Well on Wednesday Sinwaan got his vaccines. The vet came out and gave them. He got a Ft Dodge WNV and a Prestige 5-way.
The next day at noon Cindy noticed him walking funny. Doug told her to wait to call me and by that evening when she haltered him to take him out for a grass snack he looked ok again.
Friday morning he was walking funny again so she called me. I got out as soon as I could, about 1 pm. Sure enough, he was moving very oddly. Very slow, and putting his front legs out wider than is normal. Also stumbling a bit. Kind of what I've heard laminitis looks like. Well I was freaked out so I called the vet clinic. They were booked but if I brought him in they would get to him when they could. Since the weekend was coming up I wanted to have him seen during normal business hours.
Doug and Cindy were very kind and trailered him down for me so I could get back to work. The next hour and a half went by slowly and I was having a hard time getting much done. After work I went to the clinic and they thought they would see him at 4:30 so I left to do some errands. I came back and the vet was able to examine him while I was there. Well they put him through a number of neuro tests and he passed every one of them with flying colors! He looked completely normal to me. His temp was normal, heart rate was good, nothing out of the ordinary. While I was relieved, I was also very frustrated! I prefer to have an answer, but that was not the case. Doug and Cindy came back to pick him up and monitored him all weekend. I went out on Saturday to see him and groom him and pick up his paddock a little. No riding for me this weekend. Whatever the deal was, I figured he could use some extra rest.
I got a lot of feedback on both the PNER list and endurance ridecamp and the general consensus seems to be that it most likely is a reaction from a vaccine. Since he got both it makes it hard to narrow down what exactly he is reacting to so next time I will give them separately, if I give the WNV at all.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Milwaukee Road Rail Trail - To Finish Is To Win
After trying very hard to sleep all night long and not succeeding, I noticed it getting bright outside. I got up and checked the time on the phone. 5:33 AM. How could that be? The alarm never went off on either of our phones. I peeked outside and Sinwaan was eating, it looked like Ruth had gotten up and thrown him some hay. I woke Matt up and started some water on the stove for his oatmeal. My first priority was getting Matt ready in time to get photos of the people at the start and then getting him in the truck with Gail so he could be out at the tunnel on time.
The kids woke up and my mom got up to help out. I got together a poncho (just in case of rain), two bottles of water and the oatmeal for Matt and the camera bag. We walked together over to the start, found Gail and made introductions. We stood around in the cold and waited for the clock to say 6 AM for the trail to open. Matt was freezing, even in his sweatshirt, so I gave him my red jacket to wear too. As the front runners went out, Matt took some photos as they went past and then up the hill to the rail trail above. I then left Matt and went to use the bathroom, and headed back for the camper to eat breakfast and get ready for the ride.
Ruth was lounging Otto when I heard Faith say "there are sheep over there."
What's this? Sheep? I had heard reports of sheep but not seen, nor heard any until now. I overheard some ladies saying that sheep will really scare the horses if they were near the trail. I wasn't too concerned about it since Sinwaan grew up with sheep. I pointed them out to Ruth and then grabbed the camera (Ruth was kind enough to loan me her digital camera for my saddlebags today).
For breakfast I had my usual 2 scrambled eggs with added cheese and vegetarian sausage crumbles (thanks to my friend Lara for this idea), only today I put them in a whole wheat pita. I packed my trail mix and granola bar and water bottle and gatorade in my saddlebags. I put my GPS on one arm and my HR watch on the other. Tacking up didn't take very long and we were soon ready - on time. I decided to lounge Sinwaan a little bit this morning since I had some extra time to burn. Even though Sinwaan does great in the round pen, the lounging is completely different and we weren't communicating very well so after about ten minutes of that I gave up. Mounting up about 7:45, we walked about to warm up. It was cold, and although I suspected it would heat up during the ride I was glad for my fleece (I just wish it was red instead of blue). My hands were freezing so I rode over to the camper and called out to my mom and she brought me my gloves. She is such a great crew. Most of what she does involves child care and cooking but I couldn't do it without her or my husband, thanks guys!! I must have been whining about the cold air because Ruth said it was only 39 degrees.
As I was riding around to warm up, Sinwaan was acting up like he usually does before a ride. He is not terrible, just a bit of a handful. I did my best to challenge him, tight circles, side-passing, backing up, just making his mind work as well as his body. Ruth noticed and commented that he was sure "ready to go," although when I brought him back near Otto he calmed down immediately and started grazing. Mr herd-bound. Ruth didn't think it was a good idea for us to ride out together because Otto had bucked her already and she wanted to head out slowly at the end. We had talked about this ahead of time and I was fine with whatever she wanted to do. (We subscribe to "Ride Your Own Ride"). I prefer to get going as soon as possible because I don't like to waste the clock at the start, plus moving out gives Sinwaan a mission and he stops acting ridiculous when I can propel him forward.
So I left her and walked over towards the trail. There was still some time before 8 AM so I walked him back and forth with the other horses and even though he occasionally called out to Otto, he realized quickly that his buddy was not going to be joining him. I saw Sally at the start and thought about asking to tag along with her but as it worked out when the trail was open we headed out behind about 12 other horses. Gail hollered out to me as I went past "Your husband is at the turn-around point, I didn't get him to the tunnel in time." Yikes! He was planning to walk back to camp when he was done shooting, the tunnel was about 4 miles out vs. the turn-around point was about 8.25 miles for Loop 1.
Sinwaan put forth a good effort for the first two miles and then started slowing down. I let him pick his pace as much as possible in the beginning because he takes care of himself and is not competitive, nor as fit as I would like to be able to run in front. He was trotting along in the 130s which I knew was really working him. The view was awesome from the trail. Footing was great and plenty of room for everyone. We were passed by a lot of people and eventually fell in with someone going about our speed. I introduced myself and asked if she could use some company. She was friendly and both our horses were ready to walk so we chatted and had a nice time going down the trail.
My new trail partner was Christine, astride the Morgan gelding Gus, and they were good company the entire first loop. We came upon the little Iraq training ground before I realized it, and I was not able to get a photo of the "roundabout" sign in Arabic. Although you can almost see the building and concrete barriers making up the roundabout ahead of the horses in this photo.
I did not see the train tunnel as we turned left and went uphill on the detour around it. We rode along the top of the ridge before turning right and going down a steep incline back to the rail trail. There was a lot of mud at the bottom. As I stopped and waited for Christine I looked back and at that point I did see the tunnel entrance. At some point my HRM went on the fritz, telling me Sinwaan's HR was over 200 at the walk. Grrr. As wonderful as technology is, at times it can be very frustrating. I eventually turned it off for the rest of the ride.
There was one part of trail that was my favorite of the loop. Sinwaan was feeling good and we did a lot of cantering. I think it may have been directly after the tunnel. There was a 2.2% downhill grade heading for the check point. That, and the wind at our backs, made this a most pleasant section of the ride.
After the tunnel the railbed wound around and we went over two small bridges with no sides. That was a little scary for me but Sinwaan didn't seem to notice. It was neat to be able to look ahead and see horses on a bend in the trail far ahead of us. The scenery was wonderful, big rolling hills dotted with sagebrush.
Most of the rocky sections of trail were in the cuts made for the train to go through the mountain. Someone pointed out basalt. You really needed to walk these sections or risk a stone bruise to your horse. Some of them made me wish that I had pads in addition to shoes.
We started seeing front runners come towards us and we realized we were getting close to the turn-around point. Sally went by the other direction and hollered "Bundle up, the return trip is really cold and the wind is bad!" As more and more people went by the other direction I could see their chins tucked into their necks and tears streaming from their eyes. It would be a challenge to be sure.
There was a volunteer at the check point who asked me for my vet card so she could sign it to verify you had done the whole distance. There was also water for the horses and a toilet for the riders. Matt was there in his orange vest snapping photos. I was kind of bummed out about his location because he was at the end of another cut in the rock, so it was rocky heading up to him and I was planning on walking in. I was right alongside Christine though so I went ahead and asked for a trot for a short section so I could get my ride photo.
I tried to talk to Matt but the ladies working the check-point had him running back and forth to get photos from both sides, as the longer distance horses had gone through here to a different turn-around point and were far enough ahead that he had not gotten photos of them initially. Christine and I parked our horses at the water tank and dismounted. I held her horse so she could use the restroom and then she returned the favor. I had brought my sponge along but decided against using it since the wind had kept Sinwaan dry and cooled, and getting him wet just didn't seem like a good idea.
We headed back the way we came, and the trail was fairly quiet as we were towards the back. I was a little concerned about Ruth though, I hadn't seen her yet. Our paths finally crossed about 2 miles out from the turn-around point, putting her about 4 miles behind us. Other than a 'hello' and 'it's really windy going this direction' there wasn't much said.
Heading back we did more walking and numerous times Christine pulled ahead of us for awhile while Sinwaan walked and then he would trot and canter to catch up and then fall back again. Sometimes he would tense up and look back and I would see 50s coming at us, they were all really moving, a fast trot or canter, and their energy would recharge Sinwaan for a moment and then he would slow down as they faded into the distance. I used the (walking) opportunities to recharge myself - digging out my trail mix or guzzling down some partially-frozen gatorade.
At one point we saw a woman up on the bluff above us. She was heading towards us and back down to the trail. I wasn't sure what she was doing up there and as she got closer she commented that she was looking for the trail over the tunnel. I told her she wouldn't see it until she could actually see the tunnel entrance, then the ribbons would be obvious. She sped away and I later saw her heading back uphill - far before the marked trail to do so.
When we got to the tunnel Christine led the way up the hill to bypass it and I held Sinwaan back a moment to give her some room. When I asked him to go forward through the mud and up the hill he lunged and jumped the mud and scrambled up the hill. I lost my seat and could feel his haunches with my heels. It was a bit exciting!
Finally we could see I-90 and then Ride Camp again. I wasn't really sure where to turn off the rail trail to head down towards camp, although I knew there was a dirt trail for the return to the finish line. Just about then Bob Westergard came along with about four other riders and passed us. Great timing, they saw the ribbons and turned just ahead of us, making it easy to stay on-course.
As we rode down the hill we saw a truck ambling up behind us. There was a water stop at the bottom so Christine and I pulled over to let the truck go by. I looked in the cab and saw Matt in the front seat - OH GOOD, he got a ride back to camp! But then - OH NO - Ruth was in the back seat!! And Otto was in the horse trailer! I pouted and gave her a thumbs down. She responded by nodding and returning the thumbs-down. So sad! I wondered what had happened.
Sinwaan must have smelled him, or maybe just sensed he was nearby since we were almost back to camp, and started calling. They were both whinnying for each other as I rode him in. About 1/4 mi from the finish I got off and walked him in. I called out for a pulser and the guy who took his pulse commented that "He sure has a nice strong slow pulse!" "21 is down! In time 11:07; out time 11:52 (45 min hold). Ruth came over with Otto and we talked a little bit - she said he was feeling off and just didn't seem to be himself so she pulled him at the check-point. She had Dr. Dick take a look at him and while Dr. Dick agreed that he was a little off on the rear, he wouldn't have pulled him. Oh well, Ruth wants what is best for her horse so she was done for the day. I lost Christine as I vetted through and took Sinwaan back to the trailer for some food and rest.
Ellie was asleep on my mom when I quietly stuck my head in the camper door. I was starving! I think I ate a blueberry muffin while chatting with Matt and Levi about the ride. Then Ellie woke up so I fed her. When I walked over to use the restroom I saw Sally and she asked me if I was done. DONE? No, I am just about to go back out. Was she done? Yep, 2nd or 3rd place. WOW! Before I knew it, my hold time was over. Better get back out there! Ruth took over as my crew and helped assist me with getting Sinwaan ready.
As we headed for the out timer I looked around and did not see Christine. I hoped she had gotten back out on the trail on time and not lingered around waiting for me. It was after 12 pm when we hit the trail. I was glad to see about five other horses heading out the same time as me - someone for Sinwaan to follow.
This time we followed a short double-track dirt trail to the gravel parking lot, then down the road we drove in on, walking under the I-90 overpass, then turning and going through a gate and up a steep climb to the irrigation canal pump house. This was a scary part. I didn't realize how scary it was for Sinwaan until I had my hands full of reins and camera trying to take a photo! I finally had to put the camera away and focus on my riding. On the right was a wide irrigation ditch, on the left was a channel for the water to cascade down the mountain. We were on a path only as wide as a truck with a steep incline on the left. (The pump house is the little white dot in the photo above the horses on the left in the photo).
Once you got over the water intersection (all below the dirt path) you headed back down hill and under the train trestle. Gail had told me to look up for the Owl's nest but I did not see it.
This was another enjoyable section of trail as once back to the bottom of the mountain the double-wide trail was between two irrigation ditches and it wound around through bushes and some colorful yellow-leafed trees. I wanted to really move out here but was a little worried about what might be lurking. Sinwaan had lost the other horses by this point and was lagging. As he was deciding if he should graze on the edge of the trail, along came a mule, trotting right past. Sinwaan took interest so I urged him onward, follow that mule! We tailed the mule to the next water stop, probably about 3 miles. I was very impressed with that little mule, such work ethic! A steady trot, never wavering, sometimes cantering at the same speed, he ate up that trail and helped us to put the miles behind us as well. I was so thankful for that man and his mule. It was an ideal time to have someone to follow. It was also nice to experience an energetic horse beneath me at this stage in the ride, he cantered when I asked and kept a nice steady trot the whole time we followed that mule.
At the water stop the other horses were just leaving and the mule was not interested so the man asked if he minded if he left. I told him thank you and to please go on ahead. Sinwaan drank a bit which I was glad to see, and then we turned and followed the group up another hill which put us back onto the rail trail.
The other riders were presumably 50s, or faster than I was on the 25 distance so they were soon out of sight. I let Sinwaan pick his pace which was mostly walking. After while I urged him back into a trot so we could try and catch the person I saw ahead of us. The rider was Marie and she was very nice. She explained that she was doing well until her ankles started hurting her, and she was sure glad her husband had talked her into doing the 25 and not the 50 mile ride as her first attempt. Her horse was a beautiful Arab gelding named Lazarus, and he was her first Arab. We shared stories and had a nice time on the trail back to camp.
The view from the top was very pretty, rolling hills and snow-capped mountains in the distance. We could also see the highway but somehow it did not detract from the ride. The footing on this side was very similar to the the first loop.
Before we knew it we were almost back to camp. I almost forgot to take a photo - so my apologies about the ugly power lines in the way on this shot. We walked down the hill and then it was a mandated walk on the road back to camp so I was sure Sinwaan was pulsed down and I walked him over to a timer right away. #21 is down! I removed his bit and took him for a drink and overheard some people talking about how it is tack off for all completion exams, and the one lady was saying she was going to clean her horse up before presenting him, so I decided to do the same thing.
I took Sinwaan over the trailer and un-tacked him, put on his halter and groomed him really well. He was sensitive on his right side under the saddle and upon a closer inspection I saw where the girth had rubbed him. Oh no! Poor boy. I think the saddle must have slipped forward on the hill(s) and that could have been what rendered my HRM useless also. So far every ride has been a learning experience and this ride I learned that it is worth it to double-check all your tack during your hold. If I had taken everything off, or even adjusted it to fix the HRM I probably could have also prevented the girth rub.
Once he was presentable I took him over to the vets and prayed he hadn't cramped up in the meantime. There was a bit of wind but I was comfortable so I figured he should be too. Dr Dick was our vet and he didn't miss a thing. He scored Sinwaan a B on his back and talked to me a bit about saddle fit and pads. In the past I have replaced my saddle pad every year and I don't think I have done that yet this year. He thought perhaps I could benefit from an open-cell pad or even a thicker one than what I am using. It's tough though since I have a dressage saddle, often the flaps on typical pads aren't long enough. We have never had trouble at past rides so I will start by getting a new pad like the one I currently use and go from there. The scribe noticed his girth rub but wasn't sure at first if it was freckling or a rub. We talked about that too, since that could have also had something to do with his sore back. It was an educational and informative chat and I thank Dr Dick for that. On the trot out Sinwaan had great impulsion and no other issues so we completed!! YAY! Our first completion of 2010, and this 25 added to our other rides gives Sinwaan a lifetime milage of 100 miles in competition.
All of us agreed that we didn't want to spend another night here but I insisted on giving Sinwaan a rest period to recharge before hauling home. My mother and I bartered on the time, I started with 4 hours and I think she talked me down to about 2.5-3. Sinwaan took a nap and used the time wisely. We ate lunch and again mother fed us well. She had potato salad (can you believe she makes two different kinds, one with mayo and one with Miracle Whip because she knows that is what I like!? How awesome is that?!) and fresh asparagus and shoepeg corn and black-eyed peas warmed up on our trailer stove. We also had fresh strawberries. I ate and ate and ate, I was so hungry. Ellie was so cute, she was next to me in the booth and she grabbed a strawberry off my plate and looked at me. I didn't tell her "no" so she put it to her mouth but to my surprise she did not bite it. She held it out towards me and then back to her mouth and then finally she took a tiny little bite. She had a lot of fun eating that strawberry, as it's the first time I have let her have anything in 'whole' form. When she was done nibbling on the strawberry she thought it would be funny to rub it on my arm and then on the table. What a mess she made!
We packed up camp and then I headed over to get my t-shirt. There were some really nice deep purple and teal choices but I took the one left that was kind of a sage color. I thought it was kind of an ugly color for a shirt but it was so different I had to have it. It kind of reminded me of the colors of the ride too, the sagebrush and trail footing blended together. I went into the RV to ask about my placement. Gail was in there and said #21. I told her she knows my number better than I do. She replied "Well, you always want #21!" It's true, but since I have only entered 4 rides requesting that number and she was not the ride manager for all of them I think that is pretty impressive that she knew that. The lady with the computer told me I was 37th so I thanked her and headed back to the trailer. Then I saw the orange vest on the seat so I had to return that.
By then things were pretty well packed up so I tied Sinwaan to the trailer and started taking down his electric corral. Levi came out and helped me roll up the tape and then pull out the posts. He was a good little helper and pretty happy about having a project to do. Once all that was done I put on Sinwaan's shipping boots and we loaded up the horses and then we loaded up the kids and we headed out of camp.
We had a direct and uneventful trip home, arriving by 8 pm. We unloaded Sinwaan and he looked really good. I took off his blanket and boots and turned him out in his paddock. He seemed hungry so I tossed all his hay from his trailer bag into his bucket and he dove into that. Ruth helped me unload the rest of the trailer and then we went and dropped off Otto and her trailer and that was it.
Next ride: May 15 at Mt Adams. I am excited, it's another one I have never been to. Here's hoping I can get more conditioning in so we can place a little better next time :)
The kids woke up and my mom got up to help out. I got together a poncho (just in case of rain), two bottles of water and the oatmeal for Matt and the camera bag. We walked together over to the start, found Gail and made introductions. We stood around in the cold and waited for the clock to say 6 AM for the trail to open. Matt was freezing, even in his sweatshirt, so I gave him my red jacket to wear too. As the front runners went out, Matt took some photos as they went past and then up the hill to the rail trail above. I then left Matt and went to use the bathroom, and headed back for the camper to eat breakfast and get ready for the ride.
Ruth was lounging Otto when I heard Faith say "there are sheep over there."
What's this? Sheep? I had heard reports of sheep but not seen, nor heard any until now. I overheard some ladies saying that sheep will really scare the horses if they were near the trail. I wasn't too concerned about it since Sinwaan grew up with sheep. I pointed them out to Ruth and then grabbed the camera (Ruth was kind enough to loan me her digital camera for my saddlebags today).For breakfast I had my usual 2 scrambled eggs with added cheese and vegetarian sausage crumbles (thanks to my friend Lara for this idea), only today I put them in a whole wheat pita. I packed my trail mix and granola bar and water bottle and gatorade in my saddlebags. I put my GPS on one arm and my HR watch on the other. Tacking up didn't take very long and we were soon ready - on time. I decided to lounge Sinwaan a little bit this morning since I had some extra time to burn. Even though Sinwaan does great in the round pen, the lounging is completely different and we weren't communicating very well so after about ten minutes of that I gave up. Mounting up about 7:45, we walked about to warm up. It was cold, and although I suspected it would heat up during the ride I was glad for my fleece (I just wish it was red instead of blue). My hands were freezing so I rode over to the camper and called out to my mom and she brought me my gloves. She is such a great crew. Most of what she does involves child care and cooking but I couldn't do it without her or my husband, thanks guys!! I must have been whining about the cold air because Ruth said it was only 39 degrees.
As I was riding around to warm up, Sinwaan was acting up like he usually does before a ride. He is not terrible, just a bit of a handful. I did my best to challenge him, tight circles, side-passing, backing up, just making his mind work as well as his body. Ruth noticed and commented that he was sure "ready to go," although when I brought him back near Otto he calmed down immediately and started grazing. Mr herd-bound. Ruth didn't think it was a good idea for us to ride out together because Otto had bucked her already and she wanted to head out slowly at the end. We had talked about this ahead of time and I was fine with whatever she wanted to do. (We subscribe to "Ride Your Own Ride"). I prefer to get going as soon as possible because I don't like to waste the clock at the start, plus moving out gives Sinwaan a mission and he stops acting ridiculous when I can propel him forward.
So I left her and walked over towards the trail. There was still some time before 8 AM so I walked him back and forth with the other horses and even though he occasionally called out to Otto, he realized quickly that his buddy was not going to be joining him. I saw Sally at the start and thought about asking to tag along with her but as it worked out when the trail was open we headed out behind about 12 other horses. Gail hollered out to me as I went past "Your husband is at the turn-around point, I didn't get him to the tunnel in time." Yikes! He was planning to walk back to camp when he was done shooting, the tunnel was about 4 miles out vs. the turn-around point was about 8.25 miles for Loop 1.
Sinwaan put forth a good effort for the first two miles and then started slowing down. I let him pick his pace as much as possible in the beginning because he takes care of himself and is not competitive, nor as fit as I would like to be able to run in front. He was trotting along in the 130s which I knew was really working him. The view was awesome from the trail. Footing was great and plenty of room for everyone. We were passed by a lot of people and eventually fell in with someone going about our speed. I introduced myself and asked if she could use some company. She was friendly and both our horses were ready to walk so we chatted and had a nice time going down the trail. 
My new trail partner was Christine, astride the Morgan gelding Gus, and they were good company the entire first loop. We came upon the little Iraq training ground before I realized it, and I was not able to get a photo of the "roundabout" sign in Arabic. Although you can almost see the building and concrete barriers making up the roundabout ahead of the horses in this photo.I did not see the train tunnel as we turned left and went uphill on the detour around it. We rode along the top of the ridge before turning right and going down a steep incline back to the rail trail. There was a lot of mud at the bottom. As I stopped and waited for Christine I looked back and at that point I did see the tunnel entrance. At some point my HRM went on the fritz, telling me Sinwaan's HR was over 200 at the walk. Grrr. As wonderful as technology is, at times it can be very frustrating. I eventually turned it off for the rest of the ride.
There was one part of trail that was my favorite of the loop. Sinwaan was feeling good and we did a lot of cantering. I think it may have been directly after the tunnel. There was a 2.2% downhill grade heading for the check point. That, and the wind at our backs, made this a most pleasant section of the ride.
After the tunnel the railbed wound around and we went over two small bridges with no sides. That was a little scary for me but Sinwaan didn't seem to notice. It was neat to be able to look ahead and see horses on a bend in the trail far ahead of us. The scenery was wonderful, big rolling hills dotted with sagebrush.
Most of the rocky sections of trail were in the cuts made for the train to go through the mountain. Someone pointed out basalt. You really needed to walk these sections or risk a stone bruise to your horse. Some of them made me wish that I had pads in addition to shoes.
We started seeing front runners come towards us and we realized we were getting close to the turn-around point. Sally went by the other direction and hollered "Bundle up, the return trip is really cold and the wind is bad!" As more and more people went by the other direction I could see their chins tucked into their necks and tears streaming from their eyes. It would be a challenge to be sure.
There was a volunteer at the check point who asked me for my vet card so she could sign it to verify you had done the whole distance. There was also water for the horses and a toilet for the riders. Matt was there in his orange vest snapping photos. I was kind of bummed out about his location because he was at the end of another cut in the rock, so it was rocky heading up to him and I was planning on walking in. I was right alongside Christine though so I went ahead and asked for a trot for a short section so I could get my ride photo.I tried to talk to Matt but the ladies working the check-point had him running back and forth to get photos from both sides, as the longer distance horses had gone through here to a different turn-around point and were far enough ahead that he had not gotten photos of them initially. Christine and I parked our horses at the water tank and dismounted. I held her horse so she could use the restroom and then she returned the favor. I had brought my sponge along but decided against using it since the wind had kept Sinwaan dry and cooled, and getting him wet just didn't seem like a good idea.
We headed back the way we came, and the trail was fairly quiet as we were towards the back. I was a little concerned about Ruth though, I hadn't seen her yet. Our paths finally crossed about 2 miles out from the turn-around point, putting her about 4 miles behind us. Other than a 'hello' and 'it's really windy going this direction' there wasn't much said.
Heading back we did more walking and numerous times Christine pulled ahead of us for awhile while Sinwaan walked and then he would trot and canter to catch up and then fall back again. Sometimes he would tense up and look back and I would see 50s coming at us, they were all really moving, a fast trot or canter, and their energy would recharge Sinwaan for a moment and then he would slow down as they faded into the distance. I used the (walking) opportunities to recharge myself - digging out my trail mix or guzzling down some partially-frozen gatorade. At one point we saw a woman up on the bluff above us. She was heading towards us and back down to the trail. I wasn't sure what she was doing up there and as she got closer she commented that she was looking for the trail over the tunnel. I told her she wouldn't see it until she could actually see the tunnel entrance, then the ribbons would be obvious. She sped away and I later saw her heading back uphill - far before the marked trail to do so.
When we got to the tunnel Christine led the way up the hill to bypass it and I held Sinwaan back a moment to give her some room. When I asked him to go forward through the mud and up the hill he lunged and jumped the mud and scrambled up the hill. I lost my seat and could feel his haunches with my heels. It was a bit exciting!
Finally we could see I-90 and then Ride Camp again. I wasn't really sure where to turn off the rail trail to head down towards camp, although I knew there was a dirt trail for the return to the finish line. Just about then Bob Westergard came along with about four other riders and passed us. Great timing, they saw the ribbons and turned just ahead of us, making it easy to stay on-course.
As we rode down the hill we saw a truck ambling up behind us. There was a water stop at the bottom so Christine and I pulled over to let the truck go by. I looked in the cab and saw Matt in the front seat - OH GOOD, he got a ride back to camp! But then - OH NO - Ruth was in the back seat!! And Otto was in the horse trailer! I pouted and gave her a thumbs down. She responded by nodding and returning the thumbs-down. So sad! I wondered what had happened. 
Sinwaan must have smelled him, or maybe just sensed he was nearby since we were almost back to camp, and started calling. They were both whinnying for each other as I rode him in. About 1/4 mi from the finish I got off and walked him in. I called out for a pulser and the guy who took his pulse commented that "He sure has a nice strong slow pulse!" "21 is down! In time 11:07; out time 11:52 (45 min hold). Ruth came over with Otto and we talked a little bit - she said he was feeling off and just didn't seem to be himself so she pulled him at the check-point. She had Dr. Dick take a look at him and while Dr. Dick agreed that he was a little off on the rear, he wouldn't have pulled him. Oh well, Ruth wants what is best for her horse so she was done for the day. I lost Christine as I vetted through and took Sinwaan back to the trailer for some food and rest.
Ellie was asleep on my mom when I quietly stuck my head in the camper door. I was starving! I think I ate a blueberry muffin while chatting with Matt and Levi about the ride. Then Ellie woke up so I fed her. When I walked over to use the restroom I saw Sally and she asked me if I was done. DONE? No, I am just about to go back out. Was she done? Yep, 2nd or 3rd place. WOW! Before I knew it, my hold time was over. Better get back out there! Ruth took over as my crew and helped assist me with getting Sinwaan ready.
As we headed for the out timer I looked around and did not see Christine. I hoped she had gotten back out on the trail on time and not lingered around waiting for me. It was after 12 pm when we hit the trail. I was glad to see about five other horses heading out the same time as me - someone for Sinwaan to follow.
This time we followed a short double-track dirt trail to the gravel parking lot, then down the road we drove in on, walking under the I-90 overpass, then turning and going through a gate and up a steep climb to the irrigation canal pump house. This was a scary part. I didn't realize how scary it was for Sinwaan until I had my hands full of reins and camera trying to take a photo! I finally had to put the camera away and focus on my riding. On the right was a wide irrigation ditch, on the left was a channel for the water to cascade down the mountain. We were on a path only as wide as a truck with a steep incline on the left. (The pump house is the little white dot in the photo above the horses on the left in the photo). 
Once you got over the water intersection (all below the dirt path) you headed back down hill and under the train trestle. Gail had told me to look up for the Owl's nest but I did not see it.
This was another enjoyable section of trail as once back to the bottom of the mountain the double-wide trail was between two irrigation ditches and it wound around through bushes and some colorful yellow-leafed trees. I wanted to really move out here but was a little worried about what might be lurking. Sinwaan had lost the other horses by this point and was lagging. As he was deciding if he should graze on the edge of the trail, along came a mule, trotting right past. Sinwaan took interest so I urged him onward, follow that mule! We tailed the mule to the next water stop, probably about 3 miles. I was very impressed with that little mule, such work ethic! A steady trot, never wavering, sometimes cantering at the same speed, he ate up that trail and helped us to put the miles behind us as well. I was so thankful for that man and his mule. It was an ideal time to have someone to follow. It was also nice to experience an energetic horse beneath me at this stage in the ride, he cantered when I asked and kept a nice steady trot the whole time we followed that mule.At the water stop the other horses were just leaving and the mule was not interested so the man asked if he minded if he left. I told him thank you and to please go on ahead. Sinwaan drank a bit which I was glad to see, and then we turned and followed the group up another hill which put us back onto the rail trail.
The other riders were presumably 50s, or faster than I was on the 25 distance so they were soon out of sight. I let Sinwaan pick his pace which was mostly walking. After while I urged him back into a trot so we could try and catch the person I saw ahead of us. The rider was Marie and she was very nice. She explained that she was doing well until her ankles started hurting her, and she was sure glad her husband had talked her into doing the 25 and not the 50 mile ride as her first attempt. Her horse was a beautiful Arab gelding named Lazarus, and he was her first Arab. We shared stories and had a nice time on the trail back to camp.
The view from the top was very pretty, rolling hills and snow-capped mountains in the distance. We could also see the highway but somehow it did not detract from the ride. The footing on this side was very similar to the the first loop.
Before we knew it we were almost back to camp. I almost forgot to take a photo - so my apologies about the ugly power lines in the way on this shot. We walked down the hill and then it was a mandated walk on the road back to camp so I was sure Sinwaan was pulsed down and I walked him over to a timer right away. #21 is down! I removed his bit and took him for a drink and overheard some people talking about how it is tack off for all completion exams, and the one lady was saying she was going to clean her horse up before presenting him, so I decided to do the same thing. I took Sinwaan over the trailer and un-tacked him, put on his halter and groomed him really well. He was sensitive on his right side under the saddle and upon a closer inspection I saw where the girth had rubbed him. Oh no! Poor boy. I think the saddle must have slipped forward on the hill(s) and that could have been what rendered my HRM useless also. So far every ride has been a learning experience and this ride I learned that it is worth it to double-check all your tack during your hold. If I had taken everything off, or even adjusted it to fix the HRM I probably could have also prevented the girth rub.
Once he was presentable I took him over to the vets and prayed he hadn't cramped up in the meantime. There was a bit of wind but I was comfortable so I figured he should be too. Dr Dick was our vet and he didn't miss a thing. He scored Sinwaan a B on his back and talked to me a bit about saddle fit and pads. In the past I have replaced my saddle pad every year and I don't think I have done that yet this year. He thought perhaps I could benefit from an open-cell pad or even a thicker one than what I am using. It's tough though since I have a dressage saddle, often the flaps on typical pads aren't long enough. We have never had trouble at past rides so I will start by getting a new pad like the one I currently use and go from there. The scribe noticed his girth rub but wasn't sure at first if it was freckling or a rub. We talked about that too, since that could have also had something to do with his sore back. It was an educational and informative chat and I thank Dr Dick for that. On the trot out Sinwaan had great impulsion and no other issues so we completed!! YAY! Our first completion of 2010, and this 25 added to our other rides gives Sinwaan a lifetime milage of 100 miles in competition.
All of us agreed that we didn't want to spend another night here but I insisted on giving Sinwaan a rest period to recharge before hauling home. My mother and I bartered on the time, I started with 4 hours and I think she talked me down to about 2.5-3. Sinwaan took a nap and used the time wisely. We ate lunch and again mother fed us well. She had potato salad (can you believe she makes two different kinds, one with mayo and one with Miracle Whip because she knows that is what I like!? How awesome is that?!) and fresh asparagus and shoepeg corn and black-eyed peas warmed up on our trailer stove. We also had fresh strawberries. I ate and ate and ate, I was so hungry. Ellie was so cute, she was next to me in the booth and she grabbed a strawberry off my plate and looked at me. I didn't tell her "no" so she put it to her mouth but to my surprise she did not bite it. She held it out towards me and then back to her mouth and then finally she took a tiny little bite. She had a lot of fun eating that strawberry, as it's the first time I have let her have anything in 'whole' form. When she was done nibbling on the strawberry she thought it would be funny to rub it on my arm and then on the table. What a mess she made!
We packed up camp and then I headed over to get my t-shirt. There were some really nice deep purple and teal choices but I took the one left that was kind of a sage color. I thought it was kind of an ugly color for a shirt but it was so different I had to have it. It kind of reminded me of the colors of the ride too, the sagebrush and trail footing blended together. I went into the RV to ask about my placement. Gail was in there and said #21. I told her she knows my number better than I do. She replied "Well, you always want #21!" It's true, but since I have only entered 4 rides requesting that number and she was not the ride manager for all of them I think that is pretty impressive that she knew that. The lady with the computer told me I was 37th so I thanked her and headed back to the trailer. Then I saw the orange vest on the seat so I had to return that.
By then things were pretty well packed up so I tied Sinwaan to the trailer and started taking down his electric corral. Levi came out and helped me roll up the tape and then pull out the posts. He was a good little helper and pretty happy about having a project to do. Once all that was done I put on Sinwaan's shipping boots and we loaded up the horses and then we loaded up the kids and we headed out of camp.
We had a direct and uneventful trip home, arriving by 8 pm. We unloaded Sinwaan and he looked really good. I took off his blanket and boots and turned him out in his paddock. He seemed hungry so I tossed all his hay from his trailer bag into his bucket and he dove into that. Ruth helped me unload the rest of the trailer and then we went and dropped off Otto and her trailer and that was it.
Next ride: May 15 at Mt Adams. I am excited, it's another one I have never been to. Here's hoping I can get more conditioning in so we can place a little better next time :)
Milwaukee Road Rail Trail - day before
Friday morning I got up with the kids and made breakfast. I wanted to make some great pancakes from scratch. Levi had gotten into the strawberries in the fridge while I was getting ready - taking a bite out of about 12 of them. I found a recipe online for pumpkin pancakes but soon realized I was missing brown sugar, so I switched to plain pancakes. They were ok, not great. We had them with the strawberries (washed and cut) and some whipping cream from the freezer that was about a year old.
I had packed as much as I could the night before and thrown it out into the camp trailer. There was not too much else to do Friday morning. I checked in with my mom and told her to come over at 9:45 AM so we could get the camp trailer hooked up to her Explorer. The unfortunate part about this weekend was that I did not have my List so at times I felt a bit overwhelmed. I knew I was forgetting stuff but I didn't know what. I was sure to pack both kids coats this time since last month I had forgotten Levi's coat.
I checked in with Ruth and she sounded like she was pretty well on schedule as well to meet at our house at 10 AM. When she arrived I loaded up Ellie and myself into her Avalanche and we went out to get Sinwaan. (She already had her trailer attached with Otto loaded). In the meantime Matt drove the camper down to Milton to get gasoline.
Sinwaan was ready for an adventure and curious to see who was in the trailer. Ruth helped me load up my gear - basically all we had to do was unload it from mine and put it into hers. I put on Sinwaan's shipping boots and loaded him up. We talked to Doug & Cindy a bit as we waited for Matt to meet us. Finally it was time to go.
We stopped at the Touchet gas station because where Matt fueled up there was no air for the tires and my mom had a low tire on the car. I heard Sinwaan banging around a little bit on the trailer getting onto the highway so I checked on him. He had one rear boot too low and on the same side the front boot was flipped up. I don't know how he did that but he wasn't injured so I started out by trying to fix his rear boot without unloading him. I had about half the velcro undone when I felt a sensation on my arm. At first I thought maybe Matt had snuck up and touched me but then I quickly realized it was raining large apples from the sky. Sinwaan was crapping on me! YUK! I backed away as fast as I could and saw a big streak on my arm. I got a baby wipe out of the diaper bag and cleaned up but I could still feel something warm and damp. I turned my sleeve around and there was still some on my sleeve. YUK! So I ran over to the camp trailer and changed my shirt too. After that I unloaded Sinwaan so I could redo those boots without the danger of more dirty laundry. Ruth cleaned out the trailer, and he loaded back up without much trouble - on our way to Kittitas!
We stopped only once at a rest area so everyone could use the bathroom. I had told my mom we could probably stop somewhere along the way for lunch but Ruth went a different way that was (for the most part) flat, although devoid of towns, so there was no where to buy lunch. We had apples and granola bars at the rest area to tie us over as we were not all that far from Ride Camp.
Driving along Interstate-90 Ruth told me "You will see ride camp before we get there, it is right along the highway." True to her word, we drove right past it. It was the strangest sight I have seen in some time. Right next to I-90 there was ride camp with about 50 horse trailers all lined up. It must have looked very curious to passer-bys. We had to drive down to the next exit (115, Kittitas) and then turn what seemed to be the wrong direction and then go through a little town and back around and along the interstate on a parallel road until we finally crept up on it. Gail had done a nice job putting up signs and ribbons at all the turns. We had a huge trailer ahead of us that we followed in with Montana plates. Ruth and I wondered where in Montana they were from but didn't get around to finding them again to ask.
The weather was fantastic! 70s with very low wind. We were hopeful for tomorrow, although heard people say it was predicted to be 60s with a bit more wind. Ride camp was very much like Home On The Range, with lots of grass and tall bunches, although it was right next to I-90. I didn't hear the traffic after awhile but some people complained about it. There were lots of little holes and it didn't take long before I saw an occupant - a tiny mouse. They were all over the place and very brave. One came up in the middle of Levi's "dirt valley" ran across and went down another hole. I didn't mind them because they were so small and cute.
I don't recall what time we arrived but it was in the neighborhood of 3 pm. I have never gotten to ride camp so early the day before. It was awesome! We set up camp (not too far from water and the porta-potties) and had a fantastic lunch prepared by my mom.
After that we went over to get our ride cards and the information station was an empty slant-load horse trailer. There was a big map of the area taped to the front and a couple of tables inside with all the ride info. I was glad to see this ride was divided into two loops for the 25s - and the first loop was considerably longer. Mentally it is easier for me to get a long loop out of the way and then go back out after the hold for a short loop. We vetted through and both horses looked good. I was pleased when the scribe walked over with a red grease stick to mark Sinwaan with his number - #21. Ruth was #19.
After all that was done we saddled up and went for a ride. My first pre-ride! Matt was going to hike along with us but he was so tired he took a nap instead. Ruth showed me the way since she had done this ride the year before on Topper. The rail trail was wide and sandy and had great footing and good views of the surrounding hills. Leaving camp you went out on a dirt road and then climbed up to the rail trail which gave you a prime view of ride camp - but I forgot to take a photo. We went down about a mile and then turned around and went back down so we could check out the other loop. To get to that one you had to walk on the road, which took you under I-90 and over to a cattle guard. The gate was not open and we didn't want to take the horses over the guard so we turned around and went back to camp. I was glad that Sinwaan experienced the overpass because I have never ridden him under one before. He did just fine.
On the way back to the trailer we ran into Gail Williams (the ride manager) and talked to her a bit about where/when Matt could go tomorrow morning to take ride photos. She thought if she dropped him off at the tunnel (about 4 mi out) shortly after 6 am he should be able to get photos of everyone within 3 hours coming through there. Oh boy, I knew he would not be thrilled about such an early start. Gail said any time a car drove out there she had to call the Army and let them know who and what and when and for how long since there is a training base out there due to the terrain being so similar to Afghanistan. Matt would also have to wear an orange vest. After chatting with her it was getting close to 7 pm and that is when the ride meeting was scheduled so we untacked and put the horses up for the night. Sinwaan settled right into his paddock and ate.
Just before the ride meeting Levi met another little boy named Aiden who was a year older. They played chase for about 10 minutes and got too far away so I had to go and round Levi up. After that we told the kids to stay close and I talked to Aiden's mom, Andi. When ride meeting started I told Levi he had to sit with us and be quiet so everyone could hear. He was not obedient and made quite a bit of noise which made everyone disgruntled so I finally sent him back to the camper with my mom.
During the meeting Gail and Dr Jen talked about the tunnel. They explained that you could go through it if you wanted to, but only westbound (coming back), and that if you had never been through it, don't try it now. One man asked 'If I have never been through it, how am I supposed to get that experience?" Gail told him to come back another weekend when there was not a ride, or pre-ride it the day before. Dr Jen explained that she was not very gentle with people that needed treatment. I also heard that pigeons have built nests in the tunnel and they like to fly out and spook your horse, there are rocks to trip over, sometimes concrete falls from the ceiling, you just can't see in a large part of it because it is pitch black, etc. There was a lot said about how dangerous it was and how there have been wrecks in the tunnel the past two years that resulted in people being taken out by ambulance. Well that sealed it for me. I don't need to try the tunnel. I had bought glow sticks and even a fancy green light for my helmet. Oh well.
It would be an early morning so I headed back and gave Matt the news. He set our phone alarm for 5:15 AM. My mom set her phone alarm for 5:15 AM. I talked to Ruth and she said her alarm was set for 5:30 AM. Satisfied that we would not sleep through the start for the 75s & 50s (going out together since there were only 3 75s) I went to bed.
Since I didn't have a List this time I forgot our pillows. I also forgot any kind of serving spoon or spatula for cooking.
Levi could not go to sleep. He whispered and fidgeted and got up and down until about 11 pm. That kept us all up (except Ellie, who somehow managed to fall asleep right on schedule and she slept all night long). When he finally crashed then the wind picked up and the front shield on our camp trailer squeaked and banged all night long. Then it started raining and there were a couple of really big gusts and I laid in bed and prayed that Sinwaan was ok. I hoped he was getting some sleep and I hoped his pen wouldn't blow away. I worried about Levi's plastic toys and our camp chairs all outside. I worried that our front shield wold get caught just wrong in the wind and rip off and land on Ruth's tent. I worried about everything. Needless to say, I didn't sleep one wink. My mom didn't sleep either.
I had packed as much as I could the night before and thrown it out into the camp trailer. There was not too much else to do Friday morning. I checked in with my mom and told her to come over at 9:45 AM so we could get the camp trailer hooked up to her Explorer. The unfortunate part about this weekend was that I did not have my List so at times I felt a bit overwhelmed. I knew I was forgetting stuff but I didn't know what. I was sure to pack both kids coats this time since last month I had forgotten Levi's coat.
I checked in with Ruth and she sounded like she was pretty well on schedule as well to meet at our house at 10 AM. When she arrived I loaded up Ellie and myself into her Avalanche and we went out to get Sinwaan. (She already had her trailer attached with Otto loaded). In the meantime Matt drove the camper down to Milton to get gasoline.
Sinwaan was ready for an adventure and curious to see who was in the trailer. Ruth helped me load up my gear - basically all we had to do was unload it from mine and put it into hers. I put on Sinwaan's shipping boots and loaded him up. We talked to Doug & Cindy a bit as we waited for Matt to meet us. Finally it was time to go.
We stopped at the Touchet gas station because where Matt fueled up there was no air for the tires and my mom had a low tire on the car. I heard Sinwaan banging around a little bit on the trailer getting onto the highway so I checked on him. He had one rear boot too low and on the same side the front boot was flipped up. I don't know how he did that but he wasn't injured so I started out by trying to fix his rear boot without unloading him. I had about half the velcro undone when I felt a sensation on my arm. At first I thought maybe Matt had snuck up and touched me but then I quickly realized it was raining large apples from the sky. Sinwaan was crapping on me! YUK! I backed away as fast as I could and saw a big streak on my arm. I got a baby wipe out of the diaper bag and cleaned up but I could still feel something warm and damp. I turned my sleeve around and there was still some on my sleeve. YUK! So I ran over to the camp trailer and changed my shirt too. After that I unloaded Sinwaan so I could redo those boots without the danger of more dirty laundry. Ruth cleaned out the trailer, and he loaded back up without much trouble - on our way to Kittitas!
We stopped only once at a rest area so everyone could use the bathroom. I had told my mom we could probably stop somewhere along the way for lunch but Ruth went a different way that was (for the most part) flat, although devoid of towns, so there was no where to buy lunch. We had apples and granola bars at the rest area to tie us over as we were not all that far from Ride Camp.
Driving along Interstate-90 Ruth told me "You will see ride camp before we get there, it is right along the highway." True to her word, we drove right past it. It was the strangest sight I have seen in some time. Right next to I-90 there was ride camp with about 50 horse trailers all lined up. It must have looked very curious to passer-bys. We had to drive down to the next exit (115, Kittitas) and then turn what seemed to be the wrong direction and then go through a little town and back around and along the interstate on a parallel road until we finally crept up on it. Gail had done a nice job putting up signs and ribbons at all the turns. We had a huge trailer ahead of us that we followed in with Montana plates. Ruth and I wondered where in Montana they were from but didn't get around to finding them again to ask.
The weather was fantastic! 70s with very low wind. We were hopeful for tomorrow, although heard people say it was predicted to be 60s with a bit more wind. Ride camp was very much like Home On The Range, with lots of grass and tall bunches, although it was right next to I-90. I didn't hear the traffic after awhile but some people complained about it. There were lots of little holes and it didn't take long before I saw an occupant - a tiny mouse. They were all over the place and very brave. One came up in the middle of Levi's "dirt valley" ran across and went down another hole. I didn't mind them because they were so small and cute.
I don't recall what time we arrived but it was in the neighborhood of 3 pm. I have never gotten to ride camp so early the day before. It was awesome! We set up camp (not too far from water and the porta-potties) and had a fantastic lunch prepared by my mom. 
After that we went over to get our ride cards and the information station was an empty slant-load horse trailer. There was a big map of the area taped to the front and a couple of tables inside with all the ride info. I was glad to see this ride was divided into two loops for the 25s - and the first loop was considerably longer. Mentally it is easier for me to get a long loop out of the way and then go back out after the hold for a short loop. We vetted through and both horses looked good. I was pleased when the scribe walked over with a red grease stick to mark Sinwaan with his number - #21. Ruth was #19. 
After all that was done we saddled up and went for a ride. My first pre-ride! Matt was going to hike along with us but he was so tired he took a nap instead. Ruth showed me the way since she had done this ride the year before on Topper. The rail trail was wide and sandy and had great footing and good views of the surrounding hills. Leaving camp you went out on a dirt road and then climbed up to the rail trail which gave you a prime view of ride camp - but I forgot to take a photo. We went down about a mile and then turned around and went back down so we could check out the other loop. To get to that one you had to walk on the road, which took you under I-90 and over to a cattle guard. The gate was not open and we didn't want to take the horses over the guard so we turned around and went back to camp. I was glad that Sinwaan experienced the overpass because I have never ridden him under one before. He did just fine.On the way back to the trailer we ran into Gail Williams (the ride manager) and talked to her a bit about where/when Matt could go tomorrow morning to take ride photos. She thought if she dropped him off at the tunnel (about 4 mi out) shortly after 6 am he should be able to get photos of everyone within 3 hours coming through there. Oh boy, I knew he would not be thrilled about such an early start. Gail said any time a car drove out there she had to call the Army and let them know who and what and when and for how long since there is a training base out there due to the terrain being so similar to Afghanistan. Matt would also have to wear an orange vest. After chatting with her it was getting close to 7 pm and that is when the ride meeting was scheduled so we untacked and put the horses up for the night. Sinwaan settled right into his paddock and ate.
Just before the ride meeting Levi met another little boy named Aiden who was a year older. They played chase for about 10 minutes and got too far away so I had to go and round Levi up. After that we told the kids to stay close and I talked to Aiden's mom, Andi. When ride meeting started I told Levi he had to sit with us and be quiet so everyone could hear. He was not obedient and made quite a bit of noise which made everyone disgruntled so I finally sent him back to the camper with my mom.
During the meeting Gail and Dr Jen talked about the tunnel. They explained that you could go through it if you wanted to, but only westbound (coming back), and that if you had never been through it, don't try it now. One man asked 'If I have never been through it, how am I supposed to get that experience?" Gail told him to come back another weekend when there was not a ride, or pre-ride it the day before. Dr Jen explained that she was not very gentle with people that needed treatment. I also heard that pigeons have built nests in the tunnel and they like to fly out and spook your horse, there are rocks to trip over, sometimes concrete falls from the ceiling, you just can't see in a large part of it because it is pitch black, etc. There was a lot said about how dangerous it was and how there have been wrecks in the tunnel the past two years that resulted in people being taken out by ambulance. Well that sealed it for me. I don't need to try the tunnel. I had bought glow sticks and even a fancy green light for my helmet. Oh well.
It would be an early morning so I headed back and gave Matt the news. He set our phone alarm for 5:15 AM. My mom set her phone alarm for 5:15 AM. I talked to Ruth and she said her alarm was set for 5:30 AM. Satisfied that we would not sleep through the start for the 75s & 50s (going out together since there were only 3 75s) I went to bed.
Since I didn't have a List this time I forgot our pillows. I also forgot any kind of serving spoon or spatula for cooking.
Levi could not go to sleep. He whispered and fidgeted and got up and down until about 11 pm. That kept us all up (except Ellie, who somehow managed to fall asleep right on schedule and she slept all night long). When he finally crashed then the wind picked up and the front shield on our camp trailer squeaked and banged all night long. Then it started raining and there were a couple of really big gusts and I laid in bed and prayed that Sinwaan was ok. I hoped he was getting some sleep and I hoped his pen wouldn't blow away. I worried about Levi's plastic toys and our camp chairs all outside. I worried that our front shield wold get caught just wrong in the wind and rip off and land on Ruth's tent. I worried about everything. Needless to say, I didn't sleep one wink. My mom didn't sleep either.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Trot Down the Trail...
Thank you to my auntie Kim Patton for the following;
...With a SWISH of the TAIL
SEEKING the WONDER of
The HILLS out YONDER.
May you reach your GOAL
May no goblins take their TOLL
Onward
FORWARD
TROT down that TRAIL
With a HAPPY SWISH of a TAIL : )
Best wishes to my girl and her horse!!!!!!!
...With a SWISH of the TAIL
SEEKING the WONDER of
The HILLS out YONDER.
May you reach your GOAL
May no goblins take their TOLL
Onward
FORWARD
TROT down that TRAIL
With a HAPPY SWISH of a TAIL : )
Best wishes to my girl and her horse!!!!!!!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The girls
Today I rode Cindy's Arabian mares, Midge and Ali.
Midge was first. I worked her a bit in the round pen before tacking up, asking for the walk in both directions, and then a trot. She was very responsive. When I put on the bridle she was very busy with the bit the entire time so they are going to look into getting something different for her. She stood very quietly for me to mount up but once astride she acted up a bit. Granted, she has not been ridden for a year so I expected a bit of trouble. She is also very green.
Ali was more excitable being led over but once in the round pen she mellowed out and also was very responsive when I worked her from the ground. She took the bit easily and didn't fuss with it. Mounting up she tried to swing away from me but I went with her and quickly hopped in the saddle. I had to dismount after a couple minutes because the saddle was loose. I had walked her and tightened it before mounting up the first time but it still need adjustment. She is supposedly trained Western but she did not respond to neck reining so I switched to direct pull with her and just the lightest touch moved her. She was a joy to ride, I felt much more comfortable on her after only a couple minutes in comparison to Midge. I warned Cindy that if Sinwaan gets injured she may find herself without a horse. ;)
After riding her for a bit at both the walk and trot I asked Cindy if she was ready to get on. She was, but worried about mounting up. I stood on the opposite side of Ali and held her. Cindy found that if she put her weight in the saddle from the mounting block, instead of from the stirrup initially she would stand still. Something to work on, but it was progress. Cindy rode a short time and it was great to see her astride.
After that I didn't have much time for riding Sinwaan so he was treated to a day of pampering, he did not complain! I used the clippers on his bridle-path, and trimmed his ear hair so it isn't so shaggy. I also used a shedding blade on him to try and pull out the rest of his winter hair. I didn't get it all but it's better than it was. I still worry about him getting too hot at the ride next weekend. He got a bit of grain before returning to his paddock.
Midge was first. I worked her a bit in the round pen before tacking up, asking for the walk in both directions, and then a trot. She was very responsive. When I put on the bridle she was very busy with the bit the entire time so they are going to look into getting something different for her. She stood very quietly for me to mount up but once astride she acted up a bit. Granted, she has not been ridden for a year so I expected a bit of trouble. She is also very green.
Ali was more excitable being led over but once in the round pen she mellowed out and also was very responsive when I worked her from the ground. She took the bit easily and didn't fuss with it. Mounting up she tried to swing away from me but I went with her and quickly hopped in the saddle. I had to dismount after a couple minutes because the saddle was loose. I had walked her and tightened it before mounting up the first time but it still need adjustment. She is supposedly trained Western but she did not respond to neck reining so I switched to direct pull with her and just the lightest touch moved her. She was a joy to ride, I felt much more comfortable on her after only a couple minutes in comparison to Midge. I warned Cindy that if Sinwaan gets injured she may find herself without a horse. ;)
After riding her for a bit at both the walk and trot I asked Cindy if she was ready to get on. She was, but worried about mounting up. I stood on the opposite side of Ali and held her. Cindy found that if she put her weight in the saddle from the mounting block, instead of from the stirrup initially she would stand still. Something to work on, but it was progress. Cindy rode a short time and it was great to see her astride.
After that I didn't have much time for riding Sinwaan so he was treated to a day of pampering, he did not complain! I used the clippers on his bridle-path, and trimmed his ear hair so it isn't so shaggy. I also used a shedding blade on him to try and pull out the rest of his winter hair. I didn't get it all but it's better than it was. I still worry about him getting too hot at the ride next weekend. He got a bit of grain before returning to his paddock.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saturday ride
A lovely day for a ride, and if anything perhaps a bit hot for spring. Matt and the kids went out with me to help hook up the truck to the trailer. I figured I would be out there forever trying to do it myself. I pulled out Sinwaan's new shipping boots and put those on him this time to try them out. I only put them on the front and he did well. I dropped the family off at the house on the way to the Lake.
I met a lady there today, Sue Webb, and her horse who is a TWH/Welsh cross. Sue is wanting to try endurance so I invited her along today to see how we condition. She was ready to go when I pulled up but patiently waited for me to get Sinwaan ready. We talked a little about endurance and as I was about ready Ruth and Heather pulled in. Ruth said it would take her a little while to put on Otto's new Renegade boots so Sue and I rode down the trail to warm up our horses while we waited. Using the GPS I discovered the 'outhouse' on the trail is just about a half mile from where we were parked. Ruth and Heather were riding out to meet us as we headed back.
They are doing a lot of trail reconstruction on the main trails, adding culverts and over that black material and gravel on top of that. Rolls of black material were laying around, lots of new and scary things for the horses to look at. Because of that we did a little more walking than I envisioned. Ruth led and set a steady pace the majority of the way around. It was such a gorgeous day, I was so glad to be outside riding! I did wish I had thought to put on sun-block as by the end I felt a little crisp. I had to leave by 4 pm and just barely made it back to the trailer by that time.
According to the GPS we did 7.31 miles today in 1:35. The first two miles at least were walking.
Our next ride is Milwaukee!
I met a lady there today, Sue Webb, and her horse who is a TWH/Welsh cross. Sue is wanting to try endurance so I invited her along today to see how we condition. She was ready to go when I pulled up but patiently waited for me to get Sinwaan ready. We talked a little about endurance and as I was about ready Ruth and Heather pulled in. Ruth said it would take her a little while to put on Otto's new Renegade boots so Sue and I rode down the trail to warm up our horses while we waited. Using the GPS I discovered the 'outhouse' on the trail is just about a half mile from where we were parked. Ruth and Heather were riding out to meet us as we headed back.
They are doing a lot of trail reconstruction on the main trails, adding culverts and over that black material and gravel on top of that. Rolls of black material were laying around, lots of new and scary things for the horses to look at. Because of that we did a little more walking than I envisioned. Ruth led and set a steady pace the majority of the way around. It was such a gorgeous day, I was so glad to be outside riding! I did wish I had thought to put on sun-block as by the end I felt a little crisp. I had to leave by 4 pm and just barely made it back to the trailer by that time.
According to the GPS we did 7.31 miles today in 1:35. The first two miles at least were walking.
Our next ride is Milwaukee!
Monday, April 5, 2010
April 4, 2010
Today was windy but the sky was clear, no rain. Heather and Ruth and I made plans to head out of town at 1 pm to ride at Madame Dorian. I left the house early because I needed to go down to Milton-Freewater to fuel up. Halfway down the block I realized I had forgotten both my GPS unit and also a measuring tape. I was worried about the time so I didn't go back for them.
Ruth and Heather beat me to the barn. Heather came up the drive and helped me back up to the trailer. It is tricky with a manual, I would get close and chicken out and hit the clutch and the truck would roll forward. Finally we did line it up and Heather helped to hook it up. All my stuff was still loaded from the ride last weekend so all there was to do was load up the horse. I think Sinwaan likes his new trailer, he doesn't give me any trouble, although he does always want to follow me in. If I try to push him in it doesn't work as well. Something we need to work on (self-loading).
The drive was about 28 miles west and we had to pull a pretty big hill. Ugly truck did well, we maintained about 50 mph going up and kept it there heading down the other side because I didn't want the trailer to get away from me. The rest of the time we traveled at 55-60. I have sure taken for-granted all the times people have done the hauling for me. Many times I had to tell myself to relax and breathe as I caught sight of my white knuckles clinging to the steering wheel. It was my first time hauling out to a ride and it was stressful!!
We arrived without incident and traveled up to the viewing station to park. Ruth commented on how this location was no where near the bathroom. I hadn't even thought of that, so next time I imagine we will park closer to them. We all tacked up and rode the horses at a walk down to the restrooms. Sinwaan was eager to go, I could tell he'd had a bit of a vacation. He had a nice stride and really moved out at the walk.
After the restrooms we found a single track trail and Ruth took the lead, I followed her, and Heather fell in behind. Ruth set a nice pace and we trotted through the sand and the sagebrush. In many areas the wind was not too bad, as the trail followed the base of the dunes and we had a wind break. One portion however put us near the cliff to the water and we could see the white caps on Wallula Lake and suddenly I was stung in the face with blowing sand. Sinwaan shook his head and tried to turn tail to the wind but we pressed onward and were soon out of it. The horses all did well and we reached the end of the trail this time. I have heard that it is 4 or 5 miles from one end to the other. It is still a question since I did not have my GPS to give me the answer.
We had a bit of a rest mid-way and then headed back for the trailers. Sinwaan had a couple moments where he seemed tired so we slowed to a walk in the deeper sand. I did not hook up his HRM today, I probably should have. When the ride was over I closely inspected his leg and the injury from last weekend has scabbed over. It seems a bit thick, probably because of the blood and his winter coat matting a bit. There was a slight crack along one edge but it did not seem to bother him today.
He will have another short vacation & rest, we will ride again on the weekend of the 17th before our next scheduled LD ride on April 24.
He loaded up easily and I drove him on back to the barn. This time the big hill was harder to climb. I found myself slowing down to 45 mph even though the accelerator was floored. I expect more out of such a large engine but Matt has pointed out to me that it is OLD, and does not benefit from newer technology like fuel injection, etc. Even though it is a 454 it is not as powerful as the engine that was in Matt's Camaro. He also told me he thought 45 was too fast for that hill, I guess next time I will know to slow down and down-shift into 2nd to climb it. (Ugly is a 3-spd) Live and learn.
I was pleased to see that Sinwaan had no trouble in the trailer today on either trip, he unloaded at the barn with no injuries, hurray! I borrowed a tape measure to get the size of his legs anyway and ordered him some shipping boots for the next major ride. I thought his front leg was about 17" and his rear 21" but maybe I didn't measure correctly. I ordered him 16" and 18" boots. We'll see how they work. They were on clearance at Dover.
Ruth and Heather beat me to the barn. Heather came up the drive and helped me back up to the trailer. It is tricky with a manual, I would get close and chicken out and hit the clutch and the truck would roll forward. Finally we did line it up and Heather helped to hook it up. All my stuff was still loaded from the ride last weekend so all there was to do was load up the horse. I think Sinwaan likes his new trailer, he doesn't give me any trouble, although he does always want to follow me in. If I try to push him in it doesn't work as well. Something we need to work on (self-loading).
The drive was about 28 miles west and we had to pull a pretty big hill. Ugly truck did well, we maintained about 50 mph going up and kept it there heading down the other side because I didn't want the trailer to get away from me. The rest of the time we traveled at 55-60. I have sure taken for-granted all the times people have done the hauling for me. Many times I had to tell myself to relax and breathe as I caught sight of my white knuckles clinging to the steering wheel. It was my first time hauling out to a ride and it was stressful!!
We arrived without incident and traveled up to the viewing station to park. Ruth commented on how this location was no where near the bathroom. I hadn't even thought of that, so next time I imagine we will park closer to them. We all tacked up and rode the horses at a walk down to the restrooms. Sinwaan was eager to go, I could tell he'd had a bit of a vacation. He had a nice stride and really moved out at the walk.
After the restrooms we found a single track trail and Ruth took the lead, I followed her, and Heather fell in behind. Ruth set a nice pace and we trotted through the sand and the sagebrush. In many areas the wind was not too bad, as the trail followed the base of the dunes and we had a wind break. One portion however put us near the cliff to the water and we could see the white caps on Wallula Lake and suddenly I was stung in the face with blowing sand. Sinwaan shook his head and tried to turn tail to the wind but we pressed onward and were soon out of it. The horses all did well and we reached the end of the trail this time. I have heard that it is 4 or 5 miles from one end to the other. It is still a question since I did not have my GPS to give me the answer.
We had a bit of a rest mid-way and then headed back for the trailers. Sinwaan had a couple moments where he seemed tired so we slowed to a walk in the deeper sand. I did not hook up his HRM today, I probably should have. When the ride was over I closely inspected his leg and the injury from last weekend has scabbed over. It seems a bit thick, probably because of the blood and his winter coat matting a bit. There was a slight crack along one edge but it did not seem to bother him today.
He will have another short vacation & rest, we will ride again on the weekend of the 17th before our next scheduled LD ride on April 24.
He loaded up easily and I drove him on back to the barn. This time the big hill was harder to climb. I found myself slowing down to 45 mph even though the accelerator was floored. I expect more out of such a large engine but Matt has pointed out to me that it is OLD, and does not benefit from newer technology like fuel injection, etc. Even though it is a 454 it is not as powerful as the engine that was in Matt's Camaro. He also told me he thought 45 was too fast for that hill, I guess next time I will know to slow down and down-shift into 2nd to climb it. (Ugly is a 3-spd) Live and learn.
I was pleased to see that Sinwaan had no trouble in the trailer today on either trip, he unloaded at the barn with no injuries, hurray! I borrowed a tape measure to get the size of his legs anyway and ordered him some shipping boots for the next major ride. I thought his front leg was about 17" and his rear 21" but maybe I didn't measure correctly. I ordered him 16" and 18" boots. We'll see how they work. They were on clearance at Dover.
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