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2009 Git R Done - April
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Just Git R Done
Friday April 10 2009If it's raining in Los Angeles, you can bet you'll have the W-word in the Mojave Desert: WIND. You can double your bet if, as you are driving into Ridgecrest and Inyokern, you see a tablecloth of clouds hanging over the Sierras.
This was one of the rarest of days in "The Sunshine Capital of America," Inyokern, where it looked like the Pacific Northwest and felt like the hurricane coast of the south: clouds hanging over the Sierras, scattered virgae - the streaks of rain hanging under a cloud - and, I was pretty sure, scattered snow showers among the peaks, and wind enough to make you wince at the thought of riding 30, 50, 75, or 100 miles in it.
Those distances (and a choice of AERC and FEI/CEI) was on offer at the Git R Done ride, the fourth year running for the ride (sometimes held twice a year), but put on for the second time by a number of people, including Michele Roush, and Daniel Brown and his wife Callie Thornburgh, who offer their ranch as operations center and basecamp, and their considerable team of volunteers in organizing, marking trails, putting out water, setting up basecamp and the vet check, and cooking. Brian Reeves put in a lot of work as did Lisa Schneider, and plenty of others, including accommodating neighbors who let everybody park in their back 'yard'. It used to be a sand trap for a number of rigs who had to be pulled out by tow trucks, but now over time the owners have formed roads and parking areas, where people no longer drive over the sagebrush and creosote bushes... or get stuck.
It was a dual AERC/FEI-CEI ride, (a 1* 50 and a 2** 75 - same for Young Riders also, and 3*** 100) and an elevator ride, for those AERC riders who wished to bump up to the next distance at the completion of the one they had entered.
107 riders showed up ready to battle the wind - with some notable visitors: 5 Japanese riders, 1 Romanian (living in Texas), 1 Canadian, 1 English; they got a big welcome. A number of people were leasing their horses out, including Charisse Glen from Malibu Endurance - leasing out her 2-time Tevis Cup finisher Steel Patriot to Noriko Endo; and Tracy and David Kaden, come all the way from New Mexico with several horses. Becky Hart, USA team coach was here to watch the riders competing in FEI, most of which are looking toward Kentucky 2010.
The evening ride meeting was in a big shed sheltered from the wind, and everybody listened attentively the entire meeting to what Michele, and head vet Mike Foss had to say. He emphasized the recurring theme that the veterinarians were here "to help you take care of your horse" - not "to take care of your horse," like the trend seems to be in other countries I've been to. Here as riders we are encouraged to know enough to be attuned to and take care of our own horses - as it should be.
People also listened with rapt attention to BLM chief Ronnie Lewis, who welcomed riders to the Indian Wells valley, and talked about the trails and land permissions, and encouraged respect of the land and neighbors. He's also an endurance rider, and would be riding in his second Git R Done ride in the 30 miler. The first time, he said, people had dared to pass him before the finish, so this time, he was riding with a Tazer. He was probably kidding, but pass him if you dared!
Susan Williams, local BLM biologist, hooked people with her talk on the wildlife that riders might see: endangered desert tortoises (one had been see earlier today at the far end of loop one), burrowing owls that liked to run out of their burrows and hiss at the horses like a rattlesnake, and rattlesnakes. Her advise for if you encountered these beasts were: Do not touch or harrass or even approach! (the turtle), Hang on! (the burrowing owls), and, Stay the heck away from! (the rattlesnakes, especially the deadly mojave green, for which the local hospital probably did not have anti-venom).
The entire course would be flat as a pancake - an invitation, or maybe temptation, for speed. Loop three was "the most technical" - some single track trail and deeper sand, but truly, the most technical part was the entire ride. This is the desert, and there is sand - nearly 30, 50, 75, or 100 miles of it (less about 2 miles of paved road, though you could choose the sand shoulder if you preferred). Some people say you don't have to train in the sand to be used to it, but really, there is no substitute for sand. A horse's hoof moves differently, pushes off differently, in the sand than it does in the dirt or over pavement or over rocks. If you don't believe it, take yourself out on foot and walk 5 miles in the sand. You won't walk in your normal way. Some horses take to sand like ducks to water; some don't. And there's nothing to break the monotony of the flatness - no change in angle on hills, no stepping over rocks, no twisting and dodging along narrow paths through trees (or cacti). Your horse would be using the same muscles, over and over and over. As Becky Hart said later, it looked deceptively easy.
The wind had abated slightly at sunset, but still made putting up my tent quite a test, and entertaining for anyone with a sense of humor. Sleeping was another challenge with the gales keeping everything flapping all night.
***. Saturday April 11
A full moon was just setting over the over the Sierras - sprinkled with fresh snow - when the 100 milers and 75 milers took off under a controlled start at 6 AM. The 50 milers and 30 milers left at 7 AM. It was just light enough not to need headlamps at the earlier start. It was 50* and still breezy (so it felt much cooler), but not too bad, though the tablecloth hanging over the peaks indicated we weren't going to get off easy today with the W-word.
Loop 1 had 2 phases: 21 miles of out and back along a slightly different, close parallel trail, a 20-minute vet check for all but the LD ride (they had their single 30 minute hold), and another 9 mile loop before their second vet check and hour hold. Loop 2 (phase 3) was 21 miles and a 1-hour hold (finish for the 50-milers); Loop 3 (phase 4) was 23 miles and a 1-hour hold (finish for the 75-milers); Loop 4 (phase 5) was 12.5 miles and a 40 minute hold, and the final Loop 5 (phase 6) was 12.5 miles.
From the beginning, and throughout the day, Jeremy Reynolds on Sir Smith led the way at a strong trot, with Jennifer Nice close behind or right with him. Smitty had won the 100-miler here in November of 2006 and 2008 (where he also got BC). In total he'd won 10 rides and garnered 4 BC's over his 19-ride, 6-season career so far.
One different-looking horse stood out - a Lusitano! I don't know that I'd seen a Lusitano on an endurance ride before, and this one was doing the 75. He really caught my eye again later in the morning when I was waiting out on Loop 2 for Jeremy and Jennifer to come by. It wasn't either of those who came by first, but the lady and her Lusitano. She said to me, "I hope I'm going the right way." It didn't strike me till a little later that she couldn't have possibly been going the right way - her horse wasn't moving fast enough to be 10 minutes ahead of the two leaders of the hundred. But then, I wasn't completely sure, and later I saw her going out on Loop 3 after her vet check - her final 23 miles, so I figured I'd been wrong.
Sure enough, the nasty gale force winds picked up again after noon, adding another challenge to the day. It kept the temperatures cool for the horses, but there was no keeping sand out of eyeballs.
Local rider Ann Kratochvil won the 75-miler on her mare Envy - familiar territory for the two, who won this 75-mile ride last November. Envy's coming 11 years old this spring. Ann got her when she was 6, "sort of broke. She didn't know anything. She didn't know rocks, streams, or hills. She'd just been on a 5-acre dirt paddock in Utah." I used to go on training rides in Ridgecrest a few winters ago with Ann, and her friend Debbie riding Envy, and more than once Envy dumped her rider. "She still does it once in a while..." said Ann, but the mare sure likes to go down the trail. Ann and Envy also got Best Condition.
Ann wasn't riding FEI; the second place finisher in the 75, Tennessee Mahoney, finished first in the FEI on DWQ Pearl. Rusty and Rocky finished the 75, and that was with Rusty getting off and walking on foot the last, oh, eight miles or so, because Rocky's scratches were starting to bother him a bit. They still came in 13th place. 15 of 18 riders finished the 75, the best percentage of all the rides.
Jeremy Reynold's horse Sir Smith was lame on the exit exam from vet check 4 of the 100, which left Jennifer Nice and Dream On with a comfortable lead in front on the 100 miler. About the time she was going out on Loop 5, the awards meeting for the 30's and 50's took place, with dinner.
23 of 30 riders finished the 30 miler, with Anne Wade-Hornsby and Smooth Sailing winning, and Linda O'Brien in 4th on Glider Galaxy getting Best Condition. Finishers in the LD included Susan Garlinghouse, DVM and Equine Nutrition and Research Geek, on Drew; and BLM Chief Ron on his part-Arabian Corona. He finished 13th, and he chose not to use his Tazer on the riders in front of him. This time.
30 of 43 riders finished the 50, with Lindsay Graham and Monk winning by a few seconds over Deanna Guinasso and RGR Flash Fire. Flash won Best Condition.
Other notable finishers in the 50 included Callie Thornburgh, who, after coming in 27th place, donned an apron and jumped behind the barbecue and started helping with the cooking of the evening meal for riders.
You might notice from one of the photos one man reclining back in his saddle - waaaaay back. Dave Cootware had not developed a new odd style of riding; his back had gone out 12 miles from the finish, and it was so bad he could barely walk back at camp. He finished 10th. After Tinker Hart finished in 17th place, she worked on Dave's back - she's a chiropractor - and Dave was able to walk up to receive his ride award.
Jennifer Nice finished first in the 100 with a ride time of 11:41. Dream On looked good at the Best Conditioned judging, but Brad Green, who finished 8 minutes behind her (and first FEI rider), had the BC horse, Pawnee.
9 of 16 riders finished the 100. Kevin came in 8th, at 3:03 AM on his beloved Far, who ate and drank like a champ all day and night; and Heidi Helly was the final finisher about an hour later.
Mr Seiichi Hasumi of Japan, riding in the 100-miler, also had a bit of a list when he rode past me near the 50 mile mark on Fayette De Cameo (his Tevis Cup finisher in 2005). Only Mr Hasumi was leaning to the left, not backwards. The wind was awfully strong, so I thought perhaps that had something to do with it. He retired after loop 5 (at 87 miles) because his knee was in such pain. Only in the morning did he confess that his doctor had advised him to get his knee Xrayed a few weeks before, but, as most of us crazy endurance riders do, he chose to ignore his doctor and ride in pain. (That's what I would have done.)
There were great comments all around about the ride, the management, the trails. Next Git R Done ride is in October. I think the wind will have died down by then.
RESULTS
Results 100 miles
| 1 | Jennifer Nice | Dream On | 11:41 |
| 2 | Brad Green | Pawnee | 11:49 |
| 3 | Jeanette Mero | Triassic | 12:41 |
| 4 | Kiyoshi Ozawa | Ruleta PJ | 14:37 |
| 5 | Marina Bredda | Fod Amar Rwuh | 15:48 |
| 6 | Laurie Birch | Scudd Run | 15:48.01 |
| 7 | Robert Ribley | Sacatawea | 16:05 |
| 8 | Kevin Myers | Auli Farwa | 17:06 |
| 9 | Heidi Helly | Andreti+ | 19:20 |
| - | Carol Giles | Sar Tiki Galazy | Lame |
| - | Joe Mathein | Diamond Rio DF | Lame |
| - | Jeremy Reynolds | Sir Smith | Lame |
| - | Kassandra Dimaggio | TS Diamond Chip | Meta |
| - | Chris Lewis | Mufasa | Met |
| - | Seiichi Hasumi | Fayette De Cameo | RO |
| - | Carolyn Hock | GT Sando | RO - Met |
Results CEI3* 160 km
| 1 | Brad Green | Pawnee | 11:49 | 13.43 km/h |
| 2 | Jeanette Mero | Triassic | 12:41 | 12.75 km/h |
| 3 | Kiyoshi Ozawa | Ruleta PJ | 14:37 | 11.57 km/h |
Results 75 miles
| 1 | Ann Kratochvil | Brazil's Envy | 9:04 |
| 2 | Tennessee Mahoney | DWA Pearl | 9:20 |
| 3 | Emily Ledoux Bloom | Kann Sam Count | 9:21 |
| 4 | Yurika Tachibana | Federakee | 9:23 |
| 5 | Dale Raymond | Passing Glory | 9:53 |
| 6 | Luanne Holmsen | SVR Flambeau | 10:18 |
| 7 | Sandy Prior | Night Lunes | 10:30 |
| 8 | Tracy Sahagun | Hot Rod Tiki | 10:30.01 |
| 9 | Barbara Fredy | Royal Patron | 10:30.02 |
| 10 | Radu Ciubuc | HC Ashtar | 10:57 |
| 11 | Noriko Endo | Steel Patriot | 10:30 |
| 12 | Chikako Nishiyama | Genuine | 11:09 |
| 13 | Rusty Toth | FV Aul Mystery | 13:31 |
| 14 | Gina Rice | Tar Marree | 13:37 |
| 15 | Courtney Vargas | JDS Chance | 13:37.01 |
| - | Carl Bruno | Lovely Prize | Lame |
| -- | Kim Fuess | Ben | SF |
| - | Eloise King | Carabino | DQ |
Results CEI 2* 120 km
| 1 | Tennessee Mahoney | DWA Pearl | 9:20 | 12.91 km/h |
| 2 | Yurika Tachibana | FLF Federalee | 9:23 | 12.79 km/h |
| 3 | Luanne Holmsen | SVR Flambeau | 10:18.02 | 12.37 km/h |
| 4 | Radu Ciubuc | HC Ashtar | 10:57.23 | 11.33 km/h |
| 5 | Norkio Endo | Steel | 11:09.45 | 11.08 km/h |
| 6 | Chikako Nishiyama | Genuine Treasure | 11:09.47 | 11.08 km/h |
Results 50 miles
| 1 | Lindsay Graham | Monk | 4:57 |
| 2 | Deanna Guinasso | RGR Fkasg Fure | 4:57.03 |
| 3 | Andre Ruggeri | Red | 6:17 |
| 4 | Mindy Wolfe | Three Outlaws | 6:18 |
| 5 | Nicole Smith | TR Dual-E's | 6:19 |
| 6 | Frances Chase-Dunn | Notorius | 6:23.01 |
| 7 | Kelsey Kimbler | Oso Eclipse | 6:23.02 |
| 8 | Karen Donley | Woodland | 6:25.01 |
| 9 | Susan Friedman | TR Be My Love | 6:25.02 |
| 10 | Dave Cootware | Talasman's | 7:02 |
| 11 | Ildico Nadasdy | No Repeat | 7:06 |
| 12 | Brianna Norris | JC Arizona Star | 7:17.01 |
| 13 | Renee Norris | Brusy-Flame | 7:17.02 |
| 14 | Jackie Fenaroli | Tia | 7:18.01 |
| 15 | Sue Haveruk | Baskafires | 7:18.02 | 16 | Deane Zahn | KS Rubin | 7:33 |
| 17 | Dublin Hart | RTR Cinnamon | 7:43 |
| 18 | Tracy Kaden | FLF Bold Spirit | 7:43.01 |
| 19 | Lynn Rigney | Racethewind | 8:00 | 20 | Sarah Spencer | Maksymilian | 8:01.01 |
| 21 | Dayne Sieling | Triton | 8:01.02 |
| 22 | Connie Hughes | Krome Wheels | 8:50 |
| 23 | June Scales | Zacchaeus | 8:55 | 24 | Tony Benedetti | Exchange | 9:02.01 |
| 25 | Terry Benedetti | Splashcapade | 9:02.02 |
| 26 | Susan Williams | Geek | 9:12 |
| 27 | Callie Thornburgh | Muddy | 9:12.02 | 28 | Charlene Lewis | TR Eastwind | Completion Only |
| 29 | Debra Mader | Misty | Completion Only |
| 30 | Damara Mullens | DMS Applejack | Completion Only |
| -- | Mary Champeny | Strength and | Lame |
| -- | Sheila Hall | MI Ocala Gold | Lame |
| -- | Michaela Lee | Flash | Lame |
| -- | Cynthia Mettes | Seranata | Lame |
| -- | Shirley Raglin | FS Genesis | Lame |
| -- | Melanie Shirilla | Iamsamm | Lame |
| -- | Emma Smith | Fire Mt Redman | Lame |
| -- | Amanda Strand | Kings Whisper | Lame |
| -- | Doug Swingley | Pal of Mine | Lame |
| -- | Joan Taylor | Dodge | Lame |
| -- | Sheri Thompson | Magic Moment | Lame |
| -- | Candice Coffee | Dynamite III | RO |
| -- | Erin Strang | Jolly Rimal | RO |
Results CEI 1* 80 km
| 1 | Lindsay Graham | Monk | 4:57 | 16.7 km/h |
| 2 | Deanna Guinasso | RGR Flashfire | 4:57.13 | 16.53 km/h |
| 3 | Sue Haveruk | Baskafires Legend | 7:18.02 | 11.31 km/h |
| 4 | Deane Zahn | KS Rubin | 7:33 | 10.98 km/h |
| 5 | Dublin "Tinker" Hart | RTR Cinnamon Rose | 7:43 | 10.76 km/h |
| 6 | Tracy Kaden | FLF Bold Spirit | 7:43.01 | 10.75 km/h |
| 7 | Sarah Spencer | Maksymilian | 8:01.01 | 10.50 km/h |
| 8 | Tony Benedetti | Exchange | 9:02 | 9.72 km/h |
| 9 | Terry Benedetti | Splashcapade | 9:02.01 | 9.73 km/h |
Results 30 miles
| 1 | Anne Wade-Hornsby | Smooth Sailing | 3:23 |
| 2 | Amy Schneider | Barnard de Soi | 3:28 |
| 3 | Marisa Monaco | Xena | 3:46 |
| 4 | Linda O'Brien | Glider Galazy | 4:05 |
| 5 | Bart Eskander | Deuce | 4:06 |
| 6 | Diane Karis | Deals Pete | 4:15 |
| 7 | Shel Schneider | PR Tallyrand | 4:17 |
| 8 | Steve Downs | Zimtada | 4:43 |
| 9 | Linda Thurn | Pokesalad | 5:07 |
| 10 | Bonnie Dougherty | Anastasia | 5:08 |
| 11 | Lindy Manning | Canelas Obey | 5:08.01 |
| 12 | Peggy Carey | Este Caliente | 5:09 |
| 13 | Ronnie Lewis | Corona | 5:09.01 |
| 14 | Tina Pollock | El Sirocco's | 5:12 |
| 15 | Bollenbaugh | Mojave Dawn | 5:12.01 | 16 | Karen Sweaney | Gima Starr FA | 5:22 |
| 17 | Kathy Garner | Dyecrest Tazan | 5:23 |
| 18 | Susan Garlinghouse | Drew | 5:58 |
| 19 | Lisa Schneider | Gilbert | 5:59 | 20 | Ellen Robinson | Go Boys | 6:07 |
| 21 | Kelly Dunphy | Emma D | 6:11 |
| 22 | Erika Hice | Belesemo | 6:15 |
| 23 | Emilie Fouts | Sterling | 6:15.01 | -- | Jane McGrath | Rushcreek | Lame |
| -- | Mickey O'Brien | Last Daan | Lame |
| -- | Rosemary Olney | Courtly Lad | Lame |
| -- | Rachel Williams | Tok-II-Me | Lame | -- | Alexa Campbell | Cruiserr | RO |
| -- | Linda Curry | Chief | RO |
| -- | Steven Luhn | Roslyn | RO |