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The
Wild Life-AHAM ride report, Petoskey, MI, July 6, 2002 Anyone
who has ever ridden the trails marked by Jim Yell for the Wolverine or
Bear River rides knows that there is a lot of wild life out there. You
have NO idea! This
year, the AHAM Region 13 Championship Ride was held on this very trail
and after observing a very welcome break in the weather (read COOL
air) Thursday, I decided I WOULD ride after all.
Nelson had promised himself as ride farrier and I was not going
to take an empty horse trailer to a ride just to camp in.
Jenny didn't believe the weatherman and opted to stay at home.
Our ride two weeks previous had been pretty hot and miserable
(brain melt, hence no ride story for that one, sorry Jeanie and Larry)
and the weather since then had not improved and she wasn't anxious to
repeat it, I guess. This
year the AHAM ride was one of the most eventful ones for many people
since I can't remember when. There
is always something interesting that happens at rides but at this
ride, ALL kinds of interesting things happened and important lessons
were learned. I hope I
can remember them all. Here
are a few with credit where I can give it.... *Snakes
enjoy sleeping under tents which have been warmed by the sun all day.
BIG snakes. (?) *A&D
ointment is best dispensed when cool, not when it has been sitting in
the sun. (Maggie) *5
year old mares in heat are terrified of big white diesel pick ups that
start up near them and may buck, sending their rider into the dirt
onto the knee scar from surgery last year.
(Andy Redman) *5
year old mares in heat should not stand over water buckets when eating
grass. Heat and being in
heat may cause them to suddenly explode upwards, shooting their riders
skyward who then fall heavily upon their backs.
THUD! (Andy Redman
again) *Ride
managers who decide to measure a sometimes narrow trail with their
very big and very nice looking dually pickup will need lots of duck
tape to repair the fender when it gets partially ripped off.
(Gene Dake) *There
IS poison ivy in them there bushes. (Marilyn Horstmyer) *Trees
that lean even slightly into the trail, though propped up by much
bigger trees may lead young horses to believe they might come crashing
down at any moment, crushing horse and rider and try to avoid said
trail at all costs. (Scarlett,
Anglo-Arab ridden by Shannon Weston-Wood who also "touched
down" at AHAM. OK,
OK, I have indulged with some funnies here without really giving my
"report" as promised. This
is it and I will keep it short and sweet so we can focus on funny
stuff. Malik,
practicing at being the wonderful veteran of endurance rides that he
will someday be, was wonderful in camp Friday night, eating and
drinking and napping like he'd never done it any differently.
The next day, I started the ride with Malik in a D ring snaffle
and in the middle of the pack. I
didn't have to hold him back much and even was able to ride with a
loose rein on occasion. There
actually ended up being a group of us (6 or so) running in the front.
It was a 5:30 a.m. start with a gorgeous sunrise (one saving
grace of having to get up so early!) and cool in the forested parts of
the trail. It was nice
having someone up front to make any boo boos if there were to be any.
Jenny usually insists on taking that position but she wasn't
there, of course. It was
BLACK where the forest was deep.
But the horses were all strong and going well, leap frogging
here and there, changing positions.
It was fun...had the opportunity to visit, if briefly, here and
there with fellow endurance riders.
It was looking to be a great day.
Malik and I came in with Sara Matthews and Ruby ahead of the
others to the first check. Then
our trouble began. Malik's
pulse wouldn't come down to 64. The
respected Dane Frazier was our head vet and those are the parameters
he likes to work with. Not
normally a problem but Malik was soooo excited and so interested in
EVERYthing going on around him!!
He peed and I figured we had it made.
Still couldn't quite get it down and if it did, it would spike
back up if he looked at the other stallion there, or a mare or
whatever. So close and yet so far! I finally said to heck with it and let him start
grazing, figuring I'd wait for the commotion to die down...it dropped
like a rock immediately. Another
lesson learned. But we
were now out 5 minutes behind the front runners.
BUMMER! His CRI
was 15/13. GREAT numbers!! I
was still kind of bummed. But
we were still top ten. Seventh
place, in fact. My lucky
number. We
left out on time, now using the little S hackamore and made the 13
mile loop back to camp in good time, but still 5 minutes behind the
front runners. Shoved a
handful of hay in his face and BOOM!
His pulse was down! 15/13
CRI again. All As, maybe a B on his vet card. Peeing and pooping.
Looking absolutely terrific.
I figured it wouldn't take us long to get caught up. WRONG. After
we left out after the half way check, he started to get bored.
I did all my usual "checks"...does he need to get off
the trail and pee? Poop?
No. Thirsty? Hungry?
No. No.
None of those things were an issue.
He wasn't off or lame or hurting.
He was bored with no one to ride with.
I was so mad at him! I
found a little switch to remind him that we did NOT have time to stand
around at the top of the hills and look around at the scenery.
Nelson met us at the gravel pit and wanted me to get a bigger
stick! From there to the next pit stop was going to be kind of long
for us but I hoped he would pick it up when he realized we were
getting close to the vet check....he always seems to know.
I swear he can read the pie plates even!! This next stretch was pretty uneventful and he started
perking up and a good gallop here and there got his adrenaline going.
He started going strong again without the lollygagging and
sightseeing. As we
approached the golf course, I decided to hug the left of the trail in
the grass as earlier, Sara and I had missed our turn up the hill and
into the woods. Yep,
there were the plates on the trees and I followed the 4 wheeler tracks
right up along the hill...Malik loves to gallop the hills and I think
he knew Nelson would be there soon with a snack and a drink.
So
suddenly that it happened in the blink of an eye, a bird rose out of
the grass to our left and in front of us.
A BIG bird (and
NOT a yellow one!). That
is all I remember. The
next thing I knew I was on the ground and I heard my helmet make a
cracking sound as my head struck a rock.
I never even saw what kind of bird it was but Malik later told
me it was a prehistoric horse eating pteradactyl.
No kidding. He
tells me some good ones but he couldn't have made THIS one up!
We think it may even have flown right into him, knocking me
right out of the saddle. Anyway,
I got up as I had not been able to maintain my hold on the
reins to find my horse. Looked
to my right and there was Malik running across the sand, three legged.
His left front leg held STRAIGHT out in front of him.
I thought his leg was caught in the reins but then I saw it
wasn't and I just KNEW he
had broken his leg. I am
sure I called upon the Lord over and over in the few seconds that felt
like an eternity that it took me to catch him.
I may have even used some other words.
I'm not sure. I
felt his leg and shoulder and couldn't feel anything wrong.
He didn't even flinch, just hung his head like a whipped dog.
Embarrassed perhaps?
I am not certain how the thought process took over at this
point or if I was even thinking that straight...when I had heard my
helmet crack, I instantly thought of Shelly Dake who had hit her head
two years ago at Hopkins Creek, had taken ibuprofen, continued to ride
and when she later collapsed many miles into the ride, was hauled off
to emergency and didn't ride again for a long, long time.
Please remember that ibuprofen inhibits blood clotting.
Another old lesson learned the hard way.
Don't take aspirin or ibuprofen for headaches resulting from a
head injury. Anyway,
after discovering that I could get up and walk, my only concern was
Malik. I took him up the
hill and into the woods for shade...it was starting to get plenty hot
in that spot. As we
walked, he started putting his leg down and bearing weight on it.
I saw the golfers on the golf course and idly wondered if they
would be upset if I walked over with Malik and sent them for help.
I sat down, cried momentarily (I think) and then started to
wonder what I should do.
The riders behind me were WAY behind me.
Sarah Michelin had just come into the half way check (a 50
minute hold) as I was leaving out and Andy Redman and Shelly Dake
weren't even in yet. I
knew I would sit there for quite awhile before anyone came and then
they would have to send back help.
I knew Nelson wasn't too far away so we started walking.
As we walked, Malik moved faster and faster, showing no pain or
swelling or ANYTHING. Relieved
that his leg hadn't fallen off yet, I started wondering about myself. Was I in shock? I
had a headache. Would I
pass out here on the trail? I
finally decided to get ON my horse and let him take me to Nelson.
He even opted to trot in some spots but that didn't help the
headache so we mostly walked. When
we finally met Nelson at the road, he had a thunderous look on his
face (I knew he would be disappointed that we were so far behind now).
The look disappeared when I burst into tears...I don't normally
cry. I consider myself
pretty tough most of the time. But
this accident had scared the shit out of me.
I was so glad to see someone.
Nelson checked us both over and after drinking some water and
taking some deep breaths, I decided to ride Malik in at a walk to the
vet check (not far) and have Dane check him out before deciding what
to do. The
first thing Dane did was check ME out.
He held his hands out in the thumbs up position and asked me
how many fingers I saw. I
said "Two". He
said "Wrong!". They
were thumbs not fingers. OK,
OK. He is a very funny
man. Hahaha.
But I appreciated his concern for me and he then immediately
checked out Malik. There
was some slight swelling above the fetlock.
He felt it was a deep flexor injury, not severe but
"there". We immediately said we'd trailer him back rather than try to
finish. I wasn't sure if
"I" could finish anyway.
Dane was pleased and seemed surprised that we so quickly opted
to pull rather than to push the issue.
I think he would have pulled us anyway and we had a discussion
on types of pulls and the stigma attached to them and the codes, etc.
I didn't give a hoot what anyone thinks about my
"pull" record. I
do what is best for my horse. Sure,
I was disappointed that we didn't finish.
But I have a horse to ride another day and there is ALWAYS
another ride somewhere, someday but there will NEVER be another Malik.
Ever. So, we iced
his injury right away and waited for the horse ambulance...thank you,
Daryl Yerrick for providing that ride back to camp...were we glad to
see YOU! I
know this has been long but I do have an important point to make along
with the interesting and humorous anecdotes.
You
are reading this today courtesy of my Troxel Dakota helmet.
"Nuff said. To
sum it all up: Riders
off their horse (not intentionally on their part): three that I am
personally aware of for a total of 4 times as Andy Redman did so
TWICE. Her husband,
Brian, loudly proclaimed that she has previously only come off a horse
once in ten years so this is a new record for her. Wildlife:
several deer, several turkeys, one BIG snake (who slept alone
after his landlady opted to sleep in her car for the night), one
coyote, two bobcats (or was it the same one both days?) and one
prehistoric horse eating pteradactyl.
Thank God the bears were busy elsewhere! Fun:
TONS and TONS. Who would think that you could have fun at a ride where you
almost get killed by a giant prehistoric bird and BIG snakes lurk
under the tents of unsuspecting women?
Maybe it was a prehistoric snake.
The stories and laughter continued until the minute we left and
I was sorry to go. I'm
even sorrier that I can't share ALL the stories...yeah, I know.
I need to write a book!! Credits:
Gene and Shelly Dake for taking over the AHAM ride and doing it
in such splendid style (and sharing ideas and tips with me for the
Wolverine next month!. It
was so well organized! Jim
and Teresa Yell for letting us camp on their property every year and
for providing us with such lovely, well marked trails with
breathtaking views. ALL
the volunteers, the riders, the crews...everyone was wonderful,
expressing concern for Malik and myself both.
Over and over. :) To Sarah Michelin's friend whose name I did not get who
offered me water and a slosh bottle on my long trek into the vet check
after Nelson left me to walk in.
And for those who are wondering, except for being bruised and
mighty stiff and sore on my left side, I am doing great.
No headache. The
swelling in Malik's leg is entirely gone and he shows absolutely no
soreness in it though he is going to have two weeks off and won't
compete again until next month. I
also appreciate the opportunity to have my horse vetted by such a
passionate and outspoken man as Dane Frazier...he has his opinions.
He sees stuff that most riders in Michigan don't get subjected
to. I will trot my horse
out for a CRI for Dane as many times as he sees fit.
I mostly appreciate his use of the terms "endurance"
and "joy" in the same sentence...Dane truly loves this sport
and loves the horses. And
many thanks to Steve Halstead, DVM, who took time to look Malik over
before we left Sunday and discuss the coming weeks and how we should
take care of him...Malik just LIKES Steve and Steve always has a pat
or a scratch for Malik and I don't care if he is a "mean old
Coggins law thumping MDA government vet"....he is a good man and
a smart horse vet. And
I couldn't forget vets Phil Sears and Barb Straw who gave up riding to
vet for a change. Their
sacrifice is appreciated by many, I know. Thank
you, Cameron Wood, for illustrating perfectly my horrifying
experience. The only
thing he missed was the HUGE boulder upon which I struck my head.
I hope you enjoy the attached illustration of the incident. I
am sure I will miss someone who deserves credit here but remember, I
had a bump on the head! :)
Thank
God for Troxels. Thank
God for helmets. Maggie
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