The Red Rocket - Far's Fast 55

All photos by John Teeter - www.endurance.net

Day Two at Old Pueblo in Sonoita was to be a big day for Far and me: I have been building speed on him since last October and I knew I wanted to hold him back less and let him move out more this weekend.


He was saddled and ready to go only moments before the start time and I had planned to start at the front of the pack, so I had to rush to get to the number-taker and make my way up towards the front of the pack. Far is the kind of horse that makes you feel nervous just getting on him and feeling how close he is to his untamed side.


He was as good as a pro and just happy to move out. I caught up to Clydea who was riding her husband's horse, Pepe, for the first time. We shared with each other how nervous we were and before long we were moving out down the hard-packed service road - Clydea at an extended trot and Far at a canter with lots of loft. He was very forward and did not respond to the bit or to my constant requests to bend a little at the pole. I have been working on his canter for several weeks now - he seems mechanically more suited to that gait than the trot most of the time, so this was to be an experiment with a different gait, too.



We climbed up and along a valley draw in a pack of six or eight people; alternating the gate-opening duty as we went along. We turned off onto the single track which would signify the start of crossing three or four climbs and some breathtaking views that would make your heart sing. Far was strong and pulled hard, no matter what the gait or the speed. We were up in the front five and the terrain was getting more technical and more challenging.


We passed the number taker at the road and saw the refreshment station for the runners who were out there sharing some of the trails with us on their 51 mile ordeal. As we climed up the mountain, Christoph Shork jumped off and started running. Suddenly I found myself up front and alone - which had not been the plan at all - and as I looked at the three different sets of ribbons going off in various directions and various colors, I quickly regretted not taking better note at the ride meeting of which ribbons to follow. Far and I moved along, me with my map in hand, and Far following a trail with not a horse print in sight. It was a strange feeling and after a while I began to doubt myself. I slowed the pace down with the hope of hearing horses behind me and sure enough, Christoph and Clydea came upon me after a while. Phew.


We rode together for several miles, stopping at water where the horses would hardly drink, then down the hard-packed service road, past the runner's cars and down into a valley that would give Far ample miles to enjoy his negotaited canter. There were still more gates - too many to count.




Carrie Miracle Jordan appeared out of nowhere at a canter, and she and Christoph set off at a faster pace and soon Clydea and I were alone. Far settled into a much more manageable mindframe, we trotted more and catered less and within the hour we would see some 25 milers heading home: we knew the 30-mile out vet check was within a mile or so.


We pulled into lunch, pulsed, trotted and let the horses eat their way through the next hour. Christoph and Carrie were about five minutes ahead of us - we had a ten mile loop out - up and along a ridge, back down into a wash and to the ranch before circling back up over a mountain to the out check for a trot-by. Far and Pepe were pacing well - Far still prefering to canter and settling in to a really nice groove. We trotted by the vet and started the 12 plus mile trip back home the way we had left in the morning.


We knew Troy and Garret were fairly close behind us and as the miles turned, we began to feel quite attached to a top four placing opportunity, so we maintained our speed, and became quite skilled at opening and closing the remaining eight gates between the out check and base camp without dismounting.

The horses drank at the water tanks and maintained a good pace and good attitude. They even did well as we passed the people on the trail who were enjoying a little target practice.

We crossed the finish line hand in hand just before 1:30 with a ride time of just under 5.5 hours. What a rush! Clydea and I tied for third place - it is years and years and years since I finished at that end of the pack. Far's CRI was 52/52 at the one-hour re-presentation and his trot-out made me proud.

Thank you, Clydea, for an amazing ride! And thank you, Leslie Sptizer, for introducing me to this amazing equine. What a horse! Is he a horse!

Revising The Plan

Picture a really rough ongoing work environment; the sale and departure of our LQ trailer and an eye injury to one of Rusty's horses on Wednesday out in the pasture. It just did not seem like the universe wanted me to be at the Old Pueblo ride in Sonoita, AZ this weekend.

Steph and John Teeter loaded my two red CMK horses into their trailer with their own two horses; left the house and came and met me just about at my office in downtown Phoenix at 1:30 on Thursday. Sweet!

We made the trip south and west of Tucson and pulled into basecamp at about 4:30. We pulled in next to Steve Bradley so we could hook up to his internet and set up camp. We've spent the last four winters together, so we sorta know what makes each other tick: we were all set up for the four horses in about an hour. Sweet!

We were in bed early - a good 8.5 hours sleep is nice before a multi-day. We left the trailer windows open and enjoyed the warm Arizona night. I hopped up at 5:25 and started coffee; then oatmeal and off to saddle up Redford and take Far over to Clydea's trailer to enjoy the safety of a high-tie for the day.

Soon we were mounted and starting - my quiet little sleeper horse Redford gave a couple of small bucks as we left and before we knew it we were riding nicely with Steph, John, Clydea, Kevin Waters and Stephanie Palmer-DuRoss. The plan was to ride slowly and take it easy, It was not to be.

It was a nice group - we would ride the next 20 flat miles together - at about 12 mph - taking turns to open the numerous gates that would seperate us from the first vet check.

We pulled back into base camp at 20 miles and and 2 hours. The three boys ate and drank well and the 45 minute hold sped by. Steph made a sandwich (why don't my sahnies ever taste like that?) and we got back on and rode out the opposite way from camp. The trail was pretty and the views were stunning. There was some rock, but I've seen worse. It was a good day, and Red, Rhett and Mac were pacing well together, wapping lead place every few miles. The only drag was that we lost the company of Kevin Waters and Stephanie Palmer. They dropped back just out of sight and their company was definitely missed!

We came back into camp about 90 minutes later. The horses were less eager to eat than at the first check, but they ate enough and drank enough and we set back out for a very fast last loop. The three horses paced well together; and within three miles of the finish, we saw Joe Ingram and Dominique.

We'd had such a good ride that we decided we would pass them. They gave us a ride for the money - we all five cantered in (except Dominique's horse was trotting while we were almost galloping) - and breezed in across the finish line in fourth through eighth place.

What a ride! It just does not get any better! Just like Endurance.net says: Ride Far, Ride Well. I plan to do so tomorrow. I'll keep you posted :).