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
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Lame - Akerstrom, Sharon on Tonkakola Gold
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