Incidentally, at the same time, my mother and her little Khemosabi-bred Arabian mare were getting into the sport by way of a friend of hers, and learning the ropes as they accompanied experienced endurance riders on training rides. In that year, we lived on opposite ends of the continent, I in Monterrey, California, she in Staunton, Virginia, and since we both had very demanding jobs, we only had the opportunity to speak every week or so. By osmosis, or astral projection, or simply because we share the same blood, we both stumbled on the sport at the same time and became immediate co-conspirators in our quest to ride Endurance on our horses. Several years went by, and because of many unforeseen setbacks, it was not until this past weekend, on Saturaday, April 9th, 2011, that I rode in my first official Limited Distance ride.
The weekend started out with an early Friday morning wake-up, made all chaotic with instant coffee, last-minute changes, additions, and anticipatory stomach-dwelling butterflies. We left the house, headed for the barn, armed to the teeth with all manner of equestrian paraphernalia and camping supplies. When the truck rattled over the cattle-guard and trundled around the corner of the farmhouse, Apollo and Desert looked up from their grazing, nickered, and trotted to meet us, knowing that food was about to be poured into their little feed buckets in their cozy stalls under the monolithic, geriatric pole barn.
They were not wrong.
As they merrily munched their lunch, we humans got the brand new trailer hooked up to the 250 diesel truck, and packed it up with hay and goodies for the horses, the electric fence and charger, and various buckets and water containers and pitchforks needed when going horse-camping. (I forgot to mention! Lovely brand new two-horse slant load with living quarters and swing-out safety-tack room! This trailer deserves its own post, so it shall get one... later).
Then, it was bath time for the boys.
And right before a sneeze.
And so by the time the baths were finished, everyone was incredibly keyed up and raring to go. So we loaded up the steeds and headed on up to ride camp, an hour and a half north and then a few miles west.
At ride camp, the rainy, cold weather and the passing of fifty or more rigs and their delicate burdens had already churned the ground to peanut butter mud. Having forgot an essential item, before the horses were even unloaded, I went in search of a decent waterproof blanket for a reasonable price at the only vendor who had braved the dismal weather to ply her trade with the die-hard endurance riders. And there, I found the only blanket in the entire camp large enough to fit my 16.2hh Anglo-Arab, Apollo. We affectionately call him The Giraffe.
So we went about setting up camp, arranging the electric fence, water buckets, and hay piles in a pleasing way and turned them out into their temporary paddock. We spoiled them with apples and carrots and a little bit of feed, but then left them to meditate over a healthy helping of hay for the night. Domestic duties completed, we were snuggling in blankets in the warmth of the trailer when we realized we had forgotten something: the vet check-in! Ahhh! So we scrambled back outside, into the drizzle and mist and chill, snapped lead ropes on the boys, and set off for the east end of ride-camp, where the vets had set up their pre-ride examinations in the middle of a giant puddle of sucking mud. Apollo vetted out with all A's, and I scribbled our number on each of his large gray hips in grease marker: #302.
The ride dinner and meeting was scheduled for 6:30pm, and so we headed over to the main tent for some grub and an opportunity to mingle. My stomach was in knots the whole weekend, what with all the excitement and anticipation, so I had little else but a few bites of pasta salad for dinner. When other riders found out this was my first ride, they made sympathetic sounds (because of the "horrible" weather) and wished me good luck. They all seemed very welcoming, and more than willing to give advice or suggestions, and so I felt completely accepted into their little circle. The ride meeting was wonderfully informative about things we might encounter on the trail, and the ride manager gave a very detailed description of the trail and the vet checks. As the night wore on, I became even more anxious and excited. It was a long night of little deep sleep, interrupted by night visits to the back of the trailer where a special bucket was nestled in the shavings for certain... ahhh, shall we say private constitutionals? Between those trips and having to switch out the propane tank on the space heater, I barely slept.
Finally, my alarm went off at 5 a.m., and I sprang out of bed (oh, warm and comfy bed!) to begin the day. I was determined to document as much as I could with the camera, and so I immediately set about taking pictures, no matter the subject.
In this case, the fabled "potty bucket" held at a respectable arms-length by my mother. It is truly amazing (unnerving?) what the mind centers on as good subject matter when sleep-deprived and overly-excited.
Ah, much better. The lovely boys in their adorable little blankets, toasty warm and ready to go!
The fog never lifted, the entire day. It looked like this, as if straight out of The Mists of Avalon, until we pulled out of ride camp at four-thirty that afternoon. But I am getting ahead of myself.
Like I said, the mind plays silly tricks on people this early in the morning. Or, wait, is that an Oompa Loompa?! Oh my word!
Okay, back to the story. Desert Storm, an endurance racing veteran, was cool as a cucumber, but Apollo was understandably excited. After tacking up, we walked them both around the camp, regularly asking them to back up, yield to pressure, and basically keep their attention on us. Apollo was compliant, but still excited. Two minutes after the start of the race, we mounted up and headed out onto the trail, and what a stellar start it was! Apollo was happy and full of energy, but he understood that I was still in control and yielded to my leadership, and so off we went. I chose to continue using his Indian Bosal instead of changing it up and using the bitted bridle. I am glad I chose to stick with what was familiar, because he did wonderfully with his bit-less bridle. With his big stride, and the fact that he is in wonderful shape, we overtook many of the horse and rider teams and stayed there throughout the ride, finishing in the top five out of a field of fifty-eight! At each vet check, he pulsed down to 60bpm almost immediately, ate his fill of delicious alfalfa and soaked beet pulp, and drank fully at every trough and water-crossing. Suffice to say, he took good care of himself during the whole ride, even though he was excited and a bit distracted at times because of all the horses and people and sounds and smells and sights. As it turns out, he is quite competitive! He would be going contentedly down the trail, and as soon as he spotted a horse ahead in the distance, would ask for more speed so he could catch up and overtake the front-runner! He would gleefully pull even with the horse, pause a moment to look him or her square in the eye, then power on up the trail with a burst of speed that shot us far ahead of the competition.
We finished the 32.2 mile ride in 4 hours and 10 minutes, excluding holds. I believe our average speed was 7.7 miles per hour. I am so proud of this horse, I cannot keep from singing his praises. When people would congratulate us on our top five finish, I knew it had little to do with me. I really was just a happy passenger, only monitoring his health, food and water intake, fitness and speed so that he could finish the race fit-to-continue. Apollo has so much heart and fire and desire, so much love for the freedom a race like this gives us. I have never felt more complete than when he and I soar through the woods at an easy hand-gallop, in perfect balance and harmony.
I am officially addicted to this sport, and cannot wait for the next race in June.
Ha! He looks like he is sleeping in this picture! It was so cold and wet, I was wearing four layers plus a fleece vest and two pairs of gloves, and still I was not warm enough!
