Paul Sidio graciously decided to try and endurance event on the Katy trail at Sedalia Mo not far from Kansas City. The Katy trail was a “rails to trails” project and promised a flat and fast event.
We had a very long haul to get there from Southern IL. The event was well attended and pulled from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. It was a one day event. The 50 miler had over 20 riders and the Ld had over 50 riders.
As it was a one day event, I was not able to crew for Sandy. Unfortunately, the ride was an out and back, which meant that our vet stops would be away from camp. Riding gaited horses is a challenge as our horses are so different from the standard Arabians that are used in endurance. It seems that every ride provides a new challenge and having to pack for an unsupported away from ridecamp vet check would just be another challenge. I would have two of those vet stops in the 50 miler with Blues.
As we got into the ridecamp late and had to get up very early to prepare and feed the horses, I did not get much sleep. I woke up tired and a little nervous. Blues is often a bundle of nerves even if he is not at an event. If you add 75 horses in a new place and Blues can be more than bit on edge. He warmed up just fine and I spent several minutes just trying to get his attention during warm up. His running walk was solid and his easy rack was spot on. I had started using both a Gps watch and a wireless heartrate monitor this season. Sandy also had a gps watch.
The ride had a controlled start, which I appreciated. One mile into the ride the lead rider let us know “the trail was open” and the Arabians all around us broke into a trot at the same time. I do not know if Blues freaked out just because of that or if he read my nervousness or whether it was a combination of both of those things but his rack fell apart and he invented a new way of moving. Whatever it was, it was disjointed and rough. It was very rough. I pulled him back and slowed him down. He reared. I immediately did a one reign stop and spun him around. We spun around a time or two and started out again.
We repeated this series of moves several times. We pulled off the course. We went back words on the course. He would not settle down. So, I did the only thing I knew to do. I turned him away from the race and the disappearing Arabians. I got off the horse and prayed for him. I also told him to get his mind right. The drag rider was approaching us.
We were now in last place. Make that dead last place. We started in the running walk. I monitored his gait. It was perfect. I watched the heart rate monitor and the GPS and concentrated on the feeling of the gait. We went to the easy rack and skipped the foxtrot. It was 4 beat and smooth. After a few minutes, I asked Blues to “come up” and he hit 10 mph. At this speed, Blues heart rate is usually only about 105-110 beats per minute. Arabians started to appear on the horizon and we started by them while asking permission to pass on the left.
I had taken off his new sport boots when we stopped to pray as I wondered if they could be the problem. When I got back up I tied the sport boots onto my english saddle. From 100 yards behind us I heard someone yelling. We stopped and turned around and went back up the course. One of the boots had fallen off. What else could happen?
I varied Blues speed from 10 to 12 miles an hour and watched his heart rate carefully. By mile 12, Blues had gone from last to first. I could not believe it. At mile 14 we came across a police officer on a very small gravel road that the trail intersected. As we were in the lead we were the first horse he had seen. He hit his microphone to tell us to come on across the small gravel road. Unfortunately, the speaker was turned all the way up. It screached like an eagle on steroids. Blues jumped straight up in the air and did a 180 degree spin. I sat as deep as I could on my synthetic english saddle. I asked the officer not to repeat his greeting at that volume for the other riders.
We went into the first vet check on foot and in the lead. Blues came down fine but I had to repeat the “trot out” several times. It seems the vet knew of gaited horses but had not seen one at an endurance event one before.
The second and third place riders got started out of the vet check just before us but we caught them in the next mile. They slowed as we caught them and we went on and were back in the lead up to the 25 mile mark. Blues, like all horses, likes company. We settled in with the other top three horses. It did not take long for them to start asking about Blues way of going. I showed them his rack and his foxtrot while they trotted. Then we all took canter breaks together.
At the 32 mile vet check I noticed Blues was not exactly himself. I talked to the vet about my concern. He had come down acceptably but then his heart rate had gone up slightly. The vet suggested I hang around longer than required to make sure Blues was okay. I whole heartedly agreed to do just that.
With 18 miles to go, cold weather,wind and a very hard trail surface Blues and I both got lonely. I decided to pull off the trail after 9 miles and wait for the next Arabian. Blue buddied up to Chal Taleem ridden by Molly Wilson. I think we all four enjoyed and appreciated the company. It is a challenge for a gaited horse to ride with a trotting horse. Blues could not match speeds perfectly with Taleem unless we were all cantering at the same time. His run walk was slower than the Arabian’s trot but Blue’s rack was faster than the trot. So, Blue’s used an in between gait I call a “cantellope.” Don’t bother googling it.
We crossed the line in a dead tie, which was fine with us. We tied for 5th and I was honored to ride with Molly and Taleem.
Unfortunately, Sandy was pulled for Lady’s heart rate at the 18 mark in the LD. Lady came down fine but then went up a bit when it was checked again. She had been in 4rth place at the time. I decided that she need her own on board heart rate monitor.
Paul did a great job at his ride. You should take into account the hard surface of the trail before attending.
Keith
Shawnee Sunrise Farm
