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For years I have talked and dreamed about doing a 100 mile endurance 
ride and especially the Old Dominion. The stars just have never lined up 
for me to do one due to scheduling of my real life or horse issues but 
this past weekend my 100 mile dream came true!

After the Biltmore ride when Blue and I took a wrong turn and ended up 
doing almost 60 miles and finished looking good I had a feeling that we 
could do the Old Dominion or at least give it a try. I went ahead and 
sent in my entry before I chickened out, after all, no matter how far I 
would make it the experience would be quite an adventure.

My husband Bill and my friend (and massage therapist) Lisa agreed to be 
my crew and we did our best to organize everything. A big feat in itself 
since I did not know what exactly I would need and all the vet checks 
were away from camp. I was most worried about keeping myself going and 
hydrated because I have had some past experience with heat stress and 
upset stomach on hot rides and I didn’t want to be the weak link in the 
team. I did some research on the internet about what marathon runners 
and bike riders do during a race and stocked up on some energy and 
electrolyte products to help me along. We also brought along a lot of 
food possibilities to entice me to eat even at my low times. We had 
sushi rolls, flank steak, roasted veggies, muffins and all sorts of 
great food, which we shared with others that were hungry as well. The 
sushi was a big hit!

The night before the ride at the ride briefing they encouraged the 
formation of teams. I overheard Laura Hayes, who was sitting across from 
me, say that a member of their team couldn’t make it so I asked if they 
minded if I took her place. Our team was Bill and the Babes and 
consisted of Bill Taylor, Laura Hayes, Libby Lopp and myself. Our crew 
was also Bill and the Babes since Julie, Bill’s wife and crew, had 
decided to ride with Bill Sluys and Lisa and all crew together. Since we 
were planning on riding slow Bill T, Laura and I decided to ride 
together the next day. Laura was riding a fairly young horse, it was 
Bill’s horse’s first hundred and it was Blue and my first hundred as well.

I was hoping for cool weather but although the temperatures were a bit 
more moderate than the previous weekend the humidity was off the charts. 
We left camp at 5:30 am wearing t-shirts with my glasses fogging up. The 
three of us walked out of camp and proceeded down a gravel road for a 
half of a mile or so before we hit the trail, which started climbing 
immediately. The climb was gradual (I say gradual but that is in 
comparison to what lay ahead!) at first with some ups and downs but soon 
became very steep as we came out of a hardwood forest into an open gas 
line area. Laura and Bill got off and walked and tailed for a while and 
I did too for a few minutes until I realized that I was not used to it 
so got back on my horse. It was beginning to get pretty hot and I didn’t 
want to stress myself too much at the beginning of the ride and Blue is 
used to carrying me everywhere down the trail since he is a seasoned 
NATRC horse.

We continued on single track trail through hardwoods climbing to a ridge 
that was much more alpine with scrubby trees and lots of mountain laurel 
that was blooming profusely, sometimes creating a tunnel effect. It was 
just beautiful and the occasional views we glimpsed were spectacular. 
The footing was sometimes good and sometimes very rocky and slow but we 
seemed to be keeping a steady pace. By now the horses had become 
acquainted and were establishing a hierarchy. There were two geldings, 
Blue and James(Bill’s Horse), and the mare, Mo, Laura’s horse. Blue must 
have told them unconditionally that he was the leader because after a 
while neither one cared to pass him so he led the way.

After riding the ridge for a while we descended down a steep gravel road 
for several miles. Laura suddenly felt that her horse was off and sure 
enough she was bobbing her head consistantly. Thinking that she might 
walk out of it in a minute we continued for a ways until she realized 
that the horse had lost a shoe. I had an Easyboot and offered it to 
Laura. Since she was entered in the Cavalry Division she had to think 
about it for a minute, as the assistance would eliminate her from that 
part of the competition. Looking at the map and realizing that it was 
still quite a ways to Rogers Field Vet Check where the farrier would be 
she accepted the boot and dropped out of Cavalry. We were on our way 
again but it wasn’t too long before the boot had fallen off. We went 
back a ways to see if we could find it but alas, it was not to be. I had 
one more boot and again offered it but with some tips to make sure that 
it would stay on.

We got back on a wooded trail that later came out into a gas line for 
our first check which was a gate and go. We pulsed down and trotted for 
the vet and were on our way.

A little more wooded trail then it was pretty much gravel road from 
there to the Rogers Field Vet Check and the boot stayed on.

We all passed the first check and Laura had the shoe replaced. Our crew 
was relieved to see us as we were the last to arrive. They had a nice 
place set up in the shade of some trees and we feasted on all the 
goodies from the cooler. Blue was eating and drinking great and enjoying 
being fussed over. I was thrilled to actually have an appetite and honed 
in on the veggie sushi. I was feeling amazingly relaxed and was having a 
blast.

As we left Rogers Field we passed lots of the 50s coming into the vet 
check. It was good to see some of our friends and slap hands on the way 
by. Everyone looked like they were having a great time. We got a mile or 
so down the road and disaster struck once again for Laura. The shoe that 
had just been nailed on came off! She headed back to the vet check not 
knowing if anything could be done about it. Bill and I were disappointed 
to have lost our team member and the geldings were devastated over the 
loss of their mare. They began sucking back a bit and the pace slowed 
especially when we hit the big climb. It was seven miles up a steep 
gravel road in the hot sun and our pace began to crawl at what seemed 
like 2 mph! I don’t think Bill T and I talked much on that climb, we 
were just willing our beasts up that mountain.

Since we were in the open and nearing the ridge I realized that I had a 
cell signal and called my Bill to see if he had heard anything from 
Laura. He said that as they were leaving the check they saw her heading 
back out with yet another shoe on her horse. We were glad for her and 
wished her the best.

When we finally got to the top there was a much welcome water tank and 
some friendly volunteers to greet us. Blue drank more than he ever has 
at a water stop, he just kept going back for more. Both we and the 
horses were hot but then a light rain started to fall as did the 
temperature as we entered another single track trail where the hundreds 
split off from the fifties. This one had the most beautiful areas of 
mountain laurel and some awesome rock formations. The trail was rugged 
and beautiful and the horses were revived by the rain, we steadily made 
our way alternating walking and slow trotting as the terrain allowed. 
The rain got harder and we both got soaked. I had decided not to carry 
my raincoat at that point because it had been morning when we left the 
last check and I didn’t realize that it would take us so long to get to 
the next one. I didn’t really care at that point though because the rain 
felt so good on my hot body. I started to notice that Blue was slightly 
hesitant and he started looking over his shoulder from time to time. All 
of a sudden I heard someone on the trail behind us and gave a hootie 
hooo and got one back, Laura had caught us! Our little herd was back 
together and the geldings were most happy. “I hate to quit!” was Laura’s 
answer to the problems of the day and was just the attitude one needed 
to make it through this ride!

We got to Bucktail Vet Check at 41.8 miles and once again our crew was 
relieved to see us. That 16 mile segment had taken us almost 5 hours to 
complete, we were dropping farther behind and we were not even half way 
through the ride. We would have to pick up our pace to make it to the 
next check before the cut off time. I pealed off my soaked clothes and 
replaced them with dry ones and this time tied my raincoat onto my saddle.

I don’t remember much about this next segment because this is where I 
made a grave mistake that almost cost me the ride. At the last check I 
had loaded up my saddle bag with some energy gel food and a package of 
electrolyte concentrate that you mix in your water bottle. They were 
both packaged in those little foil packs and I got one out while I was 
trotting down the trail, ripped the top off with my teeth. Thinking it 
was the energy gel I took a big gulp only to find out that it was the 
electrolyte concentrate. My stomach went instantly bad and it was all I 
could do to keep from throwing up. I realized what a horse must feel 
like when we force too many electrolytes down their throat. I had that 
same wrinkled up nose look that they get.

Soon the rain began again and this time with dangerous lightning and 
thunder all around us. I had first put my raincoat when the rain was 
light but soon took it off again because I was sweating profusely under 
it and thought I would be better off without it but then the deluge 
really hit. The temperatures instantly dropped about 20 degrees or so 
and the wind picked up fiercely. The horses bowed their heads and 
trudged through the rain even though their instincts told them to stay 
put and turn their backs to the storm. The wind was strong and being in 
the woods we prayed that no trees would fall on us. The trails became 
raging torrents irritating Laura and me since we were both certified 
AERC Trailmasters. We had been taught that the water must run off the 
trail not down it and by now we were nearly knee deep in raging water! 
The movement of all the rain and water and trees in the wind was not 
helping my sick stomach a bit either. I was hitting the low point of my 
ride and I was hoping that I would make it through. At this point I had 
been further down the trail on my horse than I had ever been in my life 
so if I had to pull I at least have had a good adventure. I kept 
thinking of Laura’s mantra “I hate to quit!” and it helped me to get 
through.

We had picked up the pace but were still dangerously close to the cut 
off time by the time we got to the Wates Run Gate and Go. I was still 
dizzy and sick feeling and wasn’t talking much. Blue still felt great 
and was thrilled that the volunteers had set up pans of mash that had a 
variety of beet pulp, grain and all sorts of goodies in it. He dove in 
and started sampling the different mashes and several kinds of hay. He 
was in heaven since he loves any food that is not what I brought!

At one point Bill was checking his horse’s feet and realized that the 
right rear was about to bust out of his shoe on the outside. The nails 
were loosening and the hoof wall was breaking apart. He had an Easyboot 
with him but when he put it on we realized that it was way too big and 
would never stay on. I tried one of mine but it was too small and would 
not even go over the foot with the shoe at all. The only choice was to 
continue and hope that it held. If it came off maybe I would be able to 
get the smaller boot on if needed. The volunteers told us that the next 
11 miles to Big 92 was mostly gravel road so we vowed to make up some 
time. Focusing on keeping our pace up helped keep my mind off my stomach 
and I felt a little better for a while.

Along this stretch we caught up to another rider, Crystal Woodhouse and 
her Morgan mare, Misty. Blue, angry that he was no longer in the lead, 
charged ahead and passed them and any time Misty tried to take the lead 
back Blue would pin his ears and snake his head at her. This became 
their conversation for the rest of the segment. Soon Misty was subdued 
and like the others refused to pass Blue. They would just quit and let 
him regain the lead. They obviously had their own ideas about how to 
ride this ride. The competition was good and helped us to gain at least 
30 minutes of our time. We got to Big 92 Vet Check with 45 minutes to 
spare before the cut off.

My crew, Bill and Lisa, took one look at me and were worried. Bill knows 
that look when I am sick and he feared that I would not make it. Lisa 
trotted out my horse as I was unable to at that moment. They tried to 
get me to eat and drink but nothing was passing my lips. Lisa started 
loading my packs up with crackers, cookies, protein shake, yurba matte 
tea and anything she could think of to get me eating once I got back on 
the trail. Big 92 was a 45 minute hold and I thought it would never end. 
My head was swimming and I finally went into the porta pottie and threw 
up. I was pretty pale when they put me back on my horse but I was not 
quitting. It was starting to get dark and we were only at the 65 mile 
mark. We were in for a long night!

The moon was nearly full and already well up in the sky by the time the 
sun had set and I was looking forward to my first experience with night 
riding. My stomach was beginning to feel a little bit better and I was 
able to drink a little tea and protein shake. I gradually started to 
recover except for a little vertigo that I was experiencing from riding 
in the dark. The trail was gravel road at this time and we were 
instructed to look for a left hand turn onto a woods trail. We trotted a 
long way and finally we came to it. It was a small, close, single track 
trail but it was well lighted with glow sticks. We had no problem 
negotiating it until it came out at a paved road intersection with three 
choices on where to go. We were dismayed to find no glow sticks in sight 
but a small pile of torn up ribbon indicating that some vandalism had 
taken place. It was really dark and foggy by this time and we cast about 
for a sign as to which way to go. We went down each choice for a while 
and found nothing. We really didn’t need to be wasting time at this 
point so I got out my map and really started studying it to determine 
exactly where we were. I figured it out and felt confident that we were 
to have taken the road that went straight after leaving the woods even 
thought my horse was convinced that left was the fastest way back to 
camp! About a mile up the road we finally came to a glow stick, yay! Our 
spirits were lifted and we trotted down the gravel road on to Rogers 
Field Vet Check for the second time.

The scene we witnessed when we arrived was like night and day from the 
cheery scene we had left in the morning. The 2 inches of rain that had 
fallen had turned the field into a lake and our crew had to park at the 
road at the entrance. We took our saddles off there but had to slog 
through the mire a couple of hundred yards to the pulse checkers and 
vets who were stranded in the field unable to get their vehicles out. By 
this time we had gone 75 miles and if we could make our time, finishing 
this ride seemed well within our reach. My sickness had gone away, 
thankfully, and my energy had returned. Blue looked fantastic as the 
slow pace of the day was nothing more than he had been doing in NATRC 
for 2500 miles of competition. We were headed home and by now all the 
horses knew it. We took advantage of the pull of the horses towards camp 
and with renewed commitment set out on our second to last leg of the 
journey to the finish line.

Once again with our delay in finding the trail we were really pushing 
our maximum time. Blue and Misty had buddied up and he was really 
getting into his zone. He was really working the trai,l which had become 
slow and rocky again, trotting a few steps and walking a few steps 
trying to keep up the pace in the dark. We began pulling away from Laura 
and Bill. I didn’t have the heart to hold Blue back and wait up so I 
just let him do his thing with Misty in tow. I felt like Laura had 
enough experience to get her and Bill through and at that point they 
would somehow make it without us. I wanted to finish this ride so much 
by now and I know we would need the extra time on our last leg which was 
one of the most difficult, it was time to ride my own ride.

We came into the Pump Station Gate and Go to cheers from the volunteers 
who were surprised on how much time we had made up. We had gained about 
15 or 20 minutes in 7.2 miles and things were looking good. Bill and 
Laura came in right after we did and we all pulsed down right away. 
Somehow Bills bad shoe was still on the hoof and Laura’s new shoe was 
holding as well. I had Easyboots glued on the front with shoes in the 
rear and all was well with my system. We were all jazzed and wasted no 
time getting back on the trail, we were going to finish this thing!

We started down the trail together again but soon Blue and Misty were 
pulling away from the others. He was on a mission to home. The trail 
became rocky and slow again but with his big walking stride he pushed 
forward adding a few trotting steps in when he could. The fog was 
getting thick and was messing with the light from my head lamp causing 
me to feel a little dizzy again until I learned to focus on a point 
ahead and ignore the water droplets that were swimming around my vision. 
We were so focused and thinking as one being, it was such a powerful 
feeling. The moon was getting lower in the sky and the night was 
dragging on. We came into the final vet check 30 minutes before the cut 
off time. Laura and Bill came in 20 minutes later and we were so 
relieved when they arrived. I don’t know how they were going to make it 
but don’t forget, Laura won’t quit, so I know that somehow they would.

Blue pulsed down right away but Crystal’s horse was hot and it took a 
lot of work to get her pulse down since we had hurried over some pretty 
rough terrain. The temperatures were still warm enough for us to be in 
t-shirts even though it was 2:30am and the fog was like pea soup. It 
became apparent that I would have to finish the last leg by myself and 
maybe she would catch me on the way. I followed the directions to get 
out of the vet check but when I got to the paved road the light sticks 
once again stopped. This was beginning to get frustrating because we had 
no time to lose, we had 9.5 miles to the finish line, 2 ½ hours to make 
it in on time and the toughest, slowest trail yet to do. Blue wanted to 
go left so we tried that for a while but saw nothing. I went back to the 
intersection and heard Crystal coming so together we took the other 
choice and soon saw a friendly light stick swaying in the wind.

We trotted up the road not realizing that it was the last real trotting 
that we would be able to do. The trail soon turned back into a single 
track and became rocks on top of rocks with the slickest, snottiest mud 
in between. This part of the trail really prayed on our minds. The moon 
had set and it was pitch black, the fog was messing up our head lamp 
light but we needed it anyway, my batteries were starting to die and I 
hoped they would last to the finish. I had lost the light sticks I had 
tied onto Blue’s breast collar earlier. Little glowing eyes were looking 
out at us from the bushes and sometimes I would recognize a deer or 
possum. One time some eyes darted across the trail in front of us and 
the body language suggested a fox or a bobcat. It was like the night 
creatures were cheering us on to the finish. This last leg had three 
significant climbs, each one steeper and higher than the next. Our pace 
became dangerously slow again as the mud and the 160 horses that had 
gone down the trail before us had made the trail nearly impassible. I 
was really worried about laming my horse in the last 10 miles so we were 
as careful as we could be while still trying to maintain at least a 4.5 
mile an hour average pace. My worst fear was after all that hard work we 
would be a few minutes over time and not get credit for it after our 
horses had worked so hard for us.

This part of the trail seemed like it would never end. Just when it 
seemed like we were done climbing the trail would dip down only to climb 
further up. Sooner or later we would have to go down. We thought a lot 
about Laura and Bill and were hoping that their ride was going well, 
sending good energy their way to help them along. Finally we started 
going down more than we were going up and it seemed like we really were 
getting close. It probably took us an excruciating hour to get off that 
mountain as going down was much slipperier than going up. Blue just 
tucked his butt and slid down a lot of it except where the rocks would 
stop him from skiing all the way to the bottom.

We came to a big water tank and celebrated because we knew that we were 
just a mile or two away now. Still it seemed to go on forever when all 
of a sudden an awful smell met out noses. At first I thought it was a 
dead thing in the trail until I recognized the putrid odor of the turkey 
farm that was right on the gravel road to camp. One more little slide 
down and we were on the gravel road with less than a half a mile between 
us and the finish line!

It was 5AM and the sky was becoming pink with the rising sun. We had 
ridden for almost 24 hours to get back home! My heart was pounding and 
my excitement was building but there was a heaviness in my heart because 
my hope was waning that Bill and Laura would make it. All of a sudden I 
heard a rattling of hooves on the gravel road behind us and here they 
came hooting and hollering! Laura’s horse, missing the company of the 
mighty Blue had picked up the pace and made up that lost 20 minutes and 
caught us. I had a great idea that we would all hold hands and tie for 
the turtle but Blue had other ideas, he was not going to lose this 4 
horse race and charged ahead as the others tried to ride up even with 
us. As we rounded the last curve we saw a small crowd and the lights of 
the finish line. Blue became animated and elevated, prancing down the 
road, spooking to the left and the right a bit. I could not believe this 
horse had just gone 100 miles! It was overwhelming and the tears began 
to flow as I dismounted and gave my amazing horse a big hug around his 
neck. We had done it, completed our first hundred, the toughest on the 
east coast and so had the others!

Mary Farris and Gina Hagis, my 2 best riding buddies, were there to meet 
us at the finish and accompanied us and my faithful crew to the final 
vet out. Blue vetted out with all A’s with a B on gut sounds (typical 
for him) and an overall impression of A-. Wow, I couldn’t have asked for 
better and was quite proud of my horse and the way I had ridden him. 
I’ve seen what he looks like when overridden and that was not this 
picture. He looked like he could do it all over again. What an 
accomplishment. It was the most fun and challenge I have ever had on 
horseback and I truly can’t wait to do it again.

I would really like to encourage more people to attempt a hundred mile 
ride as my experience proves that with careful pacing and a little luck 
it can be done. If an 18 year old competitive trail horse with only 4 50 
mile completions and a 50 something year old rider can do it, so can 
you! This was the most significant challenge I have ever attempted and I 
can’t begin to tell you the strength and confidence in my own power and 
that of my horse and our partnership it has given me. It is overwhelming 
and so worth it. I understand now the real meaning of endurance!

I would like to thank first and foremost my crew, husband Bill and 
friend Lisa, who really got me through the tough times, Laura Hayes for 
helping me to trust our slow pace, Bill T for his quiet companionship, 
Crystal and her feisty morgan mare for giving us a spark when we really 
needed it, Ann Stuart for suggesting I use Body Glide to prevent Blue 
from getting scratches (it worked!), Meg Sleeper and Tom Sites for their 
pre ride advise to ride it like a CTR, Mary Farris and Gina Hagis for 
telling me over and over that my horse could do it and getting up at 5am 
to meet me at the finish and Garrie Bates for telling me it was time to 
start living my dream! Thanks go to Libby Lopp for finishing 2nd and 
pulling up our team score, the team of Bill and the Babes finished 2nd 
in the team competition on perseverance, we just wouldn't quit!

Also thanks to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to provide us 
with a well organized challenging and fabulous event that will go down 
in my minds history as the best thing I have ever done! As a previous 
ride manager and trail master for a competitive trail ride I know what 
goes into preparing an event like this and these people made it look 
easy! Thank you so much and see you next year!



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