A
bit of history for those who don’t know… Zephyr has been
dealing with a persistent minor lameness for the last year and a half.
He’s undergone several different treatment methods and shown
good improvement. In April, however, we did a 30-mile competitive
trail ride and at the end he was a little bit lame on circles to the
right. I couldn’t really tell for sure whether it was the same
old problem, or just muscle soreness. A month later, after further
treatment, the vet cleared him for competition again “as long
as he stays sound”.
The
Pine Tree ride offers three distances: 30, 50 (which we did in 2003),
and 100. I hadn’t yet decided whether to do the 30-miler or
the 50-miler, so I tacked him up to take a short ride and check out
the condition of the local dirt roads. I knew a lot of the trail would
be dirt roads… and if they were rock-hard he would have a lot
harder time with them. I also wanted to see how he was feeling that
day, both soundness-wise, and in the high temps and humidity. Finally,
I am test-riding a Barefoot Cheyenne saddle this week and I wanted
to test the combination of my Dixie Midnight saddle pad and my Skito
saddle pad. The DM pad is soft woven polyurethane, and goes on the
bottom to protect the regular pad from getting dirty/wet and protect
the horse from having a wet pad directly on the skin all day. My concern
was that the DM pad might not stay put underneath the Skito pad, since
they don’t have any way to be tied together.
I
rode for about 45 minutes and was pleased to discover that the local
dirt roads were in prime condition, my horse was totally sound and
had plenty of energy even in the heat/humidity, and that the pads
both stayed put just fine. I got back to camp and was told that the
weather forecast was for rain and temps in the high 60s and low 70s…
and that clinched it for me. I decided that even though I couldn’t
be sure he’d be able to complete the whole ride, I would start
the 50 and see how far we could go. You never know… we might
finish, and how cool would THAT be?!
I
found out that Eliza, who was camped next to me, was also riding the
50 and had her boyfriend Scott along to be her “pit crew”
at the vet checks. She graciously offered to share him. I accepted,
very pleased to know that I would arrive at the vet check with all
my supplies laid out where I needed them.
When
I registered for the 50 I decided I may have made the right decision.
The number they assigned him was 76… the year I was born!
I
took Zephyr over to vet in. (One of the four vets was his ex-vet from
when we lived in Old Town, which was very cool because Ron knows Zephyr’s
health history.) A different vet checked us in though. Zephyr got
As on all the criteria… see below for the criteria:
Mucous
Membranes
Capillary Refill
Jugular Refill
Skin Tenting
Gut Sounds
Anal Tone
Muscle Tone
Back/Withers
Tack Galls
Wounds
Gait
Impulsion
Attitude
Overall Impression
Given
his history with lameness I was especially happy to see the A on “gait”.
I
took some time to walk around camp and take pictures. There were probably
another 25 trailers parked elsewhere but I never got over to that
side with my camera.
After
dinner I had to get out the camera again to capture the beautiful
sunset! What happened to “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight…”?
It began raining pretty hard about two hours later and didn’t
stop until midmorning.
I
don’t think I slept one minute on Friday night, despite the
sleeping pill I resorted to. I laid in my Tent Cot in the front of
my trailer and listened to the rain on the roof and trees, and Zephyr
eating his hay. My alarm went off at 3:30 but I stayed in bed until
4:00. Then I got up, dressed, fed Zephyr, and then ate a good breakfast
right away because I knew once I got started with other things I wouldn’t
stop again to take care of my own needs!
I
started tacking up at around 4:30 for the 5:30 start time. It was
raining lightly enough that I just opened the center divider of the
trailer, tied Zephyr at the back of the open trailer, and saddled
from there. It was kind of nice to be standing a foot higher than
him! We got to the start gate right at 5:15 to give our number, then
warmed up along that road for the 15 minutes we had left. Just like
at Hidden Brook, he was calm and cooperative even with all the other
horses around us. Not like his last few rides in 2003-2004! I do believe
he GREW UP during his year off!
They
called “the trail is open” and we waited until a few others
started ahead of us. We all walked for a ways before picking up a
trot. Somehow I ended up with only four people ahead of me so I decided
to walk again… I did not want to try to keep up with the front
runners! We were approaching a water tank that a neighbor had set
out, so I decided to see if he would drink. There was another rider
there and she was kind enough to wait until he had a chance, but he
didn’t want any. For the next 3-4 miles we did a lot of foxtrotting.
The footing was good enough that we probably could have trotted but
for some reason he wanted to either foxtrot or canter, and I definitely
did not want him to canter! The foxtrot he was offering was awesome,
probably one of his fastest ever, and very smooth. I’m sure
I had a big silly grin on my face!
At
some point I met up with Margaret Farnum on her 25 year old gelding,
Promise. We rode together on the 2003 Pine Tree 50 so we knew our
horses were a good match, and we decided to continue on together for
a while. Zephyr gave up on foxtrotting for the most part, since Promise
can trot even faster than Zephyr can. The two horses settled in at
an easy 10-11mph trot, with occasional bursts of faster trot. Occasionally
I let Zephyr canter for a while to rest his trotting muscles. We walked
most of the steepest downhill sections, and trotted slowly down the
rest.
As
usual, I don’t remember much about what section of trail was
where, but I do remember that the footing was mostly wonderful but
(as the ride manager Tom put it) “connected by sections of trappy
mud”. What was muddy was VERY VERY muddy, but what was not muddy
was VERY VERY nice. There were a few singletrack woods trails, some
wider woods trails, sandy power line trails, dirt roads, good shoulders
on paved roads, and probably more but I don’t remember it. There
was some repetition but truly nothing that was boring or annoying
to repeat. We had three very nice water crossings on the power lines,
which we would repeat on the following loop. The only down side to
this loop was that around 10 miles, my left calf began feeling uncomfortable,
like it was rubbing on the stirrup fender of the saddle. Dry tights
might have helped, and I had some in my box at the vet check, but
was still raining so there really wasn’t anything I could do.
The saddle itself was very comfortable though... by this time I was
sure that if Zephyr finished the ride and his back was OK, I would
definitely buy one!
The
first vet check and 30 minute hold was after a little over 14 miles,
in a small field at the local water pumping station. Scott met me
at the in-gate to show me where our stuff was. There wasn’t
any water there yet so he left to bring us some. I sponged Zephyr
off a couple times and noted that his pulse was already low enough
to go to the vets. (The criteria for all the vet checks, and the finish,
was 64.) There was no line so Zephyr was checked in right away (by
his ex-vet Ron) with a pulse of 56. Then I trotted him “out
and back” and they checked his pulse again… 56 again.
This is the Cardiac Recovery Index… a little higher the second
time is OK but a lot is bad. A few of the graded criteria went down
to A-… mucous membranes and capillary refill (he hadn’t
drunk anything yet), and gait, impulsion, attitude, and overall impression.
Ron said Zephyr was doing very well, especially compared to a lot
of the other horses he’d already scored! We went back over to
our crew area then. I didn’t take Zephyr’s saddle off
because it was only a 30 minute hold and I wanted both of us to spend
the time eating. For him, beet pulp slurry, grass, hay, and carrots…
for me, another yogurt smoothie and a banana (which he made me share
with him). The rain had lessened and the temperatures risen, so I
traded my long raincoat for my hip-length one. We left right on time
and caught up to Margaret easily… her out time was a minute
before mine.
Zephyr
didn’t drink until around 20 miles into the ride, and boy was
I glad when he did! Loop 2 was also a little over 14 miles and then
we were back at the same field for our second vet check and a 40 minute
hold. This time Ron checked him in at 48 and he was up to 52 after
the trot out. The same scores continued to go down as before…
mucous membranes and capillary refill went down to B-, gait went down
to a B, impulsion went down to B+. When I heard that, I realized that
*I* had been the limiting factor… I was becoming a bit lame
myself and therefore didn’t run as fast as I should have to
show him to best advantage! Attitude and overall impression stayed
at A- and the rest stayed at A. Ron still said he looked good but
he wanted me to make sure he drank as much as possible… and
failing that, eat more grass along the way. I took him back to the
truck, removed his saddle, and sponged him down while he ate more
of his beet pulp slurry, grass, hay, and carrots. I wasn’t that
hungry but made myself eat a tuna sandwich, some honeydew melon, a
couple of “plumcots” (yummy!), and even a couple slices
of smoked ham! It had stopped raining so I left my raincoat there.
I made sure to tack him back up early enough that we would be able
to leave right at the 40 minute mark. I had some extra time so after
I tacked him up I remembered to take an “at the vet check”
picture.
This
time Margaret and I left together. We were about 500 yards down the
road when we heard a yell behind us. We turned to see a dark horse
trotting towards us wearing only a bridle! I turned Zephyr all the
way around and positioned him right in the horse’s path. As
expected, the other horse came over to sniff noses and I was able
to grab his bridle and then his reins, so we could trot him back to
the two gentlemen who were jogging towards us.
Some
distance into the 15-mile Loop 3 I realized that both my inner calves
were hurting. Oh well, endurance is called that for a reason. I took
some pictures on this loop, since it had finally stopped raining.
Photo by Kate Rogers, Sweet Meadow Arts Photography
One
cool thing about Loop 3 was that, at about 42 miles into the ride,
Zephyr was in the lead and decided to trot faster… and then
to canter… he was in a slow gallop before I decided HEY, this
is great but it’s TOO FAST! It did make me feel good, though,
that he still had that much energy left even after 42 miles…
I guess he really was ready for this!
The
third vet check and 20-minute hold was back at camp. I hadn’t
wanted to go back to the trailer for two reasons… it was farther
away so we would waste time walking back and forth, and going to the
trailer might make him think he was finished for the day. Being back
in camp at all was enough that I thought he already might not want
to go back out. So Scott had set Eliza’s and my hold boxes out
fairly close to the vet area. Zephyr took a bit longer to come down
to pulse criteria but after a couple minutes we headed over. A different
vet checked him in with a pulse of 52.. it went up to 56 after the
trot-out. Mucous membranes was up to a B, capillary refill was up
to an A, skin tenting (a different measure of hydration/dehydration)
was down to a B, and the rest were back to all As!
Margaret’s
horse didn’t pulse down until 6 minutes after Zephyr, so our
out-time was 6 minutes earlier. I decided this was the perfect opportunity
to measure Zephyr’s sense of “this is my job, and it’s
fun”. For all he knew, we were setting out to do the whole 45
miles over again! Would he leave camp alone? Would he willingly pick
up and keep a steady trot, without another horse to egg him on?
He
walked through camp willingly but balked when we got to the paved
road. A couple spanks got him going again and he was fine after that.
Despite the fact that there were no horses in sight ahead of us, when
we reached the spot where the pavement stops and dirt road begins,
he picked up a brisk trot on his own! It was a little while before
we spotted another horse ahead, who we ended up “leapfrogging”
with for a while. Then on a curvy, slightly downhill woods trail with
rocky footing, Zephyr was able to foxtrot while her horse walked,
so we pulled ahead out of view. We met up with Eliza and Stephanie
Rice off and on but ended up doing most of the 5 miles by ourselves,
which was just fine with me. I’ve never really had a chance
to be out there alone during a CTR or endurance ride, and I have to
say that as much as I love riding with someone, I really like riding
alone too! It’s different than our training rides somehow, more
than just having to watch trail markings. I can’t explain it.
I probably wouldn’t want to do a whole ride that way but it
was nice for a while anyway!
We
got back to camp around 3:35 and he pulsed down pretty fast, especially
since I took the time to remove his saddle and sponge his whole body.
He pulsed in at 52/52 and … this is the best part … received
As on everything except an A- on gut sounds and a B on anal tone!
His scores had actually improved a lot since the last vet check! Although
I’m really not sure how I managed to run well enough to show
him at his best… my calf muscles were so seized up by this point
that I could hardly walk.
I
took him back over to the trailer for water, hay, and beet pulp, and
of course a nice roll in the sandy corral. Then I grabbed my shower
supplies and headed to dinner, then the showers!
Awards
were at 7:30. Our completion awards were white coffee mugs with the
ride name. I think my official ride time was 8:43… about an
hour faster than when we finished the same ride in 2003. But then,
I was just happy to complete with a sound and happy horse!
Here
is a Google Earth map with our GPS route on it. I hardly ever looked
at it during the ride, I could tell we were going fast enough, I just
had it on to map our route for later.
Who
could resist this face?? “Let me out, Mom!”
I
walked him and let him eat grass several times, including one walk
down to the general store to use the pay phone. He waited patiently
at the end of the lead rope while I called home to tell my husband
about our ride. Several people got a kick out of it, and asked me
if I let him use the phone too! Walking back to the fairground, I
heard a roaring noise and looked up. It took my eyes a moment to focus
on what I was seeing, and my brain a little longer to register it.
Not quite fifty feet away, I could see torrential rain falling against
the dark backdrop of the forest! The noise was the sound of the rain
on the leaves. The rain was approaching so slowly that I had time
left to untie my raincoat from around my waist and put it on!
Soon
I headed
out with Patti Stedman’s husband Richard, to meet Patti on the
trail at her next “pit crew” stop. She was riding the
100 and had two more loops to go. We were at the crew stop for at
least 30 minutes before she and her two riding companions arrived.
I spent the time laying on the ground with my eyes closed, relaxing
and listening to the other crew members talking. When we heard horses
trotting towards us I opened my eyes to discover that it was pitch
black out! I squinted down the road towards the sound and soon saw
two glowing Ys floating towards me, one in all green and one in green
and red. The Ys were tipping left and right as they approached. My
drowsy brain finally registered that I was looking at the glow sticks
attached to the horses’ breastplates! It was so totally amazing
to realize that those horses and riders had been trotting along in
that pitch black darkness, following glow sticks attached to the trees
every few hundred yards. Talk about relying on your horse! I’ve
read lots of stories written by people who have done it but to actually
see it was amazing. It made me want to actually DO it!
I
wasn’t much help, I just held the beet pulp up where Patti’s
horse Ned, a gorgeous Arab/Trakhener gelding who is about 16.3 hands,
could eat without having to drop his head. Meanwhile Richard sponged
him down and applied more Desitin to his heels to prevent fungus …
with all the sponging going on over a 20 hour period, horses can get
a fungus on the sensitive skin of their heels. In just a few moments,
Patti and her companions were ready to hit the trail again. Richard
and I headed back to camp, where I then went over to hang out with
the vets and their scribes. I had decided to wait up for all the 100-milers
to finish. Not just to support Patti, but also to support the riders
who I knew were doing their very first 100. After all, I hope someday
when I do my first 100, someone will wait up for me who doesn’t
HAVE to, who just wants to.
Hanging
out with that particular group was an experience I won’t soon
forget. Our riotous laughter probably kept half the camp awake until
1:30 when the last rider finished. Not only that, but watching the
100 mile horses vet in, and be judged for Best Condition, was a great
learning experience. The last horse who finished actually dragged
his handler down the arena and back! Now THAT is a HORSE!! (Because
the Best Condition judging takes into account how long the horse was
on the course, and the rider’s weight, a different horse won
BC at the awards ceremony the next morning. But the last horse did
receive a special award in recognition of his stellar vet scores.)
I
slept like a rock from 1:30 to about 6, when Zephyr started banging
on the trailer to demand breakfast. I got up and fed him, then went
back to bed for another hour! I got up at 7 to graze him for a few
minutes before the awards and breakfast buffet at 7:30. Afterwards
I packed up all our things, took down the corral, and headed home
at a respectable 10:00.
A
drive that took 4 hours on the way down took much longer on the way
back, because I had to stop for over an hour to try and take a nap!
I pulled in behind a gas station, parked in the shade, gave Zephyr
some water, and crawled into my tent cot. Although I didn’t
sleep, it was quite pleasant and did serve as enough of a rest to
get me back safely on the road.
We
arrived back at the barn at around 3:30, where the first thing Zephyr
did was spend a good 5 minutes rolling in his favorite spot!
I
felt good enough when I got home that I was able to completely unload
my gear, then vacuum the carpet in the front of the trailer, and also
the seats and floors in the truck. That’s been needing to be
done for a while! Then I went inside, cleaned up the mess I’d
made when I unloaded, and was in bed by 8:30.
Probably
no more rides in our future until August 12th, when I’m managing
the Hot Toddy Hustle, a brand
new ride based at the barn where I board.
