Did 15 miles on Helo today out to Sandy Point and back, with Michelle Graham and Ace. Sarah was celebrating Easter with her family and couldn't come. Went pretty slow, also went without Renegades since we don't have a new one to replace the broken one yet. Other than getting beat up by some downed branches from recent storms (my fault, not the horse), everything went great. Helo was a perfect gentleman! We also conquered the Hill of Doom on the way home.
For cuteness factor, here is a picture of Michelle's colt, Cowboy (nearly two months old) and his daddy, Ace. Photo is care of Seven Diamonds Photography. How cool is it that you can put a baby out with a stallion and they are both totally fine and play together!?!? He is growing VERY fast! Love the blue eyes on both horses!
Forgot to put in this one too....Ghost has been progressing very well down in NC! Jonie and Dennis have been ponying him on 5-10 mile trail rides, and now Jonie is even riding him! Mary went down and also tested him out; said he was wonderful on trail and she even got on and off him a few times. The plan is hopefully to meet up in South Carolina for Sand Hills, and have both Frank, Halo, and Ghost there for the ride (I will probably ride Halo but it all depends on Mary and Jonie). Dennis reports: 
"Jonie, believe it or not is riding Ghost on trail. I ponied him four times, eight miles each trip and then she ponied him 5 times about nine miles each trip. Two weeks ago, she rode him 9 miles, and now has had him out on trail for the 6th time today. He is now fully shod, crosses water like a champ trotting some on trail and really coming along. Still have mounting issues, but not getting off. Jonie stands on the wheel well of the trailer, then slides herself on and he is fine. If she uses a mounting block or steps in a stirrup, well you know the story....I will keep you in the loop..."
Great news! He's going to be a very nice horse. I need to go down and ride him soon (you know, if you fall off get back on whole thing). ;-)
Alright folks, just now sitting down for this one... Foxcatcher! Sarah and I were able to hitch a last minute-ride with Carolyn Vavala (and her most luxurious rig) to this race in MD. We decided to do the LD, since it was our ponies' first ride out. Having done this ride before, I knew what to expect from the trail: rolling hills and some fun bridges and tunnels to get through.
We arrived at ride camp Friday afternoon and set up. We knew bad weather was coming for Race Day, and already the ground was very soft and wet. Not so good when you're in a 44ft 18,000lb rig. Indeed, rigs were already getting stuck and needing to get moved/pulled out with a tractor. Good on ride management for having it ready and waiting to go!Vet in went fine, both horses were good with the vets. Aleah's heart rate was 48, Helo's a little higher. Everyone was sound and happy, and eating and drinking A LOT. I think we 
went though 3 buckets of water before dinner! Ride meeting went fine, though the tent was SUPER crowded. I should note that this ride is notorious for having poorly marked trail, and it appeared we were in for it once again. Not only would the trail be the same, but there were other running races going on the same day that had similar markings to follow. AND their trail overlapped ours. Fabulous. Having done it before, though, and knowing we were going just to train and have fun I had confidence that we would get through ok. Once it started to get dark, we blanketed the ponies, made sure things were set for the AM, and then bunked for the night. Carolyn and I passed out early, with Jack the dog pouting (though I think it was from incoming bad weather, not from being bored. or at least I tell myself that).
Morning of the ride, both 25's and 50's were leaving at the same time, but from opposite ends of camp. Horses were a little wired while tacking up, Helo especially was nervous. But between the two of us we got through, and Aleah confidently led us through to the start time and out on trail where we started slow and then settled in to a nice medium trot. The horses did pretty well for it being their first time off and passing, being passed, etc. Aleah was a little racey, but nothing out of line. Helo seemed to loosen up and get over his nervousness as soon as we started moving. Trail was exactly as I expected it to be.....absolutely beautiful and well-maintained, but marked poorly. Confidence markers where we didn't need them, and no markers around blind turns when we came out of the woods and didn't know where to go. Several people missed turns, it was very frustrating.
Coming in to the first vet check, Aleah was down right away! Helo took a little more time, coming in to camp seemed to make his nervousness return. It took us FOREVER to vet through, the pulse takers were quick but because half of the vets were out on trail at a gate-n-go for the 50's, there weren't enough back in camp and we had to wait forever in line. It really came in handy to have both Sarah and I there, because one of us could hold the horses while the other went and got blankets and buckets for the horses while waiting. By the time we got through, we only had 20 minutes to really rest at our crew spot. Helo was still nervous and a little slow in eating, so we took some extra time getting ready before going out. A personal note here, the out timer at this ri
de was totally rude. I was fuming about it for a while, he seemed inexperienced and was not nice to us as we asked a.) if it was okay for us to go and b.) which way the trail left camp (he actually refused to answer the second question). After complaining about it later, I found out he had been that way with several people during the day. I know I know....we all love our volunteers! But this guy was definitely a grade A dump! Probably would have been smarter to put someone more experienced and a little happier at that post! Yes the weather was crappy. But we were really nice in asking him if we could leave! Don't know why he was so mean to all of us.
Second loop was quick, 
horses came in and both vetted in even better than the first time. Aleah's finishing heart rate was 48/36!!!! Whoa. We came in perfectly in mid-pack, as planned. Helo was also much better and calmer through this check, and both passed with flying colors. Very happy and proud of both of them! Just after we finished the weather started to get SERIOUSLY bad. Rain, wind, cold, yech. Carolyn was doing the 50, we watched her leave for her last loop and went up for her finish (she finished mid-pack out of 60+ riders. Good job Carolyn!
Since it was a last-minute decision, we went in Renegade training boots and not glue-ons. The course was really muddy in some places; Aleah kept all of her boots on all day but Helo lost 3 of his. The first was a freak accident; he did a little spook while on the pavement and got it caught and flipped. The second and third times were definitely bc of mud, one came off completely and the other flipped sideways. We think we have developed a plan to winch down his toe straps a little tighter to see how it works, but may switch to glue-on for future rides to be safe. Otherwise they worked just fine.
Once we were all finished, we had the tractor pull out the rig from the mudbog and up to higher paved ground. We moved the horses up there and packed up, taking our time so they could rest and we could relax a bit before hitting the road (we were leaving same-day, Carolyn had events on Sunday and the weather truly was terrible). Again, hooray for having a tractor there!
And now for the exciting news....I got a new trailer! It's a 2001 CM in PRISTINE condition, just needs new tires and bearings packed and we're good to go! I still have my old one, but it really turned out to be way too small and I wanted something the horses would like better (and in better shape). Very excited to be able to travel and go to rides wherever I need now (without being embarrassed). :-) Still trying to sell the old trailer as a pony or livestock rig, in case anyone is interested.
That's all for now folks!
Garmin Training Report 4/10/11Did the back trails closer to Sarah's house to get a little more speed and give the horses something different. Both were very enthusiastic, and Aleah was a little firecracker for once! We had to have some discussions about ME controlling speed and not her, lol. It was great to get off the road and have a higher average speed. Had some trouble with boots in the mud today, made note to tie off velcro on the Renegades with trash ties to hold them in place (once the velcro gets muddy, it comes apart easier). Jack came along too and went the whole way. We ended the ride on Sarah's property with a few short hill climbs as well.
Training at Sandy Point 4/3Garmin cut out about 5 miles into the ride, but we did extra trail so we estimate 17-18 miles training. Both horses seemed a little bored today; we made note to try something different for next time. Helo lost his boot for the first time, but the strap held it on and he reacted perfectly (ie stopped). Also, the Hill of Doom was CONQUERED on the way home! Yay!
This past weekend was the Old Dominion No Frills ride in Star Tannery, VA. I went up to crew for Becky Boyce and her Junior, Amy on the LD 30. Becky rode Sunny (owned by Ann Crandell) and Amy rode Maggie, a nice well-behaved mare that's been around endurance for a while. Becky was super-awesome as always and let me stay at her house through the weekend. Thanks Becky and Justin for letting Jack and I crash!The weather was typical No Frills: Cold, Wet, and MUDDY! It rained all day on Friday, so by Saturday everything was a nice sloppy mess. Combine that with the rock of Old Dominion country and you have quite a technical, challenging ride! Didn't seem to slow everyone down too much though. The OD managers took great care of everyone at the vet check, providing food and water for both people and horses (as well as hot chocolate and tea). They allowed very few people back at the check so we were happy to be there, and tried to help many of the horse and rider teams that came in. Jack was also with us, and was a very friendly and happy doggy face to keep everyone's spirits up! Becky won the LD and Amy came in second and got first Junior! Sunny pulsed down faster than Maggie, as he has more conditioning on him and is a little more spry. Becky actually tried to give Amy her placing but it didn't quite work out. No matter though, both horses performed great and did fantastic all day! They flew on the last loop and overtook everyone. Both horses are very familiar with the trails there, since that's where they train, so they knew they were headed home!I wasn't familiar with the riders who won the 50, but they set a blistering pace finishing in about 5 hours. Daryl Downs, Sandra Fretelleire, Steven Hay and their crew of PA riders came in top 10 just behind them. Since it was No Frills, they didn't do an awards ceremony so I don't know what the official standings are. But I will keep everyone posted as I find out. I do know there was a pretty good completion rate so it seemed that as fast as some people went, everyone was pretty careful and took good care of their horses.After the ride, we went back to Becky's house to shower and then led everyone out to the Lost River Brewery down the road past the WVA border. The food there is phonemenal and they have a well-stocked bar. Most of the riders staying overnight made an appearance, so you can bet it was quite a rockin time! Even the vets and ride managers came out! Awesome times.Sunday, we went back to the Crandell's property so that Becky could test out my Freeform saddles. I have both a classic and Enduro X model, she liked the classic better. Both are very different but are solid treeless saddles (which is great for me since I ride so many different horses). If you're looking at going treeless they are one I like to recommend. They tend to range between $1,000-$1,500. Also, once you decide on a base the seat is interchangeable, so you can mix and match based on your preference or riding style! http://www.freeformsaddles.com/ I also really like the new ansur models, but they are still way out of my price range ($3,500-$4,000). http://www.ansursaddle.com/ She also tried out a few more saddles that John brought out for her, including a very interesting one from Italy that looked like a playschool kids toy! Just kidding, it's actually an ingenious idea. The saddle is made out of a durable plastic that is completely hollow and super lightweight. It has a light pad screwed into it (like the Haf pads except less thickness). So it's really REALLY light. The only bad thing about it is it isn't curved wide enough in the front, so there was some fit trouble. John took it apart and is going to try a heat gun or blow torch to see if he can reshape it. Man-hilarity at it's best! Good news for next weekend: it looks like Sarah Seasholls and I will be able to make Foxcatcher after all! Many of my flatlander buddies were at No Frills, including Carolyn Vavala (from Gloucester, VA). Carolyn came up to drag ride and volunteer, and mentioned that she was going to Foxcatcher the following weekend. Knowing that Sarah's truck probably wouldn't be fixed in time, I asked if we could hitch a ride, and she said yes! So our late entries are now in and we'll be riding up to Maryland in style! Carolyn is a lifesaver! I'm not sure if you all know her, but she is a wonderful friend and a very loving person, and I'm very happy to have her help! I also will hopefully be working with her gelding, Luke, soon once our schedules line up a little more. Yay more training experience for me!I should do quick mention that we had a little trouble with the Renegade boots this weekend. It was pretty muddy and each horse had the bottom velcro around the toe slip off 1-2 times. The good thing is, when that happen the boot tends to stay on for a bit (so you can catch it), and if it does come completely off the ankle strap tends to keep it on the horse, so you don't lose it. When this happened to Helo, he simply stopped to let Sarah fix it. Aleah had a little more of a reaction, she took a few dance steps and then stopped. The issue really was stemming from the velcro coming loose once it got muddy, then making it more difficult to put back together.There are some easy tips though to prevent this from happening (which we plan on doing from now on). Sarah found these on the blog sites and I remember Heather and Jeremy using them too, just forgot until now:1. Using trash ties, wrap them around the toe keeper strap to keep the straps/velcro in place once you have the boots sized.2. Replace the toe velcro straps with a biothane curb strap instead of velcroApparently doing either one of these things makes it pretty difficult for the boot to come off mid-ride.That's it for now, I'll keep everyone apprised as Foxcatcher pans out and we see how Aleah and Helo handle it!
This weekend is OD No Frills! Sarah and I were originally going to take Helo and Aleah for the LD, but unfortunately her rig met into some craziness. Basically, the transmission blew, and when the tow trucks came to get her, they dropped her truck while loading it onto the back of the tow truck (cable broke). It came sliding back and slammed into the trailer. CRAZY! Thankfully there were no horses in the trailer! Everything is getting repaired, but we're not sure it's going to get done in time. So in order not to rush it we're going to hold off for a bit. Horses are ready and raring though, so we've got the calendar in mind and will head up to another ride soon. Maybe Foxcatcher next week, or if not Biltmore or something in SC. We shall see....I should mention, both horses are currently barefoot and using Renegade boots to train in (http://www.renegadehoofboots.com/). We plan on using glue-ons for competition. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE training in the renegades if you're going the barefoot route. They are so easy to get on and off, and we really haven't had any problems at all with rubbing or losing boots on trail. In fact, there are lots of blogs out there with tricks and tips to fitting your boots, I'll see if I can't pull some for everyone. I'm going up to Star Tannery, VA this weekend anyway to hang out with the most amazing Becky Boyce (Legs' current owner) and help out crewing for everyone. Then it's off to party, then back down on Sunday to ride with Sarah again. Should be fun, I can't wait to get away!
Forgot to put in this one too....Ghost has been progressing very well down in NC! Jonie and Dennis have been ponying him on 5-10 mile trail rides, and now Jonie is even riding him! Mary went down and also tested him out; said he was wonderful on trail and she even got on and off him a few times. The plan is hopefully to meet up in South Carolina for Sand Hills, and have both Frank, Halo, and Ghost there for the ride (I will probably ride Halo but it all depends on Mary and Jonie). Dennis reports: 
went though 3 buckets of water before dinner! Ride meeting went fine, though the tent was SUPER crowded. I should note that this ride is notorious for having poorly marked trail, and it appeared we were in for it once again. Not only would the trail be the same, but there were other running races going on the same day that had similar markings to follow. AND their trail overlapped ours. Fabulous. Having done it before, though, and knowing we were going just to train and have fun I had confidence that we would get through ok. Once it started to get dark, we blanketed the ponies, made sure things were set for the AM, and then bunked for the night. Carolyn and I passed out early, with Jack the dog pouting (though I think it was from incoming bad weather, not from being bored. or at least I tell myself that).
de was totally rude. I was fuming about it for a while, he seemed inexperienced and was not nice to us as we asked a.) if it was okay for us to go and b.) which way the trail left camp (he actually refused to answer the second question). After complaining about it later, I found out he had been that way with several people during the day. I know I know....we all love our volunteers! But this guy was definitely a grade A dump! Probably would have been smarter to put someone more experienced and a little happier at that post! Yes the weather was crappy. But we were really nice in asking him if we could leave! Don't know why he was so mean to all of us. 
horses came in and both vetted in even better than the first time. Aleah's finishing heart rate was 48/36!!!! Whoa. We came in perfectly in mid-pack, as planned. Helo was also much better and calmer through this check, and both passed with flying colors. Very happy and proud of both of them! Just after we finished the weather started to get SERIOUSLY bad. Rain, wind, cold, yech. Carolyn was doing the 50, we watched her leave for her last loop and went up for her finish (she finished mid-pack out of 60+ riders. Good job Carolyn! 
