I can honestly say, this PICTURE is WORTH 1000 words and YEARS of learning, here’s Sandman and I walking into the 4th place finish at the Lead Follow 50-mile ride last weekend.
I always dismount 50 yards out from the finish, loosen and drop the girth and take his bit out so he can relax which also brings his pulse down and then we can move quickly through the Vet check.
We’ve been together for six years now and it’s been an incredible journey and learning experience for me to take a young race horse with really bad feet off the track and work with him as he grows into a strong endurance horse who can now pound along on rocky trails for miles and miles and who is in every sense of the word my partner.
This is our second 50 mile Top 5 finish this year and an important accomplishment for a number of reasons. For those who are following Sandman’s progress but who may not be in our small riding circle, I made the conscious decision last year to take some time off to let Sandman mature a bit more, work on his confidence out on the trail, and some very important skills even though, we’d completed some 50’s and even a 75 mile ride, we had some basics yet to master to compete consistently at a higher level.
These skills included, 1) standing quietly while mounting 2) night riding, 3) crossing bridges, 4) standing for his hoof trimming, 5) moving thru water obstacles, 6) trailering to and from rides calmly, 7) managing his interaction with cattle along the trails, 😎 calmly interacting with other horses on the trail, and 9) finding a way to start each race without being fractious and jiggy.
It seems like a lot for a horse who was already doing 50s and we had a 75 miler as well under our belt, but the decision was easy because lack of proficiency in these areas, together or even individually could mean the difference between a safe or dangerous ride and endangering us and others and finishing or not and now, having achieved some level of proficiency even though we have steps back or sideways at each ride, we now have a broader and stronger foundation to build upon and at every ride, we now have more steps forward than we do sideways or backward.
For example, at this ride, on the downside, he had a little come apart at the start which we worked thru in the first mile or so but on the upside, he was a monster on the trail and trotted at 12mph or cantered for miles without skipping a beat and his surefootedness has improved dramatically and he can now pick his way along a rocky trail when leading at high speed like a Billy goat.
On the downside, he still at times is reluctant to take the lead, but when he does, he’s a machine, so some work is yet to be done here but in general, it was a great great ride and so much fun with great weather and comradery both in camp and on the trail. We thoroughly enjoyed riding with Debra and Denise and as the miles flew by, we laughed and joked about every subject imaginable and unimaginable as well 🙂 while having a great ride together.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Stephanie and Taylor and their team and congratulate them and the volunteers on another great event. They all do an amazing job, and the rides are without exception, fun, safe, fully staffed with the best Vets Dr. Houser, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Max Schmidt and their smiling helpful volunteers everywhere you turn. Their attention to detail and diligence is second to none and the trails are all well marked showing all of the many twists and turns over 50 miles.
All up in all, a really great event and so much fun for the riders and horses. We to a rider, without exception, really appreciate the hard work of the ride management team, Vet’s and volunteers. Lori and I are so proud of Sandman and the ride partner he is becoming. Just a really nice weekend, enjoy the ride, this was a great one. 🙂