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We are home from the Pyramid Challenge Ride held in conjunction with the Egyptian Event at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. We went down with some high expectations having missed the ceremonial saddle donated by the King of Morocco by a mere 20 minutes 2 years ago. Many thanks to Barb and Larry Ward of Mashallah Arabians for their generous sponsorship that made our attendance possible this year and for Larry's pit crewing help as well. We sure missed not having Barb there but perhaps next year?? We drove through the night on Wednesday to arrive about 8 a.m. on Thursday morning. We caravaned with my OLD friend, Kelly (old as in since the 4th grade) and her daughter, Michaela. We felt that Malik and Murash (his half brother) would feel much more comfortable in the cool of the night. We arrived without incident, set up camp and had NAPS! We all needed them and even if we hadn't, the heat and humidity would certainly have encouraged them anyway. The horses settled in to eating and drinking their slurries which we gave them about every other hour to make sure they would be well hydrated on ride day. As always, Tommy and Maggie Ticktin make rounds to welcome people and generally proffer southern hospitality everywhere. On Friday, we visited other Michigan breeders/owners participating in the event in the stables, made rounds of the exhibits and vendors in the big arena and made time for people showers and horse baths. Both horses vetted in with Dr. Otis Schmitt and Dr. Ken Marcella with all As. Our ride meeting followed a delicious pasta and salad dinner. During the day, it was necessary for us to take cover during a particularly loud and windy thunderstorm. The rain came down hard. Malik demonstrated to Murash that all you have to do is turn your butt to the wind and hang your head low. Murash was not liking any of it but eventually followed suit until it passed. Malik was so unconcerned, he even munched hay as thunder rumbled and lightning cracked around us. I'd like to make a long story short but I am never able to do that, it seems. Ride day dawned grey and dreary and humid. We hoped to make good time while it was cool. Only 14 horses started the fifty but nearly 50 horses started the 25. We were slated to go out at 6:30 a.m. and Jenny and Murash would head out on the 25 at 8 a.m. Malik was VERY fresh at the start, giving me a rough time wanting to GO! I hope no one sees THOSE pictures....we both look like incompetent boobs! After a couple of miles, he smoothed out into a nice smooth canter alternating with his big huge trot. The grass was slick from rain the day before so footing was not the best. We made good time on the first loop and made it in just before Jenny and Murash headed out. Our crew met us at the gate and we were happy to welcome our friends, Jessica and Tom from Mistu Arabians in Gregory, Michigan. They pitched right in helping cool Malik and get his pulse down...the humidity was not kind to us and for the first time ever, Malik was panting. I have never seen him do that before. And the heat was climbing. Kelly and Michaela showed up and began their job of taking care of ME. :) Was that a nice treat! It's too easy to forget about oneself when concerned with the horse. But Malik ate and drank well and was fresh and ready to go when the timer called us out. I had a protein drink, more Gatorade and lots of water. Not long into the hold, we saw Jenny walking across the field toward us...Murash just couldn't wrap his head around riding 25 miles without a buddy and rather than risk injury to herself or the horse, she decided to come in while she was still close to ridecamp. I applauded her decision....there is always another ride and another day. The next loop went well with Malik drinking at all the water stops (Tommy has water about every 3 miles on the trail or it would just be impossible to make it!). He also had peed on the first loop AND again on the second (in fact, he peed on every loop at this ride!). I was using my water to pour on his neck inbetween stops (not the smartest thing to do but I was worried as the heat and humidity climbed). I swear that Malik would not leave a water stop unless I also got out my water and/or Gatorade and drank with him! A couple of times when he did this, I got overly concerned trying to figure him out and after taking a minute to regroup and have a drink, he would continue on without a look back...weird how they know!!! Anyway, the second hold went well, pulsing down in 4 minutes. Eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, doing fine. I was amazed. I wasn't feeling all that great myself and was having trouble keeping up with fluids and keeping cooled off. I discovered a cool bandana around my neck sure helped and so did the occasional breezes over the fields around the park. I let Malik sort of tell me what the pace should be (having already figured Patty Bass was kicking you know what and had that saddle sewed up and was more worried about getting through the ride in one piece!). He would slow down when it was really bad and when we caught a good breeze, he would start to canter again or even pick up his big trot. He started to lag on that third loop and I got a bit concerned. He drank deeply at almost ALL of the water stops. As luck would have it, he lagged enough that a nice gentleman named Lyle with his handsome gelding, Legend, caught up to us and we finished that loop together. So much more fun to have a buddy to ride with! Besides, Malik was sick of hearing "The Battle of New Orleans" and "Grandma's Feather Bed". I guess I need to learn a few more new songs!! :) Our vigilant crew became concerned when we didn't arrive shortly behind Patty, and Tom and Michaela came looking for us! No one thought to call my cell phone and ask if everything was alright! :) In any case, we made it through the last 40 minute hold and as we had pulsed down together with Lyle and Legend, we headed out together on the last loop. I sure enjoyed riding with Lyle and the horses seemed to enjoy a little competition and companionship as well. That last loop went quickly, not because we went fast but because we had good company and I am sure grateful for it! At the end, Malik was spent. He wasn't even interested in eating and at first, we were quite alarmed. He had pulsed down quickly and didn't appear to be in distress. His gut sounds were not what I would consider an A but they were present in all the quadrants. I think he just wanted us to leave him be and let him rest. We walked him awhile trying to tempt him with grass and his buddy, Murash. He seemed a bit off in the hind (which Dr. Otis confirmed for us later) but it was inconsistent. He finally decided to eat again (with a vengeance and everything in sight) so we went ahead and stood for BC, mostly because I wanted to compare MY notes with Dr. Otis and we were in agreement on all counts. For anyone who poo poos the trail at Pyramid Challenge as being easy, let me tell you....NOT! It may be mostly flat and mostly grass but that grass when it's wet is NASTY. More rain later in the day made it even worse. It makes footing very difficult and even though we didn't slip much (thanks to our farrier!), I am sure that being careful NOT to in the first place creates a big stress as well. The heat and humidity made this one of the toughest rides I think I have ever done. We finished in just over 7 hours and placed 5th. I think a 100 miler would have been easier!! In any case, WE FINISHED. I was quite relieved. For awhile I was afraid "I" might not finish. For various reasons (one leaking gas tank, heat and humidity, weather forecast in MI, etc.), we decided to pack up and head out early so we could drive through the night again, foregoing the ceremony in the arena on Saturday night. Kelly and Michaela headed out ahead of us, hoping to make it back to their home in Gaylord even earlier. Unbeknownst to us, they turned around and came back, not knowing that we had decided not to present in the arena. Did they get a surprise! She called us asking us where we were when we were about 45 minutes north of Lexington. What a comedy of errors. However, I must apologize to Tommy and Maggie. At the time, we were very tired and I was even feeling somewhat ill and just couldn't face getting back on a horse! However, I realized as I pondered this driving north that the Pyramid Challenge is not just any old endurance ride...it is an opportunity for Egyptian Arabian breeders to see what their chosen bloodlines are able to do outside of showing. I feel guilty for having cheated them out of that because Malik is a shining example of Egyptian athleticism, grace, beauty and brains. He is the love of my life and my best friend. He takes care of me and I think each of us would willingly lay down our life for the other. While I know there are many horses out there with which their riders have such a relationship, I think it is important for our Egyptian breeders to realize that their horses are so much more than beautiful ornaments. Anyway, my point is to apologize for running out on Tommy and Maggie. I feel horrible and hope they will forgive me. It won't happen next year and I promise to bring more Egyptian horses and riders if I can! Many thanks to hubby, Nelson who drove through the dark of night coming and going to ensure the horses would be comfortable and safe from the heat and humidity and to Larry, who scares the bejesus out of me when he drives but who helped us reach our destination safely when Nelson's eyes just couldn't stay open anymore. Thanks so much to Kelly and Michaela, who agreed to come out of curiosity about this crazy sport I do and helped me take good care of myself and did lots of gofer errands (even if they couldn't handle tenting it and had to get a motel anyway!). :) It was wonderful to come back to camp and have a hot meal of burgers and beans to dig into! Thanks to Tom and Jessica for throwing themselves into the fray with wild abandon. Jessica did a 25 with me 2 years ago and I think perhaps she may pursue another and Tom may make a great crew for her when she does! Also, thanks to everyone who supported us with prayers and good wishes...for those of you who wondered, Malik was waiting at the gate when I went to get him to load for KY and nearly ran me over getting into the trailer. There were no trailer antics or upsets and the trip went smoothly and all is well! We are glad to be back in competition! And, of course, thanks to the Pyramid Society for helping Tommy and Maggie make this ride possible and all of the volunteers with snacks and COLD water who met us at the gate and for the vets who take such great care of our horses and simply make it an enjoyable experience. I appreciate the atmosphere Dr. Otis and Dr. Marcella create....a partnership of rider and vet, interested in the welfare of the horse. It can't get any better than that! I hope I didn't miss anybody!! BTW, I didn't win the saddle this year. I guess there was a stirrup for the 2nd Egyptian (Michaela assures me it is a GOLDEN stirrup) which we missed at the presentation. However, I feel as if we won big time because we made it through a tough and grueling ride and still managed to have fun and make some friends. If you want a challenge, the Pyramid Challenge is NOT a Mickey Mouse ride...it'll challenge you to the very fiber of your being. Put it on your calendar for 2006! And plan to arrive early or stay late so you can take in some sights. Miles of Smiles, Maggie Mieske http://arabianquest.com/samaha_arabians.htm Winners see opportunity in risk. Losers see risk in opportunity!
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