Endurance Adventures of a High School Senior

And they're off!

2011-04-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Both horses are en route to Buck Meadows at this time. One coming from Utah, and the other coming from central Nevada. Its about a 4 hour drive for us, so we will be leaving a little later in the day.

Its snowing again, shocker. But its getting old laying on beach with friends tanning one day and then wearing snow jackets and shoveling the next. Spring, just get here and stay here!

Spring Break and such

2011-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Spring Break could not have come at a more perfect time. Finally the school board looks at *my* ride calendar and plans school vacations around it! Last week nevada derby, then spring break, then then buck meadows. PERFECT! It allows me time to pack, and unpack and arrange everything for the rides, without having me take time off from school or miss any school work.

Plans change all the time, and as of a few hours ago a friend offered me a horse to ride on Sunday at buck meadows! It is the same horse i rode last year at Patriots Day, Hatti; Tinker Harts horse. YAY!

Busy Busy

2011-04-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

Finally got all my gear unpacked, washed and put away and now it is all being repacked for the Buck Meadows Boogie ride this weekend. I will be riding Sue Hedgecocks horse in the FEI 50 mile division! Im going to run to the barn now and check out how Bo is doing, give him a little massage (thank you Karen B. for showing me what to do) and then grab my saddle, bridle and all the other gear I need for this weekend...

We are going to leave Thursday, bring three dogs, all my gear riding gear, camping gear, and two people. The truck is gonna be packed full

More Nevada Derby ranting

2011-04-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

Tough Ass ride for everyone...

Lots of people had their asses handed to them at this ride. Something like a 50% completion rate for the 50's on Saturday.

The first horse to cross the finish line, looked great and had a low (i would know cuz I did his Pulse at the finish for him) pulse after the 50. Well turns out after i left he crashed and needed fluids, then was rushed to a local vet for emergency surgery. So he was pulled from the ride. So everyone moved up a place. I think 8 of the top ten were pulled or pulled themselves. People couldn't get their horses pulse down. Crappy conditions, hot out on the trail and then we all got into camp and temperatures dropped 15 degrees so we couldn't put water on our horses. Luckily Bo had no issues pulsing, I have been doing lots of Cardio and good conditioning with him and it payed off.

I was shocked to see some top horses wait hours to finish a simple 5 mile loop because they couldn't pulse or because the were lame and the vets told them they had to walk if they wanted to finish. I think thats were a lot of frustration stems from of people who don't race and look at the people who do, and see things like that. My mom, another endurance riding buddy and I sat in camp and watched the top 15 horses and saw their CRI's. We wouldn't have passed 1/2 the horses who did either cause of lameness of poor pulses. I have some video, but i will not post it, of a horse trotting out with one more (5 mile) loop to go that was lame, that went on to finish top 5.

Not sure why this ride was so hard this year, hasn't been in years passed but was a tough sucker this year.

But, on a bright note i went out to the barn and turned Bo out today. He was FRESH and HOT TO TROT! He didn't look lame at all, thankfully. Which means it most likely was from hitting it in the trailer. He wasn't stiff or sore, he was moving out great, and he had lots of spunk in him. I know he is ready for a 50, and he took care of himself pretty well yesterday, so now its just a case of bubble wrapping him!

BTW, the boots worked GREAT! Dave Rabe fixed my boots for me by putting new gators on them. We put mullers tape on the hoofs then the boots and they did great! I actually feel good about riding 50's in gloves now.

Gave it a good run

2011-04-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

2 days dreamed, 1/2 day reality.

Yup, i got pulled. (i can already hear the criticism coming at me!)

He ate amazingly, drank lots, didn't behave (what else is new) moved out well. Oh, and he also kicked the crap out of our trailer on the way to the rider, resulting in the removal of his hair in that area and a tender leg after 25 miles.

We had a great ride the first 25 miles, took just over 3 hours to do the first half. It was an extremely competitive ride with some top people and horses there, so i backed off in the morning and just rode behind the front runners.

I rode with Courtney G for auburn until i was pulled. We had a great time, chatting it up and comparing ride stories, and like all endurance riders do, we gossip about the riders that are running ahead of us :)

Im so proud of Bo, he did great. He was dragging me around camp after he was pulled, looked like a fresh horse that was gonna go ride tomorrow. Atta boy! 2 weeks off, some bute and R&R and he should be good to go.

Umm wait, what is this weekend?!

2011-03-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, it caught me by surprise as well. The subtext running through my head with the million other things going on in life is remind me that Nevada Derby is April 2nd. April 2nd. April 2nd. We get to March 27 and I realize that that is NEXT weekend. Crap!! I thought I had two weekends till the ride but alas, i have 5 short days till the ride. When the weather was nice and i was riding i was aware of the approaching date, but when the Sierra's get slammed with 100 inches of snow i tend not to think about riding horses much.

So what to do, well. As an endurance rider you accept it and begin scrambling to prepare everything.

Checklist to do?
-Ride your horse to make sure they didn't injure themselves (BO!); yep, sound!
-CHECK THE WEATHER! Chance of rain saturday, sunny sunday, mid 50's both days.
-Recheck for a lame horse
-Pack people gear
-Pack people food
-Recheck for a lame horse
-Pack horse food/supplements/gear
-Figure out boots.

Its the last thing that has me a bit worried. Hopefully i can get it figured out by this friday evening.

The weather looks to be decent for riding, but we will play it by ear for how we will ride. Still on the fence about doing 1 day or two. I guess we will just play it by ear on how Bo does.

You can expect more posts written throughout the week on what else i am forgetting to do.

P.S. for anyone thats interested, Bo's leg is healing up B-E-AUTIFULLY! The hair is half way grown back, super excited on how its healing.

Accident Prone

2011-03-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

Dang it.

What else will this horse do to make me not ride?!

It looks superficial, i have it wrapped and slathered in neosporin to keep it supple so the skin doesn't get tight. When i rode him the other day I put a salve on it, and he reacted badly to it. Read label closer and it said it "may sting", so for my wussy horse that means it did sting. Opps, my bad!

So i am skipping Rides of March. Major bummer! I was so excited to do this ride again, and Bo was so ready! Oh well, we will take it in stride and plan another one.

I take off my ridding hat and put on my crew hat for this weekend now, so it is okay.

But dang, i wish i was riding.

This is Fun, Right?!

2011-03-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Freezing frigid wind! I was expecting a funnel cloud to form any minute and be hit by a tornado. I set out from the barn later than i expected, and the minute that my but hit the saddle the sky turned grey and clouds rumbled in with fury. Okay, not quite so dramatic but when you are going for a distance ride that is how it feels when he see the clouds roll in and the wind kick up!

Knowing that he hadn't been ridden in a while i turned him out. Thank god i did cause he let out some huge bucks and FULL on galloped for a few minutes. This will be fun, a fit horse that hasn't been ridden in a while, cold temps making him extra chipper and then winds about 30 mph.

I will not be a wimp. I will ride. I will tuff it out. I will not be a wimp.

Crap, i have to go cause ~E is meeting me out there. Because Rides of March is only a week away I only road one way, so i got to meet my mom with the trailer at Lemon Valley =) Spoiled? You betcha!

It was a fun ride, mostly with my head tucked down, arms in tight and the occasional glance up to see if we had reached E yet. Riding english and growing up with hard core english trainers, you take away a few things. One of those is to look good and presentable. That means no loose clothing or puffy clothes that make you look like a few weight divisions heavier than you are. So i suffer in the wind, but hey, i look good while i suffer!!

Finally met up with E and continued towards lemon valley. You can read her post for a more detailed ride recap. All in all I did 12 miles in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Rides of March is 7 days away. Who wants to take a guess on how many ways my horse can injure himself in those 7 days?

Equitation

2011-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Diagonals, flying lead changes, figure eights and jumps!! The trails are inaccessible right now, there is about 4-6 inches of snow and deep mud on them right now so all i could do was work in the arena today. I spent 20 minutes lunging him with the side reins and then saddles him up and did 40 minutes of equitation work with him. We did lots of circles starting with large ones then tightening them up to small circles and back to large ones. Lots of figure eights with flying lead changes and working both diagonals at the trot, both leads at the canter and then I dragged out the jumps and did a bit of jumping with him again. I brought out my dressage saddle and worked in that, instead of my endurance saddle. It was nice to work in a controlled environment with Bo instead of just working on distance and his physical condition, we got to work on our movement together as a team and his mind a bit.

For those of you that don't know Bo used to be a race horse at Santa Anita in California and then we got him and did english showing, then cross country and eventing with him. I do miss showing every now and then so might go do some shows this year with him.

Thats all i've got for today, short and sweet!!

The trails are nice, right?

2011-02-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

My thinking: Oh its been sunny for a few days, relatively warm so the trails will be fine to get in a nice 30 mile ride.

Reality: The snow was melting, and there was a solid river running through the trail. The mud was pastern deep and the snow was fetlock deep.

Getting started Bo was very unwilling to move out, I wasn't asking for any sort of speed given the conditions but he was unwilling to walk. I thought he was just being barn sour at first so i urged him on (sometimes with some errrr, colorful words). I made the 12 mile out to Lemon Valley to meet ~E in just under two hours and then E and I, with our two jumpy, spooky steeds headed towards the lake for a 5 mile loop. We rode along the lakes edge, in the snow and mud and then headed back towards LV where we split ways and we both headed home. She had a nice 10 minute ride home and I planned to take two hours home.

{Bo knows where he is and his happy to get home asap} {Zach can do nothing but grimace and hope Bo doesnt slip in the snow}

The nice thing with a fit horse is that they can run for a nice long time, the bad thing is that they WILL run for a nice long time. My hands were so sore from him pulling on me, and the 30 degree weather (i forgot my gloves so they were quite brittle and sensitive). So as long as he wasn't going to slip and the footing was fine I told myself he could canter, not like i could do much about it anyways. The two hour trip i thought it was going to take to get back, only took a whopping 52 minutes.

This was the longest distance we've did this year, the 30 mile ride took us 3 hours and 55 minutes. The max speed was 16, and i'm pretty sure that was when he spooked at a sign. The Avg speed was 7.5 mph and we had about 800 feet of elevation gain and loss.

He still had gas in the tank, was bright eyed and bushy tailed at the end. Another round of storms is coming into the sierras, supposed to get two feet by tomorrow night. yippee right? no. no training for at least a week so the next time i can probably get any distance in is march 5th which is two weeks before Rides of March. So as long as the weather is clear that weekend and the trails are okay i will try to get in a 40 mile ride, if the trails are bad in reno I can go down to Auburn to get in some good training. We have been making plans for the first ride, and if it is supposed to snow for Rides of March we will go down to Shine and Shine Only in San Jose for nicer weather, camping in a tent is the snow is just not fun.

Not what I was going for...

2011-02-21T00:21:00.000-08:00

I went out today with the intention to do a 31 mile loop from the barn, but i got a very late start (didn't start saddling till 4:30) and being typical reno weather the afternoon was windy!! We have had some intense winter storms here in the Sierras, so much snow that i can walk off the second story deck directly onto snow. With all the snow i was worries about what the conditions of the trails would be like, i was constantly asking ~E what the weather was like since she lives near my barn.

So anyways I finally got saddles and hit the trail around 5. I knew if i was going to do the 31 miles i wouldn't make it back before dark so i strapped on some glow bars and put a headlamp on since i do some road ridding and people go flying by me at 70 mph. The wind was so bad that my rump rug got blown up off of Bo (it has a tail loop on it) and got caught on my helmet. It was a warm 25 degrees, my face was numb, my hands were hurting from the cold and i had to fight with the rump rug and this is all before mile two. So i wimped out and headed back to the ranch to do some equitation work.

I put Bo on the side reins and worked him in the round pen for 20 minutes, then lunged him over some cavelletis and called it a day.

I will try again Tuesday, shooting to do the 31 mile loop to get him ready for the 50 in 4 short weeks away.

Its a whole nother game

2011-02-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Once you get to a ride, its not at all the same so you might as well throw out the horse you are used to and get used to the fire breathing dragon at the start. The NEDA 20 mile ride took place in Silver Springs, Nv yesterday. We got to ride camp and Bo actually behaved, what a nice surprise that was! I got him all tacked up and walked him up to the trough, not thinking he would drink with all the other horses being warmed up and all the other excitement, but he took a good long drink. Good horse! The first loop was 13 miles and i left a few minutes (as a side note this was the first ride i got to do alone, unsponsored!!) after the lead riders and then the carts came by me, and Bo started to come undone. Then i tried to get him to walk, he came more undone, more horses started passing me and the more i held him back the more unraveled him became. So i set to hell with it and let him move out and he settled right down. Bo and I and trotted up to another group of riders, and he got amped up so i went ahead and passed them. So we trotted and cantered the first 7 miles until we saw anyone else, and then we came up on a group of 5 riders and i had just planned on drifting behind them until the 13 mile loop was over. They kept surging, go really fast then walking, then fast then walk and on and on for about a mile and i couldn't take it anymore so i went ahead and asked to pass them which they were happy to let me. About 9 miles into the loop a guy was sitting in his yard watching everything and was nice enough to put out a bucket of water, all of the horses needed it since it was 65 degrees during the ride. I started to scoop water onto Bo to cool him off and the guy turned on the hose for me so i could spray Bo down, it was so needed! We just kept trotting into the check were we caught up to Sonja who I have ridden with at rides before. We talked about rides and shared storied and then we both hopped off the horses to walk them into the check. The group that i passed back a few miles back caught up to us and we were all at the P&R area at the same time. All the horses except Bo are experience endurance horses with a few years and hundreds of miles under them. Bo pulsed first out of the group, way to go! That made me proud!!

After the pulse I went back to the trailer and made Bo a mash and let him eat some hay before we went and did the next 7 mile loop. I stayed there for about 15 minutes and by the time I left Sonja and the other riders where already back on the trail. Bo still felt fresh and I let him move out a bit more on this loop. It wasn't long until i passed the big group and i could see Sonja up ahead, then a big jack rabbit jumped right in front of us and Bo did a roll back and a spin. Do you know how hard it is to be cantering along and then have a horse face the other way in less then 3 seconds? Well i do, all to well! So well actually that i have perfected it through the years to the point were i can land on my feet. There was a road crossing up ahead so i stayed on the ground and hand jogged for a mile until i jogged up a hill and my calfs started cramping up so i got back on rode the last 3 miles into the finish. I could see sonja most of the loop, just around the next turn or the next hill. I caught up to her in the last mile and we did a nice easy canter into the finish. It was great to hear her say that Bo looks great and fit! He cantered across the finish line with a pulse of 109, not bad at all for a hot day and after 20 miles!! Our ride time, without the 15 minute break i took to let bo eat, was 2 hours and 15 minutes.

This picture was taken at 3 miles:

This is Bo after the 20 miles:

AND here is the map =)

Spring, Summer or winter?

2011-02-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

Last tuesday when i road it was in the low twenty's. Today it was 60 degrees. Not that I'm complaining about todays weather, it just makes it harder for the horses to work when they have thick coats on. But hey, lets just call it heat training and take it as a positive!!

I got to ride in a t-shirt which was amazing! Bo did good, and we rode at a moderate pace because of the heat. He drank well at the troughs and handled everything well. Because of the weather tons of people were out shooting, dirt biking and off roading. Everything excepted the shooting went ok. They shot off a bunch of rounds all at once when i was trotting by them and Bo jumped so hard to the side that i was left standing parallel to him in only my left stirrup, then i bailed. It must have been some sight because the people ran over to me to check everything out, i wish i had it on video. It tweaked my back pretty bad so i led him on foot for a bit.

I have been reading through the past 3 years of endurance news, reading articles on training and conditioning. Some of the best, well what i think are the best, articles and recommendations are from the international news sections from FEI riders. Stag Newmans write ups about his training regimen for the Old Dominion 100 has been really informative, and the blog post Chris Martin just did on conditioning really reassured me of what i have been doing, and the principles i have been following.

Next weekend is the NEDA 20 mile ride in Silver Springs. It will be good for Bo to get exposure to other horses at a ride, his brain needs it. I will do a light equitation work out in the arena on Tuesday and that will be it before the ride.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/6/2011

LOCATION: Lemon Valley Hill loop

DURATION: 2 HOUR 30 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 20.03 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: HEAT/DISTANCE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: 60º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=8.1; Ascent=1401 feet; Descent=1404

Woe Damn it!

2011-02-01T22:18:00.000-08:00

The fitter the horse gets, the harder it is to rein him back. I took Bo out for a 21 mile loop today and he only got stronger through out the ride. He started off a little sluggish when leaving the barn but once we hit the actual trail he perks up and gets into work mode. I need to replace the gators on the boots so i have just been riding him bare, but it's not to rocky we I ride at. Early someone said i am "pushing" Bo on these rides, and for those that have seen me ride him i do everything but push this horse! I was holding the reins so tight towards the end my hands were cramping. People run fox hunts out on these trails so they have coops to jump. Bo has jumped bigger coops than these (max height I ever jumped him was 6 feet) yet he seems to forget that he has gone over them before and when trotting by has a "Holy Crap!" moment and jumps up and to the side leaving me on my butt in the sand. Bad Bo. It really fun to let this horse tear it up in the hills. He seems to really enjoy working and doing distance rides, so i am excited to get him to AERC rides.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/1/2011

LOCATION: Lemon Valley loop

DURATION: 1 HOUR 44 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 21.03 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: CARDIO/DISTANCE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: 28º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=12.1; Ascent=1631 feet; Descent=1544

Winter is back

2011-01-30T17:37:00.000-08:00

Goodbye nice warm spring weather. It was nice while it lasted. I went from flip flops, shorts and tanning at the lake to bundling up with layers upon layers. I guess i forgot to shut the window in my room last night and i was woken up at 4 in the morning by snow flying into my room. Dang it!

Well i decided to tough it out and ride anyways so went to reno and saddled Bo up. I threw the rump rug on him since it was cold and starting to get windy. I had hoped to get in about 25 miles but around 10 miles it started dumping snow. It wasn't real snow, it was that dip and dot snow, the little round ice balls. It's worse than real snow because it hurts like heck when it hits you! I got really cold and wet so i turned around and headed home. It was a good ride though, i got to get in some good extended trotting and long cantering periods. Bo is getting really fit, so unless anything happens we should be doing Rides of March...

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/30/2011

LOCATION: Lemon Valley loop

DURATION: 2 HOUR 6 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 18.43 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: CARDIO

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: 30º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=8.7; Average Heart Rate= 115; Ascent=1365 feet; Descent=1377

Jekyll and Hyde

2011-01-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

~C and I rode from my barn in Palimino Valley over to Lemon Valley were we met up with Funder and rode back.

We went out early that morning to meet out Farrier who trimmed all three horses. Bo's feet are still improving, but they are 100% better from where they were last year. After many mishaps with his feet (quarter cracks, founder, laminitis) but now that he is Barefoot and working he is getting good blood circulation.

~C and i set out around 11 and walked down the road since it was pretty busy, and their were a couple of people shooting right on the hill above us so that added a bit of anxiousness to the morning. We walked for about a mile until the horses had their little antics out and then we started working them in a nice little sand wash. Bo has never been in boots before, but he wore front gloves today. He was in the old style which is the only ones I have used so far but i want the new ones with softer, gentler gaiters. Bo got right to work and settled in for the longest training rides we have done yet. There were lots of puddles out on the trail so they always had an option for water. Bo drank well, and the boots did good going in and out of water and mud. We got in lots of long trotting periods which was perfect for both Diego and Bo at this point in the game. It was pretty hot out for our fuzzy winter horses and Bo was trotting hard so he was pretty sweaty, he had a good working pulse around 95 while trotting and his recoveries were good, dropped into the 70's within a few minutes from trot to walk. I through water on his neck from a puddle when we got to Lemon Valley.

When we were riding in we saw another local Endurance rider, and someone who had sponsored me back in 2009, Dovie! We walked back towards the arena to meet up with Funder. Adding a third horse to the group transformed the well behaved Bo into a jackhammer of a horse. He was cantering sideways, and side passing his way down the trail. Then I felt him start hopping and jumping, I have felt this before, and new something was up with the boots! The gaiter separated from my boot and was just hanging on by the gaiter. So I pulled both boots and put them on the saddle and road the rest barefoot. I got him to settle down enough to the point of him going forward and moving more horizontal then vertical. The ride back was fun, Funder turned around before my barn so she would get home before it got to dark.

The boots will be a quick fix, just re-screw the gaiter on. I will probably add power straps to make them fit a bit better though.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/22/2011

LOCATION: Big Dog Road to Lemon Valley and back

DURATION: 5 HOUR 7 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 24.02 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: DISTANCE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: 55º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=4.7; Average Heart Rate= 95; Ascent=1406 feet; Descent=1397

January 17, 2010

2011-01-17T20:46:00.000-08:00

I love doing back to back conditioning rides! I think it really helps improve their fitness. I ended up running for a mile on foot out their today since i haven't been able to make it to the gym recently and i figured Bo could use the experience of having someone run next to him. He did really well, I even dropped a sponge off of him so he could get used to that. I am really shocked at how he is coping with all the training. He seems to really like being on trail and likes his new job. I found a good deep sand canal off the main trail that i will let him canter and trot through to really work his muscles and cardio.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/17/2011

LOCATION: Big Dog Road

DURATION: 1 HOUR 22 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 10.51 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: Fast

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: 64º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=7.6; Average Heart Rate= 110; pulsed from 97 to 65 in 5 minutes

Eager for ride season to start!

2011-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:00

Today was a nice change from the normal below freezing, windy winter weather. It was 62 degrees when I was riding! I got to ride in a t-shirt, I didn’t have to wear gloves , ear warmers and multiple layers!

Bo was amazing today. He was so strong, forward and motivated. He really seemed to be enjoying himself and exploring new trails. It was the first time he got to encounter water on the trail. I forget that he is still green to endurance, he is not experienced like Sassy is. So when i trot up to a fresh water cow tank he isn't used to that. And that results in a quick stop, jump to the right followed by a 180 degree spin that leaves the rider hanging on with his ankle on the horses withers.

It was really hot for the horses today, especially with their THICK coats. I got to sponge him which he took well to, and even seemed to enjoy it. I am super excited to get to do more with him!! I will ride again tomorrow, shooting for maybe 10 or 11 miles and then next weekend hopefully ride from the barn to Lemon Valley and back which is 17 miles.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/16/2011

LOCATION: Big Dog Road

DURATION: 1 HOUR 4 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 8.6 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: Fast

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: 62º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=8.0 MPH; Average Heart Rate= 120; pulsed from 133 to 55 in 7 minutes.

January 9 ride

2011-01-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

A blog buddy ride! Crysta, Funder and I braved the freezing weather to get some training miles in before the ride season starts here in the west coast. Next weekend will hopefully be a bigger ride, shooting for 12 miles. I was very please on how Bo did today! I am also please with his pulses, not bad for an out of shape, thick coated horse!

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/9/2011

LOCATION: Lemon Valley

DURATION: 2 hours

DISTANCE: 9 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: Easy

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: Windy, 29º F

DETAILS: AVERAGE SPEED=4.5 mph ; Average Pulse 95, pulsed from 85 to 60 in 4 minutes

January 8 ride

2011-01-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/7/2011

LOCATION: Big Dog Road

DURATION: 42 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 6.0 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: Fast, Stress Ride

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: 30º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 13.3; AVERAGE SPEED=8.6; Average Heart Rate= 125; pulsed from 113 to 64 in 8 minutes while walking

Cardio Work

2011-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't been able to get some good distance rides in due to my hectic schedule all i have been able to do is short fast rides. I'm not to concerned that he won't be ready for rides though. In 2009 when i was first getting Sassy ready all i was able to do was ride 2 days a week on the side of the road due to the snow. We did a 5 mile ride at a good pace 2 times a weeks and she got in really good shape fairly fast! We did that for a month and a half and she did the Rides of March 30 like it was a brief walk in the park! She got Horse of Excellence at that ride, and places top 10 on a tough 50, her first and my first. Bo already has a decent baseline from all the other sports i have done with him, and his tendons are strong from racing on the track.

I hardly ever did arena work with Sassy but I think it is really important for Bo to do arena work consistently. Doing jumps, circles and figure eights will really help him. He forgets his ground manners, and working in the arena helps keep him flexible and supple. I would like to get a pair of running reins to be able to lunge him with them to get him to really engage his hind end, to flex at the poll and work on the vertical, and encourage correct muscle development.

Off to go get a quick ride in on Bo!

Training

2011-01-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Another training ride on Bo today. I am still learning the trails at the new place out in Lemon Valley, so i have been doing rides on the dirt roads. I can't ride far but I still need to get him in condition so i have just been doing good cardio work. I trotted and cantered 5 miles today and did it in 42 minutes. He did SUPERB today! It was the first time with a rump rug on and he never even flinched. It was his first time riding in a completely new place and he never spooked at all the new "spooky stuff". He handled the winds well, unlike his normally spooky self. He didn't mind the conditions we were riding in; snow and mud for the 5 miles. The way he tackled the hills was like a pro! He just motored up them and trotted down great without pounding himself down. Turning 10 years old must have down that bird brain some good :) We will be doing this season in Easyboots Glue-ons with Equipack Soft padding to aid his thin soles.

I will be doing a local 25 mile NEDA ride on February 12 and then we will go from there... I am excited for the 2011 Ride season!

Sassy is still looking really good and sound, we have a X-Ray scheduled soon so i am anxious to see the results from that. I have found a great stallion with a free breeding promotion in Texas so we are considering doing that.

Happy New Years!

A Christmas Ride

2010-12-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

I spent a few hours out with the horses yesterday. It was such a perfect day! It was WARM, sunny and not windy (rare for reno). I worked with Bo in the arena for about and hour (which worked out to be about 5 miles). I worked him over cavalettis, jumped him, lots of figure eights, bending, circles and trot-canter transitions. He did really well and was bending way better at the end of our work session. After the arena work I rode Bo and my mom rode Jack for about 2 miles out on the trail. Jack was completely bare and it was getting very rocky. Hopefully i can get out and do 10 miles after new years.

We turned Sassy out in the arena and she looked GORGEOUS! She was running around for a good half hour with no limp, extending beautifully, and carrying herself correctly. I lunged her in tight circles and couldn't see any limp, head bob, short striding, or difference in stride. Maybe their is hope for her.

More to come later...

Break?

2010-12-19T09:46:00.000-08:00

What is this foreign concept of a "break"?? Finally, it could not have come sooner. I have pretty much slept for the past two days recovering from the month of busting my ass in school. ALL my ACT/SAT/Subject Tests and school work is done and caught up with.

Not much to catch up on. Graduating a year early, can't be happier! Some people seem skeptic of my decision and think i am rushing to this. But trust me when i say, i have thought this out for a very long time. I had planned to go on Foreign Exchange this year but money did not allow it, so i was always supposed to be in high school for 3 years. I have been so happy since i made the decision!I applied to UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, Cal Poly, Sacramento State University, Sonoma State University and San Diego State University. what else have i been up to? Planning Prom, planning Graduation, yearbook editor, Junior Rotarian president, lead actor in the fall play, auditions for spring musical coming up, conditioning Bo, dealing with sassy and her knee issue.

I have been conditioning Bo for rides in the spring. I have done about 4 good rides with him so far. One short 3 mile ride, two 5 mile rides, and one 10 mile ride. I have down then all barefoot with some rocky footing and his feet are holding up good!! He is SO hairy i feel bad doing cardio work with him cause he just gets so dang sweaty! I was talking to Funder yesterday and we both were thinking that maybe when we condition with a thick coat and then clip for a ride, the ride will be easier for them due to less heat. Like how people wear sweats in the gym, or how mountain horses have an easier time in the flat lands.

We board the horses just a short mile from the Nevada Derby Ride Camp so it's nice to know some trails. I hope to be able to get Bo into shape to do the Shine and Shine Only down in San Jose in mid-February. So hopefully in Mid January i can take Bo on the 25 mile Nevada Derby Course to get him ready for a 50.

Pure Insanity

2010-12-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

The past week has been pure insanity. I have made the decision to graduate high school a year early. And go to college next year. I made the decision monday, oh and college applications were do tuesday!!! When i have more time i will post some more but that's all for now

2010 comes to an end

2010-11-20T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well as the 2010 season ends in less than 20 days i thought it would be a good idea to recap the year and address some stuff.

My ride year was bitter sweat. I had a semi-successful season. Successful in the fact that i had 9 starts and 7 completions. But kinda unsuccessful in the fact that only 3 of 9 starts were in my own horse and even more unsuccessful in the fact that i only completed 1 of those 3. So the two pulls i had were on my horse. 1 Over Time Pull and 1 Lameness pull. The overtime pull was not because she was not in shape or we wasted to much time it was because we had boot issues all day and had to deal with that. The lameness pull was do to the lack of experience of gluing on boots. I had great success riding Tinker Hart's horse and a 5 day Pioneer ride with Global Endurance Horses. So thank you to Dian and Christoph of GETC and Tinker!!

Boots. Might has well recap that since they were a huge part of my season. In the spring i gave up on boots due to all the issues i have had. I was lucky enough to spend time with Christoph and Dian over the summer to learn from them and got to learn a bit from Garret Ford himself at tevis. I might be inclined to try boots again next season if i can get all the proper gear needed. I think i would glue on for races and shoe in between rides.

I have now successfully rehabbed two different horses through two different injuries. Bo has gotten over his quarter crack and has been sound for about 4 months now so it is time to start riding him again! Sassy had that bad shoulder injury last year and successfully completed a 55 mile ride after it. I am no rehabbing Sassy again.

I am happy that i have gotten to ride the horses i have, ridden with the people i have ridden with and met some amazing people through endurance rides.

Whats wrong with Sassy?

2010-11-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

My Theory: Somehow she injured her new and i think damaged the lower joint in the knee and now has excess bone growing in it. We are going to get it X-rayed by our barefoot farrier/vet. She has a friend that is a vet at the UC Davis Vet Clinic and if it is cracked we are going to see if we can get her into a trial clinic with stem cells and bone healing.

In the picture below you can see how much bigger the knee really is. It is not soft like a swollen knee but it is hard like bone.

Heart Break

2010-11-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

Finally, my life is Back on track and has resumed normality. After oreana was a week of playing catch up, then finals, then rehearsal for the play and now it is just pure, calmness.

Sassy. She has a problem. Something is up with her and i spent time conditioning her and then she goes lame again and the vets say it is something related to the kick that she suffered back last summer. She is fine for a while, then gets sore and hurt and then is okay so i start conditioning again and then boom again she is lame. So instead of me trying to work things out (like i have been for 16 months) i am just gonna call it quits and put her in pasture. It is money, time and emotion that i just cant keep spending out. So we are again looking at stallions to breed her to and then use we can get a two for one deal, rehab and a new horse! Their are a few good local california stallions i am looking at, all around the same breeding fee and then a few are sweepstakes which is nice. It has been a roller-coaster with my little mare, and it breaks my heart that she will probably never be the endurance horse she once was, which was a stellar horse! It really does make me sad that i will never achieve the goals i had set out to do with her. Like Tevis and becoming a decade team, sassy becoming a 10,000 mile horse, and Sassy and i completing the Triple Crown (NASTR 50/75/100 in one year).

But i guess that is the sport of endurance, sometimes things just fail.

More of Owyhee 5 day- finally

2010-11-07T10:00:00.000-08:00

Since the 5 days were so fun and busy i could not possibly right about each ride. So i will just kinda ramble about the adventure!

We got to ride camp a little after midnight on monday. Instead of trying to set up the tent in the dead on night (which would have woken everyone in camp, and the town probably!) we slept on a mattress in the truck and woke up around 8 and got our camp all set up right across from the vetting area and then main camp area which was nice and convenient. We were also 20 feet from Dian and Christoph which was also super nice!!! Dian and Christoph got into camp around midnight after hauling all day (they hauled 9 horses to the ride, so they had to haul two trailers so neither of them got to rest much). Taking a week off of school was no easy task, so when Dian and Christoph were still sleeping i took that time to do some pre-calc homework; i was able to get in about two hours of math on the first day!

Once we all started the day we picked out tack and then went for a short pre ride on the horses we were gonna ride on day 1. Dian was on a mare she bred and raised, Halyva Night (aka Haly). Christoph was on DWA Powerball. And i was on my favorite Global Endurance horse HL Vanhelsing!! I was riding in one of their SR Saddles. We went out and did a 4 mile clip with Doug Swingley and then got the crew box ready for the out check (15 and 35 miles).

The morning started pretty well. We were running up front and the 4 horses (doug's horse nash plus the 3 getc horses) were all doing fine moving out at a brisk pace. The were settled in and down to business until another horse, that was out of control joined us. Just a quick not, their is a difference between having a front running competitive horse and a out of control horse. So we did our best to get out horses to settle down and get back on track. Well when we hit a gravel road that went on for a few miles the newest horse just took off at a full gallop (btw the rider was not wearing a helmet and had a halter on the horse, no bit) and then my young brained vanhelsing just about blew up and all i can hear is dian and dough shouting "hold on hold on HOLD ON!" and then suddenly, we cantered INTO the vet-check, at the same time as the vet check manager did. So needless to say 5 horses running up front was a bit of a cluster in a VC that hadn't been set up yet. But the management handled it great, they started getting water for our horses ASAP and then the vet's were amazing trying to get fair pulses to all of us. The 30 minute hold was nice, it put some space between us and then the next loop was just Christoph, Doug, Dian and me. We road along the snake river and waded out horses into it to cool them off and rinse all the white dirt off them. We got back to the VC and things went smoothly, except the saddle pad had rubbed a bit of van's hair off in the back making him a bit sensitive. We finished the last 15 miles back to camp quickly and had a ride time of 3 hours 43 minutes. SPEEDY!

This is the only day i remember in detail. All the other days just blur together.

I do remember riding through some incredible places, but not to much detail as we were hauling A$$.

Here are the times for all the days.
1-3:43
2-4:17
3-3:46
4-4:17
5-4:39

It was an amazing experience and i am so thankful for dian and christoph letting me spend the summer with them, getting to ride with them for 250 miles all the great stories, advice and jokes that were shared.

No goes and catch up

2010-10-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Were have i been?!

So after a sudden family emergency on saturday i was unable to go to high desert, i ended up having to go down to the Bay Area for the rest of the weekend.

THEN, this weekend is Lake almamor which i was to attempt my first FEI ride at until three different horses injured them selves slightly right before the ride, so i called it quits for this weekend.

The first snow has fallen in Truckee, and ski resorts are getting ready for ski season. depressing huh?

MIDTERMS are over and i survived, barely! Downing pots of coffee at 10 pm is not my ideal situation so i bet you could imagine how ecstatic i am now to resume a normal life.

Sassy is getting a pair of shoes on for the first time since May. I still need to figure out my hoof care choice. I love the protection boots provide when racing so i may glue on for races and train in shoes as i don't have the time to put on gloves or a different type of boot for every single training ride.

My next goal is Desert Gold at the End of November. It may conflict with my moms work to much but it is an FEI ride so i would love to be able to do it.

Brief

2010-10-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

I have a few more post about my ride at oreana but they are still in the draft stage as i have been catching up in school and last week was homecoming so i have been recovering from planning that.

I have another ride this weekend. A 50 mile ride on Sunday riding Suzzane Ford-Huff's horse.

Ohhh and since i have exhausted almost every-other resource looking for a horse to ride at the FEI 1 star ride at Lake Almanor i might as well ask here as well.

Does anyone have or know of a horse that is available for the 50 mile ride on 10/30? Please and thank you :)

Ecstatic

2010-10-03T07:38:00.001-07:00

5 Days
4 Division Wins
3 5th place finishes
2 4th place finishes
1 insanely happy rider!!

250 miles; I did it! I completed all 5 days of the Oreana 5 day ride. I rode 3 different horses. My body held up a lot better than i thought, day three was probably the worst but not bad at all. Day 4 and 5 felt like i hadn't done anything the previous days.

I got to ride with some really top notch riders. Doug Swingley who has won the iditarod race 5 times sponsored me for the last half of the race on day 3 and we rode with him lots throughout he week. Christoph Schorck who has over 200 wins and is a great person and Dian Woodward who has finished tevis, 20+ wins and lots of other amazing stuff. She is also a hell of a breeder, just look at the foals on the ground in Moab! On the last day we went out and raced with Dennis and Sue Summers (big time racers and FEI riders) which was fun and interesting but backed off the second half of the ride as they were on fresh horses and our horses had already done 2-3 days of rides.

I learned so much about running up front and racing, electrolytes and supplements and i was reassured of a lot of things that i had already discovered in endurance from my own training and competitions.

Hanging out with Dian, Christoph, Doug and others was super fun and was a blast!!

I went into the ride with 205 miles, left with 455 miles!! I have been offered a horse for the High Desert Ride in nevada in two weeks, two days of 50's. And then possibly a horse for Lake Sonoma 50 the week after High Desert.

I am floating on air on how the 5 day turned out!!!!!!!!! Have i mentioned i am pretty happy?! :D

Almost ready

2010-09-26T12:18:00.001-07:00

After an awful week in school for personal reasons and being so emotionally tired i am almost ready to leave for the ride.

its just under an 8 hour drive so hopefully we can make it to camp tonight.

The weather looks to be on the warmer side

9/27- 93º/58º
9/28-95º/58º
9/29-91º/57º
9/30-90º/58º
10/1- 91º/59º
10/2-87º/57º

If i have cell reception i will try to post updates to my blog, but if you are on facebook you can watch for updates their as it is easier to access FB from an iphone...

Oreana 5 day

2010-09-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Oh Crap, it just truly hit me that i am riding 250 miles in the course of a week. I feel like physically i can do 3 or 4 strong days. But 5?

Anxiety kicks in about here....

Packed already is a bottle of caffeine pills. instant press coffee. advil, lots of it. Arnica gel for sore muscles. Icy Hot Cream. And hot packs. I should be good on the front.

I'm running to reno friday afternoon to pick up another pair of Nike Running Rights and a pair of Running Shorts and a few shirts.

I'm not sure on the terrain at Oreana, but i know as far as my riding muscles i'm good to trot and canter on the flats and up hills, i rarely trot downhill so those muscles arent as strong as i found at Patriots Day. I'm planning on running a half marathon (13.1 miles) in November so I may get off to run the downhill but who knows.

BREATHE ZACH!

Busy Few Weeks

2010-09-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

Patriots Day marked the start of a packed schedule!!

After patriots day i had a test every day of the week plus college classes and then a program for national merit scholars. Then last weekend Was the scholar trip to Stanford University which i am absolutely in love with!!! Then this week i have a meeting every day, normal classes, and then 3 tests this week. I will slowly be packing for the Oreana 5 day which we are leaving for on Sunday morning to get up their sunday mid day and then set up out camp. Saturday I am going to the Atmosphere concert in reno. On the top of all that i am pretty much living by myself while my mom is in LA dealing with personal stuff and my brother is staying with me but in the past 24 hours i've probably seen him a total of 20 minutes. So needless to say i have a pot of coffee brewing 24/7 pretty much. Excited? Of course i am!!!

Patriots Day 50

2010-09-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Success!! After two pulls in a row, i finished a ride!! March was the last time i completed a ride, depressing huh?

Getting to the ride was a roller coaster it's self!

I had been offered a horse a two months ago and that fell through about a month ago. Then a few weeks ago Jenny Jordan offered me her horse Tyco. Then Wednesday that fell through when he had a swollen shin. I posted on Ridecamp asking for a horse and hadn't heard anything on Friday morning so i gave up for the weekend's ride. Then Kay Mathews emailed me around noon on Friday. She said her daughter Tinker Hart may have a horse for me to ride. Tinker called me around 1 pm and said she had a horse and would see me a ride camp in greenville later that night. So i quickly cancelled all plans, and made new plans to ride!! I had to go to reno get all my tack and riding gear, go back to truckee, get the camping gear pack the truck and make the two hour drive to Greenville from my house in truckee. We ended up getting to Ridecamp at around 10 that night.. Setting up the tent in complete darkness trying to be silent was, well interesting to say the least!

I woke up at 5:30, got dressed in my riding tights, a running shirt and a wind breaker to start the ride in. Tinker and I vetted the horses in at 6:15 and then I jumped on Hatting and took a few laps around the arena with her before the start. Tinker and I started out in the back cause Hattie can be a handful sometimes and hard to handle at the starts. We walked out of camp on a loose rein, good start!!! The first 12 miles were a good tough climb, pretty much all uphill until the mile 12 vet check. The horses were doing good. Tinker warned me at the start that hattie might take a while to pulse and would probably hit a wall early in the 50 since she had only been out for 5 rides since last october (the longest being 18 miles) so we would just plug along and let hattie tell us what the pace would be. Tinker and i had so much fun chatting out on the trail, the miles just flew by!! Hattie pulsed right down to 48 at the vet check, getting all A's with 1 B on gut sounds. It was a 30 minute check and we just hung out while the horses ate and changed into a cooler shirt since it was heating up already. The next leg of the ride would be 24 miles back to camp which we took about 3 hours to do, leading them the last mile into camp considering it was a big steep down hill. As we were coming into camp i could see a little head bob with tinkers horse. Hattie vetted out great, all A's this time and a 44 pulse. Tinker was asked for a re-trot and i trotted her horse so tinker could see. Tinker saw it to and pulled her self... So now i was without a sponsor. Great, almost every ride i've done its taken two or more sponsors to get me through. Am i bad luck or something?! The hour hold was nice, and i changed into a new running shirt and my track shorts.

I had to wait at the out timer and beg for sponsors. Tinker and i got our selves into a nice bubble between groups which was great until i needed a new sponsor. I waited 40 minutes until someone else came along, Sheila Walsh and Kathy Campbell, who i knew from tevis stuff!! It was nice to ride with someone i knew instead of a complete stranger (although in endurance pretty much everyone is friendly so no one can be that much of a stranger)!

The last 14 was so fun! I loved riding in my running shorts!! I do it all the time during training rides but never during a race, but as long as the temperature is good i will be doing it! we covered the 14 miles at a nice fast clip, had a blast out their on the narrow and winding single track in the trees, enjoying the lemonade stand half way through the loop (amazing lemonade!!). Hattie did amazing all day, NEVER getting tired and just moved out with her ears pricked forward. I had to hold her back a lot on the last loop, she kept cantering at a fast pace and i was nervous of her taking a face plant and getting hurt, keeping us from getting a completion. The last hill up to the finish line, she cantered up and across the finish line looking great!! I headed to Tinkers trailer pulling tack and hosing her off, jogged her out for Tinker and Katie Lydon, sound!

The final vet out, went GREAT!! She finished with ALL A's and a 44 pulse. When we were doing the trot out she started cantering in hand and looked so happy!! Needless to say we finished, and having the vets tell you to take this horse on a 100 mile ride next is never a bad thing to hear after a tough 50 mile course!

My final Ride Time was 8 hours 47 minutes. Considering i my out time was two minutes after the person who finished in front of me, but i left 40 minutes after them but only finished 5 minutes behind them shows how much we moved out on the last loop. The rest of the afternoon i spent hanging our family friend Becky Hogland (the owner of Coppercreek Camp which is were base camp is). Dinner was amazing, we ate with Becky Spencer (won the ride) and her husband Mark Engman (BC) along with Pam and Doyle Bailie and Dian and Bill Johnson and had a fun time until awards started. I got first Junior, and got a cool water bottle for life Gear! Its a lantern, flashlight, MP3 Player, AND a water bottle!! Finishing award were re-usable glow sticks, that can be a flash light and have a whistle built in, also from life gear.

The ride had a great completion rate, 100% on the LD and only 8 pulls ( 45 finished, 53 started) on the 50. 3 of the pulls were rider option, 1 was a rider injury, and the 4 were Lameness. Results can be found here for all the days. Kassandra and her crew did an amazing job!! The race went so smoothly, and dave rabe's trail marking was AMAZING!! Love this ride!!

Next for me is the Owyhee Canyonlands Pioneer 5 day ride. Should be so fun!!

Mel's Advice- laughter

2010-09-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

Laughing i am right now. Recap real quick with me. I was riding, i was not, i was, horse got injured, i was not. now on Friday at 1 pm i was offered a horse for 50 miles. HAHAHAH YES! what a roller coster, and the ride hasnt even started yet.

Bummer!!

2010-09-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

Patriots day is out. the horse popped a splint and the vet says the trailer ride up may irritate it to much and make him off, so best not to risk it and just sit this one out and hope for another ride. Am i just not meant to ride endurance?!

Sudden and unexpected!

2010-09-04T15:57:00.000-07:00

A ride. Actually two rides. 50 miles, technically 100 miles spit between two days. The Patriots Day 1 AND 2. Jenny Jordan has offered me her horse Tychos Comet to ride both days. YAY! Its been SOOOOOO long since i have gotten to actually ride, not crew. Oh, and its in 6 days. 9/11 and 9/12. Never a dull moment, never a spare day! Yipeee!!

Zach Plays Vet, new thought on Sassy.

2010-08-29T10:59:00.000-07:00

I went out to see the horses early this morning, 6 am and just got back from visiting them. Summer ended very quickly in truckee, ca; so quick that it snowed a tiny bit last night. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! But back to the topic on hand, Sassy. It was pretty cold at the barn and i took her out and turned her out into the arena to watch her move and the "tiny bit of off-nes thats hard to see" was their on the right front. Cold, 12 year old horse, had endurance rides before, had lots of years packing and riding with Frank and Jonnie Smith, zach's thought? arthritis. I hope I'm wrong but it just looked that way this morning. But anyways sassy is going down to Cindy Schuless and Sandy Schuler to have some muscle work done on her, some of you that were reading this blog last year may remember she went down their and and did wonders for her. She will be down their for 5 days while I'm off getting private tours of the top 5 California School and going to a Stanford Football game, all because i am a national merit scholar and thats the perks of working hard in school :)

quick update

2010-08-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sassy is going down to Sandy Schuler and Cindy Schuless for 4 days (same people that worked on her last year) just o have some body work done..Bo is coming along nicely, i dont know if i have enough time to condition him for comstock but i think he could do two days of LD at desert gold.

School has started up again, oh joy.. Some of u may remember last year when i over loaded my classes , and swore it would never happen again. well i did it again! AP English, Precalc, AP Biology, Physics along with planning prom, being VP/PResident of 5 clubs and a supporting role in the Fall Play. Way to go Zach... I'm expecting a nice comment from you Crysta on planning and taking it easy on my classes just like last year :)

Bo!

2010-08-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

Back in November or so with all the wet conditions and a poor shoeing job, Bo got a quarter crack that went all the way from the cornet band to the bottom of the foot. In December we pulled the shoes to relive the pressure that the steel shoe was putting on the hoof and the vet and farriers said it would take about a year and a half to grow out. Here we are, 8 months into it and it is all grown out! I found a supplement back in March, called California Trace. And i have to say it is AMAZING!! all of their hoofs have grown immensely, and their hoof walls have thickened a lot... Bo is actually doing a lot of "self conditioning". Cantering around in the pasture for an hour when i take Sassy out, up and down the hills and he could easily go out and do a 15 mile ride if i pull him out of the pasture right now. So hopefully he will shape up nicely and i can do a SLOW 50 on him at either at the Comstock ride in Reno, or the 50 at lake Sonoma. After last years 50, umm we can jut say mishap, I need to start with a cooler ride that actually has hay and water on the trail. If he does really well i might even take him down to Desert Gold to do a 50 at the end of November.

Sassy!

2010-08-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who read the blog you probably know (or not) that Sassy has been a bit off since Washoe Valley back in early May... 3 months... THREE LONG MONTHS of unknown waiting. When i left in June for UT Sassy was a slight G1 (grade 1) and then when i got back from tevis i went out to see her the firs week of Aug and when i pulled her out of the pasture she was around a G2 so i wanted to see it better so i put her in the round pen but shortly after warming her up i couldn't see anything so i took her out to do another trot out, for 3 different people, and then i got to see her trot out myself (rare, normally i do all the trot outs, even for other people at rides :) and she looked perfectly sound... So i put her back in the round pen so i could unload some grain and when i took her out 15 minutes later she was dead lame! So that was pretty depressing but last Thursday i got their and she was sound on the trot out, sound in the round pen so i figured if i saddled her up and took her on a nice slow ride (walk only) and she felt good and forward on the ride and looked really sound afterwards... I'm not sure what is going on yet, but i've been talking to sandy schuler allot so hopefully i will no something in a few days. My Goal for the rest of the year? Just get ONE more 50 in on her, take it as slow as she needs and complete!

Allot has happened since the last post!

2010-08-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

First off, i moved back to Truckee! Driving an hour to get to school was getting to be to much, and at one point i had to drive in to Truckee four times, and back to loyalton four times and spending eight hours a day driving was no bueno! So we moved to Tahoe Donner, and the horses are forty minutes away in Reno, on a 3.5 acre sandy pasture! It seems like they really like it their and it is sloped so they get to run up and down a hill all day! Bo seems to really like it, he is fitting himself up nicely! Some of you may remember but he had a quarter crack, all the way from the bottom to his cornet band so he has been un-rideable since Early December. Sassy had those bruises on on her feet from Washoe, which took along time to work out but i was able to take her on a short, 45 minute walking ride the other day. Jack (the 30 year old) is doing great, he lost a fair bit amount a weight but he is at a healthy weight now..

So back to catching up! Like i said i moved back to Truckee at the end of June and then went to Moab, UT for the month of July and stayed at GETC helping condition horses and in return i got to train with Dian Woodward and Christoph Schork (go and check out their website to see all their accomplishments) for a month and learned an infinite amount about training, conditioning, supplements, racing techniques and allot of other great stuff. If i see you at a ride and want to, feel free to ask about some of this stuff and I'll be happy to share some info that i picked up!

I traveled back from UT to California with Dian and Christoph to crew for them at tevis. We stayed at Garret Fords place up at tahoe and i got t learn allot about booting from him and his wife Lisa. I was set to crew for Dian, Christoph, to people the were leasing horses to, and my friends Rose Bishop riding her Mule Maybe. like every tevis i have been to (this was my 4th one) their was never a dull moment! Before 6 in the morning 1 rider had scratched from the ride, on of the people leasing a horse. Robinson Flat was not boring! Rose called me from the trail and told me she was running in 5th, so i got her all taken care of and then Christoph came in (in or near top ten) and Arnie Garcia took care of him and his horse Double Zell. Dian came in 12th into RF and her horse Starit Way (originally a back up horse but her #1 horse tied up on Friday). Starlit had a pulse of 48( FORTY EIGHT!!!) when she trotted all the way up to the water tanks! Unfortunately Dian's horse stalled half way up Cougar Rock, she tried to get off her horse to help him out but ended up slipping and doing a "face plant" on the rocks. Dian injured her ribs and at this point she was decided to withdraw from the ride, which we were all sad about since the horse was so ready to tackle the trail ahead of him. Dian made the best choice, the medics think the rib may have been broken or popped. The other GETC horse that was leased looked good a RF, the rider was a bit tired as it was his first 100 and first tevis. They never made it to Foresthill, here is the story on that.

Christoph Came into FH in 7th, left in 9th and finished 12th! Rose was pulled at FH, I'm not sure of the exact reason but the vets just didn't like something about her metabolic. They were right, she had blood in her urine but she is fine now, just couldn't go onto race. Garret and Lisa ended up in the top ten, and garret took haggin cup. Way to go garret and fury!

I am so happy that i got to stay with christoph and dian, and was so happy to meet everyone at tevis like garret, lisa, Tennessee Mahoney and her family and I got to finally meet Merri and i met Steph Teeter, and lots of other great people! Got to talk to Heather and Jeremy Reynolds again and catch up with them a bit...

I will post another blog soon more in depth about Sassy and Bo, and some goals for the rest of the ride season...

Good luck to Christoph, Heather and Jeremy, and all the horses trying for the WEG's! My competitiveness is starting to come out for the WEG, I hope the Reynolds make the team along with Lindsay riding Chris Martins horse MONK. wouldn't that be amazing?! 3 of the 5 WEG team horse from California! It's a hope, but with the WEG's its anyones guess right now, i wish i was going to be at the final selection trails in illinois this week!

Fun and New!

2010-06-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

First, New Blog lay out! This is my 116th post and almost a year since it started, so it was time for something new :)

Now for the fun!!! School is OVER with! It ended on tuesday, and i managed to get good grades despite my hard classes (way to overloaded) and hectic social stuff. Summer has been really great so far, and for the month of July i am going out to Moab, Utah to help condition some endurance horses with Christoph Schork and Dian Woodward at Global Endurance Training Center! Woo hoo!!

I am going to drive their and get their on July 1st and drive back to California with Christoph and Dian for Tevis, then crew for my friends at Tevis, mainly i will be crewing for Rose Bishop, but will help out anyone who needs some crew assistance. Rose has been my sponsor at allot of rides and we have trained allot together... She road her mule at tevis last year (first time for both of them) and finished 18th and looked amazing at the end! They are more ready this year, she completed all days at Wild West. Fingers crossed for everyone attempting it this year!

Vet Report from yesterday's check

2010-06-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

SLIGHT Grade 1 lameness on Front Right. Undetermined where, possible knee injury but very unlikely. After knee was flexed knee/gait didn't worsen... Wait two more weeks, no ichtomal just let it be. After two weeks if no improvement or it worsens then we will start nerve blocks, hoping it will just be in the foot and not up higher.

Bad News Appears

2010-06-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

On Sassy's feet...

More bruising has been coming to the surface of her feet and they are super sensitive when trotting on the road.

The ichtomal is meant to draw out the bruising and that is exactly what it is doing. Their is just allot of bruising.

I canceled Cooley Ranch, which is a bummer. I am just gonna go and volunteer at NASTR...

We have a vet/farrier/friend coming out at noon today to take a look at her and just confirm it is the bruises and not a shoulder/leg/tendon/anything else injury.

Since she was sound in the deep sand 2 weeks ago but off on the hard pavement everything is looking like it is the bruises. I couldnt imagine it being a tendon issue since she was sound in deep sand, which would make the injury look worse i think. Just have to wait and see

2010-05-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

I have been packing Sassy's feet with ichtomal, and the bruising has been getting better, and when trotting her out on the hard pavement she is 100% sound on the upgrade but coming down hill you can see the slightest (every 3 steps) head bob. If we put her on the dirt she looks 100% sound no matter what, which is encouraging...

I will continue packing her feet with ichtomal for the next week, and then next weekend I am gonna go for a big ride, probably from Foresthill to the river crossing and back; a total of 40 miles...

I have been concerned about Sassy's physical fitness for Cooley ranch, so if she can only do one day at Cooley Ranch and she is okay after that one day, i will go to the Hat Creek Hustle Endurance (June 19/20) and do two back to back days their.

Cooley Ranch

2010-05-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Is a full go!!!! I am officially entered in the ride, tentatively two days but i will see after day one about day 2. She trotted out VERY nice and sound today and i packed her feet with icthtomal (Karen Chaton's recommendation) and i feel really good about cooley!! I would like to have some sort of padding on her feet. I was thinking about applying Vettec Equi-Pak but am gonna do some research...

On a side note about a half an hour ago i was offered a horse that i could ride at the Fandango 100 this coming weekend, and while i felt totally capable of doing that and i have seen the horse before and his training schedule i knew he was fit enough but it turns out my mom has to work this weekend so i dont have a ride up to Fandango!! BUMMER!!

What kind of padding do u guys like? I will look into Merri's recomendation for the Hoof It pads...

Change of Plans

2010-05-16T11:25:00.000-07:00

Wild West is a no go. I don't feel comfortable taking her on a two day ride this soon, especially after she was trimmed! You could see the severity of the bruises. On each side of her hoof's (the Bar areas) it was completely black and red. As were the areas of her toes. On Both front feet, and slightly on the rears.

So now what?

Cooley Ranch 2 day!! I really wanted to go to Cooley Ranch last year but it was filled, but i sent in my entry last week! It should be a good ride to boost her fitness, nice hills and some good heat. It is in the hills of the Wine Country so it should be a scenic ride as well! I am a bit bummed that i cant do wild west but i think it will work out...

Pics~

2010-05-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Boots:

The Adhere is really hard, harder than a rock. Imagine running with that in your shoe for 25 miles! It would make me gimpy for sure.

Washoe:

American River:

Washoe: Last Attempt, now back to basics!

2010-05-03T06:43:00.001-07:00

Washoe Valley was another disaster for the boots. This was the last ride i will be doing in boots. They have cost me 100 competition miles, which i could have used to ride unsponsored and just to have the miles.

On Saturday evening the boots were glued on for us, with just adhere. She vetted through great, all A's and a 44 pulse.

The next morning i met up with Lucy Chaplin (my sponsor for the 50 miles). We set out on the first 25 mile loop, tough but not bad. I heard some people saying it was insanely hard but sassy and i didn't think so! When Sassy got in she hardly looked like she just did 25 miles. We went back to the trailer and let her eat some and then my mom trotted her out. She was really lame. I took her straight over to the vet and i told him what i saw, and he conformed it. A grade 3 lameness RF (right front). This was not right. Since the boots didn't have goober glue i was concerned that it was the boots. Sure enough we popped the boots off and their was two huge blobs of adhere under her feet,bulbs, and near her white line. After we took them off i trotted her out and she was a grade 1-2 not as bad but still their. so i think it has caused some bruising in the foot. I packed her hoofs with ice tight to maybe draw out the soreness.

One positive thing that came out of this ride was that Connie Creech introduced me to a good farrier that shoes allot of endurance horses up here. He shoes Suzanne Huff's horses, she took her horse to finish 3rd in tevis in 2007 and lots of other wins and BC's. The farrier was really nice and he knows what he is doing, and he will come to us!

We gave barefoot a try, we tried boots. It is not for us. maybe if we had more time, more money to try to make things work. But when something that is supposed to be helping the horse injures her, twice, and doesn't work it is time to move on.

Last season we compete in shoes. She did fine, top ten every ride and high vet score twice. I need to do what's best for sassy, and right now going back to what worked is what's best. Karen chaton recommended applying ichthamol to her foot with a boot over it to bring out the bruising.

Bob Smith (the farrier) said we can shoe her this coming weekend and then i can start training again hard. i will get some pics of the boots a post them when i get a chance...

American River 50~ Brief

2010-04-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Unfortunatley we had bad Boot issues all day, the easyboot Gloves, and she had pretty bad rubs on her front feet by 18 miles and the vets said she was a bit off from it so I applied vassaline and desitin.

A few miles down the trail I ripped both back boot Gators and was left with only 1 boot in the hind, but couldn't get in a safe place to put it on or remount so I had to walk about 3 miles until we were off the cliffs. At this point sassy and I had lost our stride and were pretty over the day. But we pushed onto auburn but had already wasted 3 hours dealing with boots and walking all morning. We got to auburn and Mellisa Ribley said she was lame with the boots so I figured i would see if she was sound without them. At the end of the 1 hour hold we trotted her out with the boots and she was rubbed enough to be lame so The Doc's said we were not going to go on. I figured she would be sound without the boots so we went over to the field and troted her out completly barefoot and she was amazingly sound! So forthe next hour I was running around camp trying to see if anyone had any easyboot foam so I could foam on the gloves and take the gators off.

I did find someone that was nice enough to lend me a pair of Renagades, so we put those on since the strap didn't touch ge rubbed area and she was sound so we headed out! At this point we were 4 hours behind and by the time we got done with hour 30 minute hold in cool we were left with 35 minutes to ride 7 miles so we opted for the trailer ride back and took an Overtime Pull.

We made it 42 tough miles and it was insanly hot for us. Someone else that got pulled in cool was pulled for a bad CRI, he was also from the reno/tahoe area.

So I relized I was ZERO for THREE on this Ride and was really over it at this point. I got to talk with Lucy Trumbull a bit and we talked about rubs and then a bit about washoe valley 50 this weekend. I am proud of how sassy did with all the problems that occured. I am also pround of myself that I was able to run ALL the way up Cardiac Hill ( a bad ass steep hill!!)

I have decided that i will go and ride Washoe 50 this weekend, she was already 100% the next morning and for the past two days she has been running circles around Bo and Jack and trotting the fence line whenever i am outside. So Dave Rabe is going to Glue on Boots for us this weekend, and then i will step up our training based on what Melissa Ribley told us at AR 50 (she straight up said that i should step up our training cuz we can both handle it).

The drive down was the most stressful part of this ride, truck broke on Thursday and didn't get fixed till Friday evening. We pulled into ridecamp at 11:30 and i didn't get to bed till 1 am and had to get up at 3:30 to get everything prepped!

Until i have more time to tell the full story, that is all i got!

~Zach (who is finally excited for Washoe 50 this weekend!)
Posted from my iphone

4/11 ride

2010-04-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 4/11/2010

LOCATION: SMITHNECK ROAD

DURATION: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 8 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: CARDIO!

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: WINDY, 45º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 13.4; AVERAGE SPEED=6; CLIMBED 832; DOWN 816

So i wanted to get in another ride, but i felt i couldn't since every 10 feet the back boots twisted off. I can't tell you how frustrated i was, i wanted to put shoes back on her. So i decided to vet wrap the back feet to maybe take up that extra room. I figure it would be like her hoof wall being thicker so maybe it would work. So did a half role on each foot, then thew the boots on, and. IT WORKED!! I was pleased on how they did since i was trotting hard, 80% of the ride, on gravel roads so i was glad to have them to absorb the concussion.

She looked good, it was a stress ride so after about 2 hours in the paddock i went back out and asked her to move out so i could see if she was stiff (actually still sound) and she was moving B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!!!!

Epic Boot Failure, Great day on the trail with friends

2010-04-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

So we left Tahoe at 8 in the morning, went to Christensen's Saddlery to get a new Pad, and then met everyone at the Staging area. Brandon Reed (a junior), Andrea Brown (friend, endurance rider) and then Kathy Sherman (sponsored me last year) ended up riding with us since her riding partners horse was a bit lame, so now the 4 of us were going to ride from Auburn to Cool and Back! Yay!

I'll start with the boots.I had 6, SIX!!!!, boot failures. The first one happened a half mile out from the trail head (Auburn Staging area aka the Tevis Finish Line) the back boot just twisted off, so i put it back on, and then 2 miles later both back boots popped so i figured that the trail wasn't so bad so i just left them off and stuffed them in my boot bag. That was fine for a mile, until we got to the quarry area were it was all rock and i could feel she was walking sensitive, and i would HATE to get a stone bruise this close to American River 50, so we put them back on, and wrapped them in duct tape. That worked for about 4 miles and then Back Left came off right after we did a big 11 mile per hour trot across No Hand Bridge. So we popped it back on and it stayed on for about 8 miles, and when we were coming back from cool and once we started letting them move out the Back Left one was popping off every 2 minutes, so i just left that one off and figured i will just let her pick her slow route back through the rocks. Then the last back one popped and was so frustrated with them.

I looked at her feet when we got back to the trailer, and i noticed her feet were a bit smaller, kind of tighter so i think i just need to get a smaller size boot. At a point i just wanted to put a pair of shoes back on her, but i know this a healthier, better way for her. Also!!!!!!! Sassy used to have wind puffs in the back legs, and once we pulled shoes, they are COMPLETELY GONE! They never gave her a problem, they were just unpleasant and i have been asked by the vets before and now they are no more!!

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 4/9/2010

LOCATION: AUBURN, TEVIS TRAIL

DURATION: 4 HOURS

DISTANCE: 20 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: EASY-MODERATE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: SUNNY, WARM, 71º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 20; AVERAGE SPEED=6; CLIMBED 4902; DOWN 4850

Thoughts looking back on Cuyama

2010-04-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

I feel like the ride went well, but their is always room for improvement...

What i liked~
•Sassy drinks really well out on the trail:nearly every creek crossing she slurps some up, once walking up stream a hundred feet just drinking
•She pulses quickly: Even with her thick coat she was down immediately
•Efficiency: Both on the trail and in the check. I don't like to waist time, so if she isn't eating or drinking, and the other horses we are with, we move on. At this ride i didn't care how long it took to get to the finish, so i didn't worry about efficiency out on the trail, but in the check i get everything done in double time! Getting her sponged completely, scraped that water off and put more water on, getting all my packs ready for the next part, scrapping the water off Sassy, while she is drying out get her a mash and once she is dry brush her so she doesn't have big salty patches on her, then i take care of myself... Start tacking up 10 minutes before our out time, make it to the out timer 2 minutes before our out time and are ready for the next part of the trail!
•Sassy! I love being on the trail with Sassy!!

What i would like to improve on~
•Her eating. She doesn't eat that great, but we have only gotten a few B's on our vet cards last year, that being for Gut sounds.

That's pretty much the only thing we can improve on... Which i think is a GREAT thing!

American River is our next ride, 17 short days away... Friday i am headed to Auburn to get a new saddle pad, i am not that happy with the current one. Her back has never been sore but the pad can get bulky and really hot! So, i just want to see if their is a better one. I am taking Sassy and the Saddle to a good tack (and endurance) store in auburn and will try a few pads on her to see which works best. Then we are going to go on a good ride from the Tevis finish line to Cool and back, about 24 miles round trip... I'm excited to see how the Easyboot gloves handle the terrain down their.

I was reading my old emails from the AERC Members Forum. Their was a bit of talk about sponging, and how East Coast riders tend to sponge more than the West coast rider, and while i have never done a ride on the East coast i definitely feel like in the west we don't sponge allot, unless your me then u sponge more than most riders at the ride! Just some thoughts i had...

Oh, and if you hadn't noticed i changed the "Title" Picture of my blog, i really like the new pic!

Cuyama Oaks 55~ Part 3 aka RIDE DAY!

2010-04-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

The start was at 7:30, i had wanted it to be earlier since it was 55 miles, and we HAD 13 hours 15 minutes to complete, which meant we could have been finishing at 8:45! But i knew we probably wouldn't take that long...

Anyways, I woke up at 5:30 giving more food to my already "soft" (fat!) horse and made a Beet pulp, bran, Grain, LMF mash with a 1/2 dose of electrolytes... I then went back into the tent rummaged through my clothes bag and pulled out all my riding clothes... Once I was ready to ride I went and got Sassy and started saddling her up.. I am so familiar with all my gear that i could put it on her in my sleep, so that process was quick... I hadn't had a chance to ride sassy in the Glue Ons yet, so i took 15 minutes to warm her up and then let her trot on the road outside of camp and from what i could tell she felt comfortable in them.

After my warm up i went up to Karen's trailer and once she was all set we went down to Sara's trailer and then proceeded to the start...

The start was uneventful, thankfully. Normally i head out right after the front runners and sassy gets really amped so i was glad when we let everyone get out on the trail and then we left in the middle to back of the pack. We hit the trail, alternating trotting and walking for the majority of the morning.. We were on top of a big plateau and could see the valley below, WHAT A VIEW! We cam to a trough and i scooped some water on Sassy's neck to help keep her cool since she had her winter coat still... The three of us continued down the trail, me dismounting at big downhills and and tailing steep or long hills. (to me) Everything was uneventful and we continued the first loop (which was the longer loop, 30 ish miles) and when we got closer to camp i dismounted and jogged/walked the last 1.5 miles into camp to make sure she was down. I have never worried about her pulsing but since she has a thick coat and it was climbing into the 70's (degrees that is) and we haven't had any heat like that i wanted to help her out and make sure she was cool. when we got into camp they took her pulse, and laughed and said she was plenty down, like 40 BPM (beats per minute)...

The 1 hour lunch seemed like a long hour, which i was glad for! I sponged her so she was cool then made her a mash, and gave her a bunch of hay which she ate gladly. I had plenty of time (30 minutes) to eat for me and change clothes for the next loop which was about 25 ish miles. I changed into a cooler shirt, drank some water went up to the "Headquarters" of camp were they had lunch, grabbed a sandwich and a candy bar (they had a cooler full of candy!) and then went back ate, and started to tack up for the next loop.

We all met at the out timer to go tackle the next loop and we all headed out! The portion i most remember of this loop was nicknamed "The Tevis Trail", Sassy and i really like narrow/single track trail plus, it was a nice and windy trail! Perfect!!! We then headed down to a trough, went back towards camp up a canyon (tailed up the big hill climb out of their) and then went straight towards camp (could see and HEAR horses) and then swung AWAY from camp! The horses were like "WHAT?!". It wasn't not as bad as it could have been, but sassy knew were camp was and wanted to go their! We headed away, into a canyon/ravine type trail for about 8 miles and then we started climbing back out. At the base of the big hill/switchback/ canyon climb their was a stream that we took advantage of by sponging our horses and then went to tackle the series of 3 (maybe 4?) big long switchbacks. I stayed off to tail and did a nice little trot on the long hills and by the top my legs were burnin'! I got back on, and she just cantered away like she was a fresh horse, yea you are so tired i had to hike/jog/tail all that today! We then proceeded onto camp, trotting and walking were we could and then just cruised on into camp (Chief leading the way with his power walk!!!)

Got into camp, trotted out sound with everyone else in the group, yay!!! This is Sassy and mines first Completion since she was kicked last year!!! We are back on track!!!!!!!!!!!!! The next morning I took Sassy back to the vet to trot her out. Still sound the next morning!!!!

Cuyama Oaks 55 Miles~ PART TWO

2010-04-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

We made the last two hours in good shape, arriving at RC at about 9 am. The Hills were absolutely GORGEOUS!

I was nervous about getting into RC, all the gates and lock's and combinations. It turned out to be very simple, and RC was a field of wildflowers! Their were 3 camp sites, so we parked on the road a checked things out, and found one of the last parking spots!

Once we were parked our "neighbor" (Rebecka, pulled that day) came over and helped us set up our panels, I love endurance riders, they are so friendly!! Once everything was set up we took Sassy for a walk, RC was pretty rocky and she was completely bare, and i didn't want to risk getting a stone bruise after all this time, so i through a pair of Easyboot Gloves on her front feet. I had planned on Clipping her, but since it was still snowing at home and she would have to be blanketed full time, so we did NOT clip her. But she did get her main braided (like always)

Everything was set up, Mash was made, gear all set out, tent was up, Sassy was content and eating (and drinking!), and all i need was to get the boots glued on and to vet in... Miriam from Easycare glued on the boots for us, and Jeremy and Heather Reynolds came by and Jeremy ended up helping apply the boots. I waited 45 minutes to vet her (to make sure the boots were set up) and went up with some other riders, Rebecka and Tami R. (Ride manager of Rides of March up here in Reno, NV)... I was a little nervous about vetting in (what if she isn't sound any more, what if that kick ended her endurance career, what if i never get to compete with sassy again) But none the less i had to vet in! The head vet (Kristen or Kiersten) waved me up to vet out and she told me to trot out, so i did and she spoke the words i SO wanted to hear "Okay, your good to go!"!! I wanted to talk to her so i waited for everyone else to vet out and then told her what had happened to Sassy last year, and if she saw any slight slight NQR-ness (not quite right) that we need to talk and look at it more closely. She said we would just watch it and asses it if something looks wrong... As i was walking back to camp i ran into Jodi Smith (who we bought sassy from) and we talked and then she looked at her feet (her husband is a shoer) and gave me a little bit of hell for using boots... They lost 3 shoes that weekend. I love Joni, but... HA! Boots were the better choice :)

Night came and i put sassy away, went into the tent and worked on some chemistry and then went to bed around 10:30....

Some other pictures i like :)

Next PART 3~ Ride Day!!

Cuyama Oaks 55 Miles~ PART ONE

2010-04-03T12:22:00.000-07:00

A ride for me always start 5 days before we arrive at Ridecamp (RC). My OCD turns wild checking the weather every few hours, checking the tack room in the trailer for all my gear (just in case it magically disappeared since the last time i checked), trotting sassy out once a day JUST in case that injury flared up at this unfortunate time, giving her a mash 3 days before we leave, making sure I am hydrated (as i tend not to take care of myself once we arrive at RC).

According to Mapquest, it is 9 hour drive to Bakersfield. Now i thought RC was just outside of Bakersfield, but that will come up later in this write up.

So Thursday started at 2 am for us. I had AP Chem in the morning and COULD NOT miss it so i went to school at 5 am and then we hit the road at around 11. The weather forecast said clear all weak for 10 days, the night before we leave, that forecast changed to SNOW! While we were trailering over the summit, way to go mother nature. So that added about an hour to the drive. We put the heavy winter blanket as it was snowing, cold and i didn't want Sassy to be cold in the trailer. Once we got below the snow line (Auburn Area) it was 64 degrees so we quickly stopped and got the blanket off her and she has some sweat marks on her :(

So we were on I-5 (such a boring highway) about 80 miles outside of Bakersfield and we weren't sure if we were gonna make it to ride camp in time so we called the ride manager, "The duck", and he didn't think we would make it into camp in time and he didn't want us pulling into camp at night so we found a place that Sassy could stay at over night, relax, eat and stretch her legs before we finished the drive to RC. Sassy ate well and got to recoup before getting to ridecamp. The next morning we continued onto RC, another almost 2 hours! So that 9 hours was actually 11 hours :(

The California Aqueduct

Onto Part two, the day before and day of the ride!!!!

Cuyama Oaks 55; brief

2010-03-28T19:06:00.001-07:00

We trailered out of the snow thursday morning after my chem class, got to Bakersfield LATE that night and boarded her in a pasture overnight so she could recover after the 10 hour trailer ride, then we got to ridecamp at about 10 on thursday... Easycare Glue-on's were applied that evening by Miriam, and Jeremy Reynolds. Vetted in SOUND. Completed a tough 55 miler the next day!!! I am ferociously unpacking then i have to study, then i will do a detailed right up about it later this week. I talked to a few other riders that day and they said it was greta tevis prep (the terrain) so i am pleased at how she preformed!

Sassy did great concidering the amount of training she has had. I am SOOOOOOOOO PROUD of my horse! WAY TO GO SASSY, I LOVE YOU LITTLE MARE!!!!!!!

55 tough miles= SOUND AND HAPPY the next day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was her first ride back since she was injured and she was great :D

MANY MANY Pics to come :)

Way to go Sass!

2010-03-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

After a long day of dealing with a horse colic (my neighbors horse) i am tired. I was going to go out to Rides of March Endurance ride and help out their, but that did not happen due to the whole colic thing. The horse is okay now, thankfully. But i still wish i could have gone out to Rides of march!

Sassy is looking good, quite spunky in her coral lately!

I am gonna head out to Washoe or maybe lemon valley, tomorrow and get in a good hill ride once more.

A brief outline of the next week!
• A ride tomorrow
• A short walking ride wednesday
• Leave Truckee on Thursday at about 10:30, get to ride camp (bakersfield area) at about 6 p.m., set up camp quickly take Sassy for a little hand walk
• Get her boots (glue on or Gloves) figured out and situated
• Clip her on friday, not sure what kind of a clip should do yet (trace clip maybe?)
• Vet in Friday evening
• Then ride saturday!!

I want to thank Karen Chaton again for sponsoring me!! THANK YOU SO MUCH Karen!!!!!!!!

Does anyone have a preference on clipping horses?

First Booted Ride!!

2010-03-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Sassy and i hit the hills of Lemon Valley on Sunday sporting 4 Easyboot Gloves on her! Although i admit i leaned over to see if they were still on over a hundred times, they worked great!!! We just ride 6 miles, straight up a hill and straight back down.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 3/14/2010

LOCATION: LEMON VALLEY

DURATION: 1 HOURS 27 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 6 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: EASY-MODERATE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: SUNNY, WARM, 48º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 10; AVERAGE SPEED=4.1; CLIMBED 800; DOWN 792
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I am going to go out to Rides of March this saturday to help out with the ride, i LOVE this ride and want it to continue to be sanctioned so i am gonna do my small part and help out for the day.

And the Sunday i am gonna do a nice (15 mile) ride in the Washoe Hills and then we are going to Leave Thursday (3/25) for Cuyama. It is about an 8 hour drive and i cant leave school until about 11 am so we will get down their at about 7 pm, set up her corral and then set up everything else on friday since we will be their ALL day! YAY!!!! She will get boots glued on Friday, and we will clip her on Friday and then i will do a small warmup ride that day...

2010-03-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

On March 12th Friday 2010, i met with a great barefoot trimmer in the area and we pulled Sassy's shoes. She said sassy has good feet and she should do well barefoot, her white line is a bit disconnected but she said that is normal for shod horses. I pointed out to the farrier her back shoes and she was mortified to see how closed the shoes were, as i was when i saw them after the shoes were put on.

We bought a pair of Easyboot Gloves, she is a size 1 all around, and they were VERY easy to put on! I look forward to using them tomorrow when i ride in washoe valley!

So, i am jumping on the barefoot train. What made me REALLY commit this time when i said i wanted to transition? I had a long chat with Miriam Rezine from easycare about the difference in her horses and when she showed me some videos i was convinced.

She seems happy with it, wasnt sore when walked over gravel, so needless to say i am excited to get out and do some more riding!

I have an appointment to have the Easyboot Glue on's applied on thursday evening at Cuyama by Miriam, and i will clip sassy on Thursday or friday evening. I wish i didn't have to clip her, as it is still cold up here and that means she will be blanketed allot when she is at home, but i know it will help her at the ride.

AERC Convention!

2010-03-12T12:14:00.000-08:00

This has taken me FOREVER to get up but it is finally finished!

My mom and i went down to convention on Saturday morning...

We went to register and i talked to the editor of Endurance News Magazine, about juniors doing endurance (trying to find sponsors) and she asked if i would write a little article for the junior section for the magazine! Once i am out of school in June i will start working on that!!

We then went to the Hot Topics Workshop and listened to some of the points made by BOTH sides regarding the rule change for pulse time (shortening it). Their were some good points made by both sides, and i have ridden an Arab,Anglo Arab (thoroughbred Arab) and a Thoroughbred race horse and i feel semi qualified to have my mind made up on the situation. Their were some vets their that gave their insight and i really liked what they had to say. I will not open the can of worms on which side i have chosen to support on the rule change though :)

We then went to the Nutrition Clinic and i LOVED that! It was great to hear, and i am happy that i am doing pretty good with feeding my horses!

Then we went shopping in the Trade show!!!! We got a Rump Rug from Trail Rite Products , a pair of HAF split boots from Action Rider, a Tipperary Sportage Helmet from The Australian Connection!!!! I LOVE all me new gear, i haven't used the splint boots yet but i tried them on after a ride to see the fit and i ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!!!!!!! The rump rub has allowed me to ride more, out at washoe valley we were coming in from a nice 11 mile loop and i was litterally out running the storm front, so i jogged into camp, put on the rump rug and went back out for 5 miles while it snowed on us. My helmet has been really comfortable, i DID need a new helmet as my other one was cracked and breaking. It has been nice with the falls i have taken :p

We then went to the Tye-Up clinic and that was really informal as i have never had a horse tye-up, and i NEVER want them to tye-up after seeing the mechanical pain it causes, and i saw what it actually does to the muscle, and it is really sad to watch the pain it causes horses.

If anyone wants my notes from the Lectures, just drop me an email at zachrabow@aol.com saying you would like them and i will type them up and send them to you :)

2010-03-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

Sassy was SO spooky today! Trotting along and OH MY GOD! a sage brush!! For those of u that know the washoe valley area i think u can understand this, as sagebrush is EVERYWHERE! I was thrown off of her when she did a complete 540º, i cam off and she drug me 10 feet before my yelling convinced her to stop, although my upper right arm is supper sore and my had is pretty beat up, i had a great ride :)

I got a sponsor for Cuyama Oaks ride, Karen Chaton! YAY! i look forward to ridding with her, it should be a good ride!! I want to trace clip sassy before i ride, she is pretty furry and considering it is 20 degrees warmer down their i would like to make it a bit easier on her, the only thing is i dont have clippers sooooo i am gonna try to find someone around her that can clip her for me, well for sassy.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 3/7/2010

LOCATION: WASHOE LAKE

DURATION: 3 HOURS 12 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 15 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: MODERATE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: SUNNY, WARM, 50º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 11; AVERAGE SPEED=4.8; CLIMBED 594; DOWN 592

Plans

2010-03-06T16:20:00.000-08:00

I had a relatively great week! I got an A on my Ap chem test (way better than my last ap chem test!) and i was SO happy to get a 92% in a class as hard as AP Chem... My classes have proven that i, ready for this, CAN'T do it all! GASP!!!!!!!!!

Tonight i am headed into truckee and will stay the night their and then go home in the morning, then head to Washoe to ride tomorrow!

I sent in my check for Cuyama Oaks 55, YAY!!!!!!! I am working on finding a horse to ride at Nevada Derby since Junior's ride for free and it is SUCH a local ride i dont want to miss it!

Merri~ thanks for tagging me with the blog award, it is SLOWLY being composed! that is just what i need, MORE homework :P

A loaded Spring!

2010-02-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

So i made it out to washoe today, and managed to get in 14.6 miles. Not the 20 miles i was going for but it was a good ride and 20 may have been to much for her today... I saw many endurance riders out today, we are all taking advantage of the nice weather! I saw Rannele Rubin who i rode with last year, Kassandra Damagio who manages the Patriots Day ride and is a great rider! I saw a few other local NEDA riders out their as well. Sassy was a big bundle of enegy, so much so i had to dismount and walk the last 3 miles in. That added about 30 extra minutes and slowed our time down, but i was just out their to get some more miles on her before the week comes again... Once the week is here i am tied down with very little (none) time...

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/28/2010

LOCATION: WASHOE LAKE

DURATION: 2 HOURS 21 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 14.6 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: MODERATE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE:MODERATE

WEATHER: SUNNY, 48º F

VITAL SIGNS/METABOLICS: HIGHEST PULSE- 150, AVERAGE WORKING PULSE-85, LOWEST PULSE 38. EDPP (EATING,DRINKING,PEING,POOPING)

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 15.6; AVERAGE SPEED=4.5; CLIMBED 694; DOWN 692

A true ENDURANCE conditioning ride!

2010-02-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

I needed to get Sassy out again.. Last week was INSANE! I got 4 hours of sleep a night, had class all day everyday from 7 am to 3 pm, had Musical Practice for 3 hours 3 days, and had about 8 hours of homework each day... So i was pretty much fried!

I wanted to get out so i took a break from homework and when out to ride, got to USE my new Rumprug that i got at convention and got to use my new convention that i bought at Convention! They both worked GREAT!!!!

It started to rain and hail from the minute i hit the trail... I considered turning around but i decided to suck it up and ride...

i had a GREAT ride! She was so forward the entire time and was never even phased by the hail hitting her in the face and body! The rump rug stayed down the entire time and my head stayed nice and dry. I wore my AERC Junior Wind breaker and that kept me basically dry but my lower body was soaked, along with my saddle since i have a Merino Sheepskin Wool cover for my saddle and it just absorbs water! It was probably the most enjoyable ride i have had this year. Their was snow on the sides of the road but not were i was riding, running water that we crossed (and she drank) fresh spring grass, and meadows were nice and green... She was perky and feeling great!

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/27/2010

LOCATION: BEARVALLEY ROAD

DURATION: 52 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 6.4 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: MODERATE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY/MODERATE

WEATHER: HAIL/RAIN, 30º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 11.3; AVERAGE SPEED=5.5; CLIMBED 701; DOWN 694

February 18th

2010-02-20T06:38:00.000-08:00

Another Ride!

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/18/2010

LOCATION: SMITHNECK ROAD

DURATION: 1 HOUR 9 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 6.4 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: MODERATE

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY/MODERATE

WEATHER: WINDY, 54-48º F

DETAILS: MAX SPEED= 11.3; AVERAGE SPEED=5.5; CLIMBED 377; DOWN 374

A breath of Fresh Air~

2010-02-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

I went on a ride today, it turned dark very quickly and i finished in the dark! AHHHHH! i was in all black/ with a dark horse plus no reflective gear on riding on a MAJOR road! luckily i had my phone so i called my mom and she drove down and drove behind me so i was seen.

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/16/2010

LOCATION: SMITHNECK ROAD

DURATION: 1 HOUR 17 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 7 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: CONDITIONING

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: MODERATE

WEATHER: SUNNY, 48-54º F

DETAILS: CLIMBED 459 FEET, 469 FEET DOWN; COMPLETELY SOUND

STATS: AVERAGE PACE=5.3 MPH; MAX SPEED=12.5 MPH

I'll post more tomorrow :)

Another GREAT ride!!

2010-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

I went to Lemon Valley and had a great ride yesterday!!

We got their a little late as my mom had to work in the morning, but it was fine. When we got to the arena their were allot of people their, all in the same group. We never figured out what it was but their were a bunch of Cowboys (yes, ropes chaps brands western saddles and they entire deal) with some thoroughbred horses and a few small Jockeys that were racing them in the arena. It looked like a small auction, the ones that often happen around these areas, but they could have been just training...

As i lead sassy around she handled everything beautifully!! She threw her tail in the air and pranced around showing off for the Vaqueros (literally, they were all Hispanic and didn't speak any English...)

As i headed out on the trail alone i felt a little uneasy, as i could see about 15 of them ridding out their, but not going anywhere, just wandering around... I overreact about everything, but i had images going through my head of them taking sassy. Yes, i am crazy but their was just a feeling i got that i did not want to be near them. So i headed the other way, which i had never gone, and finally found a nice trail.

It was sandy, uphill, downhill, and all those little rollers that are caused by ATV's or Dirtbikes, so i walked nearly all of it, but worked on getting a nice fast walk instead of her normal slow one. I want her to move out at a walk so if we need to walk during a ride due to Terrain or whatever we are not waisting time...

I was ridding along and sassy goes down to take a bite at what appeared (to her) to be grass. It was not grass, but a crumpled up $5 bill. I hop off and take it from her mouth and she glares at me :) Hey, i just got payed for ridding!

All in all it was just under 5 miles, it was a more difficult ride (with the hills and all) so i am glad it wasn't longer...

I went out this morning and she was trotting around and looking really nice :)

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/14/2010

LOCATION: LEMON VALLEY

DURATION: 1 HOUR 17 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 4.5 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: CONDITIONING

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY-MODERATE

WEATHER: SUNNY/CLOUDY, 58º F

DETAILS: CLIMBED 268 FEET, 275 FEET DOWN

Here is the LINK... Oh, and i am going to Convention on Friday and Saturday... Who else is going?! :)

No, you are NOT a parade horse sassy, you are an endurance horse

2010-02-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday i went on a ride!! Sassy was so full of energy! I just rode at home, on the road... She was jigging for the first mile instead of walking like i asked her.. Then she finally started listening and acted like her normal professional self. Yay! Then when i hit the end of the road to turn around she felt so good she let out 3 big bucks and took off at a hand gallop, then i was able to bring her down to a canter and finally a trot... No sassy u aren't a parade horse, nor are u a rodeo horse :p

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 2/7/2010

LOCATION: SMITHNECK ROAD

DURATION: 1 HOUR 16 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 6.35 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: CONDITIONING

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: RAINY, 36º F

VITAL SIGNS, PULSE etc: EAGER EAGER EAGER!!! JIGGED, BUCKED WAS FEELING GREAT!

DETAILS: CLIMBED 330 FEET, 311 FEET DOWN; VERY EAGER TO GO AND SOUND!

Here is the Link to the ride... She is feeling really good, and i have this week off school for presidents week so i hope to get to Reno 3 or 4 days by next Sunday.

We may end up going to the twenty mule team, but I'm not sure... I'm just not sure if it worth driving 9 hours 1 way and paying $75 for 35 miles. I would rather ride 35 miles out in Reno...

A HUGE congratulations to Heather and Jeremy Reynolds of Reynolds Racing for their successful completion in the Presidents Cup which took place in the United Arab Emigrants... You can read Heathers write up here... WAY TO GO SMITTY AND JEREMY!

2010-02-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

SOOOOOO, WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!?!?!

Well, Two weeks ago was the REAL first week of my new classes! And i definitely have my work ahead of me this semester! Between the 4 Academic classes, supporting my friends that made the Varsity Basketball team, Rehearsing for the spring musical (I got the second lead btw) and taking care of the herd i got a TOTAL of 20 hours from January 23rd-29th... Needless to say that was exhausting...

Friday just got even worse when i came home and saw Bo trotting around and he had a Grade 3 lameness! I settled him down and checked him out, he had some swelling in his tendon sheathe area, so i thought he maybe hit it while running around. The next day when he was being shoed i noticed he had a noticeable crack in his coronary band half way down his hoof wall. Well, he has had a quarter crack before ( once again, Thoroughbred feet) and we were able to take care of it and it didn't give us any problem (This was proved at Washoe Valley 50, even though we didn't complete he stayed sound in some tough terrain) But it was a bit worse this time. All the snow has melted off so they are in quite a bit of mud, making his feet soft which is why the split happened so easily this time. We had his shoed, Packed the foot with Copper Sulfate (i made some in chem class and used it :) to prevent and infection with the mud, and sealed the foot with Vettec Sil-Pak. We will watch it closely, and if it continues to grow we will have to do a resection on the foot and have him in a Bar shoe for a year or two...

Sassy is doing allot of SELF EXERCISE and is very frisky!! She is looking good, and in the morning she does two big stretches now! Her back legs and then her front legs, i am gonna try to get a picture of it :)

Jack is Barefoot and his feet are very big and looking good, when i can get them a bit clean i will get a pic of them...

That day i was supposed to meet Crysta out in Lemon Valley, i ended up riding alone which was fine, so i took extra time warming her up and worked with her in the arena allot, headed out on the trail and it started DUMPING snow on us! I don't have a rump rug yet, so we headed back (and i had a thin Flannel shirt on). It is supposed to rain/snow in the morning tomorrow but i WILL go to Lemon Valley and get in a ride and bring some snow gear to ride in...

AP Chemistry: I LOVE it! I am very glad i took it, though it is challenging at times with all the other stuff i know it will help me on my path to vet school, or any field of science.

Algebra 2 B/Trig: I don't like math RIGHT now. Plain and simple!

World History: LOVE it!!!!!!!!!

English 10: Ehhh, not bad

Life: Generally good!

I went for a run on Wednesday, about 5 miles and i took Skylar with me (off leash) and he saw some Deer and bolted in front of me, TOOK me out! Haha it was funny explaining to the Dance coach the next day why i was limping SO bad!

The Musical: Very good, the biggest this is my singing! I have 4 songs and i need to really work on my voice to be able to really preform.

Endurance Stuff: I had a plan, made it happen and i had two horses (TWO!!) to be able to do FEI with throughout the year and go to the Junior Championship ride in Indiana, but it is the day before Tevis so i will not be doing it this year...

PICTURES:

Bo stretching

Shoe just pulled: the crack(s) in the hoof

Muddy mare!

Small pic: once my computer is fixed I will put the origanal copy up (I took a picture of this of the computer after I finished cropping it) I really like this pic! I took it about 2 weeks ago, up their with my favorite pics I have taken!

Older pic, last summer with all my senior friends who graduated and are now in college :)

~Posted from my iPhone!

Recap

2010-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

So to Recap my week:

Monday: MLK Day
Tuesday: SNOW-DAY
Wednesday: Lost my $150 Graphing Calculator!!
Thursday: had a 20 hour day, woke up at 2 am for an AP CHEMISTRY LAB
Friday: SNOW-DAY

So to start with Wednesday. I NEVER loose anything! Since these calculators are so expensive we are allowed to borrow them from the school, which is what i did last semester and i NEVER misplaced it! The first day of this semester i lost it :/

Thursday: Haha, i was EXHAUSTED by lunch time. For AP CHEMISTRY, the college level chemistry, we are required to have a certain amount of Laboratory Hours, and we just don't have enough time in class, so on Thursdays we have to be their at 6 am. Well, since it was snowing we have a 3 hour drive in and i have to shower and feed the horses, so i had to get up at 2 AM. I didn't get to bed till about 10 PM that night. I had SO much homework with all the classes i am taking so from now on i will just stay at a friends house closer to school...

Friday: VERY nice to have another day off :) Watched "HOPE FOR HAITI NOW"

Today: Nothing going on, trying to shovel all the gates and get the trailer cleared away...

Tomorrow's Plans: Meet Crysta over at Lemon Valley to get in some hills. I really like Lemon valley for a few reasons. It has an arena that i can turn her out in and do a nice warm-up before hitting the trail. It has great footing so i don't have to constantly stop and go for rocks, i can just cruise on at our own pace. And it has a nice variation of terrain, some hills some flats...

i had planned to go to Auburn and ride tomorrow and ride their, but with the possible chance of weather i would rather not be on the pass with a horse trailer.
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Just a side note, for those of u who can/would like to help out the people of Haiti, you can text GIVE to 50555 and $10 will be donated, and charged to your mobile bill...

FED UP WITH THE SNOW!

2010-01-19T13:05:00.000-08:00

The title explains it all!

Today was a snow-day, so no school which was nice, but the fact that i spent two hours shoveling the barns, and and hour snow-blowing the driveway, killed my joy of another day off.

My mom and i have been talking about moving down to Auburn (aka TEVIS COUNTRY!) and we are about ready to do it! This weekend should be nice and clear, so we will be going down to Auburn and she will go look at houses while i meet up with a friend/sponsor Rose Bishop (and her big beautiful mule Maybe! they placed 18th in tevis last season) and we will ride a nice moderate (approximately) 10 miles. I think we will ride from the Tevis finish line to No Hands Bridge and back it will be a bit less than 10, but i will have my GPS so i will be able to tell.

I will be going to the Twenty Mule Team 35 miler in late February! I am SOOOOO excited to get back to rides! It will be a long trip down to Southern California, and i may have to miss a day of school, but no biggie :)

The new Rankings came out for the Class of 2012, and after last semester i am in 1st, i am tied with 2 other friends and i am feeling fine, as long as i am in the top 8% i have a guaranteed admittance to certain UC schools...
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Just a side note, if Lucy C. and CMKdreams, could u email me about those stallions u suggested, i can't seem to find them online. Thanks SO much :)

Some pics

I just took her blanket off, I forgot to get a pic with it on :/

Sass-A-frass!!

FUN!

2010-01-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

So i went for a run yesterday, and ate it pretty bad on the ice :( but i wore my GPS and here is the data from it :)

here is the link to my run :)

Today i went riding on the "beach"! I met Crysta their and we rode in the deep sand, all walk for 4.9 miles in a BLAZING time of 1 hour and 36 minutes :p It was a nice ride to really get their tendons working, without the risk of tearing or damaging them. I think the sand is really beneficial to endurance horses, and long walking really makes them use different muscles and is just overall great!

Whenever i go on a training ride i enter it into my log book, but i will also put the info online as well...

TRAINING & CONDITIONING INFO:

DATE: 1/17/2010

LOCATION: WASHOE VALLEY BEACH

DURATION: 1 HOUR 36 MINUTES

DISTANCE: 4.9 MILES

TYPE OF TRAINING: SLOW

DIFFICULTY OF RIDE: EASY

WEATHER: WINDY, 43º F

VITAL SIGNS, PULSE etc: HIGHEST PULSE 72, LOWEST PULSE 50, PULSE 1 MINUTE AFTER RIDE 60; DRANK WATER WHEN OFFERED AT THE END

DETAILS: CLIMBED 63 FEET, 47 FEET DOWN; VERY EAGER TO GO AND SOUND!

Here is the link to the ride :)

Thanks for hitting me in the face Sassy :p

Me, sassy, and my new tights!

I'm back!

2010-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

So finals are over, THANK GOD!!! It was such a crazy, stressful week. As far as the tests, Advanced chemistry went GREAT! i ended up setting the curve, i got a 99%!!!! HELL YEA, its about time! Algebra went, okay. I ended up getting a B+ in the class, my first B in a class. it was a very big deal for me :/

So i ended up getting through the semester with a 4.0... Advanced chemistry is worth extra points.

Last Sunday i went down and rode some horses with some REALLY GREAT FEI riders! we took two sets of horses out, and rode about 19 miles in approximately two hours. It was really great to get to see and talk to riders who have ridden FEI before, and know what they are doing. The have many wins, in AERC and FEI and international competitions as well.

I have sent in my forms to ride FEI, renewed my AERC membership, and am all caught up finally!

The week had long, hellish hours! I was up at 4 am every morning and didn't get to sleep to about 11 pm.

THe semester is over, we have a 3 day weekend, and we are supposed to get 10 feet of snow next week :'(

If the weather is okay on sunday or monday i will go to Washoe valley, and just do some long slow distance, mostly walking but since i want to ride on the sandy beach, it will be a great ride to really leg her up and get a bit of cardio work in their as well.

I won't be making it to convention this year, i am a bit bummed but their always next year :)

I also got my cooler that i ordered! I haven't tried it on her yet, she is VERY muddy since it rained here and melted the snow and brought on the mud! If i ride this weekend i will try it on her then :)

We got the barn stuffed with Hay, so we are good for a while now :)

OH OH OH!!!! i ALSO went to reno, Scheels Sports store, and got my running tights and a sports Polo!!! I LOVE my tights! i rode in them last sunday :)

They are also great for running in, not bulky and hot like my other breeches, which is nice :)

I will post some pictures later :)

New gear!

2010-01-09T11:00:00.001-08:00

*****Scheduled Post*******

I got the gear that I ordered! I am still waiting for the cooler though :)

This is the water scoop, I got it in a bright color so if it falls off it will be easy to spot :)

Plus, sassy can drink from it! I tried it out and she actually drank from it :)

- Posted from my iPhone!

Finals and test

2010-01-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

I WILL NOT be blogging until after finals unless i get a blog post in this weekend.

Finals has just been something that i have been dreading. I have both of my finals (Advanced Chemistry, and Algebra 2) on the same day. Both are 2 hour finals, so i will have 4 straight hours of testing.

My biggest thing is my scores, i NEED a 92% on my algebra final to get a A in the class, and i can get away with a 76% on my Adv. Chemistry midterm to keep my A.

I take my Algebra test first, and she puts it in the machine right in front of us and then puts it in the grade book, and that is our final grade.

My dilemma is whether to look at my grade once she knows it. If i did bad i will be flustered and won't be able to take a good test in Advanced Chemistry. But if i don't look i will be nervous to know how i did, and not be focused on the Chemistry test.

Today has been good, but after school i went to see i how i did on my Algebra 2 test, and i have never been made to feel so stupid by a teacher.

I had been working on homework and stressing as it is, and when she fires of a bunch of questions i got flustered and couldn't answer them, making me feel stupid.

The test grade was not good, so this weekend will be Study session

If i haven't responded to your comment, i am working on it :) i just haven't actually gotten around to responding :)

What i need to work on this year:

2010-01-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

I had a very long (Two and a half hour) chat with Crysta the other day, and i do mean chat as it was on facebook :) and i took somethings away from it...

Sassy and i have never been out on the trail longer than 7 hours and 12 minutes. We need to get some more hours on the trail to get us ready for a 100 mile event. I have yet to ask Sassy to really move out, so i just need to work on slowing us down at rides. She may be one of the horse that are just top ten horses by nature, but i need to get some good 8 hours on the trail

So i need to:
• Ride at a pace approximately 6.3 miles per hour
• When i ride Wild Wild West and Cooley Ranch, i need to take each day at the same speed and finish at about the same time
•We need to do a little night riding, i figure come May/June i can ride 2 nights a week
•Their is an entire list of things i need to do, i just can't recall that right now :)

I was hoping to be able to ride Virginia City 100 this year, but i leave for France on September 5th, two weeks before Virginia City. Oh well, their will be other opportunities to ride VC! I registered with a website called World Endurance Exchange, and will hopefully be able to do an endurance ride when i am over their :D

One thing that will make me a little sad/nervous is that i will be gone for the first 3 weeks of sassy's pregnancy when we breed her next year. I know it will be okay and i know our vet very well and i can video chat with them at the vet's office to assure myself it is okay ;)

My mom and i have narrowed it down to 2 stallions!

SMR Garçon or SH Redemption

It is so hard to chose, they are both different. I like the fact that Garçon is an endurance horse and comes from a strong endurance line, but is that enough for me to base it on? This is our first time breeding, so if any of you readers have experience breeding PLEASE either comment or email me with things i should be looking for, pro's and con's etc etc etc...

I have cleaned my ENTIRE room! it was a huge job! took nearly 5 hours to clean everything! their were cloths as high as my bed, and i was completely out of clean clothes! I clean my room at the beginning of the school year and that normally last me till just after midterms, then i do another big clean right before finals and that will last me till next mid terms and then another big clean before finals! I think it is important to be able to have a very clean space the week of big test, so i can take them head on and not be bothered my any of the clutter. By the end of finals their will be paper everywhere and i then i can start the new semester!

I took a pic of my room before i cleaned my room, and i was going to post it but it is truly embarrassing and i will not show my room when it is *that* messy, but i will post a pic of it clean later.

A GREAT way to start 2010!

2010-01-02T14:09:00.000-08:00

The year started off GREAT!!!! We ended up going to 4 different parties on new years, and had a great time counting down till midnight with 200 other friends from high schools, graduates that are now in college, and other friends from their colleges!

I didn't get home till like 4 am in the morning, so i was sleeping it off yesterday and doing other random things like cleaning the tack room (aka my trailer) and brushing the horses then i hoped on Jack bareback and went for a ride around the block ponying Sassy and Bo! If i can start ponying Bo on rides with sassy then i will have to very fit horses!

After the holiday season and the last of the holiday cards coming in i have $125 from family that i can spend on gear i want. So i think i am going to get:
•Curvon Cooler
•Electrolyte Syringes
•2 Stowaway Bags
• Heritage Performance Riding Gloves

and that leaves me two hole extra dollars :)

It is a nice start for the year, and i already have the Garmin GPS (THANKS MOM!!) i had on the list so i am making a slow dent into the gear i need!

I found out yesterday that i was accepted into the Foreign Exchange Program that i applied for! It was very competitive so i am very happy, but i also have mixed emotions about leaving next year. I know i will make great friends and bonds over in France (maybe i will do an endurance ride over their!!) but it's gonna be hard to leave my friends, family and my horses. The dates that i will be going are September 5th, to January 8th. It works out since i typically can't ride much anyways that time of year but i will be gone for christmas and i will miss Homecoming but i will be back for prom and the seniors graduation which i really want to be at since the majority of my friends are graduating next year.

Happy New Year everyone!

last post of 2009!

2009-12-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

Well, this year has been something!

This is my last time online for this year, i will be heading over to a party in truckee.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF MY READERs, LETS MAKE 2010 A GREAT YEAR FOR US, OUR HORSES, AND ALL!!!!!!

ps! ~C enjoy those jello shots and don't give me any grief over that :D See you and Funder on Saturday hopefully!

Pissy Mare Syndrome aka PMS

2009-12-29T18:25:00.000-08:00

Sassy was *such* ßi†ch yesterday!

I went out at about noon and gave them all an apple. She took the apple and catered away with it in her mouth throwing her head as she went!

I finally got her to stand when i rubbed her all around, picking up her feet and feeling her legs for any heat or abnormalities that horses can get running in deep snow. As i was petting her neck, she flinched when i hit a spot. I palpated it and she gave a little squeal! I continued up her neck and she was fine everywhere else. I came back to that spot, working my finger tips in a vertical pattern. The muscles in the neck run parallel and to get things to loosen you need to work against them. When sassy was adjusted just a while back she had a similar knot, just WAY bigger and in the chest where she was kicked. Cindy and Sandy said this could happen, and with another session she will continue to improve. 1 session will doesn't normally fix everything... I made her move out and she was sound, so i just continued to TRY to work the knot out any success. She was get so pissy by this point she had her ears laid back and since she wasn't haltered just continued to trot away throwing her head and giving me this face like "na na na boo boo!!" like a 3 year old kid :)

when i was out scrapping snow off their barns just now i brought out the lounge whip and asked her to move, and she looks AMAZING! she prances in the snow and flicks her feet out looking like a little show horse :)

Hmmm, motivation?

2009-12-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

I have none right now. I haven't been able to ride, since i don't have my drivers license i can't trailer anywhere (my mom is working 6 days a week) and their is so much snow here i can't ride at home.

She is looking better and better every day though. Her and Bo race down the corral (separated between a fence) and just run side by side all day :) They are both getting natural conditioning, which is so important for a sport horse. It gives them a chance to really move out and if they have any sore muscles they can work them out they way they need to, with no human interference.

Yesterday morning sassy hit a patch of ice, and slid for about 15 feet, doing a 360˚ turn and ended up facing me, looking bewildered and just starred at me and stood their for about 5 minutes until i came over to her and showed her it was now safe to walk :p

We got more snow last night, which cancelled out hay delivery that we had scheduled for today. We have been trying to get a load of hay for about a month, and every time it snows so they can't deliver it. We are down to about 5 bails of hay, and with 3 horses being fed 2 times a day that is 12 flakes a day, 84 flakes a week. This hay has 16 flakes per bail, so we have 80 flakes left. So we will make it ALMOST 1 more week.

School is out for this week, and we go back January 4th. I have been doing workbooks for the High School Exit Exam that everyone has to take in late January. So even when i have a break from school, i study.

I have been looking at allot of fields that i can go into for vet school and what i want to specialize in. I really like sports medicine and i think i would really enjoy that. I also looked at being a track vet, which would be fun for me but i don't know anyone that i could talk to about that and how to go about it... I just don't like having to decide what i want to do for the next 50+ years. What if i don't like it for some reason and then i wasted all that time, work, commitment and money for something i don't like.

On new years eve day a group of friends and i are going to go spend some time in reno, seeing movies and just hanging out. then that night we will go back to truckee (reno and big holidays with parties can get sketchy and its not where you want to be) and i'm not sure what we will do at night. (well, we know what we will be doing, but we just say we dont know yet)

When we get back to school we have 1 week of class and then 1 week of finals :'(

I am SOOOOOO not looking forward to next semester! i have intense classes!
•AP Chemistry (junior/senior class and i am a sophomore) 6 AM morning labs! that means i will have to get up at 3 am
•Honors English
•World History
•trigonometry (i just hate math)
•Conversational French (extra class outside of school)
•French 1&2 (extra class outside of school)

A christmas Ride!

2009-12-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

My mom and i took sassy over to Lemon Valley. They have two arenas and a good round pen...

We turned her out and lunged her. She is SOOOOO responsive! i simply move the whip to the right and she is off to the right, when i am thirty feet away!! Their was still snow out on their, so i just road in the arena, which was nice just to ride around their.

I got to use my NEW Garmin 305 GPS! My mom got it for me for Christmas!!!!!!! Thanks Mom, you know me SO well!!!!!!!

We had a nice day, got to spend time with the horses and that is always great.

Here are some pictures of sassy being turned out...

We rode about 2 miles, plus all the running she did while turned out...

PS. she is SOOO sound, and is doing this huge extended trot!

Good luck to Karen Chaton and Lucy Trumbull at Death Valley Encounter multi-day ride!

X-country Skiing:

2009-12-24T16:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i went x-country skiing, also called nordic skiing. When i woke up it was negative 7 degrees. When i got to the mountain it was 15 degrees, add the wind that you create when you are moving downhill can feel like 30 below!

I ended up doing about 13.5 k, or 8.4 miles. Now, that doesn't sound like allot but when you factor in that 4 of those miles where all up hill, with over 1,500 feet of climbing in that one hill,it is pretty physically demanding. It took me about 3.5 hours, and got lost once. I have no clue how to orient myself and the map was no help since i didn't know where i was. I was able to get cell reception, and call ski patrol to see if they could just tell me where to go. They put me on hold for 15 minutes. I have never felt that desperate, being lost on a mountain in the cold. I was able to make it back (obviously) and i was laughing when i saw the ski patrol gearing up to come out and look for me. it was a fun experience!

Note to self: make sure to bring a power bar and at least ONE bottle of water! i only had my phone, that is it. and check in with someone before you go!

Here are some pics I took out on the trail

They have a hut, for skiiers to take care of them selves and melt water, except they forgot to put the propane in this year :'(

My skis

My friend Michelle took this at lake tahoe in the morning the other day. her pics are awesome!!

Blog Award! Happy 101 :)

2009-12-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you Mel & ~E.G

The rules are to list 10 things that make me happy, and then pass it on to 10 people: Since i was nominated twice do i have to double the rules?

Things that make me happy :)
1. My horses! whether i am having an awful day, or the best day, when i get home and get to see them, they make it better

2. My mom! She supports me in whatever i do. Thank you mom, love you :)

3. My friends. So much has changed this year, i hadn't planned on saying this over the internet via blog, but someone asked me the other day and i just need to get it out their. My dad left my mom and i 5 months ago and he has not called or made any attempt to contact any of us. Thank you to all my friends who showed their support to us, your support meant the world to us!

4. My horses are safe sound and happy! For a while i didn't know if sassy would be sound again, but she is! And after Bo had the mishap at his first endurance ride, he was different afterward but now he is back to his normal self! And Jack, he came to us 5 years ago after he was abandoned at a stable for 6 months with no contact in a 12 by 12 fully enclosed box stall. Jack is almost 28 years old, but looks like a 9 year old. We love you jack!

5. This is very materialistic of me but, it has helped me SOOO much! STARBUCKS~ you have saved my life in the morning going to school after all nighters for tests.

6. Very nerdy of me but, what ever :) A's make me happy! getting that grade that you have worked so hard for makes all the work, and hell, i put in worth it...

7. Endurance Riding! I fell in love with the sport immediately, and it has just been such a wonderful experience and i am glad that it is in my life, and can't wait to start the new season!

8.That i am in the top 3 in the class of 2012, and hope to keep that.

9. My brother. We haven't always gotten along, but this year has just been better. It was the first year he was out of the house, so i think that helps a bit :)

10. That we advance into 2010! The 2009 year has been a roller-coaster, personally and globally. May next year be a great year for all of us. Happy Holidays!
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
So now i have to nominate 10 people:

•Karen Chaton
•Jenn
•Chris Martin
•CMK Dreams
• Unknown Tevis rider
•Merri
• txtrigger
•Funder
• Sydney
• Heather

2009-12-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

As i was feeding the horses tonight i took some pictures, and had thought of the PERFECT title for this blog and already outlined two paragraphs in my head, then i came in and took a shower, then forgot the title and paragraphs! Have i mentioned that my mind works in weird ways :)

I took some pictures of sassy, to show you guys how she is looking.

I was sanding on top of a little snow mound, and some of the pictures make it look like she is standing funny, but she isn't. It is just the way *I* am standing... Considering she has had nearly 5 months off, i'd say she looks GREAT!

This winter has been different from others. The storms haven't been bigger, the temperatures haven't been colder, and the snow hasn't been in greater quantities. So what is the big deal about this year? The FREQUENCY of the storms has been more abundant! It seems like after the 4 feet of snow i said "Okay, i will wait till this melts off then go out riding", i waited for about 2 weeks, then more snow came. Every time their is a chance to ride, another storm comes in. If any of you are familiar with science, this winter is like a bell graph. It has its peeks (during the storm, and the snow after it) and then it dips back down (when the snow is melting) and then right when it is almost to the bottom, it shoots back up. Sorry, random/weird tangent

My brother left yesterday to go back east (Vermont. Maine, Minnesota, and two other states) to film some video for snowboarding. it was his first christmas away from home, and my mom insisted that he come out and do presents yesterday, so that was not fun having to shopping EXTRA early, i leave my shopping till the very last second. I still have to shop for my mom :p

After i put the camera away, the horses all started to run and they just looked great in the snow! sassy had her tail up VERY high and was just prancing around in the snow... Things like that will also help to get her in shape, its like resistance training in deep snow :D

I have been working on a letter to send out to companies to get sponsored, but i have just had the hardest time writing.Normally i can write everything very quick, organized, and thoughtful (just ask any of my english teachers). I dont know if it is that i am afraid that i will get rejected or what but i need some serious help with these. I am not afraid to fail or get rejection, but i am afraid to be laughed at. Seriously, i have spent so much time in reflection upon things i haven't even done yet, running through possible situations! I think out my arguments that i *will* have, and go through everything they might say so i don't get caught and look stupid. Maybe i should be a lawyer?! Any suggestions/help on the sponsorship letter?

Here are some other pics i took of the horses :)

I may have mentioned that i want to breed sassy before. I have looked at HUNDREDS of stallions, and i have narrowed it down to probably 15, but i keep finding new ones and the list just keeps growing every month. Do any of you have an arab stallion that you really like? When i started in horses, i started in jumping and english showing with thoroughbreds (Bulero!) and i was always taught to breed in February, because then the foals birthday will be as close to January 1st as possible. Why Jan. 1st? because that is how the horses age is determined on the track, so you can either have an older horse or a younger horse racing. It makes no big deal in endurance, at least not to me... i am in no real hurry to get anything done.

I am going up to the Ski resort, Northstar at Tahoe, and will do some x-country skiing tomorrow. I hope get in 10 kilometers (just over 6 miles) then will do some holiday shopping.

Take care, Happy Holidays :)

The BEST day in Winter!

2009-12-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

Why is this the best day in winter? Because it is the winter solstice! And why is this a good thing? Because now the day light gets longer and we get closer to winter being over!! Today is the first official day of winter, haha try telling that to anyone that lives where it snows!

I was planning on going Nordic Skiing Today, but the snow/rain told me no :( Have u ever tried to x country ski in fresh ice snow? Well it is SOOOOO hard! It would have taken me about 2 hours to prep my skis for the conditions and it wasn't worth it.

The good news is that i found a local arena, indoor fully enclosed with lights, that is only a 15 minute trailer ride away! if i can start getting sassy their 2 times a week we will be able to get back on track, and get us into the shape we were in before the kick.

Sassy WAS ready for tevis last June. I have had several tevis rides tell me so, after i expressed that i was concerned about getting us back in shape. Two of the have been in the top ten in tevis and i came within a few minutes of them at our first 50. Diane Johnson came in, i think, 3rd place her first time riding tevis and when she had her horse ready for tevis this year we were within 5 minutes of her at the finish of my first 50 miler completion, Wild West. Why am i bringing this up? I actually don't know :) Maybe because riding in the arena will help get us back their? who knows?! My mind operates in such weired ways.

So we ended up only getting an inch of snow, and about and inch of rain that washed ALLOT of snow away in the horses corrals! YAY :D

The most wonderful time of the year?

2009-12-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

I feel like a Grinch as i write this. I like the holiday time, but this time of the season every year, it is very difficult to live in Tahoe with horses. Yesterday was the first time i was able to get sassy out of the corral, and i wasn't even able to ride. I had to dig out the gate, and then a pathway to lead her out from. I took her for a hand walk/jog on the main road from my house. She looked a bit stiff (NOT lame), understandable considering how cold it has been and the four 4 of snow she has been running around in. So i walked the first 2 miles with her, which was a net downhill, and then jog/ran the uphill back up. Sassy and i are so in sync! we are both better going uphill... downhill we both kinda lallygag on :( that is something we need to work on...

It was nice to get out and run, and nice to actually have a day off without do homework or studying, just being able to relax and be with my horses.

My mom and I have wanted to move down to auburn for a while now, and are actually getting serious and have started looking. Hopefully we will be down their by mid summer. Maybe, you never know... It will be easier now that it is just me and my mom, since my brother graduated last year and is doing his own thing.

I went for a GREAT 8 mile run today! I was able to wear jogging shorts and a tshirt without sleeves. I was comfortable during, but was pretty cold afterwards.

When plans change, go with the flow!

2009-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

I had planned to ride the two days at Shine and Shine only for my May ride, but one day was cancelled, so now it is only a one day ride.

No problem! Cancelled that ride, and decided to do the Wild Wild West 155 miles. Easy, not a big deal. No freaking out when plans or something gets changed... My mom was not able to adjust as easily as me.

This is a really short post, but i DO have longer ones coming soon :)

And guess what?! Its CHRISTMAS BREAK!!

:)

Lots of new blog posts coming!

2009-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

***Scheduled Post***

I just have to get to Friday and then i am home free from school for 2 weeks! i have allot of great things, and i am really excited for this coming season!

Sassy was running around SOOO much yesterday in all the new snow :) She looked AMAZING! Ever since she was adjusted she has been carrying herself better, her back and topline are more filled out and better looking, as is her chest, she is standing more square and just looks 100% better, even before the kick she did not look this great! I am getting pretty excited for the ride season!

I went into the Chemistry lab and did some AP Chemistry labs. Yes, college level labs preformed by a sophomore in high school... I said i love science right ? I did some work with electrolytes and will test some of the popular ones used in endurance when i get back from break... Mind you, this is all EXTRA laboratory work... In all my spare time right? :)

I ran into a little conflict today. A bunch of my friends and i are going down to disney land durning presidents week. The problem? it is the same 3 days as convention! So i think i am going to go to the first day of convention and then fly out from reno to LA, and they will pick me up their. I am really looking forward to convention this year, especially the awards dinner the first night :) I made the West Region Junior Standings! I only did two endurance rides, and i am in 7th place!!! I was really excited to learn this!

Below is the points and awards...

Junior Division
Pl. Rider Name Equine Breed Sex Miles Div.Pts. Ov.Pts. Ov.Pl.
1 Kadee Felton Morgan Mustang M 655 1055 0
2 Colton Medeiros Rushcreek Lance Arabian G 355 599 0
3 Mikayla Gardella-Betzer Spark-Stars-Magic Arabian G 350 530 0
4 Rylee Hackley RT Karah Bez Arabian M 200 440 0
5 Tristan Barger Flash Arabian G 150 360 0
6 Haily Daeumler Hailys Ember Grade M 200 330 0
7 Elijah Sauceda Vista Surprise Arabian M 150 200 0
7 Zach Rabow SS Sestina Arabian M 100 200 0
9 Brandon Reed HR Ella Rose Arabian M 105 171 0

And congratulations to my friend Suzy Henderson! She won the West Region Limtited Distance division!
West Region

Rank Rider Equine Name Breed Sex Miles
1 Suzy Henderson Haat Shat Ripstar Arabian M 330

And congratulations to everyone else who had a great season!

Gear for Camp:

2009-12-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

Ride Camp Gear:

-E-Z Up Instant Shade: For hot rides. or rainy rides! We could put half over our stuff, and half over sassy :)
-Headlamp: I had 4 of them, long story of what happened to them (not really something u talk about through the internet), so i need some more. I would use these during the night portion of 100 mile rides.
-Fold-It Utility Cart: To haul gear in, mainly for my crew.
..................................................................................................................................................................................................

So yes, i have lots to get and lots i want! But i am going to try to get sponsor for somethings, or just company sponsors that sell more than just one product. Any suggestions on how to go about doing this?

What is the ONE extra you need to have at your horse event? Other than the basics, like a saddle :p

Gear for the Rider:

2009-12-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

-Nike Running Tights: Okay, so i have worn out several pairs of breeches this year. I have never really loved breeches. I have just always worn them since i used to show english and jump. I have used these when i did Nordic Ski racing, and LOVED them!
-Nike Running Hoddie: I don't have any designated riding clothes other than breeches, so i am actually getting clothes *just* for ridding. This would be nice at the start of rides, or the night portions of 100 mile rides.
-Running Jacket: Again, great for starts or windy rides.
-Performance Polo: This would be my main riding shirt. It would be perfect because if i did ride FEI you are required to have a shirt with a collar, so it would be perfect!
-Heritage Performance Riding Gloves: I wore my current pare out this season.
-Clear Sunglasses: Terry Reed recomended that i get a pair of these for when i ride tevis. The low branches in the early morning can cause problems with eyes. Also, any dusty ride would be nice to have these.
-Garmin 305 GPS: So i can keep logs of training rides, and just for the convenience :)

Gear for the Horse:

2009-12-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

Gear for the horse:
-Supracor Endurance Saddle Pad: I have heard great things about this, but it seems really stiff and looks like it wouldn't conform to the horse.
OR
-Haf Dressage Pad: I like this one, but not sure that it will handle the trail to well since it isn't an endurance pad.
-Stowaway Bag: I have a cantle bag, but i don't really like it. It is bulky and kinda heavy. I like this because i could put 2 or 3 of these on each side on the saddle, and have a different one for different things like; Electrolytes, Rider stuff, food/treat for horse and rider, Repair equipment, and then one for an easy boot.
-Cooler: I would put this on during holds and post ride.
-Glow Halter: I would like to use this when camping, and during 100 mile rides (the night parts). It would be useful if you fell and your horse was separated from you, or if your horses just got loose.
-Collapsible Horse Water Scoop: This would replace my sponge. I like this better because you could dip this into a trough, as you should NEVER put your sponge into a trough. At American River 50 this year, my sponsor had one and when we got to the top of Cardiac Hill their was a canal that our horses wanted to drink from, but couldn't so we filled it up and were able to water them.
-Horse Syringes: To electrolyte my horse on the trail.
-Hay & Gear Bag: I would like 2 or 3 of these to be able to send to different vet checks.
-Cashel Boomer's Bandages: These seem allot easier then wrapping with Polo wraps and they would be quicker so i could throw some on during an hour hold if it was a tough ride.
-Haf Splint Boots: I have TONS of splint boots, but not a single pair fits sassy! They are all mediums up to extra larges, and she needs a small. I want these!
-Airform Chafless Girth: I have a girth, but it gets really dirty and traps in heat. It is one of the ones with the sheepskin. I like this one, i used to have one but wore it out.

So i obviously have allot to get. Some things will be a higher priority than others, but i would like to get it all by some point (probably not this season)

Planning!

2009-12-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

I had planned on riding some good loops around here, and then trailering to reno on Sundays and riding out their.

I have been trying to do this for 3-4 weeks. What has kept me from doing this? Well several things: it could possibly be that i am getting up at 4 am, school to 4 pm, gym and some other stuff, and home at 7 pm. Sun sets at about 5 pm here, and i get to bed at about 11 pm. Or it could be the fact that we got 4 feet of snow last night (just maybe :) or the fact that their is 6 feet of snow on the loops i had planned.

So why couldn't i just go to reno? Because every time i try, it SNOWS! My mom really doesn't like trailering in the snow as it is dangerous and so i am stuck.

I am not really concerned though, she was in AMAZING shape before she got kicked, and she gets into shape VERY VERY VERY VERY easily. I am not even joking, 3 good training rides and she was ready for a hard 30 (got horse of Excellence) and 3-5 more rides and she was ready for an EXTREMELY tuff 50!

My last post on the Gear, was really disorganized (yes, i am very picky :) so i will do a new post, in 3 parts (horse gear, rider gear, and camp gear).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forecast:
This Afternoon: Snow showers, mainly before 4pm. High near 36. Southwest wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.

Tonight: Scattered snow showers, mainly before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 19. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Monday Night: Cloudy, with a low around 23. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday: Snow likely before 10am, then rain and snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 40. South wind between 10 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Tuesday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Friday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42.

Gear I Want/need:

2009-12-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, so at the very bottom of the page (on this blog) their is a list of the basics of my gear.

So, what do i want and need?
Coldflex Vet wrap, just in case

Ovation Chafless Girth

A new Saddle Pad!! I am having a hard time finding one that will fit my Wintec Endurance Saddle. I am looking at the Haf Pad, or Supracore pad.

A Glow-in the dark Rope Halter! I would like this to put on at night, and during 100 mile rides. just in case i ever fall off, i could see where she is :)

An endurance gear/crew bag. Any suggestions on ones you like?

I need some more riding clothes!! I'm working on it, slowly...

Syringes to give electrolytes with on the trail
Soft Water Scoop

Crew Cart

A Cooler

HAF Splint Boots

Horse Boot Stowaway
Id like to put 2-3 of these on my saddle to carry my gear in. I have a cantle Pack, but i don't really like it. It is bulky and these seem like i could compartmentalize better. Like my stuff, the horses stuff, and then, odds and ends like repair gear.

Cashel Boomer's Bandages These would be nice, i HATE wrapping with Polo wraps. Polos are really easy to screw up. I like this model the best!

Reflective Leg Bands

there are some more, but my Internet is being iffy and i would like to get this up
...................................................................................................................................................................................................

I would have posted this earlier but the Internet was down. We remain without heat. I JUST went for a 2 mile Nordic ski! It was awesome!! It was DUMPING snow, 4 inches per hour, 22 degrees, 2 miles, in 15 minutes, at 9 PM, one glow stick strapped on my glove. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! My mom took a few pics of me when i was heading out that i will post tomorrow with some other stuff :)

update; gear blogs to follow!

2009-12-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, i haven't posted anything in a while, mainly because school has been insanely busy, the heat is out in my house (40 degrees INSIDE right now!) and lately, i don't feel like blogging material.

I have been continuing the gym, feeling GREAT!

Like i said above, school. CRAZY! i have just not had any spare time :( i am preparing for next semesters classes. I have REALLY hard classes starting January. AP Chemistry, Honors English 10, Trigonometry, World History. That takes up all my classes (periods) at the High school. But, because i am me, i need more! I am taking French 1 and 2 at the local college, and then conversational french at the college. The normal schedule for a high school student is about 2 of these, and then some easy classes like PE or Art. So why am i doing so much? Cuz i can! And i can handle it (maybe). AP Chemistry is a College course, as is French, and conversational french. I love these classes because i can dual credits, meaning, i get high school credit, and college credit!

I keep TRYING to ride, but the weather is SNOW SNOW SNOW, or negative 5 degrees. So, no riding for now :( But i hope i can start going down to Auburn and getting out to see some of the tevis trail. Any locals want to join/show me that area :)

I haven't made much process on a farrier/barefoot trimmer; but like i said, i haven't had much time

I want to start going to a barn in Reno and start a riding in an arena. I have never ridden Sassy in an arena, and i think it would be good exercise, mentally and physically :)

Dressage lessons: I WANT to do them, with all the wonderful things Mel has said about it, i want to try it :)

Sound horses? I have 3 sound horses!!!!!!!!!! :D Knock on Wood, cross your fingers!

I registered with Stat Counter and i got some stats on my blog website :)

2009-12-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

I just counted how many drafts i have (post that i have written, just not published) and i have about 12! I am gonna work on these soon. Sometime before finals, after this testing week, so maybe Xmas Break??

I am working on a post about gear that i use for endurance, gear/tack i want to get, and some stuff i might consider getting, and equipment i just dont understand why :D

I just blanketed our herd outside, the negative 2 degrees snuck up fast! Since it is to hard to deal with all of the buckles with gloves on, i have to wear none... My hands are legitly (that is me be to lazy to spell out legitimately) blue and purple right now, i couldn't tell if the water was hot or cold when i turned on my faucet to get some water on them (turned out it was HOT!)

Oh how i should go back to studying Stoichiometry and Nuclear Chemistry right now... Maybe ;)

FORECAST FOR MY AREA:
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around -11. West wind around 5 mph.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
Thursday: A 20 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. South wind around 5 mph.

2009-12-08T05:23:00.001-08:00

Fed the horses this morning... In NEGATIVE 3 degrees! I did take their blankets off since it isn't supposed to snow today.

Sassy was so happy to get hers off :) she pranced around and was looking really good! She rolled on both sides, and then got up and cantered up to the food!

Bo's side looked good, we are still going to go to the vet, but probobly just for antibiotics now.

Jack was his cool, calm self, it must come with age :)

Oh, and it's not a snow day :(