Once in a Blue Moon

Tevis, it is the endurance ride that many non-endurance riders and even non- horsey people know about. It is said to be the hardest 100 mile endurance ride in the US, the world even. The ride starts up by Lake Tahoe, through Squaw Valley and over Emigrant Pass, through the Granite Chief wilderness, winding down canyons and back up again. Along and across the American River and then up into Auburn. 100 miles in 24 hours.
There is usually a 50% or less completion rate.

In 2012 before the reins of the Spookaloosa were handed over to me completely, I went with my mentor Paula and her friend Rita to Tevis. I had done all of the ridden conditioning work with the mare Rita rode, and she completed. I was there as crew, I barely knew anything about endurance and crewing or what it is like to ride a horse a 100 miles. Rita completed on the mare I had conditioned and I came away with a a dream. But at that point I didn't have the horse. Quick had been in conditioning at that point with us for over a year, he had done a few rides in 2011, but the only ride we did in 2012 was the trail ride at Foothills. Enter the Spookaloosa, a very talented well built Appaloosa half- Arabian, who, like his nickname suggests, spooks. He had a knack for human lawn darts. I am still hearing stories of people who have come off of him! It didn't matter how good of a rider you were. You could create situations in which he would spook, such as having him lead going down the trail. Yet there were also situations where he was cooling out on a loose rein and next moment the rider was on the ground wondering what the heck had just happened.

So the next year we began our journey towards Tevis. Quick had already had over a year of long slow distance work. He went from barely being able to walk up the hill of the basic training ride to getting ready for his first 50 with me. There was nothing spectacular in our first two 50s. Since our goal was Tevis, Paula thought we were ready to attempt our first 100. The only thing that stopped us was a tack malfunction. We were pulled over half way. Our next ride was at 75 at Oregon 100.  We completed.

2014 started a bit differently. We did our first 50 of the season and then went on to top ten our next 50. The next ride was ANCER. I learned much there, we placed second in ANCER and 17th overall in the ride. From there, we went on to complete our first 100 at Oregon 100. After our completion there we went onto win our first 50 at Foothills of the Cascades, which is a tough ride.

Our season got off to a rocky start this year, with issues that were out of my control. However we came on in full force at the Still Memorial 50 where we placed second coming in right behind the first place finisher. With that ride I made the decision that we were going to go to Tevis. I wanted another long distance ride before Tevis. There was an 80 at Sunriver. I did all of my conditioning for Tevis before Sunriver. We completed the 80 and Quick went on R n R. Just a few light rides between the two.

They look awesome printed!!

Another rider from our area decided to go to Tevis, she brought her Tennessee Walking horse mare Dazzle. Melinda was nice enough to allow us to come with her in her rig down to Tevis. My crew was Paula Rasler, Molly Farkas and Paul Lat.... I designed and sold t shirts as a fundraiser. I also used the design for my crew shirts.  I made the decision to use EasyBoot Glue ons for Tevis. EasyCare offered the services of their Elite Glueing team for glueing on the boots for the Tevis horses.

No Hands Bridge!

We drove down to Auburn the Tuesday before Tevis. Wednesday morning Melinda and I went for a ride to No Hands Bridge. Quick was ready to go. I wanted him to know the end of the trail. We would be riding this section in the dark. Wednesday afternoon we had an appointment with the Elite Glueing team for Quick's Easyboots. The guy that was going to work on Quick was introduced as the one who glued the boots on both the winner of last year's Tevis, French Open who we had followed at ANCER the year before and the Haggin Cup winner, MCM Last Dance who was ridden by Barrak Blakely who we regularly see at rides in the Northwest. In other words, we were in good hands. I had been doing my own trimming since May, it is a lot of pressure to trim a high performance horse instead of just trimming my pasture puff thoroughbred. I was given a lot of tips on how to improve what I was doing. A big thank you to Derik, Jermey and Garret for glueing on Quick's boots and for the tips to help improve my trimming.

Prepping Quick's back hooves for boots.

After we were all booted up we headed to Robie Park. This would give the horses a few days to acclimate to the elevation and rest before the ride. Camp was pretty sparse, only a few rigs. Thursday more people arrived along with vendors. We also had a few unexpected visitors! A momma bear and her two cubs! It was a bit unnerving to see them wandering around camp, they almost went right into one of our tents! We made sure everything was tucked away so that no bears could get in it.

Mama bear.

There was one horse I was interested in meeting, he was Quick's brother Crow Pony. They had lived together as youngsters, and it is my understanding that they were rather close. Crow Pony has the same knack for lawn darting riders as Quick does, but he was the braver of the two, who baby Quick hid behind. They hadn't seen each other in years. I wondered if they would remember each other, or would Quick attach himself to Crow Pony durning the ride. I really had no intention of riding with anyone, To Finish is To Win, and to finish I needed to ride my own ride depending on what Quick needed at any given time.

Getting real

I rode Quick down the road to where the ride would start, it was marked off so we didn't go down the trail. He was a handful. He was ready to go. Instead of the horse who wouldn't go off on his own, he was charging down the trail. We vetted through. Friday seemed to both drag and speed by. Everything was set up, our crews were off to Auburn and they would meet us at Robinson Flats, while Molly and Paul would drive rigs down to Foresthill and meet us there.

Vetting in at Robie Park

Photo by Nicole Kinsey

There is no sleeping before a ride like this. I knew the trail would be difficult, there would be a lot of horses. I knew at that point that no matter what happened I was proud of Quick. He had come so far, i could barely recognize the horse he had become and I could barely remember the horse that he was. The change has been night and day, yes he can still spook and drop me in the dirt like it was nothing. But he also will not always spook, but think about the situation before reacting. He will go out in front. He will pass and leave horses. All things he could not do because he did not have hte confidence to do so. Now he does.

There are two pens diving the horses into pretty much the group that is trying to go fast and everyone else. Pen 1 has the top 25% of the fastest horses. There were big names like Heraldic who had won this race before, French Open who won it last year, The Fury who had won it the year I was here before. There were so many good horses and riders at this ride. And rightly so, it was the 60th anniversary. I was in Pen 2, while we had been doing well at rides, like I said, there were a lot of good horses here. The competition was fierce. The two pens were separated,  and we were supposed to mill about while we waited for the start. There were so many horses. Just shy of 200 started. So you figure 140ish horses milling about. Quick whinnied at someone, I thought it was perhaps Dazzle, but when I turned to look it was Crow POny behind us. Everyone was soon lost in the crowd, Pen 1 started down the road. We were bunching up. I wanted to get more towards the front of pen 2, not because I planned on going fast, but because I figured there would be smarter riders there. I didn't see Melinda and Dazzle at all once we got moving. I briefly saw Crow Pony on the other side of the road. I did hear a familiar voice, Celena Pentrak who is also from the Northwest. She usually rides her thoroughbred gelding Thunder.  While we were walked down I was talking with one gal who actually does eventing, and has gone to Rolex (which for those of you who do not know is the only 4* event in the US, so pretty much the eventing equivalent of Tevis perhaps?). She offered to talk about eventing if we rode together, and I hoped we would. However once we started to go, there was really no hope of staying with anyone.

A gravel road width of horses all converged into a single track trail. We were moving at a good pace, yet bunched on switchbacks. There was no stopping, the horses were hot and everyone was moving out. I don't remember much of this section, besides that it wound around and reminded me of the end of the Cole Loop on the Still Memorial ride. Quick was pulling like a freight train. Usually by this point in a ride we could swing out by ourselves. Somehow I had taken the horse who was terrified to be anywhere but right on the rump of the horse in front of him and made him into a horse that likes to go out front! The trail is basically downhill until it opens up into Squaw Valley and you climb about 2,000 feet in about 5 miles. I heard Celena behind me say something about walking up Squaw, and to let the people who want to wear their horses out by galloping it go. The horses are fresh, Squaw is only about 10 miles into the ride. The trail opened up onto a service road, I knew this had to be the road up Squaw valley. I had been told by others who had done this ride to walk and maybe a little trot up this road.

Ride photo by Bill Gore Photography
Does that trot look familiar? 

Quick had other ideas. We hit the road and it was all I could do to keep him from taking off at a hand gallop. I had trained him to attack hills, we had climbed hills all the time, and Quick thought this was a training hill. He was going with everyone who was taking off up the hill. I kept him to a trot and walked when we could and at times he would take off when a horse passed us and we did our best impression of a collected canter. I needed to hold him back, I wanted to make sure I had enough horse left for the next 90 miles. I waited at the water trough, I wanted to let some more of the people who were hauling up the hill go, and give Quick a rest. Celena and Pam, who were both at the 80 at Sunriver came up and I left behind them. We went up over Emigrant pass. As we went into the bogs Quick and I feel behind Celena's group. The bogs are not a place where you can make up time, you have to slow down and be careful going over the rocks and the wet places. Celena was trying to help a gal named Trina get through Tevis, this was her 6th attempt. In the middle of one of the bogs, there was a big rock. Trina went and I hung back with Quick until she was across then we picked our way over. They group started moving then stopped, leaving Quick stuck in the middle of the rock, he had no place to put his feet, and almost went down. Luckily the horse in front of us moved and he was able to scramble forward.

Blurry because of the plastic bag over the camera.

We made our way past Hodson's Cabin and then up towards the famous Cougar Rock. Celena asked me if I was going on the rock, I replied that I was going to decide when I got there. I have no need to go over it, but I figured that I would probably have to do what the horses in front of me did. I wasn't sure Quick would behave himself on the side of a cliff if he had to go while the other horse went over the rock or around it. Celena said they weren't going over the rock, and was going to convince me not to as well because why risk your horse to go over it at this point in the game. It was easy, I was cool with it. She asked as we came up to Cougar Rock if I was okay with not going over it. I replied that I was fine with it, that I only wanted one photo and that was Quick and I crossing under the finish flag in Auburn.

The country up there was beautiful. I didn't get very good photos because my phone was in a plastic bag, you know to keep it from getting ruined with all the water that I would be around all day. I decided that the next time I rode this ride I would wear a go pro. So I could capture the amazing sights I was seeing.

This doesn't do it any justice.

We were going at a good clip, Quick was still pulling. I figured it was probably a good thing, although I was done with having to hold him back. We got to Red Star. I have not done any vet checks like these, they called them gate and go. As soon as the horse pulses down you vet through as usual and then are ready to go. Most of the time you trot out and are free to go unless the vet calls you back. Quick took a while to pulse down. It didn't help that a horse went down not long after we got in. It rattled me. The volunteers were awesome and reminded me to breathe and relax, because he wasn't if I didn't relax. Once I was able to, Quick's heart rate dropped and we vetted through with only 5 minutes to spare. O.o

This is my favorite ride photo. The only photographer I saw

and hung back for, to give them something to photograph. 

Photo by Darin Pointer photography

I wanted to take it slow on the way to Robinson Flat. It was only a a few miles between Red Star and Robinson. I ended up riding with Lisa Preston and her lovely Akhal-teke Sporthorse mare. We talked about Akhal-tekes, and it turns out that she had looked at Diesel (my 6 yr old Akhal-teke Sporthorse) when he was younger! I really enjoyed riding with Lisa. We came up to a water set with a guy keeping watch. A few years ago when two friends of mine rode up to this water set, the tanks were empty. So the man there had been out there camping since the day before, just to make sure no one misused the water in these tanks.

We were getting closer and closer to Robinson Flats. I still wanted to walk in. Lisa went on and a couple other people caught us. I had gotten off and Quick was dragging me. I was a bit at the end of my rope, almost literally. More riders passed us. I stopped Quick and tried to get on. Twice. He took off before I could get my foot in the stirrup. More riders went past us. I had to get after him after the second time. It was enough to get his attention and I was able to get on. I was done, and I told him so. I was done fighting, holding him back. I had never had to rate him so much as I had up to this point. I wanted to make sure there was enough horse left in the gas tank for what was still to come. So off we went. Quick passed all of the horses that had passed us and we came in hot into Robinson.

Photo by Lucy Chaplin Trumbull

All the people cheering lifted my spirits a bit. Paula met us in the middle of the rode. I dropped my tack in the wheelbarrow and led Quick up towards the vet check. Robert Ribley was right behind us with Quick's brother Crow Pony. We sponged Quick off and then Paula took his pulse. 52. I shook my head. Perhaps I underestimated this pony. We vetted through right behind Crow Pony and began our hour hold.

Crow Pony and Quick at Robinson Flats

Quick ate, he usually doesn't eat well until towards the end of the ride. He had also been drinking well, which at the last ride he didn't do until after 50 miles. I think electrolyting him before we left in the morning was a good idea. I hadn't done that before, I usually give it to him in his breakfast. So in the future, I will electrolyte him with a syringe instead of in his chow.

Photo by Nicole Kinsey

They pulled bloodwork at Robinson Flat and ran a few quick tests on it. It was supposed to be done by the time you were ready to leave after your hold. The tests indicated whether or not your horse had a good chance at finishing, they had been doing these tests for a few years and based on the data collected and the horses that completed the ride, they were able to determine if your horse was already less likely to complete. If the bloodwork came back good, you got a green card and were free to continue on. If you got a red card you had to go back and discuss with the vet how your horse was doing to continue on. Quick got his green card and a go ahead to continue.

Paula at this point, was pretty much convinced that we would complete. I honestly don't think she had any doubt in us from the beginning. When I told her that Quick was still pulling coming into Robinson, she thought it was a good thing. I actually figured it was too, but that doesn't mean I enjoyed riding it in the slightest. We tacked Quick back up and off I went. We were behind The Ribleys but Quick took charge of the situation and since this road looked striking similar to the gravel logging roads that he trains on, he decided it was time to go. We trotted right on past the Ribleys and a couple other people. Quick wasn't happy until he was in the front of the group. I was once again riding with Lisa. We walked for a moment or so, Lisa joking called 'I didn't know Quick could walk!' And right at that moment Quick picked up a trot and off we went again. We played leap frog with another gal. She would get in front and then Quick would take the lead. She led as the canyon started, winding our way down the hill. She had ridden the educational ride and knew the trail a bit. She led us to Last Chance. Right before there was a water set (at least I *think* this is where it was at) with a sign that said no sponging. There was barely any water in the far tank which was in the shade and about a quarter of a tank in the other. I guess they needed water police there too.

After Last Chance you get into the first canyon, or as I nicknamed it, the canyon from hell. The footing is rather rocky and all you can do is walk, remember not to look down because it is pretty much a straight drop and if you go over you are going to recreate the scene from Man From Snowy River... The horse in the lead hesitated at a few turns and the gal got off. The horse was still going slow and I asked to pass at the next corner. This part was no problem for Quick. He picked his way down with purpose. At the bottom there is a river and the rebuilt famous Swinging Bridge. We went down to the river and Quick drank and I sponged him. He also really hammed it up for the photographer there! As we were getting ready to leave there was someone coming down the little river trail. Quick was ready to move on and so I decided to just cross the river. Hey I had already missed one of the famous portions of the ride (Cougar Rock) missing the bridge didn't seem like an issue. The river was up to Quick's belly but he had no problems going through it. 

And here we were, at the base of the canyon from hell. 

Lisa and I had talked about tailing versus riding up the canyons. She is a runner and was going to at least attempt to tail as much as she could. I was going to ride it, for two reasons. Paula has always said we train for the canyons.  And I do not run or hike or anything like that. Sorry Quick. The footing was just as rocky going up as it was coming down. There was no place to make time. Quick was ready. He tackled the trail with a powerful walk. Up and up and around switchbacks and up and up and around.... About two thirds of the way up I came up on the eventer I had met that morning. Her horse was struggling a bit with the climb. I passed her when it was safe and she asked if we were almost to the top. I didn't know but hoped so. Quick continued on, not quite marching as well as he had at the bottom but not lacking any forward momentum. It was like this trail never ended. I would look up and we seemed no closer to the top. Up and up and up... We were probably three quarters of the way up when Quick said he needed a break. He stopped and it was pretty easy to tell what he was thinking, something along the lines of 'holy cow, will this canyon ever end?!' I had a water bottle designated for water just for Quick and I poured some over his neck and we started off again. He paused two more times and I got off the last time and got his neck really well with water on both sides, I had gotten into a second water bottle which had just plain drinking water for me. I walked a few feet leading Quick then quickly decided that was not for me and hopped back on. Quick could outwalk me even dragging his feet.  I let Quick take his time as long as we kept moving. I figured it was best to go at our own pace, even if we had to pause was better than getting passed by someone who was going faster. The canyon just kept going and going. I don't remember if I caught up to someone before Devil's Thumb or not. It was a relief to get there. I wanted to wait longer and give Quick a good rest, but of course when he was done he was done and ready to move on. It was only a mile and a half to The next vet check, and of course I wanted to walk. We came up on a little chestnut mare ridden by a young cowboy. I remember seeing her going up Squaw, tossing her head and trying to buck and take off with him. He was only riding her in a rope halter. We trotted and walked into the next vet check.

Quick would hang if he was eating. I would let him eat, he would get to about 70 and wouldn't drop the rest of the way until I took the food away from him. I remember there were a lot of bees at this check. Honey bees. They didn't really worry me, since they are not evil on wings- yellow jackets. However I didn't want to be stung by one or have Quick stung. Quick chowed down on some cob. The volunteer asked if I was okay with that and I replied whatever he wants to eat. She found a mash for him instead. He ate out of both. Lisa came into the vet check after me. I let Quick eat for about 15 minutes than took him through the vet line. We vetted through and started off away from the bees. I was told the canyons after this one were not as steep, or as long.

I was riding with Lisa and was thinking to myself, wow the footing is much better here we should trot. Lisa said the same thing, so off we went. We trotted down as much as we could, having to walk at some places. We were passed by a gentleman who was going a bit faster downhill than we were. We followed him down a ways. Lisa told me that she had tailed for about a half hour in the last canyon. I was impressed, I did just a few feet and that was enough for me! Honestly I don't really remember much of this canyon. I know when we got to the bottom Quick was ready to go. We started up the canyon at a trot. We caught and passed the gentleman at one point and then came up on a gray horse, or did she pass us? I actually am not sure! Between the two horses, Quick and the gray Arab one would take charge and lead for a bit then the other would take charge. We went back and forth like this up the hill.

Coming into Michigan Bluff was a welcome relief. We let the horses drink and as we headed off one of the volunteers said that Chicken Hawk was just up the road. The two of us started up the road. As we were going we didn't see any ribbons or evidence of horses. We went up the road some more. We saw someone in a yellow vest, I thought it was a Tevis official so I hopped off and pulled Quicks bit. It wasn't. We had missed out turn. I hopped back on, just putting the reins on his halter and shoved the bit in my pack. We trotted down the road. A very kind man saw us, he must have been someone's crew and ran down the road with is to show us where we were supposed to have turned. We had lost about a half hour. Finally we saw horses and followed the correct road. I caught up with Lisa and she said she had almost done the same thing, but someone had called her back. We came into Chicken Hawk right behind the Ribleys. Quick ate and we vetted through. I didnt bother putting his bit back on. He wasn't a freight train anymore! We left Chicken Hawk right behind another spotted rump! Crow Pony! 

The trail wound around, and at every corner the line of horses came to a screetching halt walking around the corner. Quick and I were having the same thoughts; Really, we could take these turns on one hoof. The trail opened up and Robert must have had the same thought. Both Appaloosas went to the front of the group. We weaved in and out of the ruts in the road. I asked Quick to go on ahead, he didn't hesitate. I know at one point in his life passing he brother he grew up with would probably ly have been impossible. He didn't need another horse anymore, he is confident on his own. We trotted much of he downhill. Catching up to two people and passing them. We had to walk when the footing was worse, but still were making time. Many people have told me this is the hardest canyon. It has tons of rock, it is the hottest, and the horses are tired....

What canyon?!

Quick hit the uphill and danced up it. We did have to walk some corners, but he only got stronger, powering up it. I saw powerlines and knew we must be getting closer. The road here reminded me of the one at Sunriver, where we had to go under the powerlines. Quick must have been picking up on my excitement. He didn't slow at all. The gate with the people taking numbers at the bottom of Bath road was a welcomed sight. Here we were, Bath road leading up to Foresthill! We had made it this far!! There was a path on the side of the road, although Quick wanted to trot up the pavement. I kept him on the side. I didn't need him pounding his legs anymore than need be. 

Then it happened. The one spook of the entire ride. There were people walking down he road and I guess he was paying attention to them and didn't see the concrete rectangle on the side of the road. He hit the breaks and threw his feet out in the four directions and gave it the hairy eyeball. The people were shocked but I said don't worry he does this all the time. 

Up we went. Quick asked for a walk break, but I told him we were almost there. I knew Paula and Molly would be there. We would pull tack and there is always someone with a hose to cool the horses off! More people, and then there they were! We pulled tack and hosed Quick off. He was given a few carrots and then he decided it was time to go. Becky Baston was also there. We had met last year at ANCER. To be honest I knew I knew her but I didn't remember who she was until I was getting ready to leave Foresthill. Sorry Becky!

We took Quick up to the vet area. He was busy eating and was still hanging when the announcer said there was a big group of riders at the bottom of Bath road. No more food for Quick and he pulsed right down and we vetted through. 

Paul was the official cook for us and the Ribleys. He had chicken noodle soup ready for me. Quick chowed down. Melinda and Dazzle were there as well having had taken a nasty fall early in the ride. It had caught up with them after Robinson Flats and they didn't make time. Time seemed to fly by during our hour hold. Paula started tacking Quick up and he gave me a look that said "I thought we were done!"  The Ribleys had made it into Foresthill before I left. Quick was rather reluctant to leave. The sun was setting. 

Off we went. It was pretty much all downhill from here. We were over half way. There were still people cheering as we were heading out on the California Loop. I caught up to two gals on gray horses. One was the gal I had been following earlier! 

As we turned off the road and onto the trail the gal I had been following earlier took the lead, I had to pass the other gal because she wasn't going to keep up. Quick was all business again. I hadn't clicked my glow sticks on, it wasn't that dark yet. But I wished I had. I was following the same gray horse and another different gray. Seems like everyone was riding a gray Arab! 

This trail was really no different than any of the trails we had been on. A cliff on one side, winding around the side of a canyon. The only difference was it was getting dark and fast. Both gals requested no headlamps. At that point I didn't have a choice, I could hold Quick back and have him fight me and try to rush to catch up or I could follow them. It was a lesson in trust. Just the light of the glow sticks on the two horses in front of me. It took me a while to snap mine on, which was a welcome relief. 

I do trust Quick. I trust him a lot more than I have in the past, yet I have been lawn darted way to many times to really give him 100% of my trust in a situation that I really was nothing but a passenger. I couldn't see the footing, remind him to pick up his feet or steer him to a better spot or away from an edge that looked a little crumbly. I had to give him his head and trust him that we wouldn't end up recreating the scene from the Man From Snowy River going over the side of the hill. I gave him his head and reminded myself to breathe. We were not going super fast, but it felt that way. I remembered a blog I had read about the riders needing to feel in control. It was during this time that I was really thankful that I had waited until I was sure Quick was ready, mentally ready. He could have been physically ready for this long before but last year at Foothills I knew that he was no longer the horse he used to be. 

Cal 2 was a welcome relief. I said goodbye to the two gals and waited to follow the two people behind us. They were not going any slower really, walking some parts and trotting some parts. I also learned that most people do not mind a red colored light on your headlamp. It doesn't make people sick or blind the horses. My light had a red setting so that is what I used. I thought about my first 100 last year when Heather has gotten sick because of the shadows and lights. I would have to tell her about this. 

Oddly enough one of the two guys I followed out I had met at Sunriver! He is the one who had told me about the Sneakers, and sadly his horse had lost one and he had put an Easyboot on. He recognized us too, probably because of Quick's spots but who knows. Not many Appaloosas out there, just gray Arabs!

We were at a water set when two people caught us. They were both using headlamps. After we watered the horses we left and shortly after the guy realized his Easyboot had come off. I didn't have the size he needed and neither did the two gals with headlamps. The other guy did. He said we could go on ahead while he went about putting another boot on. 

I will be honest it was nice to follow the two gals with headlamps. I could see a bit better. I was still using my red light. The one gal was from the East Coast and the other was a junior from Australia. I pretty much followed them into Fransicos. I remember a lot of horses being there. Quick ate a whole pan of mash. I had been watching his heart rate on my monitor coming in and thought it might be acting up again. He was barely over 90 trotting and dropped like a rock as soon as we would walk. I let him eat, not having to worry about his pulse. Although as soon as we went over to the vet a horse left and his heart rate jumped up with excitement. I walked him away and then came back. He pulsed at 60. And we were ready to go again. 

The two gals with the headlamps were not far ahead and we quickly caught up. I will be honest, we passed more people following them because no one wanted to be around headlamps! They said that in Australia everyone wears big bright ones, since they start the rides at midnight. And that they wear them on the East coast and in Europe. 

There were lights set up around the river crossing and glow sticks leading the way down. By this point the moon was out as the temperature had dropped. Glow sticks made a path through the river. Quick didn't hesitate. He went right in. He stuck his neck out and drank the whole way across. He drifted to the right, getting wet up to his belly and my boots. I laughed the whole way across. He was so focused on his job that he wouldn't stop.

There was only one vet check left between us and Auburn. We caught up to the gal I had been riding with before. The two I had been following tried without the headlamps, saying some people say it is 'magical' not to ride with one. The gal on the gray, who by this time I learned his name was Rambler, and I am sure she thought Quick's name was Spots! He usually has the nickname Mr. Spots or just Spots but the second half of this ride he had gotten the nickname Baby Spots. Not sure why, probably because I wasn't upset with him for pulling so hard anymore. I staid behind while Rambler and the other two swapped places back and forth coming into Lower Quarry. The gal on Rambler told me that when you see the cave you knew you were close. As we were trotting down I noticed a little something in Quick's step. It was barely there, and only when I switched diagonals then would go away. He has had that happen before when he has a gall somewhere. He isn't lame, I just had to check tack at Lower Quarry to look for rubs. 

Rambler's rider wasn't kidding about a cave. It was massive! And just down the hill was the lights from the Lower Quarry vet check. We came in and I let Quick chow down some more. A couple volunteers who had appies came over to talk to me. We didn't linger too long. We vetted through, he pulsed at 52. The vet said he was slightly off. Not enough to pull him but to take it easy, there was only 6 miles to Auburn. I checked for rubs and didn't find any. We were going to take it slow. We had come this far, we would ride into Auburn and I would be damned if I screwed up our chances of getting a completion or his future soundness. 

The junior had been pulled and her sponsor left ahead of us. Quick was game to catch her but he listened when I asked to stay at a walk. It was a power walk but a walk nonetheless. It was a gravel road, I knew the trail after No Hands and figured we would do some trotting there but we would walk the two miles to the bridge. I turned off my headlamp. We were out in the open, the moon was bright above us. It was magical. Another rider came up and passed us. We let her go. I was able to walk Quick on a loose rein. 

I couldn't believe it. We were heading to Auburn. We had set out on what we had come to do: cross the most difficult 100 miles from Lake Tahoe and now down to Auburn. We had less than 6 miles to go. It was just me and Quick, the little Spookaloosa. We crossed he highway and we knew where we were. We had ridden above No Hands with Melinda and Dazzle. Quick took off at a trot and I only slowed him down when we got to the switchbacks going downhill. We were almost there. 

I will never forget crossing No Hands. Time stood still. Quick's red tipped ears, one feather in his browband. The moon lighting out path and the sound of the river below. And here we were. At Tevis. It didn't seem real. 

The gal on Rambler caught us right after the bridge. We followed her walking and trotting in. Quick felt sound, no hint of whatever it had been. We caught the one gal who had passed us in the climb up to the Staging Area. It was nice to know where we were. 

Auburn. 

There were lights over head and as we came up they called out our places as we gave them our numbers. 35, 36 and 37. 

37? No I must have heard wrong. A place like that is reserved for people who know what they are doing. 

The gal on Rambler wasn't feeling well and stopped to get off. I tried to wait for her, but Quick didn't want to dawdle as he had the whole ride. So we went. It still didn't feel real as we walked into the stadium. The gal in front of me went, and I tried to wait for the gal on Rambler but they told me to go. 

I walked Quick for two reasons, one I was waiting and two I didn't want him to take a lame step. Diana of American trail Gear had staid up to cheer for us. They had helped us get to ANCER last year and Quick's tack was made by them. As we neared the finish flag I saw the gal on Rambler come trotting up. I pulled up Quick, the announcer wanted us to go but I replied that she had finished ahead of us. Rambler trotted past and we trotted under the finish flag after him.

Photo by Diana Seager

Molly and Paula were there waiting for is. I got off and gave Quick a hug. They had been worried about me. Apparently I had dropped off the webcast at the River Crossing! They also wanted to know why I had walked Quick and I told them. We stripped tack and let him drink. He was pulsed down and off we went to the vet check. One final time. 

I remember hearing that if your horse is a little off to trot fast, and I believe I heard that from two different vets. The vet we got was the same one who had vetted us in at Robie Park she was from Australia. Quick and I had been practicing our trot outs. Usually I have to drag him or swat at his rump with my reins and we end up with a trot out that wouldn't pass a sobriety test. I wasn't even thinking when I picked up the rein and swatted at his rump to get him moving. We trotted out and back. She had seen it, and said that I did a very good job of hiding it. I asked if it was enough to pull us and she said no, we got our competition. I thanked her and we walked out. 37th place. 

As we were walking back to gather Quick's stuff I noticed blood on his left front. It had been a rub under his splint boot! It wasn't bad. But I was relieved that it was in fact a rub. 

We put Quick up, letting him eat and took him back in an hour for his post ride check. The vet wanted to know if he was acting normal and eating, drinking etc. that was when John Henry slipped and went down. People were screaming for a vet. Everyone was relieved when he got back on his feet. We took Quick back up to his stall. He was right next to Dazzle. We had been up for more than 24 hours at that point. I was ushered off to shower and then sleep. 

I woke up at 8:30 because I just had to go check on Quick. I trudged up the hill to his stall, he was napping but looked great. I found Paul and he got me breakfast. I was having trouble functioning and was told to go back to bed. I slept until the awards ceremony.

Paula and Molly pulled me aside. They both have had a lot of faith in me and the Spookaloosa. There never seemed to be a doubt in their minds that we wouldn't complete. They both know that money is always tight for me. I had been saving all year for Tevis and I was still penny pinching. I hadn't paid for a buckle, I figured I may need to $200 if worst case Quick needed treatment. And I was also content with the Ramen noddle diet for the next month so I could purchase it afterwards.

Remember I said they had a lot of faith in me, they told me that they had bought the buckle for me back in June.   Of course I teared up. This whole experience still didn't seem real. Not only did Quick and I complete but we finished 37th. I thought we would finish in the 50s or lower. Isn't this where people who have tons of experience and know what they are doing finish? 

We all sat down for the awards dinner. It still didn't feel real. They called out the names of the finishers. 90 had completed. 198 starters. Only a 45% completion rate. And Quick was one of the 45% who finished.  They called me up. A flower, handshake, certificate and a buckle. Jeff Herten congratulated me for riding an Appy. He and Redman had been pulled but had completed the ride last year. We had thought Redman would be the Appy to beat. But we were wrong, it was Quick and his brother. Out of the four appies who started they were the only two who completed. Something good in that Spookaloosa blood, if you can stick them that is. 

Here it is, in all of its glory. 

Quick was still dragging me around a day after the ride. He looked good, bright eyed and eating everything in sight!

The next day Quick was still dragging me around.

For a while I wasn't sure that Quick and I would reach this point. I didn't know if he had entered the land of no return. I didn't know if I could help him. I don't always consider myself a good rider, I have much yet to learn. But then I remember that "The horse is the best judge of a good rider, not the viewer. If the horse has a good opinion of the rider they give to the guide, if not they will resist." Nuno Olivera. Quick has come so far, little by little. I am glad I didn't attempt Tevis before he was mentally ready, when he could barely be out alone on the trail. I would have had no business being out there. I wondered what I was getting myself into coming to this ride. But as Quick and I left Robinson I knew that we were ready to tackle this challenge. 

"Boldness comes from confidence, confidence comes from success, so it's the trainers job to create lots of success." 

- Jack LeGoff

I have known Quick was a horse of a lifetime for some time now. I think it was being 45 minutes in the lead at Foothills, and then again in the moonlight crossing No Hands Bridge. I am lucky to be the one riding this little Spookaloosa. 

His name is Viva Sozar. Viva meaning 'long live' in Italian. And Sozar meaning 'flame' in Persian. Perhaps it is a fitting name for a horse that has the flame of an endurance horse. 

A week after Tevis

Return to Sunriver

Or Spook for 80 Miles

I was really excited when I found out Lois was having an 80 mile ride at Sunriver this year. I planned early on to do the 80 if we were going to Tevis or the 100 if we were not. 

I made the final decision after Still Memorial that we were going to Tevis. It is not a decision I made lightly, but more about that later. 

I wanted to do another longer distance ride before Tevis. Originally I had the 75 at Grizzly on the table, but due to other circumstances it didn't happen. I didn't feel the need to condition him as hard as I had for OR 100 the year before, he returned to that level without as much conditioning. I worked on longer trots, up and down hills interspersed with some faster work. 10 miles would seem to come and go quickly. 

I have been using Easyboots for conditioning rides. Regular pain old original Easyboots. I had come to the conclusion with Journey that i couldn't screw up her feet any more than they already have been but a multitude of different farriers over the 6 years I have owned her. So I learned to trim on your typical awful thoroughbred feet. After all the farrier issues with Quick I said screw it, I'll just do it myself. That leaves my options limited to boots. I need to learn how to glue on boots, but that will come later. It is a big step from trimming my weekend warrior thoroughbred to a high preformance endurance horse. Like I said, I couldn't do any worse to Journey than had already been done. (And that doesn't just count for last year, and yes that blog post will be coming soon for those of you who do not know what happened) But I can get away with not being perfect with Journey and it not affecting her overall soundness(but she has gotten sounder) whereas if I screw up with Quick the miles we put in will tell. I do have a back up plan and a farrier that I am willing to try if I need shoes put on him. Let's face it, shoes are easy. They only become a problem when the horse loses one. I have looked into farrier school, but it is a couple grand and I would have to take an entire term off of work. Not going to happen. There are a couple Pete Ramey clinics that I am seriously considering going to. And I did pick up a Pete Ramey book Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You. Despite that everyone I have talked to says I am doing a good job with his hooves. The farriers don't like the 'mustang roll' around his hoof but otherwise they say he is nicely balanced. 

Just another thing I have learned because of the chestnut thoroughbred mare. 

So back to booting. I snapped a cable on a brand new boot on Wednesday. When the boots work they are great, when they don't I want to pull my hair out. Luckily Paula had a replacement cable for the old Easyboots. I was able to use it to replace the one that busted. After calling EasyCare and trying not to get super angry. Boots should break on the second use.  I mean if it was an old pre 2005 boot that I had bought for $5 used then, oh well but a brand new boot that I had only used once before is another matter entirely! 

The last time I was at Sunriver was two years ago when I attempted my first 100. We got 68 miles into the ride, out at vet check 2, when Quick came up lame.  Which was caused by the gullet having come loose in the wintec on one side so it put uneven pressure on his back. Despite that I couldn't have been more proud of Quick. Even though we were pulled he still did extremely well. At that point he was still mentally and emotionally very immature. We had only been doing a couple solo rides. Yet we did 25 miles by ourselves! I went out and bought my Ortho-flex shortly thereafter. I love the Ortho-flex, it is by far one of the most comfortable saddles I have ridden in. It reminds me a lot of my Stuebben. Perhaps it is because it has a Frank Baines tree. I have done 375 competition miles in it since I got it. Quick was a bit sore after Still Memorial this year, so I rechecked the saddle fit. The panels do flex enough to allow his shoulder to move but they are more snug than I would like. It is probably the lateral work I have been incorporating into our rides or the downhill trotting that has built up his shoulders. So I moved to my Free n Easy all purpose saddle. It is what I have been riding Diesel in because it is the only saddle that is both wide enough for his Akhal-teke shoulders and flexes to conform to his long Akhal-teke back. And Journey loves it too. The biggest saddle test is whether or not Journey likes it. The only problem about having one saddle is that I can't leave all my stuff on it when I have been doing shows with the bay-bies. A cantle pack and boot bag aren't exactly smiled upon at dressage shows or events. Even schooling ones. 

While the F n E isn't a bad saddle it just isn't my favorite as far as my comfort. It isn't horrible, I was just spoiled by the Othro-flex. My full sheepskin cover pulls the flaps in and rounds them since it was made for the straighter dressage flaps of the Ortho-flex. I decided to go without it since it bothered me on a Journey ride. Those are rather short and only walking, so probably not what I would want to deal with for 80 miles of mostly trotting. I decided to go with just the seat cover I had for it. 

My goal for the ride was one thing- completion. This was my trial run before Tevis to make sure everything was going to work out. I had never done an endurance ride in the F n E let alone a long distance one. I had purchased a Matrix Woolback pad with my birthday money ( I really wanted a GoPro but the pad was more useful since I was looking for a longer one anyway) I had been having a weird dry spot after rides and realized when I put the saddle in the trailer that the panels were not even, I must not have put them back on evenly after adjusting the saddle last. I corrected that before the ride. 

I drove over. It was my first time hauling the pass over highway 58. I have done Santiam pass a number of times, both up and down but never Willimatte pass. 

The first thing Quick did as soon as we got there was roll. It was super dusty, felt like I had been riding in a dusty indoor. So much for giving him a bath. I visited Diana at American Trail Gear to get a leash for Leigh. I also saw the cutest little kitten on a leash. And refrained from shopping too much but picked up some new ties for Quick's mane. Usually I trim it pretty short since it tends to look scraggly long. I couldn't find my razor that I use to trim in and I I didnt have a sharp pair of scissors so it didn't get done. But that left enough mane to braid! 

Quick was hot at the start. Not sure if it was the alfalfa I had bought, it was super leafy or all the Ultimum he had been getting. He was ready to go, lacking a little direction but ready. He was booted on all four, electrical tape with duct tape over the buckles. And splint boots on all four legs. Because He will have splint boots on for Tevis and this ride was to make sure everything worked. 

We went out in the front of the middle of the pack. There were 23 on the 100 and 6 on the 80. We got behind Becky and her group and ate a lot of dust. But it was good to see how Quick would do stuffed behind horses, since that is how it would be at Tevis. We got around them, missed a turn then were behind them again. Got around them again and not ten strides later Quick let out a big spook. I heard someone exclaim behind me, but I had staid on. Righted myself, put my leg on and off we went. 

The sunrise was beautiful, I wish I had had a better camera to take photos, but there are things you just cannot do with a point n shoot in low light while riding. 

We were caught by Pam on her lovely Paint mare. She was going a bit faster than I wanted but Quick would not be told to slow down. Half halts only got his back up and from there he opened up to a really amazing extended trot. We soon caught up to the couple from California, Pam went on and I staid behind with them. I totally forgot their names! It was funny enough we ended up talking about plastic horseshoes since I noticed his horse had on plastics that I didn't recognize. He said they were Sneakers, and he has found that they hold up better than others. They live on the Tevis trail. They said they are lucky where they live in that many of the farriers have endurance experience. Where here most farriers just shoe arena horses and weekend trail horses. There is a big difference in the two. 

Pam had taken a wrong turn and came up behind us, then we all missed a turn. We turned around and found where we were supposed to go. It was up a hill under the powerlines. Pam went first and Quick took charge and dashed up the hill like it was nothing leaving the couple behind us. We followed Pam, who was going a touch slower or maybe it was because we were going up hill that it didn't feel so out of control. I asked her about her mare and she said she was half thoroughbred Paint, no Arab at all. A nice mare. She thought she missed a ribbon, and turned around. But we were on the right section, the fun single track. Quick zoomed around, he really enjoys the single track and so do I. She also gave me some tips on riding Tevis. 

We came into the River Vet check. For some reason Quick was a bit unsettled there. He didn't pulse down right away, he wouldn't do more than sip the water, he was just interested in moving around and eating grass. It didn't take him long to pulse down, but not his usual drop within minutes of coming in. We weren't going that fast and it wasn't that hot yet. We vetted through. It was only a 15 minute hold so Quick munched on some grass and I refilled my water bottles. The tape had come off of the front of the boots, but they were stuck tight. Off we went. I rode the next loop by myself. Pam was leading the 80 with Celena right behind her. There were 2 on the 100 who were in front of them. We were in a good spot, right where I wanted to be. And it was nice to be by ourselves. Quick spooked at the photographer.

Photo by Cassidy Rae Photography

We were only a couple miles from camp when we turned onto a road and Quick asked to walk. I let him. I heard bells behind us and saw Heather and Bunny coming down the road. Quick heard them too and he took off! I had to laugh. I told him he couldn't out trot a Standardbred. He wasn't listening.

We came into camp and Quick finally tanked up at the water. He hadn't been interesting in drinking more than a mouthful the entire time. It made me feel better when he drank. He pulsed down right away and we vetted through. I had time to visit with Leigh, who gets really upset when he is left alone in the trailer with Mollie. He is rather attached to me. Quick ate and drank. Paula found a small rub under one of Quick's splint boots. I switched him to the smaller ankle boots. I believe the rub was just a bare patch of hair he had before, so not really a rub but still something to keep my eye on nevertheless.

Off we went again. We were doing the same loop that we started out on back to the River Vet Check. I had to slow down, the footing had gotten really deep with all of the horses going over it. We made time and ran into a couple mountain bikers. Quick was starting to do his mid day drag when Heather and Bunny caught us. We finished our first 100 with Heather and Bunny last year at OR 100. I had hoped to ride with Heather at least a little bit during this ride! We passed some more mountain bikes. Bunny was leading the way. She is such a nice mare, and it was cool to watch her just effortlessly extend her trot. We talked about how our seasons had been going and how there was going to be a race for the Standardbred breed award this year. It was so nice to get to ride with Heather again!!

At the River Check Paula had hitched a ride with the gal who was camped next to us. Her riders were going slower than I was, but they had made it just in time! Quick still didn't like the out check so when he didn't pulse down right away I wasn't worried. We pulled tack and he started munching away. His pulse dropped and we vetted through. I still don't know what is was about that check that bothered him. He didn't do it at any other check. I lengthened my stirrups one hole as my knees had been taking the brunt of the abuse. I remember reading somewhere that if your knees hurt your stirrups are too short. I tend to ride with shorter stirrups in the Fn E because I have been using it for jumping, and it is an all purpose saddle. It isn't designed specifically for longer stirrups like the dressage Ortho-Flex. There was a lot of downhill on that first loop.

Celena and Pam took off for their next loop. There is nothing like watching a thoroughbred pick up a canter and take flight. Poor Quick was in the middle of a tinkle and stopped to watch them go, he wanted to go with them. Took him a minute or so to resume his business. Heather and Bunny took off ahead of us. This was the part of the ride I wanted to ride alone. I wanted to be able to push Quick to keep a steady pace after we hit the 50 mile mark. We left with 30 miles to go on the blue loop. It would take us out to the second vet check where I got pulled two years ago then back into camp. Quick kept a nice steady pace. He drank at the water tanks, thank God! I remember when you make the turn off of where the blue and yellow were together that it felt odd. I kept asking myself if I was going the right direction, but the hoof prints in the sand were going the right way. And the blue and white ribbons were on the right. One of the things Heather had said when while we were riding together was about a new to endurance horse that would go from side to side on the trail and not straight. I replied Quick still does that, but it was more spooking from side to side. As we turned towards the outcheck Quick started spooking at everything. Every time he jumped from side to side it jarred my knees. We walked. Then when I would ask for a trot the spooking would start. So we continued in this fashion, walk trot-spook walk again... The road seemed to get longer and longer. I knew we were close to the out check. I didn't feel my knees could take pushing him into a canter and riding through the spooks that way. He still jumps from side to side they just are not as violent as try can be when he is just trotting. Finally I had had enough I picked up contact (I usually ride with pretty loose reins) and pushed him into a trot. It didn't make him stop spooking and I just gave up and walked in. 

He pulsed down and vetted through. I asked if anyone had any pain killers and sure enough I got some ibruprofen. Heather and Bunny were there.They left about the time the two groups of 100s came in behind me. I was surprised that the couple on the 80 weren't in front of them. Apparently they had taken a wrong turn and came in just as I was leaving.  Quick and I were off. We had 16 miles left to camp. I started off at a trot, having lengthened my stirrups again. My knees felt better. But I felt less secure. I debated dropping my vest somewhere because I had a scratch under my arm that was stinging. Instead I pulled out some vet wrap and wrapped it around my arm as we were walking. 

The spooking started again and I shortened my stirrups back a hole to where they were before. And tried trotting again. Spook spook spook. That was it. I pushed him into a canter. It was getting to te point of ridiculousness. We cantered up the small rise. I didn't want to be cantering at this point. There was no reason to aside from it is the easiest gait to ride the Spookaloosa in... The spooking culminated in a huge real spook at a rock. He jumped to the side of the trail, his neck arched and snorting at it. Wouldn't go near it, still snorting, but back on the trail. Snort snort leg on, back up snort more leg. Finally he touched it then walked over it. He gave the next rock the hairy eyeball as well. It was one of those moments that you just shake your head at. Of all things Quick can spook at it is the least threatening. Rocks trees sticks..... Not tents, mountain bikers you know the actually scary stuff.

I scratched his withers and basically told him that I was here for him and the sooner we get to camp the sooner he is done. Quick is a really emotional horse. He gets upset easily if he gets reprimanded or there is too much pressure put on him.  I remember the first time I stuck one of his dirty spooks, I didn't do anything but sit there and he was shaking he was so upset. We have gotten past that for the most part. He now will spook mostly forward but you still have to be on your guard. 

The spooks winded down and we continued on. Quick started to want to eat everything in sight, so I would let him stop eat and move on. I was in no hurry but tried to keep going at a reasonable pace. I wanted him to eat, at this stage of the ride it was important for him to eat. 

Karen and te rider with her caught me before the water set and I followed them to it. There seemed to not be enough water on this loop, it was in the heat of the day and much of the trail was blue one direction and yellow the other. The 100s would be riding the yellow loop next and the 50s had already ridden it. Quick tanked up, I did a quick sponge on his neck to cool him ad have him his electrolytes. The group of three riders were not far behind and I asked if Karen and the other rider would mind if I went on. They said it was okay so we left. 

I set my goal to be into camp between 5:30 and 6. We didn't hurry but kept up a steady pace. My knees would only bother me the first couple strides of trot after a walk break. As we neared the end I could tell the group of three riders were catching up to us. I would see them coming down the hill and then would loose them as we went up. 

Now this whole time Quick felt great. I wasn't pushing him just going. However my heart rate monitor which had been so trusty at Still Memorial was making me second guess myself. He would either be trotting along at 97 or well over 200. Like 240. So I was pretty sure it was double counting. So I turned it off and just rode by feel. I think I have come to rely on the hr monitor too much, it is great for when I am conditioning to see his recovery times or how hard he is working based on the effort we are doing. But I wasn't happy with it at this ride. 

We stopped and ate a bunch again and the group of 3 riders caught is and brought us into camp. 

I went back and forth about showing for BC. Quick never has shown well and I figured between Celena and Pam, one of them would win. We came in at about 5:40, so right where I wanted to be. The deciding factor for not showing for BC was my knees. The thought of having to run again in an hour was just not on my list. 

80 mile EasyBoots! 

Heather and Bunny were headed out on their last loop on the 100. They were in second place. I got Quick settled in, poulticed and went to rest my knees. I staid up to see Heather come in after 10pm. Then went to bed.

Someone had a fit about 6 am the next morning. I woke up with a start to banging on the corral outside. Quick was running around bucking and throwing his head. I went out and gave him his breakfast. He just pulled on his fly mask and looked at me. So we went for a walk. 

He was still not pleased with the small walk when I put him back. He pulled on his fly mask again and gave me the look. I told him to eat and give me another half hour. 

He was still throwing his head around an running in his corral while I tried to close my eyes for a few more minutes. The horse at the trailer parked next to is had gone for a walk, that is what started it! Obviously there was a lot of horse left! 

A 50 to Boot

Or the continuing adventures of the Spookaloosa

Angry Spookaloosa after Roz left on the Friday 25 

Sometimes on the trail your mind is filled with thoughts and sometimes it is silent, you are focused on your horse and how he is doing. I was doing a lot of listening, feeling and just enjoying the time in the saddle on the trail with Quick. If I had any doubts about this little Appy, they are gone now. He is one tough Spookaloosa. 

Lest we forget that he is a Spookaloosa.

These past few months have been rough for me, a lot has gone on and much of that maybe me taking things too hard on myself. Quick was doing great the beginning of the year. He had Ground Control shoes put on him and we were doing once a week good conditioning rides. Unfortunately at the next shoeing the farrier and I had a misunderstanding. The previous farrier had left his toes long, while everything else looked good his toes were running away. I don't understand that farriers trimming technique, and I have seen other farriers use it too. They take off wall from the top, but not like I have seen others do it and not the I way I trim either. So I asked the farrier to bring Quicks toes back and get him more under himself. Well he did. And I am not certain Quick didn't have a hot nail either, but he was lame and wasn't getting sounder. So I pulled the shoes. He was sound with boots on. I let him sit until he was 100% sound barefoot. 

I'm not sure who was going crazier, him or me from not riding.

So after a couple weeks he was 100% sound barefoot on rocks we went back to work. We put in a couple good rides, and lost a boot up on Lowell Butte. We hadn't had much trouble with boots before, we did most of the conditioning for OR 100 in boots while I was farrier shopping. 

That was about the time the lip abscess happened. I went to get Quick out of the field and his lip was swollen on the one side. He wouldn't let me touch it or see what was going on. Which is unlike Quick. He plays with his lips and his tongue all the time. So we went to the vets. He had to have it opened up and allow the puss to drain out.

So all bets on going to Grizzly Mountain were out.

Quick recovered from his lip abscess and I had decided to try the first farrier again. Unfortunately I had trimmed his feet only a few days before because I hadn't made that decision yet. The thought of doing Still Memorial in boots was terrifying....

Well another close nail later and having to have Quicks front shoes pulled again. He had no sensitivity to the nails and no reaction to the hoof testers. So a close nail is our best guess. So now two shoeings I have ended up pulling the fronts. Kind of hurts the bank account. 

So it looked like I would be booting for Still Memorial anyway, at least up front. 

I was terrified that I would loose a boot on that log rocky downhill by Still Hill. 

Terrified. 

I ordered a set of EasyBoot originals from a local feed store. Their provider was back ordered on 0s so I ended up ordering them straight from EasyCare.  Brand spanking new boots. 

Quick and I had one test flight in those new boots. I had wanted to do the tough rocky trail at Mt Pisgah but things didn't work out so I rode up Bear Mt instead. Everything was good. All I could do was pray to the Boot Gods for luck that they would stay on. We had done a lot of conditioning rides in our old boots, but they wouldn't last for 50 miles. The treads are pretty worn down on them.

So off we went.

On Friday Paula did the 25 on Roz and I got ot meet DeWayne's new Appy stallion Nim. Meanwhile Quick was super angry that he couldn't go out with Roz. He even untied his lead rope that was on the corral a couple times. He is so funny. I took Bart for a short ride, it ended up being short because the trail we were on was close to the trail the 25 milers were coming back on. Poor little guy wanted to go with them back to camp! You can't blame him, we were out alone and there were horses flying down the trail towards camp. He listened to me and we turned around.

Bart!

I took Quick out for a short ride that evening to stretch his legs and give the boots another go. Outcheck box was packed, saddle fitted with two boot bags and whatever I thought I would need. A multi-tool in case a boot came loose, hoof pick, tape, VetWrap.... I could only find 3 syringes for electrolytes. Two with me one in the outcheck box. I decided I would try to top 10 the ride since there was only 27 entries. I figured I would go for about the same finishing time as I had the previous year where we placed 6th at 6 hrs and 18 minutes.

5 o'clock came pretty early, I fed Quick then got myself ready. I wrapped his hooves with athletic tape then vetwrap over the top. Something for the teeth of the EasyBoots to grab. The VetWrap because I have had Journey's boots spin (she probably should be a smaller size but when I originally fitted her she had a lot of flare) and the teeth cut into her coronet band. :( So with her she always gets her hooves vetwrapped with boots. I have never had that happen with Quick, but I would rather play it safe than sorry. I wrapped electrical tape around the clip on the boots 3 times, then put a piece of blue duct tape over the top. Oh yeah, and I had spray painted the boots blue so I would know they were mine if I happened to loose one. Saddled up and we were ready to go.

Roz was hollering to Quick the entire time, Quick was hollering back, hollow, inverted and not listening to me in the slightest. I attempted a warm up, but didn't get much out of it. Once we were not trying to warm up, Quick settled a bit. I picked a woman on a bay horse as one that would be going for a top 5. After a while you kind of get a feeling of which riders are going for it, there are the ones I know, and there are a bunch of people I do not know.

Trail was open!

Barrak Blakeley was leading the way with his father Wasch right behind, the woman on the bay and then myself. I had a fire breathing pinto behind me. All I can say is that the Blakeleys are amazing, both Wasch and Barrak got off at one point and were running with their horses. And faster than they had been trotting. Mind blown, I hate running. We were headed up the hill right before the drop towards Still Hill and my best guess is Wasch's horse lost a boot, he was booted behind. Wasch pulled up and told us to go around. Barrak stopped as well, the woman on the bay said she didn't want to lead and I didn't even need to ask before Quick jumped to the front.

With Quick on point we went down and around, the pinto was still with us and I wasn't sure where the others were. We set a good pace, not smoking fast by any means but good. After we went through the gate for the flats towards Cyrus out check I asked the guy with the fire breathing pinto to go in front. He hadn't wanted to pass before, but Quick needed a short break from being out in front. He set off at a flying trot and the little Spotty pony was right behind.

Quick has his crazy hair on!

Once we were on the dirt road leading to Cyrus a gal on a big chestnut with a german martingale passed us at a hand gallop. Quick was after her. I kept my eye on my heart rate monitor and instead of fighting him, let him go. We caught up, the gal went for it and was going faster as we neared the hill right before you drop into the vet check. I pulled an angry Quick up, he was going to get them, and walked him in. Had his bit dropped and girth slightly loosened as we came in to the vet check.

The big chestnut had tack off and was being sponged down. I let Quick drink and sponged him and when my heart rate monitor said he dropped into the 60s I asked for a pulse.

Quick was down. We were the first ones down.

We vetted through. Quick was interested in lawnmowering. Wasch Blakeley was putting back shoes on his horse. The pinto took a while to come down as did the big chestnut. I had felt that my stirrups were uneven and sure enough, one was longer than the other. I made sure to fix that.

And off we went again after our 30 minute hold was done.

We were out with a little bay mare with a german martingale I believe. We were not blazing saddles, by any means. The bay who I picked out in the beginning caught us at a canter with the pinto not far behind. We were out into the flats and cooking. I electrolyted Quick at the trough after the second road crossing. Once we got towards the single track heading back into camp Quick asked if he could pass the gal on the big bay. So we did. He danced down the trail. Super handy, around corners and the whoop-de-doos.

I hopped off of him as we came into camp, he pulsed down and we vetted through. I put him in his corral to eat and let Leigh and Mollie out of the trailer to potty. Leigh had probably done about the same amount of mileage going back and forth from window to window in the trailer looking for me. He still has abandonment issues. If we left the truck door open he would jump in, he wasn't getting left behind again. (that is at least what I figured happened to him when I found him) I put them away since I needed to check boots on Quick and get myself ready to go out again.

Boots hadn't turned or moved at all! I reapplied the electrical tape and duct tape. We were good to go for another 25 miles! The cool thing about the boots and Ground Control horseshoes is that Quick had both traction over the rocks and didn't really feel the sharp points. He just flew over them.

We went out with the little bay mare following us. The draw from camp and Roz whinning at us was strong. I put my leg on and we went. Right as we passed the photographer Quick reaffirmed his title as Spookaloosa. Huge spook, I put my leg on and he jumped whatever it was that he was spooking at and off we went. He was giving everything the hairy eyeball. The best option when this happens is to keep him in a canter. He is not able to screech to a halt and spin or spook when he is cantering, he just jumps to the other side of the trail and switches leads. He spooked a few more times as we continued along. The gal on the little bay commented about how well I stuck those spooks!

Photo of my ride photo. I am waiting to get a digital copy. 

I don't always stick them all. It was just a couple months ago when Quick dumped me not long after we started a conditioning ride. I have some things going for me; youth, natural stickability- but I don't just hope that I can stick his spooks. I work hard to be able to stick them. There is lots of work two point work to strengthen my lower leg, lots of riding without stirrups and sitting trot. Denny Emmerson is always writing about how "Good Riders Don't Bounce" or to be a good rider you need 3 things: A good Seat, A good Seat, and a good seat. My drive and determination did not start with wanting to be able to stick Quick's spooks, no it started by wanting to be a better rider for my Thoroughbred Journey. It has been only recently that she cannot bounce me (Journey has had a lot of pain issues and injuries that I am continually trying to work through and help correct and make her comfortable. It has been finding the right people to work on her that has made all the difference.) That is the result of conditioning Quick for the 100 last year, all the work starting babies and quieting my seat and riding other people's horses. I have started to see the results of all the work I have put in. I am far from perfect, but my goal is to help the horses I ride. And to do so I need to be a better rider, horsewoman and to learn more.

Looking out at Still Hill. 

Back to the ride: A lot of rock had come up on the trail. We passed some of the trail riders on the red loop and walked a good bit of the way just because there was so much rock!! As we entered the flats after Still Hill Quick was telling me he was tired. He tends to have a mid day drag. I looked at my heart rate monitor, it was reading 80. Well he couldn't be that tired, so I asked for a good trot and off we went. His heart rate didn't go past 110 while we were trotting. The little bay mare was still with us and we traded leading a couple times. The other gal with the taller bay was not far behind us. I think she caught us as we were coming into Cyrus for the final time. Quick pulsed down well again and we vetted through. Paula was out a the vet check and asked how Quick was doing. I think I felt he was more tired than he was. There were two people that I was concerned about as far as catching us. The taller bay gelding and the person who had just come into the vet check, someone who has more than fifteen times the mileage that Quick and I have combined.

I had only one dose of electrolytes with me and I dropped one of my boot bags. Since I hadn't had any issues with them and not to mention I had been checking them religiously. Off we went on the last leg.

The little bay was right behind us. I asked her to lead out since Quick decided he was in no hurry to leave the vet check. The tall bay caught us rather quickly, taking off at a canter. I got the impression the gal was trying to loose us, but Quick was game. I kept checking his heart rate. He was good.

I contemplated on and off whether or not I should make a run at the lead, finally I made the decision to, but if the gal was going to go all out racing, I wasn't going to do that. There was no reason to. The little bay mare trailed us. We made it through the flats and back into the single track. I used my last electrolyte at the trough after you cross the road. The gal with the bay slowed at a couple of the downhill places suddenly. I had to pull Quick up short. I asked him to go at a wide spot in the trail, she saw and her horse beat us to where the trail narrowed again. She slowed at a couple more of the downhill spots, not as much as the first time. As we were coming down into ride camp she slowed at another area, and really I thought to myself just go already! The was a wide spot so I sent Quick around. She called out that she wasn't going to race and not to hurt my horse.Quick had picked up a canter so I pulled him back to a trot down the hill. Not far from the end of the trail Quick petered out. She cantered past us and into ride camp in front of us. Oh well, she had the gamier horse. Quick gave it a good shot but like I said, I wasn't going to push him I would ask, and what he gave me was what I would take.

Everyone was waiting for us. We dumped saddles and began cooling the horses down. Hannah Summers helped me with Quick, reminding me to get the water off, because it holds heat. Quick's heart rate came down pretty quickly. But the goal was to have a good CRI, so the lower his heart rate the better. He was a little stiff but not quite off at our trot out. I figured it was probably because some stupid person didn't check her stirrups before she got on at 6:30 in the morning. He did about 13 miles with an off balance rider. He also interfered behind, which means he will have to wear boots from now on, splint boots.

Quick is an inherently lazy horse, it takes 2 people to really get him moving while free schooling for fitness. Otherwise he tries to stop and change direction on you or you just can't get him moving enough to get him breathing hard. Even though we have worked on our trot outs, he still drags. I should have moved him around more for our 1 hr check, which I was late to because I heard 45 instead of 35 after.... I was sure I wasn't going to win BC anyway. I figured it would be the gal with the little bay mare she hadn't done any racing and had been pulsing down as well as Quick had been.

I settled Quick in his corral and took off his boots and poulticed his legs. I left him alone so he could nap and munch on the food I had set out for him. Every time I would go check on him he would ask for more food, having eaten it all. So heck if he was going to eat I was going to feed him! Quick can be a very bad eater, and if it is a sign that he has learned to start eating after 50 miles then, maybe he will chow down for the longer rides I hope to do. Roz also begged for food every time I gave Quick more. Little Hobbit horses!

You have more food for me?

I must say I was surprised that Wasch or Lois didn't catch us. Barrak's horse came up sore and like a good sponsor and parent Wasch took him back to the outcheck. Lois wasn't far behind us at the last outcheck, and Mocha is a fast 100 mile horse. It was a ride that everything seemed to fall in our favor. The Blakeleys were not setting a smoking pace, they have fast horses! They top tened Tevis last year and Barrak won the Haggin Cup. We were able to set the pace for a lot of the ride, and it was not smoking fast. Quick is easily capable of doing a 6 hour 50, I have no doubts about that. Honestly, I wouldn't be doing 6 hour 50s if I hadn't gone to ANCER last year. I wouldn't have pushed for more. Maybe I would be going to try and top ten this year, but for ANCER if I was spending all of the $$ to go down to California I wanted to be competitive. So that is why I started asking for more from Quick.

I want to do longer distances with Quick. 50s are fun and all, but I need a different challenge. We did our first 100 last year and I plan to do another this year. I want to get a decade team award with him too. I don't care how many miles we end up getting together, it wont be a huge amount because lets face it, I am not independently wealthy. Everyone says he is a nice horse. Yes he is nice, he is really darn nice now. Yet only a few years ago he was labeled dangerous, was great at lawn darting riders, and some considered him almost ruined. He may never get over his amazing athletic ability to make lawn darts out of riders, but he is not ruined, and has turned into one heck of an endurance horse. Sometimes I wish he was easier, that I didn't have to keep my heels down, legs underneath of me and ride defensively for however many miles we are riding that day. But then again, easy is boring.

Apparently I need a little Spookaloosa in my life.

The moral of the story is, you can do 50 miles in EasyBoots, AND be competitive. 

Viva Quick!!