|
|
|
|
|
Hi
Ridecampers,
I am going to write an official story of sorts for those
who enjoy them. For those who do not, please delete now. It is kinda
long....sorry! I first want to mention that this trail was where I
rode my first 15 mile CTR last year at the Wolverine Ride. It was so
great that I rode the 25 mile CTR the following day! It was a tough
trail but I had met enough people and had enough fun that I was
hooked!! I went back this year to the Wolverine Ride planning (wanting
desperately) to ride 50 miles there! It was sooooooo hot and humid
that (even though I had that 25 LD BC under my belt from 3 weeks
previous) I decided I couldn't do it...we did another 25 CTR instead.
Which I enjoyed but that is not Jonathan's calling! So I had another
opportunity this weekend to ride a 50 on this trail with my 14 year
old daughter on her horse, Max. What a beautiful weekend for a ride!!
Hey, it's northern Michigan (Petoskey), not far from Lake Michigan. We
were the first to arrive on Thursday afternoon...Nobody in sight. My
husband thought I was out of my mind! I pointed out that someone had
already started preparing the rider's tent and someone had already
marked off their "spots". We chose ours, not too far from
the vet area and not too far from the porta potties and water! A very
nice spot...we usually end up across the field (so far from the potty
that I have to DRIVE to it or risk humiliation! I haven't figured out
why they don't put one at each end of the field!). Anyway, the ride
managers showed up (sisters Shannon Weston and Shayna Steffel...thanks
ladies!!) that night so we weren't all alone! We enjoyed their company
around the fire! Except for not drinking as well as I would have
liked, the horses did well in their corrals and vetted in without
incident on Friday afternoon. Jonathan did have Bs for gait and
impulsion...he often does. (Haven't figured that out yet. He almost
always has straight As through the ride. And I do take time to warm
him up and ride a bit in camp!) Jenny and I tacked up and warmed up
Saturday morning...cold and crisp. Mist rising over the fields and
trees.... just a gorgeous day for a ride!! We put our gloves on to
start!! We let the pack gallop off before we headed out at a trot. It
was wonderful....the first time Jonathan has been relaxed and not all
hyped up!! The buddy system was a great strategy and much more fun
than riding alone!! I was able to ride him the entire time in his
sidepull. We made it up Heartbreak Hill (a mile of climbing a pretty
good grade!) and then off we went to tackle more sand and rocks and
hills...it is a tough trail. Which is what makes it so interesting, I
think. We were so exhilarated by the smell of ozone in the forest and
the frost in the fields and the rising mists, we didn't feel the
chill!! We made it without incident to the first vet check at 12
miles. Jonathan was not ready to stop....he refused to eat or drink
anything!! He kept looking in the direction that the horses were
leaving out. He doesn't understand why we need to stop. Max is
slurping (literally slurping) up his goodies (beet pulp, some sweet
feed, pelleted feed, apples and carrots with a dash of
electrolytes)... in fact, he ate his AND most of Jonathan's in that 20
minute hold!! I lyted Jonathan with AccuLyte hoping to get him
drinking and eating. We tacked up, trotted out, we're good to go and
we're off.... the next few miles is fairly flat. A couple miles out,
my stirrup leather tears on my saddle. Did I mention I am riding in a
saddle that I haven't ridden in in years, fresh from the Amish harness
shop for some repair (missed this strip of leather though!)? I know, I
know...but my McClellan was REALLY broke and my only other option was
my english saddle, no thank you!!! I duct taped it and rode very
carefully until my husband pitted us again where another wonderful pit
husband had some zip ties which they fixed me up with right away!!
ANYWAY!!! After that vet check, Jonathan realizes he is a special kind
of thirsty. He stops and drinks at EVERY water hole and creek and
pail, even pausing at other's buckets as if to say, "Hey, got
some for me??". Back in camp for the halfway check, he eats
everything in sight and drinks like a champ. We walked the last mile
in so they are down right away. We have a nice lunch, the horses
munching the whole time....I am so happy. The vet is so happy!! My
husband actually MADE sloppy joes for us...a hot meal!! The three of
us are having fun (we usually have friends and family with us
totalling about 6-8 so this is a different kind of ride for us!). The
40 minutes is up in a flash and we ride out 3-4 minutes behind
schedule....big deal! Who cares? COMPLETION!! That's what it's all
about! We're a little quieter this time out...starting to feel those
hills up and down. Part way up Heartbreak Hill the horses stop and
look back at us as is to say, "Hey, wait a minute! We're doing
this AGAIN???" We urge them on and when they decide it's for
real, they're going like troopers again! Max has this amazing way of
putting his tail in the air and his ears forward that just shows how
much he loves going down that trail (Jenny has a bounce in her butt,
too but she wouldn't want me to write about that!) and his and Jenny's
presence on this ride make it the best ride Jonathan and I have ever
had! Memories of the other rides on this trail kept popping into my
head....this is where so and so broke their stirrup leather, this is
where we caught up to you know who, this is the spot with the view of
(fill in the blank)....and I had a wonderful time sharing those with
my daughter. The 2nd half of the ride was a review of the memories of
the first half with her and I can't wait to ride it again next year
and review them all again!! About halfway to the 3rd check we catch up
to a couple of riders who complain that they got off trail and went 10
miles out of their way.... I don't understand it as we did the same
loop that morning and we had no trouble staying on the right trail.
(Follow the horse tracks!!!) Every time we got too close they were
hollering at us about how they lost so much time...I wonder if they
thought we would just stop and let them have 10 miles of time ahead of
us???? Well, we were keeping up a brisk pace...I think they would have
preferred to go slower. They never offered for us to pass. We didn't
ask. We made it into the check, got off and walked in. The horses
looked GREAT!!! They chowed down everything in sight...in fact, they
had to eat out of the same bucket. Slop, slop, slop like hogs!! I
don't care!! :) They were drinking and peeing and pooping so good (no
nervous diarrhea stuff which is normal for both of them!). The other
riders went out a couple minutes ahead of us and it wasn't long before
we caught up to them as they stopped to let their horses drink. They
were pushing it, I thought, but I wanted our horses to come in in top
form! I had been concerned about the Appy because he had refused to
trot out for the CRI. Apparently he has to be FORCED to trot out in
hand. With a whip or a rope. My well meaning husband loaned the lady a
rope which she used like a whip and the vet slapped him on the butt
for her and he eventually moved (barely).... I don't think that a
horse that refuses to trot out for a CRI can give an accurate
measurement for comparison. Oh, well... I guess I better get used to
seeing those kinds of things. I'll do MY thing so I can feel good
about MYself and MY horse!! ANYWAY, back to catching up and
drinking.... our horses are still drinking at every stop and we are
right on their tails. At least in sight. Jonathan started flagging up
one of those nasty hills so I got off and walked...he acted as if he
wanted to stop and pee but he'd stop and then NOT, so I kept him going
(he finally did pee when we finished and he was back in his corral).
Jenny was just itching to catch up and race in.... I wouldn't let her
do it and I think she was mad at me. But I felt those horses were
already being pushed enough and one of them (a junior was riding) was
an old pro and was conditioned on these trails... she wasn't going to
beat the old guy! I held back more until they were out of sight and
the notion passed and we eventually walked in the last mile or two.
Since 3 of the 11 original starters had pulled, we were in top
ten....we trotted in side by side but I let Jenny and Max nose me out
for 6th and I ended up in 7th place (what a mom!). Our horses vetted
out with all As... (I truly don't remember anything less than an A-).
We felt soooooooo good about our ride!! We were so tired! But it is
truly the best ride I have had yet! Jenny and Max earned 2nd junior,
6th over the line and Best 1/2 Arab. Jonathan and I earned 2nd
heavyweight. They did do best condition scoring but did not announce
placings....my husband went back and asked for the scoring and found
out that Jonathan scored 2nd in Best Condition placing to Gene Dake's
KTP Simply the Best who took BC. And that was what mattered to me
most. Gene was in a loooooong time before I was and I was right on the
tail of the 3 ahead of me and my horse scored better in BC. (Jenny
placed 4th... the girl on the old pro was 3rd!) Am I right to feel so
good about this??? My horse was in better shape POST ride than PRE
ride (can't say the same for the husband)!! I think that is sooo
cool!! So, I hope those of you who live vicariously through the ride
stories of others will at least share some of my aches and pains
tonight (how about footing some of the entry fees sometime??) and feel
a good portion of the happiness I feel for our achievement. Many
thanks to the above mentioned sisters who took over this ride so that
it would continue....they did a great job and this is a ride I will
return to again and again as long as they have it!! Also many thanks
to trail boss Jim Yell and his wife, Theresa... we camp on their land
and ride on their trails....they put a lot of hours into those
trails!!! Don't forget those ride managers AND their volunteers who
put so much time and effort into the ride BEFORE the flyer even goes
out!!! Sorry so long!
Maggie
and Jonathan (the farrier's wife and the wife's horse who doesn't care
much for the wife's husband except when he has that bucket of water
and slop at the pit stop!) Beautiful northern Michigan
Miles of Smiles! Maggie and Malik
|
