Pictured above is RR Surprise Moment

On Friday Jeremy and I headed up to the Shine and Shine Only ride.  This ride is located on the top of a really narrow, steep, crazy mountain road.  Jeremy drove the semi with a smaller trailer than the one we hauled across the country (our big one would not physically fit, even if you closed the road and had free range) and I followed up behind him in our car.  Jeremy had to leave the ride on Friday to go back home so he could do a Triathalon training session on Sat morning, then he would come back up to the ride Sat night for the LD on Sun.

After we unloaded the horses Jeremy helped me get the corral started then left.  I set up everything after he left.  I divided the corral in half so Mo would not harrass NOS (sounds like floss).  Then I put Surprise on the high tie.

(Just for information NOS is something used in race cars to give the car an explosive acceleration.  It stands for Nitrous Oxide, however his name is not Nitrous Oxide, it is NOS.) 

NOS and Surprise are our two new guys.  NOS is a 15.3 bay gelding that will be turning 5 in June and Surpise is a 15.2+ grey gelding who is 9 yrs old.  Surprise had done endurance before we bought him so he was entered in the FEI 1* with me riding him for the Sat ride.  NOS had been ridden a year ago for 15 hrs total, then Jeremy took him on a 4 mile trail ride on Tuesday and then we decided that with Jeremy on foot most of the LD the horse would be fine.

On Friday I saw a lot of familiar faces.  Lindsay and her mom Suzy and dad Steve and Lindsay's Mother- In -law, Veronica, invited me over to their trailer for dinner.  It was great, we had a very fun time catching up and then following the great dinner we made S'mores.  Lindsay looks like the cutest mom ever, she is 7 months pregnant.

After dinner we went to the riders meeting and then I went to bed, still tired from our crazy time getting settled into CA.

I was awoken by a banging sound and had the feeling that Mo was chasing NOS around the corral, I got up quickly and looked and sure enough they had broken down the center divider and Mo was harrassing NOS.  I put Mo on another High tie and let NOS have the whole pen.

On Sat morning I got Surprise ready and got going.  I had only ridden Surprise 2 times before this, the 30 min pre ride the day before, and a 4 mile, very short ride so I was curious how he would be.  He was great.  I went really slowly through the ride as he has not been being conditioned any time recently for endurance.  He has been going out on trails though, and he had an endurance background...

I rode with Sandy Holder and Carol and we had a fun time taking it easy and chatting.  I also m still sore from all of the down hill hiking, my legs haven't seen a hill since last Oct!!  Surprise looked very fresh at the end of the ride and was cheerful the whole time.  The best part is every time I say his name I think of a My Little Pony with exclaimation marks on it's rump!

Just after I finished Jeremy arrived at the ride.  He had ridden a 56 mile bike ride and it went well, so he was happy about that.

We eventually vetted in the two rookies.  Mo was my mount.  He had done his first LD the month prior on a similar course, at this park.  Mo just turned 6. 

That night we had the dinner that Tammie made for riders who ordered dinner tickets. She made a great stew with mashed potatoes. 

Sleep was very easy to make happen that night:)  We woke up at a time that felt very late on Sun.  The LD started at 7:30 and hearing the riders getting ready for the 50 made me feel like we overslept.

NOS and Mo headed out of the start with Jeremy and I on foot.  NOS seemed actually more relaxed than MO!  After a short time we got on and Mo was hopping around as he wanted to GO.  I am a wimp and was intimidated by him and complained.  He and I got over it and after a couple of miles he was fine and so was I;)

I think Jeremy was on foot about 18 of the 25 miles but it paid off, NOS looked very good at the end on the ride.  He was bright and never had that fried, glossed over look that a young horse sometimes can have.

In all it was a successful weekend.  3 starts, 3 finishes.  When we got back to the ranch on Sunday NOS took off trotting and bucking around the pasture!  Pretty cool guy.

Our next ride will be the Almanor Hustle, I hope we see you there!

Heather