Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I went to Chicken Chase this weekend. We got back today as I just rode the 55 on
Friday and am planning to go to LBL for a follow-up 25 miler.

The weather was creepy. From snow on the ground (3 inches!) on Tuesday to a high
near 80 on Friday with full sun. Very weird.

We arrived Wednesday night to give Tanna time to settle in. This was his first
ride of the season. I was planning a very slow, tail end pace.

Friday only had a 55 miler with 2 away vet checks. 34 riders started, 32
finished, with the 2 pulls at the finish. Betsy Knight won 1st place and BC.

I started 5 minutes late and played leap frog with the three eventual last place
riders pretty much all day. Tanna never pulled on me. He settled into a good
working trot and only a couple times asked to go faster than we were going at
the time. Made me wonder where my freaky boy was in that model of work ethics. I
didn't even need the full cheek French link snaffle I'd put him in for the first
loop.

First loop was 21 miles. Took me right at 4 hours to ride it. Back of the pack.
Right where I wanted to be. Daniel, my husband, was right there helping me
unsaddle, sponge, take care of my horse and me and the GPS technology. We vetted
in with a B in guts and a B in membranes. He hadn't drunk until around mile 18,
and then sucked down lots at each small creek crossing for the 3 miles into the
check. Consequently, he didn't drink much in camp, but he did eat half his beet
pulp and some alfalfa hay. He turned his nose up at the offering of carrots.

Saddle back on and headed out for the 11 or 12 mile second loop. I was hoping to
make some time up on that ride, but it wasn't to be and it took me 2 hours and
15 minutes to ride that loop. Still well within time limits, so I was content,
but knew I'd have to watch the clock on the last 21 mile loop or I might not
finish in time.

Tanna drank well on the second loop and I was pleased. He also grabbed grass at
every opportunity. "Eat and walk" was the most oft heard phrase out of my mouth
as I hiked down the hills and he grabbed the grass along the edge. I also walked
up a couple of the hills (he hasn't learned to tail yet) and I had lots of
respect for my little horse carrying me and him up the rest!

Back in the vet check for the second 50 minute hold, Daniel and I repeated the
routine of strip, sponge, vet, eat, resaddle, head out. Tanna got all As except
his guts were a B. We got really good at putting the saddle back on. I'd put the
pads on, he'd drop the saddle on top. He'd attach the girth on the right and I
tightened it on the left while he clipped the breast collar and reattached the
heart rate monitor leads.

Finally back out for the last 21 mile loop. We had 4 hours and 45 minutes to do
the loop. Since we'd done the first loop in 4 hours, I figured we had plenty of
time, but since it was hot and he had already gone 32 or 33 miles, I wasn't sure
what would happen. We stopped about 9 or 10 miles from the finish for a 15
minute break and grain/beet pulp/grass. We had stopped at the same location on
the first loop for the same purpose. Tanna ate and peed and took his mid-loop
electrolytes like a veteran, even though this was only our 2nd 50.

After he had taken his first drink of the ride at around mile 18, he drank very
well the rest of the ride and I was very happy with him for that.

We walked a lot of the last 9 miles. Trotting up the hills and a few good trots
on the flats, but mainly walking and enjoying the scenery. Finally, we were a
mile and a half from camp with plenty of time to spare. Tanna was spooking at
the same stuff he'd spooked at in the morning on the way out. So he was still
feeling good and his ears were forward the entire ride, ready to go where I
pointed him (unless he saw other horses going another way, then he was convinced
I was having him go the wrong way for a few minutes).

When we reached the pavement a quarter mile from camp, I dropped off and
loosened his breast collar and walked him on in. I got my finish time and Daniel
met me to take Tanna back to our trailer to untack. We stripped him for the last
time and sponged him down and took him back to the vet. Still a B in guts, but
all As on the rest and a good CRI of 54/48. A clear win! We had completed our
second 50 together! With 55 minutes to spare. :-)

SERA had the scales set up Thursday night for weighing the horses. I was glad of
that and weighed Tanna Thursday after the ride meeting. 778. Which is good, I'd
been feeding him lots to get his weight up after I noticed his ribs peaking
through several weeks before the ride. He gained 10 pounds overnight for
starting the ride at 788. Since the vet checks were both away, I didn't have a
chance to weigh Tanna again until the finish, so after we successfully vetted in
for the finish, we weighed him again. 744. He lost 44 pounds from start to
finish. He only gained 6 pounds overnight to have a weight of 750 before we
loaded him to bring him home.

After the finish, my friend Laura came up to me. She was riding her horse
Diamond the next day and was waiting for me. Before I went to bed, I took Tanna
over to visit with Diamond as they are good buddies from training rides back
home.

Our completion award was a nice picture taken by the ride photographer. I liked
that.

Overnight on Friday, I got up and walked Tanna around a couple times. The second
time I got up, I was awakened by horses trotting outside our camper. I thought
maybe I'd slept through the night and people were warming up their horses, but
when I checked my watch, it was way too early. I hopped out of bed and grabbed
my shoes and jacket and heard Amy (ride manager) calling out that she had a grey
gelding. Apparently some horses were loose. Fortunately, my grey gelding was
still standing in his metal corral. I haltered him and took him for a walk since
I was up already.

I spent the next hour watching, listening, letting Tanna graze and talking to
Amy. A total of 8 horses had gotten loose. Four (including the gelding she held
for much of the time we talked) were recaptured in camp, but four were still
missing when I went back to bed. They had been tracked several miles away on the
pavement. Horses running and leaving tracks on pavement. Not good.

The next morning, Daniel and I packed up and headed out to come back home.
Before we did leave, though, I was able to find out from Amy that the lost 4
horses had been recovered. 3 of them were fine, the other was being checked by a
vet when we left for some skinned up legs from falling on the pavement.
Hopefully, it wasn't serious.

I was also able to chat with Laura who was in camp on her hold. She and Diamond
were doing well and they headed back on their last loop and then Daniel and I
left.

I love Chicken Chase. What can I say? Amy and Bill are great ride managers and
the trails were perfect and very well marked, even though it could have gotten
confusing, I never got lost once. It's great to camp in Bill's pasture. The
trails are pretty, in great shape, and the 55 was a nice challenge for the start
of the season.

I spent some money at Running Bear's trailer, too. Bought a crupper and some
nice syringes for electrolytes. After LBL, I'll train Tanna to the crupper. I
used the syringes immediately.

I had a great time. I am not very sore at all. Tanna has NO RUBS! Notta one. He
looks great. Perky, running in his pasture. We're headed for LBL on Thursday to
do an LD on Friday.

The only thing I have to change is to lengthen my right stirrup. On a picture my
husband took, I noticed his breast collar was crooked due to the saddle being
crooked due to my right stirrup being too short so I pushed down hard on that
stirrup and twisted the saddle.

Thanks to the ride management and all the volunteers that made Chicken Chase a
great first ride of the season. Can't wait to go back next year!

April
Nashville, TN

===========================================================It is how we "feel" 
deep inside that matters, cause each of us knows the
truth, regardless of how we try make it complicated.  It just isn't.
~ Frank Solano

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