Ireland August 2006

Here is the tale of the most wonderful vacation I’ve ever had. Six riding friends had booked a trip through Cross Country International for the Galway to Claire cross country ride in Ireland. The day to leave had finally arrived. Five of my friends and I were going to Ireland for an equestrian vacation. Maura, Joanie and Nancy had gone over a week ahead. They were doing some touring, visiting of Maura’s relatives and going to the Dublin Horse Show. Then, they were meeting Susie, Barbara and me at An Sibin Riding Center.

We were taking a bus from Brunswick to Logan Airport in Boston. Barbara and I had taken care of getting the bus tickets since Susie was in California the week before we left. She was crewing for a friend that was riding the Tevis Cup 100 mile endurance race. Well, she quickly informed us we had used the wrong bus company. We booked tickets from Greyhound. Though they conveniently picked us up in Brunswick, we would have to make a transfer at South Station in Boston. But, since the tickets were bought and paid for, we would just have to deal with it. The day before we left, Rosemarie gave us a scare by having a bout of mild colic. And then there was a big deal over a terrorist plot that was foiled involving planes flying out of the UK to the US. So, we didn’t know how things would go at the airport. Luckily, our bus arrival time would give us plenty of time at the airport. We now knew we probably would not be able to take any carry on luggage and there were no liquids, creams, pastes or gels allowed to be brought onto any airplanes.

Fred drove Susie and me to Brunswick where we met Barbara. Her husband Kevin dropped her off and was on crutches. He was having some trouble with one foot. Not sure if it was from and injury or possibly gout. The bus picked us up right on time at 10:15AM. We had a 20 min. stop in Portland and then on to South Station. Barbara had been told when she called Greyhound that there would be a shuttle that ran from South Station to Logan Airport every 15 min. We checked at the Greyhound information desk to see where we caught the shuttle. They told us to go across the street to the next terminal and take the Silver Line. Ok, we were all set. We had a lot of time so we decided to relax and have lunch at the terminal across the street before going to the airport. We had a nice lunch and when it was time to go, we followed the signs down to the Silver Line. Only to find out the Silver Line had nothing to do with Greyhound bus service. We asked someone about the Greyhound shuttle and he said he did not think there was one. We found a Greyhound information desk and asked again. After all, our tickets said “Brunswick to Logan Airport”. The woman at that information desk told us to go back up to the terminal we arrived in. We went back across the street and upstairs to that terminal and ended up back at the Greyhound information desk we originally went to. We asked once again about the shuttle to the airport. Well, he said there was one. But, it didn’t run on schedule and was sometimes late. We had missed the one we should have taken and the next one was going to be too late. AAGGGHHHH. So, we went back down stairs and across the street and took the Silver Line to the airport. It only cost $1.25 so was well worth it for the peace of mind.

We got to the airport in plenty of time. We quickly found our check in and got through quite quickly. We ended up checking all our luggage. We then quickly went through inspection and into the secure area. We browsed around in the shops for a bit. Then, we found Susie a rocking chair by a window and she took a nap while Barbara and I wandered around a bit more. Our flight boarded right on time and soon we were off for Ireland. We experienced some turbulence on the flight but it was otherwise uneventful. We all slept a bit. We arrived at Shannon Airport in Ireland right on time. All our bags arrived for which we were grateful. We got through customs quickly. We arrived just after 7:00 and we were to be picked up at 9:00 by someone from Au Sibin Riding Center. So, we got some coffee in the departure area and sat down to wait. Barbara changed some English pounds her mother had given her to euros. We weren’t sure how much we’d need but didn’t want to exchange too much since whatever we didn’t spend we would have to change back at a loss. We figured we could use our credit cards anyway. As we were sitting drinking our coffee, a man came up to our table holding a big sign that said “Cynthia Ross”. It was Bertie from An Sibin. He was there very early much to our delight. We had to wait for 2 other girls that were arriving on another flight but it was not a long wait. We asked Bertie how much money he thought we’d need. He told us to get more then we had already exchanged. He told us there would be few places we could use our credit cards. Susie needed to get more money with her credit card which was done by an ATM like machine. She could not get any money because a PIN number was required and she couldn’t remember any of her PIN numbers. So, I took 100 euros out of my checking account for her.

An Sibin Riding Center





Flower Garden

View from the sitting room

Barn at An Sabin


The other two girls soon arrived and we loaded up into a van and headed for An Sibin. The other two girls were from New York. They were Simone and Rocky. They had just graduated from high school and it was soon evident they were a couple of spoiled rich girls. But, they were pleasant enough. Rocky was going to be going to Bowdoin College in the fall.It was about an hour ride from Shannon Airport to An Sibin. We were very busy gawking out the windows at the country side. Very weird to be driving on the left side of the road. And the roads were sooooo narrow with no shoulders. And rock walls and hedges right on the edges of the road so there is just no where for a car to go off the road.

We pulled into An Sibin and were instantly enchanted. It was at the end of a dead end road out in the country and was absolutely charming. It is a 250 year old farmhouse that has been restored. Our rooms were lovely. We were given a quick tour by Nicola and then there was tea and cookies waiting for us in the tearoom so we could sit and relax after our travels. The tearoom was next to Barbara and my room. After tea, Susie and Barbara took a nap. I went out and went for a walk around the farm. They had a pair of donkeys. A jenny and her colt. Also a young calf, a sheep, 3 dogs, duck, geese, chickens, and tumbler pigeons. After checking out the farm I took a walk along one of the riding trails, then came back and took a nap myself. I was quickly woken up and told to get ready.

View from tea room

Tower stairs

The front hall

Stairs to dining room

Bar in hallway at bottom of stairs

Dining room at An Sabin




Nicola was going to drop us off in Mount Shannon so we could go over to Holy Island to look around and then have lunch at a local pub. Nicola dropped us off at the boat landing. We took a boat over to Holy Island. It was just a small boat but it was only a short ride to the island. Holy Island is in Lough Derg. It is the ruins of a monastic settlement where there are the ruins of six churches, a well preserved Round Tower, ancient graveyard, a Holy Well and a ‘bargaining stone’. The Island itself is privately owned and used as a cow pasture. So, you wander through the cows to get to the ruins. But, that is all part of the charm. We were there for an hour and taken back to the mainland. From there we walked up to the Aistear Iniscealtra. This is a 4.3 acre community park which includes the Maze which is the main feature of the Aistir. It is a pathway or pilgrimage through time, depicting the belief systems of Ireland from prehistoric times to modern age covering 9,000 years. It is a beautiful maze of pathways and constructed of timber, stone and foliage. There are seven spaces within the maze displaying contemporary relics and representing the seven distinct time periods of spiritual evolution.

Susie & Barbara on Holy Island

Susie on Holy Island

Cindy on Holy Island

Barbara on Holy Island


Susie on Holy Island


After touring the Maze, we walked up to the Mount Shannon Hotel and went into the pub for a light lunch and our first glass of Irish beer. We had a Guiness on tap of course. Nicloa picked us up at the appointed time and took us back to An Sibin. Joanie, Maura and Nancy had arrived while we were out playing the tourists. After very happy greetings, we went and sat and chatted in the tea room for a while. We eventually moved to the sitting room to hear all about their adventures in Ireland so far. They had a very funny adventure on the Aran Islands involving a rainy day and the pony trap tour. The took the traditional pony trap tour of the island. It poured on them. They had not taken a change of clothes with them since they were only staying overnight and heading right back to the mainland in the morning. The trap driver was apparently all to fond of tucking the wool blanked in around them. He stopped at a pub so they could go in a get a beer to take along with them. They offered to buy him one which he readily agreed to. They got out to hike to the top of a cliff and left their half full beer cans along a wall near the pony trap. When they got back, the driver had finished off all of their beer. When they got back to hotel they were completely soaked and they had dinner reservations for that evening. So, they called the owner of the hotel to see if she had a clothes dryer they could use. She did and Nancy put on her pajamas and took their pants down to be dried. Unfortunately, she forgot to give the woman her name or room number! The woman finally tracked them down by just calling all the rooms.

Susie in the Maze

Barbara in the Maze

Susie, Barbara and Rocky in the Maze

Our first Irish Pub

Joanie & Maura in the tea room at An Sabin

View from the tea room at An Sabin


Supper was at 7:00 PM. This is when we got to meet all the other riders. We had already met Simone and Rocky from the U.S. There was Karen and Sophie. A mother and 13 year old daughter from Belgium. Clara and Jessica, both 18 year old girls from France. Mark and Femka, a young couple from Belgium. Euna, an 18 year old girl from Belgium. And George who was from France and probably late 40’s or so. All spoke very good English except for George. He spoke some English so between that and lots of sign language we could communicate with him. We would be riding in 2 groups of eight and 2 guides. Mark and Femka were assigned to our group. We also met our lead guide Denise. She was a wonderful girl and fantastic guide. She was Swiss but her family owned property in Ireland so had spent a lot of time in Ireland. She grew up in Ireland until she was school age and then went back to Switzerland. Our rear guide was Elody who was from France. We had a wonderful 3 course meal starting with stuffed tomato. Then a main course of roast pork with gravy and raisin sauce. Boiled potato, cauliflower, baked apple wedge, and boiled onion. There was also fresh baked bread. Not sure what the desert was but it was something in a pie shape form with fresh currents on it. Delicious. We visited for a while after supper in the sitting room then headed for bed.


I woke up Sunday morning around 6:00 AM. I got up at 7 AM and went into the sitting room to read for a while. Breakfast was as 8:30 AM. I had the traditional Irish Breakfast of scrambled eggs, ham, mushrooms, fried tomato and bread with butter and jelly. All the bread we had during the week at Au Sibin was baked fresh daily. There was also cereal and fruit available every day. And of course tea, coffee, and juice. At 9:30 we loaded up into the 2 vans and headed out to the pasture where the horses were. I got into the van that was pulling the horse trailer. They were going to haul a horse out but the horse panicked in the trailer and scraped up his back and was eventually unloaded and put into the barn. We arrived at the field which was large. Our assigned horses were pointed to us. We were given a halter and told to take a handful of grain and we went out and caught our horses. Surprisingly they all just waited patiently for us and there was no trouble catching them. I was assigned to Fahmi. He was a full blooded Irish Draught horse. He was enormous at 17 hands, 1,600 lbs or so and soon nicknamed the Titanic. The horses were a mix of Irish breeds. Irish Draught, Connemara, Pie Balds (Gypsy Drum), Irish Cobs, Irish Hunters and many crosses of them all. All horses were in good condition. Most were very heavy built drafty type horses. Susie and Barbara were assigned horses that were a mother/daughter pair. Susie had Grainee and Barbara had Nollaig. They had some Arabian in them and were the lightest built horses in our group.
Mara got a nice bay named Claddagh. Nancy had a bay horse named Tara. Joanie had a gray horse named Roisin. We brought the horses out of the pasture and tied to trees in a clearing. The girls working for An Sibin gave us a demonstration on how the horses were to be saddled. They all got a nice fleece square pad. Then an English shaped gel pad on top of that. Horses with sensitive backs also got a therapeutic massage pad under the fleece pad. This was a very strange looking pad. I’d never seen one before. All girths also had a fleece cover which was removed and washed every day. The fleece saddle pads were washed every week as well as all the saddles and bridles oiled. The girls helped all of us saddle our horses to make sure everything was put on correctly. Then the girls would check the horses feet every morning. Any loose shoes or nails were replaced or tightened up by a farrier that met us at each field every morning. He was quite a character and looked a bit like he had just been rolled out of the pub each day. And looked so unhealthy you wondered if he would be there the next day. Fahmi had to have one shoe tightened up. We then bridled up and headed out. The first half of the day we only walked and trotted. This was to make sure we were ok with our horses and equipment. My saddle fit me well and Fahmi was a good old guy. He knew his job well. Every day after about 10 minutes on the trail, Denise would check all our girths to make sure they were all tight and all was well. Along the trail she would stop and point out interesting things and tell us storys about them. Such as where kings had been buried or tell Irish tales connected with the area. My impression of Ireland is that it is very prickly. There are hedges everywhere and they are blackberry bushes, holly, thistle, stinging nettle, prickly fir bush, and wild rose. We rode to An Sibin where the horses were tied up and fed what seemed to me a large amount of grain. Each horse was then re-saddled by the staff to make sure everything was ok. This was done every day at lunch. Lunch was set up with breads and several spreads. A mustard spread and a garlic spread. Along with cut up cucumbers and peppers, cheese, fruit, and the all important Nutella. A chocolate spread that was VERY popular with everyone. There were also cookies, tea and coffee.

Our guide Denise

Femka, Cindy & Maura

Gypsy Wagon

Femka, Mark, Cindy, Maura, Susie, Barbara &

Cindy, Maura, Susie & Barbara

Nancy, Cindy, Joanie, Maura, Susie & Barbara

Nancy, Cindy, Joanie, Maura & Susie

Sophie at lunch the first day

Lunch the first day

Getting ready to ride after lunch

Barbara on Noleg and Susie on Rosheen


After lunch we mounted up and headed out to the field where we would leave the horses for the night. Susie’s horse, Grainee, was a bit silly. She was frightened when Susie tried to put her fleece pullover on while in the saddle. She was also a bit nasty with the other horses. We eventually noticed then when turned out, none of the horses liked Grainee or her mother, Nollaig, so they were just trying to defend themselves. We got to do some cantering the in the second part of the day. Cantering Fahmi was like riding a ship in bad seas!!! Not an easy task to sit to. We had a great ride and the weather was very nice. It was in the 60’s. We arrived at the next field where we would leave the horses, un-tacked them and turned them out. We were then driven back in the vans to An Sibin. I headed straight in to take a shower and managed to flood the bathroom. I cleaned up but left Barbara with a wet bath mat. I felt bad until Barbara told me she did the same thing. This was the only day we watched any TV. The Dublin Horse show was on and we watched that. I went outside to walk for a bit. Joanie and Nancy were out feeding the donkey colt. We went in for supper which was once again wonderful. Euna overslept and someone had to go wake her up. To start, we had ham rolled up with a horseradish sauce and melon slices. Then salmon in a sauce, broccoli and mashed potato with chives. There was baked apple for desert. After supper the six of us went out for a long walk. The next farm down the road had a couple of donkeys. The younger one came to the gate and brayed like crazy to get some attention. He was very angry when we left. We all went right to bed when we got back from our walk.

Susie, Maura, Joanie, Mark & Femka

Nancy, Mark, Femka, Barbara, Susie & Maura

Susie, Maura, Mark, Femka, Nancy & Denise

Susie, Maura, Joanie, Mark, Femka, Nancy & Denise

Susie on Gronya

Denise telling us the tragic donkey tale

Horses in pasture watching us


Mark, Femka, Nancy, Susie, Maura, Cindy & Denise

End of ride the first day

Marura & Claddagh

Barbara & Noleg

Joanie & Roisin

Horses out to pasture at end of first days ride

Cindy, Barbara, Nancy, Susie & Marua. End of first days ride

Nancy & Joanie feeding the donkeys

Barbara & Joanie in sitting room

Barbara in the sitting room

Cindy & Nancy in sitting room


Monday morning I woke again at 6 and got up at 7 to read for a while. I had the traditional Irish breakfast again. At 9:30 we headed out to the fields. We caught the horses and tacked up. Fahmi had to go to the farrier for 2 new shoes. One front and one back. The farrier had a dog that was a Corgi/Jack Russell cross. Quite cute. Someone had left their helmet laying on the ground and the dog decided to mark it as his territory. I warned the others in our group. For the rest of the trip we made sure our helmets were safely on our heads from the moment we got out of the vans in the mornings! We passed a Neolithic doleman which was said to be 5,000 years old and the burial site of Oisin And Grainee. Denise told us the tale about them which was very sad. Actually, all the stories and tales she told us had tragic or sad endings! We rode through the turf fields where they cut peat for burning. We had some wonderful views of the Shannon River from there. We also rode through the managed forest areas. That looked a lot like home. We were met on trail with lunch all set up for us. There was bread, ham, cheese, veggies, fruit, and of course Nutella. Today was Denise’s (our guide) birthday. She was 20. We sang her happy birthday at lunch. We then rode on to the next field where we left the horses. Fahmi’s back was a bit tender. When we got back to the center, we heard that George from the other group had fallen off and his back was bothering him. It was Barbara’s turn to get the shower first. Once again we both managed to flood the bathroom. While Barbara was showering, I had a beer with Nancy and Maura in the sitting room. I had a Smithwicks which I liked better then the Guinness. For supper we started with salmon (raw) on cucumbers with a lemon on top. The main course was Irish stew with lamb in it. For desert we had something that was like apple crisp but lots better. We went to the pub in Whitegate that night. Denise wanted us all to come to celebrate her birthday. We were out quite late. Way past Barbara’s bedtime! Hahaha. On the way out of the pub, the local dirty old man and regular fixture in the bar managed to grope Susie. Guess he got a surprise since Susie no longer has anything to grope. He made up for this by groping one of the younger girls as well. I had seen him being a bit friendly so I had skirted as far around him as I could. Bertie had told us that it was going to rain the next day. Barbara wanted to bring her rain pants but didn’t want to ride in them all day so she rolled them up and put them in my saddle pack.

The Shannon River

Our rear guide Elody

Denise on her Connamara pony Hurricane (Hurry)

Peat fields

Nancy, Denise, Joanie, Susie, Barbara, Mark, Femka, Elody

Cindy on Fahmi

Joanie, Nancy, Mark, Femka, Denise & Susie


Nancy on Tara

Cindy on Fahmi, piled peat

2nd group finishing ride


Tuesday I was awake again at 6 and up at 7 to read. It was raining already when I got up. Barbara was late getting to breakfast. She had been out in the trailer looking for my saddle that had her rain pants in them. I had the Irish breakfast once again. I put on full rain gear. Pants and coat. I had noticed that all the guides wore rain gear every day. I was sure there was a reason for this! Susie found some rain pants in the mudroom and wore those. It wasn’t really raining when we headed out to the pasture so Barbara rolled her rain pants up and put them in the pocket of her coat. Joanie didn’t wear any rain pants. When we got to the field, most of the horses came to the gate. That was nice. Not long after we were on the trail it started raining quite hard. By lunch, those without full rain gear were soaked. I was fairly dry except for some water wicking up the sleeve of my raincoat by my fleece shirt. The landscape was beautiful despite the rain. We all squished into the horse trailer to eat lunch. There was bread, tuna salad, veggies, cheese, fruit and of course Nutella and cookies. We all really appreciated the hot coffee and tea that day. Because of the rain, we were given the choice to do a shorter ride or the regular full ride. We all decided we wanted to do the full ride despite the rain. Barbara had taken her soaked riding pants off and put on her rain pants. She knew she might get some saddle sores from this choice but was willing to take the chance so she could be a bit dryer. The regular ride was the right choice since the sun finally came out on the second part of the ride. We had some beautiful views as we rode up through the Slieve Aughty Mountains. We were heading down to Lough Graney. Denise told us we would be riding through the lake. We were a bit curious about this and kept asking her if we were going to be swimming the horses? She would not really say more, just to wait and see. When we got down near the lake, but not quite in sight of it, Denise gathered us together and told us to pay very close attention to her. She said that we must follow her exactly, keep in single file, and keep moving and do exactly as she did. She was not going to tell us anything, we were just to follow her. She then turned and headed off at a good trot though the windy woods trail. We suddenly came out on the shore of the Lough Graney and trotted into the water and went along the beach just in the water. We trotted past the beach and suddenly Denise turned directly into the lake and took off at a canter. Eeeekkkkk. So we followed her and we cantered across the lake. There was a shallow bar that went across the lake. It was a bit more then knee deep to the horses. Closer to belly deep for the shorter ones. That made the horses gallop in big lounging strides. It was sooooooo much fun. It was a wonder no one fell off we were laughing and giggling so hard. Far too soon we got to the field where we would leave the horses for the night. It was a large field that went straight up a big hill. We were all imagining the horses being at the top of the hill in the morning and having to climb up there to get them. Barbara’s horse was developing a nasty sore on her back. She was told she might have to use a different horse for the last day. Fahmi’s back was actually a bit better. Probably because I was finally getting used to his gaits and riding him much better. Between the rain and galloping through the lake, we were all a bit wet by the end of the ride. Even my riding boots which were water resistant were a bit damp after the lake gallop. The rest of me was in pretty good shape. Joanie was absolutely soaked. We were all glad to get back to An Sibin for hot shower and dry clothes. Ha, my turn for the shower first! We all stuffed newspaper into our shoes in an attempt to dry them. Some of the rider’s shoes were really soaked. Susie smuggled her and Barbara’s boots into her room to put by the heater. It was a long day and by the time we were showered and changed, it was time for supper. That night we had stew to start with. Followed by a roast pork with turnips, onions, carrots and cauliflower. Then there was cold semolina with raspberries in it. Delicious. We all went out to change the newspapers in our shoes before heading to bed. I stayed up for a while talking with the young girls. Sophie, Euna, Jessica, and Clara. They are such nice girls. Apparently George had fallen off his horse again. He only rode half the day each day and was dropped off at a pub for the rest of each day. They said he was not a very good rider and he was having back problems even before he came on the ride.

Saddling up the 3rd day

Nancy & Tara with Farrier

Joanie & Roisin

Denise telling us about the Fairy Tree

Galloping across Lough Graney

Joanie, Nancy, Mark & Femka

Simmone Rocky & Clara

Sophie, Karen, Jessica, Maura, George, Barbara & Cindy


Wednesday was the same routine of awake at 6 and up at 7 to read. I went out to check my boots and take out the newspaper. They were reasonably dry. I had my usual Irish breakfast. Susie’s camera had run out of power on the second day so she was grumbling about David not charging it. We all were teasing her pretty hard about being so dependant on David to do everything. She took it all in good fun. Then we had to pack since it was our last night at An Sibin. Wednesday night would be spent at a B&B. We were getting too far from An Sibin to be brought back in the evening. We would be split up between 3 different B&B’s and would have supper in town together at a restaurant. As we suspected, the horses were out of sight on the top of the hill. The guides went up and chased them down. We did not have Elody the last day as our back guide. It was her turn to work on the farm. I do not remember the name of the girl we had the last day. Barbara’s horse’s back was still sore so she was given a new horse. A very cute piebald named Connie. Very drafty build so would be quite a change from the one she had been riding. We climbed right up a mountain right off and had some stunning views of the Shannon River. Nancy came off her horse while leaning over trying to pick some blackberries. The saddle slipped. Denise’s horse balked about crossing a puddle and Susie, in an effort to help her, managed to smack her own horse in the face. We heard the commotion from behind and had thought she had accidentally hit Denise and we were getting after her about abusing the guide. We passed some caves that looked manmade set into the hillside. For lunch we had a rice and bean salad. It was good though of course I had to pick out the beans. Mark told me there were going to be a bunch of bean trees growing where I was throwing the beans. There was also bread, veggies, fruit, cookies and of course Nutella. The second part of the ride we had some beautiful view of Glandaria, or Valley of the Kings. This is a fertile Shannon River valley that was a very popular place for kings to settle in past years. At the end of the ride, the horses were unsaddled and loaded into a big van to be transported to a field. The van had a very steep ramp and a horse the size of Fahmi was taller then the van. It had an open roof with just a framework of bars. Fahmi got in and then just stuck his head up between the bars.

Susie

Our last morning at An Sabin. Maura, Susie, Cindy, Barbara, Nancy & Joanie

Rounding up horses


Horses coming down hill

Barbara & Connie

Maura & Susie

Horses peaking at us through hedge

Susie, Cindy, Denise, Maura & Nancy


Susie, Maura, Nancy, Cindy, Joanie & Barbara

"business" stop. Cindy, Barbara, Nancy, Denise

Barbara, Cindy, Susie, Elody & Nancy

Lunch Stop



Loading up the horses

Fahmi loading into van

Horses loaded in van




We were then dropped off at Connole’s B&B’s. Susie, Maura, Barbara, Euna and I were in the same B&B. It was a very pretty place. We were greeted by Ann, the owner. She showed us to our rooms and told us her husband would take us into town whenever we were ready. She gave us the breakfast menu and asked that we let her know what we wanted for breakfast before heading into town. After we all showered, we gathered in the common room. We were ready to head to town in hope of getting there before all the shops closed. We told Ann we were ready but apparently her husband wasn’t. So, we had a bit of a wait before going. We listened to some Irish CD’s and read some books that were there on Ireland. We put in our order for breakfast. Some of us ordered pancakes and Ann muttered under her breath that Americans always want pancakes. Hummmm. Finally, We were all crammed into a small car for the ride to town. 4 in the backseat! He dropped us off and told us we were to be out in front of the pub at 10:30 to be picked up. If we were not out there, we would be walking. We were meeting everyone at the Corofin Arms for supper and then going to a pub to listen to traditional Irish music. We were ok with being picked up at 10:30 since we assumed the music would be starting at 9:00 or so. As we figured, most of the stores were closed except for a couple general stores. We did poke around in them and bought some chocolate. Our supper at the Corofin Arms was very good. There was a limited menu to choose from. I had smoked salmon (raw) on a salad. Baked chicken in a sauce with potato, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. For desert there was fruit slices (apple, orange, grape, nectarine), a cream puff with chocolate sauce over it and an apple pastry. We then found out that the Irish music would not be starting at the pub until 10:00. We were very disappointed that we would not get to hear much of it. Susie called our B&B and told them not to pick us up as we wanted to stay at the pub longer and would get a taxi home. Ann said that would not be possible and that her husband would be there to pick us up at 10:30. PERIOD! The music was very good. We were a bit surprised when they played John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’, then Dolly Parton’s ‘Joline’. When our ride arrived promptly at 10:30, Susie tried to get him to come in by offering to buy him a pint. Nothing doing. So, we had to leave. We were not pleased about this.

Pub in Corifin we went to on our last night in Ireland

Corofin



The next morning, I woke up as usual at 6. I laid in bed until 6:30 when I just had to get up to use the bathroom. I got dressed and headed downstairs at 6:45. I was as quiet as I could be since I saw no one else up. I just went into the common room and sat down to read. Barbara came down sometime between 7:30 and 8. She and I went out for a walk. When we got back, the others in our group were up. We were out in the hall and Ann’s husband came out and made mention of someone getting up at the ‘crack of dawn’ and wandering around the house waking him up. Susie said she didn’t believe anyone from our group had been up that early. He stated that it was someone from room 4. Well, that was me. I admitted it was me that had come downstairs early. He looked at Susie and said, “well, who was right this time?” and then he said that people don’t get up that early in Ireland and he stalked off. Leaving us all staring in disbelief at his rudeness. Susie then told us that he had come up to their room that night and had knocked on their door to tell them they were making too much noise and to quiet down. Not quite the Irish hospitality we had been used to. Breakfast was served at 8:30 and was very good. At 9:00 Bertie came to pick us up. He first took Maura and Euna out to the field since they were riding two more days. Then he came back for Susie, Barbara and me. Apparently, Maura said something about the rudeness of our hosts at the B&B. We told him that Maura was right and we told him what had happened. He was mortified and apologized repeatedly for our treatment. George was not going to ride at all that day so Bertie dropped him off in town. Bertie felt so bad about our rude treatment at the B&B that we he took us to see Dromoland Castle. It is a restored castle the is now a high end hotel. Dromoland Castle dates back to the 16th century and is the ancestral seat of the O’Briens. Very beautiful. We walked around it a bit and took pictures. It is where George Bush stayed when he visited Ireland. He dropped us off at Shannon Airport and we quickly checked in and got through customs and into the secure area. There we had time to do some shopping and have lunch. The flight was only ½ hour late getting off the ground and it was a smooth flight. Susie met someone on the plane that knew here. No surprise there! Hahahahaha. Our flight got in on time and all of our luggage made it also! As soon as we stepped out of the terminal the Silver Line bus pulled up. We decided to take this back to South Station. We had to wait a few hours at South Station but our bus was on time and had us back to Brunswick at exactly 10:15. David was there to pick up Susie and I. Barbara’s son was there to pick her up. Fred was at work so it was only Zephyr to greet me when I got home. I ran out to the barn to check on the mules and horse and say hi to them. It was good to be home but I am going to miss Ireland. I just loved it there and it was a fantastic vacation.

Breakfast on our last morning


Cindy & Barbara waiting for the ride to the airport

Dromoland Castle

Fryeburg 50 CTR, Fryeburg, ME July 2006

Well, another great ride. But aren’t they all. My plan had been to ride Emma Jane in the 2 day 50. She had already done 2 one day 30 mile rides. I was pretty sure she could both mentally and physically handle a 2 day ride. Of course there was a catch in this plan. She came up slightly lame after the 2nd competition. She had gotten new shoes put on the day before the ride. On the lame foot, there was one very high nail and I blamed that. Over the next few weeks, she seemed to get better and come sound. When she got the next set of shoes 4 weeks later, she was lame again. There was another high nail. I really don’t know if this was the problem either time but, I pulled the nail out. I called the farrier and he thought the shoe would stay on without that one nail. Next ride, (a long one) the shoe came off and Emma Jane was very sore by the time I got her home. I had to walk part of the way since she was stumbling so badly. The farrier came and put that shoe back on and I gave her a week of rest. But Emma Jane continued to be a bit off. I rode her one week before the Fryeburg ride and she was definitely not sound. So, I figured there was no way I would be taking her to the ride. Barbara had entered Marie in the ride. So, we got arguing back and forth about who was going to ride Marie at the CTR. “well, it’s your horse, you should ride her.” “Well, you pay to lease her and you paid to enter the ride, you should ride her.” Back and forth this went with no real resolution. Meanwhile, I was trying to line up another horse to ride so we could both go. I had plenty of friends with horses I could use but none of the horses were conditioned for this kind of riding. Meanwhile, Susie Reinheimer had knee surgery Monday before the ride. She was sure she would be recovered enough by Saturday to do it. Barbara, who has had the same surgery, was sure Susie would not be able to do the ride. Susie said I could ride Cody if she couldn’t ride but was sure she could. Tuesday and Wednesday go by. Susie is in a lot of pain with her knee and still on crutches and getting worried. But still sure she will have a miraculous recovery. I gave up trying to line up another horse. Barbara and I were back to our ‘discussion’ on who was going to ride Marie but not pursuing it too hard since we were both sure Susie was not going to have the miraculous recovery she was counting on.
The Farrier came the day before the ride to put new shoes on everyone. He and I had a long talk about Emma Jane’s shoeing. I told him she was still lame and asked him to really look at her and see what he thought. I trotted her for him. She was actually looking quite a bit better but not sound. He put the hoof tester on her and found the soles of her front feet were a bit soft on the inside. He was very surprised and we decided to put pads on her. I also got him to shorten up her toe a more then he has been. She stumbled a bit and I wanted to see if this made a difference. He also wanted to shorten the trailers he had been putting on her at the request of the vet. He felt the vet had just not seen enough mule feet to realize that they just don’t look quite the same as horse feet. I agreed and that is what we did. I lunged Emma Jane Thursday evening and she was definitely much better.
Friday morning, Susie called me and she was VERY upset. She was still on crutches and there was no way she was going to be able to ride. She had been looking forward to doing this ride so much. Another friend of ours, Joanie Mitchell, was going. Once of Susie’s best friends and it was going to be a fun weekend. Susie was so disappointed about not being able to ride. She told me I might as well take Cody. At this point, I had already decided to take Emma Jane and had everything all packed and ready for her. The Fryeburg Fairgrounds had wonderful safe stalls so I had decided that if Emma Jane did not make it through the vetting, I would be able to safely leave her in a nice stall and just help work the ride. I told Susie that I would lounge Emma Jane again before leaving. If she really looked off, I would come and get Cody. When Barbara go to my house, I lounged Emma Jane and had Barbara watch also. We both thought she looked pretty good. So, I decided she would go.
We got the horses ready. It was going to be hot so I wanted to put their fly masks on since I was leaving the trailer windows down and it would protect their eyes from any flying hay or dirt. Now, Emma Jane was VERY ear shy when I got her. But, over the months she has finally let me handle her ears. And has gotten very good about letting me put on her fly mask. But, several days earlier, I was stroking her ear and there was a scab on it from a fly bit. I accidentally knocked the scab off and she thought the world was coming to an end. Emma Jane is such a weenie about that kind of thing. She was holding a grudge and would not let me touch her ears. It took me about 20 minutes to get her mask on. I finally bribed her with treats. So, we got a slightly later start then planned but had an uneventful trip to the ride. At this ride the barns are wonderful with shed rows stalls back to back. The trailers can be parked right in front of the stalls for camping and there is a water spigot every 4 stalls. We got the spot we usually get every year. Near all the activity so we always know what was going on.

For Marie, this was just another ride. She has done this so long now and it is no big deal. Though she seems to love seeing all her friends she has made over the years as much as I do. She calls and talks to them all. Emma Jane amazed me. Though she has only done 2 rides, she knew right away what was going on. She was calm and relaxed and looking very happy. We settled them in their stall and set up camp. It wasn’t long before Joanie and Susie arrived. Susie decided to come and just hang out for one day. Another friend of hers, Kathy, was coming to work the first day of the ride. Susie would go home with her on Saturday. Barbara and I had our lunches we brought with us then sat and relaxed under the overhang by our stalls. When Susie arrived, Marie got very excited. She is SOOOOO in love with Susie’s horse and associates Susie with seeing Cody. Marie called and hollered. Poor girl was very disappointed when she realized Cody was not there. I had worked Thursday night so I was getting quite tired by noontime. I fell asleep in my chair much to everyone’s amusement. Joanie brought a screen house and they got that set up while I was sleeping. Joanie and Susie were going to sleep in that. Joanie and Susie both brought their dogs. Susie was sitting by Marie’s stall and at one point took a big drink of water, threw her head over the stall door and slobbered a ton of water all over Susie. We decided Marie was letting Susie know what she thought about her not bringing Cody.

As soon as the vet arrived, we got in line to get vetted in. Emma Jane was perfect for the vet and judge both. She wouldn’t let them touch her ears but other then that, no problem at all. She stood calmly and quietly. YEAH. She really WAS figuring this all out. Emma Jane is so bit up by the bugs it is actually embarrassing. Especially on her front end and face. She is a mass of scabs and scrapes from scratching. The judge has to record anything they find on the animal before the ride. They were going crazy trying to identify and record all the bumps, scabs, and scraped areas. The scribe finally said that if someone shot her with a pellet gun during the ride, they would never notice it. She trotted out just fine. No signs of lameness and I was cleared to ride. YIPPEE. All went well with Marie and Joanie’s horse, Frannie. We were all going to ride. We all went back and hung out in Joanie’s screen house. That is until a nasty thunder shower rolled in and it rained buckets. It quickly flooded the screen house and we all quickly retreated under the barn overhand. We were sooooo glad we had gotten vetted in early. There were some very close lightening strikes.

Emma Jane really seemed to be enjoying herself. She was watching everything that was going in with avid interest. Marie, who is very vocal, kept calling out to everyone. Every time she would call, Emma Jane would bray. I’ve never heard Emma Jane bray other then when she was stressed out over being left behind on a ride. And it was definitely a social bray. She makes such a strange sound. She doesn’t really sound like anything you would expect. The best I can describe it is the bugle of an elephant with a sore throat. It was freaking people out because they didn’t know what it was. Thankfully, I didn’t see any horses having a bad time about it. I can’t count the times I heard, “what the heck it that?” Every time people would walk by her stall, she would greet everyone with her Harley Davidson nicker. You can identify that as a nicker but so different from a horse because it is so much deeper and…… well, different. She attracted a lot of attention. Most people didn’t take her very serious. Many people though she was “so cute”. Some people just didn’t get it at all and just don’t find mules very attractive. Emma Jane is a pretty mule. But, among all those beautiful Arabs…… well, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Only one person mentioned that she was having trouble with their horse due to my mule. She was not unkind or rude about it at all. Just told me she needed to stay clear of me when possible. I told her I would make sure not to ride near her if at all possible. Most horses either just gave her the hairy eyeball or just stared and sniffed at her in curiosity. Emma Jane is very good and well behaved in a large group of horses. A group of teen aged girls fell in love with her and followed her around like groupies. It was so cute. Emma Jane didn’t know what to think of this at first. But soon figured out the girls gave out lots of “mule loving” and kisses on her nose when they walked by. She got to really liking this attention.
The thunder shower didn’t last to long. The rain was hard enough to leave ponds of water everywhere. We took the horses and mule out for a walk and to let them graze on some grass. The black flies were so bad that none of us could stand it for very long. The girls wanted the grass but actually seemed relieved to be back in their stalls.

Meals are provided at a ride but not always for Friday night. This ride had a Friday night meal but you had to request it on the entry form and pay extra for it. The entry form said it was going to be hot dogs and hamburgers. Not exciting fare but Barbara and I don’t like to cook and didn’t want to have to leave the grounds to go out to eat so we both signed up for the Friday night meal. Joanie, Susie and Kathy did not. They brought food with them. Well, there was a new cook hired at the last minute for the ride we had never had before. It was someone I know from another club I had belonged to years ago. I knew she was a wonderful cook but boy did we get a pleasant surprise! No hamburgers and hot dogs for us that night. A taco dinner with all the fixings. Several wonderful salads. And the deserts…….4 or 5 different homemade deserts that are beyond description! Our friends sure were sorry they didn’t sign up for the dinner then! The supper was served quite late so we did not stay up long after eating. Susie and Joanie slept in the screen house, Kathy in her truck and Barbara and I were in my trailer.

Ride management decided to start the ride early due to the predicted heat and humidity. We were starting at 6:00 AM. So, we were up at 4:00 AM to feed the horses and mule. Actually, Barbara was sleeping like a log so I left her alone to sleep. Then I went over for what was supposed to be, and always has been, a continental breakfast. But, much to everyone’s surprise and delight, it was a full breakfast. Eggs, bacon, omelets, pancakes, French toast, fruit salad…… absolutely wonderful. I had French toast and fruit. I think it’s the first time I haven’t started the ride on oatmeal! What a treat that breakfast was. Barbara and Joanie were up and came over to breakfast before I was done. The riders meeting was at 5:30 AM. We had plenty of time after the meeting to get ready. The ride started at 6:00 AM. But that is 2 horses at a time 2 minutes apart. We would be going out around 6:30 AM. Emma Jane was very quiet and relaxed when I saddled her up. Once again, she knew what was going on and that there was nothing to worry about. We walked them a bit to warm them up. Then, it was time to go at 6:28 AM. Frannie is a 6 (?) year old Morgan mare. She has a huge trot on her and set a quick pace. Marie has no trouble keeping up with this. Emma Jane would rather not trot that hard and fast so would go a bit slower and then canter to catch up. This was working fine. The first half of the trail went well. We went off trail once but not far thankfully. There is a LONG stretch through some agricultural fields. It is like a race track. The rain of the previous night had laid the dust down but it was not slick. We cantered the whole length. Emma Jane did great. I had to ask her several times to keep going since we have never done a long continuous canter like that. But she did it for me. We got into the hold in good time. Emma Jane pulsed down early. It took Marie almost the full 10 min. But all three were fine. Emma Jane is now good about being sponged. She still isn’t sure she likes it but can’t seem to come up with any real reason to object. So she stands quietly with a sour look on her face. We got in line for the trot out and metabolic check. We took their feed pans of beet pulp and carrots with us and just slid them along the ground as we moved up in line. They both ate well and finished up their food. Everyone trotted fine. We were still 6 min. late getting out of the hold. That is not a problem except you then have to make up that time along the trail somewhere. Though it was still early in the day, it was already getting very hot and humid. We had some long stretches along tar and dirt roads without shade the second half of the ride. Now, you are supposed to go faster in the sun. This creates a cooling breeze. And then go slower in the shade. Well, Emma Jane was not convinced of the soundness of this theory and was not buying into it at all. When we were out in the blazing sun, she slowed right down. She did agree to stay at a trot, but slow. No amount of persuasion was going to speed her up. We would hit the shade and she would take right off at whatever speed I wanted. Barbara and Joanie got quite a way ahead of us several times. Emma Jane didn’t care at all. She would NOT draft off any of the horses. She would watch them go by with a look like, “go ahead and run yourselves into heat strokes you dumb horses.” I eventually caught up with Barbara and Joanie. I told them they didn’t have to wait for me. I didn’t want to be the cause of them getting time penalties because of Emma Jane slowing down in the hot places. They said they didn’t mind. Marie would get very worried when her buddies got split up. She wants them all together or is not happy. She will behave and deal with it but she really frets. Joanie had also felt Frannie take a bad step and was worried she might have gotten a stone bruise. We ended up finishing with 10 min. to spare. Everyone did fine on their P&R. Marie was a bit high but not a problem. Emma Jane did great. And she was breathing so slow that the P&R person said if she hadn’t just taken Emma Jane’s pulse, she would have thought she was dead. She only got a respiration of 2 in a minute count! We went up for our trot out. Emma Jane did great. She trotted willingly though her expression said she still thought this trot out thing was stupid. Marie was also cleared for the second day. Frannie had to be checked again in the morning. Frannie also developed some large fluid filled swelling in her girth area. Joanie was very worried about this. She felt there was no way she was going to be able to saddle her with that. She was using the same cinch she always did. I had that happen to me once on a ride. I’ll never know what caused it but I just put some cold water on it. You can only use the water out of the hose applied with a cloth or sponge, you cannot actually use the hose on a CTR. Neither can you use ice. No artificially cooled water is allowed. By the next morning it was nearly gone. By the end of the ride, you could hardly tell it had every happened. So, I told Joanie not to worry too much.

Lunch was being served by the time we got the girls settled down in their stalls. Once again the meal was outstanding. It was make your own Italians. But with several wonderful salads and all the deserts. I was definitely NOT going to lose weight on this ride. We took the girls out for a walk and let them graze out on the infield of the race track. The grass was very good here and the bugs were bearable due to a good strong breeze. The Fairgrounds have showers that we took advantage of. Then we all took a 2 hr. nap. Susie left with Teri York soon after we were done riding. Kathy was helping with the judging and stayed until that was done. The 25 mile riders had to have the full vetting and scoring done. Supper was at 5:30 PM. It was another fabulous meal. Teryaki chicken that melted in your mouth. More, and different, wonderful salads and the usual mouth watering deserts. We stayed for the award ceremony for the 25 mile ride. We had another wonderful supper spaghetti and meatballs, more wonderful salads and garlic bread. And, of course, deserts beyond description. We hung out for a while at camp after supper but headed to bed by 9:00 PM since we would have to be up early again in the morning. Barbara decided to sleep out in the screen house with Joanie.

I was up Sunday morning at 4:00 AM. I fed Marie and Emma Jane. Barbara got right up and helped with hay and water. Once again we had a full breakfast choice. I had French Toast and sausage and some fruit salad. The swelling in Frannie’s girth area was way down. There was some heat in the area but it didn’t look bad. Joanie took her for her re-check. The vet’s approved her to go! YEAH. We saddled up and were ready to go. Right from the start Emma Jane started to pace herself more carefully. We went through the agricultural fields again. Once again we cantered the whole length of them. Emma Jane agreed to do this but at her own pace and Joanie and Frannie go ahead of us. Emma Jane did not care. I caught up with them at the first water tub. The hold was at the covered bridge. That is such a beautiful spot. And the ride to it is wonderful. Through fields and dirt roads along a river. Barbara and Joanie got ahead of us again in the fields. Emma Jane was cantering nicely along and when we entered the woods, still on nice wide trail, there was a strip of rocks to hold a wash out. Emma Jane hit the rocks, slipped and did a face plant. Then she couldn’t get her front feet back up and down she went. She didn’t roll thankfully so I was able to stay on her back. She popped back up and off she went like nothing had happened. She felt fine though could have been bleeding to death for all I knew. I knew Barbara and Joanie weren’t far ahead so when I caught up with them I had them check her out. Not a scratch on her. PHEW. Everything went well at the hold. We were able to get out only a few minutes late. The trails out of the hold were also beautiful. We went though ‘fern valley’ which was a bit muddy but so pretty. For a while after the hold, there were some horses following us that Emma Jane didn’t know. That is the only thing that will speed her up is strange horses behind her. So, we made good time until they passed us. Eventually, we circled back to the agricultural fields again. Emma Jane started to hesitate as we approached them. I wondered if she was ok. Did she have to stop and pee? Hummmm. I let her stop a few times but she didn’t do anything. Then the light dawned. She did not want to do that long canter again. So, I told her it was ok, if she would just agree to trot along steadily, I would not make her canter. (not that I could have made her! Haha) She agreed to this compromise. Just at the very end of the field, I asked for a short canter and she gave it to me. Good girl! We finished in good time. A big group of us came in at the same time. So, I had Barbara and Joanie hold up and let our girls graze for a few minutes outside the finish line before going in since we had the time to spare. It helps the ride management to not have a big group come in at the same time. We went to our stalls and Emma Jane finally took a huge drink. She did not drink on trail either day. We sponged them some but it was not as humid as the previous day so they were not nearly so sweaty. Marie was fine on her P&R. Emma’s was a bit high. I put more water to her and she was fine at her re-check. And barely breathing at all once again with a 44/2 P&R. We went right up for our trot out. There was a bit of a line. Emma Jane trotted out fine. I though she would be reluctant since I could tell she was tired but she did great. Marie looked fine to me. Frannie was obviously lame. We had quite a long wait for hands on so we had lunch. A wonderful lunch of teriyaki or barbeque chicken, more wonderful salads, garlic bread and the usual wonderful deserts. I went to check on Emma Jane and noticed that her left hind leg was showing a definite larger windpuff. So, I told Barbara I was going to have to walk her to try and get it to go down. So, we walked, and walked, and walked. By the time we went for our hands on, the puff had gone down. Joanie had to work that night so she cleaned out her stall (not realizing you didn’t have to strip ALL the shavings out) and left before the award ceremony. After Joanie left Barbara and I cleaned out our stalls and packed up as much as we could. Then we took our chairs and hung out in the shade where they would be having the award ceremony.

Joanie was awarded a completion though she got the full 25 points off for lameness. Marie also got a completion. She got 8 points off for lameness. She was not lame but this happens sometimes with the weird way she travels. Then they started calling out the placings. Sixth, fifth, fourth, third…….. Low and behold, Emma Jane and I got a second place in a field of 38 horses! I was so proud of my girl. She only go 2 ½ point off for mechanical fatigue. Everyone we looking at my mule with more respect after that!

Tom Hutchinson checking how deep the Saco River crossing was. It was decided it was too deep for the safety of the ride.

Fryeburg 50 ME 7/29-30/06 36/S - 35/F
Judges: Dr. Karin Wilson - Sondra Day
J1. Katherine / Mutis, Christine
J2. AJ Morning Star Wakita / Wright, Caliegh
1. Casey (Prince Buddy) / Cameron, Pamela
2. Shrocco Lyric / Kimberly, Jenny
3. Bedrocks Handsome Fello / Alexander, Lee
3. Odie / Palmer, Judy
5. Paula's Major / Greenall, Sue
6. Enshalla Fakama (Ram-Zee) / Jewell, Char
7. Keeper / Brooks, Leslie
8. Emma Jane / Ross, Cynthia (score 97.50)
8. Wind Dancer / Tousignant, Mary
10. JB Roman Tarbask / Libby, Kerry
10. Theatric / Brunjes, Kathy
12. HFA Silver Savana / Deleware, Marsha
13. Shiliil / Cahill, Becky
14. Rockin Rudy / Hall, Kathy
15. Craggy Lea Jazzy Lady / Ring, Wilson
15. Leland / Savino, Anne Marie
17. Beaujolais (LJ) / Barbosa, Hernan
17. Klassi Azim / Ferland, Linda
Completions:
Talszrianon (Rianon) / Okun, Nancy
Hawks Nest Expedition / Wells, Allen
CR Monarchs Memory (Ellie) / Malkasian, Robin
BAF Cubis Choice / Pederson, Laura
Salt (Sault) / Rojek, Dinah
Ashmore Billy Alan / Bachelder, Rhonda
Marie / McGovern, Barbara (score 89.00)
Farley / Rojek, Steve
Araba Fable / Collins, Jan
Golden Girl / Smith, Suzanne
Quinszy / Fisk, Debora
Tappedanick / Lester, Louise
Travelin' Man Maverick / Tenggren, Traci
Moria NA / Hurton, Bonnie
Frangelica of Foxden Farm / Mitchell, Joanie