy7iTza9URzMEl_vQvyhsxg8zzs4IAt4aEzONT4hQsCMQcOaO5P4dH1f5U/s1600/IMG_2734.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCtFg3DZ1JLZa7ESsiUxkceJYSwI6kBGEy0uFfVE8PLkDSWC6Ue-xExsimPcLKezsrRTiAcyW8MEJvmTGgqpy7iTza9URzMEl_vQvyhsxg8zzs4IAt4aEzONT4hQsCMQcOaO5P4dH1f5U/s1600/IMG_2734.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit Baylor/Gore<br />
Lucky for me the ride photographers took their photos before my physical challenges started. <br />
Rio and I feeling and looking good here.<br />
Even when I was in pain, I still had a smile on my face (some of the time). <br />
It was such a beautiful day and beautiful place to spend a day with my much loved horse, doing what we love best. <br />
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Starting from the beginning, I already wrote about what a beautiful day and trail it was that day. Another great thing was ending up riding with Mike. I never plan on riding a whole ride with others. I ride my own ride. If it happens that me and others are pacing the same, then that is great. Rio loves to ride with others, but he is also great riding alone. If the people I rode in with in a vet check happen to ride out at the same time, then great. Mike caught up to me at mile 6 or so, and we were pacing similar. Although Rio was pulsed down upon arriving at the first vet check and Mike's horse took 7 minutes or so longer, I had no problem taking extra time at this vet check since I had to deal with issue number #1 at this hold. It was also a real plus for me to have someone to ride with on the next section when my pain started. It was also helpful to me that he pointed out my unbalanced riding so that I could adjust the best that I could.</div>
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Another great thing was how great Rio did and felt that day. He will be 15 this June, and he has never felt more fit and strong. His impulsion is more powerful than ever, and his attitude is great! He loves these AERC competitions!<br />
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An additional great thing was Rio's recoveries. We did the same thing as usual that we do on these competitions (with the exception of not getting off and walking the last 1/4 mile at vet check #2), and Rio was not only pulsed to criteria when arriving at a vet check, he was below criteria. I am sure that the wind and cool conditions had a lot to do with it, as well as him being quite fit starting out the season, but I think the biggest difference is that for the first time since I have owned him, Rio has a trace clip. His pulse at the vet checks were 44 and 48 with great CRI'swithin a few minutes of arriving. <br />
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One of the greatest parts of the day were the last 11 miles. Feeling better, but still in some pain, Mike and I and our horses flew home. With Rio in the lead, we passed a few groups of people. We only took about two 1 minute walking breaks, and we cantered the flat parts and trotted on the gradual down hills and steeper up hills. Cantering past the finish line, I yelled to Mike, Woo Hoo, we're (Rio and I) the winners of 35th place! Our actual placing was 23rd and 24th. Excellent with there being a total of 69 starters, and a few super competitive FEI riders riding, and me having my physical challenges on this particular day. This being Mike's horse's first endurance ride, I think he's got a good one. The horse, a mare named Giddion (I think), had just as fast of recoveries as Rio, with the exception of the first vet check. (Mike's bad as he was feeding her carrots while getting her pulse taken with the result being 64 versus 60.) Her pulse was not as low as Rio's at the vet checks, but I think it is quite impressive that she pulsed down just as fast. Michael is also a heavier rider than me, and Giddion is not clipped. It was a privilege riding with Mike and catching up a bit.<br />
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Another yay, I was able to get off Rio without any assistance at the end as well as do his trot out. Thirty minutes later I took Rio for his final vet completion. Horses still have to meet the criteria to be fit to continue in order to get a successful completion. Rio received the same "grades" as his pre-vet check: all A's. Pulse of 44!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio is starting out the season fit and conditioned, as well as with a great attitude! <br />
A little fleshy with a body score of 6 versus his more ideal past scores of 5,<br />
but I'm sure that he will be back to a 5 by summer. </td></tr>
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This ride has the option to be a team of 4 for each distance at no extra charge. The team with all four members completing with the best combined time (you do not need to ride together) wins and receives an extra award. I was on a great team with two endurance riders I vaguely know and admire very much: Lori Olsen and Barbara White, and well as one other rider who is a well know rider who I have not met yet, Jennifer Waitte. Unfortunately, one of our team members' horse was pulled before finishing for lameness. It was fun to be part of this team, and it was also part of the reason that I had the goal to finish despite my pain. <br />
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This is a great AERC ride that I highly recommend. The 100 is very doable as a first 100 for either horse and/or rider. The footing is great for the majority of the trail for all distances. The base camp is at the Ridgecrest fairgrounds, which has free hot showers! The ride meetings, meals, and awards are in a large covered area. The dinner is good, the breakfast is really good! Great trail marking, ride photographers, vetting, volunteers, and ride management. I give it an A! <br />
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I am very appreciative of all who helped me at vet check #2, who I did not know or just met the evening before. Special thanks to Mike and Peter. I don't see how I would of made it without Peter meeting me at both vet check holds as well as Mike for his company. Mike kept my spirits up, and Rio loved riding with his mare, Giddion. And of course, for Rio, who was strong for the both of us this day. He finished his last 11 miles faster than his first 11 miles. However, he did know that he was going "home", and the last 11 miles has as much gradual downhill as the first 11 miles has gradual uphill. Extra good news: Amber and her horse, Blaze, finished the 100 mile successfully in 4th place!<br />
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-16344381664296815852014-12-06T09:36:00.002-08:002014-12-06T09:36:23.218-08:00Tevis, 2014, Part Three, Sunday, The Awards<div style="text-align: center;">
Rio in his stall at the Auburn Fairgrounds</div>
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Sunday, August 10, 2014</div>
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The day after completing the 100 mile Western States Endurance Ride/Tevis</div>
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I always pay the extra money to have Rio stay at the Auburn Fairground paddocks or stalls versus being tied to my trailer after completing (or not) Tevis. He can move around more if he wants to and/or lay down to sleep. However, I have never seen him laying down after Tevis. I have only seen him in one place, which is where he is eating and drinking. He will move a few feet away to poop or pee, and then go back to eating and drinking. My theory is that Rio has done so many multi day rides, that he is thinking that he needs to fuel up for the next day. </div>
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Rio has never been in a stall at the Auburn Fairgrounds. He has always been in one of the open paddocks. I guess he was put in a stall because we sent our entry in later versus sooner and that was all that was available. It was fine. I really liked the location. It was in the barn closet to the fairground stadium on the side that faces the stadium. I hang out with Rio a lot after Tevis, whether it is taking care of him after the race, or just relaxing in my stool. There was a great view of the goings on below Rio's stall. Rio seemed to enjoy it when he was not eating.</div>
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I sleep in our camper at the fairgrounds when I am finally done taking care of Rio at Tevis. I asked Peter to try and park our truck/camper somewhere on dirt if possible versus the usual black asphalt parking lot. I loved where he parked this year. I now consider it the Riviera of the fairgrounds. </div>
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After Rio's successful vet check at the finish, Peter showed me where Rio's stall was. Jeanlaurie, my second crew person this year, drove home to Sacramento as planned after Rio and I left Foresthill. Pete had everything set up as outlined in my crew list for the fairgrounds to a T. Shavings put down, hay in the big hay bucket, water in his large water bucket, grain bucket, my stool to sit on, and my big bag of everything else I would need. It was now about 2:45 a.m., and Peter went back to the camper to go to sleep. He explained where it was, which was quite convenient; only a few minutes walk up a hill behind where Rio's stall was. After wrapping Rio's legs, I went to take a shower at the fairground facilities. We have a shower in our camper, but it is very small. Pete had taken my shower bag as planned to the stall with a clean change of clothes and shoes. My Tevis bubble timing continued, and when I went to take a shower, (only 2) there was no one else there! In the past, there has always been a line with me waiting at least 20 minutes before taking a shower. I was in and out of there in less than 15 minutes. I walked back up to Rio's stall and took him back for his one hour post vet check. No trot out required, but the vets want to make sure that each horses' metabolics were stable an hour after finishing. Rio was recovering great. Heart rate of 48 with good gut sounds and hydration. At the stall, he was doing his normal stuff: eating, drinking, pooping and peeing. I was not worried at all. I hung out with Rio for about 10 more minutes inside his stall sitting on my collapsible stool before heading up to our camper. </div>
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It was 3:25 a.m. when I got to our camper, but I was not feeling tired. Actually, I was feeling tired but in a good way. My horse was good for the night, I was clean, and I had just finished riding 100 miles. Peter had set up our chairs outside our camper, which overlooked the stadium. I could see the horses finishing from where I was sitting outside. I went inside and made myself a cocktail (oh yeah-cheers for sure!) wrapped a blanket around me and went back outside to watch more Tevis horses/riders finish. I went to bed a little before 4:00 a.m. and fell asleep instantly.</div>
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Pete woke up before me and went to make sure Rio was OK and to give him more hay and water if needed. I woke up around 9:30 a.m. In the past, I have always gone to the breakfast at the fairgrounds and then watched the best condition (BC) horses show. I did neither this year. I went and checked on Rio and took him for a 10 minute walk, and then I went back to our camper and had breakfast and coffee there, outside in my chair. I watched the BC showings from my binoculars! Our camping neighbors were Gail and Eric Hought of Hought Tack, who I know because I have purchased much of my endurance tack from Hought tack, which I highly recommend. (Link below.) They are also endurance riders, but neither rode Tevis this year. They had a booth selling their tack at Robie park. </div>
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(I am taking a writing break now, and I only mention this because The Black Stallion is on TCM and the race is about to start. Probably my most favorite movie ever. Definitely the most watched movie I have seen. Big kudos to Francis Coppala in producing this well done film. I read all of Walter Farley's books when I was younger, in the 5th and 6th grades. Alec to his mom: "The Black is the mystery horse, and I'm going to ride him". Now I am watching the end, where it goes back to when Alec and The Black are on the island and The Black is rolling in sand. Beautiful, exquisite, movie.)</div>
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Back to writing. The lunch banquet started at 1 p.m. with the awards following at 2 p.m. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 I packed things up and took Rio for many short walks. We would be leaving for home after the awards with a 4 hour drive with Peter driving. I always offer to drive, but Peter is more relaxed driving than when I am driving. Whatever. That works for me. </div>
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After packing things up getting ready to leave and making sure that Rio was well taken care of, Pete and I went to the awards banquet and found two seats that we reserved for ourselves. Then I went to look at and purchase some of the ride photos from some of the ride photographers. </div>
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Before getting our food, I ran into my friends, Rachel Lain and her mom, Janet Shackelford. Her dad, Michael, was away in Alaska on a fishing trip. </div>
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The beautiful and talented young woman</div>
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Rachel Lain and I at the Tevis awards.</div>
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I sponsored Rachel on many endurance rides/races in 2008, the year that she received the AERC #1 junior national championship after meeting her and her dad, Michael Shackleford, at an endurance ride/race. It was an honor sponsoring her and her special horse, Cody, that year, especially on their first 100, the Twenty Mule Team, in 2008 and completing successfully. I sponsored Rachel and Cody on their first Tevis in 2009, but Rio was pulled at the Red Star vet check for lamen<span class="text_exposed_show">ess. Rachel got a back up sponsor and had her first successful Tevis finish. She finished as a senior rider with Cody a few years later in 2nd place! This year, 2014, Rachel slowed down (riding her and her dad's horse, Missy) to sponsor junior, Jordan Rae, and picked up another junior to sponsor as well, Ria McCarthy, when Ria's sponsors' horse was pulled. Rachel and her 2 juniors all had a successful Tevis finish! Rachel is a very special person for sure!</span><span class="text_exposed_show"> </span></div>
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Rachel and Jordan Rae at the awards banquet</div>
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An additional highlight of my Tevis weekend was having this lovely couple sit across from Pete and I at the awards dinner on Sunday. Marjorie Pryor-Spiller and her husband, Jim Barber. Marjorie is a humble person. I asked her what her association with Tevis was, and she advised me that she completed Tevis a few times way back when, and that she top tenned most of her completions and won twice, in 1982 and 1983, on her horse, Fritz. They do not live that far away and usually come to the Tevis awards. Thanks for taking my picture when I went up to receive my completion Marjorie!<br />
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The food at the banquet was great! Thank you Tevis management for coordinating whoever catered this event. A+. Peter excused himself after he ate to go take a nap before our drive home. </div>
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I stayed to receive my award and see who won the Haggin Cup. I did not pay for a buckle this year because I already have one, so I received a certification instead. BC went to junior rider Barrack Blakley finishing with his mom, Gabrielle Blakley. Barrack is the youngest person to of won the Haggin Cup and his horse, MCM Last Dance, is the oldest horse to of received the Haggin Cup. </div>
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Heather Reynolds riding French Open (Haydea) owned by Hillorie Bachman won the Tevis Cup. </div>
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I would like to end with a big thank you to the Western States Trail Board of Directors and the 800+ volunteers who make this ride possible.</div>
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I am so grateful for all the work that everyone does to support us Tevis riders as well as help to support and maintain the Tevis Cup/100 mile one day western states trail. Some photos from the awards ceremony recognizing a few of the key people who help to make this ride possible, including the head volunteers. I am very appreciative of every single one of the 800+ volunteers who make this ride such a special experience, whether we make it to the end or not. I can tell from everyone I have had contact with who volunteers for the Tevis that it is a labor of love. Thank you, thank you, thank you!<br />
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If all goes well, I am planning on entering Rio in next year's 60th anniversary Tevis. It is said, and I agree, that just getting to the start of Tevis is an accomplishment in itself. </div>
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The AERC 2015 ride season has begun as of December 1. Wishing all fellow endurance riders, whether I know you or not, happy trails in 2015!</div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-86291124716989621532014-11-30T14:07:00.001-08:002014-12-02T08:12:47.601-08:00Tevis 2014 Part Two, Ride Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tevis, 2014, Ride Day<o:p></o:p></div>
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August 9, 2014</div>
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I had a great 5 hour sleep on Friday night and woke up Saturday at 3:00 a.m. for the 4:45 a.m. Tevis start. I fed Rio his breakfast of grass hay, checked his water, and went back to bed just to be cozy. I got back out of the warmth of my bed and husband to get myself ready at 4:00 a.m. and at 4:35, Rio was tacked up and we headed to the start. There are two pens for the start of Tevis. Pen A is for those who want to go a faster pace and you have to apply for qualification to get in the pen. I did not bother applying to be in pen A because I knew I would not of qualified that year. With Rio's being out of competition for a year and a half, my AERC races in 2014 were more conservative than usual. I did qualify to be in pen A for our first Tevis in 2007. One of the benefits of being in the first pen is that you are less likely to get stuck behind people and groups riding a slower pace. Much of the Tevis trail is single track and it is not easy and/or safe to pass others. <br />
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It is dark when we start this ride/race. It is a controlled start and at 4:45 a.m. the horses and riders leave at a walk from pen A with 3 front leaders assigned. Then pen B follows with 3 front leaders assigned. Riders are informed not to pass the front leaders of either pen during the controlled start. I knew where I wanted to be, which was right behind the pen B leaders. I thought it was a very smooth start. My horse was so calm while waiting to start, as well as the controlled walking start, that I thought something might be wrong. Well, once we got to the official start and we were able to move out, I knew that nothing was wrong. Rio felt great. <br />
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This was our fourth Tevis start. We had successfully finished twice before, so we are both familiar with this trail. This year's ride was the best ever. Because of the recent rains, there was literally no dust on the first section. I guess the riders in pen A had really moved out, because once we were 3 miles or so down the trail, there was only 1 horse/rider in front of me, who I did not need to pass because she was moving along down the trail. When we crossed the highway, we passed one horse/rider, and we did not see any others until we got to the Squaw Valley hill climb. It was really nice to ride with the 2 woman I rode with briefly on the first section, but we all knew that we were riding our own ride, taking care of our horse on the vet checks individually. If we met up somewhere down the trail after the vet checks, great, if not, have a good ride.<br />
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One of the best parts of Tevis for me this year is that for the majority of the trail, it was just Rio and I, which is quite unusual for Tevis. <br />
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When we left the Hobson Canyon vet check (trot out only), there were only 2 riders in front of me. There was room to pass, but I did not need to pass because they were going a similar pace as me. I did pass the two riders at one point about 2 miles before Cougar Rock. These riders were riding mules. One of the riders asked if I was going over Cougar Rock, and I replied no, that I was taking the bypass. They were going up Cougar Rock. I took the bypass, and than it was just Rio and I heading into the Granite Chief Wilderness with no one in sight in front of us. I had the biggest smile on my face (all day). A few miles later, a different rider caught up to me and I asked her if she would like to pass, but she said no. This part of the trail is quite technical and a steep uphill climb. There are parts where you can move your horse out, but other parts are just too steep. <br />
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I soon arrived at the first major vet check, Red Star, and Rio vetted through just fine. I am sharing some info that I have learned through experience, but it is just my experience. I used to not let my horse eat until his heart rate got to criteria or less, because eating makes horses' heart rate increase. After doing several endurance rides, especially 100's, I now let Rio eat if he wants to when we first arrive after he has drank.. Since changing my protocol, Rio pulses down sooner than usual. By allowing him to eat, his head is down and he is more relaxed. At Tevis, the volunteers and I are sponging Rio down to cool him while he is eating. Previously, when I did not let Rio eat until he was pulsed down, his pulse rate would go down to 60 and then bounce up to 68-72, taking sometimes 10 to 15 minutes before becoming stable. Now, even if his HR is at criteria when we arrive at a vet check, I let him eat 5 minutes or so before I get his official heart rate taken. It takes 60 seconds or less of not eating for his pulse to come down. Also, for a horse to successfully complete a 100 (IMO) it is helpful if he eats more and mandatory that he is drinking well. So, for many gate and go vet checks at Tevis, I took at least 5 to 10 minutes minimum to let Rio eat before getting Rio's official pulse. I realize that riders going a slower pace might not have this luxury, but Rio makes up this time on the trail. <br />
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The next 8.5 miles from Red Star to the Robinson Flat vet check is on a dirt rode. We cantered a lot of this section and when we arrived at the Robinson vet check at mile 36, my amazing crew, Jeanlaurie Ainsworth and Peter, helped me cool down Rio and get his pulse down pronto. Another successful vet through, and then we had an hour hold to take a break and have some food before the second part of the trail: the canyons.<br />
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Robinson Flat Vet Check</div>
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Good to go!</div>
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After the one hour lunch hold we left 2 minutes late, but it worked out great. Two riders were ahead of us, so it was nice for Rio to see some other horses. There was another horse/rider behind me. We rode similar paces. I never caught up to ride with the two in front of me, and the person behind me only passed me when I had to take a pee break. Rio and I left Dusty Corners (not a vet check, but water and food for the horses, and awesome volunteers to assist us riders with snacks and hydration) with the same 2 riders in front of me and the same rider, behind me now, but we were spaced apart. </div>
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In my previous post (Tevis, 2014, Part One, Robie Park), I explained that Paul Sidio contacted me prior to Tevis to ask me if I wanted to wear his #113 Tom Quilty bib that he wore at the T.Q. endurance race (Australia), as my Tevis number this year was #113. I said it would be a privilege, which is why you see me in the orange vest in the photos here.</div>
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When I arrived at the Last Chance vet check, I gave them my rider number, and then they gave me the little slip of paper that indicates my time in that I give to the vet. I looked at it and asked if that number was correct because the time said 1:13. I thought they might of accidentally written my rider number on the paper instead of my time in, but it was the correct time in.</div>
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One of the benefits of riding in my own little bubble during most of the trail that day was that there were less riders/horses at the vet checks when I arrived. I do my own thing at vet checks and often take longer than others, but when we left Last Chance, the same 2 riders that were in front of me coming into L.C. were about a minute ahead of me, and the same rider who was a little bit behind me coming into L.C. was a bit behind me. </div>
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When we were approaching the first canyon decent, 2 new riders caught up to me. When you start the canyon decent, it is single track with nowhere to pass until you reach the bottom, and it is technical. It was perfect timing for Rio and I. I asked the 2 new riders as well as the other rider who was riding behind me to go ahead of Rio and I because Rio is not a good/fast downhill horse. All the riders disappeared from site within a minute. I had gotten off Rio to walk this section. We did not see anyone else on our entire decent down to the American River. No one caught up to us, which I am very happy about because then I would of felt pressured to go faster. </div>
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We arrived at the American River and took our normal 5 minute plus break to cool off. It was just Rio and I and the volunteers. There were more volunteers than usual here because a fire from the previous year had burned down the Swinging Bridge, which is the normal route that we take. The bridge is being repaired but had not been completed. We had to cross the river to get to the other side. The volunteers were there to show us where to cross the river and ride up to meet the trail. Thanks volunteers! I was almost done cooling Rio and myself off and taking off for the climb up when a group of 10 or so horse and riders showed up. 2 riders left ahead of me, and the climb out was fantastic. Just Rio and I again. </div>
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When we arrived at the top of that canyon, which is not a vet check, but a great stop to cool horses off and let them drink, I got off of Rio and took close to 10 minutes to let Rio eat, drink and relax. Although this is not a vet check, there are many volunteers, port a potties, water, hay and mash for horses, and refreshments and snacks for riders. A super great volunteer saw me cleaning my sunglasses, and he took them from me and did a pro cleaning job for me. The next vet check, Deadwood, is only a mile away. Many riders who had ridden out of the canyon behind me arrived and stayed a few moments at this stop and then moved on to the Deadwood vet check, as this is where they were planning on taking extra time to let their horse eat, drink, etc. I was able to get in and out of Deadwood quite fast because of the break I gave Rio at the quieter place. However, after we vetted out, I took extra time for Rio to eat because he was so hungry. I also syringed him with electrolytes before heading out. </div>
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Guess what my in time was at Deadwood? Haha, 3:13. I was only a minute off arriving at Robinson Flat at 10:14, and only 4 minutes off arriving at the finish at 2:17. See here: <a href="http://teviscup.org/webcast/webcast.php">http://teviscup.org/webcast/webcast.php</a></div>
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On to the next canyon, El Dorado, and I headed out with an endurance acquaintance, Amber Clark, and her friend. I actually think that Amber and I are more than acquaintances. I consider here a friend. In any case, she is a wonderful human being and horse woman who I have been privileged to of met though endurance riding. We rode together with others off and on from that point on until the bottom of the canyon, including endurance rider extraordinaire, Barbara White.
We were riding similar paces at that point, but because Rio is not a good downhill horse, I asked to go last. This canyon is not nearly as steep as the first one. It was a really nice section riding with good company. When we got to the bottom of the canyon and crossed El Dorado Creek, the horses had a drink of water/break and Rio and I started the climb out first. Rio did great on this uphill section. There were 2 riders in front of us, but not too close. One rider, Barbara, caught up to us, and I asked if she wanted to pass, and she replied, when it is safe, which is the answer that most riders should ideally say. (I did come across a group of riders later that night when I was wanting to pass who were not polite, but I will get to that later). I pulled over when it was safe and continued our climb up to the top of the canyon to Michigan Bluff, which is not a vet check, but there is water for the horses, and crews can meet the riders there. I have never had a second crew person besides Peter in my previous Tevis starts and finishes, but this year I had a second crew person, Jeanlaurie, who I had only met at my previous endurance competition, the Wild West endurance ride in Nevada City, CA 6 weeks previously, along with her husband and endurance riding daughter, Rachel. Jeanlauri met Rio and I at Michigan Bluff and between the 2 of us we were able to give Rio some extra cooling relief while he ate and drank, and then we were off to the Chicken Hawk vet check. </div>
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Rio vetted through great at Chicken Hawk. This was another one of the vet checks that I took extra time before and after vetting through to let Rio eat more. There was water, hay, and mash for the horses after the horses vetted through, and I let Rio eat for an extra 10 minutes or so at this check. He was just inhaling the mash. </div>
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The next major vet check, Foresthill, was only 6.5 miles away, This is where our 2nd and last one hour hold would be, and where I would be meeting my full crew. It is always a great experience coming into the Foresthill vet check. The people who live in Foresthill, along with riders' crews, line the street that we ride into and cheer us on. It is like a parade. Rio was pulsed down when we arrived at this vet check because I had taken his tack off and hosed him down with the hose that one of the generous Foresthill residents who lives on the street that we were on provided for Tevis riders. I went ahead to the vet check right away versus letting Rio eat since I knew he would have an hour break to eat.</div>
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Peter put glow sticks on Rio's breast collar and my headlamp on my helmet. I put my headlamp on my helmet as well as take a small flashlight with me, but they are for emergencies only. Horses can see well in the dark, but light hinders their sight at night. Although it was quite early in the evening, Rio was cool and shaking, so I put his cooler on him. I put ice boots on Rio's legs and then sat down and tried to eat. <br />
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Another helpful hint here I want to share is that a fellow endurance rider had recently told me about a human electrolyte called Tailwind that had really helped her on endurance rides. I had purchased some a few months previous to Tevis and tried it with great success on the Wild West endurance rides I had done prior to Tevis. I have a really hard time eating on endurance rides, especially 100's. This is what I ate all day: A yogurt for breakfast, a few bites of my sandwich at lunch, a few bites of pasta for dinner, and 3 power bars out on the trail for snacks and some fruit available at all vet checks. That's it. I felt great and strong all day and night long because of the Tailwind. I am not a good eater during endurance races, but I am a great drinker. I rode all day with a Camelback filled with Tailwind electrolytes in the water. I also had a glass of water with Tailwind with my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When I arrived at the Robinson Flat vet check/ one hour hold, Peter refilled my Camelback with more electrolyted water. <br />
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I ride with a Camelback for my water needs as well as 2 water bottles attached to my saddle to cool Rio, which I refill with horse water on the trail. <br />
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Rio and I ready to ride home to Auburn. </div>
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New friend, Tevis Crew, Jeanlaurie Ainsworth.</div>
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We left Foresthill at 7:41 p.m. It was nice to leave with an hour+ of daylight left. We trotted through the town of Foresthill on the dirt trail and walked on the asphalt sections. Soon we arrived at the California loop trail, which is a single track trail that gradually winds it's way down, down, down, down to the American River. At the first section on the Cal loop, I was riding with a few other riders. I would guess 4 or 5. Although Rio is not good at going down steep down hills, he is good at going down gradual grades. I was in the middle of this group trotting the same pace as me. One rider caught up and asked to pass when safe, and we did so when it was safe. Soon we caught up to a group of 3 or 4 riders. They asked if we wanted to pass, and the front rider said no, but one other rider and myself did want to pass, and we did so when it was safe. It was still light at this time. We 2 riders passed, and the other rider who was in front of me was out of site in a few minutes. It was just Rio and I again-for many miles of trail. </div>
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It was magical. No one in front of us and no one behind us. We arrived at CAL2 at 9:12 p.m. It was dark now. There is water for horses at CAL2, and there are volunteers who take the riders numbers as we go by as well as offer riders water if we want any. A mile or so down the trail after leaving CAL2 I came across a group of 3 riders. When I saw them walking in front of me, I slowed down to a walk and stayed a horse or two behind and let them know I was there. They did not ask if I wanted to pass, so I asked if I could pass when it was safe. The rider in front of me said to the other 2 riders in a tone like I was really putting them out: "there's another rider who wants to pass". I repeated that I only wanted to pass when safe. I was not in a hurry. I think that some riders are grouchy about people wanting to pass because not all of us are polite about it.<br />
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A note about riding at night. The first time that I rode Tevis, in 2007, was the first time I had ridden at night on an AERC competition. When I was riding at night, in the dark, it was trippy and magical. Trippy because what I thought were rocks or boulders were only shadows from the trees. If I would of tried to steer Rio, I might of steered him over a cliff. Instead, I did not steer him at all. I centered myself on him and did not lean one way or the other, as Rio flew down the trail at a fast trot. </div>
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I passed when safe and then Rio and I moved on at a fast trot in the dark. We did not catch up to any other riders/horses until about a mile before Fransico's on the dirt rode. I passed a few of them. Rio vetted through fine here, but we stayed at least 15 minutes extra for Rio to eat. There were many riders/horses at this vet check. When I left, I lucked out again, and for that entire section of trail, from Fransico's to the Lower Quarry, it was just Rio and I. </div>
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More magic. Some of the section of this trail is in the open, and it was so beautiful with the full moon lighting everything up. We arrived at the River Crossing with the usual great group of Tevis volunteers who are having a party while taking our rider numbers as we arrive. Rio and I crossed the American river with the moonlight glistening on the water and glow sticks at the bottom of the river showing the best way to cross. The water was high, going up past where my stirrups were. I put my feet on Rio's back behind me to keep them dry. </div>
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It is only 9 miles from Fransico's to the Lower Quarry vet check, but Rio and I hit a bit of a lull about 3 miles after the river crossing. I had not taken my Camelback for this last section of the trail (after Foresthill), and my energy level was low for the first time that day. A rider's energy effects the horse's energy, so for about 2 miles before arriving at Lower Quarry, Rio and I slowed down more than usual and took more walking breaks. </div>
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I always put the water from the water bottles on Rio's neck to cool him down if he is hot about a quarter of a mile before arriving at a vet check. Then I dismount, loosen his saddle, and take his bit/bridle off of him. He was pulsed down when we arrived at Lower Quarry, and my plan was to let him drink as much water as he wanted, vet him through, and then go back to let him eat and drink more where the food and water was. The usual awesome volunteers came to assist us, and because there were very few riders at this vet check at that time, we received a lot of attention. There are horse blankets available to put on horses rumps if needed. This is a good idea, which I always do at this stop to help prevent Rio from cramping up. This is the reason I wanted to vet Rio sooner than later. One of the volunteers offered mash to Rio and before I could say that I was going to wait until I vetted Rio through, Rio stuck his head in the bucket and started gobbling it down. It was hard to pull him away! </div>
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I vetted Rio through and instead of leaving then, I advised I wanted to take Rio back to where the food and water was so that he could eat more. On many of the gate and go vet checks at Tevis, there is more food and water for horses at the point where the rider out check is, but not at Lower Quarry. I took Rio back and let him eat for 10 minutes or so. I ate some fruit and drank some lemonade and felt fully revived. </div>
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While we took our extra 10 minutes, many riders/horses arrived. When we left, we were with a group of 3 or so. Before the road crossing, a few more riders caught up to us. There was probably about 6 of us. This next section is single track until no-hands bridge. This part is quite technical, especially in the dark; however, we were all trot/walking at a similar pace. After crossing the bridge, the group of 6+ broke up. Some went ahead and a few slowed down. Even though much of this section after the bridge is pitch black, Rio knows this trail. We passed the riders going slower than us when there was room, and then it was just Rio and I again flying down the trail, although now we were not going down. We were going up, up, up. We passed 2 more riders, and for the last four miles or so as well as the finish, there was no one in front of us or behind us. Rio felt great! I think he could of trotted up that entire 4 miles, but I took walking breaks. We finished at 2:17 a.m. in 27th place. </div>
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After Rio had his fill of water there, we proceeded to the Auburn Fairgrounds across the street and rode our victory lap. </div>
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It's not over until Rio passed the vet check, which he did with flying colors. </div>
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We both finished feeling strong. If I were to of given myself an overall grade at the end of this ride like the horses receive, I would of given myself an A. In 2012 we had a successful finish, but I was a pile. I would of given myself a C- at best. I had used up all my strength by mile 70 or so, and I was also nutritiously drained. I vowed to not attempt Tevis again unless I was stronger. I succeeded by joining a cross-fit strength training gym in May this year and discovering Tailwind electrolytes. </div>
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I was so elated. What a journey I had that day with Rio as well as the last 9 years since purchasing him and riding endurance. This last year has been a very good one for me/us. In 2012, two weeks after our Tevis finish, Rio was in a horrific barbed wire accident. I have not written a blog about it yet because I did not start my blog until February, 2014. Rio's rehab lasted for 9 months, and he was out of competition until January of this year. </div>
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This is a photo of Rio's injury approximately 2 months after the accident. You can see healing taking place, but proud flesh had developed so I took him back to the vet to have it cut off. Four months of full leg wrap.</div>
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With the exception of the one 55 mile endurance race that I rider optioned out of, Rio has had 100% completions this year. It is understandable why I have such a big smile here at the 2014 Tevis finish. The icing on the cake is that after our Tevis finish, we were only 15 miles short of the 3000 mile AERC milestone as a team. I will jump ahead here to say that we successfully finished one more 50 mile race in October, which brings our total endurance miles to 3035 for 2014.</div>
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It's been a great year!</div>
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I have one more blog to publish next week regarding 2014 Tevis: Part 3, Sunday Awards.<br />
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Links that may be of interest:</div>
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1. The Tevis Cup: <a href="http://www.teviscup.org/">http://www.teviscup.org/</a></div>
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2. Google map video of the Tevis trail courtesy Endurance.net: </div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs</a></div>
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3. Youtube video courtesy Jenni Smith of part of the Tevis trail. This is how we do it!</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j4HN3x7bik">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j4HN3x7bik</a></div>
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4. Tailwind Electrolytes: <a href="http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/">http://www.tailwindnutrition.com/</a></div>
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5. Article written in my hometown newspaper regarding my Tevis experience:</div>
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<a href="http://thesheetnews.com/2014/08/28/a-different-century/">http://thesheetnews.com/2014/08/28/a-different-century/</a></div>
<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-59809944047955894742014-08-23T08:37:00.000-07:002015-08-06T22:10:47.380-07:00Tevis 2014 Part One, Robie Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Successful completion, and our best Tevis ride yet. </div>
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100 miles of beauty, appreciation, and joy, joy, joy.</div>
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Lake Tahoe</div>
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Peter, Rio and I left for Robie Park near Truckee, CA on Thursday, 8/7/14. I like to arrive at 100 mile races two days before the start so that Rio can have the entire day before the start to eat and drink. We have a rather short drive. From Mammoth Lakes, CA it normally takes about 4 hours. This is the first time we took a different route. Instead of going through Reno and taking the 80 to Truckee, we took the 50 out of Carson City and went up and around Lake Tahoe. This route was 45 minutes shorter, and much more scenic.</div>
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The first time that Rio and I rode Tevis, in 2007, we lucked out and picked a great spot to camp at. I'm not going to reveal it completely, even though I am showing photos of it. It's off the main road, and not so busy or dusty as some of the other camping areas. We have camped in this same area on all of my Tevis starts. </div>
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We were set up by 5 p.m. and then it started raining lightly, which helped tremendously in keeping the well know dust down for the next few days. It was lovely sitting on the entry/door of the camper listening to the rain and smelling the wonderful scents of fresh rain on the earth and trees. </div>
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Friday morning was sunny and clear and cooler than usual. I spent the morning hand walking Rio off and on and organizing various things, including my crew bag for the Robinson vet check, packing needed items in my saddle bags and my camelback, etc. Around noon, I went and picked up my rider packet and checked out all of the vendors, as well as purchased some raffle tickets for the raffle to be held at the Tevis awards on Sunday. I spoke with one of the volunteers when purchasing the raffle tickets who is one of the artist that contributed to the beautiful quilt that was donated to be one of the awards for the raffle. The main item. I did not win anything at the raffle, which is fine. All the money raised goes to a good cause. Dave Rave won the quilt! How great is that!</div>
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After lunch, I took Rio to do his pre-ride vet check, and then I tacked up and went for a short ride. There was a woman riding in front of us, and when I passed her trotting, she asked if it was ok for her and her horse to join us, and I said yes (of course). I meet the neatest people doing these endurance events. We had a lot in common. I could not remember her name, but when I looked on the Tevis website results, I recognized her name, Patricia Smyth. She and her horse Jazz finished!</div>
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Pre-ride vet check </div>
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The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and talking with some old friends and new friends. Before leaving for Robie Park, an endurance rider named Paul Sidio contacted me via Facebook to ask me if I would wear his #113 bib that he wore in the Tom Quilty endurance ride last year. He would be wearing his Australian friend's #76 TC bib. He requested to be rider #76 from the Tevis folks. Once rider numbers were assigned to the Tevis riders and he saw that I was rider #113, he contacted me. I recognized him from his Facebook page when I was picking up my rider packet, and he told me where he was camping so that I could pick up the bib. Paul is a super nice guy, and he was riding with an Australian woman named Grayson. Paul loaned Grayson his horse to ride. Unfortunately, Grayson was pulled, but Paul and his great horse, General Lee, finished.<br />
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Ride Meeting</div>
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Peter at the ride meeting, with the meadow in the backyard.</div>
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I took a video of the ride meeting when Peter Clayton was playing a song that he wrote about Tevis. I will add it to my blog once I contact Peter and get his permission to do so. </div>
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It was a beautiful evening with the big full moon as well as a gorgeous sunset.</div>
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Early to bed since I would be waking up at 3:00 a.m. to get ready for the 4:45 a.m. start. Rio could not of been a better endurance horse on Friday. He rarely took a break when he was at the trailer between eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing, except to take an occasional nap. And no wasteful energy by silly antics. This horse knows how to take care of himself, and I'm sure, this being his fourth time at Robbie Park, that he knew what was to come on Saturday. <br />
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I'll be writing about our ride in my next blog, Tevis, part 2.<br />
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Links:</div>
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The Tevis Cup: <a href="http://www.teviscup.org/">http://www.teviscup.org/</a></div>
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The Tom Quilty Gold Cup: <a href="http://www.waera.asn.au/">http://www.waera.asn.au/</a></div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-87040559108192633012014-07-15T21:16:00.002-07:002014-07-17T16:53:20.101-07:002014 AERC Ride Season: Wild West Pioneer Ride, Tahoe National Forest<div style="text-align: center;">
Wild West Endurance Rides</div>
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June, 20, 21, 22, 2014</div>
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Tahoe National Forest</div>
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Cantering Photo Opp</div>
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(photo by Gaylor/Bore)</div>
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This is one of my favorite rides that I try to attend every year (when my horse is not rehabbing from an injury). It is located in the Tahoe National Forest in the Northern part of California near Nevada City and Grass Valley, CA. The base camp is at Skillman Campground, which is a horse camp! It is limited to 100 entries because the campground has limited camping. There are a few horse corrals at the camp, and if you pay extra and send your entry in early enough, you can get one of the corrals. I have done this 3 times in the past, including this year. Normally when I camp with my horse at AERC competitions, I have my horse, Rio, tied to the trailer, so it is nice to pay a little extra for the use of a corral, which is located right next to where I am camping. </div>
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I was signed up to ride 2 of the 3 days, and I had planned on riding 55 miles on Friday and 50 miles on Saturday. Rio vetted in fine on Thursday evening, and I visited with various friends after the ride meeting. We were camped next to super nice people, Heather and Steve, and their 3 horses. </div>
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Saturday ended up being a stressful day for me. We started the ride out fine. The weather was warm at about 85 degrees, and the first loop was about 30 miles with a one hour lunch hold at base camp before heading out for the last 25 mile loop. Rio had not drank the first loop, which is normal for him. After pulsing to criteria, I took Rio back to his corral to untack him and let him eat and drink some before taking him through the vet check. After taking Rio's tack off and cleaning him up a bit, I was waiting to watch how many gulps of water he drank before I went into our camper to get myself cleaned up. Rio was acting strange. He would look down at the water, but not drink. He started eating his hay, which was next to his water in a hay bag that was level with his head. I went and used the restroom, and I asked my husband, Peter, to let me know how much water he drank. Through the window of the camper, I saw Peter filling up a bucket with water and bringing it up for Rio to drink. Rio drank and drank and drank from the raised bucket. When I took Rio to the vet check, he would/could not bend his head down to the ground to eat the hay that was on the ground there while we were waiting in line. This was not normal for him. We vetted out just fine, and I took Rio back to finish his lunch for the remaining hold time, and he was still not able to put his head down to the ground.</div>
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I started worrying so much that I started feeling sick. When my hour hold was up, I went and talked to the head vet, Melissa Ribley. I told her what was going on with Rio, and I advised that I was going to take an extra hour or two before deciding if I wanted to continue or not. Rio ate and drank great, but I had to bring the water up to him to drink. </div>
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I decided to Rider Option (RO) out and not continue. It was a RO because Rio was not lame in any way as far as the vet judging goes, and his metabolics were great as well. My thoughts were that if my horse can not bend down to drink the rest of the ride without me bringing a bucket of water up for him to drink from, then he could of/most likely would of, developed a metabolic problem. I do have a collapsible bucket that I could of brought with me on the rest of the ride to use for water, but I just did not feel right taking Rio back out for 25 miles with this very bizarre neck issue that he was experiencing. </div>
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After making that decision, I was able to relax. I took a shower, drank a beer in the sunshine and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. I was scheduled to ride 50 miles the next day, but I had decided that unless Rio's neck problem worked itself out, that I would not ride the next day either. I went ahead and vetted him in for the next day's ride. This time the vet was Rob Lydon. I told him what was going on with my horse and advised that even if Rio's vet check was fine, I would not be riding the next day unless he was able to bend his neck/head to the ground by the next morning. Rio vetted out fine with all A's, and then Rob asked if he could do a few adjustments on him to see if it would help his neck. I normally have body work done on Rio, but not as much as I would like to.</div>
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Whatever Dr. Lydon did, it helped. Rio was able to bend his head to drink out of his water bucket as soon as I walked him back to the corral. The next morning, I got up early to feed Rio his breakfast with the intention of riding that day, but I had decided to have the vet recheck his gait and impulsion before making my final decision. A's on both. I tend to over worry. Since I finally felt good about riding 50 miles with Rio on Saturday, I decided to not worry and enjoy the day, and man, did I enjoy the day.<br />
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(photo by Gaylor/Bore)</div>
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The trail that day was spectacular. Lots of single track that winds around and around, with big pine trees providing shade, and a lush forest floor with ferns and other beautiful greenery. I normally do not ride with others for that long of a time, but after about 5 miles or so, I ended up riding with Gretchen, who I have known since I started endurance in 2006, and her friend Nick, for the entire ride. It was a nice change and good company for Rio and I. Rio and I were going slower than usual (we finished 2 hours later than the last time we rode the same trail 2 years previously), because I was being cautious because of Rio's neck issue the day before. The 2 vet checks and holds were out of camp, which I prefer, but when we headed for home, Rio knew it. I think we had about 12 miles or so to go, and I did not let Rio lead. I put him in the back or the middle of us 3 riders, which he is normally fine with. Well, not that day, or, that section rather. I guess his muscle memory was remembering that he had flown home in the past on this section, and he was being totally obnoxious and fighting me to go faster and not looking where he was going, which is what he needed to focus on because it was a technical, single track, twisty, turney, trail with lots of tree roots sticking out. I think Rio hit his front hooves on every tree root on the trail. We got to a water stop about 4 miles before the finish, and after the horses had a drink and we took off, Rio was completely lame on his right front. I told Gretchen and Nick to go ahead because Rio was so off that I thought I was going to have to walk him home the rest of the way. They watched Rio trot and could see that he was lame, but they saw that he had lost a shoe. He must of just lost it, because he was fine until the water stop. </div>
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Nick saved the day by lending us his Easyboot that just happened to fit Rio. For the first 3 or 4 years, I always brought an Easyboot with me on my rides in case Rio lost a shoe. In the 9 years of competing in endurance, this was the first shoe Rio had lost. I will now be taking my Easyboot with me again on all future rides! Not only did Nick loan me the Easyboot, he put it on Rio for me as well. </div>
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It was a privilege riding with Nick and his horse, Donny, that day. Nick is one of those A+ endurance horse people who I have heard about. He is very experienced, knowledgeable and helpful. I have extra respect for people who ride mainly one horse, since that is my situation, and Donny is the one/main horse that Nick has competed/rode for many years. They are almost a decade team with many accomplishments. I hope they get the AERC Pardner's Award some year. They are a great team.</div>
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Once Rio had the Easyboot on, he was sound to continue the last 4 miles. After finishing, I waited about 20 minutes before taking Rio to the final vet check so that he could eat and drink. When I wait a while before vetting, Rio always has better gut sounds. He vetted out with all A's, accept his trot out, and a heart rate of 48. He got a B on his trot out because he took a few bad steps on his front right, even though the Easyboot was still on. I explained to Dr. Lydon what had happened and that I wasn't riding the next day. We received a succesfull completion!<br />
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I am not too good at the selfie photo with a horse. </div>
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Not even cleaned up yet after the finish, but I look glowingly happy if you ask me. </div>
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Rio cleaned up and fed etc. first, and then made to pose. </div>
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Rio looks more like a Quarter horse that an Arabian. </div>
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His nice corral at the Wild West Ride.</div>
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Our horse camp set up at Skillman Campground.</div>
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We had some hiccups on this ride, but overall it was a successful ride weekend. The one thing that I still do not understand is what caused Rio's neck issue. He had drank the night before. Did he sleep on it wrong? Well, whatever it was, luckily, it worked itself out, with the help of Dr. Lydon.<br />
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My shoer was able to come out a few days after we got home and reshoe Rio. <br />
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I highly recommend this ride. Besides the beautiful area and excellent trails, the ride managers, Melissa and Robert Ribley, have managed this ride for many years and it is very well organized including great volunteers, vets, well marked trails, potluck dinners, ride photographers, nice completion awards, and even live music! There is also a really nice catered dinner on the last night. </div>
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Our next AERC competition: The Western Sates Endurance 100 mile ride/race (Tevis Cup), August 9th, 2014.</div>
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Captain Shack! Michael Shackelford and Miss Independent/Missy.</div>
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Successful three day horse and rider team.</div>
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Endurance youth at the 2014 Wild West Ride.</div>
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Trees at basecamp. I love this ride!</div>
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-6256545671348754112014-06-17T07:43:00.000-07:002014-06-17T07:43:14.853-07:00Endurance History: 2007, Part III, Our First 100 Mile AERC Competition: Tevis and More<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>Our First 100 Mile AERC* Competition: The Tevis Cup*, 2007</strong></div>
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<strong>Next: Virginia City 100 mile, 2007.</strong></div>
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Swinging Bridge, Tevis, 2007<br />
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I have not written a post related to my past endurance competition history for a few months. Now that I am back at it, I realize that writing this blog about my last few races of my first year of AERC competitions in 2007 are huge events. Two challenging 100 mile races and ending the season with a two day, 50 miles a day competition. <br />
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<strong>My/Our First Tevis Attempt</strong></div>
If you read back in my previous blogs regarding my endurance history, I state that my first competition was a LD (limited distance) ride in August, 2006, and my horse, Caartouche CS (Rio) and I were both newbies to endurance. I had read everything I found about the 100 mile endurance ride, The Tevis Cup (Tevis), and I decided to enter it in 2007 after having a 100% completion rate our first year (9 AERC 50 mile+ races at that point) and being able to complete the two-day Tevis educational ride a month prior to Tevis.<br />
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Tevis is one of my favorite AERC rides/races. I live in the Eastern Sierras in Mammoth Lakes, CA., and Tevis is practically in my backyard. </div>
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We finished! Not only did we finish, we finished strong. 16th place out of 183 riders that year. Tevis has about 50% completion rate every year. I figured that one of the reasons I placed so well was probably because 30+ horses were pulled at the vet checks who were riding ahead of me. Tevis is an extremely challenging trail. It is considered the most difficult endurance race in the world. 100 miles in 24 hours, including all of the holds and vet checks.</div>
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Rio and I finished Tevis with only a 1 crew person: my wonderful husband, Peter. Besides having a conditioned horse, I was also in good condition that year. I was a runner and ran distances/races from 10k's to (2) marathons. Unfortunately, when I was riding the Tevis educational ride, I sprained my left ankle when I was off my horse jogging down one of the canyons. Because of this, I could not get off my horse at all in the canyons during the actual ride/race. To this day, I still have issues with my left ankle.</div>
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Besides Rio and I both being in good condition, I was VERY organized for this event. I had lists for each major vet check on what was needed, and I went over them in detail with Pete. Before starting Tevis, I had already decided I would not be going over Cougar Rock. I would take the alternate trail. I know why people ride up and over Cougar Rock, but my thought, especially after taking the alternate route is-really? Also, my horse has steel shoes which makes for less traction. </div>
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My favorite parts of riding (and completing-Yay!) Tevis that year:</div>
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1. Having a well conditioned horse and being able to enter Tevis.</div>
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2. Nothing seriously bad happening to my horse ("Tevis Gremlins") after entering Tevis and prior to arriving.</div>
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3. Being at Robbie Park in Truckee and going through the pre-ride events: getting my rider packet, checking out all the vendors, vetting in, going to the ride meeting, and seeing friends.</div>
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4. Going through the high country (first section/36 miles), especially after the first 10 miles or so from the start, which is congested and DUSTY on the (mostly) single track trail.</div>
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5. Taking Rio down to the American river below the swinging bridge (in the canyons) to take a 5 to 10 minute break and letting Rio drink and cooling him off with the refreshing, cold, river water before our next climb out of the canyon. </div>
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6. The wonderful and amazing volunteers at this race. Crew are not allowed for most of the many vet checks, but they are not needed. For each vet check that I arrived at, I had a personnel crew of 1 to 4 volunteers. Someone sponging my horse down on the right and someone on the left. Someone holding my horse for me if I needed to use the restroom. Someone offering me watermelon or some other refreshing nourishment. Someone offering my horse mash. I had my own pit crew! The volunteers at Tevis are one of the major perks of attending this race. I appreciate it very much. Thank you so much all you wonderful volunteers!</div>
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7. Riding into the Foresthill vet check. People are lined up in the street 1/2 mile or so and cheering all the horses and riders in. Endurance racing is not much of a spectator sport since we are out there in the wilderness. This is one of the few times where I have seen spectators. </div>
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8. Riding the last section, from Foresthill to Auburn, when the sun goes down and I was riding at night. That was magical for me. Mainly single track, a full moon but lots of trees with shadows. </div>
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I could not see the trail. I had glow sticks on Rio's breast collar, and I rode with a headlamp in case I needed it for an emergency, but I never needed to turn it on. Horses can see at night, but lights hinder their sight. Rio was flying down the trail at a fast trot, and I did not steer him. If I did, where I thought the trail went at times would of been off a cliff. Instead, I just focused on centering myself, and I did not look or lean in any direction. I had to trust him completely. Not only did Rio keep us moving fast and correctly on the trail, he missed most of the rocks!</div>
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And then we finished and past the final vet check. Finish time was 1:25 a.m. At that time, there were no spectators at Auburn stadium watching the horses who finished. That did not matter. My husband/crew was there for me, and my good friend, mentor, Dick Dawson was there as well. Dick had volunteered that year, which is what he and his wife, Carolyn, to just about every year, except when Dick is riding the Tevis. </div>
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I love my horse. I had Rio in a paddock with many of the other horses at the Auburn Fairgrounds, and every time I checked on him he was eating. I had done so many multi-day rides with Rio that year prior to Tevis, I think he was thinking that he better eat and drink as much as he could in case we were doing another endurance ride the next day. Most of the other horses all around him were laying down sleeping. </div>
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It was a bit hard for me taking care of my own horse without a crew. My husband helped me in many ways by driving to the two major vet checks and then to Auburn and setting everything up for when we arrived, but I took care of my horse. It was ok. The experience made me stronger. </div>
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I give some of the credit for the successful completion to myself, but really, it was Rio who did it. I just didn't screw it up. I am lucky to have a horse who loves doing what I love to do. I am also lucky to have a non horsey husband who supports what I love to do. </div>
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<strong>Today, June, 2014</strong></div>
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We now have 2 Tevis completions out of 3 starts. Rio was in prime condition in 2008, but Tevis was cancelled that year because of the fire that was occurring at that time. I entered in 2009 and Rio was pulled for lameness at the first vet check at mile 36 at Red Star. Rio was experiencing an off and on lameness issue that year that was not properly diagnosed by my local vets. I will be writing in more detail about that in a future blog. Briefly, Rio was diagnosed in October, 2009 with a suspensory injury. I successfully rehabbed him and in 2012, I entered Tevis and we had our second successful finish. A month after Tevis, 2012, Rio got caught up in barbed wire and had a horrific injury to his right hind leg. 15 months of rehab for that one, which I will be writing more about in another future blog. In January of this year, we entered and completed a 50 mile AERC race and had a successful finish. We had another successful endurance race in April. We are entered in 2 of the 3 days of the upcoming Wild West ride this weekend, 6/20 and 6/21. If Rio does well, I am thinking of entering Tevis again this year for our fourth attempt.</div>
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<strong>Virginia City 100, September, 2007</strong></div>
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I entered and completed the Virginia City 100 mile race 6 weeks after Tevis in September, 2007. That ride was more challenging for me than Tevis. It is very rocky. The most difficult part for me was coming back and leaving base camp 2 times. Once is not too bad, but the second time arriving at basecamp at 9:30 p.m., neither Rio nor I were feeling enthusiastic about going back out for another 30+/- miles. We finished at 2:30 a.m. My favorite races, whether it is 25, 50, 75, or 100 miles, is either one big loop with out vet checks, or point to point like Tevis. Although this race is not on my list to ride every year, I most definitely want to attempt it again. The last time I rode it was their 40th anniversary. If my horse is ok to go, I think I will attempt it again on their 50th anniversary. Rio will be 17. </div>
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<strong>High Dessert, Two Day 50's.</strong><br />
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We did 2 days of 50 miles a day at the High Desert race in October, 2007 for 2 more successful completions to end out the year. 13 starts and13 finishes. We had done this same 2 day race the previous year. This time, we had our warm camper to sleep in. Rio felt great. We finished in the top 10 both days. Sorry about the below photo. I don't know how to switch the orientation. <br />
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Moving On Down The Trail</div>
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* The links below are helpful/informative to learn more about AERC and the Tevis Cup.</div>
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1. AERC (American Endurance Riding Conference):</div>
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<a href="http://www.aerc.org/">http://www.aerc.org/</a></div>
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2. The Tevis Cup:</div>
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<a href="http://www.teviscup.org/">http://www.teviscup.org/</a></div>
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3. Excellent Google Map video of the Tevis Trail (thanks to Endurance.Net)</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs&feature=plcp">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs&feature=plcp</a></div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-32126574372774909422014-04-08T21:34:00.000-07:002014-04-11T08:46:50.817-07:002014 AERC Ride Season: Our First Two 50 Mile Competitions <div style="text-align: center;">
Fire Mountain I, Ridgecrest, CA </div>
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January 18, 2014</div>
Earlier this year I started a blog writing about my endurance riding history, which started in 2006. I am not caught up to the present yet, but I want to write about my current AERC competitions that my horse, Rio, and I have entered this year. Our first ride of the season was the Fire Mountain I 50 mile competition in Ridgecrest, CA, which is located about 2 1/2 hours from where I board Rio.<br />
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This ride/race was very emotional for me because it was the first ride that we attempted since Rio's barbed wire injury in August, 2012. I will be writing about the injury and rehab process in detail in one of my endurance history blogs. Here is a photo of his wound about 2 months after the initial injury. You can see healing taking place, but in this photo proud flesh had developed and I took him back to the vet to get it cut off. 4 months of full leg wrap.<br />
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15 months later, we were back at it with a great ride and completion! Wow-Rio never felt so good. He felt more powerful and forward than ever. Another really nice thing about finishing this ride is that this is the first ride that Rio got pulled (for a cramp in his hindquarters) in 2008. We were able to finish the ride this time. Yay Rio-we're back!<br />
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Nevada Derby I, Washoe Valley, NV</div>
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April 5, 2014<br />
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The Nevada Derby I and II took place this last weekend. Rio and I rode 50 miles on Day 1, April 5, 2014. I normally would of rode the second day 50 as well, but neither Rio or I are in condition (yet) to do a 2 day 100 miler. <br />
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The ride location for this competition is normally in a different part of Nevada, but they changed it this year to Washoe Valley, NV. where the Washoe Valley AERC rides take place in the first weekend of May. The ride managers of the Washoe Valley ride, Gina Hall and Connie Creech, had posted that they would be taking this year off from managing the Washoe rides, so the rides were cancelled for this year. This is the reason I decided to enter the Nevada Derby. I love this ride location. It is about 3 hours from where I board my horse. The trails are challenging with a lot of hills, and the scenery is beautiful. <br />
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Peter and I arrived at ridecamp about 4 p.m. and parked in a place that we have set up our camp before that we love. Since I only have one horse, he is most comfortable when he can see some of the other horses camping. We were parked where he could see other horses, including one right next to us. <br />
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The weather Friday evening was cool and windy. We had about 10 minutes of light rain that changed to snow. The sky was beautiful and dramatic. <br />
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Unfortunately, the photo came out blurry.</div>
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When I did the pre-ride vet check, the vet said that Rio had taken a few bad steps on his front right on the trot out. Rio has always received a grade of A in every category on his pre-ride vet checks. I was now worried and I had reason to be. Rio had been reshod about 2 weeks earlier, and for the first time in the 9 years that I have owned him, he was lame when I went to ride him 3 days later. I trot him out before I tack him up, and he did not want to trot. Not normal. I did get him to trot out, and he was off on both his right and left front. That was Saturday. I called my farrier, Troy, to give him a heads up and left a voice mail message. I have an excellent farrier. My horse has never lost a shoe or been sore from getting his trims and new shoes (prior to this last time). Troy and his wife came out on their day off, on Sunday morning. Troy took Rio's front shoes off and replaced the pads with Equipedic and put the shoes back on. I went to check on Rio Sunday afternoon to hand walk him and turn him out, and he was 110%. No more lameness. I rode him lightly on Wednesday and Thursday and he was 100%. I felt confident taking him to the endurance competition, that is, until the pre-ride vet check. <br />
Well, there was no need to worry. Rio felt fantastic the whole day and received A's on the 2 vet checks as well as the final vet check on his trot outs. <br />
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We had an incredible ride. It was a beautiful day with cool temperatures with a high of about 55 and little wind. Many people clip their horses this time of year, at least a partial clip. I did not clip Rio because I am not planning on doing a lot of endurance competitions this year. The next planned race is at the end of May, and he will shed out his Winter coat by then. So, I was happy with the weather conditions being on the cooler side. The scenario was outstanding. Beautiful views of Washoe Lake below after our climb, with snow on the Sierra Mountains on the other side of the valley. <br />
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Rio is normally a very ratable horse, but I have had a hard time rating him these last 2 races. Our normal pace is faster. We do not normally race to win or top 10, but we used to place in the top 10 often because of the pace we went. I say I pace my horse-not race my horse. However, because Rio had not done an endurance competition for 1 1/2 years, I was pacing him slower than usual for these first few competitions. Rio was not agreeable. A lot of head tossing and pulling on the first loop. It wore me out. My wonderful, awesome husband surprised me by being at the vet check when we arrived and helped me out a lot. I normally take care of my horse and my self on vet checks, but it was very helpful to have Peter help me out on the 1 hour lunch break. After taking care of Rio(vetting in, going back to our camp, taking Rio's tack off and giving him his lunch), I went and got the lunch that management provided along with a big glass of lemonade. I think it was the lemonade that revived me. I also wore my camelback on the 2nd and 3rd loops and drank a lot of water. I felt back to normal leaving on the 2nd loop and felt strong the rest of the day.<br />
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Rio was back to his ratable self going out on the 2nd loop. One of the best things I liked about this ride were the people I rode with off and on. Everyone I caught up to or who caught up to me, were riding their own ride. We rode with each other for awhile, had some nice chats, and then I moved on or they did. Sometimes I caught up to others I had been riding with. Sometimes others I had been riding with caught up with me. None of us tried to keep up with anyone. There were 2 riders in particular that I rode with off and on that day who I especially appreciated. Michael, who I've known most of my endurance life, who is the father of Rachel, who I sponsored a lot as a junior one year and Lisa, who I had never met. I met her on Friday evening because she was camping next to us with her one horse. Both of us were riding conservatively on Saturday, and by the second loop we were headed out at the same time. She is one of the most thoughtful, polite, experienced, smart, riders who I have been privileged to ride along with, for awhile. I loved watching her and her horse, Sammy, move on down the trail. That horse seemed to be full of joy moving along with his ears pointed forward. Perky!. I love seeing horses ridden by riders riding within their horse's limits, which includes doing endurance in the first place. Endurance horses should love what they do as much as us endurance riders love it. IMO, Lisa and Sammy are on the same page. I heard a few days later that Lisa and Sammy came in 1st place the next day on the 50 and Sammy received the BC (best condition) award! <br />
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I was also able to see and visit with some previous friends who I have met through endurance. It was especially great to see Michael, Amber, Gina, Dan, and ride photographers Renny and Bill. A big thank you to the ride management, vets, and wonderful volunteers at this ride. <br />
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Both Rio and I finished strong. We came in 24th out of 93 riders. I felt much better at the end of the race compared to how I felt at the end of loop 1, and Rio ate and drank like the champion he is when we were done. His overall vet score at completion was an A with an A+ for gut sounds. This horse knows how to take care of himself!<br />
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-6031892328551139522014-04-03T20:39:00.000-07:002014-04-03T20:39:00.306-07:00Endurance History: Picking Out Our Camper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our rig, camper roof down for traveling.</div>
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We started researching a new truck and camper to purchase towards the end of 2006. Peter had been wanting to get a new used truck for awhile. In the beginning of 2007, he found a truck that he liked and he purchased it. A 2001 white Dodge (Cummins) 2500 Ram Truck. (Yah, I know, like every other truck you will see at an endurance ride.)<br />
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We live approximately 3 hours away from Reno, NV., and we go up there a few times a year for various reasons. Sometime in early 2007 we took a trip to Reno to go to a R.V. show where a lot of different camper brands would be displayed. <br />
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Pete had already decided that he wanted a pop-up camper versus a full size camper. We had also already decided that we wanted a bumper pull horse trailer versus a live aboard rig or a motor home, and I had already purchased my horse trailer in June, 2006. I bought a 2 horse slant load Circle J aluminum bumper pull horse trailer. We had decided we wanted a camper versus another type of rig because besides endurance riding, we like to go camping (without the horse). <br />
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In Reno, we saw a lot of different pop up models at the show, but neither of us really liked what we saw. They were all so small, not much bigger than our camper shell. We did more online research when we got home, and Peter found a pop-up camper that he was really impressed with called Hallmark. They are only sold where they are made in Colorado. However, the owners/makers of the Hallmark campers would be at a sports expo a few weeks away in Sacramento, CA, so we drove over to check it out. Peter's brother, sister-in-law and nephew live in Sacramento. We stayed with them and had a nice visit. <br />
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We both fell in love with the Hallmark pop-ups. It was a done deal. In the next few weeks we finalized our order. Besides choosing which model we wanted, there were other choices to make such as choosing between an oven or a microwave. We choose an oven. In March 07, Peter drove the new used truck to Colorado and came home with the camper on it.<br />
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Here is the link for Hallmark campers:<br />
<a href="http://www.hallmarkrv.com/">http://www.hallmarkrv.com/</a><br />
This is the model that we purchased:<br />
<a href="http://www.hallmarkrv.com/campers/cuchara/">http://www.hallmarkrv.com/campers/cuchara/</a><br />
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We love this camper so much. First of all, it is such a luxury for my endurance rides. It is roomy inside when the roof is raised. Pete, our dog, Hana, and I are very comfortable in it. We change the table area into a bed and that is where we hang out when we aren't sleeping or outside. That is where Hana sleeps at night too. It has forced air heating! Do you know how nice it is to be able to turn on the heat and warm up a place before getting out of a cozy, warm bed at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m.? And to take a hot shower after riding 50+ miles? Complete luxury! The bathroom is small. I have room to stand up and put the shower hose over me to shower. Very quickly army style as to not waste water. The walls of the bathroom fold up and down for when the roof comes down. One of the best features of this camper are the two large windows on one side. I am showing photos of the camper that are from endurance rides as well as various camping trips that Pete and I have taken. Here is the whole set up with the horse trailer and the camper's roof raised. It goes up 12 inches. It is also the only pop-up camper that has a roof that raises up and down with a motor. We just have to turn on a switch.<br />
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Roof Down</div>
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Roof Up</div>
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Hanging Out Inside the Camper</div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-4731256934932341372014-04-03T20:31:00.000-07:002014-04-03T20:56:00.107-07:00<br />
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<strong>2007 Endurance History Highlights: Part II</strong></div>
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Caartouche CS, 2014</div>
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Unfortunately, I did not have a camera to take photos of the first few (5+!) years of my endurance riding life. </div>
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Briefly:<br />
<strong>Twenty Mule Team 65 mile 2/3/07</strong><br />
Great ride out of Ridgecrest, CA, managed by Robert and Melissa Ribley. There is also a 35 mile limited distance (LD) ride and a 100 mile ride. The 65 mile is one big loop with out vet checks.<br />
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<strong>Eastern Sierra Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 mile (Days 1 and 2) 2/17/07 and 2/18/07</strong><br />
Another great XP ride. What I remember most about this ride is that we had sold our truck and shell and purchased a new used truck, but we had not yet purchased a camper. We had planned on tent camping. We brought all of our camping gear, but we forgot the tent! Woops. It actually worked out better because a wind storm started the evening before the ride with gusts so huge that it was hard to see because of the dust flying. We slept in the truck bed, which gave us a bit of protection from the wind. Sleeping in the tent in the wind storm would have been extremely uncomfortable with the tent flapping all night long. The wind kept up for the first hour of the ride and then calmed down. Both days of this ride were one big loop (different trails) with an out vet check/lunch hold. This is a 3 day ride (4 day ride now/2014), but I had to leave on Sunday after the ride/race because I had to be at work on Monday.<br />
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<strong>AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) Yearly Convention, Reno, NV 3/7/07</strong><br />
It is very convenient for me that most years the yearly AERC convention is located in Reno, NV, which is just a 3 hour drive from where I live. AERC holds it in Reno a lot because their office is located in Auburn, CA, which is close to Reno. I learned a lot in the seminars I attended and purchased a few things at the trade show. Approximately a month before the convention, my friend/mentor, Dick Dawson advised me that the Tevis ride management was going to hold its' first educational ride approximately one month before the actual ride. There would be a limited number of riders who could do this ride and management was going to start taking entries at the AERC convention. I was able to get in! I will be writing more about the Tevis ride in my next Blog/post, but briefly, Tevis is a 100 mile ride/race that takes place on the Western States Trail from Truckee to Auburn, CA. It is the oldest endurance ride and considered the most difficult one in the world. Like all 100 mile AERC competitions, it must be completed under 24 hours, including all the holds. It was my goal to enter and complete Tevis, but I had not planned on doing it in 2007 because I wanted more experience with my horse (this was my first full year competing in endurance for both myself and my horse). I decided since I would be able to do the educational ride, that I would sign up for Tevis that year if the educational ride went well. <br />
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<strong>Rides of March 50 mile, 3/17/07</strong><br />
I can not remember much about this ride. Another successful finish.<br />
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<strong>Square Nail 50, 4/7/07</strong><br />
Same as above (Rides of March)<br />
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<strong>Washoe Valley I and II 50 mile, 5/17/07 and 5/17/07</strong><br />
I love this ride! Two days, but you can only ride one day if you want. I really like the 2+ day competitions because I get more bang for my buck. The ride entries are the same each day, but I save a lot on gas money. Also, it makes a horse stronger if riding conservatively. The trail both days are quite challenging, with a lot of steep hills to climb. The base camp is located near a lake, and there are facilities to take showers. The ride managers, Connie Creech and Gina Hall are outstanding horsewoman and put on a great ride weekend. The evening meals are excellent and the completion prizes are great. Wonderful vets and volunteers as well. A+. Many thank to these women!<br />
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<strong>Tevis Educational Ride, June 2007</strong><br />
The educational ride took place over 2 days. The first night we camped at Robinson's Flat, which is the second vet check and the first 1 hour hold at mile 36 of the official Tevis Cup AERC ride. We would be riding the last 2 sections of the Tevis/Western States Trail over 2 days. We arrived on Friday afternoon and attended the educational seminars, which were extremely helpful. There was a choice of 3 rider groups to ride with: Fast pace, moderate pace, and slower pace. I rode in the fast pace group. We were told that if our horse took longer to pulse down at the vet checks than the others, we would need to wait for the next group and ride with them. I rode with the faster paced group because my horse and I had consistently been finishing in the top 20. This was not an AERC competition, but the educational ride had vet checks to make sure the horses were fit to continue and to get the riders and horses familiar with the Tevis vetting procedure. The first day we rode approx. 35 miles from Robinson Flat to Foresthill (the canyons). We had more educational seminars and a great dinner that night. The next day we rode the last section of Tevis, approx. 35 miles, from Foresthill to Auburn. It was incredibly helpful to be able to pre-ride this trail before attempting our first competitive Tevis. My horse and I both did great, and I sent in my Tevis entry when we arrived home. The Tevis ride date that year was on 7/28/07, 4 weeks away!<br />
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<strong>Today, Thursday, 4/3/14</strong><br />
I am getting caught up in my endurance history blog, and today I am organizing and packing for our 2nd 50 mile endurance competition of the season, which is this Saturday, 4/5/14. I am competing on day 1 of the 2 day rides of the Nevada Derby. The link is below. I was not planning on doing this ride. I was planning on riding 1 or 2 days of the Washoe Valley I and II rides, which are held the first weekend in May. The ride managers of Washoe Valley have decided to take this year off. The Nevada Derby has changed their normal ride location in Lemmon Valley, NV. to the Washoe Valley ride location. This is the reason I decided to do it. It is also the first test of the NASTR Triple Crown. The second test is the NASTR 75 mile ride at the end of May, and the last test is the 100 mile Virginia City ride in September. At this point, I don't have the goal to do the triple crown this year, but I may change my mind. My main goal this year is to ride Tevis again. <br />
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I am excited about this ride. We leave tomorrow.<br />
<a href="http://www.aerc.org/Calendar/2014NevadaDerby.pdf">http://www.aerc.org/Calendar/2014NevadaDerby.pdf</a><br />
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</span> </span>Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-91642481032600087472014-03-21T16:51:00.003-07:002014-03-21T17:55:16.058-07:00Endurance History: 2007 AERC Ride Highlights Part 1 Death Valley Encounter and Why I love XP Rides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I did a lot of AERC competitions in 2007. 13 starts and 13 finishes, including two 100 mile endurance rides. I will be writing a few posts about my endurance riding experiences from this year.<br />
Part I<br />
12/30/06 Death Valley Encounter 50 (Day 3)<br />
12/31/06 Death Valley Encounter 50 (Day 4)<br />
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Part II<br />
2/3/07 Twenty Mule Team 65<br />
2/17/07 Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 (Day 1)<br />
2/18/07 Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 (Day 2)<br />
3/07 AERC convention in Reno, NV.<br />
3/17/07 Rides of March 50<br />
4/7/07 Square Nail 50<br />
5/12/07 Washoe Valley I 50<br />
5/13/07 Washoe Valley II 50<br />
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Part III<br />
6/07 Tevis Educational Ride<br />
7/28/07 Western States Endurance Ride (Tevis) 100<br />
9/15/07 Virginia City 100<br />
10/20/07 High Desert I 50<br />
10/21/07 High Desert II 50<br />
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I have absolutely no photos that I took this year. <br />
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<strong>12/30/06 and 12/31/06, Death Valley Encounter 50, days 3 and 4: </strong></div>
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<strong>The first time experiencing an XP ride and meeting Dave (the Duck) and Ann Nicholson,</strong></div>
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<strong>And Why I Love XP Rides.</strong></div>
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The Death Valley Encounter is one of the many XP rides put on by Dave Nicholson and his wife, Ann. They are my favorite managed rides besides Tevis, and a few others. Dave is the head vet and head honcho. Ann is the manager. When I first met Dave, I was a little scared. It was not so much when I did the pre-vet in, but the next day on the first vet check. This was only my 5th AERC competition, and I was used to the vet cards being filled out with the vets giving my horse a "grade" of A's or B's. It does not work that way with Dave. After my first vet check experience with Dave, he commented something like "he's OK", and that is what is marked on the vet card. When I left from the lunch hold, I remember commenting to someone that I was worried that my horse was only "OK". The person reassured me that that response was good/normal. Your horse with Dave is either going to be "OK", or he's going to say something like, "I've got to talk to you about your horse". After riding the two days of this ride, I decided that I thought that Dave was OK too. </div>
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Dave is OK, but Ann is great! She is so personable and positive and helpful and nice! I have done many XP rides, and after this first ride, Dave and Ann remembered me. They remembered my name! They pretty much remember most riders names it seems. I think when Dave remembers me, he is probably thinking something like, "Jennifer, that rider who rides her horse too fast."</div>
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Dave is actually more than OK. I have learned a lot from him in what he wants XP riders to know and use, which is that we (riders) are responsible for our horses-not the vets, at rides. Know your horse. Know the indicators of when you need to slow down, etc. Dave encourages riders to be better horseman and horsewoman. I am fortunate to of gotten involved in XP rides with Dave and Ann from the beginning of my AERC endurance education.</div>
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Here are some of the reasons why I love XP rides:</div>
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1. I have met most of my favorite AERC riders/friends on these rides.</div>
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2. I especially love that the majority of the rides (that I have done) are one big loop with the vet check/lunch hold half way out. This is my favorite type of ride, along with point to point. Some rides come back to base camp for the vet check/lunch hold and then the second loop is different trail, but it is usually not more than 2 loops total with one vet check/lunch hold during the ride. </div>
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3. The atmosphere is very casual. There is an emphasis in riding versus racing. At the starts of the XP rides that I have done, we are all walking! There are very few pulls on XP rides because most riders are riding conservatively. </div>
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4. The trails/rides are located in scenic, beautiful, historical places.</div>
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I rode the last 2 days of the Death Valley Encounter due to the fact that these were the only days I could ride due to work. This is one of my favorite rides, and the only reason I have not done it every year since 2006 is either work related, or if my horse was injured. It is only approximately 3 1/2 hours from where I board my horse in Bishop, CA., and the weather is usually pleasant in D.V. this time of the year (not always!). There is also a great dinner provided on the last night, which is New Year's Eve, and then the awards for the four day competitors are awarded. Then the party continues on until midnight to celebrate New Year's Eve for those that want to stay up that late. </div>
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Here are some very good links regarding XP rides:</div>
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1. <a href="http://xprides.com/">http://xprides.com/</a></div>
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2. <a href="http://xprides.com/ride-entry/riding-and-racing/">http://xprides.com/ride-entry/riding-and-racing/</a></div>
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3. <a href="http://xprides.com/ride-entry/veterinary-pre-ride-info/">http://xprides.com/ride-entry/veterinary-pre-ride-info/</a></div>
Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-79278733793170617662014-03-14T09:45:00.000-07:002014-03-14T09:45:08.368-07:00Endurance History: Our First (2 day) Multi-Day Ride and The Benefits of Post Margarita(s): High Desert I and II. October, 2006At the end of October, 2006, I entered and completed my first two day 50 mile endurance rides, the High Desert I and II near Lake Lahaton in Northern Nevada. In AERC, a true multi-day ride (for awards purposes in the pioneer division) is 3 or more days of riding. However, I still consider riding 2 days in a row a multi-day ride-because it is.<br />
I have no photos at all from this ride. I do have the photos I purchased from the ride photographer, but I don't have a scanner to put them on my computer. Maybe someday in the future I will get one. <br />
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I will just post a few random photos since a blog without photos is not very interesting. </div>
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OK. I suppose I should at least keep it related to horses. </div>
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Caartouche with neighbors at his previous summer/fall home.</div>
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Anyways, two highlights that come to mind regarding the High Desert I and II rides besides some general stuff.</div>
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1) It was really cold for me camping with the camper shell.</div>
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2) The first time I met and rode with Peggy Davidson and her horse, Dakota.</div>
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Prior to entering this ride and deciding if I wanted to ride 2 days, I spoke to my friends/mentors, Dick and Carolyn Dawson. I wanted to ride 2 days versus 1 day, but I was not sure if my horse was up to it. Their advise was that if you ride slow, a 2 day endurance ride will make a horse get stronger. </div>
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The ride was at the end of October, and although the daytime temps were fair, the evenings and early mornings were freezing. It also got dark early and since we were there for 2 nights, there was not a lot for Pete and I to do when the sun went down. There was a really nice, large, hot campfire for the dinner and ride meeting, but that only lasted so long. After the ride meeting, Pete and I went and hung out in the front seat of our truck with the motor running for awhile with the heat on. I slept just fine; warm and cozy in my sleeping bag in the truck shell.</div>
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I don't have Peter get up to help me in the mornings, so he continued sleeping while I got up and took care of my horse and myself. My crew bag, etc. and other organization had all been done the evening before. I fed Caartouche (Rio). The water in his water bucket had froze, so I dealt with that and put fresh water in. We had a portable table set up with our camp stove, etc. on it. I put some water in the kettle to heat up for my coffee. I poured some milk in my cereal to eat, but the milk froze. (I learned after this that a good thing to bring to eat for breakfast on cold mornings is instant oatmeal.) I sat in the front of the truck drinking my nice, hot coffee while Rio ate his breakfast. </div>
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I started tacking up Rio. I put the saddle on him. When I went to put the breast collar on him, I had to unclasp the lead rope from the halter. I had taken his halter half way off, but still tied to him because I would not be using it once I put the bridle on him. Well, the first thing that happened is that the clip on the lead rope was frozen shut. After fiddling with it for a few minutes, I started getting worried because it was time to start in about 5 minutes. I went over to the shell and woke up Peter and asked him to come and help me because I was having trouble. I went back to my horse, and I guess I had not tied the halter well. He was nowhere in site. I felt panicked. Luckily, it only lasted about 10 seconds. Someone was walking towards me with my horse. He said, "your horse stopped at the first sign of a carrot". Whew. So scary for me. Not just because of my horse's safety, but I have heard of the damage that loose horses can cause to others. But all was fine.</div>
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I really liked this ride. Very nice, well marked trails with good footing in a historical and beautiful area, great dinners, volunteers, vets, ride managers, and base camp. Also, a lot of really nice riders. On the first day, about mile 10 or so, I ended up riding with a woman, Peggy Davidson, as we were riding similar paces. I ended up riding the rest of the race that day with her and her horse, Dakota, as well as the following day. </div>
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It was sooo helpful for me riding with an experienced rider. I learned a lot. Peggy and her horse had won the AERC National Limited Distance award the previous year. She explained the controversy regarding the LD distance versus endurance distance with some AERC members. Her purpose for riding as many LD rides as she did was to put a good base on him. And boy did she. She is one of the few people who compete on only one horse (mostly). She does a lot of AERC rides, and she rides very conservatively. She and her horse reached 5000 endurance miles last year! One of the many great things about Peggy is that she is so open to help educate newbies like me. Plus she is also super fun to ride with. I learned a lot about the importance of taking good care of our endurance horses as well as good trail etiquette to use while competing, among other things. </div>
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I don't think that Peggy and I had planned to ride together the following day. It just turned out that way. The start was gnarly. We had to cross the river. It was so deep that we had to follow someone leading who would be leading us through the most shallow part of the river. The water still came up past the horses bellies. I took my feet out of the stirrups and put them behind me on Rio's back so that they would not get wet. The most difficult part was getting in the river. It was a bit of a drop off. By this time, my horse and I had experience crossing creeks in various conditions, but not with this kind of steepness to enter. It took some coaxing to get my horse in. Peggy was a few horses behind me, and when she saw my horse's hesitation she came up to where we were and went in front of us and entered the river. Once she was safely in, she turned her horse around and waited for us. This helped my horse. He went in (hesitantly) and the rest of the river crossing was ok. Pretty exciting actually. This is what endurance is all about!</div>
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We had a great day and both of our horses finished successfully. I was not nearly as sore as I was on my first 50, even though I had now rode 100 miles in two days. </div>
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Oh-one more thing I learned. A margarita or a beer (or both sometimes) after completing a ride seems to help my body recover somehow. It also helps to keep moving while I am having my first beverage: Feeding Rio, organizing, cleaning, and putting away my tack, unpacking and putting stuff away from my crew bag and saddle bags, petting my dog, putting wraps on Rio's legs, walking him every 20 minutes or so, brushing him, etc. Then I get myself cleaned up and change my clothes and sit down and enjoy my margarita and look and admire my awesome horse (with his mouth constantly in his hay bag chomping down like a good endurance horse-except for breaks to take long gulps of water, then back to the hay bag), who not only carried me on his back for 100 miles in two days, but also seemed to enjoy it as much as I did! </div>
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I should also mention that besides the refreshing beverages, my favorite post ride snacks to eat that help to replenish me are celery and peanut butter, hummus with whole wheat pita bread, orange slices and watermelon. I am a Very good water drinker, and drink (water) consistently throughout the day. In warmer months, I ride most of my rides with my camelback on. </div>
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Lastly, after this ride, Peter decided we should research getting a camper for our truck. And so the research began. </div>
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So, that was it for our 1st year (starting in 8/06) of AERC competitions: </div>
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1. Eastern Sierra Classic 30 mile LD (Aug 2006)</div>
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2. Camp Far West 50 (Sept 2006)</div>
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3. High Desert I and II 50's (Oct 2006)</div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-52774675493911297572014-03-11T18:30:00.000-07:002014-03-11T19:04:21.108-07:00Endurance History: Our First 50 Mile AERC Competition: Camp Far West. September, 2006.I live in the West region and most of the AERC competitions that I do are in this region or in the Pacific South region. <br />
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In my previous blog, I wrote about our 1st endurance competition, the Eastern Sierra Classic 30 mile LD, which was in August, 2006. I was able to ride with an experienced endurance rider/friend, Megan Mulloney. After that competition, I was mainly on my own as far as having a human riding partner. Besides my horse, my other very important partner in my endurance journey has been my husband, Peter. He has gone on every endurance ride with me, doing almost all of the driving (mainly because he does not like how I drive, even though I am not a bad driver) and crewing for me when needed. He now rarely crews for me, unless I am doing a 100 miler, because after my first 2 endurance distance races, I realized that I really did not need him to help me that much on 50 mile races. <br />
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I moved up to the endurance distance of 50 miles the following month. I entered and completed the 50 mile AERC ride, Camp Far West, in September, 2006. Most of my ride stories from the past will be on the brief side since they were so long ago.<br />
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The only photo I have from our Camp Far West Ride. </div>
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At the finish.</div>
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One of the things that I remember about this ride is that since I was riding on my own for the first time, I was afraid of going off trail so I made sure that other riders were always in site. I did not join other groups; I just made sure I could see them ahead of me. Many riders passed me. One rider did join me for a while. About mile 7 or so someone caught up to me, and I asked if she wanted to pass. She said no, and asked if it was OK for her to ride with us (my horse and I) because she liked the pace I was going. I said, "of course". She was a polite rider and gave my horse and I a lot of room. One thing I learned from my first endurance ride the prior month, and riding with someone else, is that we took turns having our horses leading and following. I asked the woman riding behind me to let me know if she ever wanted to take a turn leading, but she did not want to. I just rode my own ride, trotting and taking walking breaks, and she followed my pace. I now realize that some horses are better at following than leading. I am fortunate in that my horse is great at leading and following. He also does well when we are alone with no other horses in site. I'm sure that this is due to the fact that 99% of our conditioning rides are done alone (except for the first 9 months when I was able to ride with my friend, Megan, and her horse). I have since learned that horses get to relax a bit more when they are following another horse. At the first vet check, my horse pulsed down ahead of the lady's horse we rode in with, so I left sooner than her on the next loop. Still being afraid I would miss a ribbon and get lost, I made sure that I was within seeing distance to the 2 riders in front of me. However, this only lasted for a few miles. I had a faster pace then them, and I made the brave decision to pass them and hope that I would not get lost. I did not.<br />
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We finished in fine form with a ride time of 6:50. I went to the trailer and un-tacked Caartouche and cleaned him up and then took him for his completion check. He passed just fine with a heart rate of 52. <br />
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It is on this ride that I realized that I did not need Peter to help me crew so much in the future. Because I was nervous about this being my first 50, I was an awful, demanding, Bitchy rider to my husband/crew. I asked Peter just now how long did he think that behavior lasted because I thought I got better right away, and he laughed quite loudly. He said I was definitely better after the first 50 miler, but the demanding behavior lasted for 3 to 4 years (this is my 9th year riding endurance). One thing that I know that I changed after this ride, and Peter agrees, is that I am now very appreciative of his help. In those first 3 to 4 years, I never asked him to meet me on an out vet check since I could pack my own crew bag. However, I did want his help meeting me when I came into vet checks at base camp, as well as helping me to get my horse cleaned up sometimes at the end of a race. <br />
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Now, 9 years later, I do 90% of the crewing myself (except the driving to and from the rides). When we travel to rides that have access for motorcycling, Peter puts his motorcycle dirt bike either in the first horse stall in the horse trailer or on the rack in front of the truck. I often won't see him until after I have finished my race.<br />
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In any case, I love that Peter goes with me on my competitions. My dog, Hana, comes too. (Except for Tevis.) <br />
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Here is a photo of Hana and Peter inside our camper. I will be writing about the purchase of our camper (March, 2007) in one of my next blogs. For the first 8 months, we camped/slept in the back of the truck shell. I don't have any photos of us camping in the shell while on endurance rides. <br />
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A photo of Peter, Hana, and Caartouche on a later AERC ride. </div>
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After vetting through at the finish, I let my horse eat and drink and rest for a couple hours before heading home. When I rode the 30 mile LD the previous month, I was hardly sore at all. After this 50 mile race, I was so sore. I was even uncomfortable sitting in the passenger seat with the seat as far back as it could go. I had to crawl in the small back seat of the truck with my dog and lay down. I can honestly say that that was the most sore I have ever felt. One thing about doing a lot of endurance riding is that my body got really strong by riding consistently. For the first 3 years I usually rode at least one endurance ride a month. </div>
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We dropped Caartouche off where I board him, and I turned him out and let him roll before putting him in his paddock. I checked out all his vitals again. He had been eating, drinking, peeing and pooping regularly, so I went home feeling confident that he had recovered well. </div>
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Yay-we did it. OK. What next?</div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-55889810938523647732014-03-06T10:18:00.000-08:002014-03-11T18:31:47.059-07:00Endurance History: Our 1st AERC Competition: Eastern Sierra Classic 30 mile Limited Distance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our First AERC Competition: Eastern Sierra Classic 30 Mile Limited Distance</div>
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Bridgeport, CA. </div>
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August, 2006</div>
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In August, 2006, my horse, Caartouche, and I entered and finished our first AERC race, the Eastern Sierra Classic limited distance (30 miles) in Bridgeport, CA, which is practically in my backyard; about one hour drive time from where I live in Mammoth Lakes, CA.<br />
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I want to state my opinion regarding why I refer to AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) competitions as races versus rides. (Although I also refer to them as rides sometimes.) There is quite a lot of controversy among AERC members as to whether the competitions are races or rides. I refer to them as races because of the fact that it is a timed event/competition. Also, as I stated in my first blog, from my past experiences as a runner in distances from 10k's to marathons, when I entered a running competition (IMO) I am entering a race; not a run. I am not racing to win because I am not that kind of a runner (fast). I am a mid packer. In my endurance competitions, my general finishing position is a front runner in the mid pack.<br />
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My first race was excellent. The difficult part for me was the night before the race. I had never camped with my horse, and he was tied to the horse trailer right next to a mare that my friend, Megan, would be riding. These horses knew each other, but had never spent the night next to each other tied to a horse trailer. I hardly slept. We (My husband, Peter, and I), were set up comfortably to sleep in the shell of the truck, but I was so nervous I hardly slept. I kept the back window of the shell open all night and regularly looked out to check on the horses. They did just fine. <br />
Since this was my first race, Megan advised that we should wait at least 10 minutes to start, and we did. Both of our horses completed the race successfully in a ride time of 5:03.<br />
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Unfortunately, I did not take a lot of photos in my first 7 years of endurance riding. The top reasons I love this ride:<br />
1) It is less than 45 miles from where I live.<br />
2) VERY beautiful, mountain riding in the Eastern Sierras of California.<br />
3) The base camp is awesome: green grass and a creek flowing on the property.<br />
4) If you do the 50 mile distance, it is 2 loops with different trails (figure 8) with the lunch stop at basecamp. The first loop is quite technical, but I like that. Makes for a good endurance horse and rider team. <br />
5) The second loop, which is also the LD loop, is technical in a different way. It does not have as many rocks/boulders, hill climbs and hill descents as the first loop, but it has more creek crossings, bridges, and gate openings and closings. <br />
6) There is good trout fishing. There is a fishing contest as part of this ride for those not riding. <br />
7) It is managed by Jackie Bumgardner and Gretchen Montgomery. Jackie and Gretchen put on one of the best rides I have attended. Well marked trails, great volunteers and vets, nice awards, great dinner, but most importantly, a scenic, beautiful, technically challenging trail.<br />
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A few more photos I took.<br />
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Our set up</div>
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Tacked up and ready to race</div>
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Posing</div>
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After nearly 3000 AERC endurance miles, the Eastern Sierra Classic is still one of my top 3 AERC rides, along with Tevis and the Bryce multi-day rides/races. It was a great introduction/experience for me to the world of endurance competition and continued horsemanship. </div>
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<br />Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-51423211499590387102014-02-15T22:23:00.000-08:002014-03-11T18:30:52.652-07:00Endurance History: The first 8 months: Dec 2005 to Aug 2006: Saddle and Tack, Education, Castration, Conditioning and Finding Mentors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLshaniqFlC1r8li8yOd9TZ6X61-z0mmG5eabX0PKJqpQLb3WwiE6c1BzJHC57dpbsUDU_b_Hadq9Px9FI5m7hre8b0l4Y3RQvnzsKvz7h1VOGsXp78D6kN8p_cuwf3t3aRaI1vosr0Q/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLshaniqFlC1r8li8yOd9TZ6X61-z0mmG5eabX0PKJqpQLb3WwiE6c1BzJHC57dpbsUDU_b_Hadq9Px9FI5m7hre8b0l4Y3RQvnzsKvz7h1VOGsXp78D6kN8p_cuwf3t3aRaI1vosr0Q/s1600/IMG_1236.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Where I ride in the Winter. Bishop, CA. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I had purchased my horse, Caartouche CS (Rio), in November 2005 (see previous post) and he was shipped to me from Colorado to Bishop, CA about a month later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shipping was
delayed because of snow storms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
decided to not have him castrated right away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought I would ride and compete in endurance with him for a year and
then decide if I should have him cut or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It took some convincing of the owner of where I board my horse to allow
me to have a stallion at her place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
had only met her once, and she knew I was green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She did have a place for him though and said
that she would give it a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is more
challenging to own a stallion because in most cases you have to keep them
separate to the point where their paddock is not next to any other horses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I live in Mammoth Lakes, CA. in the beautiful Eastern
Sierras with a population of 8,250. The elevation is <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8,000 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I board my horse in Bishop, CA in
the Winter (approximately 6 to 7 months of the year). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bishop
is 35 miles South with an elevation of 4,200 feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have been boarding Rio at Millpond Equestrian
Center since purchasing Caartouche.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is a wonderful facility with access to many great trails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://millpondequestrian.net/">http://millpondequestrian.net/</a></span>. There is also temporary boarding available for anyone interested in riding some awesome trails in this area. Here are a few photos from some of our
conditioning rides. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes24n0L-k-62GF_U2WeWXNBrTuMaClmLO4bEISnt3O-wQTiRsYSvLSPJQkngpz9ncnuSHTwfLDYeuWUIehtJKELfmPJ8SnxrWekHciD43ZgeADkieV98arj2eKfJhLcP647jQ_6cdDnQ/s1600/b3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes24n0L-k-62GF_U2WeWXNBrTuMaClmLO4bEISnt3O-wQTiRsYSvLSPJQkngpz9ncnuSHTwfLDYeuWUIehtJKELfmPJ8SnxrWekHciD43ZgeADkieV98arj2eKfJhLcP647jQ_6cdDnQ/s1600/b3.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> My lab, Hana. Love her.</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Saddle and Tack</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Bobbi (see my previous post) gave me a lot of great advice
regarding endurance riding, including tack. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She recommended Specialized Saddles, and I
ordered my Trailmaster while I was at her place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I love this saddle! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://specializedsaddles.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://specializedsaddles.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also ordered my bridle, reins and
breastcollar while I was there from Hought Tack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love my tack!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.hought.com/end.addon.dx8-red.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://www.hought.com/end.addon.dx8-red.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">.
I bought a Myler Kimberwick bit and my horse has done fine with it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I bought and used a Supracor saddle pad,
but my horse ended up getting a bad saddle sore from it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then bought and used an Equipedic saddle
pad that has been great. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.equipedic.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://www.equipedic.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the only pad I have used for the last 6
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My only complaint is that it is
not easy to clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In December 2013, I finally purchased another
pad just to have a second pad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
much research, I bought a Toklat Woolback. No inserts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span><a href="http://www.thedistancedepot.com/Toklat_WoolBack_Endurance_Pad_p/fth-twbep.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://www.thedistancedepot.com/Toklat_WoolBack_Endurance_Pad_p/fth-twbep.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would of purchased a Toklat Matrix if
I had more money at the time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far the
Woolback is working well. This is my horse tacked up in 2012 with the saddle and tack that I have used on him since owning him (2005) with the exception of the Supracor saddle pad (now have the Equipedic):</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Endurance
Education<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I started my endurance education prior to purchasing my
horse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read most everything I found
regarding endurance riding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most
helpful sites that I found were the following.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A lot of great links on these sites for everything an endurance rider
needs to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There is even more information available these days such as the Facebook pages AERC and Green Bean Endurance.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.aerc.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://www.aerc.org/</span></a><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.teviscup.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://www.teviscup.org/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">
(because this was one of my goals)</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://www.endurance.net/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://www.endurance.net/</span></a><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://enduranceridestuff.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;"></span></a><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><a href="http://enduranceridestuff.com/">http://enduranceridestuff.com/</a></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><u><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></u></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span></u></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><span style="font-size: large;">From</span></a><span style="font-size: large;"> Stallion to
Gelding<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">I ended up not keeping Caartouche a stallion for a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Although he was very well behaved (you would not guess that he was a stallion), </span>I had him castrated in April, 2006.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although he has excellent breeding and I am
certain he would have passed on his excellent traits to his get, I realized
that I did not have enough experience to own/compete a stallion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hard part was the after care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I drove to Bishop every day for 2 weeks or so
and per the vet’s instructions I lunged him at a brisk trot for 20 minutes and
then hosed him with cold water where he was cut for 10 minutes or so. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Poor guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If I had my balls cut off, I would not want to go jogging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would want to lie on the couch with an
icepack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purpose for the brisk
trotting is to get the blood flowing, which helps the healing process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we did that and that was that.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Conditioning<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and Finding Mentors</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Being off the track, Caartouche already had a good athletic
base, but he did not have experience out on the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> And as I stated previously, I was a newbie too. </span>Those first 7 months that I rode him on the
trail were psychological training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
could write an entire blog just about the challenge of getting him to cross
water (but I won’t).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, one of my
closest friends, Janet Titus, is a horse trainer at Millpond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She specializes in starting Mustangs and has
done the Mustang Challenge a few times and has placed in the top ten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is her blog:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://highsierrarider.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">http://highsierrarider.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Janet helped me so much by doing groundwork
with Caartouche and then teaching me how to do groundwork with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have found this to be very important for
the relationship/trust/bond between my horse and I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">At the time I purchased my horse, I did not know anyone else who rode endurance. However, I lucked out hugely meeting the one person who did have endurance riding experience in Mammoth Lakes who just happened to be working (temporarily) where I worked! </span><span class="entity _586o" data-fulltext="Megan Mullowney" data-group="all" data-icon="null" data-select="group" data-si="true" data-text="Megan Mullowney" data-type="ent:user" data-uid="689257678"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Megan Mullowney</span></span> did not have her
own horse, but was riding and conditioning a horse for someone else, and she
was able to move that horse to where I board my guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of my conditioning rides before my first
endurance competition were done with her and the horse she was conditioning. She taught me a lot about pacing,
electrolytes, horse camping, among other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did my first AERC ride with her in August,
2006; the Eastern Sierra Classic 30 mile
limited distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, I was on
my own, but it was extremely helpful to ride with an experienced rider for my
first ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so thankful for all that Megan taught me.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was around July, 2006 that my friend/trainer Janet told
me about Dick Dawson, who lives near Bishop and has been doing endurance riding forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am usually a shy type of person, but not so
much when I get passionate about something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I called Dick up and after talking with him a few times and meeting him,
I instantly recruited him to be my mentor along with his wife Carolynn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dick was entered to ride Tevis that year
(2006), which was about 2 weeks away, and I asked if he needed any extra crew
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think he really needed
any more people, but he let me tag along anyway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be writing a separate blog regarding
Dick and Carolynn Dawson and their importance to my endurance education and
success, but I am mentioning them briefly now because my very first endurance
experience was going to Truckee and traveling to Auburn (in a vehicle) to help
crew for a Tevis rider! Soo very exciting! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was signed up
to ride the Eastern Sierra Classic 30 miler the following week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have never thought that the following
year that I would be entering and riding Tevis myself, 11 months after my first
AERC competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">My next blog will be about my first AERC race in August, 2006,
and the races that I did the rest of that year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">
I have my tentative outline for future blogs (subject to
change) about my endurance experience from the beginning (Nov 2005) to present
(Feb 2014). </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Training and conditioning in the beginning plus miscellaneous
things like the tack I use, deciding to have my horse castrated, and finding my
mentors (Dec 2005 to Aug 2006).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->My first AERC competition and additional ride highlights
(Aug 2006 to July 2007).</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Completing Tevis within 11 months of our first
endurance ride (July 2007).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Additional ride highlights in 2007 and 2008
(Sept 2007 to Oct 2008).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Sponsoring a junior.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->First pull, plus 2009 complicated lameness
issue.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Suspensory injury diagnosis and rehab. (Oct 2009
to Feb 2010)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Back in competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ride highlights 2010 to 2012.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Second Tevis completion 2012.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Barbed wire injury and rehab (Aug 2012 to May 2013).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">11. First 50 since barbed wire injury, Fire Mountain
50, 1/18/14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yay-we completed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OK, now I am up to date.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>As I stated in my first blog, my main purpose for writing
this blog is mainly for memory/record keeping for personal reasons as well as
sharing my story with any others who are interested in endurance riding, and/or
horses in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wishing everyone
happy trails</span>.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSCs02AjrDX7AXcAlRjslxkayeIR3FrTAcwuR5mn6UaX_5Q-ezZvYYjyqCFze7UlkZH8TNxhn0NoYAKiEWKsqGTaUGki2JHPQ9uBdfGLujm4reoexib1mLIiGh7YBNH48e6WuibfxgwE/s1600/rio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGSCs02AjrDX7AXcAlRjslxkayeIR3FrTAcwuR5mn6UaX_5Q-ezZvYYjyqCFze7UlkZH8TNxhn0NoYAKiEWKsqGTaUGki2JHPQ9uBdfGLujm4reoexib1mLIiGh7YBNH48e6WuibfxgwE/s1600/rio.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7390419893420853749.post-50020853078943207122014-01-31T20:00:00.000-08:002014-02-06T08:31:09.978-08:00Picking out my horse in 2005 at Bobbi Richine's (prior property), Rocky Mountain Training Center in ColoradoI have been thinking of starting a blog for awhile. I am experimenting with this site to see how the format works. I want to have 2 blogs. One for my experiences related to endurance riding and one for all my other stuff. <br />
<br />
This is my blog on endurance riding. Chapter One. A little history. I had 2 horses for approximately 3 years when I was 12 to 15. They were mostly pets. I will write about that experience in another blog. I knew I wanted another horse at some point in my life once I had some financial stability. In May of 2005, at the age of 41, I married Peter. First marriage for both of us and we were in our 40's. I had raised my son, Erik, as a single parent until I met Pete in 2003. Erik would be graduating high school in 2005 and going to college the following year. I wanted to get a horse, and Peter supported my decision. I bought my horse in November, 2005. I can not remember where I found out about endurance riding, but when I found out about it I knew that it was what I wanted to do. I was a runner at the time (I can't run now like I used to because of an ankle injury), and I liked AERC's motto To Finish Is To Win. This was how I felt about my own racing. In a human race, from 5k's to Ultra Runners, there are some people racing up front to win or place well and then there are the rest of us. I was a mid packer and ran distances from 10k's to (2) marathons. My favorite distance was 10 miles and half marathons. There were a few races I did each year, and it was my goal to try and improve my time each year. This is how I could relate to the sport of endurance riding so much. I don't care if I win the race. In order to just run that far, my life changed for the better. There are so many benefits from exercising regularly. Another blog.<br />
<br />
Now, 8 years later and nearly 3000 AERC endurance miles with my one and only awesome horse, Caartouche CS, I am finally starting to write about this awesome experience I have had with this very special horse.<br />
<br />
I found my horse via the internet. I found many different sources for endurance horses for sale, and I liked RMTC (Rocky Mountain Training Center) the most. Run by Bobbi Richine, (retired from this business now), located in Colorado. At her facility, she always had between 20-30+ horses for sale. She was a horse broker. (This is just my interpretation of part of what Bobbi did.) She bought full and part Arabians that were either not successful in the show ring or track racing. She then trained them out on the trail at her beautiful ranch in Colorado and marketed the horses as endurance prospects. She had her horses for sale on a website, and I liked one so much that I put a deposit on him and arranged to go out and see him. If you were interested in purchasing a horse from Bobbi you could stay at her place, meals included, and ride as many horses that were for sale that you were interested in. If you purchased a horse there was no charge for your stay. It was such a great time. Peter came with me. It was like a second honeymoon. A little better for me though since I was able to ride some really nice horses. Bobbi is a vegetarian, and we ate healthy, yummy meals for the two days that we were there. There was a hot tub on the deck right outside our bedroom that we soaked in both evenings that we were there enjoying the starry sky. <br />
<br />
OK, now about the horses. Once I inquired about the original horse that I liked, who is Reno Rimal, Bobbi mailed me a DVD of all of the horses she had for sale, showing them moving as well as a print out with a description of each horse. Once I received that info, I liked this other horse, Caartouche CS, as well as Reno. Bobbi had already advised me that although I had a deposit on Reno, I did not have to purchase him. I ended up liking and trying out 4 horses. I rode them in the arena and out on the trail, as well as watched them move when turned out. Caartouche was my guy. He performed so well in the arena and the trail, which is really amazing because he had not been out on the trail that much, if at all since arriving there. And just as important, I felt an instant bond with this horse that I did not feel with the others. I remember telling Bobbi that I was surprised that he had not been sold yet. She said it was because she had only recently purchased him. He wasn't even on her website yet. Well, that worked out well for me, and also for whoever bought Reno Rimal too!<br />
<br />
I was so very green. I had not ridden a horse in over 20 years. I had only taken a few riding lessons when I had my horses in my youth. I did not know anything about the breeding history of a horse, or having a pre vet exam, or the good/bad qualities of horse conformation. In other words, I got lucky. I picked a good one. I knew I was getting a wonderful horse, but the lucky part was/is, how incredibly athletic he is, and from really excellent breeding. <br />
<br />
Caartouche is off the track. (At that time, I did not even know there was Arabian horse racing.) He ran 4 races, but he did not show sufficient speed for the owners to keep him. He was bred and raced by Centurian Stud in Texas. His sire is Bandjo De Falgas, who is now at stud at Asgard Arabians and producing awesome endurance horses. <br />
<br />
I was an inexperienced newbie, and what horse do I get, a five year old off the track Arabian stallion! Yes, he was a stallion when I bought him, but he had never been bred. He had the nicest manners though. I rode on the trail with the trainer and her friend, who were riding mares. The mares did not behave as well as my guy. My horse was all business, and the mares seemed to instantly go into heat. I purchased that horse, and he was shipped out to me the following month. More stories to come, as we now have almost 8 years together. It has been a very awesome journey. I have learned so much. Although there have been some really bad times (2 injuries to my horse), we have come through it healthy and happy and still going down the trail.<br />
<br />
<br />
The purpose of my blog here is 1) record/memory keeping for personal reasons, and 2) to share my experience with other endurance riders, especially those starting out. If I can do it, you can do it.<br />
<br />
The photos here are at RMTC in Colorado where I bought Caartouche (Rio).<br />
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Jennifer Langlo Sheldonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10012625152438781563noreply@blogger.com4