Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Horses of Michigan magazine wants to run some more stories about 
endurance riding so I'm trying to narrate yet another ride. If any one 
has any suggestions/corrections please let me know. It was a great 
adventure for us girls...Kari


On the trail in the U.P. at Pine Martin Run&

Labor Day was supposed to be the last ride of the season for us, but 
Ive been dreaming about riding the U.P. for the last couple seasons. 
Many people have told me about these two great rides, one held the end 
of May the other the end of September just South of Munising. Now that I 
have the trailer to do it why not start making plans? First I had to get 
my worries out of the way & How will the long trip affect my mare? & 
Will the truck and trailer make it with no problems? & How can I ask my 
husband to give up bow seasons opening weekend? One call to my best 
friend and we cast the worries aside. Husbands and kids were on their 
own for the weekend; it was a girl's get-away to the great north!

We headed out on a Friday morning with the weather not looking so great 
in Western Michigan. As we headed North it rained most of the trip. My 
worries about the truck started in a couple hundred miles later. Do we 
go back or go the next hundred miles to ridecamp? The sounds werent too 
alarming and not constant so we forged on. We made it to camp mid 
afternoon and set up for the weekend. The truck didnt seem to get any 
worse so we were relieved.

We were able to camp next to riders we knew and had a good time around 
the campfire that night. The riders meeting was short and we were able 
to go check out the roads and show my friend Angie where to meet us on 
the trail for water stops before sunset.

Saturday morning we were up very early checking the weather (no more 
rain!), feeding horses and finally ourselves. There were riders from all 
over the Midwest. The 25 mile Limited Distance division had eleven 
riders and the 50 mile Endurance division had twenty riders. The two 
divisions started 30 minutes apart with the 50 milers going out first at 
7:00 a.m. The vet check was out of camp so as soon as we started at 7:30 
Angie took the truck and headed to the checkpoint. As we rode along I 
was awestruck by the scenery. We rode through gently rolling hills and 
past mirrored lakes. There were several trails that led us right down 
into the lakes and the horses thoroughly enjoyed splashing around while 
drinking their fill of the cool water. The weather was perfect for 
competition and we all made pretty good time. I was with the lead pack 
of about six riders and all the horses paced well together. We all took 
turns leading and changing around the order.

When we all showed up at the vet check together the vets and timers were 
scrambling to get everyones times and vet cards filled out properly. 
The ride manager, Kathy Bahrman, was there helping out and encouraging 
us all on. Angie was right there with slosh bottles to help me get my 
mare Leahs pulse down so we could get a good time. Working together we 
pulsed down a minute behind Wayne. During the 40 minute hold Leah 
thought that Waynes gelding Luke had a better looking pan of feed so 
they switched on and off. I always feed a beet pulp mix and Wayne uses 
an oat mix so both horses got to try something different, they were both 
happy to share. Leah took exception when Wayne put the lid on Lukes 
feed box, she managed to open it back up and take another bite of oats 
while no one was looking. We all got a good laugh out of that. These 
horses are siblings and its just like a little sister to take one last 
whack at big brothers goodies. Angie headed back to camp with the truck 
after we saddled back up for the second loop.

Wayne started the second loop first, I went out next with two other 
riders from the U.P. and the next group of riders came out a minute or 
two behind us. We were all together again a few miles down the trail. 
This part of the trail was similar to the first and very scenic. About 
five miles from camp my mare narrowly missed a tree - my knee, however, 
did not. I about lost it when Wayne came to the rescue and slowed her 
down enough so I could get my seat/stirrups back. That was as close as 
Ive come to falling off in a long time! He asked if I was okay, I said 
I was (I lied) and we rode on. We came into camp at an even pace and 
both horses pulsed down quickly for first and second place.

After taking care of Leah and taking a quick shower (I love my new 
trailer!), Angie and I were able to take a trip to Munising to check out 
the Pictured Rocks - it was amazing. In the evening we had a traditional 
U.P. pastie dinner and awards. Afterwards we made a fire and sat around 
reminiscing about our childhood adventures. We had a few folks come over 
to join us and had a real good time getting to know everyone. Sunday 
morning came and we packed up to head home. The truck was still making 
those pesky noises but we made it okay.

It was a great ride, I cant say enough about the scenery, the vets, the 
well-marked trail and our gracious host/manager Kathy Bahrman. Though it 
was a little chilly and a little damp from the rain it turned into a 
beautiful weekend. I also need to give a big thanks to Angie for helping 
make this trip possible. Weve been friends since grade school, weve 
been through a lot together and it was great to get away for the weekend 
and have fun  now I need to get her on a horse!

To check out the 2007 ride schedule and find out more information about 
endurance or competitive trail check out these websites: 
www.endurance.net, www.gldra.org, www.umecra.com or www.aerc.org.

See you on the trail!
Kari Hanes - Montalee Arabians



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