For The New Endurance Rider

Funny, right?  For me, a newbie to title a post that.

But I've had enough people express interest to me when my eyes get that gleam, you know the look; the one that a junkie gets when they're talking about their most recent fix.  Or they hear "I can't meet that weekend, I've got an E-Ride."

What's an E-Ride? Seems to be the usual response. 

I also get variations of "You're nuts."  Or "Why do you DO that?"  Or "Uhm, okay."

What can I say?  I'm in it for the "free" T-shirt.  And by "free" I mean it only cost me gas, hay, feed, the horse, tack, the trailer, my time, my food, something for me to sleep in, my ride fees, etc, etc.  But hey, outside of all of that, it's TOTALLY free. 

CAVEAT UP FRONT:
I'm still learning myself!!  I don't profess to have the answers, but I hope that this will help point you in the right direction.  And point you towards the resources that I myself use.

The main source for all things endurance: AERC.org
This is the American Endurance Ride Conference.  At this webpage, you can locate the ride calendar, track your mileage, your horses mileage, look up other riders and get the beginning information you will need to successfully get started.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqx4Qhez7S753wqU5MCnJ4w
This is the AERC YouTube channel where you can learn about things that most beginners ask about frequestly.
How do I safely camp with my horse?
How do I follow the trail?
What is a vet check?
What do I do when I get in to camp?

Or, would you prefer to read something?
http://aerc.org/static/AERC_Rider_Handbook.pdf
The AERC Rider Handbook is another great resource!!!

Trust me. This is a GREAT place to begin your education.

So, you've now looked all over the AERC website.  Perhaps you've even reached out to Troy (she's great, by the way) and decided you want to join.  COOL!!

But, perhaps you want to wait and do a ride before you pay your money.  COOL!!  You can do endurance either way!!!

Oh, you want to know WHY you should join?

Simple.  It saves you money ($15 a ride) at endurance rides UNLESS you're riding "Introduction" rides (I'll cover that further).

But there's more.

AERC keeps track of how many miles as a rider YOU have done and how many your HORSE has done.  It also tracks your points (yes, there are points to potentially be earned at rides).

But you also get the Endurance News from AERC.  This also has a ride calendar in the back, it has useful articles, photos, and is the official notification of final ride results.  There's nothing like seeing you and your horse's name in print when you've completed a ride.  :)

Like I said, don't feel pressured to join.

So, you still have more questions.

Jump on over to Facebook and join the North American Green Bean Endurance page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenbeanendurance/

What's that?  A "Green Bean" is a rider who is brand new to the sport and, if my memory off the top of my head is right, has less than 1,000 AERC miles.

The Facebook page is great for asking immediate questions and getting immediate answers.  So far, there are people of varied experience contributing, so don't think it's just newbies helping newbies.  It's experienced riders as well as beginners sharing what does and doesn't work.  HIGHLY recommended.

From there, go to the Green Bean Endurance page:
http://www.greenbeanendurance.org/

You can join for a nominal fee.  The reason I am a member is because there are competitions, and I think supporting fellow new riders is VERY important.  And I feel like a part of the "Bean" community.  There are also competitions; both Team and this year (2016) Individual. 

Now, let me get to the hard copies of things I've found both useful, fun or various.

The ones I have personal experience with.

Books:
"The Complete Guide to Endurance Riding and Competition" by Donna Snyder-Smith
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Endurance-Riding-Competition-reference/dp/0876052847

"Go the Distance: The Complete Resource for Endurance Horses" by Nancy S. Loving
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Distance-Complete-Resource-Endurance/dp/1570763429

"The Lighter Side of Endurance Riding" by Angie McGhee
Let me say this; this is both educational but HYSTERICAL!!  I frequently found myself laughing (and this was before I'd ever been on a ride).  You CAN buy this book used through Amazon, but don't.  Just, don't.  Go to:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Lighter-Side-of-Endurance-Riding-617006308312312/ and send her a message.  Cost of the book (including shipping) I believe is $20 and she'll even sign and do a personal inscription if you want.

One I have not yet read:
"Endurance 101" by Aarene Storms
http://www.endurance-101.com/ (side note; Aarene makes more money if you buy direct from her website)
This one does, however, come HIGHLY recommended!!

NOW!!  For you, my fellow riders in Texas, here is one more additional resource.
TERA.
Texas Endurance Riders Association.
http://www.texasenduranceriders.org/

And now, perhaps the part you, as a blossoming endurance hopeful were waiting for.  Information on tack.

Let's be honest, we've all seen the photos of endurance horses decked out in flashy and bright biothane tack. 

Except, let me tell you; you don't need it.

Did I just crush your spirit?

I'm so sorry.  Except it's true.  Please, Please, PLEASE for the love of your wallet and all that is holy and un-, do NOT go running out to buy a new pad, saddle, halter/bridle/reins/bit/hackamore and then all new clothes for yourself.  Just don't do it.

Does the saddle you're currently riding in (yes, even that 40lb cutting saddle!) fit you, but more importantly, does it fit your HORSE?!  GREAT!  Use it. 

Don't argue with me, I promise, use it.  Go ride a ride and then come back and let me know what you think.

However, perhaps get yourself a pair of leggings.  Jeans for 25 miles might chafe.  There is a local Texas rider, and he DOES do rides in jeans, but he is the exception, NOT the rule. 

Okay, so now...what does your horse need to know?

Can your horse stand still?  And I mean stand still when there is a CAMP full of other horses milling about and whinneying and calling out and people talking and trailers driving in and out?  It needn't be flawless, but constant dancing at the end of a leadline like a kite on a blustery day isn't going to cut it.  You're not even in the saddle yet and your horse is acting a fool?  Do yourself a favor, work on your horse standing still.  This is a skill a horse simply needs to have in order to not be an annoying shit and waste your time and the rider behind you's time.  This comes in handy while the vet sticks their fingers in your horses mouth (PS-hope your horse is cool with that!), does the "skin pinch" test, runs their hands down your horse's back (checking for soreness), gets behind your horse to check muscle tone (Oh yeah, PS-hope your horse is cool with THAT little test too!), checks your horse's heart rate and gut sounds.  Then, comes the trot out.  PS-Hope YOU can run.  If not, don't be ashamed to ask for help for someone to trot out your horse.  You simply will run your horse on a LOOSE lead down to a cone, go around it to the LEFT (to the LEFT to the LEFT, I almost got creamed by a lady who turned to the right last weekend) and then run them back to the vet.  Vet is looking for lameness or gait aberrations.  They'll check the heart rate again.

Oh, let me break this down quickly for you as well; you may hear the P&R (Pulse & Respiriation) person say "10".  What this means is your horse's heart rate is at 40.  Take the number called, multiply by 4.  USUALLY for a 25 (at least for my rides) your target heartrate is 60 or less.

Now, I said I'd cover an "Intro" ride, didn't I?

An Intro ride is treated EXACTLY like an endurance ride with one exception; no time limit.  You vet your horse in before you go on your ride.  You get a vet card.  You go ride your loop (usually a 10-15 mile loop total MAX).  Come in and vet your horse again.  Do you want to take an hour to ride that loop?  Fine.  2 hours?  Cool.  All DAY to ride that loop.  Fine, but you're missing the point, go back to Endurance 101 and the casual trail riding groups.  No offense, but this isn't for you.

Okay then...here we go.

25 miles.  You have 6 TOTAL hours to complete the ride with your holds AND get your horse to come down to pulse parameters. 

"What's a hold?"

Ahhhh...a hold is a mandatory period of time in which you must stay in camp with your horse.  The length of time is usually covered at the ride meeting, typically 45 minutes to an hour.  During this time you'll pulse down, vet in, go pee, feed and water your horse, feed and water yourself, take a break, and then wonder where did that time go, because you have 10 minutes to get back in the saddle for your "Out" time.

Really, the time does go by quickly. 

"Loop"

A loop is usually the distance you'll ride (USUALLY) before a vet check/hold/etc.  Distance varies.  You'll frequently hear riders referring to them as "loops" (IE-"That 17 mile loop was HARD!" or "You'll do a 13 mile loop for your first loop, and a 12 mile loop for your second loop.").

"Turtle"

This is simply going slow.  I would venture to say EVERY ride has a Turtle award for each distance.  This is the person who came in last and sometimes is hotly fought for.

RM-Ride Manager; this is the person or persons who are putting on the ride.  Be kind, be courteous and make sure to say THANK YOU to them for doing it.  Without them, there'd be no ride.

Vet-Do I Even Need to Cover this?

Scribe-Person who writes on your vet card what the vet tells them to.  Be kind and courteous and polite to them as well.  They're usually volunteers.

In/Out Timer-These are the people you will call your number out to as you enter camp and when you leave camp.  DO NOT FORGET!!  Time is very important in this game.

30 miles.  Total of 7 hours and 15 minutes to complete your ride with your holds AND get your horse to pulse down.

These distances are considered "LD" or Limited Distance.  They are not considered "endurance miles" by AERC.  They are kept in a different category than endurance miles.

And, here we go.

50 miles.  Total of 12 hours to complete your ride.  You have an additional 30 minutes to get your horse to pulse down.

100 miles.  Total of 24 hours to complete your ride.  You have an additional 30 minutes to get your horse to pulse down.

Now that I've said all that, let me say a few last things as a greenie.

"Ride your own ride."
You can make all the plans you want before a ride.  You're going to ride with your friends.  You're going to ride alone.  You want to set a fast pace.  You want to set a slow pace.  Whatever your goals are, understand that they can change!  Do what is best for you and your HORSE!  Is your horse struggling at that fast pace that the front runners set?  Slow down!!  Walk.  Take it easy.  Don't override your horse.  That's a cardinal sin.  Far better to overtime on your horse but come in than to override and have your horse need fluids or collapse or be in distress because you pushed too hard.

"To Finish is to Win"
This is AERC's motto.  And I take this one to heart.  Did you have to pull due to lameness?  Did you turtle your ride?  Did you OT?  Did you even show UP?  You win! 

It's a sport.  And people are highly competitive.  And yet, I've seen people offer assistance and aid to fellow riders.  Even when it could potentially cost them their ride, people stop to offer aid or guidance. 

Even at my last ride, I spent about 17 miles riding alone.  My horse was chugging along, but getting a little tired and bored with being alone.  And a 50 mile rider came up, I pulled over to allow her to pass, and she said we were welcome to "draft", which we did for a while, until I determined it was enough for my horse.  She continued to ride her ride, and I continued to ride mine.

Believe me, this isn't for everyone.  And you'll make mistakes.  I have.  And I've gone overtime twice (on two different horses).  And yet, I've now ridden trails I might not have ridden otherwise.  I've shared the experience with two of my favorite 4-legged animals.  I've met some amazing human and equine athletes.  And I've camped at some pretty places and enjoyed some FANTASTIC meals in ride camps.

4 rides in.  I've got the bug.

I hope that this helps.  I hope that more experienced endurance riders will drop some useful info in here!!

PS-I have a separate blog post that I'll put up at some point, but...these are blogs (mixed); primarily of Endurance Riders.  The first two (the $900 Facebook Pony and She Moved to Texas) are NOT!  But the others are, or have an Endurance bent.  I also find them to be good and useful resources as well!!

The $900 Facebook Pony
http://the900facebookpony.com/

She Moved to Texas
http://www.shemovedtotexas.com/

Redheaded Endurance
http://redheadedendurance.com/

Endurance Granny
http://endurancegranny.blogspot.com/

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (Funder's Good Idea)
http://fundersgoodidea.blogspot.com/

What Could Possibly Go Wrong
http://www.agemofahorse.blogspot.com/

Green to 100
https://greento100.wordpress.com/

The Journey to 100 Miles
http://fit2continue.blogspot.com/

Wait for the Jump
http://waitingforthejump.blogspot.com/

Merri Travels
http://merritravels.endurance.net/

Karen's Horse Tails
http://karenshorsetales.blogspot.com/

Motoring Down The Trails
motoringtrails.blogspot.com/

William The Conqueror
https://willstheconqueror.wordpress.com/

Armadillo Endurance Ride (Or How I Learned to Love the One I'm With)

What's funny is I have half-written posts here and there that I want to complete and put up. 

Half written ride stories from our first, second, third endurance rides.

What's worked for me.  What hasn't worked for me.  What I'm fumbling with.  You know, all that stuff.

So here's another ride story.  We shall see if I can get it finished.

This one, however, features an unlikely player.  The "dark" horse, if you will.  The unsuspecting quiet character who is always there in the background, but who I haven't spoken much of.

My darling Socks.  "El Sidar" is his registered name.  I know he doesn't come from endurance lines.  Let's be honest, he's a backyard bred horse in case I haven't covered this aspect before.  His redeeming qualities, while many, are not typey for the Arabian breed.

He is thick and stocky.
He was a stud until 6 years of age, and he DOES have foals on the ground.
He is a beautiful bay horse with 4 high whites, some belly spots and a large blaze (sabino, in fact, though the belly patches qualify him for the pinto association).
He has the kindest, most forgiving personality of ANY horse I've come across. 
And he has the kindest, most gentle eyes. 

So, I had the first ride of my fall season last weekend.  The Armadillo Endurance ride in Kennard, Texas.  This butts up against the Davy Crockett National Forest.  I've been excited for this ride for months.  Everything I've heard said that this ride would be great to bring my slimmer and trimmer Paso Fino to.  I was eager to see what I now had for a 30 mile ride.

I had the truck totally loaded on Thursday evening.  My clothes packed and in the truck.  All I needed to load were my pillows and myself in the morning.

I was up early, took my "last" shower and was out the door by 8 am.  Quick Wal-Mart run for ice and a few last minute things, then a hop/skip/jump to Tractor Supply for a bale of hay. 

My goal was to be on the road to Kennard by 9:30.

I was at the barn by 9.  Which meant I could still make my goal easily.  Hooked to the trailer in 5 minutes.  Drive to the pen and start loading up my water tank.  Rinsed out one of my coolers, and piddled a little bit waiting on my tank. 

Figured that as the tank was taking longer than I thought, I'd go grab Strider, load him so that I could turn off the water and go.

I go and grab him, and bring him out of the pen and take him to the trailer to look him over.

And then I saw it.  It?  Them.

Tears welled in my eyes as I saw two LONG scratches down his back and side.  RIGHT where my saddle would sit.

No.  Nonononono.  This isn't FAIR!  Why?!! 

"Well," I tried to reason with myself.  Maybe it's not so bad?  Maybe?

I touched the one closer to his spine.  No reaction. 

"Well, saddle doesn't sit there...so, maybe....?"

But that second one.  Oh that second one. 

I touched it.  Lightly.  And he flinched.  Touched it again.  Another flinch. 

More tears. 

I took a photo to send to Holly (my farrier and trusted horsewoman).  A second opinion.  Though in my heart I knew.  And she agreed with my assessment.  If he's flinching, no riding.

There I was, in tears.  Not mad at my horse, but the situation.  Knowing this was our ONLY ride before our potential first shot at a 50 in December. 

I called Joe in agony and told him I guess I wasn't going.  I was going to scratch and come home.  I'd wasted my day off of work.

"Take the old, fat nag," he told me.  "What's the worst that can happen?  You're already packed and ready to go.  At worst, you'll spend the day riding your horse."

"But...but..."

"Just go Erin."

With a sigh, I agreed and grabbed unsuspecting Socks. 

And away we drove.

The drive was uneventful, little twisty and windy and some hinky backroads (I apologized a few times when I hit humps in the road that shook the truck; can't imagine how the ride was for him!).

Got to ride camp and knew I wanted to be near some friends who I knew were coming.  I actually really liked my campspot for this ride.  Near the tree-line, but right at the 50/100 mile finish line and no one near me.  Of course, long hike to the potties, but...well, gotta make concessions!!


Got him unloaded and started trying to soak the hay and get him hydrated before vetting in while setting up camp and my portable corral.

We vetted in, all A's except for his jugular refill.  That's a little concerning as I always get all A's down the line.  Asked one of my trusted friends on how to combat that in the future.  "Electrolyte a few days prior to the ride."

Ah.  Yes.  Would make sense.  I hadn't done that and had never thought of doing it before rides.  Will be making THAT a part of my ride protocol, that's for sure!!

Other than that, it was attend the ride meeting and make plans on how to ride this ride in the morning.  I decided to ride with a friend, which is a fine and noble thing...but on reflection now...the adage is true "Ride your own ride."

So, morning dawns, no big deal.  I get saddled up early, Socks is a little confused about what's going on, but he's such a mellow guy, he just settles in and we walk around, milling with the crowd at the start line.  I opt to leave this situation as some horses really do get riled up, and the lady I was planning on riding with hadn't yet shown up.  Ride over to her trailer, she's still tacking up and it's a few minutes until trail is open.

I'm a little panic'd, but internalize it and think "Well, I usually leave after the front and mid-pack, so we'll be alright." 

By the time she's ready, trail has been open for about 15 minutes.  As we're leaving, the out timer calls out "You do know trail has been open for a while, right?"

"Yes!  Thank you!!!"

And off we go down the trail.  It is a gorgeous single track with nice footing (a few roots) through these pine trees.  We're having a good time just walking and trotting.  We eventually managed to catch up to some of the back of the pack riders and we all fall in together leap-frogging as we go down this wide road. 

Ignore the bad riding.  No, seriously please.  Focus on the pretty pony!!

My friend and I eventually decide we're just going to move on ahead, which we do with ease.  Both horses feeling great and moving out beautifully.  Socks is having the time of his life. 

Look, Socks is the "nag", the "plug", the "babysitter".  I put people up on him who want to ride, but are intimidated by speed.  He's a horse, so he will occasionally spook, but he's never mean, and never malicious.

But this ride.  My goodness, he wanted to canter and trot.  Canter and trot.  He was having FUN! 

Now, here's why you shouldn't chit-chat at ride meeting and actually PAY ATTENTION!!!

This loop was marked with yellow ribbons.  However, we're also riding in a national forest, which has permanently marked trails.  I vaguely remembered during ride meeting them talking about the permanent markers and that we could follow them.

Wrong.  SO MUCH WRONG.

My friend and I are canting down a path and it splits.  To the right, trees with yellow diamond markers attached to them.  To the left, nothing at all.  We mill around for a few minutes and decide that DEFINITELY we should take the right fork and ride on.  On we go.  Cantering here and there.

And on.  And on.  Until we get to a real road and a T intersection.  And we realize we've seen neither ribbon nor rider in a while. 

Oh yeah.  We're off trail and not sure where to backtrack too.

Turn around and walk back.  Now, we spot the ride photographer and ask him if he has any idea where we need to go.  Nope, just keep back tracking.

So we keep back tracking.  And run into the intro group of riders.  At that fork.  However, as we backtrack, we see what we COMPLETELY missed before. 

In a bush, there at the fork and hanging low.  3 yellow ribbons.  And a trail off to the left....with more yellow ribbons.

SON OF A....UGH!!  When the ride was over and I checked Endomondo, we basically added almost 5 miles due to this blunder. 

Said good bye to the intro riders and off we tore attempting to make up some time.  Completely do-able, we just needed to trot as much as possible.  I am nothing else, during a ride, if not a perpetual optimist.

We get back in to camp for our trot-by.  Socks trots out just fine; my friend's horse is a little "off", but the vet clears her to ride the next 5 mile loop.  We take too long during this time, but eventually get back out on trail, and I keep an eye on her horse as we move out down the single track.  I don't SEE anything, and he seems to be moving out fine.

The loop flies back, we get back to camp for our hold.  Again, Socks is fine, her horse is still off.  He leaves it up to her, and she opts to RO.

I now have 17 miles to do.  Alone.  I am at the back of the pack and I'm pretty sure I can make up the time. 

Cleared after my hold and I hit the trail again.  No getting lost, nothing goes wrong. 

Well, except down a single track, as Socks and I are cantering along merrily, and all of a sudden, he stumbles and tumbles, and I go flying off.


I lay there on the ground, his reins still in my hands and catch my breath.  And think "Oh please oh please oh PLEASE don't let any of the 50's come up on me now.  How embarrassing."  Thankfully no one does, but I take a few moments to just lay there and assess myself.  I know I'm fine, but I know I'll pay hell for the pain in the morning.

Whatever.  Let's find a stump and get back on the horse, right?  Which I do, after checking HIM over to make sure he's intact and not hurt.  Nope.  He's fine.  Away we go again.

Now, I had my hydration pack on...and it had been working fine most of the day, but I had somehow convinced myself it would work better if I left the top a little bit loose so I could "suck" out of the bladder better.  Except, as we get going again, my back starts getting wet.

SHIT!!  Did my bladder BREAK?  No, I can still get water out of it.  But now I'm drenched down my back and into my buttcrack.  This sucks.  Whatever.  Keep riding.

I spend lots of time singing and talking to him.  Enjoying the scenery, but I'm a little bored.  I don't mind riding alone, but I'm starting to hurt.  And a little worried I might run out of water.

But, we keep chugging.  He's such a trooper that boy.  No horses anywhere in sight or sound, but he keeps going along.  I'm a little frustrated there aren't more troughs, but eventually we get to some and he gets a drink.  And away we go again.

I can tell he's starting to flag just a bit.  I certainly am.

And behind us comes a 50.  Now, this is a well-known endurance rider.  She rides to win.  She has a large stable of horses and always has a GROUP of riders with her.  I know she's not always well-liked, but I was so eternally grateful that she saw us and said "Hey, you are more than welcome to tail us for as long as you want or can keep up."

I am sure some of it is she saw we're in different distances...but I am sure some of it is she could see we were wearing down.  So we did.  Now, Socks can't keep up with a fit as hell Arab, but he trotted for a good long while.  A few canter stretches.  But they kept pulling further and further away.  Which was fine.  I'm not going to push.  I'd rather OT than hurt my horse.  Especially one so plucky and game!! 

Somewhere on trail, I started to bonk.  It was like I started to fall asleep in the saddle.  Hard to explain, but I became just a passenger while Socks continued gamely on trotting as best as he could with a lump on his back.  I do so love that boy.

After what seemed forever, we finally come out in the field.  I know I'm nearing cut off, but I put on a brave face as we trot by the ride photographer.  I know I'm a hot mess in the saddle, but I don't care anymore, I'm done!!  30 miles DONE!!!

We're done!!  Ignore my ugly and bad riding!

I race to the P&R area where I almost fall out of the saddle in pain.  My friend who stayed behind happened to be there, so she helped strip tack and then trotted him out for me.

Now, here's where things are weird. 

Vet said he was a little off on the trot out.  We were also told we came in over time.

But, we earned a completion.  Don't ask me HOW.  I contacted AERC.  I contacted the RM.  It's still on my ride record as a completion. 

Performance Horse

So, yesterday I finally found and acquired a saddle that fits Strider.

From the brief ride I took in it, it tips me forward slightly, but I know I'll get a good seat in it.  Strider acted up, did his little "bunny bucks", which might have been because of my seat being tipped, the light saddle, just a combination of things making it odd for him.

But, while we were fitting him, once again the saddle fitter had me come and actually physically FEEL how much better this saddle fits him compared to the ones on Sunday.  And, while doing so, she had her friend hold Strider for me.

Now, Strider is an asshole.  No, seriously.  I love him, but as his "mom" I let him get away with things I KNOW I shouldn't.  He won't stand still (tied, on a lead line [unless he's grazing or being groomed]), he's an animal constantly in motion and constantly needs to be distracted if you want him to be still.  It's draining.

Anyway, so she tells her friend that he's a performance horse.

I kind of mentally blinked, told her that it still really isn't an excuse and I really was sorry he was so rude.  But she just shrugged and said "Performance horses get a little bit of a pass because they're athletes."

Performance horse?  What?!  My mind revolted from this concept. 

He's not a performance horse!  He's just a trail horse!  My prospective endurance mount, but he's NOT a performance horse.

All the way home I talked this out to myself (am I the only one who talks to themself when alone?  Helps me think for some weird reason). 

In my mind, until he breaks through that magical "50 miles" number, he's NOT a performance horse.

But that's not being fair to him.  It's really REALLY not fair. 

He's technically logged 75 AERC miles (even if 25 of those aren't on the books, he OT'd but still COMPLETED them).  We're logging miles on the weekends to condition (now).  I'm starting to think in terms of getting him prepared to become that 50 mile horse.  I'm preparing him to BE that 50 mile horse.  And we're working towards that goal.  Not just in outfitting him (and myself), but in the miles I'm putting under his feet.  Even the "casual" trail rides are mentally gearing him for race days. 

By the time I step out of the saddle tomorrow, we'll be 3 weeks in to our 12 week conditioning schedule.  23+- miles under his feet.  And more to come. 

He's never going to be a top-competitor.  Do I dream of winning a monogrammed hay bag or camp chair? Of course I do!!  I would LOVE to do it on my Paso. 

But I don't think he'll ever Top 10 or ever be asked to stand for BC.  And honestly, I AM good with that.  I'm doing this for the miles.

Oh, and the shirts.  Don't forget the shirts!!  :)

But honestly, we're working towards him being a performance horse.  I'm starting to treat him more and more like a performance horse.  Granted, we're not working HARD at our job, but we are working at it.  He'll never be a "professional" athlete, and I'm no professional coach, but even if he's an "amature" performance horse, I think I'll always be proud of that. 

He's nothing super-duper fancy.  I've been told I could take him to a Paso Fino show and certainly not hang my head with embarassment with the horse beneath me.  I've been told that he does trust me.  That I could have broken him to ride completely by myself (I did do all the ground work, and had actually ridden him around at a walk before he ever went to a professional trainer).  And that he's a good trail horse.  I know he's all of those things. 

And, then there's that super small part of me that just smiles when Strider gets out there and rocks it.  Because the ex said he wasn't worth anything and wouldn't ever do anything useful.

Oh yeah?  Well eat it sucker.  We're out there DOING things.  What're YOU doing?  That's right, a whole lotta nothing.


I loved it at the Off Road Warrior ride, when I went to vet in, the ride photographer recognized him as "The little black Paso Fino."  I was so proud of that moment.  Only our 3rd ride, and the ride photographer knows who he is. 

Of course, he won't recognize him at the October ride.  He's very sun faded right now.  And when he was younger, I was vain enough to toss paprika as a top dress on his feed to keep him black.  But I just don't care anymore.  It's too much work to try and keep his coat a dark color.

Solid feet.  Solid legs.  Solid muscles.  Solid heart.  Solid back.  And solid try.  If he gives me all of those things, I can ask for nothing more of him.

Facebook Endurance Groups=Temptation

I really should STOP joining the Facebook groups for the rides that are happening that I can NOT attend.

It makes me second and third guess myself.

The first ride of the fall season is the Wacky Waco Wide, which I think I've mentioned before.  This is a very technical ride and very rocky and hilly.  I've never been, but not only have I heard this from more experienced riders, I can tell it from the photos.

In my mind, I want so SO badly to rack up my first 100 LD miles before the end of the 2015 ride calendar season.  And I'm worried it won't happen.

I'm limiting myself to 1 ride a month.  I currently have 50 LD miles on the record books. 

Armadillo is a 30 mile LD.  Everything I've seen and read and heard and understand says that one is a very easy ride, nice and sandy.  I've completed 2 other very easy and non-challenging LDs, so I've got no reason to think Strider won't complete there either.  Especially as we're now actually conditioning, and I'm going to be switching out his tack and lightening it up for him.  And I'm better prepared now. 

So, as long as fate doesn't laugh in my face and I can complete, I'm at 80 LD miles. 

In November, two challenges.

Make my 100.

Defeat the trails in Athens.

The trails that took Strider and I in to OT.  I want to do them again.  And I want us to defeat them. 

I am better prepared.  I am more experienced.  Strider is more experienced.  I now KNOW what I'm facing.

I want to conquer them.  Decimate those trails.

Assuming that we don't get deluged with rain again making the trails total slop.  I won't do that again to him.  Those trails were a rutted, foul mess with enough mud to suck your soul from you. 

It'll be November, so certainly not as warm and humid as it was in May.  That will help us.  He'll be getting fuzzy again, which means I need to consider a trace clip for him.  We'll see about that too.  Our conditioning rides will let me know where he's at physically before I go knocking off his coat.

And, since the power of positive thinking means I'll kick those trails this time, I'll break my 100 mile goal.

But, this brings me back full circle.

What if we don't?  I've missed my goal.  I'll have another chance on Thanksgiving weekend in Killeen, but that's violating what I said I was going to do; one ride a month. 

But, I'm in the Wacky Waco Wide FB group, and already getting the itch to give it a try.  And honestly, if I could get Strider up and vetted in without having to spend the night, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  But...finances, promises and the challenge of it are keeping me from doing it.  Or seriously considering it.

And besides, if I miss it at Shuffle in Athens...there's always Old Glory.  ;)

Plans and Clinics

It's only Tuesday and already I'm working for the weekend!

Saturday morning I've got another conditioning ride ready to roll out.  Going to let a friend come try it with me.  She's not sure her boy can keep up with mine.  As I told her, I'm not riding hard, I'm just going for mileage under his feet.  And, I told her she'll be surprised at how her boy acts with another horse who's moving out.  I certainly was! 

She did say she didn't want to slow us down, and if she felt she was, it wasn't like she was lost and couldn't get back to the barn, so we'll see how she and he do for our ride on Saturday.  I told her I like to have my foot IN the stirrup by 8 am so I'm done before 10 and it gets hot.  I know I'm supposed to be shaving time off on my 8 mile loops right now, but I feel like we did last week, and if I can bump an extra mile or so out of him in an hour and a half (like I did last week), then I feel I've accomplished that goal.

Then on Sunday is a casual and fun trail ride.  A good sized group of us is going over to McKinney Roughs to ride the Pope Bend Loop.  Not sure how long we're going to take, but it'll be nice.  And since it's close enough, we're going to go ahead and haul both boys in my trailer with my truck.  Going to leave it hooked up and haul it home so that SOMETIME during the week I can run it down and get it weighed. 

I'm also going to run to Dover Saddlery this week and have my noggin measured for a helmet.  I know that I need one (at least for endurance rides), and the one I've currently got doesn't fit me very well.  Time to fix that.  Or at least get a price estimate on fitting my brainbox so I can save up and get one. 

Also my trail riding group is kicking around doing a clinic at some point.  That'd be nice.  I REALLY want to get Strider to where he'll side pass.  It is the height of annoyance to climb out of the saddle to open and close a gate.  I hate it. 

I also hate that he doesn't stand still for mounting.  My fault.  I mount up and ride off.  Got to stop doing that. 

But I find it annoying that when I put him in a place, he won't just STAND there.  He wants to move off.  So we dance around and around one another.  Ugh.  I wasted like 15 minutes on Saturday (I paused my ride timer as I wouldn't have dismounted had my damn saddle not dropped a stirrup!) just getting him to stand in one spot.  He'd walk off, I'd back him up quickly, then put him back where I asked him to stand.  He'd move, I'd back him up, then put him back where I had him initially.  Lather, rinse, repeat.  So. Annoying.

Strider's Second Conditioning Ride (1st REAL Conditioning Ride)

Saturday conditioning ride

Goal:  8 miles in 1.5 hours

Actually done:  8.54 miles in 1:27

Fastest mile: 8:28
Slowest mile: 12:34

Average speed: 5.86 mph
Max speed: 11.77 mph

**UPDATE**
Heart Rate
Average: 116
Max: 170

I changed up how I approached the ride this week.

One, I got to the barn at about 7:20ish with the goal of having my foot in the stirrup before 8 am.  This meant that even if it took us close to 2 hours again, we would be done with riding by 10 am.

Two, I figured getting to the barn early enough would allow me to beat the dirt bikes to the side of the property I wanted to ride on.

Both goals, SUCCESS!!!

Now, he does know which direction the barn is, so when his nose is pointed in the direction, he certainly will move faster.

But, he's so obvious when he's engaged in something.  Instead of acting like a sullen child being made to do something, he's head up, ears forward, and all of his energy is forward and in motion.  He just wants to go.  I love riding THAT horse.  The sullen, sulky child isn't a lot of fun.  And the ride is just a grind of mileage under our feet.  And the time just drags along.  It really just isn't fun for either one of us, but we do it because I say we MUST. 

I know on conditioning rides, at about 4 miles in, I'm on the downward slope of "We've only got 4/3/2/1 more mile(s) to go!!  Let's get it done!"  I'm not so much bored as I'm eager to see how we've done.  I do need to get an mp3 player to carry with me so I have some tunes to listen to while we ride. 

This ride I also carried a crop.  Some days he just needs a little flick of it in his vision to move forward.  Sometimes he needs a little tap on the shoulder or butt to move forward.

He seemed to want to go swimming, or at least plunge in to the stock tanks as well.  We went in to the two (I wanted to give him a chance to drink), but he just went in belly deep, appeared to want to keep on going (Uhm, no thanks!  I'm not dressed to swim!), but when I turned him back to keep him from going, he just crawled out.  Okay then.

We did pop in once where I made him take a break in the water to cool off.  He wasn't over sweaty or blowing hard (I have his HR written down, but forgot to bring it with me), but I just wanted to give him a brief break. 

So, while last Saturday was a conditioning ride, this is the one I'll count as our first one.  I need to start trimming time off as best as I can now for the next 3 weeks. 

Breakdown of miles:
1: 10:27
2: 9:24
3: 10:24
4: 10:47
5: 11:56
6: 9:29
7: 12:34
8: 8:24
.54: 4:00

We were on our way to mile 9 being our fastest.  I know why.  There's a dirt track in the large open pasture across the road from the barn.  Strider KNOWS that the barn is "over there" so he picks it up.  And I was having a screamingly good time booking it around the track as he gaited and cantered around and around. 

I should have allowed him to finish off the mile, but...I also don't necessarily want to encourage his bad habits.  He already gets away with too much because...well, he's Strider.

I will say at, I think it was mile 2 or 3, the damn stirrup just gave way.  Oh was I pissed.  I was going down a hill, and all of a sudden, my left stirrup was a LOOOOONG reach for me.  I look down and see it's barely hanging on.

WTH?!!  Someone tell me how a Blevins Buckle flaps up enough to allow the straps to give way and let the stirrup drop free.  So SO furious.  I was technically out on the trail for 1:45 or so, but I paused my timer while fixing that issue and doing a brief training session of "Strider stand STILL so I can freaking get ON!!  No, you damn horse, stand THERE in that depression so I can stand on this slightly HIGHER area and get on you.  IDIOT HORSE!!!  DON'T MOVE!!"

Okay, so there's two things I wish my horse did; side pass so I could open/close gates...and stand freaking still where I put him (including by a mounting block) so I can get on.

I should see what a trainer would charge me just to teach him those two things.  Seriously.  Because it's an annoyance.

He's freaking lucky I love him.

Jerkhorse.

Endurance Clinic for Beginners

And here I was thinking that there wouldn't be anything for me to do Endurance related in September.

Surprise!

Yesterday in the afternoon on Facebook, TERA (Texas Endurance Riders Association) posted that they were doing a New Rider's Clinic at C Bar Stables in Waco the first weekend of September.

Sign.Me.UP!

I shot off my RSVP, dropped a text message to a friend of mine who joined AERC, but hasn't done a ride yet and wants to go (she's planning on going to Armadillo with me and riding the Intro to see if her horse can do it) to let her know so we could go up there.

I went ahead and splurged for a site with hook up, which means I'll have a fan for the weekend!!  I'm stoked!  That's luxury living for me!  I also won't need to take my water tank either!  And, my Renegades should be here well before then so I can try them out, get them adjusted right and try Strider out out there.  I probably still won't do Wacky Waco due to funds this year, but maybe next year! 

Of course, as I do sometimes, I RSVP'd and didn't tell Joe until last night.  He wasn't upset though.  Grateful that he "gets it".  I told him I'll figure out child care for Kaylee since that'll be at the start of football season and Joe referees football games (well, right now he does the chains, but he's working on being a ref).

I promised I'd keep it to a ride a month.  And I will. 

I'm just super excited.  I know, I've done 3 LDs, but I'm kind of fumbling my way through it, and it will be nice to meet some of the other local endurance riders and network so I'll actually KNOW people when I go to rides.

I had a discussion with a lady who went to her first ride at Spirit of Texas last year and she noticed just how cliqueish everyone is and how they don't really go out of their way to make new riders feel welcome.

It IS something I've noticed at the rides I've gone to.  And it troubles me.  So, I swear, once I've got this figured out a little bit better and I feel a bit more confident myself, I'm going to make it a point to say hello to at least one new "face" I see at every ride.  Ask them about their horse.  How far they're going to be riding.  Let them know if they just want to say hi, to swing by my trailer. 

Because, while I know many people travel with their family or camp with friends, not all of us do.  And I HAVE met some very nice endurance riders, but not all of them are. 

And I know it's about "Ride your ride", but when I'm not in the saddle, and it's at ride meeting/dinner, it costs me NOTHING to say hello.  Yes, I'm already thinking forward about everything I need to get done to be ready to ride my ride, but I should soon enough be in a routine where I can put it on auto-pilot and at least take a moment to make someone feel welcome.  It could very well be the difference in someone joining the sport or leaving the sport!

Strider's First Official Conditioning Ride (Week 1)

Saturday conditioning ride

Goal: 8 miles in 1.5 hours

Actually done: 7.25 miles in 1:51

Fastest mile: 12:53
Slowest mile: 17:14

Average speed: 3.92
Max speed: 9.77

There were many issues on our first conditioning ride. 

We were stuck on the side of the property with shorter trails, which Strider finds boring.
Leaving his buddies back at the pen, Strider finds it upsetting.

We did get belly deep in one of the stock tanks, and I took some time practicing tossing a sponge off his back, in to the water and then dribbling it on him.  I want to make sure that on race days he is already used to it so he doesn't lose his damn fool mind and kill us both.

Or, so that we don't re-create Angie McGhee's notorious "Sponge" story.  Haven't read it?  Do yourself a favor, go get "The Lighter Side of Endurance" from Angie herself and read it.  Cover to cover, I had a good laugh at each story. 

Now, I had put my heart monitor on Strider, and it worked great.  Until it didn't.  Very confusing and frustrating.

Of course, when I dismounted, I figured out what the problem was.  The positive lead had slipped out from under my saddle. 

I have a strong suspicion that Strider could almost make a good search and rescue horse as he LOVES to go bushwacking, and he's actually fairly careful with his feet when going up and down hills.  He has ZERO comprehension that there's a person on his back though. 

So maybe he wouldn't. 

So, while the original conditioning plan laid out was for 12 weeks, I don't think we can do it.  Not at the current speed we went.

However, there were a few areas where we'll work on improving.

One of the most important is to get my ass in the saddle before 10am.  That's just too late in the day, even if you're gunning for an hour and a half in the saddle.  Especially in the Texas heat.

So, my tweaked plan is to get out early on Saturday and have my butt in the saddle no later than 8am so that I'm wrapping up by 10 and can leave the barn by 11. 

I've given up "sleeping in" apparently.  A part of me laments this, but a part of me is happy about it. 

I'm earning my hours towards my Pasos for Pleasure patches.

I'm conditioning my horse.

I'm riding with a purpose.

I'm having FUN!

Someone wrote a beautiful piece about how endurance riding isn't about race day.  It's about the hours in the saddle spend prepping your horse.  Building a bond together and forging yourselves in to a team.  That's what I feel like we're doing.  We're going to eventually get there together. 

Friday; Gateway to the Weekend

Today entails heading to the tack store to take my co-worker who's leasing Socks to look at saddles.

Okay, okay...so I'm going to look.  Apparently they're having a sale on Abetta endurance style saddles for $300.  If they have one to fit my ass, I'll probably stop and think about it for a few days and then go get one.

I've also got a pair of Cavallos on order for me at a fantastic price.

And, on my Facebook feed last night/this morning, a set of black size 1 Renegades showed up, again, for an amazing price.  Emailed the person selling who I know is a Renegade dealer to see if she could look at the photos my farrier took (with measurements), and if she thinks they'll fit, then I'll snap those up too.

Because, at that price point, if they'll fit, and I can get some Renegades, then I'll happily grab them up. 

Of course, if they sell before I can get them, I've still got the Cavallos coming at some point, and I suspect I can make those work for me.  I'm sure they'll take some tweaking to work for endurance, but, if I can make Strider happy to go down the trail in a pair of boots on some rough terrain, then I'll twiddle and tweak!!

I've mentioned to Joe that when the time (sadly) comes to have to replace a horse, my next mount will be one who's already doing endurance.  And, while I know it'd be easy to be competative on an Arabian, I still think I'd prefer an endurance Paso.  But, we shall see.

I just know in my heart, I would love for Kaylee to come ride endurance with me.  That would make me so happy to have the two of us crusing down the trails together.

So, while I was looking over the AERC calendar yesterday, I remembered about Spirit of Texas, and how I'd told Joe after I wrapped that ride up last year that I'd love for him to come with me next year.  There's a barn and breakfast near the trail head, and there's a lake he can fish up there.

So, I emailed him yesterday to remind him about that.  Looked up the rates for the B&B (totally affordable!) and asked him if he might be interested.  And he is!  He actually asked if we could take Socks.  I don't see where that will be a problem.  Only thing is we'll need to probably rent a truck to haul my trailer, borrow a lighter trailer to haul with our truck, or rent a lighter trailer to use with our truck.

I think I can skip hauling water for that ride.  Would just need hay and grain.  Then on Sunday we could go tool around on the trails together.  And I could potentially see some different trails from the endurance ride!!

I'm actually getting excited about this weekend.  I can't wait to start conditioning.  I've got a new, lightweight saddle, my new heartrate monitor, and a plan in mind!  A completely achievable plan, and completely doable!  And it should get us prepared for our fall rides.  Which I can't wait to do!!  I'm ready to go see some new places!

In other news, I'm just 1 month shy of Kaylee's first birthday.  I haven't done much planning for her birthday party.  I'm surprised by how much other parents are doing for their baby's first birthday.  Big chalkboard signs with lots of information about their baby, fancy cakes, themed party, etc.

And I'm just over here going "Uhh..pink cowgirl theme.  I'll buy an inexpensive pool for the kids to play in, and some food.  Good?  Good."

It never ceases to amaze me just how much she's grown in 11 months.  And just how much personality she has.  And how clearly she can make herself understood without words.  She's not a snuggler or a cuddler.  For-get-it.  Don't hold her, just put her down.  Oh, you want to give kisses?  Nope!!  Not gonna have it!  She'll push on your face so you don't give her kisses.  Oh, is that a mirror?  Why yes, I'll check myself out, thank you very much!  She's such a riot.

And in other animal news; Shadow.  There's something wrong with him.  He's been on a thyroid medication for the past month, and so far, I'm seeing NO improvement.

He presented with:
Patchy/flakey/scaley skin
Pot belly
Lethargy
Excessive thirst
Excessive appetite

We did a blood panel on him, and they said it looks like thyroid.  HOWEVER, it could also be Cushings. 

The issue with that is testing him for Cushings is cost prohibitive.  We just simply don't have it.  Or rather, we have it, but, by the time we've spent it all, it's over what we've allotted for animal care.  I should perhaps do a post on that sometime and my thoughts.

So, I'm going to give the thyroid medication another month and hope that his skin clears up.  But, we're a month in now...and I'm seeing NO improvement.  In fact, I fear he's just getting worse. 

Other than that troubling stuff, the other animals are, as always, doing fine.

Plotting and planning my season...

Yesterday was spent trying to dig out from underneath work that has been piling up at work.  Things that need to be done, but there's no set time frame (per se) for it TO be done.

As such, I spent most of my day at work with my head down, putting out small fires as they popped up while attempting to get some of this stuff out of my office.

I did squeeze out some time to check over my AERC calendar once more, and then I do believe I've accidentally set myself up for an overnight equine camping trip the week prior to an endurance ride. 

By that point though, I should be so close to having Strider prepped and conditioned for the ride that a weekend of "easy" riding shouldn't undermine the foundation I've put on him.

Of course, since I like to get paperwork cleared up and out of the way, I went back to the AERC calendar to print off fliers and get my paperwork mailed in.  Out of 4 rides, just 1 has a flier up.  And I'm in a tizzy to get that sent in ASAP as it looks like there's limited trailer parking.  Now, while I have a small trailer, I do NOT want to park out in the boondocks and have to haul all of my gear to the vet in area.

In December I probably won't need the sun shade, but I'd still need to get set up:
Buckets for Strider to drink out of
Grain/Beet pulp/ELytes for him at our hold(s)
Hay
Chair for me
Snacks for me
Saddle rack to put the saddle on during the hold(s)

Just too much hassel.

I guess before I mail in the paperwork I need to decide if I REALLY want to try my 50 there.  I just dashed off an email to the RM (Ride Manager) to ask about the trailer parking, and when she responds, I'll ask her what I should do.  Pre-register for the 50, but if I need to drop down to the 25, could I do that at registration.

There's just so many factors at play here that I guess I can register for the 50, and if I opt to do the LD, the cost is just $10 less, so I can eat that without too much heartache.

I went ahead and emailed Joe my prospective ride calendar, and after that, it's just a matter of working out childcare for Kaylee while he's working Football games on Friday nights, and I'm off doing rides on Fridays. 

Of course, AERC is starting to post the spring rides.  I really should look at those.....

Racing Stripes in April (I missed it last year, and I'm so sad because I heard it was a great ride!), and Spirit of Texas again, also in April.  That's going to be a hard decision to make!! 

Maybe if there's not a ride I want to do in February, I can swing both in April.  :) 

So, going to look in to perhaps talking Joe in to staying at the Barn and Breakfast up there for Spirit of Texas, vetting in on Friday night, and getting up early on Saturday morning to head over to the trail head and do my ride, then maybe spend Sunday casually riding the grasslands.  :)

Only 2 full months left before ride season starts up again!!  And, if I'm lucky and fate's with us, Strider and I will make 100 LD miles before the end of the 2015 ride season!  And if we're ESPECIALLY fortunate, we'll ride our first 50 and begin the path to Decade Team! 

Conditioning Schedule for the Working Person (by Laura Peck)

I didn't happen to grab which Facebook group this came from, but all credit goes to Laura Peck who shared her conditioning schedule for those of us who work and have a life outside of the barn.

Weeks 1-4: Start doing 8 mile loop in 1.5 hours.  Each Sunday cut the time down until by the 4th week I'm near 1 hour.

Weeks 5-6:  Add 4 miles.  Now up to 12 each Sunday.  Do it in 2 hours or so.

Weeks 7-8:  Up it by another 4.  Now at 16 miles.  Have a VC (vet check) break in between the 8 mile loops.  Begin checking recovery HR (heart rate) time (magic number is 60 for me) adjust pace accordingly.  Faster if they come in at 60, slower if it takes them over 10 minutes to hit 60.  This is prior to any cool down.

Weeks 9-11:  If all if going well - I add a third 8 mile loop.  So for these three weeks, I'm doing a practice LD (Limited Distance) every Sunday.  I'm checking recovery times at the two trailer breaks, making sure they eat/drink well, and adjusting pace/electrolytes accordingly.  Also finding out what snacks and clothes work for me as well.

Week 12-on:  I back off.  Do 20+ mile training ride 2-3 times each month, with a short one thrown in - or skip one.  At this point, if you just do a 20+ mile ride every other week - they'll stay in shape.

Planning for the fall riding season...

An entire week off work and away from the horses has me tired and ready to get back to the barn.

Joe's laid out his fall calendar, and from the sounds of it, I'll be limited to only getting to ride on weekends.  Which hampers my conditioning plans immensely.  Frustrating, but I know it can be worked around. 

So, I'll spend Saturday mornings doing my conditioning rides; which means riding solo.  Unless I can hook up with other endurance riders, I know for those I'm better off just riding alone right now.  I need to work up some speed and distance, and to do that, I want to just hit the trails and get it done. 

Someone on the AERC or Green Bean page laid out a conditioning program for those of us who can only squeeze in a ride once a week, and while it's a 12 week program, Strider already has a decent base, and I know he CAN complete an LD at a turtle pace. 

My ultimate goal is Decade Team though.  And to be a decade team, you've got to do at least 1 endurance ride (and COMPLETE!) every year for 10 years. 

So, with that in mind, I started considering this conditioning plan, the future rides for this year that I want to attend, and when might be a good time for me to try and attempt our first 50.

The first ride for my fall season will be Armadillo in mid-October. 

I have EXACTLY 12 weeks to condition prior to that ride.  I'll be doing an LD at it as I want to ride with Beverly again.  And I want to see what kind of horse I have under me at the end of that ride.  If he still has gas in the tank and pulses down well.  He'll probably always be slow to pulse down, and I'm okay with that as long as he still acts like he's got some "go" to him.

So, there's Armadillo in October.

In November is Shuffle.  In Athens.  The trails that kicked our asses previously.  My single OT (you know, out of all 3 rides I've done). 

 This photo is from after our OT at Off Road Warrior.

And our two loops from that day:

First loop (the shorter loop!).

Second loop (the longer loop!).

If Strider does well for me at Armadillo, and we're not suffering under weeks of rain, I want to try it again.  I want to beat these damn trails.  Yes, they're technical.  But I KNOW we can do it.  And now that I feel slightly better prepared, I want to do it again. 

Planning on that one being another LD ride. 

And then, at the beginning of December is a brand new ride, River Run.  This is in San Antonio.

And, depending on the horse I have under me at Shuffle, I might give our first 50 attempt at River Run. 

My thinking is this; he's a heavier/thicker horse.  I'm a heavyweight rider.  The temps will be cooler at the beginning of December, so this might just work FOR him in this attempt.

Or, if I just don't think he's ready for River Run, there's High Roller on New Year's weekend, so I can try him there and see what I think.  I've ridden the 7iL trails once, and while I know they're sandy, I think he could still make a good run at it.

The other thing I'll need to do for those rides?  Clip him.  Which has me somewhat anxious.  I don't really own clippers, and I've never clipped a horse.  I'm thinking just a trace clip, but, I'll need to do some research in clipping and what might work best for him.

I did buy a lightweight blanket for him for the cooler rides to wear during holds.  I should also look at a rump rug as well I suppose.

But for now, my focus is on conditioning him. 

Every.Weekend.  Consistently. 

My last solo ride with Strider where we just went out and had fun alone together included LOTS of wasted time trying to get him to stand still so I could get in to the saddle.  He hates being alone, so standing still for mounting as well as side-passing to open/close gates is a training session we need to have.  The standing still one in particular.  That's one I can do on my own sometime.  It's not fun, but it's necessary.

But, in our solo ride, we covered 5 miles at an average speed of 4.27mph in 1:10.  A little too slow, but, factoring in the time I burned waiting to mount up and ride, we were perhaps closer to the minimal target of 5mph.  Maybe more.  I know with just a little more conditioning, he'll be able to hit the minimum without a problem.

I got my equine HR monitor in, so I'll be clipping that to him as well to see where we're at during rides as well.

In a separate post I'll lay out the program another rider uses.  It's completely rideable and something I can do if I get to the barn before the heat gets too bad, and even be home before most of the day is burned for the first few weeks.

I'm ready to get back to it!  And, honestly, Strider was so perky on our last solo ride together with seeing new trails that he was ears forward, head up, let's go and gait this mom and see what's around the next turn kind of horse. 

I'm ready to go.  He'll be ready to go soon enough!

Wants, Wishes and Dreams

While the boys have moved to a different facility (sadly, my BO decided not to renew her lease with her crappy Land Owner), I've only been able to make it out there a total of 3 times since the move.

It's depressing.  But, mostly because life has just been so busy that the horses have been put on the back burner.

Kaylee had swim lessons 2 times a week for a month, and then Joe and I are doing (tonight is our last class) the Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" which I highly recommend.  Common sense things to do.  Joe and I still aren't quite on the same page with all of the things he's teaching, but...hopefully he'll get on board.

So, with that in mind, and with Joe and the boys and I going out of town next week (mom and dad are going to keep Kaylee since I can't imagine an infant enjoying the beach very much), I've carved out two times to get to the barn before we go.

I'm going to go out Friday after work and just cram in a quick ride on Strider.  I want to get him out and stretch his legs.  Lately, the rides have been kind of...well...non-productive.  I don't enjoy those types of rides.  I want to saddle up and move out.  So, that's the plan on Friday.

On Sunday, I potentially have someone looking to lease Socks.  That'd be nice for Socks.  He's such a nice boy and I hate him sitting around, but I don't have enough free time anymore to ride 2.  I will in a few years, or when Kaylee is large enough to join me in the saddle, but until then, he needs a rider. 

Right now, if everything shakes out the way I hope, I'll be doing LDs beginning in the fall and almost running straight through until the summer hits again.  So, with that in mind, I've GOT to get Strider out and riding again.

I don't mind turtling, I really REALLY don't.  But it sure would be nice to have a horse under me who, at the end of 25 miles still had some gas in the tank. 

I think our last LD is still haunting me.  There were just SO MANY factors and things that went so awfully wrong, but I sometimes forget that.  But it's why I'm planning on trying it again this fall.  I simply hope to ride the trails and complete this go around.

So, if things work out the way I hope, I'll do 1 ride a month.

The List:
Armadillo in October (Davy Crockett National Forest)
Shuffle Away the Summer in November (Trace Trails in Athens)
River Run at Los Caminos in December (San Antonio)
High Roller in January (Cat Spring)
Racing Stripes in April (Mt. Pleasant)
Spirit of Texas in April (LBJ National Grasslands)

I'm hoping that Shanghai Trails gets posted to the AERC calendar.  I'd like to ride it again.  Yes, it will always hold a very special place in my heart as it was our first ride.  It was in March of last year, so potentially it could happen again.  I sure hope so.  It wasn't that far from home, and the property was very nice to ride!

Looking at the calendar from 2015, I'm hoping that another ride that's close to home gets posted again, which would be a February ride. 

Now, I might have to pick one of the April rides and only do one.  I did Spirit of Texas, but didn't get to see much of the Grasslands, which was disappointing.  But I heard Racing Stripes was a great ride too.  Decisions, decisions!

I'm half-tempted to try and book both, but need to decide a little closer.  There's a cute little "Barn and Breakfast" near the Grasslands I told Joe I could book for us so he could join me.  He could fish during the ride and I could go tear up the trails.  :)  We'll see how that works though.  When we get closer I'll decide.

Right now, all of these are barefoot rides.  I'm just not sold on boots yet.  Do I want a pair?  Of course I do!!  But, with Renegades running about $400 to go all around, and not being in a color I just am DYING to have, I'm good putting off that purchase. 

What I -want- is a lightweight saddle.  And some biothane colored tack.  ;)  I picked up a sponge, so that'll help keep Strider cool on trails.

1 Week At Our New Equine "Residence"

So the boys (and Fuego!) have now been at their new place of residence for a full week.

And it would appear that the three of them have integrated with one another nicely.  Only a few additional scrapes and hair missing.  What a RELIEF!!

There was a lot of discussion prior to the move and lots of communication between people who knew all three horses about how to ease them in to this with minimal amount of fighting between them all. 

Quick recap about my two:
Socks - was an intact breeding stallion until 6 years of age; low man on the totem pole in a herd now that he's aged.  However, is boss of Strider.

Strider - gelded as a yearling.  While at the last boarding facility, he was top dog of the herd.  Can be a bully.  However, yields to Socks.

Now, lets add Fuego in to the mix.

Fuego is a beautiful red road mustang that my now co-boarder Jet owns.  He was also a stallion and has at least 1 filly I know about on the ground.  When I initially moved Socks and Strider to the previous boarding facility, Fuego ran my two in to the ground to keep them away from "his" herd.  So, for the past 2+ years, Fuego's been in a large pen with occasional rotation out when my two are put up.  The three of them will ride out together just fine.  It's just at liberty that things could have potentially gotten hairy, so rather than deal with it, the old BO just kept them apart.

However, I get along great with Jet.  And I didn't want to lose a good riding buddy.  I hated seeing our barn break up, so she and I decided we'd stay together if our 3 could get along.

AND THEY DO!!  HOOOOOORAY!!!

Conditioning Isn't THAT Complex!

Now that I'm all caught up on an established endurance blog (Redheaded Endurance), and some of the newer endurance blogs (Willstheconquerer and green-to-100 and silver eagle soars), I'm off to go find another established endurance blog to devour like mad.

I keep jumping back and forth between Endurancegranny's and Funder's "It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time".

This is also along with my brief glimpse into the "arena set" of the $900 Facebook Pony and She Moved to Texas' blogs as well.

I especially adore the older blogs.  They're established, and there's enough reading material there to keep me happy for a few weeks while I get caught up to the current entries.

I'll probably continue to devour Endurance Granny's blog and then go read Funder's.

But, and I've known this, I've Known this, I've KNOWN this, but conditioning needn't take all that long.  I'm kind of "out" of it due to the weather, but for well over a month, I was committed to getting out to the barn 3 times a week and 1 day on the weekend, and I was lunging 2 horses at a gait or at a trot for 20 minutes (with brief breaks, they're both out of shape) because it was time consuming for me to catch 2 horses on 100 acres, groom and tack up.  Yes, short cut, but I'm trying to juggle my family and my horses and my "endurance" (well, right now, my Limited Distance) hobby.  So lunging was what I had the time for.

Now though, that we've moved, they're in a pen.  Very easy to catch them.  The property I'm boarding on has a lighted arena I can use.  A nice round pen.  And marked trails!  And a rought guesstimate about how long the trails are on each side of the property.  And one side is fairly flat trails, and the other side is hilly trails.  Conditioning opportunities abound now!  And I'm so close to McKinney roughs that I can haul over there for a morning ride on the weekend should I so desire!

So, as I'm reading through the Endurance Granny's blog, I'm noting that conditioning rides during the week are 6 or 7 miles (give or take, sometimes more), and I realized; hell, I can do that now!!  Pick a side of the property, pick a speed and get my tail shaking!!  I can do this. 

So I'm back to committing some of my time on weeknights to getting out there and getting myself some time in the saddle. 

I have a few "large" purchases I want to make before our next ride:
Heart rate monitor (about $100)
Hoof boots (price varies; probably about $160-$200?)
New saddle (the one I'm looking at, about $350 at the top end)

It's all doable, and it's all potentially doable prior to our next ride (in October, but I need the hoof boots ASAP to try and make the first ride in October on Strider).

I'd like to get Socks some official AERC miles.  Still trying to figure out how to make that happen.  It might be possible if I can borrow a lighter trailer to haul both boys.

In which case, I REALLY need to get myself a tent.  :)

Reality checks...right in the heart...

At work today (well, I mean, it IS Monday, right?), and I'm flummoxed and emotionally twisted over finances and some health problems (nothing serious, but my gall bladder is on a personal mission to kill me...or at least make me want to carve it out with a spoon ["Why a spoon cousin?" "Because it's dull you twit, it'll HURT more!"]) and realizing that all of my plans for this week are spiraling out of control, and my desire to go to the barn Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Weekend (Pick a day, any day!) was going up in flames.

Well, suffice to say, I was NOT a happy camper. 

I haven't ridden either of my horses in well over a month, closer to 2 months.  I've only seen them twice in that span of time (owing to holidays and weather primarily), and I'm just frustrated and angry about it, and that's bleeding over into my entire life.

Honestly, it's not a joke when I say my horses are my therapy.  Good ride.  Bad ride.  I just need to ride.  Or just get me out there to spend time with my horses.  It's a mood shift and I need it so badly.

Anyway, I'm at work, doing all of the little tiny things that need to be done, returning phone calls, putting out tiny fires, answering emails and in the midst of all of that, I'm reading the blogs I follow.

I'll be honest; I'm new at following Endurance blogs.  Not due to lack of desire, but I haven't followed blogs since LiveJournal stopped being the place to hang out once Facebook crashed on the scene. 

But, for the past few months now, I've been following 2 local Hunter/Jumper bloggers. 

Now, when I follow a blog, that means I go back to the very first entry (assuming I can get to it) and I begin there.  I want the WHOLE story.  I want to know how we got from *there* to *here*, and that means to get it, I need to read it.  Plus, it's nice not having to wait for updates.  I'm kind of impatient.

One of the blogs is the $900 Facebook Pony about Henry and his rider Amanda.  I don't understand some of it (I don't speak "English"), but the pictures are always great and I love the glimpse in to a world of horses so different, yet so familiar, to my own.

But the other local H/J blogger I follow is She Moved to Texas about Simon and his rider Lauren.  I love reading Lauren's blog because it's got lots of different things.  How to make a successful blog.  How to do equine photography.  And even some equine DIY stuff!!  It's fantastic!!

So, $900 FB Pony is usually first up for me to check in the morning as Amanda does her posts kind of early in the day.  Lauren does her updates around 10 (she talks about that in one of her previous blog posts). 

However, I noticed last week on Friday there was no update.  Weird.  I checked sporatically throughout the day thinking maybe she was just late.  But, nothing.

And today there was an update.  And it brought all of my own plans, bothers and nuisances right in to sharp focus and contrast.

I mean, you know it's never good when a blog post has a title of "The Heart Hurts".  My first thought was she'd somehow lost Simon, and my heart sank.

But no.  It was worse.  SO much worse.

I thought, as I read she and her husband were going to end up divorced.

But no.  It was worse.  So SO much worse.

Her husband died of a drug OD.

And my life snapped back and I realized that in all of my own petty worries and concerns, here is the fellow equestrian who's dealing with some REAL shit.  REAL problems.  And a heartbreaking loss I can't even fathom.

And the sheer outpouring of love for her on her blog.  Touching. 

I hope that some of the pain eases for her.  I know her heart will never be whole again.  How can it be?  But may the pain lessen over time.  May she find love and comfort and get through the rough times ahead as she has to go through the unthinkable of planning a funeral for someone she planned to live out the rest of her life with.  And she figures out where to go from here.

Her life will never be the same. 

And mine?  My life really isn't that bad. 

I needed that reality check today.  But not at that high of a painful price.

Pre-ride weekend ramblings...

I'm currently at work, but I've already mentally checked out, despite the mountain of work threatening to bury and crush me beneath its behemoth hulk.  And it's not like I can even stay late to finish up what isn't done.  Joe and I have our first Dave Ramsey "Financial Peace University" class tonight promptly at 6:30, so, time is running out.

But, when I've gotten breaks in the workload (waiting on faxes, just taking a 15 minute break, or just needing a mental break from reading), I've been popping on Facebook....because that's what I do.

And I had a moment where I kind of went "The endurance community is kind of cool."

Now, I'm not going to lie, the first two rides I went to, I could sense/feel the cliques.  Dude, they're real, like in any other group of people.  It's not that they're unwelcoming to newcomers, but they're very excited to see friends they may only see at rides, so they're busy catching up with one another, so they may not exactly greet the "Green Beans" with open arms and a booming welcome.

My first ride, I happened to get to hitch a ride with a rider who has been in the community for a few years, but tends to keep to the fringe.  I get it.  So it was GREAT to have her as someone to keep me company all weekend long.  Didn't hurt she also shared her knowledge with me.  That's what probably helped Strider and I get our first completion. 

My second ride, I went 100% solo.  Right after the ride dinner, I was sitting in my trailer, feeling rather lonesome and out of sorts.  No one really talked to me, and I was so overwhelmed about the new routes that the trail was going to be taking due to the weather that mentally during the meeting, I just shut down.  It had already been a long day of hauling to get to camp, and then setting it up that I was just mentally checking out.

I sent a text to Joe while I was sitting in my tent feeling sad for myself and told him I didn't even know why I had come.  I was lonely and I didn't feel like I fit in.

Now, as a brief backtrack, another rider had started a private conversation for some of us newbie riders on Facebook to talk and get to know one another.  But, as I'm such an awkward chickenpants, I was to scared to try and find their trailer to go say hi.

Joe told me if I was that unhappy, he and Kaylee could come up (4 hour drive?  And sleep I dunno where?  No, I wouldn't subject them to my own folly).  OR, he said just pack it in and go home.

Not gonna lie; briefly thought about it.  Except it was getting dark by then.

So, I ran to go potty, and when I got back, there were 3 people in my camp petting Strider.

It was the group of people who had hooked me up with some fellow green riders! 

So, I walked with them back to their trailer, met their horses, and worked out a ride plan for the morning with the newbie rider.

And I felt better.  So, at least I knew someone!

And, then I met and rode with a very experienced rider on the trail who helped keep us on pace and on track, and then she happily conceded the Turtle Award to Strider and I. 

After our completion and I got Strider settled in after our ride, she and I had a celebratory glass of wine at her trailer and sat and talked.  And that was nice.  And she said she'd try and save us a spot next to her trailer for the next ride.

And, tomorrow I leave for our 3rd ride, but it'll be our last ride of my "spring" season.  And, here I am on Facebook, talking with people who are coming, looking forward to seeing her again. 

And the few people I've talked to on Facebook, who have either been at the rides I've already been at, or who I've met (albeit briefly), while none of them can make the ride this weekend, we're all making plans for the rides in the future.  And it's nice.  Well, actually, there's one lady who I briefly met at my first ride who'll be at this ride, and I'm planning to ride with her on Sunday...so that's taken care of!!

So, while I know there's cliques, it seems that my way around it is to form my own group of friends to talk to at rides.  And keep up with them between rides on Facebook. 

And I know that as each ride goes by, it will get easier and easier.  I'll be (slightly less) anxious about going and making it through.  I'll figure out more and more what works best for me and my horse.  We'll tally up more and more miles, and, I hope, we'll enjoy the trails as they pass beneath our hooves.

As my horse lends me the strength of his back, his legs, his feet, his wind and his heart, I hope that we can enjoy the trails together.  We'll never be swift, we'll never be 'racers', but may our rides always be safe and pleasurable together.

It's almost time again Strider.  Time to saddle up and ride.

The Endurance Riders Prayer

I know that I haven't finished my write-up for my second ride just yet...and as of today, I have just today and tomorrow before I pull out on Friday for our third (and last of the Spring season) ride, but someone posted this to the Facebook AERC page, and it perfectly sums up how I feel while preparing for a ride. 

The Endurance Riders Prayer
Dear LORD as I send in my ride entry today,

I pray that you watch over my horse and his health,
Like holy bubble wrap for his legs, spine, gut, face, eyes
And holy armor for my truck/trailer, with specific attention to
My truck and trailer tires, suspension, exhaust system, brakes, transmission,
pumps, buttons, brakes, flooring and lights, and any other important parts I may be
forgetting or unaware of that are likely equally as important.
Also LORD, please watch over all my endurance pals and help them to be equally as safe as they make their preparations for their own rides.
In your holy name,
AMEN.
-Elizabeth Ecklund

Each and every rider worries and frets over every little thing on their horse up to the minute the ride begins, then as we go down the trail(s) at our own speed, we fret about them taking a misstep or a stumble.  Will they pulse down quickly?  Will they be sound?  Will they vet check okay?

We're bundles of anxiety...except the siren's song of the trail, it calls to us. 

I have found a joy and purpose in my riding that has been lacking the past few years.  Casual trail riding no longer satiates me.  I want to ride for a purpose.  When I put my foot in the stirrup, I want to gently encourage my horse to stretch himself just a little bit more than the last time we went out. 

I absolutely adore being out on the trails.  Being out there and enjoying my ride with everyone else.

I am overwhelmed at the improvements I've seen in my horse.  No longer is he sour and annoyed when we ride.  He comes to see me when I pull in to the barn, as if to find out as soon as possible what new adventure I have planned. 

He walks out with purpose if we stay on the property at the barn, and walks away from the herd without an issue.  He's ready to go.  Water in the way?  Let's get through it, or around it, but it's not going to deter our ride.  Want me to cross that creek that's to his belly?  Okay, sure.  I'm ready, let's RIDE!!

My horse is so utterly and completely different from the horse I used to have that it's sheer joy to ride with him.  He still pushes himself, and I still worry.  But we enjoy our time together.

Oh Strider, may our trails together be ever filled with beauty.  May you stay ever sound and may you always enjoy our rides together. 

Together, my sweet, brave boy, we'll see many trails.  Make many new friends.  And enjoy our hours together.

On the road to ride camp...

Friday morning, I slept in until 7.  Except I kept waking up sporadically all night long, checking the clock, thinking and re-thinking of everything I needed to take and pack and to not forget.

Sometimes it's hard to remember that the ONLY thing(s) I need are:
A horse
Tack

The rest of it, I don't doubt I could get at ride camp if I arrived only with my horse.  It's really not a joke that endurance people are so generous. 

Honestly, I suspect if I just showed up with a horse, I could cobble together tack to ride in, something to feed him and water for the weekend.  Because that's how endurance people roll.  They're so very generous.  It's one of the things I truly enjoy about being in ride camp.  Well, now that I'm starting to meet some people! 

Facebook helps in facilitating meeting others!  As does riding with people.  I'm quickly figuring out who's who...or at least putting some names with faces. 

Anyway..Friday morning.  The plan was to be rolling on down the road from the barn no later than 10:15. 

Yeah.  No.  11:15. 

It was raining all night, so just kind of icky out.  I hadn't yet filled my water tank.  I needed to load up my coolers with the frozen water and get my food and clothes loaded at the house before I could even get to the barn.

Got Kaylee out the door around 8ish, trailer loaded around 9:30ish (I could NOT resist a final shower before leaving the house since I knew the next shower I'd be taking would be Sunday night when I got home).  As I'm literally putting my boots on, Joe calls and asks if he can meet me out at the barn to at least say "Hi" as I'm running out of town.

So, I bolt out to the barn (well, bolt isn't accurate....I made my way slowly and carefully..you can tell there's 300 lbs of water in the bed of the truck, and I haven't even added the weight of a horse yet!) and make my way down to get Strider.

I stop and say hi to Socks as he's milling about with all the other horses while I wait for Joe.  He's got, as usual, some sunburning going on with his nose.  I need to get something on that to prevent the burning.  Poor fellow.  :( 

I have to hand-walk Strider through a few gates since there's 2 cattle guards in the way.  Always fun as I slog through wet grass up to my knees.  But, we did it.

And, he popped right in to the trailer (YAY!).  That felt good.  However, without Socks on the other side of the divider, he kept sticking his head under it and giving me this pathetic "Mom!  HALP!!  I'm STUCK!!  And sad looking!" look.  It really is pathetic.

I finally loosely tied him up while Joe and I went over the trailer one last time and made sure it was in as good as it could be order.

Said our good-byes, then Strider and I were rolling.

Instead of taking the toll road, I routed through Bastrop.  Not smart.  I think that added extra time to my drive.  I did stop for a potty break and water on the way, and finally gave up and hopped on the toll around at 71, then all the way up through to IH-35.

I stopped for gas around Waco.

And, I think sometimes the Universe puts us where we need to be and gently nudges us to our karmic destiny.

Anyway, I had JUST finished filling the truck up and was fixing to go inside to go potty again (I hate stopping!), and I had been thinking about an instance in the past where a poor guy had approached Joe at a gas station because he was a day or two before payday and didn't have the money to put any fuel in his truck, so Joe got a pump started for him, and the guy put $10 in. 

So, as I was thinking about that, a guy, deeply apologetic, came around the side of the pump as I was putting the nozzle away, and in a very embarrassed tone told me about how he and his wife were from Waxahachie and had driven down to Temple for him to get a job (he installs or does glass for businesses).  And, he realized he'd left his wallet behind, and the only reason he knew was because his wife mentioned she was starting to get hungry.  And, could I lend them some money to put like $15 in their truck? 

I happily started the pump up for him, and offered him a $20 for him and his wife to stop for something to eat as well.  As I told him, it wouldn't get them anything fancy for lunch, but it would at least get them something to eat (and, what I didn't say was, if they were careful and the little bit of gas they put in to his truck didn't get them home, whatever change was left WOULD).

I believe good karma gets paid forward.  I also believe that we put out positive energy in to the Universe, and that the Universe put me there at that exact moment to help him out.  If someone else had been there, he might not have gotten any gas.  If he'd gone to a different gas station, I wouldn't have been able to help.

The good feeling carried me forward.

Until Fort Worth.

Oh gods, how I hate you Fort Worth.  You and your ugly traffic and your road construction and your moron drivers who seem to assume that I can stop in a heart beat. 

I was SO relieved to get off 35 as soon as I was able.  SO relieved.  I'm sure Strider couldn't figure out why he was getting jerked around back there while I struggled with people cutting me off or not letting me merge when lanes mysteriously vanished within 100 yards or whatever.  SO annoying!!

But, we finally go to leave 35 and continue on our merry way to a far less busy road. 

I considered stopping for lunch several times, but by this point, I just wanted to get to ride camp so I could get my horse off the trailer, get my camp set up, and cook my hot dogs I had waiting for me in my cooler.  I'd been thinking about them for days and how good they were going to taste!!

And, as ALWAYS happens, I missed the turn off.  Yep.  ALWAYS happens.  So, I continued down a little further, turned it around and got back on track. 

Beautiful twisting roads with some hills.  I could drink in those views for years.  Wide open fields and just green, green grass.

And then, I turned off a paved road to the Forest road.

POTHOLES!! 

I can't stress how BAD the potholes and divots and just how AWFUL those roads are.  So SO bad.  I kept hollering out apologies to my horse for the rattling we were doing.

But, my phone's GPS got us to ride camp, where I stopped briefly and grabbed my envelope from registration and then I took stock about where the heck to park myself.  Most of the sites were already full, and I didn't want to get to far in to the grass for fear I'd never get out again. 

It was at this moment I was grateful to have a small trailer.  I saw there was an open spot near the registration trailer, near the vet-in area and near the potties.  SOLD!!!

I manage to pull through this site, assess where I want to put my portable corral, and I unload my horse.  Who, I must say, was GRATEFUL to be off the deathbox of horsey-doom!