AHAME Lookout 25 CTR West Paris, ME October 2005

Here it was, the last ride of the season. Drat! Marie has just gotten started again! I ended up going up to the ride the morning of the ride rather then staying overnight. I had to work a long shift at work and needed sleep! Susie and Joanie also went up that morning. I followed them up. It was slow driving since it was so foggy. We arrived on time with no problems. It was very cold that morning and there was a heavy frost and the grass in the field was slippery, not to mention wet! We were vetted in with no problems. Vicki Austin usually runs this ride but turned it over to Heather for health reasons. Heather had the help of the AHAME club. That is the Arabian Horse Association of Maine. They had a nice little breakfast for us. Susie, Joanie and I were the first ones out on the ride. Our toes were about frozen by the time we headed out. We didn’t want to be overdressed though since it was supposed to warm up nicely. Once we got moving we quickly warmed up. The horses were all feeling great. The trails were wonderful. We got to the hold with no problems and all went well there. Marie pulsed down with no problem. We headed out of the hold right on time. The second half of the ride was as lovely as the first half. We rode for a while with a woman who was on her first ride. She was riding a 20+ year old horse of unknown breeding that she had picked up off a feed lot. The horse looked great and certainly not his age. Eventually she rode on ahead of us. About a mile from the end we met up with her again. Her horse was just standing in the road. She thought he was tired and just didn’t want to go any further. We encouraged her and told her to follow us in. She did. Well, don’t you know that woman and her horse won Grand Champion!!!! She was dumbfounded. She also won high point rookie rider, high point rookie horse, high point grade horse…… I bet we see her at more rides! Hahah. Marie and I got the honor of winning the black, last place ribbon! Ha! Marie was fine. She just got too many point off for being a little tired at the end to place very well. She really wasn’t all that tired but her trot outs are never very exciting anyway. I was very pleased with how she did. Susie and Joanie scored somewhere in the middle of the group. By the time we were done, it was actually hot. Around 80 degrees and we were all wishing for shorts. Susie was the smart one and had hers!

Cindy Ross on Marie, Susie Reinheimer on Cody and Joanie Mitchell on Frannie


AHAME Lookout 25 ME 10/1/05 18/S-F
Judges: Dr. B Perkins - S Day
J1. Linkk / Jack, Sarah
J2. AD Lauredo / York, Cara
1. Annabelle / Libby, Leigh
2. Stonewall Sally / Hoyt, Colleen
3. Enshalla Fakama / Jewell, Charlotte
3. Odie / Palmer, Judy
5. High Country Piper / Deleware, Marcia
6. KA Shiloh / Neideroda, Sue
6. Jahyr Jamlin / Jack, Kelley
6. Medallion / Hutchinson, Laural
9. Sundance Tatezi / Smith, Vickie
9. SPD Carousel / O'Connor, Colleen
9. BW Warrior / Brone, Ruth
12. Xavier Sunnyacres / Reinheimer, Susan
13. DLA Cassidy / Hatch, Janice
14. Moria NA / Hurton, Bonnie
15. Frangelica / Mitchell, Joanie
16. Marie / Ross, Cindy (Score 92.50)

Rider Milestone 1,000 for 2005
Hernan Babrosa
Diane Brosious
Rachel Lodder
Janet Mayberry
Ann Raynor
Bill Rice
Susan Reinheimer
Cynthia Ross
Mindy Vienneau
Susan Weber
Jean Whitman

(1050 miles ytd)

Waterford 30 CTR Waterford, ME September 2005

The Waterford 30 drive would be Marie’s second competition of the season. Bonnie went with me as my groom. This would be my first chance to really try out my new cart! I had finally gotten the new seat to replace the one that was damaged in shipping when I bought it. I headed up to Waterford a little after 10:00 AM. There weren’t that many people there when I arrived so there was no trouble finding a place to park. I didn’t bother with a stall. With my “Spring tie” on my trailer, I really don’t need one as long as the weather is good. Heather found me right away. We hung out for a bit and then Heather went down to Melby’s for lunch. I had brought some snacks for myself so stayed at camp for lunch. I got the cart out and all put together. My cart is a "traveler" cart which breaks down for easier hauling. The wheels and shafts come off. Bonnie came up after work that afternoon. Vetting was uneventful and quick. Heather, Bonnie and I went to Melby’s for supper after vetting was done. Bonnie and I fitted Marie into the shafts of the cart to make sure I had them adjusted properly. I wanted to make sure I didn’t have to fuss with it in the morning. We hung out at my trailer after supper until a bit after 9:00 pm. I had worked the previous night and been up all day so I was falling asleep in my camp chair and did not catch much of the conversation. We knew is was supposed to be quite chilly that night. So, I blanketed Marie. We had brought our warmest sleeping bags and snuggled in for the night. We knew the hard part would be getting up in the morning.

Saturday morning wasn’t as cold as I had expected. Though it was chilly enough. I got up and fed Marie. Then headed down to the food shack for coffee and my usual oatmeal. We had the riders/drivers meeting. Drivers would be going out first. We would have a 15 minute window to start from 7:30 to 7:45 am. Then the rides would start out at 8:00 am. After the riders meeting, Bonnie and I quickly harnessed Marie and got her in the cart. We got through the safety check fine and headed out at 7:32. Marie seemed happy enough to be on trail but was a bit pokey. After we had been out for nearly an hour, a team of ponies caught up to us. The first riders weren’t far behind them. Marie perked up when the team of ponies went by and then decided it was her mission to keep up with them. The ponies weren’t very big but boy could they move! A lot of the first half of the trail was wonderful dirt road. But, there was also a lot of rocky rough trail and a bit of really sandy going that was just a bit hilly. Marie really struggled in the sandy spots. She is still not as fit as she was previous to her being sick this spring. She was working herself a bit too hard trying to keep up with the ponies. When we got to the hold Marie’s pulse was high and she was panting causing her to be “inverted”. That is when their respiration is higher then their pulse. That can mean trouble, but only if their temperature is high. Marie was just a bit overtired. I knew that she would continue to work too hard the rest of the ride to keep up with the ponies. If I separated from the ponies and slowed down, she would fret about that and we probably wouldn’t make our time. I decided at that point to pull from the competition. I felt it was just a bit more then she was ready for at this point. And, if I didn’t overwork her at this ride, she would be ok to go to the last ride of the season the next weekend. Another one of the drivers horses had cut its leg on a nasty culvert out on trail. Both horses were trailered back to camp from the hold. I was glad I pulled. By the time we got back to camp, Marie had perked right up and was demanding her food. Bonnie and I stayed for the meal and award ceremony after the ride. Not a bad day really. We had a nice 16 mile drive!

Scribner's Mill 25 CTR Harrison, ME September 2005

Cindy Ross' and Heather Bonneau's trailers in field

Yahooooooo! I was finally taking my own horse to a competition!!!! Yippeeeeee! I knew she wasn’t in peak condition like she was prior to getting sick, but I really felt she was ready for an easy 25. It is held at a historic site. It is an old saw mill that is still in operation. I parked down in the field across the street from the mill. It’s a bit tricky getting into the field and a trailer much bigger then mine can’t make it. I like parking there since it is in a beautiful field that is bordered by the Crooked River. The beautiful old farm house is on the other. It is also were the meals are held as well as all the vetting. I was the first one to park in the field so I had my pick of great spots. Heather was the second to arrive. There is also a neat collection of old tractors in one part of the field.

The tractor collection at Scribner's Mill

It didn’t take me long to set up. I finally was going to be able to use my “Spring Tie”. This is an a set up to tie a horse to a trailer but give them room to move around. It is an arm with a spring on it that attaches to the top of the trailer with a long lead off the end of it. In the picture here, my trailer is the one on the left. Heather’s is on the right. Marie on the Spring Tie could actually reach Heathers horse that you can see tied to her trailer. With the Spring Tie, I don’t have to set up or take down a pen which save a lot of time. The river is right behind the trees behind the trailers so easy water was available for the horses. I got my ride packet and put my ride number on my horse early. I was proud of myself that I had bought my own marker to paint ride numbers on my own horse. I was number 6. My friend Terry was there. Her daughter was riding. Terry was also going to ride. It would be her first ride on the horse she was leasing from Janet Brunjes. I had brought my own lunch and settled down to eat that. I soon had a gathering of dogs all drooling and staring at me. I don’t know where they all came from! Heather joined me and hung out by my trailer for a bit. Margaret showed up much earlier then we expected! Very early for her. She parked beside me also. It took her a while to get parked to her satisfaction. And then it always takes her a while to get set up. Her horse, Promise, looks great. He is 24 years old and still going strong. He always beats me when Margaret rides with me! Hahahaha. I was hoping I could break this trend this ride. The picture below is Promise tied to my trailer. He is a Morgan. Susie showed up soon after. She was not riding this time. It was only 3 weeks since her breast cancer surgery. She wanted to ride and had already ridden a few times with me but her doctor said NO! I think it was the right decision. She was doing great but she needs to let her body heal. She came to the ride as a volunteer to work it. She was going to bunk out in my trailer with me but was offered the use of Jan Hatch’s trailer. She was the ride manager and the ride was at her place so she wasn’t using the trailer. Susie wisely took Jan up on the offer. It has a much larger and more comfortable living area in the trailer then mine. Though I did, of course, give her a hard time about my trailer not being good enough for her.

Promise and Marie tied to my trailer


Vetting went fine for Marie and I. Margaret and Promise also had no problems. Heather was going to have to trot out again in the morning since her horse looked a bit lame. We were on our own for supper that night. There are no restaurants all that close to the ride so I came prepared with my own supper. Margaret had brought veggie’s and dip as well as cheese and crackers. Susie brought bread and spread. Great stuff that I can’t spell that was made of roasted red peppers, garlic and onions. I had cheese pop corn and other bagged snacks. Susie and Margaret both brought wine and I had some Twisted Tea. Heather hadn't brought anything but the rest of us had enough to share with her. By supper time, we were almost too full from the snacks to eat. Margaret and I had both brought salads which we had. Susie didn’t want to eat but had her car so took Terry and her daughter Cara out to eat somewhere. After we ate, we all went up the hill to where the big rigs had parked. Everyone was gathering there just for some social time. We had a great time catching up on news and hearing everyone’s ride stories. I sat with Marcia Deleware. Her horse, Savanna, had been involved in a near lightning strike a few months earlier and had not been the same since. She had healed from all her physical wounds but mentally was still having a hard time. Marcia was hoping that getting back into the normal routine of riding and competing would help. It turned out she was right. Savanna did well and completed the ride in good shape. We had a campfire that was made up of rolled up corrugated cardboard placed in a metal bucket with wax pored all over it. It burned great and never did burn down. It was Marcy’s “campfire”. She told us she had already used it 4 times. There was plenty of wine going around and Charlotte had apparently sampled lots of it. She got pretty drunk and we had to pull her out of the campfire at one point when she came over to offer us some wine. It got chilly in the evening. The gathering broke up at about 9:00 p.m. and we all headed for bed. I slept in spurts. The Spring Tie was a bit noisy as Marie moved around. I’m not used to the sounds it makes and got up once to make sure everything was ok. When I got up in the morning, the first thing I could smell when I stepped out of the trailer was roasting pig. Yummmmm. The caterer came in a 2 a.m. and started roasting the pig. That freaked out a couple of horses that were near where they were roasting the pig. I don’t think that either the horses or their owners got much sleep.

Janet Brunjes


There was a nice breakfast of hot and cold cereals, trail mix, breakfast bars and fruit. The coffee pot malfunctioned and provided us with a bit of amusement. It brewed the coffee fine, but when you tried to dispense it, it wouldn’t shut off. So, we were lining up and filling our cups as fast as we could. The riders meeting was at 7:30 a.m. It was short since the trail was well marked and easy to follow. Margaret and I were numbers 6 and 7 so went out in the front half of the ride. The trail was great. Though the first 5 miles took us 1 hr. to complete and should have only taken 45 min. We all agreed the mileage was wrong there. That just made us nervous about the rest of the mileage and whether we would make our time our not. The rest was fine. We got grouped up after the first 5 miles and were riding in a group. There was Margaret, Heather, Irving, Marcia, Charlotte, and another woman I didn’t know. Marie was so excited to be out with her equine friends. (yes, the horses definitely do get to know each other and have likes and dislikes just as we humans do.) She was traveling along strongly and even leading for a while. The horses were all feeding off each other but behaving well so it was lots of fun. There was no marker to warn us we were coming into the hold so we all came in fast. Darn! I was worried Marie’s pulse would not come down quick enough. The vet and lay judge were not there! No one was sure where they were. Fortunately, another qualified lay judge was there and vetted us though the hold. Marie did fine and I was thrilled. We were vetted quickly, had time to rest and feed our horses and get out on time. On the last half of the ride we got grouped up again with Kathy and Tom Hutchinson and Irving. So, once again Marie worked hard keeping up with her friends. In the last few miles I could feel her getting tired. She had worked herself a bit too hard in her excitement.

We finished in good time. Marie vetted out fine. She was just a tiny bit high on her pulse at the end and got quite a few points for lameness which was really just fatigue. She did great for a horse that nearly died this spring. The vet was very pleased with how she looked and how well she did. Once the vetting was done, Supper was ready. It was very good. My favorite part of the ride! When I was ready to go, I asked Scott Hatch, who lived there, what was the fastest way for me to get home. He told me to go out over the dirt roads. I could see on the map that was most direct but was unsure how the roads would be. He assured me they were fine! Eeeeekkkkk, they were scarey! Here I am with my big truck and a gooseneck trailer on a one lane….. cow path through the pucky brush!!! It was 8 miles shorter but I couldn’t go much more then 5 mph on about 1 ½ miles of it. So, I’m not sure it was faster.
It was a really great ride and weekend.

Having the meal at the end of the ride


Kathie Brunjes reveiving award


Louise Lester presenting award to Heather Bonneau


Louise Lester presenting award to Margaret Farnum. Adam Jack and Jan Hatch in back

Adam Jack presenting award to Tom Hutchinson


Margaret Farnum getting ready to leave

Scribner's Mills 25 ME 9/9/05 27/S-24/F
Judges: Larry Buggia - Colleen Hoyt
J1. AD Laureado / York Cara
J2. Linkk / Jack, Sarah
1. Keeper / Brooks, Leslie
2. Theatric / Brunjes, Kathy
3. Prymtyme / Hutchinson, Tom
4. Winnstar / Rojek, Dinah
4. Finch / Rojek, Steve
6. Cindi Jo's Promise / Levasseur, Kathy
7. LWF Paljoe Promise / Farunum, Margaret
7. Menomin Medallion / Hutchinson, Laurel
9. Shaymeless Vanity / Huson, Rosemary
10. Beckie / Dockham, Peg
11. Travelon's Times Two / Gamester, Marcy
11. Manelee Stuart / Sweet, Eliza
13. HFA Silver Savana / Deleware, Marcia
14. VH Phazon / McNaughton, Irving
14. Nerzans Lady Mariah / Bonneau, Heather
16. LS Simply Fantastic / Bradford, Tracy
16. Enshalla Fakama (Ram-Zee) / Jewell, Charlotte
18. Marie / Ross, Cynthia (Score 86.50)
Completions:
BW Warriro / Brone, Ruth Bither
Odmata / Palmer, Judy
Moria NA / Hurton, Bonnie
KA Shiloh / Niedoroda, Susan

Fryeburg 25 CTR Fryeburg, ME July 2005

Cindy Ross on Cody and Barbara McGovern on Monty

Another ride on a borrowed horse. This time I had the honor of riding my good friend Susie's horse, Cody. He is an “energetic” half Arab gelding that not a whole lot of people are willing to ride. He is a great horse and an incredible athlete as well as an experienced competitive trial and endurance horse. He also has some incredible moves that can make it a challenge to stay on him. I had previously only done a few short rides on him over the years that I’ve known Susie. Unfortunately, Cody was available due to Susie finding out she had breast cancer and having had surgery. Susie was doing well but not ready to do a ride yet. This was certainly going to be a year we would remember. First with me almost losing Rosemarie to Purpura from her Strangles vaccine, Susie having breast cancer. Bonnie’s horse, Isabelle, sick for 2 months with the nastiest case of flu I’ve ever heard of. And there are also the triumphs such as me placing 3rd over all at the Acadia 50 on the borrowed horse, Koram. (And then nearly losing him in the river at the Pine Tree ride.) The weekend before Fryeburg, Barbara McGovern and I went on a long ride to see how things would go with Cody and me. Barbara was also going to the Fryeburg ride. She was using Susie’s other horse, Monty. It would be her and Monty’s first Competitive Trail Ride. We went out for nearly 4 hrs. It was a hot day but all went well. Cody only did one of his classic “drop and spin” moves and I managed to hang on. The Wednesday before the Fryeburg ride, we went out for a shorter ride. Joanie joined us. She was also going to the Fryeburg ride and it would be her and her horse, Frannie’s first Competitive Ride. I also talked Bonnie into playing hookie from work and going with us on Wednesday riding Marie. It didn’t take much arm twisting. We rode over in Richmond and had a great ride except that Joanie lost her work pager. Cody tried a couple of his classic “drop and spin” moves but once again I managed to stick with him. I told Cody he would have to do better then that to keep me from the ride! We were ready Fryeburg!
Friday morning I picked up Barbara and the horses at Susie’s. We headed out around 8:30 am. Joanie followed us up. I brought Zephyr along. Zephyr fell in love with Barbara immediately. Joanie also brought her dog, Moxie. The ride was held at the Fryeburg fairgrounds. It is the greatest place. There are great stalls. You can park and camp right in front of the stalls. There is a water line every 4 stalls so you never have to lug water far. Shavings were delivered right in front of the stalls. There are nice bathrooms and showers. What more could anyone ask for. After we arrived and got the horses settled in, we checked in and set up camp. The state 4H camp was being held there that weekend also. So there were a lot of horses and other critters on the grounds that weekend. There were 70+ entries in the Fryeburg ride. The 4H had a food booth that was open to the public. We took advantage of that for lunch. We had a great salad, hamburgers, and a choice of wonderful home made deserts. Poor Joanie was coming down with a cold and was not feeling very well. She really wanted to take a nap after we ate lunch but we also wanted to get the horses out for a little ride. We had to ride before we vetted in. After vetting in you aren’t allowed to ride other then the competition itself. So, we saddled up and headed out. We put Zephyr and Moxie in a stall. We were afraid it would be too hot in the horse trailer if we left them in there. We didn’t ride for all that long and Cody was a monster. Pulling, bucking, spinning, shying. I don’t know how I managed to stay on him but I did. When we got back Barbara just shook her head and told me she would understand if I decided not to ride the next day. I was very concerned about it myself. I didn’t know if I could handle him for 25 miles if he was like that. Joanie tried to get a nap after we rode. There was a sign up for vetting in. That was nice so we wouldn’t have to stand in long lines waiting. We signed up before going out on our ride so we were in the first half to be vetted. The vetting was being done right in front of where we were camping so we had a great view of all that was going on. My good friend Margaret Farnum was a scribe for the 25 mile ride. Margaret had previously had some bad experiences at this particular ride so chose to work the ride rather then ride in it. The Lay Judge was Vicky Austin. She owns King, the half brother to Cody. Both horses are very much alike and have all the same moves. Vicky looked me right in the eye when I came up for vetting and said, “you do know what this horse can do don’t you?” I assured her that I did know what I was getting into though I could not convince her I was in full possession of my sanity! All three of us vetted in without problem. It was now official, we were going to ride!!! We were sitting in front of our stalls watching the trot outs and got more action then we wanted. Stephanie Rice was trotting out her horse when someone started up a big truck and the horse lost his concentration and bumped Stephanie. She slipped on the grass and fell under the horse and he managed to accidentally step on her head and elbow. She started to get up but then just fell back onto the ground. Joanie is an emergency room nurse so went to see what she could do. When Joanie got back, she said that there was a lot of blood but that Stephanie would be ok. They had to call an ambulance. Stephanie’s husband was also in the competition so was there. We did hear later that Stephanie was going to be ok. Then, a nasty thunderstorm rolled in and it poured rain for a bit so the vetting had to be delayed for a while. There were supposed to be two vets at this ride due to the number of entries. One couldn’t make it at the last minute. So, it was one vet and 70+ horses. After the storm passed they resumed the vetting until dark. The remaining horses had to vet in Saturday morning. Rich Gamester was providing the food for the weekend. Friday’s supper was hamburgers, pasta salad and chips. After we ate, I took Cody out into the field to lounge him hoping he would blow off some of that excess energy. Joanie came out to let the dogs run for a bit. Cody certainly did blow off some steam. The bugs were horrible so we could only stand it out there for a short time. I just hoped it was enough for Cody. We all went to bed shortly after that. Zephyr was beside himself when he was allowed up to sleep with Barbara and I in the gooseneck. He completely spazzed out as he usually does when Bonnie is with me. Luckily, Barbara has two Jack Russell’s and knows how little dogs can be and was very patient with him. Though we did draw the line when he tried to get into her sleeping bag like he does with Bonnie!

I didn’t really sleep very well. Probably because I was worried about riding Cody. We were up early and got the horses fed. We took the dogs for a quick walk then had some breakfast. Soon it was time to saddle up. For better or worse, I was going to go. We mounted up and just walked the horses around until our numbers were called. They let the three of us start together since I was “mentoring” Barbara and Joanie. Cody was a bit excited at first but manageable. At one point, Irving McNaughton rode up beside me and stated, “My lord, I have never seen Cody going so slow in my life! You know what your problem is, you aren’t talking enough, you have to keep up a steady stream of talk and he will move much faster!” And off he went. We got a good laugh out of that. Poor Susie, poking fun of her when she couldn’t defend herself! We didn’t go across the Saco river this year. The ride manager said the water was too high and the horses would have actually had to swim. So, we had to go up on the road and cross the bridge instead. That is a bit scary. It is a fairly long high bridge on a very busy road. The Saco river is a very popular canoeing/partying place during the summer. Just standing in one place, you will literally see hundreds of canoes on the river at any given time during the day. No, not any given time. Usually more towards noon since everyone usually has a hangover and doesn’t get going all that early. When we got to the agricultural roads along the potato fields, Cody got a bit strong so we kept it down to a trot. He really wasn’t too bad and actually settled down about half way through the fields but I still kept it down to a trot to be on the safe side. . Go ahead, call me a chicken. We were doing great on time and arrived at the hold in good time. Frannie was incredible, she was walking right out and doing big monster trots. She was giving Cody a run for his money. Frannie was also leaping over the smallest stick and puddles. She was just having a great time. Monty, in his usual fashion, was just following along behind wasting no extra energy. At the hold, Monty pulsed right down to 40. Cody and Frannie’s pulse were higher but fine. Despite the number of riders and only one vet, we got through the vetting fairly quickly. We did take an extra 5 minutes to feed the horses. Then, off we went for the second half. The trail markings were a bit confusing on part of the second half. We ended up doing one loop twice. Ooops. Cody took that opportunity to do one of his special moves. To his credit, the only one during the entire ride. Once again I managed to stay on. Riding the loop twice put us a little behind on time. When we crossed the bridge there were tons of canoes down in the river. When we were about half way across, someone started setting off fire crackers. Cody hates popping sounds. I really thought I was going to eat pavement. Cody jumped and hopped just a little. I stayed quiet and talked to him and we managed to get over the bridge in one piece. At the end we were running short on time. I decided that we should speed up to make our time and take the chance of getting points for a high pulse rather then take certain points for coming in late. Cody got a little excited with that and got a bit strong but nothing serious. In the end, it wasn’t a bad gamble. Frannie and Cody each took one point for being slightly over on pulse. Monty pulsed down just fine. And he was the horse I was worried about! Once again the poor lone vet did a great job in getting the horses all vetted in. Those that were doing the two day ride only had to do a quick trot out so that helped speed things along. We got things packed up while waiting for supper and awards. Joanie tried to take a nap in her trailer since she still was not feeling too well. Moxie and Frannie just would not cooperate with that idea. Moxie barked wanting to be with her and Frannie kept calling for Monty when he was taken out of his stall. We found out that here were a couple of tragic events just after we had gone out on trail that morning. Apparently, someone’s horse started to act up and buck waiting at the start. The rider dismounted in an attempt to get her horse under control but he got so strong that he pulled away from her and got loose. The horse jumped into an electric pen with another horse, when the horse jumped back out, he became entangled in the wire and then managed to take out a second pen also in his panic. The horse, dragging all the wire, poles, and charger ran straight for a mounted rider. This rider quickly dismounted and her horse stepped in front of her and took the full force of the running horse. The rider was knocked down and both horses ran off towards the track. Another rider was also thrown when her horse spun and bolted to get out of the way. When the first horse settled down, they went out on the track and got him. They figured the second horse would also be out there grazing in the area inside the track. Unfortunately, the mare had jumped the track fence and skidded into the chain link fencing that surrounds the fairgrounds and was dead! Then, Sue and John Greenall went off trail in the beginning of the ride. They went over a snowmobile bridge that was not designed for horses. The boards were spaced too far apart. One of the horses slipped on mud and went through the bridge with three legs. One of the riders husband had to get a chain saw and cut through the bridge to get the horse out. Others came to help with boards and they managed to get the horse out mostly unharmed. It gives me the chills just thinking about all of it.
Now, after all that gloom and doom, our personal rides turned out very well. Barbara won first place in the lightweight division and first place rookie rider. Joanie got 2nd place in the middleweight division and the high point Morgan horse award. I won sixth place in the heavyweight division and the 1st place ½ Arabian award. I also completed and earned my first 1,000 miles of competitive trail riding. Narie had already earned her 1,000 miles. In the club, ride and drive miles are split for the rider/driver but not for the horse. Marie and I have done 75 mile of drives. So, starting the year I was 75 miles behind in earning my 1,000 mile ride award. I got 50 miles at Acadia on Koram. Cody had earned me my last 25 miles. I can’t think of a better horse to have earned it on since he had been by Marie and my side through so many of those miles. We had so many prizes we could barely carry them back to the trailer! I was so happy that my friends had done so well on their first rides. On my score sheet, Vicky wrote in the trail comment section, “cute, cute, cute.” We got a chuckle out of that. I think she may be a bit partial to her horses half brother! Hahahaha.
Thank to Susie for letting me borrow her wonderful horse Cody and thanks to my friends for trusting me to help them through their first ride.

A few weeks after the ride, Joanie, Barbara, Susie and I went on a little ride from Joanie’s. It was nice to have both Susie and Marie with us. After the ride, we had a little celebration for me earning my 1,000 miles and for Joanie and Barbara completing their first ride. Susie wrote a poem for the occasion. It was about the Fryeburg 25 sung to the tune of the Beverly Hillbillys. It was absolutely hilarious and I will add it to this as soon as I get a copy.

Pine Tree 30 Endurance Waterford, ME June 2005

Cindy Ross with Koram



Well, I had quite and adventure at this past ride. And for once, Susie was not involved! hahahaha. It started out as an easy ride for me. I was borrowing Koram again. But, this time Terry, the woman I was borrowing him from, was bringing up her daughters horse so would bring Koram also. Terry and Kara were going up on Thursday so they could attend the big cookout. So, they would set up a pen for Koram and I wouldn’t have to worry about that. All Terry wanted me to do was bring some hay. This years Pine Tree 100 mile ride was a “qualifier” for the US Endurance team so there were over 100 riders from all over the country in all the distances combined. 20+ riders were in the 30 mile ride. The 30 mile ride was only being held as a clinic. We would not receive any awards or get any mileage credit. But, Koram was not conditioned well enough for the 50 mile ride.

Bill Rice vetting in. Larry Buggia vet

I arrived in Waterford at about noon time on Friday. I stopped to have lunch at Melby’s before going to the fairgrounds. While I was there Terry and Cara came in. We all ate and then went up to the fairgrounds. The Waterford fairground is not that large and with that many riders, the trailers were packed in like sardines. I was glad I didn’t have to worry about parking a trailer or setting up a pen. Irving McNaughton was riding the 100. Terry was crewing for him. This didn’t really make Cara very happy since she really wanted her mother crewing for her. When we heard how hot they were predicting it was going to be on ride day, Terry and I tried to talk Irving into dropping to the 50 but he wouldn’t hear of it. Stubborn man! Susie and Barbara arrived shortly after we got back from lunch. Barbara McGovern was with Susie. She was riding Susie’s new horse, Monty, in the 30 mile clinic. It would be her and Monty’s first competitive ride. Once they got settled in, we all went out for a short ride just to let the horses stretch their muscles after the trailer ride and before the vetting. Cara and I braided our horse’s manes. Getting the hair off their necks would help keep them cooler. Vetting went quickly and Cara, Susie, Barbara and I were all cleared to ride. Bill Rice wasn’t so fortunate. His horse failed the vet check due to lameness (I think) So, he loaded his horse up and headed home to pick up one of his other horses. The second horse passed and was cleared to ride.

The riders meeting was held that evening at 7:00. It was announced that the 100 mile ride was going to start at 4:30 AM instead of 5:00 AM. This was due to the predicted heat and to space the 100’s, 50’s and 30’s further apart in case the vets got very busy treating horses that might have trouble handling the heat.

Riders meeting. Left-Susie Reinheimer. Front-Terry York. Behind-Barbara McGovern



Sue Greenall did the yearly “Boiled Owl” presentation. Kathy Brunjes got the award this year much to her dismay. The “Boiled Owl” award is a funny little tradition that was started some years ago and is awarded to the person considered the “toughest” rider. The 30’s would still be starting at 6:30 AM. We all hung around Terry’s camp for a while. Heather and Margaret joined us. We didn’t stay up too long though since we all had to be up early. I had decided to just sleep in my truck since it was jut one night and I didn’t want to bother with setting up a tent. That was ok except for a spot light that was shining right into my window. I finally managed to get a shirt hung up in the window enough to block the light so I could sleep!

Kathy Brunjes being presented the 'Boiled owl' award by Sue Greenall and Irving McNaughton.

Kathy Brunjes displaying her Boiled Owl award t-shirt


I was up by 3:30. Coffee and donuts were available. I wanted to be up to see the 100 milers start. At 5:30, the 50 milers started. We 30 mile riders were not feeling bad about doing the shorter distance when we heard what the temperature was going to be. It was supposed to be record high heat with high humidity. The humidity is what will cause problems for the horses. After the 50’s were gone, I tacked up Koram. We started at 6:30 am. At that time it was still comfortably cool. An Endurance ride has a mass start and there was some concerns about who was going to ride with who and how it was going to effect the horses. Susie and Barbara were going to go slowly since it was Barbara and Monty's first ride. Cara, had arranged to ride with Stephanie Rice. This was a first ride for Cara's horse also so she and Stephanie planned to go slow. We knew that separating Koram and Laureado (my horse and Cara's horse) would upset them but Stephanie didn't seem to want me riding with them for some reason. They wanted me to go in front of them and stay way in front so Lauredo never got to see Koram for the entire ride. Well, I could make no promises on that. I wanted to ride with Susie and Barbara and if they went slow, we would run into each other. And with the heat, I couldn't promise to ride fast anyway.

Cara York with Laureado and Stephanie Rice with Micky



Before the start, Cara and Stephanie separated from us by going back up into camp to wait for the start. That got Koram very upset so I just walked him up and down the road and didn't mount up until the call of "The Trail is Open". Then, I quickly mounted and off we went. Susie, Barbara, Margaret and me started together. Quite soon, Margaret and I pulled ahead of Susie and Barbara and we didn't see them again until the ride was over. We decided to go ahead and make some time while it was still cool. Everything was going great. The horses were traveling perfectly together. We were in the front of the pack. Koram is a nervous horse and can be a challenge to ride. But, he was behaving perfectly and was not getting too upset when other riders passed us. I was having the best ride ever on him. Not far from the hold, which is the halfway point for the 30's, we came to the Crooked River. There is a nice spot right off the trail to take the horses into the water. There were a couple of horses in there already but plenty of room for Margaret and me. Now, I had been told that Koram doesn't like being sponged from the saddle but I had done it a couple of time without problems on previous rides before I got that warning. And I had done it a ton of times at the Acadia ride without problem. I went right out into the water and as it got over his knees he got a little nervous. Then, I tossed out the sponge and he eyed it and sidled away from it into deeper water. When the water got belly deep he exploded. (I think it was the belly deep water that set him off especially since I later found out that he bucked his owner off in the Saco River at the Fryeburg ride when he got to belly deep water.) Koram bucked hard and kept getting into deeper water. Which, believe me didn't slow down the bucking. Eventually, I flew off and took a head first dive into the river. Well, it certainly was a nice soft landing and felt rather nice on such a hot day so I was completely unharmed. The water was chin deep to me and with the current it took me a minute to get my feet under me. When I finally cleared the water from my eyes (thankfully, my glasses were still on my face) I looked around and…… no Koram! "Where is my horse?!" I frantically asked as I noticed that everyone was staring upstream. I was told that he had gone up the river around a corner and out of sight. My heart sank. I had just lost someone elses horse! One rider tried to follow Koram but soon her horse had to swim so she turned back. I told every one else to just continue on. There was nothing they could do for me and it would be better if they went on to the hold and alerted ride managment that there was a horse missing. I tried walking up the river but it was too deep to walk with steep banks on one side (sometimes both sides) and swamp on the other. Farther up river there was a ridge of dry ground between the river and the swamp. So, I walked up the powerline until I found a narrow spot in the swamp and I could get out to dry ridge running along side the river. Then, I went up stream hoping that Koram would come out on my side of the river. Eventually, I did find his tracks where he had come out of the river on my side. The brush was very thick but I was able to follow his tracks. He was caught between the river and the swamp so it wasn't hard to follow the tracks. Eventually, I saw where he decided to reenter the river rather then brave the swamp. I looked across the river and there he was, chest deep on the far bank with his bridle caught in a tree. WITHOUT MY SADDLE!!!!! He had tried to climb out on the other side where there was an extremely steep and high sandy bank and had fallen back into the river. There really weren't many good places on either side of the river to get out. It was mostly steep banks. of 3' to maybe 20' or more. I swam across to Koram. He seemed to be unhurt but he was on a bend in the river and there were lots of downed trees in the water on that side. I didn't know how I'd get him out through all the trees in the water without help. And he had no plans on going anywhere. Great! now what? I called a few time and a couple guys in kayaks heard me. They didn't know anything about horses but offered to make a call for help. I told them to call Melby's restaurant. No one's cell phones were working in the area so we were told to call the restaurant if we had any problems and that ride management would be checking in there every hour or so. So, off they went to make the call. I was stuck standing in the water with Koram since the bank was too steep for me to get out and stay with him. I knew I was not far from the road since I could hear cars passing by. About 20 minutes after the kayakers went for help, I heard a car stop and then heard Tom Hutchinson, the ride manager, call out. Tom and I have a history of finding lost horses and boy was I glad to hear his voice!! I called back and he heard me. "Is that you Cindy?" "Yes." "Are you hurt?" "No." "Do you have your horse?" "Yes." "Is he hurt?" "No." "Do you need help?" "yes." "Ok, I'm coming down." Tom came down and assessed the situation. The steep banks were a major problem. The only place to get Koram out was downstream a short way but it was through and around a particularily snarly knot of downed trees. And it was chest deep or more so you couldn't see much of the snarl of branches. But, it was the only way to go. Tom had me lead Koram since I am a bit taller then he is and we figured I had a better chance of keeping my head above water. Tom got behind Koram and made him move. It was not fun. We all stumbled, fell, swam and floundered our way through. But, we got Koram out. Except for a few minor scrapes on all four legs, Koram seems unharmed. Phew! Now, I just had to walk him into the hold and get him checked out by the vet. We hadn't been far from the hold when Koram and I parted company but he had traveled quite a way in the opposite direction during his flight. Tom told me it was only a "couple" of miles to the hold. But, I’m pretty sure it was more like 4 miles! When we got to the hold the vet's checked him and he was fine and got all A's on his vet card. The scrapes on his legs were all very minor. We could have continued the ride except that I had no saddle!!!! There were a lot of horses being pulled at the hold due to the heat so we had to wait for a while for our turn to be trailered back to camp. Once I got him there, he was not happy about being in his pen without his pasture mate. So, I didn't dare leave him until Terry got back and could keep an eye on him.

Cindy Ross with Koram and Margaret Farnum with Promise



So, about 3 hours after I had come off Koram, I headed back out to the scene of the crime to find my saddle. All I could think about was $800 for the saddle, $150 for the Deluxe sheep skin cover, $50 for the packs, $50 for the woolback pad $40 for the girth, $75 for the endurance stirrups.....$$$$$ AAAAGGGGHHHHH. And I knew the saddle must be in the river since I had tracked Koram from where he had come out of the river until I found him. I went back into the woods where I originally had but followed the bank downstream this time. I didn't go far when I looked over the bank and there was my saddle floating in the river!!! Yippppeeeeeee. Now I only had two problems. I had dressed in jeans because the woods were so thick and brambly along the bank. And they were the only dry pants I had. That problem was quickly solved. A quick peek up and down the river to determine that I was alone at the moment and off came the pants. Now I had at least a 3 foot drop into the river. It didn't look all that deep and the bottom was sandy. So, in I went. I had really done all the swimming I wanted to but what are you going to do! hahaha. The water was about waist deep making the bank about eye level to me. I grabbed the saddle, gave a heave, and thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head!!!! After 3 hours of soaking in the river, that nice big western style LEATHER endurance saddle felt like it weighted 800 LBS!!! I couldn't believe that it had been floating! And I had to lift it to the height of my head up a straight bank to get it out. Now, I know I can normally do this. After all, I've put this saddle on Bailey, a friends 16.3H horse!! hahahahahaha. I nearly killed my self getting it out. I truly thought I was going to have to get help. I finally got enough of it out to sit on the edge of the bank, then, I had to find a place where I could heave myself out. All the while I was expecting a hoard of kayaks or canoes to come down the river and catch me in my skivies. Once I was out, and quickly dressed, I examined the saddle for damage. There was none. As a matter of fact it was still cinched up! somehow, Koram had slipped right out of it. I then stripped everything off the saddle and wrung out all the water that I could from the sheepskin cover, girth and packs. Now I had it down to only 750 lbs! It took me a while to get the saddle out of the woods and back to the truck. It was truly so heavy that I could only carry it so far then I would have to put it down and take a rest. And the oppressive heat didn't help. But I eventually got it back to the truck. Minus the saddle pad and sponge which I didn't find. That was all right, I could live with those loses. I drove back to camp and put everything out to dry. Then I waited for Susie and Barbara to finish. Irving was back at the camp by then and had decided to pull from the ride. The heat was just too much for him and he wasn’t feeling well. Terry wasn’t feeling well either so I vetted Irving’s horse out for him. Cara finished the ride but didn’t get a completion. Her horse was 2 min. late getting his pulse down. Margaret also finished the ride but didn’t get a completion. Promise was having some metabolic trouble due to the heat also. He was put on an IV. He was fine after that. Susie and Barbara both got completions. There were many horses and/or riders that didn’t complete their rides due to the heat.
So, all in all it wasn't really a bad day. I was fine, the horse was fine, and I recovered most of my equipment undamaged. I got to take several nice swims on a horribly hot day and I got 15 miles of wonderful riding in before the "incident".

Acadia 50 CTR June 2005

Well, the first Adventure of the season. Marie has been very sick this spring so I have not been able to ride her. She had an autoimmune disease called Purpura that was a result of a complication to her Strangles vaccine. So, in order for me to compete this year I had to find someone that would let me borrow a horse. Now, finding a horse to ride wasn’t the biggest problem, it was finding one that was fit enough to do a competitive trail ride. That ruled out most of my local friends that just don’t ride their horses enough to do a distance competition. I sent out a few e-mails to some people I know from ECTRA to see if they might have any suggestions. I got nothing there so I put out message on the ECTRA message board. That got some results. I got offers from ECTRA members from PA, RI, VT and NY. No one local. Hummmmmm, so, it seemed that those who had actually seen me ride didn’t wanted me on their horses! Then Charlotte Lester contacted me and said she was looking for someone to ride one of her horses. We set up a date for me to come ride with her at her place to see how I did with her horse. That was set for the weekend after the Maine 80. I went to Waterford to work the second day of the Maine 80 and saw Charlotte there. She had someone ride her young horse in the 30 mile ride. and I guess this woman had her hands full handling this young horse. So, Charlotte was a bit stressed out about it and decided she didn’t even want me to try her horse. Ok, back to the drawing board. Then Susie told me that Terry wanted me to ride her horse in a competition. My only hesitation was that Terry was leasing this horse from Judy Sewell who I didn't really know and that made me a bit uncomfortable. But, I contacted Terry and arranged to try the horse out. He is a 17 yr. Old Arabian gelding named Koram. Susie and I picked Koram up on a Friday, trailered over to Phippsburg. First, we had trouble catching him when we picked him up. Then, when we got to Phippsburg, I had Koram tied to the trailer to saddle him and when I went to tighten the cinch, he pulled back and broke his lead rope. Luckily, he didn’t go anywhere. By now I’m thinking this horse is nuts and I’m probably crazy to ride him. But, much to my surprise, Susie and I had a wonderful ride. Koram and Cody were great together. We thought they would be competitive with each other but not at all. They were as happy as two peas in a pod. I rode Koram a second time with Susie and Terry’s daughter Cara. We rode right from Terry’s house. Barbara also came riding Susie’s other horse , Monty, making four of us. Once again, Koram was great. I was very excited about using him for the Acadia 50. Terry had to do some sweet talking to get his owner, Judy, to let me use him. Judy doesn’t really know me so I didn’t blame her. And, Judy had ridden Koram in the Waterford 30 just two weeks prior to the Acadia ride and had not done all that well. Koram had been quite a handful at the start of the ride and didn’t score very well.
Susie and I decided to go up to Acadia together. With gas prices the way they are, it didn’t make sense to drive up two vehicles. So, we thought it would be best to pick Koram up on Thursday and have him spend the night at Susie’s so we could get an early start on Friday morning. I was to pick up Koram at 4:00 PM with my trailer. Judy would meet me at Terry’s so she could bring over Koram’s papers and his blankets. I got to Terry’s early, around 3:15 PM. Terry doesn’t have much room to turn a trailer in her yard so I just backed in. Judy showed up shortly after I did. She soon realized that she had forgotten Koram’s paperwork back at her house and had to go back and get it. Meanwhile, Terry and Cara had come out. Judy was soon back with the paperwork. Then, she wanted us to rig up Koram’s bridle with a bit she had bought for him and wanted me to use. Judy and I took care of that while Terry got Koram’s grain ready. All this time Judy is warning me about all the bad things that Koram does. Terry had warned me that Judy would do this. I kept assuring Judy that it was all right and that Koram and I would be fine. After we got all Koram’s stuff loaded into my trailer, I got Koram and tried to load him. Not all horses like a step up slant load trailer if they are not used to them. Koram didn’t like the look of it. He didn’t absolutely refuse to load but he wouldn’t quite go in either. He danced side to side and would put one foot in then back out. Then two feet in and back out. Finally, he did get all the way in but no one put up the butt bar and he flew back out. I told Judy and Terry to make sure to get the bar up when I got him in the next time. After a few more minutes I got Koram back in the trailer. Terry got the butt bar up. Koram backed up, hit the bar and jumped forward again. Just as I got him tied up, he tried to back out again. He hit the bar, dropped his hindquarters down and went right under the bar !!!!! But, now he was tied so he got stuck about half way out. He started thrashing and pulling. I’m in a corner of the trailer with nowhere to go. No one could even try to release the butt bar with his thrashing back legs. All we could do was wait until he stopped thrashing. After what seemed like forever (though I’m sure it was only seconds) Koram finally managed to squeeze his hindquarters back into the trailer. Trying to act calm and quiet I latched the divider and quickly exited the trailer and closed the door. We didn’t see any obvious injuries and decided it would be best if I left right away and just got Koram to Susie’s. When I unloaded him as Susie’s all we found was that he had taken a chunk of skin off his left hind leg. It wasn’t deep, it just looked a bit nasty. We walked and trotted him around and he seemed fine. Phew! We settled him into a stall for the night.


Susie and I were on our way by 9:00 AM Friday morning. We drove straight through since we wanted to get their early enough to take a short ride before vetting in. We got there shortly after noon. We pulled up in front of the barns, unloaded the horses and settled them into their stalls. Then we unloaded all our gear and put it into the tack stall. Susie got back into her truck to take the trailer over to the camp sites and the truck wouldn’t start. Oh great! She tried and tried but no luck. She had just had a new battery put in and it was turning over so we knew that wasn’t the problem. I thought it sounded like it wasn’t getting any gas. A few guys came over and looked and thought the same thing. Fuel pump, which in that truck is in the gas tank. Wildwood stable wasn’t officially open yet so there was no one in the office. And we couldn’t get a cell phone signal there to call out. Finally, we found a man that works there. He got us into the office so we could try to call someone about getting the truck fixed. We called all the local garages and they were all too busy. Susie finally called a GMC dealer in Ellsworth and they said they could work on it Saturday. We had to get the truck there by 4PM that day. They didn’t have towing service. After a few more calls, we found someone to tow it. They came and got the truck. It was with tears in our eyes that we watched Susie’s poor truck being hauled away on the flatbed. At least we didn’t break down on the highway! We had made it to the stable safe and sound and that was all that mattered. Colleen, the ride manager, used her truck to tow Susie’s trailer and park it in a campsite. Despite the time it took to get things settled with the truck and trailer, the vet was late to arrive so Susie and I still managed to get in a short ride. The horses were good. Several people that knew my horse was sick asked me who I was riding. When I told the Koram, they just rolled their eyes and said that was going to be interesting. Hummmm. Poor Koram has a bit of a bad reputation. The horses were vetted in order by their entry numbers. That made it nice since we didn’t have to wait in a long line. All went well with the vetting and both horses were good to start the ride in the morning. Rich Gamester was our cook for the weekend. He prepared a nice meal of chicken thighs, potato, corn, rolls, and salad. After we ate, we walked the horses around a bit and let them nibble grass. Koram wasn’t eating much of his hay but ate his grain and was drinking well. He is definitely a nervous horse and you have to move slowly and quietly around him. But, I’m naturally slow moving and quiet so it seemed to be working out fine. We settled the horses in for the night then hung around in front of Susie’s trailer for a while. We soon headed for bed. Susie and I got up at 5:00 AM. Susie went over to the barn to feed the horses. By 5:30 AM Colleen had breakfast ready and I had my usual oatmeal.The riders meeting was at 6:00 AM. Susie and I were going out on the ride nearly last in the starting order so we had plenty of time to tack up and get ready. Koram’s owner has had trouble with him at the start of rides with bucking and acting up. With this in mind, I didn’t mount up until the horses in front of Susie and I started and we only had two minutes to go. Then, after I mounted, I just did big slow walking circles with Koram until they called our numbers to go. We walked quietly across the starting line. That worked perfect. Koram kept his head together and all four of his feet on the ground. It wasn’t long before it got really hot. Koram and Cody traveled perfectly together. Koram was moving along just a shoulder length in front of Cody most of the time but Cody didn’t seem to mind. Cody pulled Susie a little at the start. After we passed a few other riders we didn’t really see anyone so the horses soon settled in. Both horses have fast ground covering trots. We mixed the pace up with some walking and cantering. We knew it was going to be tough to make our time with the heat and humidity. At the hold there was no shade to be found. Cody’s P&R came down to an acceptable level within 10 min. Koram’s pulse came down but he was panting, or “inverted”. That is when their respiration is higher then their pulse. That can be a sign of metabolic problems. So, they had to take his temperature. That took a few minutes. Koram’s temperature was fine and his gut sounds were good. So, panting was just how he handled the heat. I didn’t know the horse well enough to know what is normal for him. His trot out was fine. We took a few extra minutes to let the horses eat a bit. We knew we’d pay for that later trying to make our time. The second half of the ride went well. We were leap frogging with a couple of other riders and that got Koram a bit excited seeing horses ahead of us. He was a bit stronger and he would jig instead of walk. I just worried that about him wasting too much energy. I decided it would be best to just keep the fast pace up rather then fight him to slow him down. I think that would have made him waste even more energy. Susie and I finished with only 2 minutes to spare. We took the horses to their stall and sponged them off. During this time, there was a drastic change in temperature. An off shore breeze and mist blew in and it got very chilly. So, now we were throwing blankets on the horses to keep them from getting chilled. Very weird. Cody was fine in 20 min. Korm’s pulse was high. They have to get down to 60 or less within an hour. I walked him around for a while and then had the vet check him. His pulse came down to 58 with 45 min. But, he was well hydrated, eating, alert, with good gut sounds so the vet said not to worry. His trot out was fine and I was passed to ride the second day. I was actually a bit concerned. Koram was not in as good a shape as I would have liked. Rich Gamester had made up some chicken salad sandwiches which were very good. After I ate I went into the trailer to change, crawled up onto my bed and zonked out. I slept for at least an hour. When I got up, I headed over to the barn to make sure Koram was ok. Susie had both horses out grazing on the grass. Judy Lorimer, the ride judge, was with her and had taken Koram’s pulse which was fine she said. Phew. We put the horses back in the barn and fed them. Koram still wasn’t eating much hay. He was drinking very well, eating grass and nibbling his grain. I gave him some electrolytes since it had been so hot and he has sweat a lot. You could tell he was very tired. I was a bit concerned about riding him a second day. While I had been sleeping, Susie called about her truck. They said they had found nothing wrong with it and she could come get it. She got someone to give her a ride to the dealer. When she got there she told them to try starting it. Wouldn’t you know it didn’t start. They put it on the tester and sure enough it was the fuel pump. But, now it was too late in the day to work on it. They told her they would fix it first thing Monday morning. So, we were going to have to stay over an extra day. Boohoo. Our meal on Saturday was at Otter Creek. That is a motel a few miles from camp. We hitched a ride with Lois Crowley and Marsha Deleware since we were without wheels. We had lobster and chicken with salad and corn on the cob. It was good and we had a great time visiting with everyone. Ed Winterburg, the stable manager, gave quite a speech about his fight to get part of the carriage trails that had been closed to horses reopened. We all filled out some paperwork for him to help him in his cause. After all, the trails were created specifically for horses and we should be able to use them. After we got back we took the horses out for a final walk and nibble of grass, then settled them in for the night. We kept blankets on them since it was still chilly. We didn’t stay up long after that.
During the night it warmed up quite a bit. It wasn’t hot but was a bit muggy. We had breakfast and the riders meeting as on the previous day. I used the same routine for the start and once again all went well. I was still quite concerned about Koram being fit enough to finish the ride. Once I was on him, he was off like a rocket. This is a horse that I think would literally run himself to death. Today we were only riding 20 miles and there would be no hold. I used the same strategy as the previous day. I let Koram go and just checked back his speed enough to keep him under control. Cody was very laid back the second day. Once again we finished with little time to spare. We took the horses back to their stalls and sponged them off. Much to my surprise, Koram’s P&R came down in 20 min. I was pleased and very relieved. Our trot out went well and so did the Hands on. Well, I was obviously going to get a completion though I didn’t expect a very good score. After the vetting was done we put the horses back in their stall and went back to the camp site for another nice meal prepared by Rich. Just after I had finished eating, one of the ride volunteers came over and said that I was needed over at stable because they were missing some information on the horse I was riding. I went over and as they were finishing the scoring. As they were taking down my information, I could see my score sheet. I had a score of 96!!!! That was fantastic!!!
I went back to the campsite and told Susie. I had seen another score sheet with a score of 99 so knew that I certainly hadn’t won the elusive Grand Championship! Hahahah. The award ceremony soon followed. I did win first place in my division. What a great weekend.


Acadia 50 ME 6/11/05 17/S - 16/F
Judges: Dr. G Dowd - J Lorimer
J1. AJ Morning Star Wakita / Wright, Caleigh
1. Alesar / Greenall, Sue
2. Tyger Dann / Greenall, John
3. GBA Karakoram / Cynthia Ross (Score 96.00)
4. Anchor Hill Alan / GAmester, Marcy
4. Sundance Tetezi / Smith, Vickie
6. Shrocco Criseyde / Hartman, Lynn
7. Xavier Sunnyacres (Cody) / Susan Reinheimer
8. Misty Falls Amandalyn / Beem, Amy
9. High Country Piper / Deleware, Marcia
10. Sebec / Townsend, Louise
11. Lady Virginia "Nettie" / Tenggren, Traci
12. Jake / Bejarano, Wendy
13. SA King Hofflin+ / Austin, Vicki
14. JB Roman Tar Bask / Libby, Kerry
15. Jai Alai / Ferland, Ruth