Raptor Run 2011

My partner in life and best buddy picked out this ride months ago. She said we were going. One day rides hundreds of miles away are not high on my list but if Moma isn’t happy, well you know what I mean?

I have a points thing going on with my main twh mare Kate. So, I got her ready. Then she found a piece of wire 10 days pre race and got it wrapped around a front leg. Vet time and no race. Another competitor bought Niki, so she was race ready but not with me any more. Blues was not in the right cycle of training. Jazz, a 6 year old twh mare had been raced at 50 miles in September but pretty gently so she was my next choice.

The race director was Jody Buttram. She is an experienced competitor, who is an internet friend of mine and with whom I have ridden with before in southern rides. Raptor Run is in the William B. Bankhead National Forrest. To say this is an “old growth forest” is like saying Tevis is a trail ride. You have a feeling here that you are riding in something special and that you and your horse might just get eaten by some creature at any time.

There are no campgrounds available for the big rigs, so camping was in a big beautiful freshly mowed cow field. The horses loved the grass in that field. 61 horses showed up and 30 of those were in the 50. The first mile of the ride was controlled on a down hill gravel road. Then the lead rider, on a fine Spanish mustang politely said, “the trail is open” and bedlam in-sued. Sandy was riding her MFT mare Savanah who was in her first 50 mile event. To meet Sandy you would be convinced that she was the shyest and most demur southern lady you have ever met. Well, let’s put it this way; Don’t be standing in her way when someone says “the trail is open”. Sandy and Savanah went out with the leaders and I tried to keep a handle on Jazz.

Jazz was a bit concerned by the numerous Arabians running by her at a cantor or gallop or extended trot. Today was going to be a training day for Jazz and I wanted her far away from what I call “race brain”. We settled in mid pack and racked away.

Jazz eating up the road

The first loop was the most wonderful riding loop for a gaited horse I can imagine. Open enough to rack on, but rocky creeks and some trail debris that the trotting horses had to slow down. With one foot down all the time in a racking gait or three feet down in a running walk, Jazz cruised through the trail. She worked her way from around 15th place to around 6th by the end of the first 17 miles. We caught Sandy and Savanah and came into camp together. The horses where great through the vet check but Jazz had one loose shoe and one missing shoe. A short 40 minute hold meant the farrier cost me at least 10 minutes extra on my out time.

We watched our GPS and heart rate monitors closely and went racking down the second loop. It also featured a 1 1/3 mile gravel road beginning. Sandy, who is at times a little more cautious than I am by nature started to worry that Savanah was getting tired half way through the second loop. This loop was the most beautiful trail I have encountered in an AERC ride. Yes, you heard me right. This was the mother lode. It was single track trail through old growth forest. Giant trees with giant silver leafs stood guard as you wound through rock formations. I kept expecting a dinosaur to step out from behind a rock formation. Jody had told us in the ride meeting that their were wild hogs and mountain lions, and this place had the feel of a creature watching you.

Jazz gaiting up hill while looking for Raptors!

The trail became smooth and fast. The pace picked up and I asked Jazz to rack on. Savannah followed most of the way but did lead some. At a few hundred yards from the vet check, we got off and walked the horses in. Jazz has an amazing heart. Her resting heart rate is 36 and just like the first vet check, she was down to at least 64 beats as I walked her up to the vet check without removing the saddle or sponging her. Savanah was down quickly but the vet said her gut sounds were quiet, so we needed to put more food to her and bring her back to be checked again before going out for the last loop. Both horses ate well but the short hold time of 40 minutes and the need to have the vet listen to her sounds again made fore another late start.

Sandy was now worried and was wanting to slow down for the last loop. The last loop was the same as the 2nd loop with the addition of another 3/4 of a mile of gravel road in the beginning. Savanah had Sandy convinced she was tired. I stayed with Sandy and Savanah until several riders had passed us and we had dropped out of the top ten. Sandy then said, “I want you to go on!”. I said no. She said yes. She said yes more emphatically. She used logic and said, “Nothing is wrong with this horse, and you would send me on!”. I went ,but then stopped to wait again. I was now in 11th place. Sandy announced clearly that she did not want me waiting on her anymore. So, I went. Between the trail riders and the number checkers I found out that Jazz and I were between 30 seconds and 4 minutes out of 10th place. We kept having to slow down for the numerous trail riders, but that is just part of the day and you have to deal with it. You have to do it with it with a mind to promote endurance.

I decided that the trail was too fast to catch the 10th place rider and I just needed to enjoy the rest of the ride. I felt sure I was 30 minutes at least in front of Sandy. With about 3 miles to the finish, I heard a noise and 4 young women came flying up to me on extended trots. Jazz went into the most even 4 beat rack and kept in front of them. I asked over my shoulder if they had seen Sandy and her big MFT mare. They said, yes, she is right on our tail!

Savanah had been dogging it and just needed some flying Arabians to give her a mental boost up. I knew I could not keep ahead of the Arabians in a drag race up the last 1 1/3 gravel road as I do not gallop Jazz. So I worked her through the corners, where she is very nimble and opened up a lead on the 4 Arabians and Sandy. By the time I started up the hill I was far enough ahead that I could not Sandy or the Arabs. I watched the GPS and the heart rate monitor. We were moving well and her heart rate stayed between 115 and 145. depending upon the grade. With about 800 yards to the finish line, I heard a galloping hoard of Arabians coming up on me. Then they were beside me, then they were gone in a cloud of dust. I was surprised but not shocked. What did shock me was that tucked in right behind them was Sandy and Savanah.

Sandy gave me a look that we are still discussing at home. Let me just say that it was very “Lance Armstrong like”. You know the look that seems to say, “how do you like me now?” She pulled ahead and beat me by a horse length through the finish line. I was very proud of her. Savanah was 15th and Jazz was 16th.

Sandy and Savanah got the first mare award which was an extremely nice engraved silver plate. Jazz got the first TWH award which was a very nice TWH coffee table book that I had been thinking about buying for a while. The ride then fed us ribeye sandwiches and we had a great professional country singer entertain us. Let me say that some female endurance riders can really dance when they get enthused.

1st place was Karen Dely on her Arabian. Let me say that Karen was one of those dancers previously mentioned. BC was Steve Huffman on his Spanish mustang. The ride featured Arabians, Arabian Standardbred crosses, TWHs, MFTs, Paso Finos, Quarter horses, a warm blood, etc.

1st in the LD, was Eddie Edwards and BC was famous ride vet Ike Nelson. This was Ike’s 8th consecutive BC. Way to go Ike!

We will go back, as this is not only on our list for next year, it is our favorite ride that we have ever done. The trails are wonderful, the people are fantastic and the memories are truly heartfelt.

In trying to determine what made this ride so special I interviewed Jody Rogers-Buttram the ride manager.

1Q. Jody, what possessed you to step up and manage a ride?

Answer: Not really sure, but maybe some strange insect bit me while I was sleeping at another ride. Like a RM bug bite??? I have a great National Forest in my backyard, and this particular forest has been the site of past endurance rides. They started back in the early 70’s, and ran through about 1992. Then the ride just fell apart. Mainly because we didn’t have a campsite that was large enough to accommodate the big rigs of today. I lucked out when Ronnie Alexander walked into my office one day, and I discovered he had a 120 acre farm….right next to the horse trails.

2Q. How is it possible you have a daughter the same age as you?

A.She just aged quickly and I stopped aging, secret of using Raptor Pee as a wrinkle cream.

3.Q Why did you name your ride “Raptor Run”?

A.There are places in the Bankhead National Forest that look as if you have stepped back millions of year with the plants and rock formations. Some places (which the ride didn’t get to see) has areas of eroded rock forming ‘culverts’ in the stone that are large enough to ride through with just a slight opening at the top for the limited sunlight to reach through. Misty, mysterious, and other world like, and possibly harboring such creatures as Raptors.

4. Q Do the Raptors eat the wild pigs?

A. The forest service wished that they did….but alas, to this day, the pig population has still managed to climb in spite of the presence of raptors and mountain lions.

5. Q What were the giant leaves on the ground that were silver on their back size and appeared “horse eating” to some of the ponies?

A. Not sure what the true scientific name is for those, but for years, we (my family) have referred to them as “umbrella trees”. The do work well if caught out in a rain, to shed some of the water off of you.

6. Q The trails were immaculate, how did you do that?

A. I am a trail fairy???? No, the Back Country Horseman of the this area worked very hard to clear away about 20 downed trees from tornado and wind damage. They even went out on Friday and cleared one more that I discovered while marking trails. Other than that, I removed many of the “tripping rocks” and sticks/logs/roots by hand while jogging and marking trails.

7. Q This ride featured the most eclectic assortment of horse breeds in the years we have been riding AERC rides. How do you account for this?

A. Years ago when I first started endurance, 1979, we had a much more varied group of horse breeds represented. So, I decided that I wanted this ride to be “different, more fluff and lot’s of extras”. One way was to encourage different breeds to come and do the ride. Many people that are getting into the sport of endurance think that they must have an Arab or part Arab to compete. Simply not true. I have seen QHs, TWHs, Mustangs, Morgans, Appys kick Arab butt over the years. So, I promoted my ride as a ride to bring what you own, ride the ride and get an award for such a breed if you finish. As a result, I had Appys, Morgan, Spanish Mustang, TWH, Missouri Fox Trotter, QHs, Paso Finos and even one Warmblood enter the ride. And most of them placed very well. And maybe I even managed to recruit some new distance riders in the process.

8. Q There were no mules or TBs in the 61 horses at the ride. Could they be afraid of raptors, or maybe wild hogs, or is it mt. lions?

A. All of the above. The mule people stayed home knowing that their mount would have spent all it’s time trying to stomp the hog, lion or raptor. The TB people stayed home because they knew their horses would simply try to out sprint the hog, lion or raptor. And the trails are just not made for a dead run. 😉 Maybe next year we will see a mule, we own an arab mule….Joni will want to ride her in the ,I am sure.

9. Q How did you get professional live entertainment from a man who could not only sing and play but shoe a horse?

A. You left out “look totally hot while doing so”. Connections. Being a farrier myself, we tend to know each other, plus he is also close kin to the endurance rider Bud Davidson. And he (Joseph) also agrees with me, that Marty (who I purchased from Bud) is the best horse Bud ever owned, and he thinks Marty is the most loved horse in the world too.

10. Q Great breed awards, silver plates, how did you get silver engraved plates?

A. Ah, can’t give away all my secrets, but will say this, just some smart thinking, planning ahead and wanting to have the awards leave an impression.

11. Q What did you learn and what were you surprised at?

A. I learned that I * can * still run…for miles without getting tired, although if I were a rat, I would have long since gnawed my leg off above the knee. That if you plan ahead carefully, then surround yourself by the best people, things will work out. I know that I am already planning for next year and some improvements. I think I was most surprised that people really liked my trails, to me they are boring, but we see them all the time. I suppose if you are surrounded by beauty all the time, you begin to take it totally for granted.

Rack on my friends, eh, well the rest of you can trot on.
Keith
Shawnee Sunrise Farm

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Lincoln Trail 100, 2011

Lincoln Trail 100, 2011

A TWH and Gypsy the Mule

My name is Kate. I am a grey TWH. My human is Keith. Sometimes he is my best buddy, sometimes he is my food slave. You would not believe how I have this guy trained. I can go and stand at the gate and Keith brings me food. I have him trained to give me an apple treat every time I nuzzle him. He was a little slow to train, but he is catching on. Part of my training of Keith is that I take him to endurance rides. Giving him a job has made him a much better human.

One of my favorite places to take Keith is Stephen Forbes State Park in Salem Il. It is only a 90 minute drive and the course is really technical and it is almost always muddy with lots of climbing and creek crossings. I like that. I finally convinced Keith that he was ready for 100 mile rides a year ago.

Cheyenne, one of my pasture mate TWH’s went with her human, Sandy. For some reason, we decided to take Samba. She is just a 4 year old MFT. I think we took her so she could see what a ride camp iss like. You know how youngsters can be.

The 100 started off at 5:45 and it was very dark. This trail has always been very muddy and it is mostly in woods. The trail is not completely cleared and you have to duck under limbs and go around occasional trees that completely block the trail. There are never any glow sticks on the trail. I appreciate Keith’s light on his helmet. I went to the lead and off we went.

It was a small group consisting of 3 Arabians, me, and a big bay horsey thing with big floppy ears. I had never seen anything like this big eared horse. Her name was Gypsy. Keith said she was a mule. She had a really sweet human named Sheila from somewhere called Iowa.

At one point, I could hear horses coming up behind our group. They were really moving faster than us. I pulled over and let them go past. My pasture mate Cheyenne, a big grey TWH with Sandy on board zoomed past. Cheyenne is much faster than I am, but Sandy just lets her do 50 miles at a time. When I try to do a 50 with her, she makes me work too hard to try and keep up.

We all zoomed around pretty good and smooth on the trail most of the way through the first 20 mile loop until Keith pulled off the trail and took me into the woods and tied me to a tree. Keith got sick, really sick. All the other horses, plus the big eared horse went away. It made me a little nervous. Eventually Keith untied me and we went looking for the others but we did not catch them. They must have been going faster. Vet check is always fun. I get to eat, have my human give me a sponge bath. I do get a bit annoyed by new humans putting things on me and calling out numbers when I am enjoying my food and sponge bath. I like the thing they call the “trot out”. All the other horses sure do move funny. It makes me giggle. I get to do my favorite movement. Keith calls it a “pace. He thinks he won’t let me do it when I choose to take him for a ride but sometimes I fool him by sneaking it in. I humor him because we really are best buddies.

After a great meal at the trailer, we are off looking for the other riders. The trail sure is hard and dry this fall. I wonder if they are going too fast. Keith has slowed me down for some reason. We caught Gypsy the mule. She and Sheila had stopped to eat grass. Gypsy did not like to go in the lead, so off we went with Gypsy right behind us.

At the next vet check, one of the leaders in front of us stayed in camp. I guess she wanted to rest. I wanted to go. We did the same loop again. I learned it pretty good and knew where the best grass and water was. I do a trick for the humans they all seem to like. I know how to put my whole nose in the water when I drink and blow bubbles out of my nose as I drink. It seems to make them happy so I amuse them. We saw Cheyenne again and got to ride with her some, as the 100 mile loop and the 50 mile loop covered some of the same trail. Cheyenne told me that some of the 50 mile riders where staying in camp too so Sandy had slowed Cheyenne down. I kept noticing that the trail was very hard and the footing was often bad. Sure glad my running walk lets me keep 3 feet on the ground and my rack lets me keep one foot on the ground. I think it makes difficult trails easier on me than on some of the trotting horses.

Keith lets me canter and sometimes gallop up hills. I like it a lot. I know that we get to slow down and rest some after this, but it is fun for me. I also like jumping things but Keith won’t let me do that very much in these 100 mile rides.

At the 60 mile vet check, we found out that only one arabian was still on the course and that she was an hour and 27 minutes ahead of us. I heard Keith tell Gypsy’s human that all the pulls where a problem and that we were going to ride conservatively if she want to go along. Gypsy liked that, but I can’t tell that Gypsy likes too much of anything else except her human. Once, while I was eating, she walked by me and narrowly missed kicking me in the head. Another time she tried to bite me. She was very grumpy. That confused me as I liked her just fine. Well, all but the kicking and biting part.

Before we left ride camp at the 60 mile mark Cheyenne told me that her and Sandy had finished and that they were 3rd in the 50 mile ride. She said they would have done better but that her heart rate had been a bit higher than usual. She told me to come on back to camp and we would eat dinner together. I don’t think she knew how far I was going to take Keith on this ride.

As we got a few miles out of camp, the remaining Arabian on the course came
backwards on the trail towards us and his human was on the ground walking. Keith wanted to help her but the human said that he had twisted his leg on the trail somehow and that they were finished and walking back to camp. Keith stopped and let me eat and had a talk with Gypsy’s human. He and Sheila said we were on our own and needed to conserve us on this hard trail and that we just needed to keep us sound and finish. That sounded good to me.

The 80 mile vet check was fine and off we went in the night. I have a great memory and knew just where all the best grass spots where on the trail. This seemed to surprise Keith as I would stop in the same spots every time around the trial. I have no idea why this surprises him as he remembers where the barn is and where the pond is.

Keith turned his light on for me and Sheila put her light on behind us. This trail would have been dangerous without the lights. Once, even though Keith had his light on he barely ducked in time to partially miss a limb that hit him in the head. It would have drug him off had he not seen it at the last second. I am glad he was okay as I do like living with him. The trail got kind of spooky. In places it was very grown up and close with high weeds. In other places it was foggy and misty. It got cool and we got wet. No one was on the trail except for me and Gypsy. We came into camp just before midnight and passed our vet check.

Gypsy said she was done and did not want to come back for B.C. under any circumstance. She was having dinner and going to bed! Since I had finished in the lead, I let Keith take me to B.C. Sandy put a blanket on me but I was pretty wet and cold in the cool and moist air. I got a Charly people in my inside rear leg. Keith and Sandy rubbed and rubbed on me and that made it feel better but it was still a little ouchy for me so no one got B.C.

Back at the trailer again, Cheyenne woke up and I ate dinner. The long rides sure make me hungry. Actually, everything makes me hungry. We had a great time together and I would take Keith back there again. I hope to see Gypsy again and try and make her my friend. This is a picture of us the next morning. You can see that I am looking at her kind of funny. She had just reached across Sheila and tried to bite off my face about 2 seconds before this picture. These horses with big ears sure are cranky!

Until next time,
Kate

The two finishers of the Lincoln Trail 100

This is my buddy Cheyenne. Her human, Sandy, declined being photographed. Silly humans, I get treats when I get my picture taken!

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Dead Dog, 2011

Dead Dog Creek 2011
Gaiting for a Weekend

This is one of my favorite rides. It is named after a creek that the race managers used to race through on another course that has absolutely nothing to do with this course. Then, they found out that “Dead Dog Creek” itself was actually named something other than “Dead Dog Creak”. They kept the name for this event and in the world of endurance that makes perfect sense.

The course is windy, wet and is frequently crossing creeks and has climbing. What more could a gaited horse want? It is also within 2 hours from our home, and that is a real blessing. On top of that, Aaron and Linda Mowrer are real peaches as the ride managers. They are non assuming, old school endurance to the bone. They don’t care if you ride a 3 legged pogo stick if your horse can do the deal and they will encourage you and help you along the way. They get 5 out of 5 stars.

So, we had 7 horses ready, and only 6 trailer spots. I elected to leave Blues at home and accept the help of my friends Kelley Powell and Jeff Anderson. I would put Kelley on Niki, who I thought fast enough to keep up with Sandy and Cheyenne in a 50 on Saturday and then have Jeff ride with Sandy and Savannah on Pippin in a Ld. on Sunday. I decided to ride Jazz in a 50 and then follow up with Kate in a 50. Blues is the fastest critter we have but he was staying home. So 6 horses, two rigs and 4 riders went to Salem.

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Ozark Trail 2011, 100

Ozark Trail 100
April 2011

Paul Sidio is my friend. We have ridden several 50s together and one previous 100. When I heard that he had the idea of doing a point to point 100 in the extremely remote Ozarks in So Missouri I was immediately interested. When I learned that no one had made it more than 65 miles, in the last ride, I did have a bit of concern.  So, when Paul asked if I could help clear part of the trail, I took the chance to help and preview the course at the same time. The trail was no worse than the Shawnee National Forest and that is where we normally train and ride.  I took some advice and invested in Vettec for additional hoof protection.

The week before the ride featured my 2007 ford developing a head leak. The truck could not be repaired in time and Sandy’s truck could not pull the live aboard. Our only option was a stock trailer and a tent. Sandy said, “great, I love a tent”.  She was not being sarcastic and is such a trooper.

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Blazing Saddles 2011

Blazing Saddles 2011

One of the challenges of doing endurance in the Midwest part of the U.S. is that there are not many rides in the heat of the summer, or the cold and snow of the winter. The 2010-2011 winter in the Midwest was a real lulu.  Much of the months of December and January were 25 degrees and under.  So, we have to travel south to find rides in the winter.

We like doing rides in the South, because the people we meet are very friendly, and the vets often have an understanding of gaited horses.  Blazing Saddles features one of our very favorite vets, Otis Schmidt.  Dr. Otis not only understands gaited horses, he owns a TWH.  All we ask for is an even shot, and Dr. Otis always gives us this. This is one of Sandy’s favorite rides because she likes the food.  The ride manager, Terry Price, arranges for Southern homemade food the night before the ride and Cajun food after the ride.

Sandy had decided months ago to get her 7 year old TWH mare Cheyenne ready for the mare’s first ride.  Her thought was that Cheyenne was a long term horse for her and she didn’t want Cheyenne even thinking she might be finished at 25 miles, so she started her out at the 50 mile distance.  Cheyenne can be just a little emotional, so Sandy really worked on that issue, and hatched a ride plan to make sure Cheyenne had a calm first ride.

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