Crooked River 30 mile CTR May 28th 2011

Cindy on Louie

It was a slightly crazy week at work so I did not get very much sleep the day before heading to the ride. So, I decided not to go up first thing in the morning and opted for sleeping instead. I got up just a little bit before noon time, quickly packed and headed out around 2:00 pm. My friend Barbara was riding Marie in the competition but was not able to get the day off work. So, she was riding up to Waterford with Susie who also had to work.

It was a hot day in the high 80's and quite humid. Blah! When I arrived at the Waterford fairgrounds I checked in with the ride manager, Janet Brunjes, on where to park. We have had a LOT of rain this spring so the grounds were wet and parking was limited. Janet told me I could try parking in the pulling arena. One trailer was

already in there and he warned me the sand was softer then it looked. He was right, I did get temporarily stuck when trying to back into where I wanted to be. I unloaded Louie and Marie and a couple kind ladies offered to hold them while I worked on getting my rig out. I did get it out and eventually parked though not quite where I originally planned. Once I was parked, I then got Louie and Marie settled into stalls. The stalls are in cattle barns. They are open sided with quite low walls. This was only Louie's second camp out in his life. So, I was sure hoping he would be a good boy as he could easily jump out of that stall. I really didn't think he would try to go anywhere without Marie though. Louie seemed fine. He was alert and very curious but calm. Marie was the perfect babysitter for Louie as she's done this so many s. I settled them both in with full hay bags and water and both seemed content.

My friend Margaret was coming up to work the ride. She had asked if she could bunk with me in my trailer. I had not seen her all winter and was thrilled to have her company. I walked down to Melby's store/restaurant to get some drinks. When I got back, Margaret offered to help me get Louie and Marie vetted in so I wouldn't have to wait for Barbara and Susie to arrive. Louie was such a good boy. He remembered the vetting process from last weekend at the Acadia ride and was very calm about it. His trot out was pretty good though he did look a little bit.....uneven. Not lame in any one leg but just a slightly uneven stride. Hummmmmm. He did get new shoes the previous day. The farrier and I had decided to put a slightly rolled toe on him so maybe he was just getting used to the new shoes. The vet noticed and started him with a grade 2 lameness on his score card but was not worried. Marie vetted in just fine. Margaret and I settled them both back into their stalls. I had Janet set up a stall next to Louie for Susie's horse. When Susie arrived, she did manage to get her rig parked next to mine with a bit of cautious advise on driving in the soft wet arena sand.

Vet judge Peg Sheivly, Ride managers Louise Lester and Janet Brunjes, ride secretary Jane Graffam

When Susie was was done getting Spark settled into his stall, we were told the judges had gone down to Tut's for supper. We decided to go to supper also. If we waited for the judges to come back, it would be getting kind of late to eat. It was a little after 6:30 pm when we got to Tut's and we found out that the riders meeting was at 7:00 pm. Usually the riders meeting for this ride is held in the morning. Susie was very anxious about missing the riders meeting and was going to take her supper to go. I was not really worried as I knew we could get the information from someone when we got back to camp. Susie did stay and eat with us though she worried.

When we did get back to camp, the riders meeting was just over but I did get the map and directions we might need from Bill and Stephanie Rice. We took the horses and mule out to let them walk and graze and get in a good roll in the arena sand. Louie was still very calm and very interested in all that was going on. I was so happy to see he was not nervous or worried about anything. He was like a kid at his first slumber party. Once we settled the horses and mule back into their stalls for the night, I packed my hold bag and we all headed for bed. Scattered thundershowers had been predicted. We didn't get any where we were but we got a very impressive light light show from storms circling all around us.

I woke up quite a few times during the night. It was still hot when we went to bed but at one point I woke up chilly and had to pull a blanket over me. I was up by 5:30 am. Ride time was 7:00 am. I fed Louie and Marie and Louie still seemed very calm and happy. I then went to get breakfast that was provided by the ride. I was a bit early so sat and had coffee and visited with other early risers until breakfast was ready. Breakfast was French toast with strawberries and bacon. It was much cooler this morning and overcast. It was still slightly humid but a pretty good riding day for the equines.

Waiting to start Barbara on Marie, Susie on Spark setting her watch and Cindy on Louie

And We're OFF! Susie on Spark, Cindy on Louie and Barbara on Marie

We brought Louie, Marie and Spark to the trailers to tack them up. We didn't want to lug all our gear up to the barn. Louie was on high alert and did paw a bit when tied to the trailer if I walked away from him. But, when I mounted up, he stood still and was very good. We walked around for a little to warm them up. Louie was still alert but calm. And then we were called to start and we were off. We had started on Louie's first official CTR!!! Louie was quite excited and was trotting fast. I needed to rate him back this time because this would be the longest ride he's ever done but he didn't know this. Susie was struggling to hold back her horse Spark to a pace I thought was good for Louie. Susie has been having trouble with her hip and knees and I hated to see her struggling with her horse that was causing her pain just to stay with me. So, after a few miles, I told Susie to just go ahead of Barbara and I and she did. This was a good decision for everyone though Marie got very upset at first. She hates it when her "herd" splits up. She pulled Barbara for 15 or 20 minutes but then resigned herself to her fate and settled down. Louie too wanted to keep up with Susie and Spark but didn't pull or fuss and allowed me to rate him back.

Cindy on Louie out on trail

Barbara on Marie and Cindy on Louie out on trail

Because of all the rain the woods trails usually used for this ride were very muddy. So, the ride was kept to dirt roads and some tar roads. No one minded as none of us wanted to slop through mud. We got to the hold in very good time. This was Louie's very first experience with a hold. He did great. There is SOOOOOO much confusion at a hold and though Louie did get a bit anxious about keeping glued to Marie, he didn't loose his head. We took the full 10 minutes allowed to call for P&R. Marie needs the time as she is heavy muscled horse and pulses down slow. Louie's pulse was 44, Marie just squeaked in at 64. Louie ate the beet pulp slurry offered. He didn't drink anything. Neither did Marie. Louie didn't want to trot away from Marie for the vetting but thought about dragging me when going towards her! Louie did make an attempt to roll with his saddle on that I loudly and vigorously discouraged. We were a bit late leaving the hold but still were doing well on time.

At the 20 minute hold feeding while waiting in vetting line

Louie was wonderful on the 2nd half of the ride. He was now doing more miles and moving faster then he ever had in his life. He did get to the point were he didn't want to do so much fast trotting but was more then happy to canter and was still eager to go. I did not argue with him. He knew what was most comfortable for him and so we cantered a lot of the 2nd half of the ride. About 4 miles from the finish Marie suddenly put her nose to the ground and started sniffing. She then went into power walk mode. She never walks fast so we wondered what had gotten into her. She then started nickering and withing a few minutes we saw Susie and Spark up ahead! So that is what she was so excited about. We caught up with Susie so we were able to finish the ride together which was nice.

Barbara on Marie, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark about 4 miles from finish

Janet Brunjes, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark

Cindy on Louie

Barbara on Marie

We finished 10 minutes too fast so we stopped in a field just outside of camp and let the equines graze. Then we crossed the finish line right on time at 5 hrs. Louie was still bright and eager. We took them straight to our trailer to untack. We then took them right up to the barn to sponge them off and wait our 20 minutes for our final P&R's. Marie and Louie both pulsed at 48. Normal for Marie. I expected Louie to be a bit lower but it was not high enough to worry about. We then went for our trot out. Louie put on quite a show. He decided to do a "canter out" with a few bucks thrown in! Vet's said maybe he needed to do another 30 miles. Silly mule. AND, so far there is no indication that Louie's tack is not fitting well. Marie looked just a little off on her final trot on the circles. Once done with vetting, we settled them into their stalls with lots of hay and water to wait for the hands on part of the vetting. I gave them both some more wet beet pulp. Marie was happy to have it but Louie turned up his nose and didn't want it. But he did FINALLY drink some water! We went down to the snack shack for some lunch. We weren't quite done eating when they called the 30 mile riders for the hands on so we huffed down our lunch and hurried to get our equines. Louie stood nicely for the hands on. When the judges were done, I asked him to thank the judges and he did a lovely bow. They got such a kick out of that. We were done!!! And I knew both Louie and Marie had gotten a completion!! The vet commented that she thought Louie looked great for his first CTR and hardest ride he'd ever done. What a great feeling to have both my "kids" finish this ride after all I'd been through with injuries with them last year!!! I felt like a winner no matter what our final placing turned out to be. We packed up what we could and then hung out and visited with friends while waiting for awards. We checked on Louie and Marie several times while waiting. Marie snoozed. Louie was relaxed, munching hay and looked very good.

Coming into the finish, Susie on Spark, Cindy on Louie and Barbara on Marie

Susie on Spark, Cindy on Little Louie and Barbara on Marie

Cindy on Little Louie

Barbara on Marie

Susie on Spark

Cindy on Little Louie

Marie placed last with a score of 89.5. Louie tied for 2nd with a score of 98. They broke the tie in favor of the other rider so we were officially 3rd place. I was so pleased with Louie's score. He finished 100% sound. He lost 1/2 point for a scrape on his face, 1/2 point for slight filling in 2 of his legs and 1 point for his final pulse. The on trail comments on his score card were "calm and cool" and "forward and willing". And that was exactly so. Louie was very willing the whole ride and seemed very happy the whole way. I could not have been more pleased with how he did. Once again I underestimated my little brown mule.

Waiting a few minutes to cross the finish line as we were a little early

Barbara on Marie, Cindy on Louie and Susie on Spark

Crooked River 3 day 80 CTR Waterford, ME May 2010

I’ve decided to attempt the 3 day 80 mile ride with poor old Marie. She is in good condition. But, I’m quite sure she is developing some arthritis as any older hard working horse is likely to. So, I would just take it a day at a time and see how things went.
I headed off to the ride at about 8:45 AM and arrived at the fairground at 10. I brought Zephyr with me. Few people had arrived so I had a good choice of places to park. I decided to park where I could have an electrical hookup. I pulled into the best spot for me and realized I was going to have a hard time reaching the hookup with my cord unless I turned my truck around. I was just getting ready to turn around when Scott Hatch came over and thought I would make it with my cord if I just unloaded Marie, then backed up as far as I could. This worked and I could just reach with my cord. But, then I realized that I could not put Marie on the Spring Tie which I was planning to use as it would put her up against the side of a building and there was an exposed waterline pipe there that wasn’t safe. So, I just set up my electric pen for her. She’s probably happier with that anyway since we will be here for three days.



I got Marie settled in, set up camp then made myself a sandwich. Amy Beem had arrived and she asked me if I wanted to go for a quick ride. So we went out for about an hour at a quiet walk. Amy is riding Weezie her Appy mare (that I think is awewome). Allie Marie was riding Amy’s horse Washburn. Allie was not riding Washburn in the competition, she was just here to work the ride. Another friend of Amy’s, Rhonda, was coming to ride Washburn in the competition. Kyle Neilson had come and he was riding one of Kathy Brunje’s horses. It was nice to see so many familiar faces here at the ride. Marcia Deleware, Kathie Brunjes, Tom Hutchinson, Irving McNaughton, Jean and Elliot Bridges, Kyle Nielson, Steve Rojek, Sondra Day, Peg Dockham, Mindy Veinneau, Bill and Stephanie Rice, Kelly Jack, Jeff Gardner, Scott & Jan Hatch, Stephanie Buckley, Char Jewell, Janet Brunjes & Louise Lester who are running the ride and many others.



Marie was quite restless because she did not have a buddy near her. I tried to take a nap but Susie arrived and Marie started hollering and hollering non-stop wanting to be with Susie’s horse Spark. I finally got up and went over to visit with Susie while she set up camp. Marie continued to fuss over not being near Spark despite the fact that Steve Rojek had come and set up near me so Marie did have company. But, not to her satisfaction apparently. We all headed up to get vetted in. The Vet judge is Heather Hoyns and the lay judge is Sondra Day. Dr. Hoyns did not like the way Marie looked at the trot so asked me to bring her back again when everyone else was done vetting in. She was not happy with how Amy’s Washburn looked either. So, I waited and took Marie up again later and I was passed to start the ride though Dr. Hoyns was still not happy with how she looked. Washburn also passed. We all sat at Amy’s trailer for a while and visited then eventually went down to Melby’s for supper. I had the haddock dinner which was very good. Later I walked Marie and ran into Mindy Vinneau doing the same. I have not seen her in a while and it was good to talk to her. While we were chatting it was announced the riders meeting. There was strawberry short cake for everyone which was a pleasant surprise. After the meeting, I asked Char Jewell if she could put me in the starting line up near Marsha Deleware. I was hoping to ride with her as I knew her horse would set the same pace as Marie. I checked with Marsha to see if this would be ok. She didn’t mind but she was already riding with Cathy Demick and said we’d need to check with her as her horse could get a bit competitive. Cathy said we’d try it and see how it went. Then we all went back to Amy’s trailer to relax and visit some more. We did not stay up very late and I was very tired from having worked the previous night. It was a bit overcast so I put Marie’s rain sheet on her in case it rained during the night. It turned out the overcast was from smoke from very bad forest fires in Quebec in Canada and it hung over us all weekend. Zephyr was thrilled when I put him up in the goosneck with me for the night.

I was up early the next morning. I fed Marie then headed to the food shack for breakfast. They provided cooked breakfasts for this ride which was nice. Today was French toast and sausage. Then, it was time to tack up and get ready to ride. The ground was wet and it was a bit chilly so I put Zephyr in the trailer with is food and water. He was not happy about this. He does not like being shut in the trailer for some reason. Marsha, Cathy and I were sent out together. We were second out in the starting order. Cathy’s horse, Stetson, was quite excited but Cathy rode so well you couldn’t really tell. Marie hung back last in her favorite position. A few miles out, Stephanie Buckley and her daughter caught up with us. There was another woman riding with them who was new to the sport. Her horse was very worked up dancing and tossing his head continually. Stephanie’s ponies are quite spirited but well behaved. The larger group was getting Cathy’s horse Stetson agitated. Finally Cathy told the other the they needed to ride on ahead. The woman riding with them said no they didn’t. Stephanie immediately said “yes we do” as she understood what was going on a led the way ahead of us. Stetson was much happier once they were out of sight. A little further down the trail we came to a lake where we could water the horses. We walked them in and I looked down and saw something long and thin swimming around. At first I though it might be a small eel. Then I notice there are more. A LOT more, and that’s when I realized they were leaches! YUCK! None of the horses wanted to drink. Just as we were leaving the pond, Scott Hatch pulled up with his truck. We said hello and were on our way. Very soon we came up on the woman that had been riding with Stepanie and her daughter. She was walking and her horse was not with her. She seemed to be ok so we told her to go back to the pond and catch a ride with Scott Hatch.

Cathy Demick on Stetson, Marsha Deleware on Piper & Cindy Ross on Marie

We got to the hold in good time. Marie just pulsed down in the 10 minutes allowed. All else was well. Vet still wasn’t thrilled with how she looked but let me continue. We were a few minutes late getting out of the hold but not enough to be a problem. The second half of the trail was good and we made good time. We finished in perfect time. When we got back I took Marie right to the trailer to sponge her down and wait for my final P&R for the day. I debated keeping her with Marsha’s horse but decided to see if she would be ok on her own. She wasn’t thrilled but was ok. But, just as the P&R person was getting ready to take her pulse, Susie came into camp and Marie spotted Spark. Marie’s pulse shot right up to 60. ACK! The P&R person gave Marie a minute and her pulse came right back down so all was well. I went up for the trot out. We were passed to ride the 2nd day. Susie didn’t want to wait around for awards so she packed up as soon as she was done and headed out. After I took care of Marie I took a nap for a while.

Kate Rogers, Louise Townsend, Amy Beem, & Allie Marie

Zephyr and Chindi


Stuffed Ponies made by Amy Beem



When I got up, I went up to Amy’s trailer to hang out with her. Louise Townsend had stopped in to say hi to everyone. Zephyr was having a great time playing with Amy’s dog Chindi. Supper that night was very good. Barbecued chicken, green beans, corn bread, salad, and a wonderful selection of cakes for desert. After supper was the award ceremony. After supper I walked Marie, then settled her in to her pen for the night with lots of hay and water. I put a wool cooler on her as it was cool out. Then, Zephyr and I headed for bed.

I was up early again in the morning. I fed Marie and walked Zephyr. Then I went to the food shack for breakfast. This morning they were serving pancakes. I sat and talked with Lois Crowley and Alan Wells. After I ate I got Marie ready to go. The ground was dry this morning and it was warm so I left Zephyr tied out. He was much happier outside. Once again Cathy, Marsha and I were second out in the starting order. Today Stetson was much calmer and Cathy was very pleased with him. The ride when well to the hold. We were riding the same trail as yesterday but made better time. Marie pulsed down fine. When we went for our trot out, the vet was very unhappy with the way Marie looked and told me I could not continue. After further thought, she told me to come back in 10 minutes for a recheck. I told Cathy and Marsha not to wait for me, so they headed out when it was time. I took Marie for her recheck. She looked a bit better though the vet still wasn’t happy. She decided to let me finish the day.

Cindy Ross on Marie

I quickly got ready and headed out. Marie moved right along at a good clip and in a few miles I caught up with Cathy and Marsha. They were happy to see me. There were a few times on both day’s rides when we had come across horse boogers or ATV that had spooked Piper and Stetson and Marie had been the one to lead them safely by. We finished in good time. I actually had to wait at the end of the ride before I crossed the finish line as I’d had time added for the time I’d lost at the hold. P&R’s today were all done up by the vetting area. There were not enough P&R people to go to everyone’s trailers. Marie pulsed down fine. The vet was still unhappy with Marie’s trot out so told me I’d have to come back in the morning for a recheck. Sigh……..

After getting Marie settled in her pen, I took a nap for a few hours. When I got up, I headed down to Melby’s to get a sandwich. I got back to camp and walked Zephyr then walked Marie. Supper and awards for the 60 mile riders was at 6:00. Tonight we had spaghetti and meatballs, salad and bread as well as more delicious cake. Char Jewell won the 60 mile ride. I headed to be quite early. I was finally able to get an internet connection so checked my email then went to sleep.

Amy Beem's horses Washburn and Weezie



I was up at 5:00 AM, fed Marie, walked Zephyr then headed for breakfast. Today we had breakfast sandwiches. After the riders meeting, I took Marie up for her recheck. She failed the recheck so we were done. Marie definitely was a bit off and she had dsome mild swelling in her left front leg that was not normal. I quickly packed up camp and headed home wishing Cathy and Marsha the best of lunch.

Several days after the ride, I took Marie to the vet as the swelling just did not go down in her leg. She had a strained suspersory and will on rest for several months most likely.

Crooked River 80 CTR 5/29/2010 14/S-12/F
Judges:
1. Shyrocco Lyric / Kimberly, Jenny
2. Leland / Savino, Ann Marie
3. Sammy / Rojek, Steve
4. Langwoods Lorelei / Stratemeyer, Joan H
5. Winn Star / Gibbon, Kyle
6. Texas Sonset SSH / Demick, Catherine
7. Bedrocks Handsome Fello / Alexander Lee R.
8. Patenaude Vulcain Gazelle / Gardener, Jeffrey
9. Charlestown Raphael / Daniels, Steven (Rich)
10. Lazaarr (Luke), Nielsen, Kyle
MCO Highcountry Piper / Delaware, Marcia E
MCO Theatric / Brunjes, Kathy
DNF Hawks Nest Expedition / Welles, Allen
DNF Marie / Ross, Cindy

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

Crooked River 30 CTR Waterford, ME May 2006

My adventure started Friday morning. I got out of work at 4:30AM (I usually get out at 5:30am) I got home, fed the critters and decided I had time to take a 2 hr. nap. I was already packed up and ready to go for the most part. After my nap, I decided I would take my truck and trailer out back to the garage and check the fluids and tires. I am notoriously bad about doing that and thought for once I'd be a good girl. It's a bit of a pain to take the trailer out back since there isn't a lot of room to turn around with my boarders trailer out there. And it's up a short steep hill to the garage that makes backing out even more awkward. But it's certainly do-able. I checked everything. I did have a couple tires low on air. I took care of that. I got back in the truck, start backing down the hill and.......NO BRAKES!!! AAAGGGHHHHH. I pump them...nothing, except the trailer brakes which was only slowing me down on that steep hill. Ok, I'm heading right for my boarders trailer.......AAAHHHH. I tramp the emergency brake, stay on the regular brake to keep engaging the trailer brakes and grind slowly to a halt. Now, I'm mostly worried about the heart attack I'm about to have. I put the truck in gear, pull back up to the garage and do what most of us ladies do. (I say most!) I go and get my husband. Now, he's not a mechanic, I know there’s most likely nothing he can do. But, I still feel compelled to at least vent about the problem to him. As expected, he said, "what do you want me to do, call your mechanic." And that is what I did. My mechanic told me it sounded like a break line went. Fred managed to carefully back the trailer down the entire driveway and up into the front yard. He then helped me get unhooked and without the trailer I had just enough brakes to slowly drive it to the garage. It was the break line and they had it fixed within an hour. PHEW! All I could think was that I could have been out on the road with my horse and mule in the trailer when that happened. Someone is watching over me!
I went home, hitched up, loaded Rosemarie and Emma Jane and I was off. Barbara, who is leasing Marie, was busy this weekend. So, I had another friend, Heather, ride Marie. Heather’s horse unexpectedly had a baby 2 months ago so she is without a horse to ride right now. Heather has another horse but had already told her friend Catherine she could ride him in the competition. I had told Heather I would be at the Fairgrounds at 9:30 am. I tried calling her on her cell phone with no luck. You can’t get a cell phone signal in Waterford. I knew she would be wondering where I was since I now would not get there until about noon time. Margaret had the day off from work and was also planning to get there early. I was a real special ride for both of us since Marie nearly died just one year ago from Purpura which she got as a reaction to her Strangles vaccine. Margaret’s horse Promise nearly died last fall from a tumor on his intestines and complications from removing it. And Promise is 25 years old.
This was the first time I would be camping out with Emma Jane. The ride is held at the Waterford Fairgrounds. There are stalls but they are the open cattle type. You have to rig up something for the front of the stall if you want to turn them loose in the stalls. I just brought along some rope. I knew Marie would stay in that. I was just praying Emma Jane would too. The rope looked like electrobraid fencing and Emma Jane wouldn't go near it! YEAH! I hung her water bucket close to the rope and later noticed her "scratching her lip" on the far edge of the bucket. After watching her do this a few times I realized she was thirsty and trying to pull the bucket away from the rope. Poor girl! I immediately moved the bucket away from the rope and she took a big drink! The sides of the stalls are quite low and for a moment when I first put Marie and Emma Jane in the stalls, Emma Jane considered jumping into Marie's stall. There was a bit of a tense moment. But then she settled right down.
Pre-ride vetting was set for 3:00 PM. We all started lining up by 2:30 PM. The vet was late to arrive. While waiting, everyone was asking me tons of questions about Emma Jane and mules in general. It’s so rare to see anyone with a mule here in New England. Especially Maine. Many questions I could answer, some I could not since Emma Jane and Bonnie’s mule Blossom are really the only mules I know. Many of the horses would sniff curiously at her. They could tell she was not another horse.
Well, unfortunately Emma Jane did NOT like the lay judge. The lay judge was Vicki Austin and seemed to be just a little bit nervous about Emma Jane. She kind of snuck up slowly and far too cautiously and put Emma Jane right on high alert. Emma Jane did pitch quite a fit. Of course I was in the front of the line so everyone was watching. I finally had to do the "circle game" with her. I give her the choice of trotting around me in circles without a rest or quietly doing what is being asked of her. Emma Jane know how that works between us and that I am willing to watch her do circles longer then she is willing to actually do them. So, she then decided to tolerate the Vicky touching her. Everyone got such a laugh at Emma Jane's expression. Ears at half mast with crinkled up mouth and nose. It was very obvious what Emma Jane thought of the whole thing but she stood quietly like a good girl. The vet judge was Craig Dowd. He was also watching all this and when it was his turn to examine Emma Jane he didn't look too excited about it. But he walked right up confidently, got right down to business and Emma Jane was perfect for him. And she then did a nice trot out. Marie being the old pro that she is, vetted in easily. Though she did rush forward when finishing the trot out and nearly took Heather off her feet! Heather had to haul her back and then repeat her straight line trot out.


After vetting in, we settled the horses and mule back in their stalls and headed down to Melby’s for supper. When we got back we got our chairs and hung out in the barn until it was time for bed. Emma Jane was very good about camping. She was quiet and well behaved. She didn't pace, paw, chew wood or bray. (much to everyone's relief) I was able to get a good night sleep which I wasn't expecting.
It was hot and muggy Saturday. The air got dryer later in the day but it stayed hot. After feeding Marie, Emma Jane and Maddy I went down to the kitchen and had my usual pre-ride oatmeal and coffee. I chatted with some of the other riders for a bit. The riders meeting was at 7:30. The ride was to start at 8:15. Our group was going out near the end. We got tacked up and all the equines were being very good. There was a bit of confusion with the starting order. Heather and I were supposed to be going out together. Margaret and Catherine were to start just before us. Somehow, the numbers got mixed up and had split Heather and I. Marie started getting upset as I headed off without her so thankfully at the last minute ride management decided to let the 4 of us go together.

Cindy Ross on Emma Jane

Margaret on Promise took the lead right off and set the pace. He did great and set a perfect pace. Emma Jane and I stayed behind them most of the ride. Marie hung back a bit with Emma Jane then decided she wanted to keep up with Promise. Then Marie and Maddy switched back and forth behind Promise most of the ride. Emma Jane was WONDERFUL the whole ride. Quiet and steady on the trail. Madddy did quite a few impressive spook and spins. Catherine did a great job of staying on and keeping him going. We got to the hold in good time. Emma Jane was a complete and perfect lady at the hold. Didn't even so much as twitch for the P&R or the vet check. She pulsed right down to 45 in less the 10 min. Trotted ok. (reluctant going away from Marie, very energetic going toward Marie!) Marie vetted out fine as well as Promise and Maddy and we were good to go. My only worry was that Emma Jane had not taken a drink yet.
We headed out on the second half of the ride on only a few minutes late out of the hold. At one point on the trail, there was a spot where a culvert was being replaced. Half was done and passable for the horses. But, the man working on it was actually in the ditch working on the culvert. Marie, Promise and Maddy all stopped dead and refused to move. After all, there really WAS a booger in the ditch. Emma Jane had been behind the horses the whole ride. While the horses were snorting and whirling around, Emma Jane suddenly marched out around them, without me asking, walked right through then stopped dead on the other side and waited for the horses. You could just tell she was saying "come on you stupid horses, we have a ride to finish!" I was SOOOOOO proud of my mule!!!!! I had been sponging Emma Jane along the ride but from the ground. I wasn’t sure what she would do if I launched a sponge from a string off her from the saddle. I’ve seen people get hurt doing that for the first time at a ride. Since I was on the ground already sponging Emma Jane, I was also sponging Marie. I could do a better job from the ground anyway. Emma Jane was being very good about being sponged so, at the last water stop, I finally sponged her from the saddle. She eyeballed the sponge as it hit the water and I dragged it back but didn’t do anything. After a couple of throws, she ignored it completely. I was also feeding her greens (tree leaves) from the saddle occasionally. The first couple times I leaned forward and stuck my hand out beside her face kind of freaked her out. I had to really pull her head around so she would look at what was in my hand. Once she figured out what I was doing, she was pretty happy about that! Hahahaha. Greens (grass, tree leaves, etc.) are good for helping to keep their gut sounds good and help hydrate them. Greens are also loaded with the electrolytes that they need replaced from sweating. About 20 miles into the ride, Emma Jane started drinking.

Catherine on Maddy and Heather on Marie


We finished in good shape. Heather’s knees were really hurting her from riding a horse that is as wide as Marie. Marie is like sitting on a 55 gallon barrel! We really put lots of water on Emma Jane and Marie to cool them down. Emma Jane was wonderful for the P&R. She was also perfect for the vet. But still didn't want the lay judge, Vicki, touching her. She didn't pitch a fit. She really tried to be a good girl. I don't know if this is common for the more "shy" mules but I know with Emma Jane, if she isn't happy about being touched but is trying to behave, just before she just can't "stay with you" any longer, she will twitch and cringe and then scoot away. She was doing this when the vet was trying to touch her in the girth area. Emma Jane was not at all sore. But, the judge took off 2 points for girth soreness. I even ran my hands all over the girth area to show her that Emma Jane wasn't sore but that didn't help. Oh well. Emma Jane was also a bit dehydrated. And she did do her "trot outs after a ride are stupid" routine. But, we finally managed and got it done. I had to trot out Marie since Heather’s knees were hurting too much for her to do it. Marie did great.
I was so pleased with Emma Jane. She was so much more relaxed on this second ride and very well behaved over all. She has come such a long way in just 8 months from the mule I brought home that couldn't be saddled, bridled, ridden or touched in most places. I never dreamed she would change so much in such a short time. I got most of my stuff packed up between the hands on and trot out. So, once that was done, we headed right down for the meal. They served a chicken stew that was full of beans. The stew was fine but the beans of course were nasty! (I hate beans!)
We all came down for the award ceremony. They started handing out the awards and Emma Jane placed 7th. They had given out awards up to 2nd place and Marie’s name had not been called. Hummmmmm. Then they realized they had messed up and had to take back all the ribbons and start again. Emma Jane was still 7th place. She had a score of 94.5. And 2 point of that were for the "sensitive girth area" that she didn't really have. So, she did great. Ribbons were passed out from 6th place up. They called out 5th, 4th, 3rd and still no Rosemarie. Then 2nd…….not Marie. To my total amazement, and delight…. Marie won Grand Champion of the ride!!!!! I have waited 7 long years for this day when Marie finally won the “big one”!





Crooked River 30 ME 5/27/06 13/S-F
Judges: Dr. G Dowd - Vickie Austin
J1. Morning Star Wakita / Wright, Caliegh
J2. SA Mr Madazsin / Daggett, Catherine
1. Marie / Bonneau, Heather (score 98.50)
2. Thunder / Veinneau, Mindy
3. LWF Paljoe Promise / Farnum, Margaret
4. BW Warrior / Brone, Ruth Bither
4. DLA Cassidy / Hatch, Janice Conley
6. Thunder / Stygles, Amanda
6. Stonewall Sally / Hoyt, Colleen
8. KA Shiloh / Niedoroda, Susan
9. Misu Koran / Navoy, Cory
9. Emma Jane / Ross, Cynthia (score 94.50)
11. S/B Mighty Country / Burgess, Robert

Crooked River 60 CTR Waterford, ME October 2002

Another minor pre-ride adventure. First and most devestating was the news that Tut's restaurant in Waterford was closed!! That was almost enough to make me cancel my entry. Thankfully, the closing is only temporary. In August I went to the Northeast Challenge endurance ride to crew for Heather. The ride is held in Buckfield and I noticed that I was on RT. 117. Now, Rt 117 goes to Rt 26 in Norway which is on the way to Waterford. I asked Heather how RT 117 was between Buckfield and Norway. She said it was ok. So, I decided the next time I went to Waterford, I would try the back way and avoid going through Lewiston/Auburn. I don't mind driving through Lewiston/Auburn except for the million traffic lights. I decided to wait for Bonnie to get out of work so she could ride up with me. Bonnie wasn't taking her horse, she was working the ride. Bonnie got to my house a little after 1:00 PM. I was ready to go so we just tossed Bonnie's stuff into my trailer and we were off. Keep in mind that my muffler is falling off my truck and it is getting quite loud. Another reason to avoid Lewiston/Auburn. I was familiar with the back roads to Buckfield. We had no problems to that point. Then, from Buckfield on Rt 117 was new territory. It wasn't long before we started climbing. We went up and up and up.....and just when we thought we couldn't possibly go up anymore, there was a sign warning of a "steep incline ahead" !!! I though we WERE on a steep incline. We went around the next corner and I had sudden visions of a roller coaster! The incline did get steeper! Somehow poor "Old Blue" got my trailer to the top of the hill. We were down to about 15 mph by the time we reached the top but we made it. So, now I'm a bit worried what the down hill side is going to be like. Thankfully, it's long and quite gradual going down the other side. Phew! "Old Blue" is too old to be abused like that. Bonnie and I decided we would take our usual route home. We got to the fairground without problems. Heather was the first one to spot me when I drove in. "Gosh," she said, "I heard you coming before you even turned the corner by Tut's. I knew it was either you or Margaret. You two are the only ones that haul with such old trucks." The ride was low on entries so we were able to park where ever we wanted. We parked next to Heather near the camper hook-ups. I put Marie in the nearest barn in a stall right across from Heather's horse, Mariah. I took a chance and used ropes across the front of Marie's stall hoping she would leave them alone and stay in. It was misting when we got there. There was no line for the vetting so I took Marie up got her vetted in right away. Then, Bonnie and I set up camp. Bonnie had brought all kinds of goodies to snack on. We sat around a picnic table with Heather and snacked in the mist for a while. Margaret showed up and Heather went off to talk her into parking near us. Bonnie and I went to get our supper. The ride provided a meal tonight for an extra $6.50. It was prepared by Rich Gamester and was very good. half a chicken (nicely cooked) salad, bread, potato and green beans. Zpehyr was with us. He thought the supper looked quite good also and begged his hardest for some scraps. He got a few. Margaret put her horse, Promise, next to Marie. Marie was giving him dirty looks but not making much of a fuss otherwise. I walked Marie around later, then went up to the barn with our chairs to sit with some others out of the rain. Scott Hatch was in the barn with a group of people and spotted Heather's horse Mariah. He proceded to tell them the tale of the Fryeburg ride when Mariah and Promise bolted in a field. Margaret jumped off Promise, Mariah fell and Heather was thrown. Mariah got lost in a swamp and a search party had to gou out to find her. He described the terrain and conditions and then told how "we all" saw Mariah at the last minute. I don't think Scott realized that Heather, Bonnie and I were sitting in a stall at the other end of the barn. I almost jumped up and corrected his story to point out that it was "I" that saw Mariah at the last minute. We finally headed off to bed around 9:00 PM. Zephyr had his usual spazz out spell when we put him up in the gooseneck to sleep with us. We just hid inside our sleeping bags until he settled down. It is really funny watching him. We talked for a while before falling to sleep. I was raining quite hard by this time.

When I woke up, it was still raining. I had been having the strangest dream about Bonnie and a trailer. I dreamed her new trailer was parked in our yard and Fred was doing something with it. When he was done, he didn't chock the wheels and it rolled down the driveway and hit something. Bonnie was very upset and crying and she ran down the driveway and got underneath the trailer and pushed it back up the hill. when she got it to the top of the hill she couldn't hold it and it rolled back down and dragged her. That's when I woke up and I didn't know what happened to her. Strange.....I fed Marie and then went down to the building where breakfast was set up. I had coffee and oatmeal. The riders meeting was in the dance hall because of the rain. Marie and I were starting with Margaret Farnum and Promise. The ride was scheduled to start at 7:30 AM. It was raining so hard at 7:00 AM it was decided to push the start time forward to 8:30 AM. I was still raining at 8:00 AM, 8:15 AM still raining, 8:20 raining, 8:25 AM raining, 8:30 AM, Just like someone turned off a faucet, it stopped raining. YEAH! Margaret and I were numbers 10 and 11. We got off to a good start. The trails were good. I thought the rain would make them muddy but it didn't. Just a lot of puddles good for the horses to drink from. We set a fairly slow pace the first few miles of the ride due to rocks and hills. It quickly got warm and muggy. Then a breeze came up and it was much more comfortable. Margaret and I got into the hold in good time. Bonnie had all my stuff ready. Marie pulsed down well and passed the vetting without problem. Bonnie sponged her and fed her while I grabbed a sandwich. Just before I mounted up, I checked Marie's girth. It wasn't too bad but I tightened it up one more notch, and we left the hold. We met Marsha Deleware walking up the trail towards us leading her horse. She was wet from head to toe. Her horse had spooked and backed off the side of a little bridge into a stream and got caught in some cables with Marsha pinned under her. By some miracle, Scott Hatch was there on his ATV on his way to fix a trail marker and was able to get her and her horse out ok. Marsha was a bit shook up but mostly unhurt. Her horse got some scrapes but nothing serious. Marsha pulled from the ride. Heather's horse also spooked and Heather was thrown but she also was fine. Somewhere along the way Irving's group passed us and Margaret and I were last. Irving rarely passes anyone. We finished the ride on time but were humiliated at being passed by Irving! Bonnie had water and sponges out. I untacked Marie and sponged her off. I took her pulse several times and it wasn't going down like it should. Hummmm, the Bonnie lets out a groan and tells me to check behind Marie's elbows. Poor Marie had huge swollen ...... I don't know what it was ....huge swollen fluid filled pockets. I don't know what caused them. They were in front of the girth. They were not rubbed or raw looking. Just big swollen fluid filled areas. She was in pain and that was most likely why her pulse wasn't coming down like it should. Her pulse was still 54 when she was checked. She wasn't interesed in eating either, just hung her head. Her trot out was horrible, she was really hurting and didn't want to move at all. I thought for sure this was the end of my ride. The vet told me not to give up. I was not going to be eliminated. I was told to apply lots of cold water to the area and just come for a re-check in the morning. I agreed to this but didn't think for a minute Marie would be ok to ride in the morning. Bonnie and I spent a lot of time that night holding cold cloths behind each elbow. Then I would walk her a little, then more cold clothes. Her pulse stayed up around 58 for quite a long time. She was finally eating and drinking good though. The supper that was provided was very good. Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, bread and pie. We went down to the award presentation for the 30 mile riders. Then, more time putting cold cloths on Marie and walking her. Later we went over to Rich and Marcy's trailer to just hang out and socialize. Marcie was telling us of all the ECTRA rules she has managed to break. I checked Marie's pulse one more time before going to bed. It was finally down to 48 but that was still higher then normal. Char Lester came over to see how Marie was and offer some advise. She asked when the last time was that I had given Marie electrolytes. I know I got a bit defensive with her but I was just worried about Marie and didn't want to get into the "electrolyte debate right then as I was sure that was not any part of Marie's problem. I did apologize to Char later. I felt bad as I know she was just trying to help. When Bonnie and I went to bed, I had made a tug of war toy for Zephyr by tying some knots in a piece of rope. Boy did we get him wound up! We thought we would never get him settled back down so we could get some sleep.

Sunday morning I got up to feed Marie and approached her stall with a laden heart. I was so pleased to see her bright eyed and eager for breakfast. Her pulse was normal and the swollen areas had drained and were much smaller. She was moving comfortably and passed her re-check. I could hardly believe it. The weather was good and the ride started right at 7:30 AM. By the first water stop, Marie's swelling was completely gone and she was traveling great. Promise spooked and Margaret came off him but was unhurt. Margaret and I rode a little bit too fast on the 5 miles before the hold. We missed seeing the 1 mile to go sign so flew right into the hold. Oops.... I was afraid our P&R sould be too high but Marie just squeaked under within 10 minutes. Phew! We got through the hold fine and headed off on the final leg of the ride. We were really keeping an eye out for Irving. We were determined not to let him pass us again today. He got withing sight of us in the last mile. We did not want to speed up that close to the finish. Irvings horse walks faster then Marie and Promise and he keept creeping up on us. He passed us about 10 feet from the finish line! AGH! There was still one rider behind us so at least we weren't last. Bonnie once again had water and sponges ready. I untacked Marie and sponged her well. Her pulse was 48 after 20 minutes. Just a tad over normal but not bad at all. The swollen spots were completely gone but she was just a little sore to the touch there. All else was fine. Apparently 6 or 7 other horses had gotten the same swollen spots. None as bad as Marie's but still it was strange. Marie vetted out quite well. I settled Marie into her stall with lots of hay and water. Bonnie and I packed up most of our stuff and then got our supper. Tonight was soup and cheeseburgers. Then it was time for the award presentations. There was some comfusion with the paperwork and while we were waiting Margaret said to me, "I should go pack while I'm waiting and just have you let me know when they get things straightened out." I told Margaret that was a good idea and if she won grand champion, I would give her whatever I won and keep her prize and tell her I'd won the grand championship. She laughed and said maybe she would just sit tight and wait. Marie got a score of 91 which I though was great considering all she'd gone through. And don't you know Margaret did win grand champion! I told her she should have gone and packed up and left me to get her award! I told her it was Marie that inspired Promise to win. It only took Bonnie and I a few more minutes to finish packing up. While we were doing that, we got to witness Steve Rojek run over his riding helmet with his F550 truck. OOps..... We had an uneventful drive home.

Crooked River 60 ME 10/5 12/S-F
Judges: Creighton
1. LWF Paljoe Promise / M Farnum
2. TC Spark / C Lester
3. Fagan Farah / A M Savino
4. GH Jessee Jolody / D Houghton
5. AFX Ploaris / S Rojek
6. Pygmalion / K Downs
6. Nerzan's Lady Mariah / H Bonneau
8. Araba FAble / J Collins
9. Marie / C Ross (score 91.00)
10. SR Katherine / D Rojek
11. DLA Cassidy / J Hatch
12. Willow's Rahmaan / I McNaughton

Crooked River 2 day 60 CTR Waterford, ME Oct 2000

The weather forecast was for cold and rain for the weekend. It takes more then that to stop Bonnie and I from going to a ride! We set off early Friday morning. Bonnie took the day off work. She isn't riding in this competition. She is just coming along with me for moral support. She will be working the ride. She is such a great friend and good sport. It was raining when we left. We had an uneventful trip. We took a camping spot where we could have electricity. Bonnie brought a heater so we would not freeze to death. There weren't many people there when we arrived. The Rojek's were there with there enormous bus. We parked our puny little trailer right behind them. Talk about extremes, it was pretty funny. It was raining lightly when we got there and while we were setting up camp but thankfully, no downpours. We got Marie settled in first. The competition is at the Waterford fairgrounds. It is a small fairground and not the most well maintained. The stall are open cattle pens. I brought along some boards and the hardware to put a gate across the front of Marie's stall. I used my electric unit last year. That was a bit of a nuisance, I thought the board would work better. After we set up camp, Bonnie and I headed down to Tut's for some lunch. This is a great restaurant and within walking distance of the fairgrounds. After lunch, we took a tour of every one's horse trailers. We like looking at all the different ones and hearing what people like and dislike about them. We would really like to get a gooseneck trailer sometime in the near future. It would make camping with the horses so much easier. The Rojek's brought the pony mare, Cavaletti, that Bonnie is interested in. Steve just hasn't committed himself to selling her yet. Nor will he tell Bonnie what his price will be if he does sell her. Bonnie is going crazy with wanting something definite. It didn't take long to vet in the horses. The vet was one I didn't know, Matt Holden. He was very quiet and didn't say much. Bonnie and I went back down to Tut's for supper. After supper, we took Marie out for a walk and let her graze for a bit.

About 5:00 AM Saturday morning. Marsha Deleware knocked on our trailer door to let me know that Marie had gotten out of her stall. She said she had put her back in and everything was fine. Sigh, that mare can't leave anything alone!! We got up at 5:30 AM and fed Marie. She had leaned on the top board of her stall gate and broken it, which is how she got out. Marsha had taken the bottom one and put it on top to keep her in. I ended up using my electric fence unit to keep her in her stall. Rotten horse!!!I heated up some water on our new little stove for oatmeal and coffee. It wasn't nearly as cold as they had predicted. No complaints about that. The riders meeting was held and the ride started right on time. I was out at 8:06 AM. I was paired up with Lois Crowley. She took off like greased lightening. I didn't want to start out so fast so I held Marie back. Marie didn't like being alone. She behaved well enough but was so nervous that eventually, I let her speed up a bit. We then caught up with Marsha Deleware and Marcy Gamester. That made Marie immensely happy. She fell in love with Marsha's horse, Piper. I don't know why, Piper is a mare. I guess you have to be a horse to understand these things. About 5 miles out, I really had to pee. I just couldn't wait any longer so I told Marsh and Marcy that I was going to make a pit stop and I would catch up with them. I got off Marie and went off the trail into the woods. I climbed over a bank of dirt for a bit of privacy and to keep Marie from bothering me. Well, she was very worried about the other horses being out of sight and at the most inopportune moment, leaped over the bank of dirt almost on top of me. Here I am in the middle of doing my business when suddenly I have 1,000 lbs of very unhappy horse doing the Mexican Hat dance around me. I'm doing the crab scuttle with my pants down around me knees trying not to get trampled to death. I certainly could not stop what I was doing as I was now in fear for my life!!! I finally finished, jumped up and yelled at my horse to settle down and stop and by some miracle, didn't wet anything I shouldn't have. I was soon mounted up again and quickly caught up with Marsha and Marcy. The first 10 miles of the trail was rocky and kind of slow going. Then there was a 5 mile loop that was just wonderful sandy dirt road.Part way through this loop, we stopped to let the horses drink at a puddle. All of the sudden, I felt an awful pain on my right shoulder blade. I accidental kicked Marie while trying to swing around and see what it was and Marie jumped forward and ran into Marsha's horse. I was stung by a nasty yellow jacket! We moved right out of there quickly in case there was a nearby nest. We came into the hold and Marie's P&R's were good and her trot out was ok. We then repeated the nice 5 mile loop and another 10 miles back to the fairgrounds. Marie and Marcy's horse are very well matched in pace. I was glad to ride with her. We finished in good time. Those of us doing the 2 day 60 only had to do a quick trot out. Marie was fine and cleared to ride the second day. Heather, Jean and Dinah were told they would have to have their horses re-checked in the morning. The ride provided us with a nice supper but Bonnie and I still snuck down to Tut's for coffee and desert. We got back just in time for the award ceremony for the 30 mile riders. Later we walked Marie one last time and headed to bed.

We were up early. Marie was kind enough to stay in her stall last night. The vet was a little late showing up which caused a slight delay due to the horse that had to be re-checked. Bonnie and I did a little packing while we waited. The vet passed Dinah and Jean's horse but was a bit concerned about Heather's horse. Heather was not happy as she was working towards the versatility award. For this award, you have to do a one day ride, a two day ride, a three day ride and one endurance ride in one season. Heather's horse had been pulled at the last 2 day ride so this was her last chance to complete a 2 day ride. The vet judge finally decided to leave it up to her and she decided to ride. Marie has totally bonded to Marsha's horse Piper and has been a real nuisance about it. Today Marhsa and Marcy rode out ahead of us and Marie was very unhappy. Just barely managing to contained herself. About 12 miles out, we caught up to Marsha and Marie settled right down. Everything went fine at the hold and we finished in good time. The final vetting went a bit slow. Marie was very restless after the ride and didn't do the best trot out. I figured we would place poorly due to that. But, we placed first in our division and 4th overall. I was thrilled. Heather placed last but did get her completion and was very happy with that. Bonnie and I stopped at Tut's one last time for coffee before heading home.

Crooked River 60 10/7/00 11-S/F
1 Briwda Mardi Gras / S Corr
2 Anchor Hill Alan / M Gamester
3 High Country Piper / M Deleware
3 Marie / C Ross (score 90.00)
3 Alora Danin / K Brunjes
6 Willowbrook Precious / L Crowley
6 S R Spirit / S Rojek
8 ? / D Rojek
9 ? / S Greenall
10 SA Lady Nevada / H Bonneau

Crooked River 30 CTR Waterford, ME Oct. 1999

The last competition of the season. Bonnie's horse has come up lame and my truck is broken down so I am traveling with Susie. Crooked River is a one day 30 or a 2 day 60 mile ride. I would have loved to do the 60 mile ride but Susie could only do one day and when you are hitching rides, you can't be picky. The trip started out great when I realized I had never sent in my entry form. I managed to get in touch with the ride secretary and she said there was still room in the ride and to come. PHEW! The ride in at the Waterford Fairgrounds. It is a very small fairground and about 1 1/2 hr. drive from home. The vetting in started at 1:00 PM. Stalls could be had on a first come first serve basis. Susie had to go to a convention on Friday so she could not leave early. We decided that Joanie and I would haul the horses up in the morning so we could get a good camping spot and stalls. I dropped my little truck off at Susie's house on the way home from work at 6:00 AM and picked up her truck and trailer. Susie just got a new truck and it is very nice. I went home, packed up, loaded Marie then went back to Susie's house to pick up her horse, Cody. He is a gray gelding and had just rolled in the mud by the looks of him and what a mess he was. I brushed him and cleaned him up the best I could then loaded him on the trailer. Marie was thrilled to see him and it was soon obvious she was in heat. Hussy..... Joanie was late getting to Susie's so we didn't get as early a start as I'd hoped to but that was fine. There was still plenty of room when we got to Waterford. The stalls are open cattle type stalls with no doors. I set up a line of electric fence across both stalls and that worked fine. I knew nothing short of electric would keep Marie in. Joanie and I lounged both horses to get them warmed up and relaxed after the trailer ride. Cody has a little problem with being a little stiff until he warms up and moves around some. We wanted to make sure he'd look good for the vet. We got in line to vet in hoping that Susie would show up before our turn came. She did and Cody vetted in just fine. Of course, stupid me had forgotten to bring my coggins papers and the ride secretary, Louise Lester, thought it over and told me she could not let me enter without the papers. Then she thought about it some more and decided to let me enter if I wrote a statement on the back of my entry form stating that Marie was current on everything with my vets contact information. I could have kissed the woman. Marie was very good for her trot out. Nice and quiet like you want. We settled the horses into their stalls and then set up our tent.
Susie had brought a 13 year old girl, Katie, with her that rides one of her horses sometimes. She seems to be a real nice girl and has been extremely helpful. We sat around for a bit and snacked on some cheese and crackers and had apple cider. Then we went around the grounds and checked out Jean and Elliots Bridges trailer. It was a nice two horse gooseneck with living quarters. Though the real reason we went to check it out was because it had heat and it was getting very cold out. Colleen Hoyt is here. Her son goes to the same school as Susie's son. both of their sons were in a football game tonight. And they got the bright idea to go to the game. We went to Tut's restaurant for supper. It is within walking distance of the fairground. The place was packed. By the time we got seated, Coleen and Susie realized they didn't have time to eat and get to the game so they left. Katie went with them. It would be nearly a 2 hr. drive for them to get to the game and a 2 hr. drive back. By the time they got back, they would not get much sleep before the ride. I thought they were crazy and Joanie agreed with me. Jean and Elliot came into the restaurant and sat with Joanie and me. They are such a nice couple. Elliot does not ride. Jean has been competing for about 8 year. Joanie and I picked her brain for useful information. That's one of the things I like so much about CTR, the people are so nice, and always willing to give you help and encouragment. Just a real fun group of people. After we had supper, we went back to camp and checked on the horses, then headed for bed. We didn't know when Susie and Katie would be back and didn't wait up for them.

I woke up about 1:30 AM. I was warm enough in my sleeping bag but I just couldn't get comfortable. I must have been sleeping good up until then because I never heard Susie and Katie when they got back to camp and went to bed. Susie was still awake. She and Colleen had only been able to see 20 min. of the football game before they had to leave but she said it was well worth it. I finally gave up trying to sleep as I had to go to the girls room anyway. I dressed and climed out of the tent as quietly as I could. I headed down to the dance hall where the bathrooms are and it seemed like a long way in the dark! When I got back, I just did not want to go back in the tent so I got in my little Mazda truck, reclined the seat snuggling into my sleeping bag and managed to sleep for a while. I was actually quite confortable and I probably should have just slept there in the first place.
About 5:00 AM I heard Susie up and around so I got up also. We fed the horses, much to the distress of the other horses in the barn who's owners were still sleeping. It was very cold out. I was dressed warmly enough but my feet were cold. Susie and I went down to the kitchen for donuts and coffee. The riders meeting was at 7:00 AM. We tacked up the horses immdeiately after the meeting. The first riders were out at 7:30 AM. We knew we were going to be the last riders out so had plenty of time. Susie did want to make sure to warm Cody up well. We went out last at 8:00 AM. It was the most beautiful ride. The trails were beautiful. Almost all of it on nice wide dirt roads or nice sandy trails. It was somewhat hilly but with such great footing for the horses that was no problem. We had to go by the hold and go around a five mile loop and come back to the hold for the hold ... is that confusing...after we we passed the hold and were on the 5 mile loop, Susie decided it was taking us too long to get back to the hold and got very nervous. She was sure we were off trail and had missed the hold. I thought I was going to have to thump her one to calm her down. I knew we couldn't have as we were still seeing trail markers. It wasn't long after then when we came into the hold. She was thinking it was only a 25 mile ride rather then a 30 mile ride and was getting confused everytime we saw a milage marker. Everything went fine at the hold. Marie's pulse was at the maximum allowed but not over and her respiration was fairly low. She has to work a little harder to keep up with Cody then she did with Shannon. We actually got out of the hold on time for onces thanks to help from Joanie and Katie who were working the ride.
Another friend of Susie's also showed up and helped out. We did the second half of the ride in great time and had to walk the horses the last three mile in order to not come in too early. Marie's P&R's were low at the final vetting and she did a great trot out. She was just a bit lazy about trotting circles in one direction. We took care of the horses and settled then into their stalls to rest while we went to get supper. They were serving a nice supper of ..... BEANS!! YUCK!!! There was also mac & cheese, ham, rolls and a nice home made apple crisp. It was all good and I didn't go hungry despite the beans. Joanie and Carol helped us pack up the tent and then had to leave. Not long after that the ride committee called us down for the award presentation. The first thing they awarded were the breed awards. When I didn't get the hight point grade horse, I knew the big ribbon was once again out of my grasp. But Marie did get a score of 99 1/2 which was great. I was delighted and proud of my little mare. She has just gotten better at each ride.

Crooked River 30 10/16/99 17/S&F
1 Crystal Mint / L Alexander
1 Czar Nicholas / L Lester
1 Kofaxx / A Wells
4 Izusu / S Niedoroda
5 VH Pahzon / I McNaughton
5 Marie / C Ross (score 99.50)
7 Desert Falcon / J Graffam
7 ? / K Downs
10 Olympia Gold / J Hunt
12 Mighty Frankie / T York
13 Xavier Sunnyacres / S Reinheimer
15 Rolling Stone / H Moss
17 Count Canaskis / K Brunjes

ECTRA year end awards
Marie 180 - Cindy 180
Bonze medal middle distance