Tevis 2014 Part One, Robie Park

Successful completion, and our best Tevis ride yet. 

100 miles of beauty, appreciation, and joy, joy, joy.





Lake Tahoe

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.

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.  

                            

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. 

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!

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!



Pre-ride vet check

Pre Ride



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.

Ride Meeting

Peter at the ride meeting, with the meadow in the backyard.

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. 

It was a beautiful evening with the big full moon as well as a gorgeous sunset.



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. 

I'll be writing about our ride in my next blog, Tevis, part 2.

Links:

The Tevis Cup:  http://www.teviscup.org/

The Tom Quilty Gold Cup: http://www.waera.asn.au/





2014 AERC Ride Season: Wild West Pioneer Ride, Tahoe National Forest

Wild West Endurance Rides

June, 20, 21, 22, 2014

Tahoe National Forest

Cantering Photo Opp

(photo by Gaylor/Bore)

 

 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. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

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. 

 

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.   

 

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.

 

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.

(photo by Gaylor/Bore)

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. 

 

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. 

 

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.

 

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!

I am not too good at the selfie photo with a horse.  

Not even cleaned up yet after the finish, but I look glowingly happy if you ask me. 

Rio cleaned up and fed etc. first, and then made to pose. 

 

Rio looks more like a Quarter horse that an Arabian. 

His nice corral at the Wild West Ride.

 

Our horse camp set up at Skillman Campground.

 

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.

 My shoer was able to come out a few days after we got home and reshoe Rio. 

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. 

 

Our next AERC competition:  The Western Sates Endurance 100 mile ride/race (Tevis Cup), August 9th, 2014.

 

Captain Shack!  Michael Shackelford and Miss Independent/Missy.

Successful three day horse and rider team.



Endurance youth at the 2014 Wild West Ride.

 

Trees at basecamp.  I love this ride!

Endurance History: 2007, Part III, Our First 100 Mile AERC Competition: Tevis and More

Our First 100 Mile AERC* Competition:  The Tevis Cup*, 2007

Next:  Virginia City 100 mile, 2007.

Swinging Bridge, Tevis, 2007
 

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. 

My/Our First Tevis Attempt

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

My favorite parts of riding (and completing-Yay!) Tevis that year:

1.  Having a well conditioned horse and being able to enter Tevis.

2.  Nothing seriously bad happening to my horse ("Tevis Gremlins") after entering Tevis and prior to arriving.

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.

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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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.

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!

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Today, June, 2014

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.

Virginia City 100, September, 2007

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. 

High Dessert, Two Day 50's.
 

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. 
 

 

Moving On Down The Trail

 

 



* The links below are  helpful/informative to learn more about AERC and the Tevis Cup.

 

1.  AERC (American Endurance Riding Conference):

http://www.aerc.org/

2.  The Tevis Cup:

http://www.teviscup.org/

3.  Excellent Google Map video of the Tevis Trail (thanks to Endurance.Net)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs&feature=plcp

 

 

 



2014 AERC Ride Season: Our First Two 50 Mile Competitions

Fire Mountain I, Ridgecrest, CA

January 18, 2014

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.

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.

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!

Nevada Derby I, Washoe Valley, NV

April 5, 2014

 

 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. 

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. 

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. 

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.  

Unfortunately, the photo came out blurry.

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. 
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. 

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. 

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.

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! 

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. 

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!

 

 

 

Endurance History: Picking Out Our Camper

Our rig, camper roof down for traveling.

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.)

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. 

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). 

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. 

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.

Here is the link for Hallmark campers:
http://www.hallmarkrv.com/
This is the model that we purchased:
http://www.hallmarkrv.com/campers/cuchara/

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.

Roof Down

                                                                               Roof Up

Hanging Out Inside the Camper

 

2007 Endurance History Highlights:  Part II

Caartouche CS, 2014

Unfortunately, I did not have a camera to take photos of the first few (5+!) years of my endurance riding life. 

 

Briefly:
Twenty Mule Team 65 mile 2/3/07
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.

Eastern Sierra Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 mile (Days 1 and 2) 2/17/07 and 2/18/07
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.

AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) Yearly Convention, Reno, NV 3/7/07
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. 

Rides of March 50 mile, 3/17/07
I can not remember much about this ride.  Another successful finish.

Square Nail 50, 4/7/07
Same as above (Rides of March)

Washoe Valley I and II 50 mile, 5/17/07 and 5/17/07
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!

Tevis Educational Ride, June 2007
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!

Today, Thursday, 4/3/14
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. 

I am excited about this ride.  We leave tomorrow.
http://www.aerc.org/Calendar/2014NevadaDerby.pdf

 

  

Endurance History: 2007 AERC Ride Highlights Part 1 Death Valley Encounter and Why I love XP Rides

 

 

 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.
Part I
12/30/06 Death Valley Encounter 50 (Day 3)
12/31/06 Death Valley Encounter 50 (Day 4)

Part II
2/3/07  Twenty Mule Team 65
2/17/07  Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 (Day 1)
2/18/07  Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer 50 (Day 2)
3/07  AERC convention in Reno, NV.
3/17/07  Rides of March 50
4/7/07    Square Nail 50
5/12/07 Washoe Valley I 50
5/13/07  Washoe Valley II 50

Part III
 6/07   Tevis Educational Ride
7/28/07  Western States Endurance Ride (Tevis) 100
9/15/07  Virginia City 100
10/20/07 High Desert I 50
10/21/07 High Desert II 50

I have absolutely no photos that I took this year. 

12/30/06 and 12/31/06, Death Valley Encounter 50, days 3 and 4: 

The first time experiencing an XP ride and meeting Dave (the Duck) and Ann Nicholson,

And Why I Love XP Rides.

 

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. 

 

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."

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.

 

Here are some of the reasons why I love XP rides:

1.   I have met most of my favorite AERC riders/friends on these rides.

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. 

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. 

4.   The trails/rides are located in scenic, beautiful, historical places.



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. 

Here are some very good links regarding XP rides:

1.  http://xprides.com/

2.  http://xprides.com/ride-entry/riding-and-racing/

3.  http://xprides.com/ride-entry/veterinary-pre-ride-info/