I am so sad from this trip.  This was the worst trip that Jeremy and I have ever been on and I hope we never top it as far as the "worst" category.  We left for the race with Strut, Tiran, Kutt and Makazin.  On the way there we stopped at a pasture that we always use.  It is in Paradise Valley Montana.  In the morning we came out to catch the horses to load up to drive the last 4 hours to the race and Makazin was missing.  Three hours later we found him.  He had run through 5 fences and then ran off the edge of a cliff and had broken his neck.  We are still completely devastated from this.  The other 3 horses were totally fine.  We really don't know why he did that, he just must have been scared and running.

We continued to the race.  It was raining our entire trip.  Jeremy rode the 75 on Tiran.  The footing and conditions were really poor from all of the weather and probably worse as it was a really wet winter.  Tiran won the ride but then was pulled at the finish with a tight hind end.  He was off and that was that.

We decided that we had had enough fun for the year so we left and didn't attempt the 100 that would happen the next day.

On Sunday morning as we packed up I thought that maybe we should have done the 100 as it looked like it was clearing up.  I then spoke to some friends that were coming off of the first 25 mile loop.  One said that her horse had fallen 3 times already, another had her horse fall and roll over the top of her and might have broken her rib.  Later in the day another friend got her horse stuck on its side in a bog for a while.  I am glad that we left.

It is a huge drag as we had really been looking forward to FT Howes as it can be really fun. 

Makazin is sorely missed.

Heather

Skip, Jeremy and I headed out yet again this weekend with the 5 year old crew.  This weekend was the polar opposite, weather-wise from last weekend!!  The plan was that Skip and Jeremy would ride the same two from last weekend, Tin Roof and Stirgess and I would crew as Strut will be going to FT Howes and it wasn't fair to have him do this one too.

On Tuesday I went out and marked a large section of trail with the ride manager, Lori Oleson.  I saw how the ride was going to be really tough but also very pretty.  When I returned from the marking adventure I was telling Megan Robinson, (my friend that rode with all of us the weekend before at Wild West on her horse Kongo) how I wished I were riding as it was going to be so pretty.  She very quickly offered me Kongo as she had to go to a wedding on Saturday and couldn't do the race.

After talking it over with Jeremy it was quickly decided that I would ride Kongo.

We met at the barn around noon and started to load the horses.  We thought that Kongo should be first into the trailer but he didn't agree so Roof was first.  Kongo would have to be second as the third horse needs to back out and IF there should be any refusal with the backing out we wanted the smallest 5 year old to be the one that we would have to "make" get out.  Kongo didn't want to go in at all.  After a bit of asking him he decided to blow us off and spun around and ran around the ranch for a few minutes.  After we caught him again we got him in.

Once at the ride we set things up and put up the Easy Up tent and relaxed in the shade.  It was pretty darn hot out.  We didn't pre-ride but Jeremy and I did go for a 3 mile run.  After vetting in we drove down to Gilroy to Applebees and had dinner and watched some hockey. 

The ride meeting was at 6:30 and went over how vast the park is and to not get lost.  Start time would be 6:30 am.

At 6:25 am we gave our numbers and then watched the start.  Then we bridled up and started walking out onto the course.  Kongo was being VERY excited.  He is normally a very quiet horse.  I just would lead him a little longer.  Jeremy then stated that it was time to get on.  I got on and Kongo froze and then jumped up sideways onto a bank and felt like he was going to blow.  I jumped off to see if something was wrong.  Nothing.  Got back on, he froze again, Jeremy grabbed him and tried to pony him but it was making Stirgess really amped.  When he let go Kongo felt like he was going to explode.  That is when I pulled him up to dismount for the second time and my left rein flew by.  The clip had broke off!  I managed to get off and proceeded to correct Kongo, which he promptly decided not to stick around for and he spun around and took off back towards camp.  Another rider was coming towards us and following her was Kongo.  Cool.  He saw us and spun around and took off again.  This time all the way back.

After getting new reins and Jeremy riding him around for a second I got on him and he was the calm rational horse that he normally was.  Weird.  On with our day.

The day went on and on and on.  It was one of the hardest 50 mile rides I have done.  It was pretty hot and extremely hilly.  We finished at 6:10 pm.  All three 5 year olds looked relatively good for how hard the day had been.  Another one done for Stirgess, Kongo and Roof.  Next time it will be that much easier.

We are headed off for Ft Howes next, we leave in two days.   We will be doing a 75 on Saturday followed by a 100 on Sunday!  That will be a first for me.  The 75 mile horses will be Makazin and Tiran and the 100 milers will be Strut and Kutt.  That will be fun saying those two names all day, Strut and Kutt, how cute.

Until next time,
Heather

We decided to take our young stock to do day 1 of the Wild West ride up in Nevada City.  The race was on Friday.  We met Skip at Starbucks on Thursday morning and headed out to the ranch.  Our friend Megan Robinson met us at the ranch as well.  She was going to ride her five year old at the race with us.  It rained most of the drive.

Skip and Jeremy drove together and Megan and I drove together.  About half way there we made a stop at In-N-Out.  Good times.  This is the only time the rain really took a break, when we weren't driving.  How ironic.

We arrived at the ride site around 3 pm.  It was looking really bad as far as the weather goes.  It was freezing outside and looked like some form of precipitation was going to happen at any moment.  We were originally planning to pre-ride but scratched that idea as soon as we unloaded the horses.  It was starting to rain.  We blanketed the horses, hung hay bags and filled buckets quickly.  Then we all sat in the trailer.  After we warmed up we checked in and then vetted in.  Then went back in to warm up.

I am not over playing how cold it was.  It was 34 degrees outside and wet.  I had to put another blanket on Strut (the West Virginia horse) as he was too cold with only two on.

It was now about 4:15.  We had 2:45 more minutes to kill before the ride meeting.  We sat in the warm trailer eating chips and salsa.  Then I decided to make dinner.  We finished up and headed over to the ride meeting.

The meeting was straight forward.  After the meeting it stopped raining and started snowing.  There was a campfire and Melissa Ribley brought out marshmallows to roast.  That was a first for me, roasting marshmallows in the snow,  in California, in late May!!

It snowed and sleeted most of the night.  In the morning it had stopped.  It looked promising.  (This is the part where I went wrong and didn't wear enough clothes.)  We happily saddled up.  I rode Strut, he would be the babysitter horse for the three five year olds that were all doing their first endurance rides.  Skip rode Tin Roof, who is over 16 hands, honest to God.  Jeremy rode Stirgess, Smitty's 3/4 brother.  Megan rode her own horse, Congo.

We started about ten minutes late.  All of the horses started out relatively calm... relatively.

The ground at this ride has a lot of clay based soil.  With all of the weather the ground was extremely slippery in places.  There were also puddles that took up the whole road and with the horses being green they thought it would be best to go on the edges to try to avoid the water.  The problem with that was that the edges were on a tilt and the ground was really slick, so every time they tried that, they almost fell down.

Around mile 7, Stirgess became Smitty's true brother.  He was coming unglued.  He started leaping and running in place and going very sideways.  Since the ground was so slick he was also falling over!  After about 20 min. of this he was really starting to effect the other young guys, as well as Strut.  Jeremy got off and was leading him at times to try to calm him down.  We think that he was upset because of all of the stop and go from the footing and not being able to move out at a constant pace.  After a lot of effort, Jeremy decided it would be safest if he separated from the group and did a steady pace.  Away they went.  Everything was calm again.

This is when the weather moved in and the sleet began.  It alternated between rain, sleet and snow all the way into lunch.  This is also where I felt like an idiot for believing that it would be nice out and not dressing warmer.

Strut, Congo and Roof all looked great at lunch and recovered instantly and were in the 40's range for heart rates.  It was so damn cold that they ought to have!  After vetting the horses through and feeding and blanketing them, I needed to defrost.  It was crazy how cold I was.  I spent the whole check in front of the heater.  It turned off at one point and I got up and set the thermostat for even warmer.

I dressed VERY warmly for the afternoon loop.  I knew that I would probably sweat but at this point I would like to be sweating. 

We headed out of lunch and climbed up the muddy trail that we had come into lunch on.  After the highway crossing we trotted whenever it wasn't too slick.  The horses all handled the ride really well.  There were some really tricky parts for the newbies. 

I got my wish and really got to sweat.  The afternoon was better than the morning as far as weather goes.

The last 8 or so miles of the race were on the best footing of the day.  We did an out and back on a really firm logging road.  The horses were all very happy about that.  We let them trot and canter to the end.  As we approached the actual finish line Roof and Congo were in front and when they saw the finish line they froze and were scared to cross the line.  Strut encouraged them and they crossed.

Stirgess had finished a long time before we did.  His CRI at the end was 44/40.  Pretty cool, now he just needs to learn to chill.  Hopefully a lesson he will learn this coming weekend at the "Just Coe Crazy" ride.  It will be a safer place to have a "discussion" with him about that!

All of our guys finished looking great.  We packed up and got ready to leave.  Megan and I went to look at our ride pictures and they were cool as they had snow in the background.

When we were ready to leave we all sat around and waited for Tim to show up.  He was picking up Jeremy and I to take us to my Mother In Laws house for her birthday.  Tim was supposed to be at the race by 5.  At 6:10 we got in the trucks and left.  We didn't have cell service so we really didn't know where Tim was.  When we got down the mountain we got a hold of him.  He had been stuck in holiday traffic.  We met up with him at a gas station on the way out.

Skip and Megan took the horses back and we went to Minden, NV for the weekend.  In all it was a successful race, but the coldest one that I have done in a long time.

Maybe we will see some of you at the Coe ride this weekend.

Pictured above from left to right: Stratagem & Katie, Makazin and Heather, Bey and Kathy, Tiran and Jeremy.  Carole took the picture.

This weekend we went to the Shine and Shine FEI ride.  We loaded up on Friday morning and discovered that the horse that the young rider was supposed to ride was not looking like he should be doing a ride this weekend.  We needed to bring a passported horse for her to ride as she was flying up to the ride to try to qualify for the young riders championship.  We looked around our horse selection and decided to take Strut.  He had just come off of a long time of lay up as he had stitches in his shoulder since Easter morning.  We knew we were pushing it but I was pretty sure he could handle it.

We loaded up Tiran, Makazin, Strut, Bey and Freebie (Carole's horse).  Jeremy would ride Tiran, I was riding Makazin, our friend who flew in from Maine, Kathy Brunjes on Bey and another friend and client Carole on Freebie.  All but Strut did the 75.

Katie was doing the 50 FEI on Strut to qualify for the Young Riders FEI Championship this summer.

On the way to the ride we gassed up and then grabbed a quick Starbucks and away we went.  The drive is less than an hour for us so it was nice to get there so early.  The road up there leaves a lot to be desired.  It is very narrow and windy with long drop offs on the shoulder in spots.  We took two trailers up and Carole would meet us up there later in the day with an RV.

We set up camp.  Jeremy, Kathy and I as well as Kathy's friend Biz.  It didn't take any time at all.  Then we hung out and relaxed while we awaited Katie and Carole's arrival so we could pre-ride. 

Katie arrived but still no Carole.  Carole thought she would be there around noon or sooner.  Around 2:30 she arrived.  It turns out the RV place ran really late and then she took Quimby road up to the ride which is EXTREMELY steep and windy.  Part way up there was a sign that said absolutely no RVs but she had nowhere to turn around.  Then she drove further than she needed to, by mistake, and ended up going up to the observatory, which is even more windy steep narrow road.  She needed to relax for sure when she arrived. 

After Carole recovered from the crazy drive we all went out for a ride.  All 5 horses and riders looked great.  We were ready to have a fun Saturday.

Right when we returned from our ride someone asked for Jeremy's help to locate two loose horses.  He took off while we got the horses ready to vet in.  The horses were found within the hour.

Carole made a great dinner on Friday night.  We had blackened Cajun chicken alfredo with a salad and garlic bread.  Very tastey.  Then we all went to the ride meeting and went to bed.

Saturdays ride started at 5:30 am.  We were up and at 'em.  We went to the start for our dress inspection and then the ride started.  In the first few miles we spotted a large black galloping pig.

The views were amazing.  On the first big climb there were views into the Silicon Valley.  The clouds were lower than we were.  It looked like the ocean with the clouds covering the whole valley like that.  There was misty, foggy areas that we rode in and out of.  Flowers were on the hills and the scenery was still green.  When the fog lifted and the day warmed up there was a perfect breeze that kept it just right.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.

The trail was very hilly and well marked.  There were two long, identical loops and then two small identical loops to do back to back.  On the two large identical loops there was an away vet check of 20 mins and then an hour vet check back at camp.  In all we had 2:40 of hold time.

At the last vet check Bey and Kathy were pulled for a hind end lameness.  Darn!  We were having so much fun.  Carole, Jeremy and I went around the last two short loops and this is where the rattlesnake almost took us out.  He was huge, and coiled!  Fortunately the snake didn't get us and neither did the ground squirrel holes that were like land mines everywhere.  The whole day we were yelling "Hole, Hole".

The three of us finished together, one two three.  Jeremy, Heather and then Carole.  Very fun day, with the exception of Bey and Kathy. 

We were all in camp done with vetting and everything when Strut rode by to do his last 3 1/2 mile loop.  He looked fine and was doing his thing.  He and Katie finished and that is what she needed.

Tiran not only won but was awarded BC as well.   He is turning out to be pretty amazing.  (This was his third endurance ride.) 

While it was getting dark a large pig wandered into camp.  The ranger saw it and tried to scare it away but the pig almost ran into a horse that was tied to a trailer and the horse pulled back and ran off.  The horse was located an hour or so later about 5 miles down Mt Hamilton road.  I think the horse was fine.  The pig stayed in camp for the night.

Sunday morning I got up around 5 am to use the restroom and Makazin's halter was hanging on the trailer with no Makazin.  I looked and saw him about ten feet away.  He had gotten loose and then proceeded to make a nest out of an entire bale of oat hay.  He was sound asleep all snuggled up in the hay.  It was very cute but a big mess to clean up as we had to pack up all of the hay.

Sunday we loaded the horses and headed back down the mountain.  Another one down.  Our next ride will be Wild West.  We will be doing day one with the young stock.  Stirgess and Tin Roof will do their first rides and our friends horse Congo will join the rookie ranks doing his first ride as well.  All three of them are 5 year olds.  It will not be their first races as they all three ran on the race track.  Strut will go as the fearless leader to take them through.

Until next time,
Heather

After 380 days of waiting and wondering, on April 22, 2010 Gem finally had her foal!  There had been many jokes about it.  Like, "The baby will come out wearing Easyboots"  "The baby will be FEI qualified and ready to race when it gets here"... etc.

Jeremy and I had just about given up on guessing when she might have it when one morning (April 21st) she had waxed.    That evening she still hadn't had the foal yet.  We headed home to take care of things and returned to the ranch at 11:20 pm.  No foal in sight.  Gem was being pretty active though.  She was also being really nasty to the by-standing pasture horses on the adjacent fence.  She can be this way anyhow, on a normal day.

We went in our LQ and set the alarm for 12:30 am and went to sleep.  I got up when the alarm went off and headed out into the pasture/paddock where Gem is living.  It had just stopped raining within the last few hours so everything was very damp.  It was cold.  There was a foggy mist hanging about.  I looked around in the dark until I saw Gem.  Then there were two.  The birthday was April 22, 2010... Earth Day.  Really cool!!  I walked over and the little one nickered to me.  It was already standing up and was curious as to what/who I might be.  After quickly confirming all was fine I went to wake Jeremy.

We stood around together looking at the mare and foal.  We also imprinted the foal at this point.  I thought that we had had a filly and then Jeremy looked closer and it was a boy!  That is what we really wanted.  I was surprised by just how much more excited I got when I found out that it was not a filly! 

Since Gem is a maiden mare she was really concerned about where her foal was at all times.  She was constantly touching him.  They were having some trouble figuring out the whole nursing situation.  The colt's legs were REALLY long so he had trouble fitting under her to find the right spot to nurse.  She wasn't helping at all as she would only allow him on the uphill side of her.  Then when he was able to get in the right area she would spin around and face him!  We tried to help but it only made Gem frantic.  We decided to give them some time to get it sorted out on their own. 

We walked around and found the afterbirth.  That was great as we didn't need to worry so much about Gem having possible problems from that being held up.

We went back to sleep and I set another alarm for an hour later.  After the alarm went off there was still no nursing.  The colt was still on his feet trying to figure it out.  We tried to help again but had no luck.  We did syringe a little of her milk to him at this point. 

Back to bed.  We woke up at 5 am and then Gem was willing to have help with the nursing process and he finally got it.  He was extremely happy when he discovered where and how to eat.  It took three of us to succeed.  Our friend Megan Robinson just happened to be at the barn really early on her way to work.  She held Gem's head, I lured the baby with milk covered fingers (I was on the opposite side of Gem as him).  He would suck my finger and then I would redirect him.  Jeremy helped hold him and guide him.  It worked.

After all of this we went home and Jeremy went back to sleep so he could go to work and I got warmed up and then headed back out to make sure he could eat on his own.

I measured him that first morning.  He was 43" tall (not bad for a maiden), Heart girth 32, chest 7" wide, weight 93 lbs.  I am not sure if he is actually going to be a chestnut after all.  He is looking more and more bay.  He has identical markings to Gem.  A blaze and a tall right hind sock.  His legs were really folded up.  He was very low in his lower leg and probably would have been at least 2-3" taller if he was unfolded.  That first day whenever he lay down he would lay with his legs straight out.  It was pretty funny. 

Now the baby is getting very coordinated.  I saw him itching his right ear with his right hind and then, probably because his legs are so long, he itched the left ear with the same leg!!

He is also really great at copying his mom.  She was drinking at the trough and so he did the same.  This is when he was three days old.  He also saw her eat grass so he tried gumming some too.  He is way too cute.

Heather

We just returned from another great weekend.  The Git R Done FEI ride was well attended.  There was the highest attendance yet for this ride.  I do not know the actual numbers but there were many familiar faces riding:) 

Jeremy and I drove down with our riders on Thursday morning.  We took 4 of our own horses as well as two client horses.  When we arrived we got all of the horses settled and then relaxed for a bit.  The Donley's were there as well (they own My Mamselle now).

When we were done with everything that needed doing we headed into town with a large group of friends for sushi.  There is a great place, if you can believe it, in Ridgecrest.  There were 11 of us, we had a great time.

On Friday morning, Tim got up before any rational person might and went for a 60 mile bike ride and then a run.  Apparently we were cutting into his Ironman training.

We set up our crew spot and got everything organized for the six horses that we would be racing.  Throughout the day Jeremy was scurrying around helping people with their Easyboot Glue-Ons.  The ride meeting came and went and we all went to bed.

Jeremy and I did the FEI 100 on Sir Smith and A Kutt Above.  My ride was cut short at the 45 mile mark for lameness...darn.  At least the horse was sound by Sunday morning.  Jeremy's ride went much better to say the least.  He and Smitty were in the lead the entire day.  Smitty was cruising along and did the majority of the race solo.  Their time was 8:06!  The 9th place time was a little over double this time.  He won by about 1:45.  Smitty looked very effortless and was very impressive.  On Sunday morning he looked great and won Best Condition.  He trotted around showing off in his Easyboot glue ons.

Tim did the FEI 75 on Ssamiam.  The pair took second place and then took Best Condition and the High Vet score the next morning. 

Deborah Reich did the FEI 75 on Carnivalle and was 8th.  Deborah is now completely qualified for the WEG!! Yay!!

Carol Kraft Edwards did the open 75 on Freebie Tiki and rode with Carnivalle for a 9th place finish.

Carolyn Hock rode TA Tiran on the FEI 75 and completed.

We saw our South African friend, Lani again.  She rode the 100 and got qualified for the WEG on one of Suzie Hayes horses.  She also told us that her horse made it from S. Africa to Europe for the extensive quarantine to go to the WEG.  It was great to see her again.  We wish the best to her and her horse's safe journey to their dream at the WEG.

Karen Donley did the FEI 75 and now has completed 3 of her 5 FEI rides needed for upper level competition.

We were very happy with all of the horses.  The weather was great, it was about 70 degrees and not raining! 

Gem is still pregnant, we can't wait to see what pops out.  I think it will be born FEI qualified as it is already been over a year in Gem!

Our next ride will be this weekend at the Shine and Shine Only.  I hope it shines, it is currently raining and it will be canceled if it continues to rain.

Until next time,
Heather

We just returned from a beautiful weekend at the Cuyama Oaks ride.  Dave and Ann did another great ride.  The flowers were out in full force.  It was a yellow flower dominant year!  There were all shades of yellow in every direction.  There were also scatterings of purples and orange as well.  It was like the hills were on fire with the color.  Stunning.  The ride was very well attended as usual. 

Camp is great at this ride as you don't have to move until you pack up to go home.  We camped in a nice corner tucked back behind two other rigs, which worked out great as our dogs were out of the way.

Jeremy rode ITA Chicashah Bey, who wore a 4 Sale sign on his rear all weekend.  I rode Stratagem.  The two camped really well and filled all of their spare time with chewing.

On Thursday we pre-rode the two.  Strut was feeling the Spring time friskies.  He was trying to find things to be silly about.  Oh, the young stud! 

After the ride I took the dogs for a hike and then got the crew gear ready.  The ride meeting was brief and the start time was debated for a while, then it was decided that we would start at 7 am.

On Friday morning we had alarm clock issues.  We woke up and got ready and then saw how dark it was.  Apparently, our clock was on Mountain time and we were up an hour before we needed to be.  Then our alarm didn't go off at 6 am for the second "wake up" of the day.  We got up at 6:30 and hustled.  We made it, without a problem, to the start on time.

110 riders all headed out on the usual day 1 trail, up over the mountain to lunch.  There were great BB-Q hot dogs waiting there, I was actually craving one of these on the way down the mountain and I was hoping that they would have them on this day!  After lunch (which was cold with a brisk breeze going) we headed up the Cottonwood canyon, which is always beautiful.  After the canyon you go along a rolling single track on top of a ridge line.  That was fun on the big horse, Strut!  He does really look after his rider which helped tremendously.  If he didn't parts of my legs would still be out there!

Strut and Bey finished looking great and tied for 1st.

On day two we again had timing issues.  We missed the announcement that the start time had been changed to 7:30.  We were the only ones there at 7 and we knew there was something going on.  Damn.  We went back to the trailer and had hot chocolate and then went back to the start line to try again.  Amateurs!!

Day two had 99 riders start.  Everything was going well except that we were having a few trail issues.  We figured it out eventually but we lost some time and added 6 miles to our morning.

Lunch was waiting for us in camp as usual.  I always enjoy not having to worry about this part.  We vetted through, ate and relaxed.  After lunch the trail was easy to follow.  There was a lot of tight single track through very hilly terrain.  It was really fun.  Bey zips through all of this stuff and Strut discovered that it was easier for him to canter slowly than to trot.  It took a bit of courage on my part as he is so large.  The part I was not used to was being on a cantering horse through tight trail that was so rateable.  It was really fun.

Bey and Strut tied again for 1st.  We were very happy.  We decided that we should head home that night as our mare Gem was looking very close to foaling.  She still hasn't had it!  Oh well, Strut and Bey did great.  It was a really fun time.

If you haven't done this ride you should really mark it down for next year and then pray that the flowers are out in full force.  It is really something.

On Wednesday morning around 3 am we headed out on the road, towards New Mexico.  We drove and then drove some more.  We had 4 horses with us as well as two pitbull mixes and our 6 pound Chihuahua. 

The horses we took were Ssamiam, TA Tiran, A Kutt Above and Makazin.  Late in the day we decided to stop at Garret Ford's place to take a rest for the night.  The horses were very happy to get to go out in the turnout for the night after 15 hours of being on the road.  WE put all 4 boys out together as they live together at home.  Sam was walking around exploring the place.  He was standing on the cement were the feeders are when he discovered the electric fence.  He tried to jump forward but his legs kind of slid out behind him.  He got a small cut on him but seemed ok.   We went to sleep and had no trouble with that at all!

In the morning Garret and Jeremy went for a run.  After that Jeremy booted all of our guys while I clipped and then pulled manes.  When we were both done we bathed them and then loaded up for the rest of the drive, 5 1/2 more hours.

We arrived around 4 pm to the race.  It was a very small ride.  We did know just about everyone though, so that was kind of cool.  Mostly it was people trying to make the WEG team that were there.

On Thursday night we hung out at our trailer and I cooked up some food and then we watched The Hangover on our lap top.  That was fun to see again.  I fell asleep while watching it.

In the morning Jeremy went running again and I got up and fed the dogs and horses.  When he got back we went out for two rides on the 4 horses.  After that Jeremy glued boots on the Donley's horses, Mya and their other horse that I am drawing a blank on at the moment.  Then we weighed in and vetted in.  Then we went to town to get some feed and some carrots.  It was really bazaar.  It seemed like we were in Mexico when we were at the grocery store and when were were driving around the area.  We were right on the border and you could tell from the looks of the store fronts. 

On Friday night we went to dinner with the Donley's after the ride meeting.  The ride is just on the other side of the Texas border, in New Mexico.  We ate dinner in Texas at the Texas Roadhouse Grill.  It was pretty fun.  The steaks were great and the atmosphere is lively with the music and the peanut shells all over the ground.

On Saturday our ride went not so well.  Tiran had been kicked earlier in the week and we thought we had it under control.  At the second vet check Tiran passed the check but then Jeremy decided that it would be the right thing to withdraw. 

Sam was doing great.  He was all business and very chipper.  He was in second place cruising along.  We stopped at a water trough around 60 miles and he drank and then went to trot and it was like someone had removed his leg while he was drinking.  Damn.  I got off and walked him in and had to pull at the check as he didn't walk out of it.  I think that between tweaking himself on the concrete and all of the deep sand he had a tight muscle.

One of Tracy and David's horses, Diamond, won the 75 and got BC as well.  Dianne Woodard won the 50 and I do not know who got BC on the 50.

On Saturday Deborah Reich helped crew for us as she would be riding Makazin on the 75 for Sunday. 

Saturday night we went to the awards and Tracy Kaden made homemade Stew for everyone.  It was really good.  We went to sleep and woke up to do another 75.  I was on Kutt and Deborah was on Makazin and Jeremy was "Super Crew".

It was warmer in the morning but it did rain a bit and at one point it even hailed on us and boy it stung!!  The wind was blowing it in our faces pelting us.

I decided that we were not going to take any risks since the Saturday ride went so poorly.  Deborah needed the 2* finish for her qualifications and Kutt needed a 2 * as well.  We finished 4th and 5th and we were about an hour behind the winner, Doug Swingley.  Kutt and Makazin looked wonderful at the BC judging and Kutt won BC!  Very cool for his first 75.  It made up a little bit for Saturday's ride.

Tennesee Mahoney won the 50 and Doug Swingley won the 75.  Not sure about the 50 mile BC for Sunday.

Karen Donley did her first 75 ever, on Saturday and her second one on Sunday.  She was the only rider to do this.  She is one tough cookie.  She completed both rides and was in the FEI division on both.

Sunday night we all went to dinner one last time.  We tried to get a reservation at a Mexican restaurant but it was an hour and a half wait and you had to be there physically to make a reservation.  Txas Roadhouse Grill it was.  Deborah, the Donley's and Jeremy and myself had a great time.

On Monday morning Jeremy and I headed over to the Bed and Breakfast the Deborah was staying at.  We ate a great breakfast at the lovely B&B.  If you are ever in Tracy and David's area ask them about the B&B.  I don't recall the Spanish name for it but it translated to House of Dreams.

After breakfast we went back to the race site.  Deborah and Jeremy helped me pack up.  They were flying out to Florida for the Fun In The Sun Race while I would be driving home.  When we were done they headed out.  I followed the Donley's home so that I would not be alone on the road.  Their son JJ drove most of the way with me.  It was fun.  Ron drove for me for a couple of hours so that I could get some rest too.  It was really great traveling with them. 

We drove about 13 hours on Monday and I spent the night at their house.  My horses were out in a nice large area.  We were all happy.  Tuesday morning I headed back out on the road for my final leg, 9 more hours.  I got home around 6:15 pm.  I was really glad to be done with all of the driving.  The horses and dogs were too!! 

Sam and Tiran were both sound upon arrival.  At least we have that. 

While we were at this ride my brother in law, Tim, rode his first 100 at the 20 Mule Team ride.  He rode Stratagem, it was the horse's first 100 as well.  The two did very well.  They finished in 3rd place!  Riding across the finish line with them was Megan Robinson on her first 100 on her own horse Tanner.  It was Tanner's first 100 as well.  Very cool for the two horse/rider teams.

Well, I need to catch up on everything so I will go now. 

Until next time,
Heather

Happy Valentine's Day!! This is our 4th one in the UAE!  How strange.  Today we went to take care of the horses in the morning.  They were both doing well.  They got to spend the day out in a large paddock together.  It seemed relaxing for them and was the least they had to do since they arrived here.  We also packed all of our gear up as the horses were to ship out on Monday.

After that we headed to Sheika Madiya's barn.  It was a good thing that Jeremy had a hand drawn map in addition to a verbal explanation because we were driving on a highway type road and then had to look for a certain Kilometer marker and then hook a left handed turn, off- roading, as in deep sand, to a road that ran beneath the one we were on. It would have been really cryptic had there not been the verbal instructions.

After an hour plus drive we were there.  Madiya showed us around and we got a tour of her horses.  After this we had a wonderful lunch with her and her friend and sister.  The meal was delicious and had many traditional plates. 

When we finished eating we went to her barn and there were horses waiting, saddled and ready for us.  Eryn, Jeremy and I all rode.  Craig, Ellen and Jeremy O followed us in their crew truck .  (Jeremy O flew in after the race, as he had a different race he had to attend on Sat. as a trainer, to visit with his dad).  

The ride was really fun.  We rode in the desert and galloped along effortlessly.  It was so enjoyable.  Madiya's horses are very nicely trained, they all took their leads with ease and were very rateable.

After we were done, we visited a bit longer.  Eryn had to fly out tonight so the other car that had Ellen, Eryn, Jeremy O and Craig in it left sooner than us.  They also wanted to go to Global Village to buy some Arabian horse oil paintings. 

Jeremy and I then headed back to our barn to take care of the horses one last time before we flew home tomorrow morning.  Both horses had a great appetite and they looked happy. We drove back to the hotel and then we all had dinner.

We had a message at the hotel to call the Veterinarian.  Jeremy called him and it turns out our horses will be delayed a few days, maybe up to 15 days.  There was an error in the shipping.  Our horses shipped with the European horses and something about that was incorrect so now they are dealing with the quarantine and importing issues.  Whatever, at least the horses can rest and it isn't raining or muddy here.  They will have a groom to walk them two times a day, feed them and blanket/unblanket.  They will be fine, actually better off.

In all, it has been a great trip.  I forgot to mention that there were many curious inquiries on the Easyboot glue ons.  Many other riders had never seen such a thing and it called a lot of attention to Smitty.  Pretty cool, spreading the word on how easy it can be to go barefoot.  Also several veterinarians during the race commented on how amazing Smitty looked and they had to ask a few times if this horse had really shipped over from the USA or if was a local horse.  We assured him he was an American product:)

Until next time, which will be at the end of the month at the Sand City FEI ride in New Mexico,
Heather

Well, the USA did another great trip to the President's Cup 160 km race.  Sir Smith was the first overseas completion in a ride time of 8:50 (36 place! so fast here), and SA Belshazzar did great as well completing his first 160 km ride in a time of 9:16.  It was a great performance from both horses! 

The leaders set yet another world record.  I do not know the exact time but it was something like 6:20!!!

At the start Ellen and Zar went ahead of Smitty and disappeared into the heavy fog.  Smitty had a slow start to settle him into a calm mind set for the day.  Jeremy had to actually run a bit on foot to accomplish this.  During the first loop we were last for a long while and the police escort and the ambulance trailer were following us.  It felt a bit like buzzards circling.  The slow pace worked though.  After the first loop the pair was moving well and kept it up nicely.

Smitty was accompanied by myself and our driver, Fahad (sp?) (Fahad translates to "Tiger".)  and there was a groom who I don't know the name of, sorry.  The driver and the groom were great.  The groom would jump from the truck and run and hand Jeremy a bottle and then have a second bottle that he would run behind Smitty, while he was cantering, and he would pour water on his butt.  Very fast runner, and very fit!  This guy was one of Sheika Madiya's grooms.  Fahad was a friend of Jan Worthington's friend, Jimal.

As the loops ticked by Smitty happily galloped along.  He loves that sort of thing.  If you know Smitty you would know this.  He was truly incredible to watch. 

Smitty had the third best recoveries out of any horse that finished!  His average for the day was 2:28.  That was with galloping and having usually just me as his crew, as the other guys were parking the car while I would meet and cool Smitty.  Very amazing recoveries on Smitty today.

Smitty did an average of something close to 19 kph.  His last loop was his fastest.  We were extremely happy with him.

At one point today there was a string of camels being hearded across tha desert by people on foot.  There were soooo many of them, probably 80 or so.  It was kind of funny because the camels were just as scared of the horses as the horses were of them.  So silly.

Since the scenery was so sparse and the horses were so spread out the driver had an ongoing thing he would say and that was "How are you today?"  He would say it new at random times  with a very heavy accent and as the day grew long it got funnier and funnier.  There was another time that the Black Eyed Peas, a band that I like, came on the radio.  Fahad actually turned it up and I thought, "hey cool".  But no, then he quickly changed the station to something local and that was it.  Oh well, he was good help so I guess I didn't really care.

It was warm during the heat of the day but never sweltering.  If the wind was at your back it was the worst of it but for the most part there was at least a gentle breeze.  The OC only gave us 7 cases of water for each horse.  When we asked for more, before the ride, they said it would be enough and that there was a lot more at the venue.  We knew better.  By the second half of the ride we were begging people who had been pulled for their left over water.  We were also refilling empty bottles and recapping them.  It was what we had and it worked fine.

Following Smitty on his last loop I video recorded some of him galloping along.  I was smiling because I had done this earlier in the week and it had looked the same as when he had been fresh.  He recovered within 2 min at the finish but we let him drink before vetting him so it was recorded as 4 or so min.

After the ride Zar and Smitty ate for a short while and then went to the treatment clinic for fluids.  The horses will be shipping home in 2 days and that is not nearly enough time to recover so we thought we should help them in any way possible.  They had a few bags and then we tucked them in for the night.

Jeremy had Baskin Robbins.  Two scoops.  I had the adult size, I can handle a non-child sized ice cream for godsakes.

Well I am super tired now.  We just had dinner at the...You guessed it, the buffet.  Oh, last night they had "pineapple upside dawon cake"  Yes I said Dawon. 

Tomorrow we are going to Dubai to ride with Sheika Madiya.  Hopefully we aren't so tired that we can't enjoy it.  I also hope that the cryptic directions that we got get us there!

Good Night,
Heather