Klickitat Trek, May 29, 2009
Wendy Connell, Monica Bretherton and I went to the Klickitat Ride in Glenwood, WA this weekend. This ride winds through high pine woods with fabulous trails, river crossings and some minor (to us anyway) technical spots. The weather was pretty warm – somewhere around 90 degrees, but there was a nice breeze.
Monica and I rode the 30 and Wendy rode the 50 on her Nez Perce mare, Allie. Wendy started out at 5:45 am and we left at 7 am. Our first loop was 13 miles to an out vet check. Monica and I started with very fresh horses (even though we’d gone out the night before for a little ride) and we had some very collected canter and some lovely half-passes at the beginning. Ari (Monica’s mount) even threw in a few Teke bucks for good measure. They were feeling GOOD! We trotted and cantered the gorgeous, sandy trails through huge pines, did a little pine-tree bending (some of the trails were very zig-zaggy around trees), up some hills, down some hills and as we hit a long, straight stretch, we looked at each other and said “This is PERFECT”. Of course, we spoke a bit too soon…
About 10 minutes later, maybe, Ari started to peck a little and I looked and he’d lost a front shoe. So, we retraced our steps a bit to see if we could find it, but didn’t. Happily, we had extra easy boots on each saddle, so we both hopped off and I put an easyboot on him in about 20 seconds, with horse trotting up behind and horses trotting off in front. Then, we continued on and Ari figured out the slightly different feel to that one front leg. We trotted past the photographer and had our ride photos taken and then came to the first vet check. Pandemonium! There must have been 50 or 60 horses in one not very large clearing, with two or three water tanks, 2 vets and my oh my! We had several close calls with horses threatening to kick, while in the vet line, Ari and Galen didn’t want to be parted at ALL (definitely something to work on for the next few weeks!) and then Ari didn’t trot out perfectly sound. Not his front either, but he had stiffened up a bit behind while waiting and was just a little tight in the hind end. We realized later that the heat, hills and speed were just a bit more than he’d done before. So, Ari was done and I was to continue on. Galen thought that wasn’t a very good idea at first and between threading through the mobs of horses standing and hearing Ari’s whinnying, it took a bit to get a mile out of camp. But, we soon met his ‘new’ best friend and continued on. 7 miles back to camp completed the first loop and we then had a 30 minute hold that was mainly spent in the vet check line again. I did find that riding alone gives you a lot of opportunity to chat (I kept missing ribbons I was chatting so much and had to backtrack a few times) and I got to talk to several people about Tekes. As Galen was being very impressive at this point (no screaming or trying to find his brother!), that was good. We came into camp, were pulsed down immediately and vetted through fine. Our last loop was 10 miles and we found several new ‘best’ friends and he got to impress people with his smooth gaits and forward movement. We rode mainly with a lovely lady on a Paso Fino. When we walked, she led but when we trotted, we led. We exchanged stories about riding ‘rare’ horses (there aren’t all that many Pasos doing endurance either, compared to say, Tennessee Walkers). We came in right around the middle of the pack, were pulsed down on entry and passed the vet check with flying colors.
Monica and Ari were back by then, and Monica got to meet lots of people and hear lots of stories – the big one around camp were the girls that tried to lead their horses through a fairly deep and fast river crossing and ended up in a wreck. One horse fell on the girl leading it in the river, the horse then ran downstream, maybe fell in the water, hit a tree with its head and ended up with a fractured skull. Happily, both horse and girl were not too bad – very shook up and definitely out of the ride, but both alive and pretty much in one piece. Several riders stopped and helped them get out of the water, gave them a lecture about being prepared and being calm and got them headed to the vet check. This happened just before we got to the river crossing, which was fast and up to the horse’s knees, but not (to us anyway) really that bad.
So, we got the horses taken care of and waited for Wendy to come in from her ride. We found a nice patch of shade and sat for about an hour and then when Wendy and Allie came in, I trotted Allie out, as Wendy’s knee was giving her trouble and then we all went back to camp. We had a lovely evening, feeling a sense of accomplishment, chatting with people and making notes on things to work on for our next ride, which is July 4th weekend.
There were several Teke crosses there too – Susie Morrill brought 5 Arab-Teke crosses and they all did great and Ramona Thacker was riding a Teke-Arab cross. Shannon Mayhew (or Mayfield?) sorry!, was there, riding her mustang, but she has 4 up and coming Teke crosses. Shannon also top-tenned in the (going out on a limb here, sorry if I’m wrong) 30. The gaited people have a huge group that goes to rides, with blow up alligators (‘gators’), flags, etc, and we thought maybe we need to do that. Maybe a Turkmenistan flag and who knows…yurts seem like a bit too much work. Maybe someone will have some better ideas!
Cathy
Showing posts with label Akhal-Teke Endurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Akhal-Teke Endurance. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Milwaukee Railroad Ride, April 25th 2009
Monica Bretherton and I loaded up ‘the boys’, Galen and Arzuw, on Friday morning, for our trip over the pass to Kittitas, WA for the Milwaukee Railroad Ride. This ride is run on the John Wayne Trail, an old railroad grade for the Milwaukee Railroad (for more info, see Monica’s blog at http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/archives/166278.asp for a detailed history). This isn’t necessarily a very interesting ride, as it’s pretty much out and back on the same trail, although ride manager Gail Williams did add a nice lower part to the 3rd loop (our second loop), along a stream and through some fields. There was even a patch of mud to make us Seattleites feel at home. It is a fairly easy trail and makes a nice introduction to endurance. This past weekend though, what made it really an ‘endurance’ ride was the wind. We had gusts up to 100 mph in places and were riding into 60-80 mph gusts with a pretty steady wind when those were quiet. We made jokes about being blown off the trail, and as I felt Galen being blown sideways during some canter strides, I made very sure we weren’t too close to the edge. I don’t think anyone was blown off, but we did notice a few bandannas and other implements that probably flew out of people’s hands.
So, Monica and I did the 25, as this was Monica’s first ride and Ari’s also. Ari did do a trail ride a few years back with my daughter, but that hardly means he was a veteran. We have been conditioning, but my work schedule has made it a weekday thing, after I recover from my very busy weekend (I work swing shift over the weekend). Galen has several years of conditioning and rides under his girth, but we didn’t want to overface either Ari or Monica. We arrived in camp around 1ish on Friday and got camp set up, checked in, vetted the horses in and went for a ride. The wind wasn’t so bad on Friday, and we had a nice 5 or 6 mile warm-up. That night, the wind picked up and we both kept waking up every time the camper started rocking. Monica said it was like being at sea. It didn’t seem to bother the boys much, but they were on the protected side of the trailer. Saturday morning dawned, cold and windy. Our start time was 8 am (yeah, limited distance!) and we went out at the end of the pack. Galen walked out of camp on a loose rein, which I found extremely satisfying, as I’ve spent several years trying to achieve this. In the past, he thought we should roar out of camp, pass everyone and show them all his fine Teke behind. Saturday, he walked like a gentleman, allowed gigging horses a wide berth as we passed those less fortunate. We started trotting probably a half mile outside of camp and then passed bunches of people. I do admit we both were probably more than a bit smug on our well-behaved, smooth ATs, passing gigging, sweating, bouncy arabs and arab crosses. There were also a lot of gaited horses at the ride and some did quite well. We played tag with one mule for quite a while. We came to the tunnel at 4.5 miles and all eastbound traffic went up and over this year. There was another 4.3 miles after this that we trotted and cantered. We made pretty good time on the trip out, averaging 8.8 miles (it took us exactly an hour for the entire outward trip). We made our turnaround and found out why everyone coming towards us was hunched over and looking windblown. Galen thought we should just keep going WITH the wind, forget about heading back. But, we turned into the wind and started our trek back. It was amazing! Over in Western Washington, we’re just not used to wind like this – this would have been a huge storm, with trees coming down, schools closed and barns locked up tight. In Eastern Washington, it was just…spring. Give us Seattle people rain and mud and we’re pretty much ok, but wind! We trotted and did some cantering, but the suspension phase of the canter was a little hairy, as I could feel Galen being pushed over in the air. We also slowed down considerably, averaging about 4.5 miles an hour coming back. Then we came to the tunnel. The tunnel is maybe 300 feet long (I’m guessing) and has some light going Westward. There is about 20 feet that is almost pitch black, so the horses must trust the rider. (Or, maybe they can see way better than us and it’s not pitch black to them). Galen had done the tunnel twice before, so I got off and led. Ari was a bit nervous, but he and Monica came through ok. I know some people ride through it, but when I tried last year, I got so dizzy I almost fell off. Definitely better to walk! We mounted up and headed back to camp, where we were pulsed down when we arrived and vetted through fine. Back to the camper for a hold and lunch for all of us.
Our second loop was the opposite direction and Gail had changed the loop so it was more interesting, with part of it going along the river and through some fields. This made for a nice change and refreshed us all. We came back on the John Wayne trail and had one moment when Galen stepped in a length of wire that stuck around his leg for a stride or two. The actual wire wasn’t the problem, but the weird noise it made dragging along was a bit daunting. But, he listened to me and stopped nicely, and we threw the wire of the trail so some less lucky person didn’t get tangled in it. We did more walking this loop, as both boys weren’t quite as eager to move out anymore. We made it back to camp about 1 pm and were pulsed down coming in. We were amazed to find that we were in the top ten finishers for the 25 and both elected to stand for Best Condition. While I didn’t really think we’d win, it’s an excellent training tool and gives you another vet to look at your horse and comment. So, we did our initial vetting and went back to the trailer to clean them up for the final vetting. I was horrified to see that Galen had rubs on both front pasterns from his Easyboot gaiters, so spent some time getting those looking good. Definitely something to work on for our next rides – no rubs! We went back for our final vetting and the boys were pretty good. The vet did ask if I thought Galen was a bit skinny, so I had to tell him a bit about Akhal-Tekes. Next to an arab or a gaited horse, yes, he’s skinny. But for a fit Teke, not so bad. We finished our vetting and headed back to bed the boys down and have a well-deserved libation. We did think that doing more than the 25 would have been too much definitely for Ari and possibly for Galen at this point. Unfortunately, my working has really cut into our conditioning rides. But, they finished with some reserves and we’ll stick to LDs for at least a while. Probably the entire season for Ari, as he doesn’t have the years of conditioning that Galen does. As for Galen and I, well, we’ll see. A lot depends on if I can get more conditioning in. If not, well, LDs finish nice and early, so we can hang out, drink beer (or wine) and watch the longer distances come and go. More time then to visit and tell people about Tekes!
We came in 9th and 10th (although at the final vetting they said 8th and 9th) and were 7th and 8th (or 6th and 7th?) in the Best Condition. There were about 30 odd people in the 25 and I think there were several pulls. I have to say I was busy looking at my vet card and BC card at that point and didn’t really pay attention.
Now the boys get a few days off to eat. Ari is all for that, but Galen was running laps an hour after we got home.
Cathy
So, Monica and I did the 25, as this was Monica’s first ride and Ari’s also. Ari did do a trail ride a few years back with my daughter, but that hardly means he was a veteran. We have been conditioning, but my work schedule has made it a weekday thing, after I recover from my very busy weekend (I work swing shift over the weekend). Galen has several years of conditioning and rides under his girth, but we didn’t want to overface either Ari or Monica. We arrived in camp around 1ish on Friday and got camp set up, checked in, vetted the horses in and went for a ride. The wind wasn’t so bad on Friday, and we had a nice 5 or 6 mile warm-up. That night, the wind picked up and we both kept waking up every time the camper started rocking. Monica said it was like being at sea. It didn’t seem to bother the boys much, but they were on the protected side of the trailer. Saturday morning dawned, cold and windy. Our start time was 8 am (yeah, limited distance!) and we went out at the end of the pack. Galen walked out of camp on a loose rein, which I found extremely satisfying, as I’ve spent several years trying to achieve this. In the past, he thought we should roar out of camp, pass everyone and show them all his fine Teke behind. Saturday, he walked like a gentleman, allowed gigging horses a wide berth as we passed those less fortunate. We started trotting probably a half mile outside of camp and then passed bunches of people. I do admit we both were probably more than a bit smug on our well-behaved, smooth ATs, passing gigging, sweating, bouncy arabs and arab crosses. There were also a lot of gaited horses at the ride and some did quite well. We played tag with one mule for quite a while. We came to the tunnel at 4.5 miles and all eastbound traffic went up and over this year. There was another 4.3 miles after this that we trotted and cantered. We made pretty good time on the trip out, averaging 8.8 miles (it took us exactly an hour for the entire outward trip). We made our turnaround and found out why everyone coming towards us was hunched over and looking windblown. Galen thought we should just keep going WITH the wind, forget about heading back. But, we turned into the wind and started our trek back. It was amazing! Over in Western Washington, we’re just not used to wind like this – this would have been a huge storm, with trees coming down, schools closed and barns locked up tight. In Eastern Washington, it was just…spring. Give us Seattle people rain and mud and we’re pretty much ok, but wind! We trotted and did some cantering, but the suspension phase of the canter was a little hairy, as I could feel Galen being pushed over in the air. We also slowed down considerably, averaging about 4.5 miles an hour coming back. Then we came to the tunnel. The tunnel is maybe 300 feet long (I’m guessing) and has some light going Westward. There is about 20 feet that is almost pitch black, so the horses must trust the rider. (Or, maybe they can see way better than us and it’s not pitch black to them). Galen had done the tunnel twice before, so I got off and led. Ari was a bit nervous, but he and Monica came through ok. I know some people ride through it, but when I tried last year, I got so dizzy I almost fell off. Definitely better to walk! We mounted up and headed back to camp, where we were pulsed down when we arrived and vetted through fine. Back to the camper for a hold and lunch for all of us.
Our second loop was the opposite direction and Gail had changed the loop so it was more interesting, with part of it going along the river and through some fields. This made for a nice change and refreshed us all. We came back on the John Wayne trail and had one moment when Galen stepped in a length of wire that stuck around his leg for a stride or two. The actual wire wasn’t the problem, but the weird noise it made dragging along was a bit daunting. But, he listened to me and stopped nicely, and we threw the wire of the trail so some less lucky person didn’t get tangled in it. We did more walking this loop, as both boys weren’t quite as eager to move out anymore. We made it back to camp about 1 pm and were pulsed down coming in. We were amazed to find that we were in the top ten finishers for the 25 and both elected to stand for Best Condition. While I didn’t really think we’d win, it’s an excellent training tool and gives you another vet to look at your horse and comment. So, we did our initial vetting and went back to the trailer to clean them up for the final vetting. I was horrified to see that Galen had rubs on both front pasterns from his Easyboot gaiters, so spent some time getting those looking good. Definitely something to work on for our next rides – no rubs! We went back for our final vetting and the boys were pretty good. The vet did ask if I thought Galen was a bit skinny, so I had to tell him a bit about Akhal-Tekes. Next to an arab or a gaited horse, yes, he’s skinny. But for a fit Teke, not so bad. We finished our vetting and headed back to bed the boys down and have a well-deserved libation. We did think that doing more than the 25 would have been too much definitely for Ari and possibly for Galen at this point. Unfortunately, my working has really cut into our conditioning rides. But, they finished with some reserves and we’ll stick to LDs for at least a while. Probably the entire season for Ari, as he doesn’t have the years of conditioning that Galen does. As for Galen and I, well, we’ll see. A lot depends on if I can get more conditioning in. If not, well, LDs finish nice and early, so we can hang out, drink beer (or wine) and watch the longer distances come and go. More time then to visit and tell people about Tekes!
We came in 9th and 10th (although at the final vetting they said 8th and 9th) and were 7th and 8th (or 6th and 7th?) in the Best Condition. There were about 30 odd people in the 25 and I think there were several pulls. I have to say I was busy looking at my vet card and BC card at that point and didn’t really pay attention.
Now the boys get a few days off to eat. Ari is all for that, but Galen was running laps an hour after we got home.
Cathy
Monday, April 28, 2008
My first 50 mile endurance ride!
Yes, I am now a real-life, bonafide, endurance rider! Galen and I completed our first ever 50 mile endurance ride on Saturday at the Milwaukee Railroad Ride in Ellensburg, WA. This was a very nice introduction to endurance in many ways; it is only 2 1/2 hours from my house, the trail is pretty flat and has mostly decent footing, although there were sections with BIG rocks, the weather couldn't have been better and I had several friends around to cheer me on.
Wendy and I pulled in around 3 pm on Friday afternoon and got our camp set up in record time. Jennifer and David LeBlanc pulled in a bit later and set up next to us. We shared a lovely dinner that night and went to bed early. The battery in my camper gave out around 3-4 am AGAIN, so I think both Wendy and I were up from about that time, as it was COLD out. Our start time was 6 am, so we were tacked up and ready to head out. We waited a bit to let everyone leave, as I really wanted Galen to settle down and quit trying to catch every single horse. Well, our first five miles was very much go forward a bit, turn around and walk back towards camp until he settled. We got some lovely practice on half-pass, shoulder-in and leg-yielding too! But, he finally settled in and Wendy and Allie were very patient with us. Our first loop included going through a 2000 foot long railroad tunnel. There was the option to go around, but heck, that would be boring! We both got off and led the horses, especially after I started getting disoriented in the dark while riding after about 10 seconds. So, we went throught the tunnel, which was very dark and lit only by glow sticks and a small flashlight Wendy had in her saddlepack. No big deal, really. We continued on to our first out vet check at 19 miles, where we caught up to quite a few people, as both our horses pulsed down right after coming in. But, we weren't there to race, but to have a great (and long) trail ride. We got a little bit of food into the horses, although Galen was still very much wanting to catch all those horses and didn't want to eat or drink. Allie had no such problems. Allie had been a little footsore from the rocks and Wendy was able to get the use of 3 easyboots, thanks to some very accomodating riders at the out vet check! Allie had already had one boot on, and after she was fully booted over her shoes, she was much happier. Thank goodness for helpful people and we'll always pack easyboots on our saddles from now on.
We headed out with one person behind us, and at the halfway point, Galen finally started drinking. Good thing, as I was getting just a tad worried about it and there was no other water before we got back to camp. We enjoyed going along the trail, walking through the 'cuts' where the rocks were big and rolling. The tunnel wasn't nearly as scary this time, as the afternoon sun was shining through most of it and there was only a small portion that was very dark.
I had been rather worried about how I would do on this long of a ride, and it was very interesting to see how I felt throughout the ride. I've never ridden any horse this long in one sitting before, so there were some things I will definately change for my next 50. At about 15 miles, my right stirrup leather started killing my calf. After the out vet check at 19 miles, the left stirrup leather bothered my calf so I didn't notice the right anymore. Definately need sheepskin over the leathers, cause my chaps just weren't enough for the job. Then, on the last loop, both those pains faded when my hind end started complaining. I've always been sort of a 'princess and the pea' with my saddle and boy oh boy, was I a 'princess' on Saturday. After our 45 minute hold in camp after the second 19 mile loop, I got on Galen and almost screamed, as all those little aches roared to life. But, amazing how a few miles can either dull your senses or you warm up enough that it's not so bad. I decided I definately need to do more ab crunches, as my poor abs were telling me they were being abused and I have to say that there will be LOTS more padding on the saddle seat for my next 50. There were consequences, although I do have a Cashel seat saver AND a sheepskin seat saver on the saddle seat. It just wasn't enough. Galen was a bit tired by now and would have been just fine with stopping at 38 miles. But, he didn't complain too loudly for our last 12 miles, and we went very slowly, mainly walking, with some trotting just to break up the boredom. We got chatting with the other contender for the 'Turtle' award, who was a very nice lady. We three hit the mid-way point of the last loop together, so those people who were signing our cards (this loop was a 'there and back' loop also) could go home, which I think made them quite happy. We got back to camp around 5 pm, and Wendy came in last, although Galen did not pulse down right away, so although she came in last, they pulsed down first, so we got the "Turtle" award. He was tired, but got through his vet check with almost all A's, and I believe one B for gut sounds. That was ok with me though, as he drank very well the last 2 loops and was eating everything he could see. I had to pull him away from food for his final vet. So, it wasn't too much for him, but we will definately stay very slow for quite some time and try to collect those "Turtles" and I will try to stay with the easier rides on fairly flat ground. In the meantime, I think I'll start doing some crunches and I am definately going to work on a better saddle padding system!
We decided to head home Saturday night, as I had to run to the airport the next morning, and made it home around 9:30 pm. It was a long, but satisfying day and I can now say, with all honesty and more than a little pride, "I'm an endurance rider".
Cathy
Wendy and I pulled in around 3 pm on Friday afternoon and got our camp set up in record time. Jennifer and David LeBlanc pulled in a bit later and set up next to us. We shared a lovely dinner that night and went to bed early. The battery in my camper gave out around 3-4 am AGAIN, so I think both Wendy and I were up from about that time, as it was COLD out. Our start time was 6 am, so we were tacked up and ready to head out. We waited a bit to let everyone leave, as I really wanted Galen to settle down and quit trying to catch every single horse. Well, our first five miles was very much go forward a bit, turn around and walk back towards camp until he settled. We got some lovely practice on half-pass, shoulder-in and leg-yielding too! But, he finally settled in and Wendy and Allie were very patient with us. Our first loop included going through a 2000 foot long railroad tunnel. There was the option to go around, but heck, that would be boring! We both got off and led the horses, especially after I started getting disoriented in the dark while riding after about 10 seconds. So, we went throught the tunnel, which was very dark and lit only by glow sticks and a small flashlight Wendy had in her saddlepack. No big deal, really. We continued on to our first out vet check at 19 miles, where we caught up to quite a few people, as both our horses pulsed down right after coming in. But, we weren't there to race, but to have a great (and long) trail ride. We got a little bit of food into the horses, although Galen was still very much wanting to catch all those horses and didn't want to eat or drink. Allie had no such problems. Allie had been a little footsore from the rocks and Wendy was able to get the use of 3 easyboots, thanks to some very accomodating riders at the out vet check! Allie had already had one boot on, and after she was fully booted over her shoes, she was much happier. Thank goodness for helpful people and we'll always pack easyboots on our saddles from now on.
We headed out with one person behind us, and at the halfway point, Galen finally started drinking. Good thing, as I was getting just a tad worried about it and there was no other water before we got back to camp. We enjoyed going along the trail, walking through the 'cuts' where the rocks were big and rolling. The tunnel wasn't nearly as scary this time, as the afternoon sun was shining through most of it and there was only a small portion that was very dark.
I had been rather worried about how I would do on this long of a ride, and it was very interesting to see how I felt throughout the ride. I've never ridden any horse this long in one sitting before, so there were some things I will definately change for my next 50. At about 15 miles, my right stirrup leather started killing my calf. After the out vet check at 19 miles, the left stirrup leather bothered my calf so I didn't notice the right anymore. Definately need sheepskin over the leathers, cause my chaps just weren't enough for the job. Then, on the last loop, both those pains faded when my hind end started complaining. I've always been sort of a 'princess and the pea' with my saddle and boy oh boy, was I a 'princess' on Saturday. After our 45 minute hold in camp after the second 19 mile loop, I got on Galen and almost screamed, as all those little aches roared to life. But, amazing how a few miles can either dull your senses or you warm up enough that it's not so bad. I decided I definately need to do more ab crunches, as my poor abs were telling me they were being abused and I have to say that there will be LOTS more padding on the saddle seat for my next 50. There were consequences, although I do have a Cashel seat saver AND a sheepskin seat saver on the saddle seat. It just wasn't enough. Galen was a bit tired by now and would have been just fine with stopping at 38 miles. But, he didn't complain too loudly for our last 12 miles, and we went very slowly, mainly walking, with some trotting just to break up the boredom. We got chatting with the other contender for the 'Turtle' award, who was a very nice lady. We three hit the mid-way point of the last loop together, so those people who were signing our cards (this loop was a 'there and back' loop also) could go home, which I think made them quite happy. We got back to camp around 5 pm, and Wendy came in last, although Galen did not pulse down right away, so although she came in last, they pulsed down first, so we got the "Turtle" award. He was tired, but got through his vet check with almost all A's, and I believe one B for gut sounds. That was ok with me though, as he drank very well the last 2 loops and was eating everything he could see. I had to pull him away from food for his final vet. So, it wasn't too much for him, but we will definately stay very slow for quite some time and try to collect those "Turtles" and I will try to stay with the easier rides on fairly flat ground. In the meantime, I think I'll start doing some crunches and I am definately going to work on a better saddle padding system!
We decided to head home Saturday night, as I had to run to the airport the next morning, and made it home around 9:30 pm. It was a long, but satisfying day and I can now say, with all honesty and more than a little pride, "I'm an endurance rider".
Cathy
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