Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

This past weekend my husband Ross and I, along with our friend Rae, did the Unicorn Hunt ride near Kennard, TX.  It's in the Piney Woods of East Texas, only about an hour and a half from our house.  We weren't going to do it because of the heat - just can't sleep.  Then my husband mentioned that the LD would give his Paso Fino 500 LD miles.  I looked at the entry form and saw that they'd have a separate camping area for those who wanted to run generators all night.  Ok, so we decided to go.  I talked Rae into going by bribing her with an offer to sleep on the sofa in our trailer.  <G>  Ross and Rae were going to do the LD.  I just couldn't pass up a 50, since I have a horse in shape to do one, so against my better judgement, I signed up for the 50.  I don't handle heat well, and knew I'd be getting sick by the last 10 miles or so, but figured I could stick it out.  If I'd only known...

 

I planned to go slow, since it would be only my horse Bear's (Little Bear TC) third 50.  I'd bought him in February, and for several months had dealt with all the "young green horse issues."  You all know them - the "I can't walk through that creek, I have to make a big awkward jump over it," and the "no, I'm going to throw a temper tantrum and rear."  I eventually convinced him he *could* step in water without dying, and when he reared, I was careful to let up on the reins and leg him forward so that I didn't pull him over backward.  He soon learned that rearing wasn't productive and quit.  Before I bought him, another buyer had bought him but had trouble with him and became convinced he had EPM.  They did a spinal tap, which was contaminated with blood (so not even a good sample), and which came back a weak positive.  No surprise there...most estimates are that well in excess of 50-60% of horses in the Eastern US have been *exposed* to EPM, which is a ll a positive result means.  He had no other symptoms, but the buyer elected to return him to the seller, who filled me in on all of the details before I bought him.  I knew enough about EPM to know that he in no way had the disease, and his performance since then has borne that out.  We did a slow LD in late Feb, he was then laid up for 6 wks after getting into barbed wire out on the trail on a training ride, then after a month or so of riding, we tried a 50 Memorial Day weekend.  Made it 38 miles before getting pulled after he slipped and fell in some muddy ruts and bruised his hip.  A chiro adjustment and two wks off, and we were back on the trails.  In July he successfully completed two 55 milers in the mountains of New Mexico at Fort Stanton with flying colors.  He really impressed me with his agility and surefootedness in the rocks and rough terrain...he never missed a step.  He really powered up the hills, and used his rear nicely coming down the steep stuff.  On the second day, his brain really seemed to click on, and he realized that this sport wasn't a game, it was a job, and that he *loved* his job.  He was all business.  So I felt really good going into Unicorn Hunt.  Afterall, these were the same kinds of trails we train on.

 

Rae and I trailered up to Unicorn Hunt and set up camp.  Ross came up later, as he had to work that morning.  We vetted the horses in, and at the ride meeting were treated to some delicious BBQ beef and some of the best baked beans I've ever had.  The 50 would do 3 loops (18.7, 17.3, and 14.6 mi), with holds of 60 and 45 min.  I planned to go just a little faster on the first loop while it was a bit cooler, and slow down later in the heat of the day.

 

Saturday morning we got up at 4:30 and fed the horses, ate, then went out to tack up.  The 75s and 100s had left at 4 am (tough people to even try those distances in this heat and humidity).  The LDs would start at 6:15, and the 50s at 6:35 (for vet check spacing).  I headed over to the start with Ross and Rae, since Bear would have gone nuts left at the trailer alone.  The LDs headed out, and we rode around in the field till time to start.  When the call came for the start, the group headed for the woods at a good trot.  Bear was interested in going with them, but listened to me when I asked him to walk.  We were in no hurry.  When the pack had hit the woods, we picked up a trot, and headed out.  We ended up behind 2 riders on a gray 1/2 Arab and a bay Arab, with Mike Maul and Vonita Bowers right behind us.  They set a good pace for a few miles, then at some point pulled off.  I think at this point we were also riding with Lucy (last name?).  Our group of 4 continued on at a good trot.  There was lots of water on this loop.  Some storms had gone through the afternoon and evening before, and had hit this loop, but not the more eastern loops.  That's Texas for you...when they say localized thunderstorms, they mean localized!  <G>  There were lots of flooded sections of trail, but the bottom was good, with not many boggy sections.  We trotted along, and I got my sponge out and practiced sponging on the fly for the first time.  I'm sure Mike, who was behind me, got some good laughs as I hit my horse in the butt, the legs, neck, etc.  But I did managed to catch it fairly often.  (hear that, Angie??)  LOL  Of course, I needed a puddle the approximate size of a railroad boxcar in order to even hit the puddle!  <G>

 

<to be continued>