Originally, I was supposed to go to Virginia on Saturday to do the LD at OD No Frills with JJ, then turn around, drive six hours home, grab about an hour of sleep, and head out to Pennsylvania for the Cheshire CDR on a completely different horse.
I was excited for a lot of reasons. Liz was going to be at No Frills, and I was super excited to see her (it's been way too long!) JJ is a great horse to ride and I was looking forward to that. All the OD rides have been on my bucket list since the beginning of time and starting with No Frills would give me a chance at finally doing the Triple Crown this year. Plus, it would be my first time doing Cheshire, and everyone I know promised me I would love it.
Unfortunately, Chris lost her mom and her father in law within four days of each other, the week before the ride. Apologetically, she informed me that we wouldn't be going to Virginia. Instead, she wound up flying to Seattle for her FIL's funeral, and I wound up watching her three dogs for a week (separate entry coming).
That left the Cheshire, and I was still excited.
I would be riding Dodie's mare, Steel. I met Dodie at Ride for the Ribbons last year. I was doing the photography while she and Mike did the timing. Mike took an immediate liking to her and spent the car ride home telling me how nice and funny and fun Dodie was. I later met Dodie's other mare, Daisy, at the Devil, where Sherry rode her alongside Ozzy for 25 miles. The little bay mare had a go-all-day trot and could match my big standardbred gelding stride for stride.
It would be Steel's first trail competition, and my first time meeting her, let alone riding her. Dodie does a great write up of Steel, registered Steeln My Hartss, on her website, but the short version is that the mare did a lot of ring riding and some showing, but not much trail riding. She's a 15 year old, petite, gray mare, and I had seen a lot of her on Dodie's Facebook. I had also heard nice things from both Sandy and Sherry. When the chance came up to do a new ride with one of Dodie's horses, I was all over it!
Mike and I were up in the dead of night for the two hour drive to New London, PA. It was easier to make the drive for the 6:30 vetting than to find someone to watch the dogs over night so that's what we did. Herbie and Julio were still groggy when I roused them for their pre-ride potty break. Deciding it would be less stress for everyone involved, we left the pooches at home for the day. That left Mike's hands free all day to do lots and lots of photo-taking.
The ride over proved to be a little more of an adventure than I had hoped. I forgot that half the roads in Hopewell were closed so we wasted a good twenty minutes on endless detours. I should have just taken the long way! By the time we got off the PA turnpike, I was a zombie behind the wheel. Mike laughed at the 'Keep Alert' signs that lined the roadways.
Before I knew it, we had found Newark Rd., where ride camp was located. We had entered the rich, rich part of Pennsylvania, and the street was lined with gorgeous horse properties, stone barns, and acres and acres of rolling, green pasture. I drooled a little, and started to feel awake. I had gotten a little dyslexic at the lovely hour of dark o'clock and had gotten the numbers in the address all mixed up. Mike asked if we should turn around, but I told him I was pretty sure I could find ride camp without any stinkin' numbers. Sure enough, we rounded a bend to find a cluster of horse trailers and tents in the middle of a huge, grassy field.
"See! Told ya!" I beamed as I turned a freshly repaired Poof into the grass.
I searched for Dodie's rig, but saw no sign of her. Figuring she would be wearing her trademark bright yellow, I parked the car and headed out on foot. We had made it just on time, and I was hoping we weren't holding her up too badly.
I knew I would be spending the day riding with Cheryl and her Paso Fino gelding, Sooner. I had photographed Sooner at Ride for the Ribbons, and Cheryl had friended me on Facebook shortly after. I felt like I knew her already, though we had never officially met. With his high white socks and characteristic Icelandic-esque forelock, Sooner is an easy horse to pick out in a crowd, and it wasn't long before I spotted him in the sea of Arabians.
As I walked over to his pen, Cheryl jumped up from her chair and asked, "Are you Dom?"
"Yes I am!!" Glad to know I'm easy to recognize. Haha.
It turned out that Dodie was having a 'pony mishap' and would be running a little late. Relieved that I hadn't missed her, I trekked over to the sign in area with a gimpy Mike following close behind. There, I caught up with ride management, cleared up the longstanding question of 'are you riding the 15 or 25?' and grabbed some coffee and donuts. Thank you, dear god, for the coffee and donuts.
Just as I was wondering if Dodie was going to make it before vetting closed, I heard my name being shouted across ride camp.
"Dom!!! Dom? Has anybody seen Dom?"
"She's here somewhere..."
"DOM! You're wanted in the vet area!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!!!"
Last field before camp.
Dodie had arrived, and I had a lead rope thrust at me. At the other end stood a sweet looking gray mare with a refined face and big, soulful eyes. "Hi Steel, it's nice to meet you." I rubbed her neck. "You probably have no idea what the heck is going on!" The mare had just enough time to blink before I trotted her out and had her pre-ride vetting done. She passed with flying colors, despite the fact that she had just stepped off the trailer. She also trotted like a seasoned pro. Good girl.
Thankfully, Cheshire is probably the most laid back ECTRA ride I've ever been to. That usual bustle and rush just wasn't there. I actually had time to snap some candid photos around camp during the ride briefing, and there was plenty of time to tack up between the meeting and the start. After the crazy week I was having, it was a welcome breather.
We were the third group out at the start, and we were mounted and ready to go with fifteen minutes to spare. We got the time to pose for photos and relax for a bit. Plus, I got to know Steel a little bit before hitting the trail. Steel took in her surroundings with an air of calm acceptance. The other horses didn't bother her at all. She seemed befuddled (what kind of show is this?) but not at all bothered.
Sadly for Steel, she comes from the type of show home where horses are not allowed to graze under saddle. As those of you in the endurance world are well aware, that is a necessary skill on your longer rides! Mike is always boasting his ability to 'train with love' so I half-jokingly called out, "Ok, babe, come teach Steel that it's ok to eat with a rider up!"
And that's exactly what he did. Mike offered Steel a handful of grass. After a moment of hesitation, she took it, chowing down gratefully. Then he held the grass lower and lower so she had to stretch down for it. Then he started to pull it just out of reach, until Steel got flustered and decided that it was just easier to grab the stuff growing out of the ground.
"Good girl! Yes!" we all praised her. There was a definite moment of hesitation, like she was waiting to be punished, but then Steel grazed and grazed until we started. I'm sure it will take time for the lesson to sink in for good, but it was a nice place to start!
Looks like he's proposing!
Before long, we were off! They started us in groups of five, but Dodie, Cindy, and Adrienne on their faster, more seasoned horses, soon left Cheryl and myself behind, leaving us to ride our own ride. It was the absolute time of my life!
Cheryl and I had the best time together. We are both usually the people with the camera, which means we get a lot of ear shots, but very few photos of ourselves on trail! We were both excited to have another person with a camera along for the ride, and we schmoozed along taking a million photos as we went. We had a lot in common and we chatted and laughed the entire way. I don't think there was a moment of silence, and for once, it wasn't me doing all the talking! We even took the time to pose for photos along the way.
Looking like an Arabian.
The ride itself was absolutely gorgeous. Stunning countryside, reminiscent of Fair Hill, but with more things to look at. There were rolling hills, endless green pastures, and amazing barns and houses. It was my first time doing the ride, but I sincerely hope it's not the last. What amazing trails! There was a variety of terrain as well, from crop land, to expansive horse farms, to wooded areas, rivers, and steep hills. I was afraid I would run out of memory card!
At one point, we rode past a particularly nice property with a stone house and a giant stable with stonework, spires, and archways.
"I'll take that barn!" I exclaimed as we trotted by.
Cheryl, who had done the ride before, said, "Actually, that's the dog kennel." 0_o
Steel, for her part, was a very good girl. She was brave and full of try, which is all you can ever ask for in a horse. She trotted right down the trail, not the least bit concerned with what Sooner was doing. She would lead or follow or get left behind, it didn't matter.
For the most part, she wasn't fazed by much of anything. There were, however, a few things that got her pretty rattled.
Great views.
The first thing was a huge pile of fallen trees in a horse paddock. To be fair, I think she was looking at the horses, who had all come running up to say hello, and the logs kind of snuck up on her. Cheryl and Sooner had reached the end of the lane by the time we got past them. All the same, Steel didn't do anything bad. She just sort of froze and stared, every muscle in her body quivering. I let her take a good, long look, patting her neck and talking soothingly to her. Eventually, she walked right past, merely giving the logs the stink eye.
And then there were the horse-eating cows. There was a pasture full of young belted Galloways. One in particular was feeling frisky. He ran up and down the fence line, bucking and frolicking and shaking his head every time a horse went by. The trail sort of popped out of the woods and came directly upon the cows, then swung right to cross a road and climb a steep grassy bank.
Steel took an immediate dislike to the cows. At first, she just tried to go wide to get around them, but when the one started to run around, she completely lost it and would not. walk. forward. I pushed her while Cheryl waited patiently, but the poor, sensitive mare was just getting more and more upset. Because of her history, she's very sensitive to rein pressure, even with a hackamore and no bit in her mouth. Any kind of contact with the reins sends her into a panic. I basically gave her a completely loose rein and allowed her to move forward. By the time she finally scooted past the cows, I could feel her heart pounding through the saddle.
Covered bridge!
Worst of all, she now had to turn her back on the carnivorous beasts to get across the street. That was simply unacceptable! We had another battle as I tried to get her to rejoin Sooner on the other side. Eventually, deciding that I didn't want to get dumped on pavement (or continue to hold up traffic), I let Steel take a short cut up the bank, which allowed her to keep a wary eye on the cattle.
Of course, the lay judge was standing right there and I got yelled at because, "You have to go past the ribbons at the turn!" It's bad enough that you can't dismount and lead your horse past something that terrifies her. CTR! Eeesh! But I obliged.
After the cows, it took Steel a little while to get her brain back. We had one more balking episode at the big highway crossing. The volunteers did a great job holding up traffic while I sweet talked Steel into throwing her fit in the grass instead of the roadway. I will say that the cows seemed to put everything in perspective for my little gray girl, and she didn't even bat an eye at the horse-eating logs on the way home. Poor girl!
There were a few moments on the way back to camp that Cheryl and I wondered if we were going the right way. I can't really blame ride management or the trail markers since we were really in la la land for a lot of it, but at one point we were convinced we were doing the loop backwards. Every time we were about to turn back, however, we would reach a check point and get assured that we were going the right way.
How appropriate.
I think the most disconcerting part was when we road through the giant cross country course about six miles from the finish. We were way up high with a view for miles, but there was no sign of anybody around us, including Dodie and company, who should have been right ahead of us. To add to the unnerving feeling, we started passing the mileage markers for the CTR finish... but they were facing away from us!
"Are we going the right way?" we asked the woman at the road crossing immediately after.
"Yes you are!"
By this point, we had half an hour until our minimum completion time. We figured we had a mile or two to go, but nothing looked familiar, so we asked the volunteer how far we had left.
"I'm not sure," she shrugged, pulling out her map. "You are here. Camp is here. This is the trail so probably about... five?... miles."
"Five miles?!?!"
Our GPS hadn't started so we were way off our calculations, with little time to spar. "We better boogie!"
Whoops!
The last five miles of trail featured a covered bridge, a watering hole (Steel refused to even think about drinking), and even more cows (apparently not the flesh eating variety). Then we reached the last stretch, the biggest hill in the area. This is where Steel gave me the most beautiful, balanced canter. Cheryl and I let the horses out and had a splendid, breathtaking gallop up the hill, through the treeline, and into a field full of wildflowers. Wow. Just wow.
We rode along a beautiful river.
We crested the hill and rode down into the back of camp, and there was Mike, standing faithfully at the finish line, camera in hand.
We got our time cards, stripped tack off the horses, and waited twenty minutes to pulse in. (48bpm, good girl!) We did our trot outs, and I got my best circles to date! Then it was time to wait for hands on. Steel seemed a little uneasy at the trailer by herself so I walked her over to Cheryl's rig to get her cleaned up.
The hands on went without a hitch. Steel had stepped on herself and nicked her heel, but otherwise did great. Despite the fact that she didn't drink a drop on trail, she wasn't the least bit dehydrated, and her gut sounds were good. No soreness, no lameness, good muscle tone. We passed with flying colors and got our completion!
Once the horses were done, we finally grabbed some lunch. There was a great selection of food and we went back to the trailer to chow down. We sat on the tailgate, keeping an eye on the horses and recapping our ride for Mike. It looked to be the perfect day.
And then Steel decided to make things exciting.
Dodie ties her horses long so they can graze, and that's how I had Steel, but she kept dancing around and turning her butt to the trailer. I kept watching those legs get really close to the fender and I could just picture her damaging her tendons. After some debate, I decided to shorten up her tie so she couldn't turn around completely. Shortly after that, Steel panicked, reared, lost her balance, and fell down, smashing her face and head into the side of the trailer. I was horrified (and in the process of untying her). She got to her feet, pulled back, and slipped right out of her halter.
"Loose horse!"
"Shut the gates!"
"Someone grab grain!"
Unlike at the hunter pace, everyone jumped into gear to help. The pair of riders who had just crossed the finish line dismounted and held their horses still, hoping to attract the loose mare.
She didn't drink, but she did splash right in.
Steel trotted a few circles around camp, then spotted Mike and ran right to him (the man is a horse magnet, I swear). He wrapped his arms around her neck and held her in a big bear hug until I came over to halter her.
That's when I saw the blood rimming her left eye. At first, I thought the eyeball itself was bleeding, and my heart stopped. The vet was at her side before I had fully registered what was going on. Thankfully, it was just a superficial cut to the corner of the eye. It just showed because of her white hair. We got her cleaned up, and she seemed no worse for the wear.
Minutes later, however, Steel lifted her head from grazing and I saw a trickle of blood coming out of her nostril. Now in full blown panic mode, I dragged her back to the vet. I was worried there was some kind of trauma and that she was hemorrhaging or something equally awful. What if she fractured her skull? What if she dropped dead before Dodie got back to camp! It wasn't my horse and I wasn't qualified to make a medical decision. Dodie should be coming in any minute. We tried to call her, but no answer.
In the mean time, the bleeding stopped and Steel was acting like her old, calm self. Cheryl had loaned us a rope halter and I was hand walking her instead of leaving her tied.
After what felt like an eternity, Dodie finally crossed the finish line with Daisy. I told her what had happened, and after looking the mare over, Dodie decided she seemed just fine. We finished the afternoon in relative peace. Steel did try rearing at the trailer and whacked her head one more time before the day was through (on a loose lead this time) so I guess that's something she's prone to doing (and I feel slightly less guilty about it now). Hey, at least it was after hands on and she didn't lose points, right? Priorities!
We did stay until they handed out completions before heading home. Steel scored a very respectable 95.5%, amazing for her first time out! She lost two points on her less than enthusiastic trot out, some for the mark on her heel, and one for her pulse being over 44. They also knocked her for being 'tender in the girth area'. She wasn't sore at all. She's just girthy and doesn't like to be touched there to begin with. Next time, I'll declare it at vet-in so she doesn't lose points.
Over all, it was a great first ride experience, and she only went home with a minor concussion.
After a brilliant, relaxing day, and some really wacky tan lines, Mike and I hit the road back to our extremely hectic lives. Cheshire has definitely earned a spot on my 'top rides' list. Steel is definitely a horse I'd ride again. Dodie is an awesome person to ride for. Cheryl is the perfect person to ride with. And Mike is just awesome from start to finish. It was a happy, happy day.
Pro photos by i{mpack}t studio.
Snapping photos of each other.
Steel with Sooner after she broke free and hurt herself.
Hopping logs on trail. I wish I had the photo a split second after this. Deer leap!
Right after the scary cows of death.
Mike is the mare whisperer.
Riding together.
Miss Daisy.
Kara's gorgeous horse.
Sooner refusing to put his ears up for the photo.
People kept telling Cheryl how cute her 'pony' was.
Dodie and Daisy, me and Steel, Cheryl and Sooner.
Thumbs up, of course.
Poe, who I competed in 2012, with his young rider.
Our group at the start.
For Funder, of course.
Coming in at the finish.
Ride camp.
Horses and horse eating logs.
Steel didn't know what apples were.