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!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
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
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
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