MnDRA I - What a Weekend!

Loop 1, about 11 miles into 15 miles (photo by Henry)

Gesa & I had an uneventful trip to Sand Dunes State Forest for the very first distance ride of the season.  Before loading up, however, I discovered Rhio in the pasture with a bloody leg.  Of course, he manages to hurt himself in the four hours between morning feeding & time to go!  The wound was small and high on the inside of his left front forearm.  Wounds always look quite dramatic on a grey horse, but after cleaning it up I decided it wasn't anything to worry about, and a quick trot confirmed no lameness, so he climbed aboard Christine's trailer (thanks for the loan, C!) and we headed over to pick up Gesa & Paco.

Rhio's wound on Saturday 

Driving into camp, we spot Lynne & her horse Niso set up just across from vet check, so swing in by them, since we were planning to camp together.  Paco & Rhio settle in to the high line, with Niso next door in her pen.  In no time, Donna, Salma, & CrackerJack arrive and set up with us as well.  Yay!  We haven't all been together since last August, so mile-a-minute talking quickly ensued, though I had to excuse myself and begin vetting horses in for Saturday's events.  Dusk set in with some beautiful clouds prompting us to preemptively cover the boys in their rain sheets.  A couple laps around camp to stretch everyone's legs (and the horses almost always drink when we get back from a walk, so that's a nice bonus), with the horses thrilled to munch the plentiful green grass (none of that at home yet!), and we were ready for the night.  Camp settled down quickly Friday night, with most everyone planning to ride Saturday (except all of our contingent - I was vetting & Gesa volunteering as scribe Saturday, Donna's CrackerJack is a few days shy of 48 months old - the minimal age to compete an LD, and Lynne & Niso didn't feel conditioned enough to compete).  We had munchies & conversation in Donna's trailer before splitting up for bedtime - Donna, Salma, Kelso & I in her trailer and Lynne & Gesa in Lynne's trailer.  Gesa & I loved the luxury of a mattress over our usual tent!

Ready for bed!

Saturday "morning" (yes, technically 4:40 am is morning, but it sure doesn't feel like a reasonable time to be awake - the major drawback of my chosen obsession is the wee hour wake-ups) came all too quickly, and I piled on a few extra layers, refilled the boys' hay bags, and dragged myself over to vet check for the rider's meeting and to vet in a few last minute starters.  By the 6:00 am start for the 50 milers, the sun was up and it was clear the weather gods were smiling upon us this day.

I was able to see Rhio & Paco on their high line all day from vet check, so I was able to assure myself they weren't getting into any trouble.  Gesa spent a lot of the day helping, but also did all the pony care while I was working (thank you Gesa!!!).  In the afternoon she saddled up for a little ride, and Rhio was unhappy to be left behind.  Besides making a pitiful racket calling for his buddy, he was good while Paco was gone.

Aww!  My lovely pony. 

It was a tough day on course for a lot of competitors, with temps in the low 70s and the perennial deep sand that Sand Dunes is famous for.  Six of the 11 starters in the 50 were pulled, mostly for lameness.  A few LDers and competitive riders didn't complete, either, and one horse had to be treated for a tie-up after completing the 25 mile ride.  I think there has been a horse treated at this ride almost every year; I think the course is deceptively challenging with the deep sand, especially when coupled with a slow, late spring that really cut in to most rider's training time.  Add to that the warm temps, which we haven't had a chance to accustom to yet this year, and it was a recipe for hot, tired horses.  Many of the horses had tight hamstrings from the deep sand, and sore shoulders were also a common finding.  All the riders did a great job of taking care of their horses whether they were pulled or completed the course.

Paco & Rhio vetted in with flying colors Saturday evening, with Rhio's heart rate at 32.  He must be getting used to ride camp (he should be, I think this is his 4th year of attending rides), as 32 is his resting rate at home, but it is typically 40 at a ride.  After getting our 52 inked in green on his rump, we settled the boys into CrackerJack's vacated pen for the night (thanks Donna! our boys LOVE to have a pen to relax in) and I watched as Rhio proceeded to immediately zap himself on the electric tape.  I felt a little sorry for him (he looked *very* surprised), but I was also pleased that he'd touched it and felt much more secure in leaving him in the pen overnight.  This is the first time he's been in an electric pen at night, without direct supervision.  I would have to say I think he much prefers a pen to any form of being tied.  He was very leery of exiting the pen, though, and Paco had to be brave one and lead the way through the gate every time.

Loving the life of freedom in the pen (but Rhio's staying safely away from the fence.)

Potluck & awards were held in our campsite, so we had front-row seats and our horses seemed to enjoy observing all the commotion as well.  Rhio was probably scoping out the potluck dishes, hoping for a taste of the left-overs!  I don't know about anyone else, but I quite enjoyed my potluck plate - dominated by delicious tacos provided by ride management.

Potluck!

Pre-potluck relaxation with Donna (have I ever mentioned that 60 lb Kelso is a lap dog?)

Kelso's safe spot

Beautiful Salma

I think we all tried to stop visiting and hit the sack a little earlier Saturday night, as Gesa & I were riding in the morning!  Ride weekends need to be 3 days, so we could have a whole day to relax & visit with all our ride buddies.  4:40 rolled around way too early yet again, and as I was fumbling around in the dark to get ready, trying not to wake Donna, I managed to drop a contact somewhere in her trailer.  Of course it was utterly impossible to find the tiny but vital item, and I hadn't packed any extras (won't make that mistake ever again!!!), so I was forced to use my glasses for the day.

This turned out to be more challenging than I had anticipated, as the prescription in my glasses is not the same as in my contacts. Also, as anyone who wears both will attest, the difference in peripheral vision is quite dramatic between contacts & glasses.  My exhausted, too-early-roused brain was very slow to adapt to the different visual input, and as a result I couldn't exactly "see straight" for about half of the first loop!  My glasses would jiggle a bit at any gait faster than a walk, and I had to attempt to focus on whatever horizon line I could find ahead on the trail to keep myself steady.  It wasn't as challenging as riding in the dark, but I did feel that I had to give over most of the decisions to Rhio and I knew the trail well enough I didn't need to spot ribbons or read plates (whew!).

Group shot!  Early on Loop 1, and Rhio is all business getting us past these horses without a backward glance.  Notice Rhio's forward ears (as long as I'm in front, I don't care about the other horses!), and Paco's inside ear tipped to the other horses (um, this ok guys?  Whatcha doing over there?)

The start of a ride is always a little intense with equine emotions running high, and riders' following suit (or is it the other way around?).  Gesa & I waited to let the hot shoes get out of camp, and well down the trail.  One disadvantage of the early portion of the trail at this ride is that you are able to see horses in front of you on a long straightaway not too far out of camp.  This makes life a little difficult for most of us with horses who want to catch those in front of them.  Rhio was very good, though, and we walked calmly out of camp, picking up a nice trot and all was well...until we caught sight of horses in front of us.  Bear in mind that my vision problems are peaking right about now, as Rhio's speed increases and my brain pretty much can't compensate for it yet.  Lots of half-halts (surprise!  Rhio presented me with a new behavior - a chin-tuck in response to a half-halt.  Previously he has always thrown his nose up in the air if I half-halt him and he doesn't want to listen.  The chin-tuck was new for him, but he was still listening and staying controllable so I left him alone) and Rhio, while anxious to catch & pass horses ahead of us, also stayed in his trot and said "Ok" every time I said "No" to a speed increase.  It was by no means an easy, relaxed first 5 miles, but it was pretty good.  Five miles is the magic point at which he becomes my easy, responsive boy again, instead of a barely contained rocket ship.

We crossed the highway bridge, manned by a caffeinated cop & a cruiser with flashing lights at either end, and made our way through the housing development to reach my favorite section of trail at this ride. The new obstacle for the day was a lawn sprinkler on full blast, spraying an arc of water & mist into the air and across the road.  Unless he encountered one before I bought him, I can attest that Rhio has never seen a sprinkler before.  I simply asked him to move to the opposite side of the road, and we passed it with no trouble at all.  Good boy Rhio!  Paco followed suit, though the guy riding behind us had more trouble I think.  Shortly after the sprinkler, there was a house & a living room picture window barely containing a frenzied dog barking & barreling into the glass; I'm quite sure there wasn't anyone left asleep in that house!

Having a bite to eat midway through Loop 1 - in our coveted pocket of space! 

And onward through the sand.

By about half way through the first loop of 15 miles, the horses were spread out enough that we had our own little pocket and were no longer catching other horses or being caught.  It is my favorite part of a ride when we have our own bubble of trail and have no interaction with other horses on the trail.  I know for sure in such instances that we are "riding our own ride" and not being pulled or pushed by another horse's position ahead of or behind us.  Rhio & Paco have done so many miles together now that their trail relationship is effortless, both for them and for us.  We are free to chat and to enjoy the scenery, soaking up the joy of time spent on the back of a good horse with companionable trail partners.

Both Photographer Bob & Photographer Henry (volunteers! wow!) were out in various spots on the trail capturing our horses' beauty in action for us.  I can't even adequately articulate how much I love having pictures of my horses at a ride.  I am incredibly biased, of course, but Rhio looks absolutely fantastic in these photos; they are the best photos of him doing his job and loving every minute of it.

Loop 1, about 4 miles from camp (photo by Henry)

Walking in to camp at the end of loop 1 (photo by Bob)

Gesa & Paco eager to go at the start (photo by Bob)

Riding with heart rate monitors was really helpful at this ride.  Gesa & I know how the boys' usually run, and we were able to monitor them closely during a markedly more challenging exertion level than we've asked of them yet this spring.  In the deepest sand, Rhio's heart rate ran about 10 points higher than normal for whichever gait we were in.  He recovered into the 80s within moments to a minute of dropping to a walk, even in the deep sand.  Paco, however, would not drop below 100 while walking in the deep sand, but would immediately drop once we hit firmer footing.  This was especially useful information to have as we came in the last mile of the first loop.  Rhio would have been fine trotting the whole mile, and the walk from the end of the trail through camp to the timer would have been enough recovery for him to be at criteria by the time we handed our card over for our in-time.  By watching Paco's monitor, though, we knew that Paco was still working hard enough to keep his heart rate just above 100 bpm and therefore we walked the whole mile and he was able to recover to criteria just a few minutes after arrival.  I think if we hadn't used the monitors, we would have trotted more of that mile and Paco would have taken longer to pulse down at the check.

After our hold, we completed our exit exams with flying colors.  Rhio had an astounding CRI of 9/10, meaning his heart rate was 36 bpm before trotting 250 feet, and 40 bpm one minute later.  Both 36 & 40 bpm are normal equine resting heart rates.  He was exhibiting pretty much complete recovery from the first 15 miles.  I do not push my horses, but I do kind of wonder what he is capable of.  I don't train *that* much - this is mostly his natural athletic ability.

Last minute adjustments before heading out on loop 2

Off we go on loop 2, scuttling out of camp at a good clip to maintain our little bubble of trail as a pair of LDers and the first group of novice competitors were set to head out just a minute or so after us.  We did a lot of cantering, which my horses seem to prefer in the sand - and taking off on loop 2 at an easy canter with forward happy horses is such a rush!  Gesa & I were both grinning & laughing with glee, and that feeling persisted throughout the 10 miles (well, actually only 9 according to my GPS) of the second loop.   We mostly trotted & cantered, with both horses drinking long & deep at a muddy puddle, and before we knew it we were done!  We could have been the only two out there, as we didn't see anyone the entire loop.

We finished in 6th & 7th positions, though we were 1:40 behind the winner.  We stood for Best Condition anyway, knowing that we had no chance of winning the award, but as good practice for our horses and because neither Paco nor Rhio had ever stood for a BC exam before.  Unfortunately, it did require the dreaded weigh-in, which I detest, but I just claim a heavy saddle.  Rhio looked good, but Paco was a little muscle-tired.  Both horses ate, drank, and rested while we started to break camp as the increasing clouds began to sprinkle and finally out-and-out rain on us just as we were loading horses & the last few items were being shoved into the tack room or truck.  Why is it that our neatly organized bins, bags, & boxes are always in compete disarray and the whole lot of it barely fits back into the rig when we leave?

All done! The boys are resting while we hustle to get camp cleaned up & packed before the rain really starts.

The truck battery was dead, but the ride manager was able to give us a jump (thanks, Theresa!) and we were on our way home, slightly damp and a titch smelly but oh-so-proud of our ponies.  I had so much fun at this ride, despite all the small troubles like a lost contact and the usual sleep-deprivation.  Thank you to all the ride managers, volunteers, fellow vets, riders, photographers, and everyone else involved in this incredible sport.  Here it is a week later, and I am still feeling the euphoria.

There Are No Pantyhose In Hinckley (Point Chaser 2010 - Part 2)

Coming across the bridge - we're soaking wet & cold but the photo looks great - thanks to the intrepid ride photographer Bob who braved the elements to take these shots

After our very successful 50 mile completion on Friday, Rhio settled down with his buddy Paco to rest & eat, with standing wraps + poultice on his legs (for the first time, as we've had stocking up issues recently). Gesa arrived in the early evening, and we were all invited to enjoy our camp neighbor's wonderful gourmet dinner (grilled beef tenderloin, asparagus, asian salad, garlic bread, plus numerous appetizers and homemade apple pie for dessert).  Wow.  Not my usual ridecamp fare!  After dinner I was able to take a hot shower (boy did that feel great!), we walked the horses (Rhio looked amazing - bright eyed and bushy tailed - like he hadn't done a darn thing that day), and snuggled into our sleeping bags for the night.  The trailer was cozy with the three of us plus Roger the rat terrier.

None of us were riding Saturday, with Rhio & Jodi's mare getting the day off, and Gesa opting to ride Sunday with me.  It was cloudy and threatening rain when we got up, so we walked horses and got them settled in with waterproof blankets, then spent some time warming & drying ourselves around the fire in the building.  Gesa realized that she had forgotten to pack pantyhose, which she wears beneath her tights to prevent rubs.  We had the whole day, and an extra vehicle, so off we went in search of a pair of pantyhose.

Little did we know, some 2 hours and about 70 miles round-trip later, that there are no pantyhose for sale anywhere in the town of Hinckley.  The gas station sent us to the supermarket, which knew for a fact they were the last ones in town carrying them but they didn't stock them anymore.  So, we hopped on the freeway and went south to the next town, which I was pretty sure had a Walmart.  Yep, a huge gorilla of a Walmart, even, with aisles stretching as far as the eye could see.  We found pantyhose (a plethora) as well as some funky bandanas to add to our collection (we both like bandanas either under our helmets and/or after riding to mask the helmet hair).

Crazy fun bandanas - $1 each at Walmart! 

Returning to ridecamp, the rain was finally giving us a break, so we saddled up for an easy ride to loosen the boys up.  Rhio's legs looked tight, clean, and cool beneath his standing wraps (yay!) and, other than being positively filthy (too cold to sponge off all that sweat, dirt, and grime), he looked great.  I opted to use my bareback pad (it was just going to be a walk-trot easy ride of 45 minutes or so), and away we went with Rhio in the lead, ears up, and very forward.  Uh-oh.  Maybe not the "easy warm-up ride" I thought we were going to have!

Ready for our "warm-up" ride

Paco eager to go down the trail

We mostly trotted and cantered (oh I love to ride his canter in that bareback pad!), managing to make them walk the last mile or so in to camp.  We unsaddled, and went over to the vets to for our pre-ride vet in for Sunday morning.  Both horses looked great, and we were cleared to go.  The scribe was surprised to find a number already on Rhio's rump (#11) - he certainly didn't look like he'd been ridden already this weekend!

Dr. Bonnie vetting Paco

Video of Paco's pre-ride trot-out.  Sorry about the poor quality (old, decrepit camera) and the shaking at the end (Rhio was nudging me for treats).

Saturday night was our potluck (nothing could have been better than the main dish of spaghetti!) and awards.  I chose a pretty pink & purple polarfleece helmet liner made & donated by one of the other MN ride managers as my completion prize - which turned out to be a fortuitous choice.  During dinner, the heavens opened and a major thunderstorm rolled through.  We headed back to our trailer & the corrals to find the horses standing in water and looking quite soggy (luckily we'd all left the waterproof blankets on them).  One more walk in the rain, and we retreated to the relative warmth & dryness of the trailer.  I say relative, because by that point, so much wet stuff had come into the trailer with us (jackets, gloves, boots, Roger the rat terrier) that it was beyond damp in there.  We cranked up the Mr. Buddy propane heater for awhile before bed to try to get it cozy & dry, with moderate success.

There was still rain drumming on the trailer roof when I fell asleep, so I was thrilled to hear the quiet when I awoke Sunday morning.  It wasn't quite time to get up yet, so as I cuddled into my sleeping bag for a bit longer, I was dismayed to hear the rain start again.  Being the last MN ride of the year, it wasn't going to deter me, and I was going to ride, but I wasn't very happy about it!

We saddled in the rain, and I dressed for the weather as best I could.  I have yet to find the best outfit for riding in the rain, and opted to leave my legs uncovered (just lightly-insulated fall tights), ride in my muck boots so my feet would be dry, and use my waterproof softshell jacket with polarfleece gloves and my new helmet liner.  I didn't have any waterproof gloves for my hands, anyway, and I know from experience that polarfleece stays pretty warm even when wet.  The horses were sporting their polarfleece rump rugs, and we were set!

Paco: "Who's that?  Where are we going? This is fun!"
Rhio: "Oh, man, not this stupid bridge again!  Mom, it's raining.  Are we there yet?"

Gesa & I let the front runners get out of camp, heading back to our campsite to use the picnic table to mount and give our boys the idea that our ride had nothing whatsoever to do with those horses.  It worked, until we caught up with a pair of riders just in front of us and tried to stay a couple horse-lengths behind them (we didn't want to go that fast - it was only Paco's second LD ride and the footing was mushy as best and slippery at worst).  Our inadvertent foursome then caught another group of 3, and then a single rider, and all of us played leap-frog for almost the entire first loop.  I was fighting Rhio way more than I wanted to (saying things like, "maybe you'll be doing another 50 today, buddy - CALM DOWN, KNOCK IT OFF!!!") and I had opted to boot him because I didn't want to make him foot sore as we'd never done this many miles barefoot in one weekend (well, never done this many miles in a weekend, period!).  The boots were a BAD idea - very slippery, especially on all the wet leaves, and his hind end kept going out.  We stopped at the designated water stop (a pond) - and of course the horses were way too concerned about all the other horses and not at all interested in drinking - and I was able to remove the hind boots (his Gloves) and tie them to my saddle.  Remounting proved to be a frustrating and difficult process, as Rhio utterly refused to stand still, but I eventually got my ass back in the saddle, just to have to get off to handwalk across a slippery bridge 50 yards down the trail.  I really hate trying to get on a jigging, prancing, spinning horse, but somehow I managed it and even got him to stand still for a millisecond (STOP MOVING YOUR FEET!) before allowing him to proceed down trail.  A horse that will not stop its feet is one of my pet peeves, and my horses are typically very good about standing.  Not so on race day!

We finished the little loop, came back across the slippery bridge (not that slippery, actually, so we stayed mounted this time), back through the water stop (didn't even offer this time), and onward down the trail.  Rhio was settling in nicely, finally, as we had a little envelope of space to ourselves (briefly) and voluntarily stopped to drink at several puddles (yay, Rhio's brain was functioning again!).  Paco was behaving beautifully, leading occasionally and not bucking, forward and happy.  We wound through a cut-over area and were caught and passed by the group of 3 again, and suddenly our fire-breathing dragon horses were back in action.  We flew down the trail hot on their heels, knowing we were once again going too fast.  Coming in to the vet check, instead of walking to get those heart rates down, we were fighting and jigging and prancing and trotting and generally not having a good time of it.  Boo!  These are just the sorts of things we've been trying NOT to let Paco learn at a ride.

Wow, don't they look great?! 

We pulsed down immediately, along with everyone else in the "pack," and headed off for our 40 minute hold.  It was still raining.  We went back up for our exit exam, and decided to wait until everyone else was back out on trail so we could ride our own ride this loop.  We stayed in camp an extra 15 minutes, insuring that we were the last ones out and with enough space that we couldn't catch the horses in front of us.  Rhio & Paco were willing enough, though I could tell Rhio was starting to believe I was crazy (you know it's still raining out here, right Mom?  You really want to go?  Well, ok...).  I had pulled his front boots at the check, and we were now barefoot.  The trail conditions had deteriorated significantly, and we had large sections with so much mud that we had to walk.  We also ran into a few new "streams" running across the trail - but, there was plenty of water for the horses to drink!  We took it very easy this loop, completing the 14 miles in a little under 2 1/2 hours.  Rhio progressed from wondering why the heck we were out there in the incessant, cold rain to making it perfectly clear that this was NOT what he thought we should be doing.  He kept swinging his head around to the left and giving me a look.  Sorry, Rhi!

 "Stupid human, what are we out here in the rain and the mud for? We could be warm, dry, and eating hay back at the trailer!"

By the time we finished the ride, dead last and happily so, I was soaked to the skin (except my feet & my torso) and frozen (except my head, which was toasty warm thanks to my awesome helmet liner!), and also wondering about our sanity.  Note to self: You REALLY need to find a new system for riding in the rain; besides being so cold, I also had rubs on both inner thighs from my wet tights sticking to my wet saddle. Our ride time was about 4 1/2 hours for the 30 miles, though officially longer because we went out late at the start and on loop 2. Gesa & Paco came through a challenging ride (mentally and weather-wise, thank goodness the trail was relatively easy) with flying colors - they really earned their endurance stripes on this ride!  Both horses vetted out with no issues (there were several horses with hind end cramps due to the footing and weather) and we let them relax at the trailer and eat while getting camp packed up.  None of us had any desire to hang around camp in the miserable weather, so an hour after finishing, with both boys looking great, we loaded up and sent them on their way home with Jodi.  Gesa & I went to take hot showers to warm up, and headed home in the car.

Everyone arrived home warm & dry, and pretty proud of our weekend's accomplishments. Rhio proved that he is more than capable of what I've been asking of him so far, and I'm looking forward to moving him up to multidays (if I can get to any - still dreaming of doing Shore To Shore) and that 100 is looming on our horizon as well.  Too bad our season is over, and our next ride won't be until May (yes, mostly I love living in northern Minnesota, but winter looks mighty long from this side of it...).

Lucky 13

Friday the 13th dawned misty & humid - and with the stench of skunk hovering in the thick air.  My big dog Killian got a direct hit, and I was already on the road to get our gear situated in Jodi's rig, ready to head out.  I felt terrible, but I had to leave Kristi & Christine to deal with the stinky boy.

Gesa & Paco swung in to pick up Red, and take the boys over to Jodi's to meet up with her.   In the 7 miles or so between her place & Red's barn, Gesa's tailgate had sprung open, smashing into the crank on the hitch and pretty much destroying the tailgate.  So far, a great start to Friday the 13th!

We got to the little town of Frazee, MN mid-afternoon and settled in for a great weekend at Thistle Down Run.  All our buddies from North Dakota rolled in with their rigs, and we lined up all in a row.  I haven't been to this ride for the past couple of years due to scheduling conflicts.  It is the only Minnesota ride run exclusively on private property.  Camping is in several pasture areas, and the ultimate luxury - no dragging manure around in a sled!  All we have to do is scatter it.

our trailers all lined up

We registered for our rides on Saturday - we were all riding in the 25 mile Limited Distance division - and were given a black embroidered cap as a memorial to the previous landowner host, affectionately known to one and all as "The Cowboy."  He passed away last year, and his daughter provided the hats to all riders as a way to remember her dad and how much he loved having the ride on his land.

We got the horses vetted in - lucky number 13 on Red's butt, organized all our ride gear to be ready for our early morning wake-up (I'm NOT a morning person!), attended the rider's meeting (complete with visual aids for trail marking: orange = out, yellow/blue combination = in for both loops), and enjoyed a potluck supper with our buddy group. Dogs Salma (Australian Shepherd), Ben (Golden Retriever), and Ellie (Springer Spaniel) did their best sad puppy dog eyes impressions and scored a few tidbits. We crawled into bed and lay awake listening to DeAnne's mare Bella and Jutta's gelding Gandolph nickering & carrying on like a couple of hormone-laden teenagers.  The markedly strange thing about this is that Bella is spayed, and Gandolph is a gelding, so there should be no hormones!  They eventually had to put the two in separate pens so we could all get some sleep.

Gandolph & Bella before they were separated - looking all peaceful here, but it was just an act! As soon as sun went down, their relationship started heating up...

Gesa & I planned a late exit from camp, as Red has always been hyper at the start of a ride and we wanted Paco to have a calm start at his first LD.  Our plan worked beautifully as we exited camp about 10 minutes after trail opened, and were able to walk out on a loose rein.  This is the first time that Red has ever walked out of camp on a loose rein at the start! We both chose to start the ride barefoot, with our hoof boots waiting at camp if we felt we needed them.  The beginning of the ride skirts the edges of a large hayfield, and I knew the grass would be wet & slippery at dawn - I have had issues in the past with boot traction on wet grass, so we didn't want to chance it.  Also, I didn't want to catch sight of horses ahead of us at the start, hoping to keep Red from doing his freight train act and pulling my arms off; we succeeded on both counts - no slipping on the wet grass and calm, happy horses heading out on trail!  We ducked into the woods pretty quickly, and the rest of the first loop consisted of mostly single track trail in the woods with some logging roads and a little bit of distance along the grassy hill beside Hwy 10.  It was a beautiful and challenging trail with lots of twists and turns - we had to stay alert not to miss any ribbons! Red & I occasionally had minor disagreements about which way to go, resulting in a few near-misses with tree trunks, but managed to stay on track.  Silly boy thinks he knows where we're going, but last time I checked he wasn't too good at telling the orange ribbons from the yellow ones!

Gesa & Paco at the very beginning of Loop 1

The view along the highway

Heading up the powerline

The week prior to the ride had been incredibly hot and humid, so we were relieved to wake Saturday to much less humidity, a nice light breeze, and a forecasted high in the 70s.  Perfect riding weather! Both Gesa & I rode with heart rate monitors to keep an eye on the boys - those heart rates sure climbed on some of those hills! It wasn't a trail that lent itself to hitting a steady pace, so we had many gait and pace changes throughout the loop, but their heart rates remained within their normal ranges.  We appreciated that extra level of information to ensure that the new horse who had never travelled this distance before and the veteran who might not be in as good a shape as he thought he was were doing just fine.  I carried my sponge and used it at water stops, since Red is more heavily muscled than Rhio and it shows in his pulse-downs.  I expect him to take about 5 minutes to get to criteria, whereas Rhio is usually down as soon as we've walked from the timer to our buckets.  We hadn't practiced with the sponge in a while, and he acted like an old pro - not at all concerned about it dropping into the water next to his head or being drawn back up to my hand dangling in the air.  These are skills that Rhio needs more work on! It was really great to be riding my old pro again.

Because we'd come in off Loop 1 a little bunched up with other riders, we spent a few extra minutes on our hold, letting DeAnne & Jutta get out on trail ahead of us enough that we wouldn't be right on their tails the entire loop.  I much prefer to ride in a pair and stay in a little window of space on the trail so we're not getting jammed up with larger groups of riders.  Our strategy worked, and although we caught sight of them several times, we were never close enough for our horses to try to surge ahead to catch them.  Loop 2 was positively delightful - circling and crossing cattle pastures, hayfields, and cow paths in the woods.  Again the woodsy trails were full of twisty-turny fun, and the views across the rolling hills of the pastures & fields were lovely.  One section crossing a field looked like a slalom course weaving between monstrous chest-high thistle bushes (you don't need to wonder where they came up with the name Thistle Down Run!) - Red & I didn't always assume we were following the same path around the prickly plants and I'm pretty sure we lost major style points on our execution!  But we managed to cross unscathed and continue on to a tasty mud puddle for a slurp, when, lo! What's that black thing in the woods?  It's a BULL!  He didn't seem to mind our presence at all, but he sure was a big guy - and only about 10 yards off the trail.

The main water stop on this loop is a stock tank with a float valve and a squeaking pump that comes on when the water level drops.  The boys were pretty interested in this moving, noisy thing, but Red dove in to drink the water anyway, keeping a watchful eye on it.  Paco was a little more suspicious, but did decide it was safe enough to drink.  We got to visit the tank twice - the first time through the pump was already running, and the second time it was quiet.  We were glad it didn't turn itself on while we were there - that might have just been too much.

The scary pump - you can see the water flowing into the tank on the left hand side. The whole thing was squeaking and the vertical pieces were moving up & down.

Thirsty but keeping a close eye on the scary pump

We came out of the trees for the last time to see Henry, ride photographer extraordinaire, stationed on his ATV to snap our photos.  Yay!  I love to have photos of my horses in competition, and I was especially pleased that Gesa would have photos of her & Paco at their very first 25 miler.

Photo courtesy of Henry Gruber.

Photo courtesy of Henry Gruber.

We came in, pulsed down, vetted out, and we were done!  Our actual trail time according to my GPS was 3 1/2 hours total - our official ride time will be about 25 or 30 minutes more than that because we left late on both loops.  Neither of us had worried at all about our time or placing - our goal was a fun, safe ride within the abilities of our horses, and we achieved that!

Gesa & Paco after completing their first 25 miler!

We spent the afternoon eating, drinking, and being merry with friends new & old.  Everyone in our group completed their rides, and had a great time.  We let our horses relax & eat, occasionally taking them out for a stroll to keep them from stiffening up, until potluck & awards rolled around.  At potluck, Gesa & I both won door prizes (Chapstick!), gathered our completion awards (I chose a MnDRA pint glass to round out my set of 4, Gesa chose a MnDRA t-shirt), and cheered for our fellow riders.  It started to rain, and the wind picked up, so we put rain sheets on the boys, filled their hay & water for the night, and crawled, both exhausted and exhilarated, into our beds for the night.

The boys relaxing after the ride. Red likes to eat a little, then have a nice nap before continuing to eat.

Yummy!  Knee-deep alfalfa to munch!

The gang relaxing.
Photo courtesy of Henry Gruber.

Door prize winners (I'm in the plaid shirt & Gesa is next to me in the denim shirt).
Photo courtesy of Henry Gruber.

Sunday morning dawned early again for a few of our group who were riding again - Jodi, Jutta, and Missy (who'd rolled in about 1:30am Friday night and chose to ride Sunday instead of Saturday) - but I slept in and happily roused well after the sun was up.  Of course, the first thing I do is check my pony - only to discover he's covered in hives!  Luckily his rain sheet and thick mane kept the hives restricted to his neck, chest, and thin strips of his thighs not covered by the sheet.  Poor Red!  I have no idea what kind of insects they were, and none of the other horses had reacted, but my boy looked awful and was pretty itchy.  We walked & hand grazed the boys, then started packing up while Jodi & Rana were completing their weekend with another first place finish - go girls!

Oh, poor boy!

Scratching his itchy neck.

The ride home was uneventful, we made our traditional Dairy Queen stop (mint oreo blizzard for me!), and poor Paco whinnied forlornly as he & Gesa drove away and Red enjoyed a long drink and a good roll in the pasture.

It was a fabulous weekend.  I was thrilled to ride Red again in competition, and despite his hives, he clearly thoroughly enjoyed himself.  Gesa & Paco did great at their first ride and I'm pretty sure I've got her hooked on the sport.

Thistle Down Run 2010

Derby Day, Endurance Style

Ride camp as the sun is coming up

The first Saturday in May may be Derby Day for much of the rest of the horse world, but it is the first ride of the season for Minnesota distance riders. (And thanks to the internet, I got to watch the Run for the Roses when I got home from ride camp, anyway.)  Friday was a damp, dripping, gray day as we packed & loaded the trailer for the ride.  Gesa & her boy Paco came along to try their first distance ride - the 12 mile novice competitive ride.  It rained much of the trip, as we progressively emerged into deeper and deeper shades of green landscape, essentially traveling south into spring.

Paco on the high line

The ride managers had a spot for us right next to their rig in the vet check area, and kindly left the high line free for our use.  I really like the parks that have permanently installed high lines for the horses.  My boys do extremely well on them, and I like that they do not have to stare at a blank wall (the side of the trailer) for much of the weekend.  I have never used portable pens or temporary electric pens - for one, tying is cheap (already own the lead ropes!), and for another, I am not convinced that Rhio would respect an electric pen.  We waited for a break in the rain and got the tent set up in a private spot behind some pine trees.  We couldn't have picked a better spot, given how windy it got - we had a tiny bit of protection from the wind, anyway.  The sand makes a great base for the tent - easy to stake and the sand conforms nicely as a supportive surface beneath our sleeping pads.  And, we could just unzip the flap on the door and see the horses, so investigating those odd middle-of-the-night noises didn't even require getting out of bed!

Our friends Lynne & Donna from Fargo were already set up with CrackerJack and Niso, and Jodi, Vicki, and Rhonda from Duluth had their spot, too.  Mary and Bonnie had the vetting-in under control, so I didn't have to work Friday night and was able to socialize with everyone that I haven't seen since last fall.  Rhio settled right in to the business of eating & drinking, setting a good example for Paco, who had never been camping before.  I think the boys kind of enjoyed watching all the other horses vetting in, and all the hubbub of ride central.

Carmen let me try her Specialized saddle on Rhio, and we did a mile or so before dinner.  I was pleased with how well he moved in it, although I would like a narrower twist and would change stirrup positions.  Specialized are definitely still in the running, if I can sell the saddle I have but am not using.

We got everything ready for morning and crawled into the tent just after dark, around 9pm.  I  never sleep well the night before a ride, and this was no exception.  I listened to our horses playing with the water, and a nearby horse rattling a clip (hay bag?  lead rope?) against a trailer for what seemed like forever, and the next thing I knew it was 5 am and time to feed Rhio his beet pulp mash, brush my teeth, and get to the 5:20 am rider's meeting.   We had one good thunderstorm sometime during the night, but it was clear at dawn.  Jodi, Vicki, Rhonda, Lynne, and I were all riding the 25 mile limited distance ride (6:30 am start) and Donna & Gesa were going to trail ride together.  Donna's horse is too young to compete, and Gesa's novice ride was scheduled for Sunday.

MnDRA 1 is held at Sand Dunes State Forest, and it is not called "sand dunes" lightly.  Much of the trail is like riding on a beach - deep, loose sand.  The early spring weather has been exceedingly dry and therefore the sand was deeper, looser, and dustier than ever. The rain Friday and overnight would help compact the sand somewhat, but I knew it is always a tough ride, especially as the first of the season.  Lynne & I planned to ride together, starting well back from the pack so as to have a better chance to set our own pace.  I wanted to complete with a happy, sound horse and not risk any injury in the deep sand. We hoped for a 5.5 - 6 mph ride, and ended up with closer to 7 mph pace overall.  We were still the last two LD riders to finish (happily so!).

Ready to ride!

Settling up our final plan for the start and getting ready to mount up

(Lynne & Niso in foreground)

Starting our warm-up

Jodi (in turquoise) & Vicki (in gray) ready to start

The first loop is 15 miles and has quite a lot of good footing, including a nice stretch of sandy gravel road and some pretty bits through the woods.  We also cross a county highway bridge, and the local sheriffs office staffs the crossing to stop traffic for us.  Rhio didn't mind the flashing lights of the patrol cars at all, but the big pink sign saying "Slow - Horses" required a wide berth.  Niso and Rhio paced together perfectly, once we decided to allow them to go down the trail the way they wanted - Niso leading and Rhio following.  We stopped at the first water stop (they were happy to graze the wet grass, but weren't interested in drinking yet) and I made a mistake.  I tried something new on ride day.  I know better than that!  I had 1 bottle of water and 1 bottle of a powdered vitamin-mineral-electrolyte drink.  I downed about 1/3 of the bottle of vitamin drink and was nearly immediately overwhelmed by nausea.  Yikes!  I actually felt dizzy I was so nauseous.  I forced a little of my nut bar down, and then some plain water, and that seemed to fix it.  I should have known better, because I can't take multivitamins either, for the same reason.

We both had rump rugs ready to go - I used mine during our warm up, but rolled it up before setting off on the loop.  The wind really began to pick up, and as the day progressed went from "breezy" (the forecast according to NOAA) to downright "gale force" - it was nice to be able to cover those hindquarters when we started our 1/2 mile cool down before getting back to camp for the vet check.  I rode with a heart rate monitor, which I don't typically do at an endurance ride because I don't like to have to fuss with extra stuff during a ride.  This ride however, I was planning to go slow, not worry at all about time or speed, and wanted the extra bit of information about how well Rhio was handling the deep sand.  I noticed that his working heart rate was appropriately elevated in the sand (around 145 at a 9 mph trot) but returned to his normal in areas of firmer footing (around 115 - 120 at the same pace), and his recoveries when we slowed or stopped were normal.  I was very pleased with this and it was nice to have that information.

Getting our pulse after loop 1

Rhio was down below the pulse criteria of 60 after getting our time at the timer, so I walked right in to the pulse lanes and then directly to the trailer for more beet pulp mash, hay, a warm cooler, and some R & R.  We had a 40 minute hold, but had to be back at the vets in 30 minutes for our exit exam with CRI. Boy does that time fly!  I'm not sure I sat down at all, not counting the brief stop at the outhouse.  We passed our exit exam with all As, and a CRI of 11/11.  Way to go Rhio!  Lynne & Niso were just a few minutes behind us since it takes her a little longer to pulse down, so we waited for them and set off on Loop 2 together.  Rhio felt as fresh as he had at the start, setting a fast pace through the single track at the beginning of the loop.  Once through the single track, Niso took over the lead and we cantered a lot of the deep sand.  It was so windy by this point there was no way to carry on a conversation, so Lynne & I quit yakking for the most part.  Before we knew it, we had done 10 miles and were back at camp for our final pulse down and vet check.  Rhio was once again below pulse criteria by the time we'd walked from the timer to the pulse lanes, so we pulsed down and headed to the trailer for a snack and to untack before presenting to the vets for our final check.  We passed our final check with all As, again with a CRI of 11/11, and on our trot out Rhio was surging ahead of me and tossing his head just as he did at the pre-ride check.  I was very, very happy with our conservative ride and finishing with a lot of horse left.  This was the best ride I've ever had on Rhio (our record is 2 novice rides, 4 LDs, and 1 50, so he's not all that experienced yet) and I am pleased that we had no back/saddle issues.  I also rode him completely barefoot, and that was not an issue either!  I am looking ahead to the next ride in two weeks and seriously thinking we can do the 50!

Lynne & Niso in the lead on Loop 2

First water stop on Loop 2

Having a snack after the 2nd water stop on Loop 2, about 2 miles from the finish

Bundled up against muscle cramping and eating a snack before presenting to the vets for our final check

I rounded out the afternoon with a nice nap, and then started vetting in Sunday riders before potluck.  Gesa & Paco looked great at their vet in, and Paco looked & acted like a veteran horse.  Potluck included a plethora of delicious dishes, and an appearance by a much-beloved veteran head vet, who was presented with a custom pair of jeans with flame-print fabric on the pockets & cuffs, in honor of last year's MnDRA 1 ride, where he stood too close to the fire and set his coat ablaze.  Lynne, Rhonda, Vicki, and Jodi all completed their LDs with flying colors, Jodi finishing 3rd on her young mare's first ride.

Upon our return to the truck after potluck, I discovered Kelso had eaten the blackberry-oatmeal muffins I'd made and the doughnut holes, as well as possibly some hamburger buns (we're not sure what happened to them, but they were definitely missing).  Bad dog!!!  It was an unpleasant night on my side of the tent, with excessive doggie gas emissions.  

Kelso with the evidence of his crime - the empty doughnut hole container!

And all too soon it was 5 am Sunday, and I was getting up to get Rhio walked and fed before starting the early morning vetting at 5:30.

Rhio looking fresh as a daisy the morning after our LD

Sunday's rides went well, with a large number of local riders showing up for the novice ride.  Gesa & Paco had a great time on their ride, and Paco looked great at his vet check.

Paco at the finish of the novice ride

Carmen checking Paco's pulse at the finish

By mid-afternoon we were ready to leave (despite some trailer-loading antics from Rhio - he seems to be getting worse instead of better!), and discovered that the front drop-down window wouldn't stay latched to the side of the trailer in the down position and also wouldn't stay latched in the up position!  A bit of baling twine and some duct tape fixed that, and we were on our way home, dirty, tired, and very, very happy.

You know you're a redneck if...you fix your horse trailer with baling twine & duct tape!

Both horses' number one priority upon being turned loose was a good roll in the dirt, then a drink, and then food.  Sounds a lot like my priorities - shower, dinner, and bed!  What a great start to our 2010 ride season!