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Little
Manistee Memorial, May 10 & 11, 2003 The
Little Manistee Memorial Ride in Luther is a special ride for me...it
is also the trail for Tin Cups Springs and I have done this trail at
every ride that Jay and Becke Grams have had here since I started
distance riding (about 350 miles total!).
I love this trail and my horses love this trail and I have made
some very special friends at this ride.
And I make new ones every year!
There are just no people in the world like distance people!!!
Whether they ride endurance or comp, they know about
"going the distance" and continue to make me feel welcome
and support my efforts at passing it on! In
keeping with a typical Michigan spring weather pattern, we experienced
one of those rides that went from a typical July day for heat and
humidity (esp. humidity) on Saturday to typical April thunderstorms
and pouring rain that night to typical October winds and blustery
showers throughout the day on Sunday! Since
we had a good ride at White River, I decided to let Malik decide how
the ride would go. We
started out with the front
runners and fell back to being a few minutes behind with a few others
halfway through the first loop. It
was cool and foggy but comfortable when we started at 7:00 a.m. but
the humidity got uncomfortable as the sun came out and it got pretty
muggy. Nelson soon took
over custody of my sweatshirt! I
opted to sweat it out in my sleeveless T-shirt (which my arms suffered
for through the day from whipping branches, a few thorn trees, sunburn
and such). We did the
first loop (about 12 1/2 miles) in just under an hour and actually
ended up coming in to the first check with the front runners.
Malik was eager and excited and it took us 8 minutes to come
down. That hurt.
But he peed and had ALL A's and the vet was pleased so I was
pleased. He ate like a
pig but refused to drink...not unusual.
He often doesn't drink until the halfway point.
We were out with Gene and Shelley Dake from this check and I
had the opportunity to ride behind them into the halfway check in
camp. Gene and Shelley
often ride together and they have a system that works...let's just
say, when you have the chance at a ride to see them work and ride
together, take notice and pay attention.
You'll learn something! Malik
was still doing well at the halfway check, all A's again though not
drinking. We had a 50
minute hold and took advantage of it.
We were both feeling really good.
The Dakes left out 3 minutes ahead of us.
We left camp at an easy canter and alternated that with a
strong working trot. He
was feeling good but maybe not as motivated as before and he drank
very little during the check. We
passed some comp riders a couple of miles out.
We were going a little slower than the first time on this loop.
What concerned me was that he had started panting so hard....he
often breathes hard and sometimes it's a mixture of scenting the air
(maybe he knows exactly who is ahead of him and how far?) and working
hard but this time, it was PANTING which he has never done.
We took extra time to cool him with slosh bottles when Nelson
and Mary (my MUCH older sister) met us at pit stops.
He sipped a bit of water.
After the first pit stop, I sensed he was needing to pee again
(same dilemma last weekend!) and he continued to pant hard.
He was moving fine at a trot and a canter so except for
allowing the occasional "slow down and move a bit off the trail
in case he has to pee" strategy, we continued to move along at a
decent clip. He finally
drank fairly well at a pit stop and I let Nelson electrolyte him
there, too. About two
miles from the vet check, he stopped on his own (not at my suggestion)
and peed and peed and peed. He
walked off a few steps, put his ears forward and to the tune of
"Grandma's Feather Bed", we took off at a canter.
I had a new horse! And
yes, I SANG to my horse in an effort to motivate him...I figured if
nothing else, he might just want to go faster to get away from it or
get back to camp faster! Nelson
met us once more at the road before the vet check and as he drove off
after pitting us, Malik took off after the van at a full gallop.
He was feeling good again.
No more panting either.
But we had lost too much time and were WAY behind the front
runners. The Dakes had
even made up the time and were within a couple of minutes of the front
runners by this point. I
talked to Dr. Steve Halstead at the vet check about the panting and
not drinking as he usually does but he did an extra thorough check on
him and Malik still had all As with the exception of a B+ for
impulsion. His skin
tenting was great and he recovered quickly at this check.
MAJOR POINT OF INTEREST: I
shudder to think what our ride might have been like if I hadn't used
Susan's advice about tanking up on wet beet pulp and hay on the
Thursday before the ride. Current
research indicates that many horses start rides already dehydrated.
I will NEVER, EVER sacrifice the extra time and effort it takes
to feed him continuously all day long on Thursday with lots of beet
pulp and wet hay as well along with his apples and carrots...I think
this also starts getting him psyched up and prepared mentally...he is
so used to the routine since this is our 4th season doing it this way!
Read Susan's articles and take heed.
Malik could have been in major trouble if he had been
dehydrated. He never got
below an A- on hydration during the ride.
THANKS SUSAN!! Anyway,
he ate and drank like a pro at the 3rd check and this time, our view
from our "spot" allowed us to see the riders a little ways
over as they finished the 4 mile loop that comes around and behind the
check on the way back to camp...he watched all the horses with much
interest and when it was time to saddle up, he was itching to go out
there and find those horses, he didn't care that we were an hour
behind!! The last loop
was awesome and I was very proud and happy to be a part of this
team... I let Malik teach me again how to let him guide ME. Though I try to watch and warn him of tricky spots with rocks
and roots, etc., I also sometimes simply let the reins lay loose in my
hands and tell him to take me through it and there are some nasty
tricky spots on this trail with deep, deep sand and some downhill with
washouts and rocks and roots that in the past, I have always walked
through. But when I ask him to be careful and get us through, he
does....every ride I gain more and more confidence in my ability and
in my horse. He is an
amazing creature. We are
now going faster and stronger than ever together.
It's such a rush! He
knows how to break into a canter at just the right place going
downhill before he hits the bottom and we start going uphill...at
first it scared the crap out of me but he is very adept at it and
knows exactly what he's doing. I
didn't teach him that though I read about it in one of Lew Hollander's
books. In fact, in a
couple of attempts at guiding (foolish human that I am), I was at
fault for causing a fumble. In
a couple of tricky spots in particular where the trail virtually
diverges into two paths, he knew EXACTLY which direction to go in (I
did, too though...I was just testing him!).
And in trying to correct my posture during one of his cantering
surges, I caused him to lose momentum and stumble a bit.
He recovered in spite of his stupid human!
He is an amazing horse. Sorry
to keep repeating myself. I
worry that I am not going to be able to ride him to his potential but
I'm going to give it my best shot!! Anyway,
to make a long story short, we finished our ride in just over 5 hours
and in 8th place (51 minutes behind Wendy Peterson who was first to
finish and Linda Hamrick who was 2nd...Wendy gallantly came back to
help Linda after Linda's horse spooked about two miles from the finish
and she came off...aren't endurance riders wonderful??).
I think our official time will be 5:14.
I find that very respectable and am pleased with how our ride
turned out. Malik vetted
out with all As. In spite
of being so far behind in time, we were only 10 points from Best
Condition which went to Shelley Dake and Count Chaska.
And they are pros with great vet scores...that's one thing I am
always impressed by-the great vet scores both Gene and Shelley get
with their horses and I aspire to that myself, not because I want Best
Condition (well, yes, I do) but because high vet scores should be a
top priority OVER fast times. Being
able to combine the two takes some strategy and experience and KNOWING
your horse and your TEAM. I
continue to work on all of that. I'd
also like to mention that 5 riders braved this quirky Michigan weather
and rode out in grey skies and gusty winds for the 25 mile Limited
Distance ride on Sunday. Tom
Peterson was first to pulse down and won Best Condition.
A brand new rider (this is his first endurance format ride and
second distance ride) named Scott something or other was 2nd.
I made sure he got a GLDRA newsletter and schedule and some
other distance riding information.
Apparently SOMEBODY had been talking about me at Brighton
because he already knew who I was (hmmm, who might that be, JEANIE
MILLER????). But it's always fun meeting new riders and helping get them
all fired up! I apologize
that I can't for the life of me remember the other riders though I
remember that Lauri Williams was 5th...the other two riders were
juniors. I
LEARNED a lot at this ride...the panting scared me and I knew Malik
had to pee. But he was
not tired or overstressed and there is a difference.
Had it been a vet I didn't know, I might have questioned my vet
scores. But Steve has
vetted Malik at rides every year since we started and even when we
voiced concern and he double checked, Malik was fine and looked great.
Steve doesn't tell you your horse is doing great if he isn't.
I learned to also trust my own instinct and to let my horse
guide me. I read a lot of
ride stories and I know there are a lot of riders and horses out there
with major issues to overcome both for themselves and their horses and
I feel lucky to have Malik. We
have a long journey ahead of us and boy, do I look forward to enjoying
every minute!! Speaking
of journeys and life and all...Jenny did not ride this weekend.
It was prom night. She could have gone out with friends and done typical teen
activities for prom weekend but she actually SAID she would rather be
there helping out. She
volunteered as time keeper at the outcheck.
She got dressed and ate a little bit at our potluck and we took
pictures and oohed and aahed over her dress and her corsage...she
cleans up pretty good!! :)
The neat thing about it all was that she wasn't all caught up
in looking perfect ("if they don't like how I look, they can kiss
my ***" is what she said) and so though she was beautiful in her
prom dress, her confidence and self assurance was what shone through
and added the most to her beauty.
I attribute a lot of that to this sport, her horse and the
people she has come to know through it.
And she was home by midnight, too.
Many
thanks to the folks who came out and helped including Jenny, my
sister, Mary and Nelson and Ridecamper KAREN Casemier who has never
even done a ride yet but took a whole weekend and came out and put up
with all of us...I, of course, in fine form, nodded when she
introduced herself (thinking all along this is the new vet that one of
our clients had told us about and realized I recognized the name from
somewhere but not which person it should belong to!!) and basically,
was I embarrassed later when I got it all figured out.
And I kept trying to call her Susan.
Duh! DIMR,
right??? I hate to claim
Distance Induced Mental Retardation, especially BEFORE the ride, but
it's the only excuse I have!!! In
any case, Becke Grams was very pleased with the volunteer help this
year. She almost
cancelled the ride but the volunteers saved the day! We
also welcomed out of state riders Wendy Mancini and Pat Oliva.
I think they are BOTH ridecampers.
It was a pleasure to meet both of them!
It
was also great to see Shannon Weston at the ride...she is the one of
the former managers of the Bear River Ride and helped me immensely
last year when I took over the Wolverine.
Her help was invaluable. I
know she has had some major life changes this year but I am so
relieved and happy that distance riding did not get left out of the
equation. I'm trying to
convince her to ride a couple of fifties with me on Max, Jenny's
horse. Even though Malik
and I had a good ride, it just isn't the same riding alone (whine,
whine). And Max and Malik
are a special team. We
brought Mykal, Malik's half brother this weekend so Nelson could show
off his driving horse...Malik was NOT impressed at this unwelcome
interloper. He tolerated
his presence (with about 6 feet of space between their pens) and
mostly just turned his back to him after giving him the
"look" that said "I'll come over there and kick your
butt if you don't behave!".
Malik and Max usually spend time scratching each other's
withers and nipping at each other's faces...their favorite activities
when they're not on the trail! I
think Malik really missed that. I
know a horse should be able to "go it alone" but I don't
feel there is any shame in riding as a team...if it's more fun for the
people, it has to be more fun for the horses!
And
so ride season seems to have begun in earnest for us here in Michigan
and God willing and the creek don't rise, we are hoping to make it to
Grand Island with definite plans to do 50 miles (and an occasional
fleeting notion that I really could and should do the 100).
Actually, it's not the creek I have to worry about but the
TRUCK and transportation issues that plague us every year.
:) We are still
waiting for the diagnosis from our mechanic and this weekend borrowed
a friend's truck to haul to LMMR as it's only 30 or 40 minutes away.
It all worked out and we are especially determined this year.
I really feel this is Malik's year to shine, actually the first
of many years, I hope. Yee
ha!!! Here's to miles of
smiles for everyone!! http://arabianquest.com/samaha_arabians.htm "So many of our dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable." Christopher Reeve
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