# Adventures of a Chubby Paint Endurance Mare (and a few others)



## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Hi!

I've been trying to start posts after our rides but I decided I would bite the bullet and start a journal! 

For those of you who are new to us, Stitch (afore mentioned chubby Paint endurance mare) and I are competing in our first year of endurance/competitive trail rides. We mostly compete in Limited Distance rides sanctioned by AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) but occasionally we ride in competitive trail rides sanctioned by UMECRA (Upper Midwest Endurance and Competitive Rides Association). If you haven't had enough of acronyms by this point we are also members of MNDRA (MN Distance Riding Association) which sanctions all 9 of the Minnesota Endurance Rides. 

Stitch is a 6 year old APHA mare (I have her registration papers ready to send in, I just haven't gotten around to it) who's parents were both registered Quarter Horses. She is certainly not the typical endurance horse as she is 14.1 hands and quite stocky. She was my husbands dream horse, purchased by us when she was 4 for him. She's a chestnut with 4 big white stockings and a big blaze. She has one half blue eye and one quarter blue eye. 

DH saw her ad on Craigslist and decided she was his first horse. We went to go visit her and as soon as we walked up the gentleman selling her told us he would take $500 off the price because he didn't realize how much work she needed. A reasonable person might have seen that as a red flag but not us! We brought her home and DH tried to hop on her (in our outdoor arena) and she instantly went rodeo bronc and dumped him into the fence. At this point we realized we were in way over our heads and after consulting with a few experienced friends found a trainer in our area who would take her for a month. She ended up only needing 2 weeks of training (according to them) and we brought her home and have essentially had a dream horse since then. 

Last summer DH and I did a bit of trail riding and acquired a few more horses (ok, few is pushing it). I also managed to break my collar bone (falling off a miniature horse, not one of my proudest moments) and was out for most of the summer with two surgeries. We finally got to go on our first park ride in late fall and I was in love. I had read all of phantomhorse13's journal and I decided to look into what MN had to offer for endurance riding. I spent the winter researching (and working, I'm a CPA) and met two other ladies from MN who were also looking to start distance riding in the summer. I joined all of the Facebook groups, sent in my checks for AERC (and the greenbean program), UMECRA, and MNDRA and bought more and more tack. I even brought home an Arabian this winter (a very green one) in hopes he would be my eventual endurance horse (more about him later). 

I wasn't sure what horse I was going to start out riding this year. I thought maybe Chico our 18 year old Arabian so I rode him over the winter whenever I was able to. I soon realized that his super choppy gaits and my bad back did not mix. Jake, my new Arabian, was too green as was my 4 year old Fox Trotter. That left Stitch, DH's horse who he graciously agreed to let me ride until we could get Jake ready. 

May came (after the worlds longest winter) and DH and I showed up after driving 8 hours the day before to bring home our new (to us) weekender trailer and having a fiasco with that to the first ride of the season. After going to the wrong campsite (and receiving a very rude welcome from the rider there), vetting in our VERY out of shape horses, and surviving our first 12 mile novice ride (the longest I had ever ridden) I was HOOKED! As was Stitch! Surprisingly, she loved the ride! She was happy as a clam heading out on the trails and did a pretty good job of pulsing down (not enough to get us a placing in the novice ride which is judged on competitive trail rules but plenty under the AERC rules).

We did one more intro ride where the vet told me Stitch was ready to keep going and I saw that as my sign to move her up to LD's. So far this year we have done 2 novice rides (one as group leader), one 10 mile intro ride, and 5 Limited Distance Rides (25-30 miles). Stitch has done a 30 mile ride on Saturday and led a novice group (15 miles) on Sunday and I'm hoping to get back to back LD's in before the end of our season (3 more rides). After our last ride Stitch was so wound up that one of the other riders told me I need to move her up to 50's which I had never thought was in our future before! My goal right now is to try our first 50 at Maplewood (first weekend of June) next year, the place we did our first 25 mile ride this year. 

As for our other horses who do rides/might in the future:

Chico, 18 year old Arabian, DH's horse. He spent the first 15 years of his life in a pasture with no vet or farrier care until a woman bought and trained him. He's beginner safe (we put our 3 year old nephew on him) but the fastest horse we own. He can trot up to 12 mph easily! He loves going to rides (and shuns us if we leave him home)! He has currently done 2 novice rides, one intro ride, and one LD this year. 

Jake, 8 year old Arabian. Jake was bred as a halter horse (his grandsire is Marwan Al Shaquab) but he has a crooked tail which cut that career short. He was very green when we got him and we took him on his first trail ride this spring. He has done 1 novice ride which he did great at and we attempted our first LD last month but had to pull at 3 miles after he went on a bucking fit because I tried to slow him down. I'm conflicted about what to do with him right now and he may be for sale.

Comet, 7 year old Rocky Mountain Horse. We got Comet as a trade for a AQHA yearling we had gotten (as a trade for a horse who we paid way too much for that was not at all what we were promised). He's very calm and sweet and quite fast. We've been starting him on trails and hope to take him to a few rides next season.

Daisy, 4 year old Missouri Fox Trotter. I bought Daisy as my dream endurance horse (I love gaited horses) with only 5 rides on her. She's just recently learned to gait under saddle and has done a lot of trails already. She's not afraid of anything and tough! I hope she can do a novice ride or two near the end of next season. 

Lilo, 3 year old Half Arab/Half Paint. My newest addition bought as my hopefully 50+ mile horse. She has very little training and will be spending the winter at a trainer to get her saddle broke and ready to ride. She's got a super sweet and curious personality and she's quite a ham. I realized I'm very much a mare person and so I hope this little lady and I get along as well as Stitch and I do!

Well that's our background! 

I'll have more to update on Monday as we are going to Charity Cup this weekend!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Yay! So glad you started a journal, and now I can oooh and ahhh about all your beautiful pictures in one place :grin:


Good luck this weekend!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

love this journal


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

This weekend we headed north an hour and a half to Charity Cup! I heard there was only 25 campsites so I took the day off to drive up there and hopefully get set up before the masses came. I left the house at 8:45 and arrived at camp around 10:30.

I saw a horse trailer ahead of me so I figured I would follow them. There was one camp on the left and they were turning past the campground on the right so I assumed there was a third set of campsites. I soon realized that they were trying to sneak in to a spot through the back and there was no where for me to turn. I tried to back up straight and turn into the entrance to the second campground but my trailer backing skills are quite lacking and I couldn't quite back straight. I decided to continue down the road hoping to come upon more campsites. Unfortunately for me there were not so I turned down a road I was hoping would loop me back to camp and I soon noticed it was quite rocky and heading away from the campground. I started freaking out as there was no where to turn around and I called DH almost in tears. He said he could come out and help me but he was at work and 2 hours away so I told him I would try to walk back to camp and find someone who was better at trailer driving then I was to try to come get me out of there. I continued up a steep rocky hill and was relieved when I found a wide spot that I could turn around in. I turned around and made it back to the second campground which was already full. I crossed the road into the first spot and noticed there was an open campsite right next to the vet in area. I was able to pull the trailer straight in since there was a road behind the site and I went to check with the ride manager that I was okay to park there. She told me it was fine so I unloaded Chico and Stitch and got set up.

By the end of the afternoon we had managed to fit 5 rigs into our one campsite. My friend Emily and I were able to put our 3 on the high ties and everyone else had pens or corrals or tied to the trailer for the night. It was pretty crowded but we had a nice little spot to hang out in and all of the people sharing the spot were very nice. 

Emily and I went to register and were very excited to see we got gift bags! They had lunch boxes, coozies, chapstick, and all kinds of other fun goodies! We've never gotten anything other than electrolyte gel as a registration prize so this was pretty exciting. 

We decided to take Stitch and Major our for a quick preride down to where I got stuck so I could show Emily. Chico did great being left behind and he only called out a few times as we were leaving but the lady who was next to us said he settled down and munched his hay as soon as we were out of site. We were only gone for about 45 minutes but it was a nice little leg stretch for them. Apparently there was a gun range near the camp which was a little unsettling, although it managed to scare me more than Stitch.

Vetting in started at 5 and there was quite a line. We tried to wait it out but it kept getting longer so we decided to take Stitch and Major. When we got nearer to the front Emily went to get Chico so we wouldn't have to wait again. I don't recommend trying to hold 3 horses with 2 people in a vet in line but we made it through. The vet who got Stitch was from our second ride where I had volunteered. She remembered that we had just been riding novice rides at the time and she was very happy to see that we were now doing LD's. Chico, Stitch, and Major vetted in well with all A's and A-'s. 

DH arrived shortly after and started cooking dinner while Emily and I went to the ride meeting. Thankfully it was only half an hour long unlike the last ride where every meeting was an hour +. We ate dinner and went to bed.

Since the days are getting shorter the ride time was 7:30 which was quite a luxury for us! I got up at 6:00 and woke DH at 6:30. We were actually on our horses 15 minutes before the start which was a first for us! We headed out on the first loop (15 miles) and actually passed a few people. Stitch and Major were able to keep up for the most part with Chico's faster pace. We were shocked to see how hilly and rocky the trail was. It was hard to keep a steady pace because around every corner there was a huge downhill with slippery rocks. All water on the trail was natural water so we got to go into a few lakes/streams which was fun. We got back to camp for our hold at a few minutes before 10 and all of the horses were pulsed down in no time. I was shocked that Stitch was pulsed down the most in our group. She was at 13 (or 52 bpm) and Chico and Major were at 14 and 15! They were doing checks on the way out (GRRRR) so we went back to camp and scarfed a few granola bars down before we had to bring the horses back for their vet check. Everyone passed easily and we tacked up quickly before heading back out on the 10 mile loop. 

The 10 mile loop was 100x rockier and with 100x more hills than the first loop! We had to do a ton of walking just to get through the ride safely. Chico was starting to get lazy as this was only his second LD so he's confused about having to go back out after the first loop and Major was getting tired. Stitch still had plenty of energy but didn't want to leave her buddies behind so she was moving pretty slowly too. We ended up getting passed by what we thought was everyone and after what seemed like much longer than 10 miles we got back into camp. We still had over half an hour until maximum time so we still had our full half our to pulse down and vet in. At the last 2 rides they've changed the rules to say that your entire vetting in has to be done by the 6 hour maximum ride time which has made me nervous. Everyone got pulsed down as soon as we pulled tack and vetted out with all A's and A-'s! 

I had hoped to ride again Sunday but I knew with a trail that hard and no one to ride with us to push us we would be struggling the whole time so I decided one day was enough. We got to relax and had a great time at the potluck and we slept until 8:30 on Sunday before packing up and heading home! 


There was a silent auction during the ride and I got a hot pink halter bridle for Stitch and I got Chico some rope reins with leather poppers on the end! DH bought me a bottle of wine in a horse shoe stand which was really cool! Our completion prizes for the ride were bags with t-shirts, dosing syringes, deworming paste, and ID holders you can attach to your saddle!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

More pictures


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

More pictures!!!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Ok last post of pictures! Our ride photographer is AMAZING!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Love the updates! and my trailer backing skills are off and on so I can totally relate!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Subbing!


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

QueenofFrance08 said:


> At the last 2 rides they've changed the rules to say that your entire vetting in has to be done by the 6 hour maximum ride time which has made me nervous.


The AERC rule is that you have to be pulsed down by maximum time, so I would count on that for rides in the future. A 30 miler would give you a total time of 7:15.

Great job on finishing what sounds like a challenging ride!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

phantomhorse13 said:


> The AERC rule is that you have to be pulsed down by maximum time, so I would count on that for rides in the future. A 30 miler would give you a total time of 7:15.
> 
> Great job on finishing what sounds like a challenging ride!




We've always gone by the pulsed down in time rule but now they're changing it to your trot out/exam also has to be completed in that time amount which isn't what I read from the last Endurance News. I know they're changing the rules completely next year to allow a half hour plus ride time so it doesn't really matter but it's just odd that there's been different rules for every ride. I don't think I would have finished my first 2 in time if our whole exam had to be done by time limit, they only cared if your pulse was down in that time (which ours were, 5 minutes before maximum time). That second ride we came in with a group of 10 people so I don't know how they would have gotten everyone vetted through in 5 minutes....


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Had a nice weekend at home this weekend but unfortunately it was too hot to ride much. I was hoping to get Comet out for his first trail ride but the temperature reached 90 both days with high humidity so that didn't happen.

DH's sister came over Saturday morning with her inlaws (who were visiting from Serbia). Our nephew (who is 3) told us he didn't have time to ride because he was going to Nana and Papa's! DH convinced him to help him "check his saddle" and he was pretty proud of his riding skills. Chico is a saint and seems to enjoy giving pony rides. We just bought him a pair of buddy stirrups that he got to try for the first time and he really seemed to enjoy. He did tell us he was upset he didn't get to ride his "favorite" horse Stitch!!!! DH's sister's FIL (wow that's a long connection), who doesn't speak any English, came up and hopped on Chico who's saddle slipped (as it was only tightened enough for Luka to sit on him and not for a 6 foot tall man to try to climb on) Thankfully once again that horse is a saint and didn't move a muscle while we got him situated and he took him for a spin around the arena. I was so glad he did that to Chico and not Comet who was also standing there tacked up.

After they left DH and I took Chico and Comet for a few spins around the arena just to let them stretch their legs. Comet started acting up when DH went to get on but he was a perfect angel under saddle. 

We were soaking within minutes and put the horses away and headed to the lake for the day with DH's family.

Farrier came yesterday and checked Stitch's shoes for next weekend, trimmed Chico, trimmed Hector, and gave Lilo her first trim ever! We haven't been able to halter her yet but yesterday she came right up and let us get her. We did give her some sedative to get her back feet done but she did wonderfully being tied and led around! We power washed the upper barn and the run in shed and spent the rest of the day hiding inside from the heat.

I wasn't going to go to the ride this weekend (DH wants to go duck hunting) but I decided I'll drive Stitch down to Emily's in the little trailer Wednesday night and go with her. I'm getting excited! It's at a new location which is a motocross park that has 60+ electric sites with their own water spigots. We're heading out early Thursday so we can get a good spot!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Wednesday night last week I headed down to my friend's house (3 hours away) to go with her to Run for the Ridge. I had thought about skipping this ride because DH didn't want to go and it is one of the farthest for us but I realized I could drive the little trailer to my friends and we could take her weekender. It's the last ride of 25 mile LD's (the last 2 rides are 30 mile LD's) so I thought if the trails were decent it might be our chance for our first back to back ride.

The ride was supposed to be at the park an hour for us but earlier this summer the ride managers found out that the DNR had banned vehicle traffic on the bridge that led to the overflow parking. There's only 20 camp sites in the horse part of the camp which is definitely not enough room for everyone without an overflow area so the ride managers had to find a new spot. Unfortunately there's not a lot of other options on our side of the state (really unfortunate for them too as they live on land connected to the original location) so they were able to find a Motocross Park near Rochester for this ride. Sadly for me, that meant the distance went from 1 hour to 4 but it was a lovely location.

I arrived at Emily's house in the pouring rain after 8:00 pm and we put Stitch out in the pasture with her horses. She knows Major and Karenna from prior rides but the other two horses were excited to meet her. They settled down after a few minutes of playing chase in the pasture and we went inside to eat some dinner and head to bed. 

We got up and loaded all of my stuff into Emily's trailer and the two horses and stopped at Kwik Trip on the way to pick up the last of the supplies we had forgotten and some breakfast. Two hours later we arrived at ride camp and found an electric spot. They were holding the front spots for 100 or 75 mile riders (our only MN ride with a 100 mile option) so we ended up pretty far back because Emily wanted to be near trees for shade. We unloaded all of our stuff, set up a pen for the horses (first MN ride with no high ties due to not being at a state park) and quickly found out just how far we were from the vet check and bathrooms! The camp was a little soggy from all of the rain from the night before and it rained on and off during the day.

Thursday afternoon passed quickly between setting up, registration, vetting in, and getting settled. DH had made us some chicken and beans that we had to just had to throw on the grill so we got dinner ready and ate before rider's meeting. Rider's meeting was at 7:00 and just as I got up to head over I heard my phone go off (which was weird because we didn't have much signal) and I checked it to see 3 Tornado Warning notifications. After debating whether to put the horses in the trailer (decided that was less safe in a tornado then being outside) I headed to rider meeting and Emily stayed back to check on something and was going to come a few minutes behind me. I managed to make the hike before the rain started but after I got inside everyone who came in after me was drenched head to toe. They delayed all 25 mile rides (LD and CTR) for the next day until 8:30 because they had to check the water crossings to make sure they were still safe. They were rerouting trails as we went on (best ride managers ever) and were clearly exhausted from the weather. By the time ride meeting ended the rain had slowed and the tornado warnings had passed but all of camp was flooded. I got back to the trailer and decided to go inside and go to bed instead of sitting out in the soggy rain. 

Friday morning was wonderful getting to sleep in until 6:30 on a ride day. Emily and I had time for coffee before getting Stitch and Major ready to go. The ride managers came around and told us they had changed the first loop to be 3 miles down the gravel road and back before starting the second half of the loop. We hit the trails at 8:30! The first half of the loop was boring (gravel roads) with a dead skunk in the ditch (EEW). There was a turnaround at a water stop and then we headed down the road the other direction and down a driveway. We caught up with a woman from IL who has been riding endurance for 30 years with her 23 year old mare (they already have 500 LD miles for this season if that's any indication on how many miles they have) who rode with us for the rest of the day. The second half wound through a private property that was absolutely beautiful. There was a steep hill to climb and woods with lots of random items at the top which made me thankful to not have a spooky horse. The downhill portion was a white knuckle decline where I debated getting off but realized that would likely result in Stitch and I both falling down the hill so I held on and leaned back and let her do her thing! 

We got back to camp and in to the hold at 10:30 and Stitch and Major pulsed down instantly after we pulled saddles. We got back to the trailer for just enough time to eat a granola bar before we had to get back to do our vet check. We hit the trails again for a loop that went a little ways through camp, across the creek that ran through the campground, and back into the woods behind the vet check area. The whole loop was tall grass that was slippery as heck! We walked 80% of the loop and were shocked when we came to the turnaround after what seemed like not very much riding. There were some awful hills on this portion and Major was having trouble slip sliding down them. We rode back across the creek and into camp a little before 1:00 pm, our earliest finish yet (shocking because we felt that we walked a ton). Stitch pulsed down instantly and vetted through easily getting almost all A's (the vet actually told me I should switch to CTR since she was pulsing so low except for the fact that she hates when people do CTR because the vetting is a pain, she was shocked given Stitch's build). Major has issues trotting out so I tried to run Stitch again ahead of him which helped some. The vet called over the other vet to watch Major (not a new thing, he's gaited which confuses a lot of the vets) and sadly we all noticed he was off on his left hind getting them pulled. 

....To Be Continued.....


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

We headed back to the trailer and I offered that we could go home but Emily told me I should still ride the next day. I didn't want to go without them since Stitch was being super buddy/buddy and clinging to Major and I was worried she would lose it if I tried to ride her away from them (not to mention heading out for the first loop I would have to ride right past him and our campsite). We thought our other friend was coming so I figured I could ride with her since Stitch is friends with her horse Cesar but we got a text saying she had family members with damage from the storm and wouldn't be able to make it. 

People started arriving in the afternoon and camp started to look a little less empty. They were doing a night LD which had been our original plan when DH was going to come with us but when he decided to go hunting instead Emily and I decided we were more of morning people and riding at night would be harder for us. Several people were doing that ride in addition to riding in the morning and one person was even doing both morning 50's and the night LD! Our friend C and her group arrived in the afternoon and we went to say hi to her. She's been thinking about doing her first back to back ride too but I figured since she was doing the night LD she wasn't planning on riding in the morning too. C rides a Quarter Horse who had a few years of lameness/shoeing issues before this year and he's finally doing amazing this year! She said as long as he got through the night ride she wanted to ride in the morning too so I figured as long as she was going to ride I would ride with her.

There was homemade bread pudding at the rider's meeting that night from the ride manager's sister's restaurant which was delicious! Emily and I warmed up the soup that DH had packed for us which was a perfect meal being how cold it was. 

I had to vet Stitch in before the ride at 6:15 Saturday morning so I got up at 5:45. I was worried she would act up when we were vetting in because Major was back at the trailer and she didn't disappoint. She was calm and well behaved all day Friday but she was being a giant turd without her buddy Saturday. We got through with the vet only mentioning her butt muscles were a little tight but that was most likely due to the cold and she would warm up when we started moving. C and Diamond got through their vetting with no problems either so we tacked up and started walking around to start worming up. It was really chilly so I was wearing 2 sweatshirts and my jacket when we left and I had Stitch's rump rug on (she had it on all day Friday too). We headed out and ended up at the back of the pack. C's horse trots faster than Stitch but she let him take eating breaks when we got too far behind. They made it through the first loop with no issues and pulsed down easily. I decided to leave Stitch tacked up at the hold to save some time so I actually was able to eat a granola bar and drink a bottle of water by the time we got back to the trailer. It was warming up so I took off a sweatshirt and Stitch's rump rug and met up with C to go back out on our second loop.

The second loop was much drier than the day before so we were able to trot a little more. Diamond and Stitch had other plans.... EATING! The rain had made the grass super delicious and there were several alfalfa fields that we had to go through and we could barely get them to move forward as they just wanted to chow down. We finally got to the turnaround after much convincing feeling like we had been riding for hours! As soon as we turned back towards camp they found their second wind and wanted to charge up and down every hill to get back to camp! So much for being tired! We made it back to camp a little after noon and vetted in with no issues (once again in last place)! The two Quarter Horses made it through their first 2 day!!!!

We brought them down to the stream that ran through camp and the nice sandy beach and let them have a few rolls which they were thrilled about. I brought Stitch back to our trailer and realized Emily had packed everything up even though I thought we were staying another night. She said she had gotten bored and realized how much she wanted to do at home so she wanted to leave. I was sad because I really wanted to go to potluck but the thought of a warm shower did sound good. I paid my fees, packed up Stitch's tack, and we headed towards Emily's house around 2. I got 2 t-shirts for completion prizes!

After a 2 hour drive to Emily's and transferring all of my gear to my truck and trailer we loaded Stitch up and I drove the 3 hours home with only one quick stop for gas. I made it home a little after 8 and DH was so nice to take care of Stitch for me and put her out with her buddies. She was clearly exhausted as she ran farting around the pasture and head tossing! I got my warm shower and dinner! Great weekend!!!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Rain rain and more rain....

I think we were only able to ride one night last weekend due to the rain. I did get on Daisy for the first time since last winter where she bucked me off and bruised/broke some ribs! DH has been riding her for me and she's doing great. She was pretty shaken up after my fall and it took her awhile to get her back to the girl I knew. She's such a fun horse to ride, not afraid of anything and eager to please. 

Was hoping to ride Friday night but DH had to work late. I could take Stitch out by myself but I tried to work on the fencing instead. Saturday DH went off to a friends to go hunting so I took Lucy hiking at the State Park for the first time in a long time. We used to go all the time when we lived in town but the dogs get so much exercise at home now that I don't worry about it. Lucy has gotten into the chicken food a few times this summer/fall and has packed on a few pounds so I figured it would be good for us. We ran most of the Mount Tom trail (not a real mountain, just lots of hills) and were both pretty tired by the time we got back to the car. That trail is one steep hill after another. DH gave me a gift card he won at work to go buy the new set of dumbbells I wanted for my new workout video (LIIFT 4) so Lucy and I headed in to town to pick those up. We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home (so much for both of us losing a few pounds) and treated ourselves to ice cream.

Stitch was supposed to get her shoes reset Friday night but the farrier wasn't feeling well so he rescheduled for Sunday night. We were getting ready to take Stitch and Jake to the park when he texted and told us to come over at noon instead. We loaded them up in the stock trailer after a bit of a fight with Jake. He's doing great at getting in the big slant load without any encouragement these days but the stock trailer was too different for him. We finally convinced him to get in (putting Stitch in first was not a great plan since she moves her big butt and takes up the whole thing) and took them over to the farrier's dad's heated barn 5 minutes down the road. Jake got his shoes pulled and Stitch got a new set with her first set of pour in pads. The last ride of the season (in 2 weeks) was in danger of being cancelled due to the rocky-ness of the trails and I don't want to risk her coming up lame on the last ride of the year so I figured we would pad her. She seems pretty happy with them and hasn't walked since we left the farriers (only trotting and cantering around the pasture)!

When we got home we saddled up Chico and Daisy and took them down the driveway. Daisy hasn't been out of the arena since last winter and she did great even with the neighbors big dog barking at us when we rode by. We had to ride past the other neighbor's big bull too and she barely batted an eye. We stopped in the arena on the way back in to do a little gaiting work which she did great with. I was riding in my English saddle that I don't normally use and I did a lot better than last time I rode Chico in it when he almost pulled me over his head trying to get grass. 

Hopefully we can get a few rides in this week but it looks like the rain is continuing. Friday we head to Wisconsin for our second to last ride of the year! It's supposed to be an amazing campground where every site gets electric and a round pen for your horses.

Bonus picture of Lilo helping me work on fences Friday because she's so cute!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Forgot to update this after last weekend. I posted the ride details in the 40+ group but forgot to here.

Long story short we went to a ride in Wisconsin last week that was the most beautiful campsite but the hardest ride we've done this year. The campground had electric and a round pen style corral at every site! We rode in a frosty wonderland for the first loop and made really good time (for a short Paint at least!) with DH and Chico leading the way. We came in for our hold and scarfed some food down. The vet asked me why it took Stitch 6 minutes to pulse down and I told him that's how long it took to pull her saddle off and for me to get a lead rope on her not how long it took to pulse down. People around us were getting pulled right and left, the trails are flat but there were roots hidden under the leaves and a lot of mud puddles due to the recent rain.

On our second loop something was wrong. Stitch was dragging and didn't want to do more than walk. DH had brought a crop along for Chico (who has done too many one loop novice/intro rides and thinks he's supposed to be done after the hold) and he ended up having to give it to me. Our pace dropped to a crawl and I was worried we weren't going to make it in time. The second loop was the same as the first (and we had to ride through camp mid loop) so I was wondering if Stitch was bored and didn't want to keep going. Chico was always light years ahead of us so I didn't know if that was making her depressed (she would start calling for him when he got too far ahead and he would stop and wait for us). I was so confused, she has never been like this before. She often slows the second loop because Chico or Major will slow and she doesn't want to let them get too far away but I've always felt like we've finished rides with plenty of gas left in her tank (even at the last back to back ride she was flying for home at the end). It never got any better and I had to drag her over to the vet area when we came in. She vetted through fine and the vet commented that Chico looked tired but not her. I was so worried I had pushed her too hard or she needs to be done with endurance. It was all I could think of that afternoon and evening even though she started perking up a little and looked more herself. When we woke up Sunday morning she looked exhausted and I was ready to retire her. 

On the way home I decided to do a little research on her pads to see if anyone else had an issue with a horse getting too tired from pads (thinking maybe there was extra weight that was causing the problems). I had looked at the bottle when the farrier was putting them on and I was shocked to find out the website listed the product (called Adhere) as a glue for glue on shoes and no where did it list that it could be used for pads. The same company made several other types of pour in pads (none being white which was the color of hers and the color of the glue) but they were all labeled as such. I asked on the AERC page if anyone had heard of Adhere being used as a pad and was greeted with responses of "Get those out immediately, they're hurting her" and "Your poor horse". As soon as we unloaded her we went through the garage and sheds searching for any tool that might be able to help us remove them as we were warned that this product is very sticky and people have a hard time ever getting it off. Thankfully with a flat screwdriver and a lot of care we were able to get 3 and 3/4 of the pads out relatively quickly. We had to leave the last 1/4 in one of her fronts for a day but were able to pick it out the next day. Unfortunately we noticed her rear right leg was a little puffy and warm so we kept her inside with an ice boot for the next 2 days. Thankfully we now have all of the pads out, swelling and heat is gone, and I was able to take her out for a spin last night to see if I thought she would be able to make it to our last ride this weekend.

BOY WAS SHE EVER! I hopped on her and took her to the arena where she proceeded to trot 4 loops without any encouragement from me before she even thought about slowing down. She certainly has her attitude back as well (see taking up pictures below). So we're headed out tomorrow to our last ride and hopefully will be able to end on a good note!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Somehow I got a bit behind!

We went to our last ride of the season on the 20th. It was in a state forest near Rochester, MN that we hadn't been to before. We were warned that it was very rocky and very hilly there (hence the reason for the failed attempt at pour in pads) and we almost didn't go because I was worried about finishing off the year at a tough ride but boy am I glad we did.

It was by far the most beautiful ride we've ever been to. The rocks and hills were bad but that made it more fun! We rode with our friend C (who did the 2nd day of our back to back ride with me) and her friend K which turned out to be a really fun group. It even snowed while we were riding! It had been in the 60s for the people who rode Friday (Including C) so it was a shock for them to have snow the second day. We made really good time, Stitch and Chico were eating and drinking really well. Unfortunately DH and Chico took the wrong path through a mud puddle and Chico had a nasty slide that put him a little off at the final vet check so they were unable to complete. Stitch and I had to do our trot out twice but she had her blanket on loosely for the first attempt and the straps banging her legs was upsetting her and when we took the blanket off she was fine. Stitch was back to herself, racing other horses and cantering the last stretch into camp! 

We were shocked when at awards we ended up in 5th place with our first ribbon (of course 5th place is pink!)!!! I'm sad the season is over but it was such a fun ride to end on. We're shooting for our first 50 at the second ride of the season (late May) which may be a little ambitious considering I can only ride on Sundays throughout the winter until April 15th but DH has her entered in a sorting league that goes November-December (and will enter her in a second session after that if it's offered) and hopefully he can ride her a little come spring on nights that I'm unable to. I know some people say they can train a horse for 50's only riding one day of the week (although those are probably Arabians) so I'll do my best and come April 15th I can ride as much as I want. The ride I picked is fairly flat with the only downfall being sand which Stitch seems to handle pretty well.

I was gone most of the week at a class in the cities for work but I got to do some tack store shopping while I was there. I came home with a new dressage girth for my new saddle, new fleece cinch (since Stitch's old 20 inch doesn't work with her new Abetta saddle and neoprene and felt rub her), new half chaps (clearance $20!), a "Horses rule boys drool" onesie for our new niece, and a tub of Sore No More Poultice so we don't have to borrow next year! 

Saturday when I got home my new (to me) saddle had come! I got it cleaned and set up that night and got to give it a test ride yesterday. I rode Stitch around the arena which seemed to go well (except she was so mad at me for not letting her eat that she bucked) and then we went and did the 6 mile loop at the park in the afternoon. Sooooo comfortable! I need to do a little more research on the fitting but it seemed to work well (and I need a new breast collar for Stitch that's English style!) DH took Daisy for her first trail ride in a year and she acted like she'd been doing it for 100 years! She even gaited and cantered on the trails a little! Unfortunately next weekend starts hunting season so ride time will be limited.


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

I tried to ride Daisy last night. I thought I would be brave enough and she was perfectly behaved on the trail ride with DH on Sunday. Nope....

Well I should start from the beginning. Saturday starts rifle hunting season in MN. DH will be gone all weekend and for the next 2 weeks my only chances for riding will be at night after dark in the arena with the lights on since there is hunting on all of the land around us and at all trails/parks. DH wanted to sight in his gun (whatever that means) but he realized I was going to be gone tonight (Wednesday) at a community Halloween event handing out candy so he agreed that we could go for a ride last night. He wanted to take out Chico for the first time since his pull at the ride and I wanted to take out Jake.

DH went to get Jake out for me and Nacho tried to attack them/Jake/something. Jake was terrified and tried to jump the gate, tripped and cut up his legs not badly but enough to be a little sore. We also noticed how skinny he's gotten since the grass has disappeared and we've started feeding hay. Nacho guards the food and must not be letting Jake get much if any. I felt terrible, I wanted to cry. We got him some Triple Crown grain and a pile of alfalfa to eat and put Nacho in a stall. We decided that we need to find Nacho a new home immediately. We only have 2 pastures that have shelter in them and the girls are currently in the upper pasture (to prevent Daisy's escapee habits) and the boys are in the lower. We don't have any way to keep Nacho on his own without putting him in a pasture without shelter. Worst case scenario we could keep him in a stall but that's a lot of extra work and not much of a life for him. 

DH offered to ride Daisy so I could ride Chico but I felt bad because he was looking forward to riding him. I should have just grabbed Stitch but I'm trying to let her have some time off so I decided I was ready for Daisy. DH said I could ride in his saddle because we took the stirrups off of mine to put on the Ghost and I didn't really want to try treeless with her just yet. He used Stitch's Abetta on Chico and we decided to stay in the arena. Within 5 minutes of getting on Daisy tried to bolt out of the arena and when I stopped her she started bucking. Somehow I managed to stay on (with a nasty bruise on the inside of my thigh) and DH jumped off and grabbed her halter so I could get off. I was shaking pretty badly so he hopped on her and I hopped on Chico and we continued riding. I got Chico back to working on his side-passing and a bit of trotting and DH and Daisy had a great ride. I felt like such a loser, I can't even ride the horse I bought for myself. He has to ride most of the horses because I get to scared and can only handle Stitch, Chico, and Jake. 

Got Jake out again this morning while I worked out to a bowl of alfalfa pellets and a pile of alfalfa. He also got plenty of grass hay because Nacho was in his stall. Two people are interested in coming to see Nacho tonight so fingers crossed something will workout.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Sorry Daisy bucked with you. Is it possible for you to take some lessons on her? It is so hard to over come fear from past experiences. Even though we think we are good our body may tell us differently and the horse always senses unease. 

And sorry to hear about Nacho. There is always a herd boss and some are worse than others. We have one here - she is a terror and can be merciless this time of year if food is not separated enough for everyone to have a pile.


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

They did just open up a lesson barn down the road. I was meaning to talk to them (I'm not even sure what lessons they're offering) if only just to see if they'll let us pay to use their indoor occasionally in the winter. That's a great idea! DH is braver than I am, that's why he does a lot better with the greenies. I know they pick up on me and that's where it gets dicey. I was lucky enough Stitch never cared if I was nervous and now I'm pretty fearless with her. It also doesn't help that I broke my collar bone and had 2 surgeries last year from a horse related incident so that's always in the back of my mind.

OOOOH forgot my good news for the week........ MN season is over and final results were posted and Stitch and I placed 8th in MN for Limited Distance! It's the largest category, 48 members have at least some points in LD this year (compared to 19 in the Endurance (50+ mile rides) and 22 in the CTR categories) and we had the 3rd highest mileage (you get higher points for placing so the other 4 people ahead of us did less rides but placed higher in them). I think we get a prize for being part of the top 10 so that's something to look forwards to at the Annual Meeting/Banquet sometime this winter.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

Congratulations on your award! It's been such a pleasure to follow along on your adventures. You wanted to do endurance. You set out to do it . . . and you did it! I am so happy for you!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

@knightrider Thank you so much! We're also in the running for an AERC Rookie award (I think 2nd or 3rd place depending on who rides this month, we are done for the year in the Midwest but the south is still going) and likely 4th or 5th place in Greenbeans for our division! I'm really really proud of her.

Not much this weekend, rifle hunting season started so we were stuck inside. I finally got some house cleaning done and had to deal with 5 cooped up dogs who were mad that I wasn't letting them go play outside. I was giving the horses some extra meals and extra alfalfa and Jake is really starting to look better. More ribby than I would like but his hip bones aren't showing and his spine isn't so prominent so I'm feeling much better. The boys are living in perfect harmony but Lilo is being bossed around by the girls a little. Never a dull moment!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Going through some serious ride season withdrawal. Thankfully, a few of us MN girls who ended up on Green Bean teams where we were the only people who rode decided to start our own new team for next year and we're all equally obsessed and spend WAY too much time researching/looking up/checking records on EVERYTHING so that's been fun!

It got cold, really cold, fast. Hector got gelded last Wednesday (YAY!) which has made logistics a lot easier (or it will, I'm giving him a few more weeks with the boys). We spent a lot of nights in the barn snuggling with him last week so not much ride time. The second day they told us to get him out and walk him around so DH told me to get Lilo and take her out with him. I had her tied for a little grain and I decided to strap a bareback pad on her back to see how she would react. Wellllllllll.....

Absolutely nothing! She only was upset about her empty grain bucket (that she dumped)! There's no way she could have cared even less about it! I'm going to try a synthetic english saddle this week if I get a chance. We also took them down to the arena and tried lunging for the first time, she did amazing! She's such a smart girl, learns anything in a second. I'm very proud of her!

Sunday we were finally able to get out for a little ride. Actually DH had a little liquid courage and took Chico and Comet out by himself at midnight on Friday night and tried to get me to come but it had taken me 2 hours to warm my feet up from when I came home from dinner with coworkers so I declined. Friday night and Saturday it snowed all day :frown_color: and Saturday was freezing on top of that. 

Anyway, I decided to take out Stitch and DH wanted to ride Chico a bit. I lasted all of 15 minutes on Stitch until I decided it was best to let DH ride her. She was so wound up she refused to walk and kept feeling like she would bolt around the arena. Normally that doesn't bother me but with the slick footing and bad nerves from my last incident with Daisy I just couldn't do it. DH and her had a good time, honestly it was for the best that he ride her some more as they're starting cattle sorting league Sunday morning and Chico and I had fun! 

I've been gone in the cities for the last 2 days at a work conference but it was below 10 at night both nights anyway. I see 39 as the high for today so I plan on taking someone out in the arena after work!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Figured I had better revive my journal before it gets shut down and since ride season starts up again a month from today! 

I didn't have much to say over the winter as riding is few and far between but I do have to show Stitch's awards from last season! First is her blanket (pink of course) for being top 10 in MnDRA (Minnesota Distance Riding Association). We ended up 8th which I was very proud of because we didn't start LD's until our 3rd ride of the year and we didn't place (placing in top 6 gives you more points per ride) until the last ride! 

On top of that her big prize arrived last week. We won the Specialized Saddles AERC Rookie Limited Distance Award for the year for the most LD miles done by a 1st year AERC member. The second place Endurance rider for that award was a MN rider as well and I'm so sad she didn't get first because the prize for that is a brand new saddle! We got a belt buckle for the LD prize which I am sooooo proud of.

Starting to try to ride to condition for our first ride, I signed DH and I up for an LD with Stitch and Chico. It's hard because all of the state parks are closed until May 1st (ish) and that's normally where we ride. I would love to ride the gravel around home but Stitch and Chico are such terrors at home that it's easier to trailer them (plus I worry about all of the pounding on their joints trotting on gravel). Thankfully there is a tiny county park 30 mins away that doesn't have any supervision or close for the year that has about 5 miles of trails we can ride on. We've been out there the last 2 weeks and plan on going again this weekend!

Well that's about it for now!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

#Goals


Congrats again!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Friday afternoon we journeyed 2.5 hours to our first ride of the season. MNDRA1 is held at a state park on the border of MN and Wisconsin (not to be confused with our second ride Border Battle Boogie which is actually in Wisconsin on the border!) The park has one of the nicest campgrounds of any ride we go to with 44 campsites and over half of them have electric hookup. There is also indoor showers and bathrooms and a big building where we can have potluck and meetings. The trails are mostly flat and somewhat boring but perfect for the first ride of the year.

We got to camp around 4 and unloaded the horses in the rain (SUPER YUCK). We brought Stitch, Chico and Comet. Comet to our knowledge has never camped before but with the assistance of the 2 pros (Chico and Stitch) he spent the weekend on the high tie happy as a clam and quickly learned the unlimited good hay buffet makes camping amazing. My riding bestie E came over and after she and I vetted our horses in for Saturday's ride we decided to saddle up for a quick ride. DH took Comet, I rode Stitch and E rode her horse Major. Major is a Tennessee Walker and Comet is a Rocky so Stitch and I had to really hoof it to keep up with the gaited horses! We didn't stay out for long because a friend warned us of a storm but it was nice to get a quick leg stretch in. We had a bonfire and made hotdogs and several other friends joined us to catch up. 

I didn't sleep well Friday night a combination of nerves and having to share the small trailer bed with 3 dogs so 5:00 came pretty early Saturday morning. They decided to hold the ride meeting at 5:45 am for LD and Endurance instead of Friday night so I fed/watered the horses and picked poop before heading over for the meeting. I ran back to the campsite after the meeting and got Stitch saddled up and cram a power bar in my mouth for breakfast.

Our friend C (who's son was borrowing Chico Sunday) really wanted to ride with us so she offered to ride her friend's new 5 year old Appy in his first LD. We all met up and tried to wait for the main group to leave when trails opened. Unfortunately that was everyone's plan so we still had a bit of leapfrogging in the beginning. C's horse Stryker had done a few novice/intro rides but he wasn't thrilled about being passed! After a few miles he quickly settled in and I realized that Stitch was in heat and refused to go forward unless one of the boys were ahead of her. If I tapped her sides with my heels she would buck and plant her feet. E and Major started leading but Major couldn't go more than 30 feet with out flying across the trail and trying to spin around. Stryker, we learned, had a fun habit of slamming on the breaks from any gait every time he needed to poop. We made it (slowly) through the first 11 mile loop and pulsed down almost immediately at our hold. E put Major with Stitch at our trailer and we tried to eat something quickly, feed horses and sit for a few seconds before we had to go back for our vet check. They're now allowing us to vet through 20 minutes before our hold ends so we had to keep a close eye on the clock to get back at the right time. Thankfully DH made a wonderful crew for us and helped me check Stitch's boots at the hold to ensure there wasn't any rocks stuck. 

We ended up heading out on our 2nd loop 15 minutes late because of a cell phone left at the trailer incident. The horses seem to have found their second wind and Stitch was getting used to Stryker being there (aka no pinned ears every time he came within 20 feet). Stryker was also getting comfortable and willing to lead which helped because Major stopped responding to E tapping him with a crop when he did his "fly off the trail" move and would park himself in the underbrush. I somehow managed to get a 7 ft long V shaped tree branch with a 8 inch diameter stuck in my stirrup and had to yell for someone to get off and help me. The branch pinned my foot in and Stitch was trying to move away from it which caused it to swing back and smack her. E and C were worried they wouldn't be able to get back on their horses (usually it's me who has to get off when needed since I ride the 14.1 hand horse) but I yelled enough that E jumped off and help me pull the stick out. Sadly we didn't get any pictures or video of the incident but thankfully everyone was okay. We were worried with so many stops we may not finish in time but we managed to get back in to camp 15 minutes before the maximum time. Stitch pulsed down immediately again despite it being over 70 degrees. Unfortunately her back was a little sore at the finish so I need to work on figuring out her new pad and where to put my extra boots but we got our first completion of the year! 

DH made us breakfast tacos for lunch and we hung around our campsite other than taking advantage of the hot indoor showers until the potluck. The tacos were fabulous as always and we got t shirts (of course a pink one for me) with the new MnDRA logo on them for completion prizes. After another campfire and hanging out with friends we headed to bed to get ready for Sunday. 

I was hoping to ride Stitch and lead a novice group but with her sore back I decided to volunteer in the vet area while DH and Comet went out and while C and her son took Chico out. I was a little worried about how Stitch would handle being left at the trailer alone but after a few screams for her buddies she was content to munch hay in the rain with her blanket on and watch everyone else have to go out! Chico got out without incident for the LD and DH and Comet had a few rearing episodes before making it safely out of camp. I had a good time being a vet scribe since I had volunteered with most of the ride vets last year at other various rides. The morning flew by and I helped C get Chico through the hold and managed to snap a few pictures of DH and Comet. Comet was unfortuantely a little off at the end on his right hind (likely due to his misbehavior at the start) but not enough to cost them a novice completion! Chico and his junior rider finished 3rd in the LD! 

I'm pretty darn sore today and a little disappointed with our ride time/ Stitch's sore back but my only goal was completion and we did that! This weekend we are leading the mock ride and the week after is Border Battle! SOOOOO Happy ride season is back!

PS. Our ride photographer didn't make it to this ride as his wife's horses weren't ready so all pictures were taken by me!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Congratulations on the finish! And taking 3 horses to camp with. Better luck for DH next time. Hopefully the lameness is short lived.


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Well our little experiment with hoof boots ends tomorrow. 

We spent the weekend at the Mock Ride leading a novice group on a 10 mile loop. I noticed a few miles in she was taking some weird walking steps. She seemed fine trotting and cantering and nothing visible while walking other than a weird short/stabby step. I thought her split boots might have slid down so I hopped off and put those in my saddle bag. That seemed to help for awhile but a few miles later I got the same weird steps. I then took her back Scoot boots off (thankfully it was a fairly barefoot friendly trail) and that seemed to help make things better for awhile. When we got back to camp I pulled her front boots and noticed she had developed pink sores. I had an experienced friend watch me walk her and she said she didn't look off at all and I hopped back on and rode her on the grass for a minute to make sure I wasn't dealing with any other issues and she seemed fine. I put some wound ointment on the sore parts (which she was not thrilled about) and let her relax. 

DH came and we saddled up the horses (Stitch barefoot) to take down the trail markings. She was doing great until about 2 miles in when the weird steps appeared again. DH noticed that the sores were opening so I brought her back to camp and we took the 4 wheeler out to unmark trail. 

This morning I asked on the Scoot Boot group how to fix the problem and they told me I couldn't ride her this weekend in the boots and that it was likely due to them not fitting. I couldn't figure out how she did 25 miles in them the week before if they didn't fit so they told me it was because she must need a trim. I've decided if I have to trim her every 3 weeks it's going to end up being just as expensive as shoes and she never had any painful sores from those so we're going back. Thankfully our old farrier said we could bring her over tomorrow night and he would shoe her! I'm buying him a case of beer as thanks.

We had a lot of fun at the mock ride and got some good pictures. Another volunteer rode Chico so he got some miles as well! 

Can't wait to get her shoes on tomorrow and continue our ride season!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Wow I'm behind this year.... Long story short Stitch managed to tie herself up on the high tie the first night we were at our 2nd ride of the year. Thankfully DH heard her and went out to check (it was after midnight) and found her leg caught and her air cut off and got her free before anything worse happened. She was very cut up and lame on the leg that was stuck so I knew I couldn't ride her that weekend. Thankfully, DH offered to let me ride Chico and he would crew for me and my friend E instead. I tried to get Stitch back in shape for the 3rd ride of the season but her back was sore again so I rode Chico that weekend as well (DH had brought his new horse Comet instead who finished his first LD that weekend). I took her to the chiropractor and gave her 2 months off and I'm just now bringing her back into work. We did 6 miles this weekend (slowly) with no back pain so I'm feeling optimistic.

So now the real story is that I've been riding Chico for this year. He finished an LD at the first ride with our friend's son, an LD in the pouring rain at the 2nd ride (in 5th place), an LD and a novice the next day at our 3rd ride and a 4th LD down in Rochester for our 4th ride where he managed to snap the cables in both his front Renegades on the first loop. He had to do 5 miles bare on the fronts until we got back to camp and I managed to cram his back boots on his fronts and use the size smaller on his back feet during the hold. He did end up with some rubs due to this and a little sore but he still got his completion. I was hoping to do a 2nd LD on Sunday but I didn't want to risk it on a rocky trail with ill fitting footwear. I had issues with him the whole ride, we were in 3rd place until he started breaking boots and I couldn't get him to slow down when I was worried about him going over the rocks so I had to put him behind a group to keep his pace reasonable. He was trying to race the whole time and did not want to be slowed down. He pulsed down instantly at the hold and the end (despite trying to knock me over rubbing his itchy face since I had forgot his towel in the other trailer (oh yeah our 3/4 ton truck had the brakes go out on the way down and we turned around with the 3 horses and I brought him in our bumper pull with my 1/2 ton)) I figured it might be time to try something more....

So we had a month off until our 5th ride. The 5th ride is our closest, about an hour away from home. It was the same spot the Mock ride had been held so we had already ridden the trails and they're pretty flat and similar to home. The only downside to this ride is that it's mid July, and often VERY hot. I figured given the perfect trail for us, we should give a 50 a shot. I sent in my registration early and told myself as long as the high was under 90 we would give it a go. I was hoping to ride with a friend who had moved up to 50's this year but found out her horse had gotten a soft tissue injury since the last ride and was out for a month so I posted on the book of faces looking for a buddy. Another lady who has recently moved up to 50's with her Appy mare this year offered to ride with us. I got Chico his first set of shoes in his life the Thursday night before we went and packed the trailer early. I had a nightmare that I forgot to bring buckets for the crew area and the ride management wouldn't let me do a 50 without buckets so I packed every spare bucket we owned..... I ordered 100% deet bugspray (the ride is called Mosquito Run and it is no joke) and Quiet Ride masks for the horses. The night before we left I saw a post on our state organization page of an experienced junior needing a sponsor for the 50 so I offered to let her ride with us if she would help me get through! 

I took off early Friday morning hoping for a good parking spot. Ridecamp is a group camp (aka small open field) at a county park that is 30 minutes (without traffic) from downtown Minneapolis and 5 minutes away from town with a tack shop/Target/restaurants. It's one of the nicest rides because you can run to the store for anything you forget and pick up extra ice as yours has all melted immediately from the heat. The downside is that there is only 2 high ties and 5 stalls in an old barn that are open and parking is first come first serve and very close. I got there around 9 and was able to get a spot right next to the crew area. Last year I got the high ties but they ended up terrible because there is no sand under them and all the rain water pools and catches all of the hay/poo. It had taken us over an hour to clean up our spot so this year I set up our pen around the trailer and put the 3 boys in it. My friend E arrived shortly after and took the spot on one side and our friends B and T came and took the left side spot. DH worked all day and picked up the dogs and brought the other truck out right before dark. It was nice to have an unhooked truck to run to town in and I took the opportunity to run to Target for a box fan, extra cell phone charge, and pillow since I had forgotten mine! Chico vetted in with all A's and we attended the ride meeting with our friends before eating quickly and going to bed. 

I woke up at 4:00 Saturday morning since the 50 out time was 5:30! It was so nice to not have to worry about boots and I got Chico tacked up and ready with 15 minutes to warm up. We rode around with J and her horse Boo and our junior and her horse Tryggr (Quarab gelding) and we all stood away from the timer tent while the big group headed out. We walked out of camp calmly a few minutes later to head out on the first 25 mile loop which was really just both loops at once. Boo led the group with Chico in the middle and Tryggr at the back for most of the ride. I was shocked which Tryggr tried to rub his face on Chico's back and Chico kicked out at him! I thought he was bucking at first (which he has never done) because that seemed more likely then him kicking (which he has also NEVER done). I had to keep Chico behind the other two otherwise he wanted to take off at way too fast of a pace for a 50. My arms were sore after the first 15 miles from holding him back! We got our pictures taken and went into the lake which we were upset to realize that the second they stepped in the leeches swarmed! Our junior rider hopped off and picked all of the leaches off for us! EEW! We had to ride through camp in the middle of the loop so we took the opportunity to use the bathroom and give our horses some electrolytes. I had just bought a container of Dyna Spark electrolytes so I tried that for the first time and Chico was thrilled! He hates his other stuff so I was so glad to find something I didn't need 2 other people to help me hold down his head to get down him! The 10 mile loop went by quickly and we came in for our first 50 minute hold. 

DH was amazing and had made me eggs, bacon and tortillas along with some for all of our LD friends (E and C) who were also on their first hold at about the same time. Unfortunately E's horse got pulled for lameness at the hold which we were sad about. He fed Chico (who instantly pulsed down to 13 after pouring some ice water on him) and made me sit in front of the fan with some Gatorade and my breakfast. We vetted through with all A's again and got back on the trail before we knew it. Unfortunately about 5 miles into the loop J felt Boo taking some funny steps. She walked out of it at first but then was seeming to have more issues so J made the decision to get off and walk Boo back to camp so the junior and I were on our own. The geldings were much less happy to move out without their girlfriend in the lead so we took turns leading. It was starting to get warmer which didn't help matters. As we were on the back portion of the out and back we were shocked to see J and Boo back on the trail (about 5 miles behind us at this point). She said she hadn't taken another bad step so they got back on (after unfortunately unseating a few of the Competitive Trail riders whose horses got a scare seeing a horse coming the "wrong" direction!). We hoped she would catch up with us (and figured it would happen given our slower pace) as we continued on. A few of the Competitive trail riders came up on us and asked to pass which we were fine with as they were going pretty fast. As soon as Chico got passed it was game on and I had to use every ounce of my strength to keep him from taking off after them! They thankfully quickened their pace a little due to this and we got back into camp for the 2nd hold with only 10 miles left to go. Chico was instantly down to 13 again (or 52 for other areas who go by the minute pulse not the 15 second one, they need to pulse down to 64 (or 16 as we call it here)) and we headed back to the trailer where DH shoved more food in front of Chico's face which he happily vacuumed up. I got put in front of the fan and was told to eat a hot dog which sounded terrible to me. I argued with them (a little delirious at this point) until DH reappeared with a chocolate muffin he picked up at the gas station for me which sounded wonderful! Chico vetted through a little less well (some B's) but the vet told us he still looked fabulous for his first 50 in the heat! The Junior and I hit the trail again for the last 10 mile loop in good spirits. 

Halfway through the loop I couldn't take it anymore and had to hop off to "water the grass" after a water stop for the horses. While I was taking care of my business J and Boo appeared! We were so happy to see them and the boys were over the moon to follow their girlfriend to the finish. We were all in different divisions (me heavyweight, J lightweight, and the Junior in junior) so we didn't have to worry about placing! We all came into camp to lots of friend cheering/congratulating us! Chico pulsed down right away again (to 13, big shock!) and vetted out tired but sound for our first 50 completion!!!!! I was so proud of him (and thankfully to DH for crewing and trotting him out for me at the end)!!!!

I put his ice boots on, got myself something to drink and some chips and took a shower which had never felt so good. We went to potluck and were shocked to find out we got another pink (5th place) ribbon even though we were last! My friend C (a nurse) helped me put no bow standing wraps on Chico for the night with poultice and he happily munched his hay. I woke up in the middle of the night and checked on him, Jake and Comet were laying down sleeping and Chico was still happily munching hay!

Unfortunately our Sunday LD ride did not go as well as Comet got pulled at the hold and I had to Rider Option Jake due to rubs from his boots... Chico felt great the whole day and screamed in his pen because he didn't get to go with us! Hopefully we will give it another go this weekend and Jake can get his first LD completion with my friend K riding! Chico has been off for the last 2 weeks aside from a ride down the driveway last night but will be doing an LD this weekend as preparation for hopefully his 2nd 50 in mid August!

Special thanks to @phantomhorse13 who messaged me and DH all day and made sure I drank enough water and people electrolytes! I couldn't have done it without her support!


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

I'm so glad you clarified this


> Chico was instantly down to 13 again (or 52 for other areas who go by the minute pulse not the 15 second one, they need to pulse down to 64 (or 16 as we call it here))


because I was sitting here thinking, is Chico some kind of undead zombie horse or is he just crazy efficient even when excited?!
:rofl:


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

Congrats - I just found your journal and super happy you completed your first 50 - what an accomplishment!!! 

I have been training my 21 yo Standardbred for our first 25mile which happens in a couple weeks. This endurance riding is very catching!! Although, I think the ride we are doing is CTR and not endurance - will have to read up on the rules as I know they differ from endurance riding. 

Can't wait to hear how your next ride goes!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

@egrogan Thankfully he is not undead! It's so funny to me when other people post the minute number because I have to do the math to undo it because we ALWAYS go by the 15 second number out here!


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

Congratulations! Your Chico reminds me of a Chico we had growing up (Quar-Ab) be could go all day and then some. What a great post. So glad that you have him for a back up. And also Congrats on having such a great crew who knows chocolate trumps hot dogs any day!


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

@cbar Chico will be 18 in August! I haven't been good about updating this journal like I was last year but hopefully I'll be better now! Our ride this weekend is a new one so I'm pretty excited!


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Congrats again on your fantastic ride. I had no doubt you could do it!! And Stitch will get there too once she is back in shape.

Your DH is very tolerant of weirdos from the internet messaging him constantly.. he's a keeper!


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