Tuesday came and Susie and I headed out. Susie was wonderful and helped me tack Spark up and made sure he stood still while I mounted. Soon we were off. While riding wasn't painless, it sure wasn't nearly as bad as a lot of other things LIKE SLEEPING! The worst was bending to duck branches but the riding itself wasn't too bad. So, I decided to give the Pine Tree a try though I'd have to think about possibly dropping to the 30 mile limited distance. But I could wait to make that decision once I got to the ride. I emailed Ival and told her I was up for giving it a try and was excited to see her and ride her wonderful horse.
I took Thursday night off before the ride in hopes of possibly getting a good nights sleep. That didn't really happen but I did get some sleep. Not bringing a horse, I didn't have much to do to get ready except pack clothes and some grocery items. I did take my horse trailer as I needed a place to sleep anyway. I headed up to Waterford a little after 6:00 AM and got there just before 7:30 AM. Ival spotted me as soon as I pulled in. After a joyful greeting, I parked my trailer. I didn't park near Ival as she was with her friend Wendy who had a LQ trailer where the electric and water hook ups were. I couldn't take a space there so parked up behind the back barn next to Irving McNaughton. He and I chatted for a while then I set up camp. I saw that Wendy was tacking up her horse Jimmy so I quickly changed into riding clothes. It was a lovely, warm sunny day. Ival was going to take a quick spin on Shorty first. She had not ridden since she broke her wrist and wanted to see if she could. Wendy and I helped her get on and the two of them headed out for a short spin. They were soon back and Ival was all smiles. It had gone well and she knew that she would be back in the saddle once she was back home. I then mounted up and Wendy and I headed out to ride the last loop of the 50 mile course. This was a 6 1/2 mile loop. I liked Shorty right away. She was forward but didn't pull. And she was very steady on the trail. Shorty trots much faster then Wendy's horse so Wendy told us to just go ahead and just get to know each other. So, I put Shorty into a trot and off we went. She eyeballed a few things at first but just a little leg pressure kept her moving forward without missing a beat. I soon caught up with Kyle Nielson and a few others. I rode with them for a bit, then fell back and waited for Wendy. The last few miles Wendy and I stayed together. There was a logging operation going on that we passed with chain saws going and lots of big machinery and semi's hauling logs. Shorty looked but didn't do a thing and walked right past. GOOD GIRL! It was a fun ride and I was now sure I could do the 50 mile distance. Shorty's trot was so smooth and steady.
Cindy Ross riding Short's Flame
When we got back, we settled the horses into their pens. Jimmy rolled and got caught in the electric tape. It was not electrified and he spooked and tore down some wire and broke a pole but then stopped and stood still while Wendy got him out of the wire. We packed up the majority of what we'd need at the hold and drove over to drop the stuff off. That way Ival would know where it was and we could save a good spot. On the way back, we stopped at Melby's store/restaurant to get some ice then went back and had some lunch and relaxed at Wendy's trailer. While we were gone, Shorty had put both of her front feet over the bottom wire between her and Jimmy. She was just calmly standing there waiting for someone to get her out. Ival raised the wire so she would not be able to do that again. Vetting started at 2:00. We got in line for vetting and it didn't take long to get through. Art King and Nick Kohut were the vets. Shorty vetted in fine though her trot is hard to keep up with during the trot out! I'm used to my slow, poky horse. After we vetted in, we once again settled the horses in then went down to Melby's for supper. Amy Beem and her daughter Sierra went with us and Sondra Day joined us also.
The ride meeting was at 7:30 PM. We did not stay up long after the meeting as we had to get up early. The 100 mile riders would be starting at 5:00 AM. We would start at 6:00 AM and the 30's would go at 7:00 AM. I managed to actually get a fairly comfortable position to sleep. I had brought the foam wedge that Nancy had loaned me. I also had an extra sleeping bag that was in a large carry bag so was loose and fluffy. With the wedge under my head and back, the sleeping bag under my legs to prop them up a bit at the knees and some back packer pillows I had in the trailer wedged under one side of me, I was pretty good. Then some Advil PM to finish the job and I actually got some sleep. Not perfect but the best I'd had in a while.
I'd set my alarm for 4:30 AM. I didn't hurry and warmed some water for oatmeal. As I was getting dressed, Ival came to see if I was up. I went down the the ride office in hopes of getting a cup of coffee but all that was left was about 3/4 cup from the bottom of the pot. I drank it and am sure it caused me to grow some hair on my chest. I put my drinks and food in Wendy's cooler in the back of her truck for the hold. At 5:30 AM Ival and I tacked Shorty up. Ival told me that Shorty had gotten loose during the night. She hadn't gone anywhere and was found grazing close by. Wendy and I mounted up and rode around the fairgrounds to warm the horses up. Shorty was a bit excited and did a little bit of bucking. But, as soon as we hit the trail Shorty was all business. The first loop was 13 miles. We rode with a number of people along the way but didn't stay with anyone for long. Shorty has such a fast trot that we passed a number of people. We made it to the 1st hold in good time. Wendy was right behind me. Ival was a crew person extraordinaire and had everything ready for us. Wendy went right up for her pulse. Ival and I stripped Shorty's tack and sponged her off a bit first. Shorty does not pulse down all that easily. Ival had a hand held heart rate monitor and as soon as Shorty's pulse came down enough we headed to the pulse gate. All went well with the vetting. The hold was 40 minutes so there was plenty of time to relax and take care of Shorty. She ate well and drank a little. Soon, it was time to tack up and head out again. The second hold was in the same place. The second loop was nine miles. I mounted up and headed off again. Shorty threw in one buck to let me know she was still feeling pretty good. We did this loop in pretty good time also. But, Shorty was starting to get tender on the rocks. Ival doesn't have a lot of rocky trails where she rides so Shorty's feet aren't conditioned to it. Had Ival known how rocky the trail would be in places, she would have had her shod with pads. Nothing we could do at this point but ride carefully. There was quite a bit of rocky trail on this loop and I slowed right down. I rode with Amy and Tracy for a while but they went ahead of me on one of the rocky sections of trail. Wendy passed me just before getting into the second hold. In a field just before the hold, Shorty suddenly went into the field and dropped her head and told me she was HUNGRY! I pulled her head up and told her the hold was just a few feet down the road and she could have all the food there she wanted. Once again, Ival and I stripped Shorty's tack but because I had ridden into the hold quite slowly, Shorty's was ready to go to the pulse gate right away. At this point Ival and I both had a brain cramp and I got in line for pulse but neither of us thought to call for a pulse time. There was a line so by the time we got to the vet and realized we had not called for a pulse time as soon as we got in line, we'd lost a good 20 minutes. Drats! Shorty did pulse in fine. Art King watched her trot out and was a bit concerned that she might look a bit lame. He had me trot her a second time with Nick Kohut watching. Nick thought Shorty looked fine and we were passed to continue the ride. Yippee!!!! This hold was also 40 minutes. Wendy was out of the hold nearly 30 minutes ahead of me thanks to Ival and I forgetting to call for our pulse time. Oh well, that's life. We weren't running for top 10 anyway so it didn't really matter. The 3rd loop was a long one of 23 miles and the 3rd hold would be back at the fairground. At this point, Shorty was drinking, eating, pooping and peeing like a ...... race horse....oh yeah, she WAS a race horse..... Anyway, I was very glad to see her taking such good care of herself.
We were off again on the long loop. The day was overcast and looked like it might rain. That's what the forecast had called for as well as some severe thunder storms. I was praying I'd get this loop done before this happened. We made great time on some of this loop, but on others, we had to go real slow. Shorty was quite tender on the rocks now and I didn't not want to risk a stone bruise. We also had one hill to climb that was a killer. It was extremely steep. Shorty was struggling a bit with the hills and I just could not maker her lug my fat butt up the hill. So, I dismounted and led her up. There was some grass along the side of the road up and we took plenty of breaks for me to catch my breath and Shorty enjoyed the grass. The last 5 miles or so to the last hold was good footing and we moved right along. We caught up with Stephanie Buckley and her daughter. They ride Welsh ponies that are just wonderful. Despite their diminutive size, they actually were keeping up a fast enough pace for Shorty to be comfortable with. She even cantered up one sandy hill behind the ponies. Shorty doesn't often canter. There were quite a few place to water the horses on this loop and Shorty drank everyplace there was water. And someones crew was sharing water with everyone at all the pit crew stops which was so nice and very much appreciated. Shorty drank at every opportunity. I rode with Stephanie and her daughter into the last hold. We all dismounted and led our horses in the last 1/2 mile. So, when I got in, Shorty was ready to go to the pulse gate right away. We didn't strip her tack as it was only a 20 minute hold. And this time we called for our pulse time right away! Shorty vetted fine. Wendy was a little over 30 min. ahead of me. Shorty continued to drink, eat, poop and pee just like she should. The last loop was 6.3 miles and I know was mostly all good footing. Just one short rocky section. Now that we were back at camp, I though Shorty would be reluctant to leave. Boy was I wrong. When I was time to head out, I mounted up, told Ival that I would likely be taking it real easy on this loop. But, when I turned onto the trail Shorty was off like a shot. It seemed she had gotten a second wind and she was full of energy. It was one of the fasted 6 1/2 miles I've ever ridden I think. Shorty was a trotting machine and we passed a number of people on this loop. Once again, I got off and led her in the last 3/4 mile into the hold and we still did the loop in under 30 minutes. It was quite an exhilarating ride! Ival was shocked to see me come in soo soon. I thought that it would take a while for Shorty's pulse to come down. We stripped her tack and checked her pulse and she was ready. Walking in the last 3/4 mile had done the trick. Shorty vetted fine for her final vetting and we had a completion!!! I was thrilled. Shorty had been such a good girl and was a fun to ride. The rain and thunder storms never did happen so we'd had a great day. Once we got Shorty taken care of, I cleaned up a bit and we sat down for dinner. The awards were held shortly after we'd eaten. I had a ride time of 7 hrs. 48 min. (I think) Not bad. And we'd have done very well if we hadn't messed up the one pulse gate and if Shorty had pads on her feet. At least Ival will know for next time she comes up this way. I stayed a for a while to visite with Ival and Wendy as I don't get to see them often. Although Ival and I have been having a few adventures together this year. Kind of getting to be a fun habit. It was a great ride and I am so grateful to Ival for letting me ride her wonderful horse.
