Trails from the Crypt, Sumner, Maine October 2008

Cindy on Marie and Bonnie on River


The last ride of the season, and one of the best. I was taking my horse Marie. My friend Bonnie was going and it would be her mule, River’s, first CTR. The weather was predicted to be good, if a bit cool. We were excited though I was sure going to miss riding Ruby.

We headed out after Bonnie got off work and arrived around 3:00 pm. We quickly set up the pen and turned out Marie and River with hay and water. Though they were most interested in the lush green grass. As we were setting up camp, Terry York came down from the vetting area and asked if we could get up to the vetting as soon as possible since we were the last ones to be vetted and they could be done. So, we went up immediately. Bonnie and I decided to switch equines for the trot outs. River had not been previously trained to trot in hand or on a lounge line. I had worked with him a few times the week before the ride so we thought it would be best if I did his trot out. Marie is an old pro at trot outs so that would be fine with Bonnie. River did great. He was a bit confused but did fine. Bonnie and Marie did great also and we both passed the vetting with flying colors.

After settling River and Marie back into the pen, Bonnie and I finished setting up camp then headed over to the house. The Ride manager, Laura, opens her house for the ride. It is wonderful since it can be cold this time of year and nice to have somewhere warm to hang out and socialize. And, Laura always has lots of good food. We ate, then there was a brief ride meeting. Then we just visited with everyone until it was time to go to bed. It was cold overnight but Bonnie and I both came prepared with our 0º sleeping bag, down comforters and plenty of warm clothes.

The hard part was getting up in the morning……but not too bad. At least there was no wind. That makes a difference at this ride site at it is in a huge open field on the side of a mountain. There was ice on the top of the water buckets. River and Marie had been pretty quiet overnight and we slept quite well. We got up, fed the critters and quickly headed into the house for some breakfast and coffee. Before long, it was time to saddle up. We mounted up to warm up about 20 min. before out ride time. I could tell Bonnie was a bit worried about how River would handle everything. And when we went up to the drive way, where everyone was riding to warm up, River spun back once as it worries him just a bit to have thing coming at him head on. But, we waited for a quiet space and went up onto the driveway and he was fine. Pretty soon, it was our turn to head out. Susie was riding with us. At the last minute, Marsha Deleware asked if she could join us also. Ride management ok’d it and we all headed out together. We were glad to have Marsha along. Bonnie was very worried right at first. River was a bit excited and she wanted to keep it slow. But, we headed right off at a trot sure that he would settle right out in no time. He did and was wonderful the whole ride.

Cindy on Marie, Marsha on Piper and Bonnie on River



We made very good time. At the hold, I had some trouble getting Marie pulsed down. She wasn’t high enough to worry about but just over the max. FINALLY, she came down and it was a rush to get out of the hold on time. We didn’t make it and were about 5 min. over. But, the trail was easy and we were ahead of time coming into the hold so weren’t worried.

The second loop went great. We had to slow down a bit so we wouldn’t come in too early. And even then, we had to stop in the field near the finish line and let the horses and mule graze a bit before we could cross the line. That was good for Marie though. I would not have to worry about getting her pulsed down at the end. Bonnie and I traded equines for the trot out again. River was not worn out for sure and he was still a bit confused about the whole trot out thing. He took right off, bucked and kicked and cantered a few circles before settling into a trot! Silly mule! Marie did her usual lackluster trot. Though Bonnie added a bit of excitement by dropping her lead rope. Marie nearly completed the trot out on her own before realizing she was loose and wandering off across the arena. Hands on went uneventfully.

We settled River and Marie back into their pen with hay and water and went into the house for the meal and to wait for the awards. The meal was fabulous!! And then awards …. (drum roll) ….. Bonnie got 4th place overall with a score of 99 with River!! Yippee!!! And we later learned there was a 4 way tie for 1st place all with a score of 99. The mule did us proud!!!!





Cindy doing final trot out with River


Trail from the Crypt 25 Oct 18, 2008 20/S-F
Judges: L. Buggia DVM - J. Brunjes
J1. SA Mr Madazsin / Potter, Christina
J2. Dew Drops Te Party / Buckley, Sarah
1. Slar Alladins Storm / Seams, Peter
1. Alar Enchanted Safire / Seams, Cynthia
1. Attala / Dockham, Peg
1. River / Hinz, Bonnie
5. Innis Free / Palmer, Judy
5. Aramis / Robbins, Kathleen
7. Michabou KT Brigadear / Rice, Stephanie
8. SS Polar Ice / York, Cara
9. MacKenzie / Reinheimer, Susan
9. SPD Carousel / O'Connor, Colleen
11. Nikademus / De Falco, Sarah
12. Nerzans Lady Mariah / Bonneau, Heather
13. Marie / Ross, Cindy (93.75 pts)
14. Potaca / Rice, Bill
15. Kheme-o-Alexs / Fortucci, Ashley
15. Highcountry Piper / Deleware, Marsha
17. Miss Dixie / Abbott, Melissa
18. Cliffes Copper Penny / Buckley, Stephanie

Western Maine 55 mile endurance ride, Fryeburg, ME July 2008

I decided to go to the Western Maine endurance ride. This is a five-day ride with 50 to 55 miles each day. Each is a separate ride. There is also a 30 to 35 mile limited distance ride each day. And if you rode the same horse for 3 consecutive days, Wed, Thurs & Friday, then you would be eligible for the “Pioneer ride” awards. Since Ruby had done so well at the Moonlight 50 in VT 10 days earlier, I decided to try for the Pioneer ride.

The day I was heading out to the ride, the farrier had to come to my house to replace a shoe on my boarder’s mule. Now my shoes were only 11 days old but with so many miles to be ridden over the next few day, the farrier wanted to check Ruby’s shoes to make sure they were all good and tight. He found a broken nail on Ruby’s left front shoe. He pulled one end of the nail out the top of her hoof with no problem. But, when he pulled the nail head end out of the bottom of her shoe, Ruby just about jumped through the ceiling! That nail had been moving around and created a bit of a hole and she was a little sore from it. He pulled the shoe off and reset it. She was fine with that. He did not put another nail in that area of course. He only puts in 3 nails on each side, the first 3 from the toe. So, he used the 4th nail slot behind where the broken nail was. When he was done, we trotted Ruby out and she looked sound. The farrier was worried but didn’t see any reason not to go to the ride. So, I loaded Ruby up and off we went.

The ride was located at the Fryeburg Fairgrounds. It is a large and beautifully maintained fairground with nice shed row stalls. Water piped in between every 3rd stall. You can park your trailers and camp right in front of the stalls. And the big bonus is there are nice bathrooms and showers. This is my favorite place to ride from.

Ruby loaded right up with no problem at all and we had an uneventful trip to the fairgrounds. I arrived around 3:00 pm. The weather was lovely. It was in the 80’s with a nice steady breeze. As soon as I got Ruby settled into her stall, I registered for the 3-day Pioneer ride. When I presented Ruby for her vetting, I explained about the broken shoe nail. Art King was the vet. Art has seen Ruby many times now at rides and just loves her. He was at the first ride Ruby and I ever did and was the first vet to “vet” her in for a ride when she surprised Art and me with a mortal fear of stethoscopes! She is very much over that now. Ruby was slightly off on her trot out. But very slight and the vet didn’t feel there was much to worry about and passed her to start the ride.

I took Ruby out in a big field to graze for a while then settled her back in her stall with lots of hay. Some of the riders that had ridden that day were giving me warnings about how tough the trail was for the 55-mile ride. They said there was a section of very rocky trail with some bad mud holes. A few riders withdrew from the 55 mile ride and changed to the 35 mile ride so they wouldn’t have to go through that section of trail a second day. Oh, great! Bill Rice was one of the riders that switched from the 55 to the 35. What have I gotten Ruby and I in to? Well, tough trail is a mules specialty. I asked Bill where his wife was and if she was riding at all. He told me that she had been kicked by a cow the previous day and had to go to the hospital! Poor Stephanie! She was going to be fine but had a bad bone bruise and had to take it easy for a while.

Later as I was sitting in a chair resting in front of Ruby’s stall Elliot Bridges came by. He told me he heard a mule braying and knew it must be me. Ruby was being very vocal. There were no horses in any stalls close to her so she was talking to everyone. I rode with his Elliot's wife Jean at the Crooked River CTR this spring. As usual, I had the only mule at the ride. Elliot and his wife Jean are from Canada. I was thrilled to see them. Jean is 71 years old and an inspiration to me. She rode the Fryeburg 2 day 50 mile CTR on Saturday and Sunday, and then stayed to ride the Western Maine 250 through the week. She was riding the limited distance rides and planning to do 4 of the 5 rides.

The ride provided a very good spaghetti supper and then they had the award ceremony for Tuesday’s ride. I had a nice time visiting with Janet Brunjes and Irving. Janet was scribing for the vets and Irving was doing some of the LD rides. After the awards ceremony, I took Ruby out to graze again. A lot of people were out grazing their horses and it is a fun time for humans and equines alike to socialize. And there were few bugs! This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. I settled Ruby back in her stall and fed her. Then got everything ready for the ride and packed into my hold bag. I did not have anyone to crew for me on this ride. This would make things harder but I’ve found everyone on these rides to be so helpful and ride management will provide what “public” water they can at the holds for us crewless competitors. And will get your hold bags to the holds also. Before I went to bed I gave Ruby a buffet of dengie, beet pulp with carrots and alfalfa cubes to munch on during the night and buried her in lots of hay. I also gave her some loose minerals and loose salt in separate pans. She really went for the minerals. And though she still had no neighbors, she was quiet through the night.





I slept fitfully and was up at 4:00 AM to feed Ruby. The ride start was 5:30 AM. I was quite chilly. I heated up some water for oatmeal with fresh wild blueberries. And got coffee at the ride office. Ruby was very eager to go and danced around some when I was saddling her up. I decided to start out riding her in her hackamore. She has just been so good at all the rides this year I did not foresee any problems controlling her with just the light hackamore. We warmed up for about 10 minutes then we heard the anticipated “trail is open”. Ruby and I were second out of the gate. I just let Ruby choose her pace and she took up a big lovely trot. She quickly passed the rider in front and we led the race for the first 45 minutes. The first 10 miles were flat and easy. There were long stretches through agricultural fields where Ruby would get on a nice easy canter for several miles at a stretch. A couple riders passed me, then I was doing well maintaining a 3rd place spot. At the first few Pit crew stops, some other riders pit crew would always offer Ruby water or ask if we needed anything. This is what I mean about everyone being so supportive and wonderful that endurance rides. Kathy Brunjes dumped water over Ruby as several pit crew stops. And it shows what a pro Ruby as become that she is no longer startled by a stranger running up to her and pouring a bucked of water over the top of her neck. I was going along at a good canter when suddenly I came out of the fields onto a road and realized there were no marker ribbons. Dang!!! When had I seen the last one???? I realized I was off trail and had to backtrack. RATS!!!!!! As I was heading back, I came across a rider, Cindy Nelson, coming my way. I told her there were no markers down this trail and I was sure we were both off trail. She turned around also and we went back. Not far from where I met her, we found the trail and got back on course. But, 3 riders had passed us while we were off trail. Cindy’s horse and Ruby were well matched in pace and we stayed together the rest of the ride. Cindy was a lot of fun to ride with. We hit some long hills just before coming into the hold. The first loop to the hold was 16 miles. It was warm now and a bit humid but not bad at all. The first hold was 45 minutes and we had to strip tack. Ruby passed her vetting fine and the vet thought she looked better then when she vetted in the previous day. I offered Ruby beet pulp with some grain, carrots and apples in it. As well as some dengie and alfalfa cubes. She ate well. She had not taken a drink yet.





Cindy and I headed out together for our second loop. This loop was 22 miles and very tough. We started right out on some long hills. Then we went onto national (or state?) forest land and what were really hiking trails. This was very rough. There were lots of short but steep hills. It was very rocky and a few very nasty mud holes. Ruby was in her element here and did fabulous often leading the way. Cindy commented a number of times how nice she thought Ruby was and it was making her want a mule. We caught up with Steve Rojeck and 2 others riding with him at a river crossing. Steve is on the US Endurance team and has been competing all over the world…… forever I think! There was a bad bridge that could not be crossed by horses and we had to go around. Steve and those with him and gone to the right side of the bridge to cross and it was not a good spot. It was soft and muddy with no good way out on the other side. They floundered around and had a hard time getting out. The left side looked better. The footing in the water was good and the far side had a nice place to get out. But there was a straight drop off into the water on the near side and none of their horses would jump off that bank into the water. I pointed Ruby at it and she didn’t even hesitate. She gave it a quick look, and jumped right off the bank into the river! GOOD MULE! Ruby and I came through with no trouble at all. Cindy’s horse followed Ruby. You should have heard all the “Wow, did you see that!” “That mule didn’t even hesitate”. “What a great mule”. I was so proud of Ruby that my head was swelling so bad it’s a wonder I didn’t fall out of the saddle from being so top heavy!

Cindy’s husband took care of Ruby as well as his wife’s horse at all the pit crew stops. The second hold was at the same place as the first hold. This was another 45-minute hold where we had to strip tack once again. Ruby passed the vetting just fine. And she was drinking well now. She ate well too.

The last loop back to camp was the same 16-mile loop we came out on. Ruby was getting a little tired now but it didn’t take much encouragement from me to get her to keep up with Cindy’s horse. And a few times, when Cindy’s horse lagged a bit, Ruby would take the lead and get him though. In that last loop I suddenly got so thirsty I was ready to jump off Ruby and suck water out of a road ditch! I had brought water with me but apparently not enough. Cindy offered me her last swallow of Gatorade and it was a lifesaver! Cindy and I crossed the finish line tied for 6th place. And we were cheered across the finish line by no other then IVAL! I was so glad to see her! I immediately stripped off Ruby’s tack and sponged her with lots of cool water. You could tell that Ruby had had enough. That was the longest distance we’ve done and faster then we’ve gone before. Our ride time was 7 hrs. 28 min. Ruby and I could have stood for the Best Condition award. But, Ruby was tired and I knew there was no way she was going to do a trot out in circles that would look good enough to win the BC award. And, at the end, her pulse was down, but not steady. I had a long talk with the vet and we decided it would be in Ruby’s best interest if I didn’t ride the next day. I would give her a day off and ride again on Friday. I kept a close eye on Ruby for the next hour or so to make sure she was fine. She snoozed for a while but was drinking, pooping & peeing. You know, all the things you want to see a tired but healthy equine doing. I visited with friends between checking on Ruby. First Jean & Elliot, then Bill & Stephanie. Finally, I went over to visit with Ival. She and Wendy were very busy getting ready for the next days ride so I didn’t bother them for too long. Though I did have Ival take me to meet Shorty. She is a very nice horse. I really liked her. Later I took Ruby out to let her graze for a while. She was huffing down grass like she had never eaten before. She looked very good and was her usual alert self interested in everything going on.

Dinner was great. Pulled pork with beans (yeck!) and salads. Steve Rojeck sat at my table. He mentioned how impressed he was with Ruby at the river crossing and was interested in her breeding and previous experience. He wanted to know if all of Anthony’s mules are as nice as Ruby. The awards ceremony followed. After taking Ruby for one last walk and letting her graze on some more grass, I settled her in for the night and went to bed early.

Thursday dawned very cloudy. I fed Ruby who had begun nickering insistently at around 4:00 AM. Everyone was disappointed when they found out I was not riding. Ruby has built up quite a fan club. Her wonderful work ethic on the trail and sweet disposition has won the hearts of everyone. I decided I would crew for Ival and Wendy. I didn’t tell them but would surprise them at the first pit crew stop. I unhitched my truck, filled my water tank with water, loaded up buckets, sponges, carrots and all else they might need and headed out. At the first pit crew stop, I cheered them on, quickly sponged Shorty, gave her a carrot and they were off. They all came into the hold looking great. This was a 45-minute hold with mandatory tack off. It took Shorty a bit longer then Wendy’s horse to pulse down but she is a bigger horse and it is her first 50-mile ride. Shorty was fine and was soon passed through the vet check. And I was once again impressed with what a sweet horse she is. I did what I could to help Ival and Wendy then. Making sure they had their hold bags, holding horses so they could take care of themselves. Just before they left the hold, the rain started. And it rained hard. Ival had a raincoat with her but decided not to wear it. It was quite warm out and she figured she would probably get just as wet sweating in it. Wendy did put a raincoat on. They left the hold right on time. There were 4 of them riding together. By the time they got to the 2nd pit crew stop, we were in the middle of a nasty thunderstorm. Once again, I offered water and carrots to the horses but none of them needed to be sponged for sure! At the 3rd pit crew stop, Lynn Heartman was just waiting there with her horse that was very unhappy and bouncing around. I finally got out of my truck (I was hiding in there staying out of the rain) and asked if everything was ok. She said she had lost her riders card and she knew the rider behind her had picked it up. So she was waiting for her because she had to have the card when she got to the next hold. I told her I would get the card for her and I would be at the hold by the time she got there. She was very relieved and headed out. Ival and her group came though soaked to the skin but looking great and everyone was still smiling. The 4th pit crew stop was out in a cornfield and you had to drive through the field and across a river to get there!Only those of us with trucks could go to this one. And I sure recognized the spot because it was where I had gotten lost the previous day. Because not all the crew vehicles could get to this stop, I offered water and carrots to all the riders that passed me here while I was waiting for Ival to come through. The rain would let up at times but then come down in buckets again. I was so glad I was not out riding and could have kissed the vet who talked me out of it! The 5th pit stop was not far from the 4th and they almost beat me to it. When I got to the second hold, it was raining buckets once again. I hid under a tarp with the vets and scribes until I thought it was close to time for Ival to arrive. Then I got everything ready for them setting food and water out for the horses. They came into the hold still looking good. Wet but good. Shorty was doing great. Ival was getting tired but doing just fine. Due to the rain, the hold time had been shortened to 30 minutes and no tack off. Ival was too worried about taking care of Shorty that she really was not taking care of herself enough! Most of us do that though. It was still raining as they headed out on the last 16-mile loop. The trail had to bypass the agricultural fields this day. They were having a problem with some kind of potatoes blight and were spraying some heavy-duty chemicals on them. I met them at the last pit crew stop and they were all still looking fine.

When I got back to camp the rain had finally stopped. I dropped off all of Ival and Wendy’s things at their trailer and went to check on Ruby. Boy was she terribly offended at having been left behind and me not being there all day. She nickered to me when I pulled up, but when I came up to her stall, she went to the back and was just giving me a very offended and hurt look. She wouldn’t come to me until I opened the door and went in. Then she came right over and loved up to me. I took her out and grazed her until Ival came in. Ruby and I escorted Ival and Shorty across the finish line. Shorty looked great. Ival was very tired but fine. I was so happy for her.

Just a little later I took Ruby over to be vetted out for Friday’s ride. She was quite lame at the trot! Her left front pastern was a bit swollen. Both vets looked her over and had me trot her out a bunch of times. One vet thought she was lame on the left front and the other vet said it was the left rear. They checked her with a hoof tester but didn’t really get any reaction out of her. They poked and prodded and felt her legs back and front. She stood quiet and calm. One vet held up her back leg to do a flexion test. And he told everyone that was standing around us that this was a rare moment that you would ever catch him bent over near the back end of any mule holding up it’s back leg. And he said that was how impressed he was with Ruby’s disposition and manners. Ruby was no worse with the flexion test. They both palpated her all over and did find she was a little sore in her left hip. So, they came to the conclusion that the broken shoe nail had made her sore in the left front and she was taking more weight on the left rear causing that hip to get a little sore. In any case, I was not going to be riding Friday. And I was not going to make her stand around in a stall another night. So, I decided to pack up and bring Ruby home. While I was packing up Cindy Grant and her daughter Emily came over to say hello. I felt so bad that I would not get more time to visit with them. It was so nice to see them. But, they don’t really live that far from me so we will just have to get together some time.

So, I had a great ride and Ruby was a super star. But, now I will give her some time off and make sure she heals up. I will soak her foot as it may very well develop an abscess. Poor Ruby has had a tough year so far with first the pulled shoulder and now the broken shoe nail. I should have just kept riding her barefoot!!!! Both problems were caused by shoeing!

Western Maine 55 July 30, 2008 12/S-11/F
1. 6:16 Godwin, Claire R. on PL Mercury
2. 6:51 Rojek, Stephen on Julio
2. 6:51 Sleeper, Meg on Syrocco Reveille
2. 6:51 Reynolds, Jeremy on Sambet
2. 6:51 Bentley, Kelly on Lazaarr
6. 7:26 Nelson, Cindy on Arek Sunset Traveler
6. 7:26 Ross, Cynthia on McAllister's Ruby
8. 7:54 Hershberger, Barbara on Anydaynow
8. 7:54 Keilholtz, Karen M. on Tsunami Storm
10. 8:17 Walker, Constance on VSF Otis+/
10. 8:17 Sherman, Joyce on JOD Proud Zorro
Lame - Akerstrom, Sharon on Tonkakola Gold

Moonlight 50 Mile Endurance Ride, Woodstock, VT July 2008

We were finally going to the Moonlight 50/Vermont 100 mile ride! Ruby’s second 50 mile ride. And it would be my first time to this particular ride. This is a unique ride. As well as being an endurance ride with 50, 75 & 100 mile distances. It is also a 100 mile ultra marathon run for people. Now how insane is that? All out on the same trails at the same time. And it was the 20th anniversary for this event.

I trailer pooled with my friend Susie. We headed out early Friday morning. Also going were Susie's husband David, who was our “crew” and another friend, Barbara, who was going to be working at the ride as a scribe for the vets. Oh, and we had Susie and David’s dog Callie along as well.

We had packed everything into Susie’s trailer Thursday night so all we had to do is load up Ruby and Cody and we were off. The trip to VT was uneventful and took about 4 ½ hrs. By the time we arrived at ride camp, it was hot and humid. A friend, Terry, had saved a parking spot for us beside her. We quickly set up the portable pen for Ruby and Cody. Then set up the tent where Barbara and I would be sleeping. By now we are all drenched with sweat and wanting to jump into a big vat of ice! We checked in and got our riders packets and of course we each had to buy a 20th anniversary ride t-shirt. There were a lot of people on the grounds already. 80 horses were in the ride between the three distances. And there were 300 runners in the 100 mile run. There were two huge tents set up for meals, meeting, etc. And most all the riders and runners have crew people. Not to mention all the ride officials and volunteer workers.

After we checked in, Susie wanted to go for a quick ride before we vetted in. It would be good to stretch Ruby and Cody’s legs after the long trailer ride. And since Cody can be a handful to ride sometimes, Susie wanted to give him a chance to work “some kinks out” before the ride on Saturday. I was too hot and sweaty to really want to go but knew Ruby would be very upset if Cody left her. She was in full heat and mooning over Cody something awful. So, we saddled up and off we went. It actually was quite pleasant in the woods. We rode nice and easy for about an hour. Ruby felt good. I was worried about doing this ride because Ruby had struggled with some lameness after a bad stumble from catching a shoe and pulling it off 6 weeks earlier. The vet had seen her 2 weeks before the ride. He found her shoulder and elbow had been pulled out of alignment and her sternum had dropped. He did some work on her and told me he felt she would be fine to take to the ride. So, here we were.

When we got back to camp, we sponged Ruby and Cody down, cleaned them up and went to be vetted in. Ruby was very calm and relaxed and stood like an angel for the vet. Trot out went fine. She got straight A’s on her vet card. We were going to ride! Woooohoooooo.

We put Cody and Ruby in their pen, fed them and buried them in lots of hay. The riders meeting was at 4:30 PM. Then there was a meal provided. There was a looooooooong line for the meal with so many people there. Lots of pasta dishes. Carb loading for the runners!

We didn’t stay up long after supper. I had worked the previous night so was getting very tired. Ruby had rolled and managed to catch the fence and tear down one corner. We put it back up and she spent the rest of the evening standing near Cody and squirting at him. Hussy! We had divided the pen so we could monitor what each was eating and drinking. They were both drinking very well and Ruby was wolfing down hay, which is unusual for her. I was very pleased by this.

We were woken up at 3:30 AM by music over the loud speakers. “Chariots of fire” was being played and the running were getting ready to go. At 4:00 AM the foot race started. 300 runners, starting off in the dark all with headlamps or flashlights. Everyone was cheering and yelling to them. Many of the riders went to their pens to hold their horses in case all the commotion scared them. Some horses were upset. Ruby was fine. She watched them with great interest but was not scared at all. It was quite a sight.

Just before 5:00 am, once again the Chariots of Fire theme was played for the 100 mile endurance riders. There were 30+ horses in this distance. The race was on and they were off. This got Ruby more excited. She wanted to go with them.

We were all wide awake at this point and knew we would not be able to go back to sleep. Susie, Terry and I went into town to get some coffee and a few supplies we forgot to bring with us. When we got back, we got all of our stuff ready for the hold and packed it into Susie’s truck. After that, we didn’t really have much to do but wait. Oh, and I have to mention that during the night “Aunt Flow” came to visit me. (come on girl’s you all know who I mean….) Something I wouldn’t normally talk about in a ride story but it has later consequences…..DRAT! So, I started dosing myself with ibuprophin to kill the cramps. Well, no doubt I was going to be doing that before the ride was over anyway! My two post menopausal friends thought it was kind of funny …….

At 9:00 AM the 75 mile riders went out. There were only 5 riders in this distance. Ruby had continued to wolf down lots of hay and was still drinking well. The 50 mile race didn’t start until 2:00 PM so we still had lots of time. We hung around in what shade we could find and relaxed as best we could. Unfortunately, Running Bear Tack Shop was a vendor at the ride and it was such a good place to kill time ….. looking at tack …. Buying tack ……. Actually, I did have to buy some reflective gear. I forgot that was a requirement of the ride since we would be riding at night.

Finally, it was time to get ready. We got Ruby and Cody all saddled up and at 1:45 PM and mounted up so we could warm them up. But, being hot and humid, I’m sure they didn’t think they needed any warming up. There were 38 horses in the 50 mile race. Once again they were playing Chariots of Fire and all the horses were very charged up. Ruby was doing very well and behaving like a lady. Finally we heard the much anticipated words “trail is open” and off we went!

We traveled along at a good pace to start. Cody was VERY charged up and he was pulling Susie’s arms out of her sockets. Ruby was fabulous. She was NOT pulling. She settled into work immediately. We were only out about a ½ hr. when we started to hear thunder. Great! Not what anyone wants to ride in. We just hoped it would circle around and miss us. Yeah right. It kept getting closer and then the rain started. About 3:00 PM the skies opened and it just poured buckets. And the storm was right over us. Lightening and immediate deafening thunder! Very scary. At this point our friends Terry and Irving had caught up to us. Just when we thought it couldn’t possibly rain any harder ….. it would. Ruby and the horses were taking it all well. All of the sudden, the temperature dropped dramatically and the hail started! It was freezing and we were being pelted by hail first the size of pencil erasers, then bigger. I’m starting to get really scared wondering how big the hail is going to get! Suddenly, a huge explosion of wind, rain, hail and tree parts came blowing straight at us from the trail ahead. It hit us and for a moment completely blinded us! Cody was in front and wheeled around and knocked into Ruby. She jumped to the side and everyone just froze for a moment wondering what had just happened! I have never experienced anything like it in my life. The temperature starting rising all of the sudden, the hail stopped and it was just pouring rain again. We continued down the trail for lack of anything better to do. Not far down the trail, there was a huge tree down. All twisted and broken with tree limbs and splinters everywhere. It had been struck by lightening. We were all a bit shaken up but there was nothing to do but keep riding. The rain started to slow down but now the trails were unbelieveably muddy. And this was in the VT hills. You are either riding up or down. Not much flat going. So much water had come down so fast that the trail was like a river and we were just sliding down some of the hills. I sure was grateful for Ruby and her mule like 4 wheel drive. She handled this great. We saw a couple horses go down in the mud sliding down the hills. Anyone what to know how much water a “stayfree” can absorb? A LOT. And guess what, it won’t stick to the things it is supposed to stick to when everything is SOAKED! And it was working it’s way up towards my back. This was not good………..

Our first stop was a 15 minute stop back at ride camp. This was just a mandatory rest stop and not a regular hold with a vet check. They put this in because the first loop was 12 hard miles with lots of steep climbs and descents. Though no one knew just how hard that 12 miles was going to be. As we were riding into camp, some people started cheering and calling to me. They yelled out that they had $50 on my mule to win the race. Gee, that was cool but I felt kind of bad as I was not even planning on trying to win the race! We rode into camp and I just gave Ruby to David and asked him to take care of her so I could change into the extra DRY riding clothes I had been smart enough to bring. He informed me that my tent had been flattened. I looked over and it was still standing???? He said a pole had broken and torn through the fabric. It was actually still standing so I went in to see the damage. The floor was covered in water. I saw Barbara’s cot and sleeping bag had a big pool of water on it. Low and behold, my cot, with my bag of clothes were in the only dry spot in the tent. PHEW! I grabbed my clothes and went into the dressing room of Susie’s trailer and changed as quick as I could. And I had to keep my lower half dry somehow under my circumstances ….. (sigh) My saddle was soaked with it’s nice suede padded seat and was not going to dry anytime soon. So, I put on my dry riding pants, and then rain pants. The only dry shoes I had that would stay dry were my red (with little doggies all over them) wellie boots. I didn’t know what they would be like to ride in but I was going to find out.

David had fed Ruby some beet pulp with a bit of grain and carrots in it. And she ate all of it. I was shocked. She is usually such a picky eater. We quickly mounted up and we headed back out on trail. The rain had just about stopped now. We left Terry and Irving behind pretty soon. The trails were tough with all the mud and running water. And trees were down all over. Ride management did a fabulous of getting volunteers out with chainsaws to clear the downed trees so the ride could continue.

We got to the first hold in good time. This would be a 45 mile hold. It was very hot and humid now. I had my rain pants rolled up over my knees to help keep cool. And with my red doggie print wellies, I made quite a fashion statement. We stripped off tack and sponged Ruby and Cody down a lot. But, didn’t wait too long before going to the pulse gate. The pulse requirement for this ride was 64 bpm or less to pass. At first check Ruby was 68. Darn! I just had to go to the end of the line and come through again. There WAS no one in line but the P&R person said he could tell Ruby’s pulse was dropping fast so I just had to lead her out and then back in. She was rechecked and was 64 bpm. We did our trot out for the vet and that went great. Then on the second pulse check after the trot she was 54 bpm. Excellent! She got a mix of A’s and B’s on her vet card with a B+ overall. Cody did fine also so we took them back to our crewing area and fed them. Once again Ruby ate like a pig. She didn’t eat much beet pulp this time but gobbled down all the dengie and alfalfa cubes and carrots I gave her as well as eating some grass. I was so thrilled with her since she has not typically eaten well at the competitions. I think she is finally figuring this whole thing out and what she needs to do. And she was behaving so well on trail that I switched her from her usual bit to a light “S” hackmore so she could eat and drink easier out on trail.

Soon, we were back out on trail. We moved along at moderate pace. Susie’s horse is 21years old and Ruby just coming off a lameness, we had decided before we even started that we were just going to go easy with our goal of just finishing the ride with sound healthy equines. We rode with various riders on and off meeting some fun and interesting people. At the top of one long hard climb there was a field of beautiful clover and a beautiful view. We stopped and let Cody and Ruby eat some grass. There were quite a few riders letting their horses catch their breath here and letting them get some grass. Soon, it was getting dark and we were finally catching some of the runners. The runners we were coming on were at about 75 miles into the race. I couldn’t believe how good they looked! I just kept imagining what I’d look like after running 75 miles through the Vermont hills on muddy trails. Soon it was full dark and it was really neat coming up on the runners. You’d see their bobbing head lamp up ahead. And the trails were marked by glow stick hung from the trees. Very cool. I wondered what Ruby would think of all the people out on the road with all the head lamps. She was fabulous and took it all in stride.

We were lucky in that our crew was able to make it to all the “fly bys”. Our friend Terry was being crewed by a woman who had previously lived in the area. A number of roads were closed due to downed trees and anyone who didn’t know the area could not figure out how to get to the fly bys. But Sally, being familiar with the area, knew how to get around all the closed roads and David followed her. Ruby continued to eat and drink very well. She was hungry enough that occasionally she would suddenly pull off the road or trail and start munching grass we couldn’t even tell was there due to it being dark. We got to the second hold but this time did not have to strip tack. It was a 30 min. hold. Since it had cooled off some (though it was still quite humid) we felt we could go right to the pulse gate. Ruby was fine and pulsed at 56bpm. Trotted out sound and pulsed at 44 pbm. GREAT! Once again she got a B+ overall on her vet card. We headed out on our final loop. Terry and Irving once again caught up to us. This was Terry’s very first 50 mile ride and she was doing great. We traveled together for quite a while. It was a bit foggy but occasionally the sky would clear. There was a full moon and it was beautiful. We tried not to use our head lamps more then necessary when we were in the woods and it was dark. The horses and mule did just fine with the dark and it was better not to mess them up with the light of the headlamps. Ruby led down the roughest woods trail and did such a great job. She would put her head down and stop when we came to anything such as water or ledgey areas, take her time to check it out then go though like a pro. I was so proud of her.

The last few hundred feet of the trail were marked by glow sticks in plastic milk cartons on each side of the trail every few feet. It looked so cool and was neat to ride through. Ruby didn’t give them a second look. There was a big crowd at the finish line cheering all the riders and runners.

We went to Susie’s trailer and stripped off tack. Sponged down Ruby and Cody then went up for our final vetting. Ruby did fabulous. She ended up with straight A’s on her vet card. GOOD MULE! Our ride time was 9 hrs. and 48 min. We had come in 25th place out of 38 riders. I was just so relieved that I had finished with Ruby sound.

We settled Ruby and Cody into their pens. We put coolers on them and gave them lots of hay and some grain. It was 2:00 AM and we were all exhausted. I went in to survey the damage to my tent again to see if there was any chance of being able to sleep in there. There was still a lot of water on the floor. But, my cot and sleeping bag were dry. And, much to Barbara’s delight, her sleeping bag turned out to be water repellant so she just wiped the water off the top and she was fine also. Thankfully, we had staked the tent down well. Many tents suffered a worse fate them mine in the storm.

Sometime during the wee (or rather wee-er) hours of the morning, someone knocked on Susie’s trailer door. Susie and David were sleeping in the gooseneck of their trailer. They asked if Susie owned a mule. She said yes. They asked of she would come and get the mule. Susie answered “no that’s ok”. David waited a minute and then asked Susie is she was going to do anything about the mule. She said no, she wasn’t hungry and fell back to sleep. David woke her back up and made her get me. We had such a laugh because she thought the people were asking her if she wanted a “meal”! Susie woke me to get Ruby. She had once again rolled and caught the fence and torn part of it down. We got it back up and Ruby settled back in and we all went back to bed for a few more hours of sleep. Not easy since every time a runner or rider came in, the crowd at the finish line cheered them. The runners had 30 hrs. to finish the race.

We got up and started packing everything. Everything was wet and covered in mud. I would have to do some serious tack cleaning when I got home! The award ceremony for the riders was at 9:30 AM. Then there was a BBQ brunch at 10:30 AM. By now a steady rain has started. But, we were all under a big tent for the awards and meal. It was a great, is sometimes terrifying, ride. I can’t wait to do this ride again. Maybe 100miles next time……….

Moonlight 50 July 19, 2008 38/S - 33/F
1. 5:36 Brunjes, Kathy on Theatric BC
2. 6:24 Hutchinson, Tom on Tektonic
3. 6:24 Bean, Lindsay on Lazaarr
4. 6:29 Boyer, Susan on Daystar Chari
5. 6:41 Welles, Allen on Hawks Nest E
6. 7:12 Dorian, Lisanne on Nation's Glory
7. 7:21 Niedoroda, Susan on Izusu
8. 7:21 Stygles, Amanda on Thunder
9. 7:35 Thurber, Lorraine on Sadie
10. 7:42 Ferland, Ruth on Fire Inthe Sky
11. 7:42 Bennett, Abbie on Mecca Bey
12. 7:58 Cahill, Becky on Shaliil
13. 7:58 Fisher, Renee on CH Yaa Shaibiy
14. 7:58 Hillard, Dean on RA Saultan
15. 8:01 Sukalski, Kathy on Storms Minnietonka Apache
16. 8:48 Parsons, Amanda K. on Dime A Dance
17. 8:59 Jack, Kelley-Ann on Jahya Jamlin
18. 8:59 Jack, Sarah on Linkk
19. 8:59 Rice, Bill on Epyc
20. 8:59 Rice, Stephanie on Prymtym
21. 9:04 Soule, Leanne on Paula's Major
22. 9:04 Greenall, Susan on OXB Tyger Dann
23. 9:47 Carangia, Linda on Quest Enchantor
24. 9:47 Williams, Pamela on Valour Ruhani
25. 9:48 Reinheimer, Susan on Xavier Sunnyacres
26. 9:48 Ross, Cynthia on McAllister's Ruby
27. 9:52 York, Terry on A.D.Laureado
28. 9:52 McNaughton, Irving on RC Neon
29. 9:57 Closi, Pamela on Corkeys Pride
30. 10:16 Carter Gary on Ben
31. 10:17 Johnson, James on Youkon
32. 10:23 Gardener, Jeffrey on Gazelle
33. 10:23 Gardener, Katherine on Tremcel Ulysse Nostra
RO - LeMiddle, Alexander on Bedrocks Handsome Fellow
RO - Franklin, Pete on Royal Lee
RO - Franklin, Sandra on WVF Alebai
Lame - Fraske, Charlene M. on TA First Class
Metabolic - Foedisch, Casey on Duncan

Crooked River 60 CTR, Waterford, ME May 2008

First ride of the season! YIPPEE. I've been getting jealous hearing of all the fun Ival has been having for months now down in NJ. I headed out Friday about noon for ridecamp. Just by luck, I ended up getting a prime parking spot with a level spot for the trailer and good place to set up Ruby's pen. AND close to the food and bathrooms. It was a cool day. I got the pen set up quickly and then took MY mule Ruby right up for vetting. All went well (except for a brief downpour!) and she vetted in well with a very good trot out. I settled her in her pen then some friends and I went out for supper.

After supper I walked Ruby for a while and let her graze for a while. After visiting with friends, I headed for bed. Very soon ANTHONY'S mule Ruby started braying...... and stomping up and down in her pen. That is going from end to end without turning. Walking forward to one end and letting off a kick or two, then backing straight up to the other end, and letting off a kick or two! I hadn't ridden her in over a week with going to Texas and she was excited and didn't want to hang out in a pen. She was very disgusted. ANTHONY'S mule Ruby kept this up all night. Letting out a good full bray every few hours ALL night long. Bet my neighbors enjoyed this.

Cindy on Ruby and Jean on Sky at start of ride

Cindy on Ruby and Jean on Sky at start of ride


By morning Ruby was very excited. But, quite good while being saddled. I was riding with a friend from Canada that I hadn't seen in a few years. She has a nice Morgan mare named Skye. My friend is 71 yrs. old and can outride me I think. She is in incredibly good shape and an inspiration. We were the first team out and ANTHONY'S mule Ruby was very hyped up and danced sideways down the road at first. Then, after only about 1/2 mile, it suddenly came to her how long and hard these rides can be and MY mule Ruby settled right down and went to work like the good mule she is. It was a fabulous day. Not too warm and with a slight breeze. Ruby and Skye traveled very nicely together. There were lot's of black flies but that is normal for the time of year. We got into the hold in good time and through with no problems at all. We actually went a bit too fast at the start of the ride so had to slow right down and walk a lot of the last five mile to keep from coming in too early. Ruby didn't drink at all through the ride. She never has drank much at any of the rides but has never had a problem with being dehydrated so I didn't worry too much about it. P & R's went fine as well as our trot out. We were both good to go for the second day.

MY mule Ruby was a perfect lady Saturday night. Tired enough to behave herself until 4:30am. And then she just started the stomping forward and backward across the pen. But NO braying thankfully! Guess she was ready for a second day. Once again Jean and I were first ones out. We were riding the same trail as the previous day so were relaxed and not worried. We promptly got lost! DUH! We got back on trail but added about 3 miles to our ride. And now we were behind everyone and had to make up some time. We moved along at a good pace. A few miles before the hold we finally started catching and passing riders. All went fine at the hold. Except for ANTHONY'S mule Ruby snatching a leafy twig out of the P&R persons (Janet Brunjes) hat! The leafy twig was to help keep the black flies from landing. MY mule Ruby was super for the second half of the ride and we came in on time. All went very well for the vetting. Ruby got a score of 96. VERY GOOD MULE! Oh, Ruby also won high point grade horse. HUMPH! Anthony will be insulted that the supersonic mule he bred with his very special and cleverly planned breeding program got lumped in with the grade horses! It was a wonderful weekend and Ruby was a star. She was so well behaved (after Friday night!) and everyone was very impressed with her. And I was real proud of her. Great weekend!

Cindy on Ruby and Jean on Sky out on trail

Jean on Sky and Cindy on Ruby out on trail

Jean on Sky and Cindy on Ruby Coming into the finish

Cindy on Ruby coming into the finish

Jean with Sky and Cindy with Ruby at final trot out

Crooked River 60 May 25, 2008
Judges: Sheivly/Day
J1. Linkk / Jack, Sarah Jane
J2. Paula's Major / Soule, Leanne
1. Shryocco, Lyric / Kimberly, Jenny
2. Tyger Dann / Greenall, John
3. Omar's Montana / Bottesi, Marlene
4. SRF Atlas / Rojek, Dinah
5. Langwoods Lorelei / Stratemeyer, Joan
5. Johna Saffire / Bridges, Jean
5. Little Acre Prince John / Alexander, Lee
8. Finch / Rojek, Steve
9. Nick of Tyme / Fisk, Deb
10. Patenude Vulcan Gazelle / Gardener, Jeffrey
11. McAllister's Ruby / Ross, Cindy (96.00 pts)
11. Zehphyr's Elegant Gift / Levasseur, Sharon
13. Braeden / Welles, Allen
14. JB Roman Tarbask / Warner, Kerry
15. Midnight Satin / Lasher, William
15. Jahyr Jamlin / Jack, Kelley
17. Apollo / Tenggren, Traci
18. Amber Mist / Christman, Patty
Completion - Teeze Me PW / Lasher, Joanna
MCO - Aleser / Greenall, Sue
MC0 - Theatric / Brunjes, Kathy