On Monday night, Christmas Eve eve, we went to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra, a rare bucket list item for Mike. They were playing at the Prudential Center in Newark, and Dev and C generously bought the tickets for us for Christmas. We had a lovely dinner at Longhorn before heading out.
I think it was the first time I'd ever been to Newark. It's an area I typically avoid. I have passed through, of course, and I've been to the airport a handful of times, but I'm not sure I've ever been out of the car in the city itself. Mike, on the other hand, went to NJIT, a fact that always surprised me since he's such a country boy. We were essentially in his old stomping grounds.
Thankfully, we had pre-paid parking a block and a half from the venue. Getting into Newark was pretty straightforward, and the walk wasn't terrible. There was basically no line when we got there. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get to set off the metal detector with my leg. When I warned the security guy that I had hardware, he took one look at my leggings and lack of pockets and told me to 'just go', a tidbit that I found a bit unsettling.
We had pretty good seats with a nice view of the stage.
The show itself was pretty good. TSO definitely knows how to put on a good performance, and they played all my favorite songs. They are very high energy and fun to watch, and the light show was very, very impressive. I cannot imagine being as fit as they must be.
Unfortunately, the thing that stood out most about the performance was how incredibly rude the audience was. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I was completely blown away by everyone's apparent inability to sit still for two hours! People did not stop going up and down the aisles the entire time. People buying beer, going to the bathroom, buying food, shuffling in and out of seats, etc. It was very distracting and seemed pretty pointless to me. I guess the tendency stemmed from the Pru being a sports arena, set up for exactly that kind of bustle. The other thing that blew my mind was the sheer number of smart phones that were lit up during the entire performance. The audience was a sea of blue lights from wall to wall. I wonder how many people watched the whole show through the cameras on their phones. I get the feeling a lot of people were too busy tweeting and Facebook posting to actually watch a minute of the show. It was a pretty sad statement about society today. I think my favorite part was the old woman two rows down from us who was playing Bejeweled the entire time. REALLY?!?!
Still, it was a great show and I'm glad we went. Now we just have to find a way to see River Dance...
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Friday, December 27, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
2013 Year in Review
It has become my blogging tradition to do my 'year in review' post every Christmas Eve. 2013 was a hard, stressful year in a lot of ways and I am not sad to see it go. There were good times to be had, but we just couldn't shake our bad luck, no matter how hard we tried. Here's hoping 2014 is better...
Despite the hard times, I met some amazing people this year. I also found out that I am surrounded by loving, supportive, and loyal people. My business has grown despite major set backs. Our animal family has grown as well. We are now up to three horses and two dogs (though I'm hoping to downsize by a horse next year). We had some great trips, saw some new places, and tried some fun things for the first time. Here are the parts of 2013 worth remembering... for better or worse.
Despite the hard times, I met some amazing people this year. I also found out that I am surrounded by loving, supportive, and loyal people. My business has grown despite major set backs. Our animal family has grown as well. We are now up to three horses and two dogs (though I'm hoping to downsize by a horse next year). We had some great trips, saw some new places, and tried some fun things for the first time. Here are the parts of 2013 worth remembering... for better or worse.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Friday Foto: Lilly Down
Lilly's owner is disabled and I am in the process of teaching her to lay down for mounting. I'll post a detailed entry on the whole method when all is said and done, but for now, here's a cute photo from the end of today's session (#2).
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Snow Ponies
It's snowing here again (not looking like a good winter for us!) Pretty much all my clients are holding off one lessons unless they have indoors. It's a big hit financially, but at least Mike and I are getting to spend a lot of time together.
This afternoon, I brought the camera when we went to feed Dancer. Despite living with a four-horse run-in shed and having open access to the barn, all three of my horses were outside, happily eating hay. Even the thoroughbred has grown a great winter coat. Everybody was fluffed up, warm to the touch, and not shivering or tail clamping. Huzzah! I'm hoping to keep all three of them blanket free this year. Fingers crossed!
Anyway, have some photos of Ozzy and JR. Dancer was inside, eating his grain, so I didn't get any of him. Whoops. Next time!
This afternoon, I brought the camera when we went to feed Dancer. Despite living with a four-horse run-in shed and having open access to the barn, all three of my horses were outside, happily eating hay. Even the thoroughbred has grown a great winter coat. Everybody was fluffed up, warm to the touch, and not shivering or tail clamping. Huzzah! I'm hoping to keep all three of them blanket free this year. Fingers crossed!
Anyway, have some photos of Ozzy and JR. Dancer was inside, eating his grain, so I didn't get any of him. Whoops. Next time!
Monday, December 16, 2013
Julio's First Beach Trip
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| Julio's first time seeing the ocean. |
It had snowed (and iced) pretty heavily the night before so we got a late start and got to the beach with an hour of daylight left. It was honestly a little too dark for photos, but I bumped my ISO way up and tried to take some anyway.
Herbie was bouncing out of her skin from excitement by the time I let her out of the car. She love, love, loves the beach.
Julio had the time of his life. He splashed right into the water despite frigid temperatures. He kept trying to eat the foam from the waves, then kept spitting it out because it was salty and gross. Not a very fast learner, that one. Julio also discovered sea birds and spent a lot of time chasing them through the surf. It was heartwarming to watch him frolic in the sand and water.
Both dogs were delighted to have lots of open space to romp in. We were basically the only ones in the entire park, with the exception of a handful of fisherman off in the distance. Mike threw the ball for Herbie and Julio chased her and sniffed everything in sight. We spent a long while standing some distance apart in the sand and calling them back and forth between us. We wore them out pretty well and Julio was asleep before we even got home.
I'm hoping this will be the first of many beach trips this winter. I have missed our sunset strolls with the waves crashing all around us.
I will say that a lot has changed down there since our last visit. We haven't been back to the island since the hurricane, or the fire that destroyed Seaside. Half the roads on the island are either destroyed or closed. There are piles of rubble where houses once stood. Many landmark hotels are just gone. We couldn't even get close enough to see what's left of the boardwalk, but there was a ton of flooding in the streets still. We got off lucky with the hurricane, and it's easy to forget that there are people who still haven't returned to their homes.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Saturday Snaps: Holiday Photos with April
Those of you who follow April's blog already know that I went out to take Christmas card photos for her last week. Of course her horse, Shadow, and her boyfriend, Will, were in the photos. She also brought her dogs, Gucci and Gizmo! It was a quick shoot, but it was a lot of fun. I do wish it had either been sunny or really snowing (we had flurries), but I'm happy with the results. More importantly, I think April is too! Here are my favorites from the day :) It's enough to get even grouchy old me in the Christmas spirit!
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Year End Meme
I don't normally do the year end meme, but I'm lacking other motivation to blog (you may have noticed) so here it is! I spruced it up with some photos. You're welcome.
1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
I shot a gun, went in a cave, and rode a Friesian stallion... all in the same weekend!
2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
I shot a gun, went in a cave, and rode a Friesian stallion... all in the same weekend!
I did not keep my resolution (to ride Ozzy at least once a week). I don't have a resolution picked out for next year, but I might make one anyway.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A few people I know had babies, but nobody in my immediate circle.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No people, thankfully. Spot, the appaloosa I competed in 2012, lost his battle with cancer though.
5. What countries did you visit?
None, sadly.
6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
Winter beach trips.
7. What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 9th, the day I broke my leg.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Winning the Mustang Memorial 50 (FEI*)
9. What was your biggest failure?
Willow, on so many levels.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Compound fracture of my right tibia/fibula.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Dancer.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mike, by my side through thick and thin, and taking care of me when I couldn't take care of myself.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Mike's mom and sister.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Horses.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to West Virginia!
16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
Bastille's "Pompei"
17. Compared to this time last year, are you... 1. happier or sadder? Angrier. It has been a hard year.
2. thinner or fatter? The same.
3. richer or poorer? Poorer, but bouncing back, finally.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Hiking.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Going to the hospital.
20. How will you spend Christmas? With Mike and my family.
21. Did you fall in love in 2013? I fell in love with Julio!
22. How many one night stands? None, obviously.
23. What was your favorite TV program? We watched so much TV... currently on a Desperate Housewives kick. Also Heartland, Pretty Little Liars, and Hart of Dixie.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Hate is a strong word, but I've definitely had relationships that ran their course this year.
25. What was the best book you read? An Inconvenient Elephant by Judy Reene Singer (a gift from OnTheBit!)
26. What was your greatest musical discovery? So many great new songs that I don't even know where to start!
27. What did you want and get? Julio.
28. What did you want and not get? We were supposed to move into our apartment September 1st, but it still hasn't happened.
29. What was your favorite film of this year? I didn't see any new movies, I don't think...
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 27 the day after I rode the Mustang. I spent the day trying not to move too much.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Selling Dancer.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013? Riding clothes pretty much 24/7.
33. What kept you sane? Mike.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? None.
35. What political issue stirred you the most? I don't really get stirred by political stuff, but there's no avoiding Obamacare (and I'm torn about how I feel about it).
36. Who did you miss? I really missed riding Ozzy. This year I rode him less than any year since I've owned him, and it broke my heart a little.
37. Who was the best new person you met? I met some amazing new clients this year! I can't pick just one.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. Listen to the horse, not his owner. I already knew that, but this year really cemented it for me.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"How am I gonna be an optimist about this?"
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
Recipe Recommendations
I've been pretty terrible about blogging lately, but it's not all doom and gloom around here. Here's something a little different.
We've been enjoying some good food around here lately. With Mike laid up and unable to do much in the kitchen, I've gotten to get back into cooking a good bit. Three recipes in particular stand out.
-Spicy Sausage Pasta from Kevin and Amanda's blog
-Spicy Corn and Potato Chowder from the Lilypad Cottage
-Rice-stuffed Tomatoes from Smitten Kitchen
All three were easy to prepare, affordable to make, and made a good amount of tasty food.
We've been enjoying some good food around here lately. With Mike laid up and unable to do much in the kitchen, I've gotten to get back into cooking a good bit. Three recipes in particular stand out.
-Spicy Sausage Pasta from Kevin and Amanda's blog
-Spicy Corn and Potato Chowder from the Lilypad Cottage
-Rice-stuffed Tomatoes from Smitten Kitchen
All three were easy to prepare, affordable to make, and made a good amount of tasty food.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
WW: Alcatraz
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| Photo stolen from Lisa's Facebook. Alcatraz's current body condition. Fat, shiny, and no sign of the old rain rot. |
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Sunday Stills: Aurorapedia
Aurorapedia (now affectionately known as Rori) continues to thrive with Christy. She has turned into an excellent all around horse. She goes out on trail rides, continues to school dressage, and even participated in a holiday parade, where she proved to be truly bombproof.
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| Happy in her pasture. |
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| Holiday parade yesterday. |
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| Trail riding with her standy tattoo proudly on display. |
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| Getting ready to do some lunging at home. |
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
2013 Mustang Memorial
At the beginning of October, Liz put me in touch with a woman named Sally. Those who read Liz's blog (and I think everyone should, seriously) know that Liz rode Sally's mare, Gracie, in this year's Ride Between The Rivers.
What you probably don't know is that I know Gracie! I met Gracie at Foxcatcher in 2010. Daryl was riding her and she was running around the starting line backwards, trying to kick the other horses. Then she passed Ozzy and decided, for some reason, that she didn't hate him. Daryl laughed and said, "I guess we're riding with you." We proceeded to ride the first 32 miles of the 50 together before Ozzy got pulled. Gracie went on to have a very successful year with Daryl and I saw her at countless rides in the years after that. She even completed top ten at the Vermont Moonlight 100.
Sally was looking for someone to ride her horse, Diesel, in the Mustang Memorial 50, and she wanted to know if I would be interested. I replied, telling her that I am always interested in doing endurance rides.I have missed the sport terribly and this year basically wiped me off the trail entirely.
Sally called me the next day and we spent a long time chatting. It turns out that we have a lot in common, and agree on a lot of different things. It also turns out that Sally is quite the person to network with. She has more horses than she can physically ride, and she likes to keep them all competing at the FEI level, so it's important they get their miles and their completions in. I told Sally up front that I broke my leg in February and hadn't done a 50 since, and she told me that she would put me on her list of potential riders for the Mustang.
A short time later, Sally messaged me to confirm that she'd picked me to ride Diesel, and to ask for my AERC information, etc.
At the Devil, we all got to chatting about the upcoming ride, and Sandy brought up a very valid point. "Dom," she asked me as we sat around the campfire that night, "Are you ready to do a fast fifty?"
"Sure!" I laughed it off. But as the night wore on, I started to second guess myself. Was I really ready to do a fast fifty? I didn't think the distance would be a problem, but holding a 10mph average might be an issue, what with my freshly healed leg and my out of shape body. Little did I know...
The day of the ride drew closer and we got everything finalized. At the last moment, Julio ate our air mattress and the weather forecast predicted a cold snap the night before the ride. Thankfully, Carolyn very generously let us borrow her Pathfinder to sleep in.
We arrived in camp that Friday afternoon and quickly found Sally's rig and horses. I introduced myself to Diesel, her nine year old gray Arabian gelding (my first bonafide G.A.G.) then located John, Sally's husband/crew.
After sorting through the mountains of registration paperwork, I got my ride packet and number. Coincidentally, I got #533, the same as the last time I completed the Mustang (Ozzy's last fifty!) I guess that number is good luck.
As soon as we were signed in, Sally and I took the horses out for a quick pre-ride. We figured it would make sense for me to at least sit on the horse before taking him for 50 miles at the FEI* level! Sally and I rode for about four miles, walking, trotting, and getting to know each other. We discussed our goals for the next day... to do a nice easy fifty, take care of the horses, and get A's all across the board.
"Just so you know," Sally told me, "I took a look at the competition, and we probably have two of the fastest horses here. We could probably go one-two if we wanted to, but I don't think we want to go that fast. I would like to Top Ten, but it's not that important..."
I could hear Mike's voice in my head, Mmmmhmmm...
Diesel, as promised, was a perfectly lovely horse. He's very well trained and very sane. He knows all his cues and is just sensible and hard to frazzle. He's soft, supple, and has nice gaits. He also has a nice, solid build and a strong back. I loved everything about him. When Sally told me he's for sale, I figured, "Yeah, and he's probably $10k," but it turns out he's only $6000, a steal. I had to clamp my hands over my ears and sing, "Lalalalala."
Sally and I found that we had a ton of things in common; from our views on horse rescue to horrific riding accidents that ended in horses stepping on our faces and breaking our jaws. We were laughing and smiling just a few minutes into the pre-ride, and both of us were excited to ride fifty miles together.
We made our way back to camp as the sun was setting and took the horses over to vet in. Diesel aced the pre-ride exam with A's across the board. I even trotted him out myself, and he looked great. Gracie passed her vetting as well, and we got them set up for the night before heading down for dinner and the ride briefing.
The gun club we were camped at was completely packed. There were 63 riders entered in the fifty alone. A few things had changed for this year's Mustang. The biggest difference, of course, was that this would be an FEI ride. As a result, they were running a 75 miler for the first time in the ride's history. At the same time, we were in a new venue, across the highway from where the ride is usually held, with new trails to experience. Of course, they would still consist of sand and pine trees, but we were promised there would be less dirt bike moguls than usual, among other things.
That night, Mike and I took a long walk before bed, strolling hand in hand across the moonlit fields. I voiced my concerns about letting Sally down or not being able to complete the distance, and Mike was as supportive and reassuring as ever.
It was downright frigid that night. All the water buckets froze and the blanketed horses had frost in their manes when we awoke. Mike and I stayed warm despite the weather though. We slept under his sub-zero sleeping bag, cuddled close together for warmth. I slept as well as I always sleep before a ride, and awoke promptly when my alarm went off before dawn.
Mike and I had coffee and some form of breakfast before I headed back to the trailer to tack up for a 7:30am start. It was still cold as we got the horses ready, and I waited until the last moment to ditch my Carhartt jacket. We clipped rump rugs to our saddles, and got the horses walking and trotting well before the start.
I was relieved to be riding in my own saddle, which had fit Diesel surprisingly well, and equally grateful that Sally didn't care that I opted out of the running martingale she usually uses on the mild-mannered gelding.
I forgot how much I miss the excitement of an endurance ride start, but I was grinning from ear to ear as all the horses milled around, waiting for the starting line to open. When 7:30 finally rolled around, we were about mid-pack, but we started picking off horses right away, moving further and further toward the front of the group.
Sally turned on her GPS and announced, "We're going to trot for the first half hour to let them warm up. Then we'll canter."
I told her, "You tell me how fast you want me to go and I'll do it."
The first loop was 20 miles, and I was looking forward to getting the biggest chunk of the ride out of the way. I was secretly worried that I wouldn't be able to make it much past the first loop. After the initial half hour trot, we spent almost the entire 20 miles cantering. I found that Diesel had a gorgeous, easy to ride canter. I also learned that he is very sure-footed and good at taking care of his feet. As the day wore on, I managed him less and less and trusted him more and more.
Before long, we were riding in the Top Ten. At that point, the front runners were pretty closely clustered together and we alternated riding company; sometimes passing horses, other times letting horses pass us. Gracie and Diesel rode beautifully together, matching pace and taking turns in front. I did find that our horses seemed to be faster than those around us, and we had a much easier time leading a group than following one. We averaged about 10mph for the first loop. At one point, we were letting the horses go down a long, wide stretch of trail and Sally clocked us at 19mph, much faster than we wanted to be going so early in the day.
About two hours after we left camp, we came back to the first hold. Both horses were still raring to go, and I felt surprisingly good. I had a slight rub starting on the inside of my right knee, but I was pleased to find that my leg wasn't bothering me at all. I did have a slight case of sea-legs when I first dismounted, but it faded fast and I was able to trot Diesel for this vetting too. Both horses pulsed down right away and vetted clean (all A's for Diesel again) and we got them set up with their food and electrolytes. At that point, we were sitting toward the tail end of the top ten.
While the horses ate, Mike made sure I took care of myself. Bananas are my heroes at endurance rides, and I eagerly devoured one while guzzling some Gatorade. Mmmm... At that point, I was still feeling fresh, but I was aware that the day would only get tougher, and I made myself eat and drink anyway.
Forty-five minutes later, we were heading back out on trail for the second, 18 mile loop. Our goal was to go slightly faster for the second loop, and we left camp at a canter. Once again, we cantered pretty much the whole loop, only slowing when we hit the few moguls that were unavoidable at this ride. About halfway through the loop, both Diesel and Gracie finally started to drink. We also dismounted to give the horses LyteNow.
On the second loop, Diesel proved to me that he's a natural-born endurance horse. Not only did he move out easily and happily, but he swapped leads almost automatically ever mile or so, and took great care of himself in terms of drinking and grabbing mouthfuls of hay at the 'pit stops' on trail.
This time, Sally and I averaged about 12mph, finishing the second loop in less than an hour and a half. I was glad I hadn't bothered with my helmet cam or point and shoot. I didn't have time to think about anything but riding.
By the second hold, I was getting pretty tired. My shoulder was bothering me and I had rubbed my right knee completely raw. I wasn't sure if it was the stirrup leather or my chaps that chaffed, but something wasn't working. To my dismay, we did not have any kind of band-aid to cover it up with, and it promised to get worse during the last loop. The good news was that I had Mike to trot my horse for me and my leg still wasn't bothering me.
Once again, the horses vetted cleanly. Unfortunately, Diesel didn't pulse down as quickly as Gracie and there was a four minute gap between our out times. Sally told me that she would only leave at her out time if she had other horses to go with. Gracie doesn't like to go out alone, and resorts to the running backwards thing I referred to above.
At this hold, Mike and John had burgers ready for us, and I ate most of one of those as well as another banana (and more Gatorade). Mike tried to get me to eat more, but I just couldn't do it.
When the time came to head out on our third and final 12 mile loop, Sally found a group of riders that were going out at the same time she was. With some final words of wisdom, she was off, leaving Diesel and me walking around camp, counting down the seconds until we could head out after them. I had a brief sinking feeling as I wondered if I could coax another twelve miles out of Diesel by myself.
Four minutes may not seem like a long time, but a horse can cover a lot of distance in that time at the canter. By the time Diesel and I were allowed out, there was almost a two mile gap between us and the horses in front of us. I caught a quick glimpse of them across the fields before they disappeared into the treeline across the street.
The last loop wound up being intense.
At first, Diesel wasn't convinced that we really needed to be going back on trail. As far as he was concerned, all the other horses were back at camp, and I, practically a stranger, was trying to convince him to go back out in the Pine Barrens alone. Despite his obvious hesitation at going out solo, Diesel obediently picked up a canter when I asked.
About a mile and a half from camp, we stopped at a big puddle, where Diesel guzzled water to quench his growing thirst. I had managed to spot the riders directly in front of us as they rounded a corner in the distance. Diesel didn't know it, but we were slowly closing the gap between us and Sally & Gracie. It was time to see how much heart this horse had.
I legged Diesel up to a trot, then a canter, before finally pushing him into a gallop. His ground eating stride made easy work of the sandy trail, and I knew we were gaining. Still, we were forty miles into his second fifty, and we had been setting a fast pace all day. He was starting to slow down, and I was worried that, without another horse for company, he would fade on me before the finish. I wove my fingers into Diesel's mane and whispered, "Go, Diesel, GO!" And go he did...
Next thing I knew, we were coming up on a familiar gray mare butt with a red ribbon in the tail. Sally looked over her shoulder to see who was coming up behind her, and her face lit up. "It's my rider! Awesome job!" Up until that point, she'd been sitting comfortably in fifth place. She told me after the ride that she probably would have finished there had I not come along. Gracie doesn't like to lead, and she flat out refuses to pass most horses. It would have been rude to let the group carry her to the finish line, only to beat them at the last minute, so Sally would have settled for end of that pack.
"How are you feeling?" Sally called, as I cantered up beside her.
"I'm tired, but I think I've got a few more miles left," I panted.
"Good. Then it's time to go!" She called ahead to the riders in front of us, "Do you mind if we pass?"
At this point, we were going blazing fast. Diesel had already galloped the first several miles of the last loop, and it looked like we were going to gallop the rest, too. We started to catch up to some of the 30 milers, and even some fifties who were a loop behind us.
A short time later, we passed a friend of Sally's, who recognized the twin grays. "O my god! Are you guys in FIRST?!?!" the friend shrieked. Until that point, we weren't sure. "You guys better go, go, go!!!"
This is when Sally looked at me and said, "Here's where we stand: We've got a group of really good riders right behind us, but we have the faster horses. Ride with all you've got, take care of Diesel, and do NOT look back." I merely nodded.
As we passed through the local campground for the last time, the scout for the US team was standing near a check point. He nodded a greeting to Sally, who is sort of a regular in this sport, then did a double take at me. Then, with a not so subtle furrowing of his brow, he started to flip through his clipboard, trying to figure out who the heck I was. Not grasping who he was, I naively called out my ride number. Sally chuckled. As we rounded the next corner, she told me, "That's not why he was looking at you."
Before I knew it, we were coming up on the final stretch. By then, my legs were too tired for me to ride in two-point, and we were going too fast to sit well. I was alternating positions, trying to protect my raw knee, focusing on keeping the horse between myself and the ground, and just hoping nothing went wrong.
As we burst through the last tree line, Sally shouted, "O my! Is that Mike?"
I managed to glance right, just in time to see Mike sprinting at full speed through the plowed field toward the finish line, eight foot stride, camera in one hand, trying to get the photo.
We had been told that the official finish line would be across the street from camp. We also told the men that we would do the last loop in about an hour. Forty-five minutes in, Mike walked across the street and realized that the finish line was on the far side of the corn field. He had been walking across the field and trying to figure out which way the trail went. Just as he spotted the trail head, two gray horses and a familiar pink helmet burst through the trees at a dead run.
I am amazed because he managed to get the photos anyway.
Ahead, I saw the finish line, two stakes driven into the ground and wrapped in pink ribbon. Diesel, a former racehorse, saw the finish line too. Just when I thought we couldn't go any faster, he kicked it into another gear. I dropped my heels, grabbed some mane, and cheered to Diesel as we sprinted for the finish line.
"Can I ask you for a huge favor?" Sally called.
"Anything at all!"
"Can you let me cross the line first?"
"Of course! It's the least I can do."
At the last moment, I almost crossed first by accident. Gracie spooked at something in the woods and jumped sideways. I had to slam on the brakes, and poor Diesel was pretty confused, but Gracie crossed first by a hair.
The US team scout asked, "Did I just see you a few miles back at the check point by the campground?"
"I'm the only one with a pink helmet," I beamed.
We praised the horses, high-fived each other, and rode at a leisurely trot back to camp, where people seemed startled to see fifty milers finishing already.
I greeted Mike with a smile and a kiss and asked, "Are you proud of your girlfriend now?"
"I'm very proud," he replied with a smirk, "But not at all surprised."
I finally looked at my watch and realized that Diesel and I had done the last twelve miles in 51 minutes. That's an average speed of over 14mph! Blazing! Our total ride time was only 4h13m, which is incredibly fast, even in the near-ideal conditions.
I will say that Diesel was a little tired at the end of it. He had put in an incredible last loop. I couldn't have asked for horse with more try. Still, he got A's almost all the way across the board.
By then, I was pretty much finished. My knee was bleeding openly and my legs shook as I led Diesel to the final vetting. Daryl, who had gotten pulled after the mare he was riding took a tumble on trail and pulled her shoulder, was kind enough to trot Diesel out for me, but they got a B on impulsion. Thankfully, Diesel was sound and all his other parameters were awesome.
We had completed! And we had done it in style, successfully passing many of the best US riders in the region, as well as half the Canadian team! I couldn't have asked for a better comeback ride. Apparently I am capable of doing a very fast 50!
Of course, Sally and I stood the horses for BC. I knew Diesel wasn't going to get it. He was pretty sluggish by then. I will say that I had a blast riding at that kind of a pace, with that kind of competitive attitude, but I'm not sure I would have run one of my own horses that hard. Gracie fared better than Diesel. She has lots of 50's under her belt, and had recently completed a 75 mile ride. Nonetheless, neither one of us got BC. Instead, it went to Dave's horse, who had finished right behind us.
Still, I was thrilled with how Diesel had finished. He was still eating and drinking up a storm, and he seemed completely recovered by the following afternoon. On top of that, he checked off another item on his list of qualifications for his FEI Novice Horse status. He has to complete three 50's within a certain time frame. One of them is allowed to be at open speed (under five hours), so he got that checked off too!
Sally seemed delighted, which is all I was hoping for. "You're hired!!" she laughed happily as we wandered back to the trailer. We'll probably wait until winter is behind us, but we're planning to do a lot more riding together. Her farm is only two hours or so from where we'll be living, so it's not a terrible drive. We all know I'm willing to travel! I think Sally is going to be an awesome connection to have (thank you, Liz!) and I'm very excited.
Sally and John got packed up shortly thereafter to make their long drive home, leaving Mike and me to hang out in camp for a little while longer. In that time, I gathered my completion award and my Top Ten prize. Then I caught up with some familiar faces, namely Char, the woman I rode 1st and 2nd with in the Western Maine 30 back in the day...
Mike also got to learn the true meaning of crew from someone who had overheard me being snippy with him at a particularly frustrating part of the second hold.
Can't
Remember
Everything
Woman
That evening, we dropped the Pathfinder off at Carolyn's, unpacked our stuff, and went home to unwind.
The following day was my birthday and everything hurt. I could barely function, and it was a reminder that 50 miles is, in fact, nothing to sneeze at. All of my muscles were stiff and tender, and I couldn't move much faster than a shuffle. When Mike asked what I wanted to do for the day, I answered honestly, "I want to sit on the couch and move as little as possible." The good news is that everything hurt except my bum leg. I guess I'm getting my strength back after all!
I had a few battle scars, mostly from blocking tree branches. One was a huge bruise on my left elbow (with matching scratches on the other side). Then there was my knee... which was basically rubbed to tatters. I'm not sure what I did it on, but I have to figure it out and address it because I can't go through that again...
All in all it was one of the best rides of my life. I had a total blast and I basically didn't stop smiling the whole time. I pushed my physical limits and it felt fantastic. I had missed endurance riding so so much, and I'd say this was a good way to get back into it. Diesel is an incredible horse and Sally really does right by her animals. It's so good to meet someone so like-minded and generous. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.
What you probably don't know is that I know Gracie! I met Gracie at Foxcatcher in 2010. Daryl was riding her and she was running around the starting line backwards, trying to kick the other horses. Then she passed Ozzy and decided, for some reason, that she didn't hate him. Daryl laughed and said, "I guess we're riding with you." We proceeded to ride the first 32 miles of the 50 together before Ozzy got pulled. Gracie went on to have a very successful year with Daryl and I saw her at countless rides in the years after that. She even completed top ten at the Vermont Moonlight 100.
 |
| Rump rugs on for the cold start. |
Sally called me the next day and we spent a long time chatting. It turns out that we have a lot in common, and agree on a lot of different things. It also turns out that Sally is quite the person to network with. She has more horses than she can physically ride, and she likes to keep them all competing at the FEI level, so it's important they get their miles and their completions in. I told Sally up front that I broke my leg in February and hadn't done a 50 since, and she told me that she would put me on her list of potential riders for the Mustang.
A short time later, Sally messaged me to confirm that she'd picked me to ride Diesel, and to ask for my AERC information, etc.
At the Devil, we all got to chatting about the upcoming ride, and Sandy brought up a very valid point. "Dom," she asked me as we sat around the campfire that night, "Are you ready to do a fast fifty?"
"Sure!" I laughed it off. But as the night wore on, I started to second guess myself. Was I really ready to do a fast fifty? I didn't think the distance would be a problem, but holding a 10mph average might be an issue, what with my freshly healed leg and my out of shape body. Little did I know...
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| Great volunteers at this ride! |
We arrived in camp that Friday afternoon and quickly found Sally's rig and horses. I introduced myself to Diesel, her nine year old gray Arabian gelding (my first bonafide G.A.G.) then located John, Sally's husband/crew.
After sorting through the mountains of registration paperwork, I got my ride packet and number. Coincidentally, I got #533, the same as the last time I completed the Mustang (Ozzy's last fifty!) I guess that number is good luck.
As soon as we were signed in, Sally and I took the horses out for a quick pre-ride. We figured it would make sense for me to at least sit on the horse before taking him for 50 miles at the FEI* level! Sally and I rode for about four miles, walking, trotting, and getting to know each other. We discussed our goals for the next day... to do a nice easy fifty, take care of the horses, and get A's all across the board.
 |
| Tracy ponies her 9yo daughter for the start of her first 50. |
I could hear Mike's voice in my head, Mmmmhmmm...
Diesel, as promised, was a perfectly lovely horse. He's very well trained and very sane. He knows all his cues and is just sensible and hard to frazzle. He's soft, supple, and has nice gaits. He also has a nice, solid build and a strong back. I loved everything about him. When Sally told me he's for sale, I figured, "Yeah, and he's probably $10k," but it turns out he's only $6000, a steal. I had to clamp my hands over my ears and sing, "Lalalalala."
Sally and I found that we had a ton of things in common; from our views on horse rescue to horrific riding accidents that ended in horses stepping on our faces and breaking our jaws. We were laughing and smiling just a few minutes into the pre-ride, and both of us were excited to ride fifty miles together.
We made our way back to camp as the sun was setting and took the horses over to vet in. Diesel aced the pre-ride exam with A's across the board. I even trotted him out myself, and he looked great. Gracie passed her vetting as well, and we got them set up for the night before heading down for dinner and the ride briefing.
The gun club we were camped at was completely packed. There were 63 riders entered in the fifty alone. A few things had changed for this year's Mustang. The biggest difference, of course, was that this would be an FEI ride. As a result, they were running a 75 miler for the first time in the ride's history. At the same time, we were in a new venue, across the highway from where the ride is usually held, with new trails to experience. Of course, they would still consist of sand and pine trees, but we were promised there would be less dirt bike moguls than usual, among other things.
 |
| Heading out for second loop. |
It was downright frigid that night. All the water buckets froze and the blanketed horses had frost in their manes when we awoke. Mike and I stayed warm despite the weather though. We slept under his sub-zero sleeping bag, cuddled close together for warmth. I slept as well as I always sleep before a ride, and awoke promptly when my alarm went off before dawn.
Mike and I had coffee and some form of breakfast before I headed back to the trailer to tack up for a 7:30am start. It was still cold as we got the horses ready, and I waited until the last moment to ditch my Carhartt jacket. We clipped rump rugs to our saddles, and got the horses walking and trotting well before the start.
I was relieved to be riding in my own saddle, which had fit Diesel surprisingly well, and equally grateful that Sally didn't care that I opted out of the running martingale she usually uses on the mild-mannered gelding.
I forgot how much I miss the excitement of an endurance ride start, but I was grinning from ear to ear as all the horses milled around, waiting for the starting line to open. When 7:30 finally rolled around, we were about mid-pack, but we started picking off horses right away, moving further and further toward the front of the group.
Sally turned on her GPS and announced, "We're going to trot for the first half hour to let them warm up. Then we'll canter."I told her, "You tell me how fast you want me to go and I'll do it."
The first loop was 20 miles, and I was looking forward to getting the biggest chunk of the ride out of the way. I was secretly worried that I wouldn't be able to make it much past the first loop. After the initial half hour trot, we spent almost the entire 20 miles cantering. I found that Diesel had a gorgeous, easy to ride canter. I also learned that he is very sure-footed and good at taking care of his feet. As the day wore on, I managed him less and less and trusted him more and more.
Before long, we were riding in the Top Ten. At that point, the front runners were pretty closely clustered together and we alternated riding company; sometimes passing horses, other times letting horses pass us. Gracie and Diesel rode beautifully together, matching pace and taking turns in front. I did find that our horses seemed to be faster than those around us, and we had a much easier time leading a group than following one. We averaged about 10mph for the first loop. At one point, we were letting the horses go down a long, wide stretch of trail and Sally clocked us at 19mph, much faster than we wanted to be going so early in the day.
About two hours after we left camp, we came back to the first hold. Both horses were still raring to go, and I felt surprisingly good. I had a slight rub starting on the inside of my right knee, but I was pleased to find that my leg wasn't bothering me at all. I did have a slight case of sea-legs when I first dismounted, but it faded fast and I was able to trot Diesel for this vetting too. Both horses pulsed down right away and vetted clean (all A's for Diesel again) and we got them set up with their food and electrolytes. At that point, we were sitting toward the tail end of the top ten.
While the horses ate, Mike made sure I took care of myself. Bananas are my heroes at endurance rides, and I eagerly devoured one while guzzling some Gatorade. Mmmm... At that point, I was still feeling fresh, but I was aware that the day would only get tougher, and I made myself eat and drink anyway.Forty-five minutes later, we were heading back out on trail for the second, 18 mile loop. Our goal was to go slightly faster for the second loop, and we left camp at a canter. Once again, we cantered pretty much the whole loop, only slowing when we hit the few moguls that were unavoidable at this ride. About halfway through the loop, both Diesel and Gracie finally started to drink. We also dismounted to give the horses LyteNow.
On the second loop, Diesel proved to me that he's a natural-born endurance horse. Not only did he move out easily and happily, but he swapped leads almost automatically ever mile or so, and took great care of himself in terms of drinking and grabbing mouthfuls of hay at the 'pit stops' on trail.
This time, Sally and I averaged about 12mph, finishing the second loop in less than an hour and a half. I was glad I hadn't bothered with my helmet cam or point and shoot. I didn't have time to think about anything but riding.
By the second hold, I was getting pretty tired. My shoulder was bothering me and I had rubbed my right knee completely raw. I wasn't sure if it was the stirrup leather or my chaps that chaffed, but something wasn't working. To my dismay, we did not have any kind of band-aid to cover it up with, and it promised to get worse during the last loop. The good news was that I had Mike to trot my horse for me and my leg still wasn't bothering me.
Once again, the horses vetted cleanly. Unfortunately, Diesel didn't pulse down as quickly as Gracie and there was a four minute gap between our out times. Sally told me that she would only leave at her out time if she had other horses to go with. Gracie doesn't like to go out alone, and resorts to the running backwards thing I referred to above.At this hold, Mike and John had burgers ready for us, and I ate most of one of those as well as another banana (and more Gatorade). Mike tried to get me to eat more, but I just couldn't do it.
When the time came to head out on our third and final 12 mile loop, Sally found a group of riders that were going out at the same time she was. With some final words of wisdom, she was off, leaving Diesel and me walking around camp, counting down the seconds until we could head out after them. I had a brief sinking feeling as I wondered if I could coax another twelve miles out of Diesel by myself.
Four minutes may not seem like a long time, but a horse can cover a lot of distance in that time at the canter. By the time Diesel and I were allowed out, there was almost a two mile gap between us and the horses in front of us. I caught a quick glimpse of them across the fields before they disappeared into the treeline across the street.
The last loop wound up being intense.
At first, Diesel wasn't convinced that we really needed to be going back on trail. As far as he was concerned, all the other horses were back at camp, and I, practically a stranger, was trying to convince him to go back out in the Pine Barrens alone. Despite his obvious hesitation at going out solo, Diesel obediently picked up a canter when I asked.About a mile and a half from camp, we stopped at a big puddle, where Diesel guzzled water to quench his growing thirst. I had managed to spot the riders directly in front of us as they rounded a corner in the distance. Diesel didn't know it, but we were slowly closing the gap between us and Sally & Gracie. It was time to see how much heart this horse had.
I legged Diesel up to a trot, then a canter, before finally pushing him into a gallop. His ground eating stride made easy work of the sandy trail, and I knew we were gaining. Still, we were forty miles into his second fifty, and we had been setting a fast pace all day. He was starting to slow down, and I was worried that, without another horse for company, he would fade on me before the finish. I wove my fingers into Diesel's mane and whispered, "Go, Diesel, GO!" And go he did...
Next thing I knew, we were coming up on a familiar gray mare butt with a red ribbon in the tail. Sally looked over her shoulder to see who was coming up behind her, and her face lit up. "It's my rider! Awesome job!" Up until that point, she'd been sitting comfortably in fifth place. She told me after the ride that she probably would have finished there had I not come along. Gracie doesn't like to lead, and she flat out refuses to pass most horses. It would have been rude to let the group carry her to the finish line, only to beat them at the last minute, so Sally would have settled for end of that pack.
"How are you feeling?" Sally called, as I cantered up beside her."I'm tired, but I think I've got a few more miles left," I panted.
"Good. Then it's time to go!" She called ahead to the riders in front of us, "Do you mind if we pass?"
At this point, we were going blazing fast. Diesel had already galloped the first several miles of the last loop, and it looked like we were going to gallop the rest, too. We started to catch up to some of the 30 milers, and even some fifties who were a loop behind us.
A short time later, we passed a friend of Sally's, who recognized the twin grays. "O my god! Are you guys in FIRST?!?!" the friend shrieked. Until that point, we weren't sure. "You guys better go, go, go!!!"
This is when Sally looked at me and said, "Here's where we stand: We've got a group of really good riders right behind us, but we have the faster horses. Ride with all you've got, take care of Diesel, and do NOT look back." I merely nodded.
As we passed through the local campground for the last time, the scout for the US team was standing near a check point. He nodded a greeting to Sally, who is sort of a regular in this sport, then did a double take at me. Then, with a not so subtle furrowing of his brow, he started to flip through his clipboard, trying to figure out who the heck I was. Not grasping who he was, I naively called out my ride number. Sally chuckled. As we rounded the next corner, she told me, "That's not why he was looking at you."
Before I knew it, we were coming up on the final stretch. By then, my legs were too tired for me to ride in two-point, and we were going too fast to sit well. I was alternating positions, trying to protect my raw knee, focusing on keeping the horse between myself and the ground, and just hoping nothing went wrong.
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| Diesel looks awesome. My knee hurts. |
I managed to glance right, just in time to see Mike sprinting at full speed through the plowed field toward the finish line, eight foot stride, camera in one hand, trying to get the photo.
We had been told that the official finish line would be across the street from camp. We also told the men that we would do the last loop in about an hour. Forty-five minutes in, Mike walked across the street and realized that the finish line was on the far side of the corn field. He had been walking across the field and trying to figure out which way the trail went. Just as he spotted the trail head, two gray horses and a familiar pink helmet burst through the trees at a dead run.
I am amazed because he managed to get the photos anyway.
Ahead, I saw the finish line, two stakes driven into the ground and wrapped in pink ribbon. Diesel, a former racehorse, saw the finish line too. Just when I thought we couldn't go any faster, he kicked it into another gear. I dropped my heels, grabbed some mane, and cheered to Diesel as we sprinted for the finish line.
"Can I ask you for a huge favor?" Sally called.
"Anything at all!"
"Can you let me cross the line first?"
"Of course! It's the least I can do."
At the last moment, I almost crossed first by accident. Gracie spooked at something in the woods and jumped sideways. I had to slam on the brakes, and poor Diesel was pretty confused, but Gracie crossed first by a hair.
The US team scout asked, "Did I just see you a few miles back at the check point by the campground?""I'm the only one with a pink helmet," I beamed.
We praised the horses, high-fived each other, and rode at a leisurely trot back to camp, where people seemed startled to see fifty milers finishing already.
I greeted Mike with a smile and a kiss and asked, "Are you proud of your girlfriend now?"
"I'm very proud," he replied with a smirk, "But not at all surprised."
I finally looked at my watch and realized that Diesel and I had done the last twelve miles in 51 minutes. That's an average speed of over 14mph! Blazing! Our total ride time was only 4h13m, which is incredibly fast, even in the near-ideal conditions.
I will say that Diesel was a little tired at the end of it. He had put in an incredible last loop. I couldn't have asked for horse with more try. Still, he got A's almost all the way across the board.
By then, I was pretty much finished. My knee was bleeding openly and my legs shook as I led Diesel to the final vetting. Daryl, who had gotten pulled after the mare he was riding took a tumble on trail and pulled her shoulder, was kind enough to trot Diesel out for me, but they got a B on impulsion. Thankfully, Diesel was sound and all his other parameters were awesome.
We had completed! And we had done it in style, successfully passing many of the best US riders in the region, as well as half the Canadian team! I couldn't have asked for a better comeback ride. Apparently I am capable of doing a very fast 50!
Of course, Sally and I stood the horses for BC. I knew Diesel wasn't going to get it. He was pretty sluggish by then. I will say that I had a blast riding at that kind of a pace, with that kind of competitive attitude, but I'm not sure I would have run one of my own horses that hard. Gracie fared better than Diesel. She has lots of 50's under her belt, and had recently completed a 75 mile ride. Nonetheless, neither one of us got BC. Instead, it went to Dave's horse, who had finished right behind us.
Still, I was thrilled with how Diesel had finished. He was still eating and drinking up a storm, and he seemed completely recovered by the following afternoon. On top of that, he checked off another item on his list of qualifications for his FEI Novice Horse status. He has to complete three 50's within a certain time frame. One of them is allowed to be at open speed (under five hours), so he got that checked off too!Sally seemed delighted, which is all I was hoping for. "You're hired!!" she laughed happily as we wandered back to the trailer. We'll probably wait until winter is behind us, but we're planning to do a lot more riding together. Her farm is only two hours or so from where we'll be living, so it's not a terrible drive. We all know I'm willing to travel! I think Sally is going to be an awesome connection to have (thank you, Liz!) and I'm very excited.
Sally and John got packed up shortly thereafter to make their long drive home, leaving Mike and me to hang out in camp for a little while longer. In that time, I gathered my completion award and my Top Ten prize. Then I caught up with some familiar faces, namely Char, the woman I rode 1st and 2nd with in the Western Maine 30 back in the day...
Mike also got to learn the true meaning of crew from someone who had overheard me being snippy with him at a particularly frustrating part of the second hold.
Can't
Remember
Everything
Woman
 |
| Coming in for the first hold. |
The following day was my birthday and everything hurt. I could barely function, and it was a reminder that 50 miles is, in fact, nothing to sneeze at. All of my muscles were stiff and tender, and I couldn't move much faster than a shuffle. When Mike asked what I wanted to do for the day, I answered honestly, "I want to sit on the couch and move as little as possible." The good news is that everything hurt except my bum leg. I guess I'm getting my strength back after all!
I had a few battle scars, mostly from blocking tree branches. One was a huge bruise on my left elbow (with matching scratches on the other side). Then there was my knee... which was basically rubbed to tatters. I'm not sure what I did it on, but I have to figure it out and address it because I can't go through that again...
All in all it was one of the best rides of my life. I had a total blast and I basically didn't stop smiling the whole time. I pushed my physical limits and it felt fantastic. I had missed endurance riding so so much, and I'd say this was a good way to get back into it. Diesel is an incredible horse and Sally really does right by her animals. It's so good to meet someone so like-minded and generous. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.
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