After Ride Between the Rivers, there was a lot of talk about me riding Magic again. I had announced that I thought the horse was fit enough, physically, to do a fifty, though I still thought he needed some time to mature mentally, especially in the hold areas. Bob had mentioned doing some rides over the winter in Florida and the Carolinas. The footing there is sandy and forgiving, and the terrain is mostly flat. It's a good place for a horse to do a first fifty (or first 100). Six months would give Magic time to mature and get some more competitive miles under his belt. Bob asked me if I would be interested in riding Magic again, and I practically cheered, "Yes, yes, yes!" I adore the horse (and the people who come with him).
Then, shortly after I got home from West Virginia, Bob emailed me with an entirely different idea. He and a bunch of his horses would be heading to the September 6th Lincoln Trail AHA ride in Illinois. Kally would be attempting her first ever 100 on Indy (who was also in for her first 100). The terrain was reportedly relatively flat, and the competition wouldn't be very fierce. There was a month between RBTR and Lincoln Trail, which would give Magic some time to recover and condition up. Bob asked, "Do you think Magic is ready for a slow 50? If so, would you be willing to ride him?"
I did consult with Mike before making the decision, but I was on board immediately. It did briefly occur to me that Illinois isn't really anywhere near NJ and that driving to IL, riding 50 miles, and driving back to NJ in three days was a little nuts, but I've gotten pretty accustomed to that little voice in my head that throws its hands up and declares, "That's it. You've lost it entirely."
Mike's boss has a hunting cabin in Illinois, and when we found out we were heading to 'his' state, he was extremely excited. I had to laugh because his boss is pretty mellow and reserved, but he was calling Mike and chatting his ear off like a school girl about to go on a first date. On a serious note, Mike's boss has been really awesome about all the traveling we're doing this year, and I was relieved that taking yet another three day weekend wasn't going to be a problem. THANK YOU, BOSS MAN!
I tried to do some pre-ride research, but there wasn't a lot to be found. I did gather that the ride would be at Stephen Forbes State Park in Kitmundy. The park website boasted a lake with fifteen miles of equestrian trail around the edge. I had a sinking feeling that I was going to become very familiar with that fifteen miles.
The ride was the same weekend as NEATO in Rhode Island, and everyone I knew would be there. I had a feeling that I wasn't likely to see many people I knew 900 miles away in Illinois.
Still, I was very excited. Before this trip, I had never been west of Columbus, Ohio. I had never been to the Midwest. I had never seen any of the flat states. Besides, we would be passing through Ohio and Indiana along the way, which meant passing several bloggers that I've either met or have been wanting to meet.
In preparation for the trip, Mike and I did some shopping. I have been an AERC member since 2008 and have been doing rides more and more frequently. I decided that it was high time to admit that I might be an endurance rider. Mike and I finally bought a tent (and replaced the air mattress that Julio ate last year). We also picked up our very own chairs, complete with booze cup holders. No more sleeping in the car. (Sorry, Poof!)
Bob kept me updated on Magic's training progress via email in the weeks leading up to Lincoln Trail. Two days before the horses were set to leave for the ride, he sent me one last confirmation email. And then he totally threw me for a loop.
"Would you be up for a rider change if Kally can't make it because of vet school? You could ride Indy in the hundred and I would ride Magic in the fifty."
I had already replied affirmative when the voice in my head finally managed to get my attention. WAIT. What had I just agreed to??? Kally and Indy had been conditioning for this ride all year long. I had no doubt that Indy was ready to do 100 miles. The mare didn't even look winded at the end of RBTR 50. And, yes, I am dying to do a hundred, hopefully sooner than later. But was I really ready to do a 100 mile ride on a horse I've never ridden on extremely short notice?!?! Physically, I think I would have been ready. I have been riding a lot this year, even without my own horse to condition on. I have also been finishing my 50's in good shape, in terms of fitness. Mentally, though? I'm not 100% sure I could have tackled it.
Thankfully, as the title of this post implies, I did not end up doing 100 with Indy. I'm glad, not just because it was a relief, but because Kally really worked her butt off to get there, and I would have been really sad to steal the ride from her. Kally and Indy deserved to do it together.
Still, I didn't know until Kally showed up in camp what distance I would be riding. Mike and I packed and prepared for the 100, and hoped for the 50.
The night before the trip, Mike and I went to bed early. The GPS, Google Maps, and Mike's boss all predicted a 15 hour drive, and I really wanted to be in ride camp by 6pm so I could catch the ride briefing. We were up at 3am and had hit the road by 4am. I hadn't realized that we would be changing time zones, essentially buying an extra hour of travel time.
I am thrilled to report that the drive out was completely uneventful. The trip took us 13.5 hours (and almost four tanks of gas), but it wasn't bad. We took the PA turnpike all the way out to 70W, then stayed on 70 all the way through the rest of PA, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and most of Illinois. It was pretty much a straight shot out.
We were past Philly before the morning rush. We got out of Columbus right before the lunch rush. We hit Indy just before the afternoon commute. By the time rush hour hit, we were so far in the middle of nowhere that it didn't matter. We stopped for gas and Taco Bell and that was it.
Although Mike kept offering to take the wheel for a while, I drove the entire way. My hip would start to twinge pretty badly by about 250 miles in, but as long as I got out and stretched my legs at every gas stop, I did ok.
As I expected, things got pretty flat after Ohio. I will say that they weren't impressively flat, as I'd been told. There was a lot of endless soy and corn and round bales, but there were still lots of trees, and occasional curves in the highway. They did have rumble strips before the turns, which I got a kick out of, but I didn't find that the scenery lulled me to sleep. Maybe I need to see Kansas to be impressed.
Thanks to Bob's last minute texting directions, we found camp very easily. I'm glad he reached out because we would have been pretty lost after we passed the park entrance with no sign of camp to be found. I'm sure we could have stopped at the park office or something, but I was surprised that there were no signs or ribbons to mark the way. By that point, we were pretty much driving down country roads between rows of corn. (We had told the GPS to avoid unpaved roads when it asked. That was a new one.)
With the time change, we arrived in camp at 4:30pm, their time. Our phones had switched automatically and I flipped my watch over as soon as we piled out of the car.
Camp was at the park's equestrian camp ground, which was great because everyone could plug their rigs right into the electric at the campsites, and there were options for tying and picketing horses. It's probably a good thing there wasn't a bigger turn out than there was because I could see it getting very crowded very quickly, but it would be the perfect place for a weekend getaway with friends.
We found Bob's rig right away, but he was up at the vetting area. Beth was thrilled to see us and quickly asked how long the drive had taken us.
"Bob feels bad about asking you to come all this way. He didn't realize how far it is from you and he wouldn't have made you drive all this way if he knew."
"Then I'm glad he didn't know because I'm thrilled to be here and I wanted to come!"
It was hot and humid when we arrived, and Mike was pretty hot and unhappy by the time he pitched the tent and blew up the air mattress. Beth instructed him to go in the LQ and sit in the AC for a while, which did him a world of good. I was glad to hear that the forecast for ride day didn't feature the same kind of heat. I was drenched already.
Before long, it was time to vet the horses in, and Magic was feeling fresh. He was pushy and dancing and raring to go. I put him in the rope halter for a little extra leverage, and joked that I should have bitted him up for it. I apologized in advance to the vet who was next in line to examine us. He was a young guy with a big smile, and took Magic's antics in stride, for which I was very grateful. He's a young horse and he'll grow out of all this stuff, which stems mostly from excitement and partly from his playful nature, but I do get embarrassed when he's especially rude.
"Hopefully he'll be a little tired after the first 20 miles tomorrow and you won't see him like this again," I tried to joke. "I promise there's not a mean bone in his body. He won't kick or bite you, and you can feel free to smack him if you need to."
We did our trot out, down and back. It was a short distance on level, grassy ground, and I was glad to be done with it. As I expected, Magic practically dragged me to the cones and back.
"At least he gets an A for impulsion," I laughed.
And that's when the head vet, a woman who I'd never met, but whom I've heard some pretty wicked stories about since, jumped in. "Actually, he's not lifting his back or engaging his hind end at all. His impulsion's not that great."
At this point, my eyebrows disappeared into my hairline and I could feel the color drain out of Mike's face as I bit off the end of my tongue in an attempt to remain civil. My general rule is to not argue with vets. After all, they have medical training and I don't. I adore my ride vets as a whole. But in this case, I really wanted to shout, "Impulsion in dressage and impulsion in endurance are not the same thing!" In endurance, impulsion simply means that the horse is still willing to trot off. It's a measurement of the horse's remaining energy, judged on his pep, attitude, and the thrust left in his stride. It has nothing to do with the topline, engaging the hindquarters, or coming round.
The AERC endurance riding handbook defines impulsion as " “spring” left in the horse’s gait, as well as his willingness to trot in hand. A horse that drags back or needs outside urging to trot will be penalized."
Still, the vet in charge of my ride card had given us A's across the board and I wasn't about to make a scene.
...but the onslaught wasn't over. The head vet started berating me and telling me that I really need to do more exercises to get Magic working over his back and to strengthen his topline. She warned me that if I kept riding him the way I'm riding him, I was going to cost him his hocks.
!!!
I tried to inform her that he's only 5, that he hasn't even been in work for a full year (the trailer accident cost him over three months), and that he's half saddlebred and travels a little differently than a full Arab. When all that fell on deaf ears, I also informed her that this was only the second time I would be riding the horse and that when I ride him, he has no problem coming into a contact and working over his back.
At this point, the voice in my head piped up again, and for once I heeded her advice, "Don't be the spoiled brat who talks back to the vet." I really didn't want to come off as the girl who exclaims, "Nuh uh, you don't know me!!"
Could Magic benefit from some ring work and some dressage? Absolutely! What horse wouldn't? Is there anything I can do about it since I live 500 miles away from the horse? Not really. Do I think Bob's program is screwing the horse up and setting him up for injury and failure? No way! If I thought so, I wouldn't ride for him. From what I've seen, Bob's program produces some really high quality endurance horses time and time again.
I think I was beet red by the time I walked away from that conversation, and I was grumbling to Mike when Bob and Beth informed me that this particular vet has a history of being abrasive and sort of 'missing the point' with endurance. I had to remind myself that I was in Illinois, not at Biltmore or OD or Tevis...
Lake Monster Breeding Grounds.
The rest of the night was spent eating and drinking and having a grand old time. We made friends with the ladies in the trailer next to us, one of whom happens to know a random friend of mine from NJ. In fact, she just sold my friend a horse! I seriously can't go anywhere without this small world thing following me around.
Before long, everybody from our group had arrived. We were definitely the biggest party there. Bob and Beth were there with their rig and three horses: Magic, Indy, and Beth's gelding, Spirit, who would be doing the LD with her. Their trainer, Jen, who puts on RBTR and who I know through Liz, was also there with her horse, Prince. Prince is the horse Liz rode at RBTR, and he would be doing his first 100. Jen also had another one of Bob's horses with her, a five year old Arabian mare named Tessa. Tess has been in training with Jen, and a girl named Aja would be riding her in her first fifty. If things went well, it would be a big weekend of firsts for everyone. Our group goal was to come through with five completions, five sound, healthy horses, and five happy, in tact riders.
There was food aplenty that night. Not only were Bob and Beth providing me with a great horse to ride; they were feeding us too! I am getting 100% spoiled riding with these people, and it's super tempting to hop in their trailer and just ride home to WV with them, never to be seen again.
Eventually, it was time for the ride meeting. It was sort of an informal event, and I had to ask questions to get any real information. Still, everyone seemed sweet and friendly, and we thanked them for hosting the ride so we could be there. As I suspected, there were only 15 miles of trail in the entire park. The LD's would do the loop twice. The fifties would do the loop plus a bit that doubled back to make 20 miles once, then repeat just the 15 mile section two more times. And the 100's? They would do the loop, plus the double-back five miles, five times. I was more relieved than ever that I wouldn't be doing my first 100 here. I think I would have mentally lost it about three loops in. Yikes.
Darkness fell shortly after the ride briefing. With nightfall came a massive storm. I had been doing my best to ignore the tornado cellars I had seen on the drive out, and I convinced myself not to panic about potentially being blown away while we slept in our tent for the first time.
Thankfully, the pouring rain and whipping wind that lasted for most of the night really brought the temperature down. Our tent earned its keep by being completely waterproof, and Mike slept safely inside, cool and dry. It definitely beat sleeping in the car (sorry again, Poof.)
It was crisp, cool, and dark when we woke up at 5am. This time, I'd remembered to bring my jacket, and I was grateful for the sleeves.
The start times were scheduled for 6am (100's), 6:15am (LD's), and 6:30am (50's). The idea was that the LD's would come in off the first loop well before the 100's, and be back out on trail by the time 50's came in. There would be half an hour between 100's and 50's, which would prevent crowding at the holds. The LD's would finish before any of us were done with the 2nd loop. It was a good plan, and meant that everyone got out on trail quickly without creating a pile up at camp later in the day.
Bob had coffee brewed for us first thing. Real coffee with real creamer. I'm telling you, I'm spoiled any more.
Indy, Prince, and Spirit were out on trail before we knew it, and Aja and I got Tess and Magic geared up and ready to go. Mike loaded my saddle bags up with Gatorade and I took my waterproof point and shoot and stowed it in my chaps so I wouldn't have to rummage in the cantle bags to take pictures. I left the helmet cam in the car since it probably wouldn't be properly daylight until the second loop. Since we were repeating the same trail three times, I wasn't worried about missing any shots.
Both babies were being level-headed and calm as we milled around camp, getting them warmed up for the start. At 6:30am, the trail opened. There wasn't a big crowd and nobody galloped off like mad so we started with the pack. Aja and I did let everyone pass us as we made our way down the first stretch of trail. It was good for the young horses to learn to start in a group without turning it into a race.
We talked briefly about our strategy for the day, which was basically to get the horses through their first fifty and make it as much of a positive experience as possible. We were both basically treating this as a training ride. We agreed to take turns leading so both horses would learn to both lead and follow, and it seemed we had similar ideas on how this ride should be ridden. I was looking forward to spending the day riding with a like-minded endurance rider. I did warn Aja that I basically don't shut up, ever, and that it's ok to just tune me out. I don't get offended.
The equestrian trail in the park was quite lovely. If you have to do the same loop multiple times, this is a good place to do it. The terrain was technical enough to be interesting (I had been concerned that we'd be circling the same two corn and soy fields for the duration of the competition, so this was a relief). There were a lot of flat spots with good footing where you could really move out, and there were enough inclines and down hills to prevent it from being a fifty mile flat race. The scenery was varied and featured fields, crops, fern-covered forest, pine groves, ponds, and a lake. No two parts of the loop were the same, and there were plenty of landmarks to watch for as the day wore on.
The first stretch of trail went past corn and soy fields before crossing over the park entrance, two miles from camp. There, we dipped back into the woods and past the fishing pond, before winding deeper into the forest. After passing some picnic areas and crossing some access roads, we reached a more remote part of the park.
I was surprised to see that there were no spotters on trail, and I remembered that ride management had mentioned that it's not a good idea to get hurt at this ride because they have no way of getting help out to the far side of the lake. Good to know, especially with the lack of cell phone reception in the area.
Shortly after that was what became my favorite stretch of the trail for the day. Hard packed dirt with few rocks, winding through a scenic forest with tall, lush trees, and a floor covered in ferns. We were able to power trot for a few blissful, uninterrupted miles here. The first time we went through, I breathed deeply and mentioned the beauty around us.
My favorite stretch.
"Yeah, it is gorgeous," Aja replied. "It's funny, I get so focused on riding sometimes that I forget to look up and take it in."
"Well, I'll be your reminder to look up for the day."
After the long stretch in the woods, we emerged by another pond, riding in eyeball-high on the horses grass, dotted with wildflowers. I was delighted when I found out that the extra five miles of trail doubled us back through that stretch of trail. If you're going to see the same stretch of trail ten times during a 100 mile ride, that's the stretch of trail I would pick. Wow.
After we repeated that section, we dropped off into the technical part of the ride. After some beautiful stream crossings that gave the horses great water access on trail, we hit the big hills in the forest. Because of the rain the night before, and the proximity to the lake, the trail got really muddy. There were sections where the mud was knee deep on the horses, and riders started to make go-arounds as the day wore on. We trotted where we could, but spent a lot of time walking to avoid pulling shoes and tendons.
Just as the mud and walking was getting old, the trail provided a break from the monotony. We rode close to the lake shore and could see across the water. The lake out there was different from the lakes we have in NJ somehow, but I really can't put it into words.
And after the lake was the hardest stretch of trail. After a particularly steep down hill, which Aja dismounted Tess to tackle, there was a huge mud pit with a stream flowing out of either side. Magic got pretty worked up at this section and his baby brain came on. I wouldn't let him leap all the way across the pit, and he was dancing and throwing his head as I held him back. I managed to scramble down from his sky-high back long enough to get us safely across, but I nearly lost my own boot in the process. Yikes. I was not looking forward to doing that part two more times.
From there, we rode alongside a pasture surrounded by barbed wire fence, and I wondered out loud if anything lived there.
By this point, Magic was famished, and he started grabbing leaves off all the surrounding trees to eat. He was so focused on getting food that he completely stopped focusing on his feet, and I had to yell at him at one point because we were both about to topple to our deaths while he did his best giraffe impression and grabbed leaves that were over my head. *sigh*
Just as Magic thought he would surely perish, we reached a field full of thick, long, green grass. We let the horses drop their heads and eat their fill. Magic tore clumps of grass greedily from the earth, and probably would have happily retired on the spot.
At this point, the GPS said we were 13 miles into the 20 mile loop. With seven miles to go, I figured we had another hour of riding before we reached camp. We weren't making great time, but since we were using the training ride mentality, I wasn't too worried. I texted Mike to tell him we were about an hour out.
A short while later, we passed a big STEPHEN A. FORBES STATE PARK sign. Magic was not a fan and balked badly, running backwards and threatening to fall in the ditch behind us. Tess cautiously led the way and we got through it alive, but I was glad for the company.
We trotted on a flat, grassy trail along the road for a while. Traffic zipped by without slowing down a bit, but neither horse was bothered. We crossed over what looked like someone's private property, and emerged next to the horse-eating bridge of death.
Bridge of Death.
O boy.
Neither horse wanted to have anything to do with this bridge, which was wide enough to fit a truck and featured wooden boards between terrifying metal rails, high over a deep river. Tess stepped forward to take a cautious glance, and Magic took the opportunity to make her go first. He literally pushed her across the bridge with his chest on her rump. She was bracing and trying to stop, but Magic was bigger than she was. He wasn't brave enough to go first, but he was brave enough to feed Tess to the bridge. Aja and I were laughing too hard to do much about the horses' antics.
But the spooky part of the trail was just beginning. We rode through some sort of strange water-farming plot. Maybe some of you midwest people will know what these were, but the closest thing I can think of is cranberry bogs here at home. Rows and rows of artificial, rectangular ponds. The ones to our right were full, which was fine by the horses, but the ones on our left were drained and featured wooden structures that were definitely the horse-eating bridge of death's offspring, judging by how far out of his skin Magic jumped.
Eventually, we were safely back in the woods. The footing was good again and the trail was wide enough to move out. We picked up the pace. It had been less than half an hour since I texted Mike.
And then we rounded a corner and came upon a campground, and I said, "Wait... is that...?"
We had reached camp. The GPS only read 15 miles (GPS can be wildly inaccurate in the wilderness, especially when there are a lot of switchbacks involved) and we were coming in hot. I saw Mike sprinting for the camera, but we were already on the ground, loosening girths and letting the horses graze and catch their breaths.
Coming into the first hold.
Thankfully, our crewing area (at the trailer) was between the trail head and the in-timer, so we stripped tack and cooled the horses before we checked in. The pulse monitor showed that Magic came in at 72bpm, but was already down at 60 by the time I got his saddle back on the rack. Tess was down too, so we walked to the in-timer to retrieve our ride cards.
That's right. The ride management held onto our cards when we weren't actively vetting. It was SUCH a good idea, and I think it should be the new AERC standard. No keeping track of my card. No getting it soaking wet, covered in electrolyte and blood, and illegible. Come in, they write in-time, I* take card to vet, vet fills out card, I* hand the card back, they write my out-time and keep it.
*And by 'I', I mean Mike.
Magic pulsed in at 52bpm, trotted sound, and got all A's across the board again. His guts were rumbling up a storm, and he was still peppy and well-hydrated. He had also settled a bit and I only had to restrain him a little bit before he actually held still to be examined.
I had told Bob that Magic had some serious baby brain on the first loop, and he seemed concerned. I assured him that I was still really enjoying my ride, and that he wasn't doing anything I wouldn't expect a young horse to do. In fact, he was still performing above and beyond what I'd expect any five year old to do.
We moseyed back up to our camp site and let the horses eat. Magic never stopped chewing. Talk about an appetite! I was thrilled.
I wasn't hungry yet, but I humored Mike by eating some yogurt and pudding and granola bars before sitting down to just relax.
Forty minutes later, we were saddled and ready to ride out again. I had traded my head lamp for my helmet cam and had a pretty good idea of what parts of the trail I wanted to record.
Aja and I trotted and cantered past the corn and bean fields, then slowed to a walk where there had been reports of a nest of bees. In fact, both of our hundred mile riders and horses had been stung repeatedly. No thank you. Played that game in Maryland. Don't want to play it again.
We rode past the park entrance and towards the fishing pond. There, a group of people had gathered for the afternoon. They had just caught a fish when we rode up. It wasn't a big fish, but seeing it flapping around was enough for me! Magic didn't seem too concerned, but I was having a pretty good spook myself.
In the pretty section of trail, we nearly got run over by a buck who was tearing through the forest at mach 10.
Mike's boss had told us how big the deer in Illinois are, but this one (and all the others I saw that weekend) were smaller than the ones in our yard. I wonder if he's ever actually been to Illinois. Maybe he just buys the trophy heads from his local taxidermist. Mike and I were joking that we should call his boss and say, "I don't know why you like this state. It's ugly, smells funny, and the animals are dirty."
As we rode past the lake for the second time, we heard a strange shrieking in the trees. I think it must have been some strange kind of bird, but the cry it made was very eerie. Aja and I were trying to figure out what on earth it might be, and decided that it was probably just a lake monster. Once again, I was glad I wasn't riding solo.
This time around, I dismounted long before we got to the massive mud pit at the bottom of the hill. Aja rode through it, but Tess sank all the way up to her belly in it, and I gasped as I watched her struggle to get free. The level headed little mare (she's an old soul, I swear) came out the other side unscathed, but I was definitely not taking Magic the same way.
Instead, we walked into the woods a bit, where the ground was still solid, and tried to cross that way, parallel to the main trail. There was a small ravine with water in the bottom, and after sizing it up, I decided I could probably jump it if I made a good effort and didn't psych myself out. I counted to three and leaped. Magic faithfully jumped with me, and we landed safely on the other side while Aja cheered us on.
It was only afterwards that I realized I should have turned my helmet cam on. It was probably the most epic part of the day.
A short while later, we got the answer to what lives in the pasture with the barbed wire fence. Cows! There was a whole herd of black angus lying in the shade by the forest. Magic seemed surprised to see them, but bravely marched right past.
Once again, we stopped to let the horses graze in the field. This time, I gave Mike a more accurate estimate on our arrival time. Apparently, I had really scared him when I texted 'one hour out' on the previous loop. They'd seen the hundreds and the LD do the loop, and Mike was saying, "I don't think she'd go that slow unless there was a problem." Oops!
I made Magic lead the way across the scary bridge this time. He was tense, but went ahead. Tess followed cautiously behind us. She went willingly enough, but she still looked so very worried with every step. Magic gave me this look over his shoulder after the bridge, and I swear he was saying, "I'll show you 'baby brain'!"
And that's when I figured out what the strange rectangular ponds were. "This is where they breed the lake monsters, obviously."
This time, we knew camp was coming up, and we took our sweet time coming in. We walked from the lake monster breeding grounds, all the way back to camp, and the horses were cool and ready to go to pulse right away. We dropped tack, retrieved our ride cards, and vetted immediately. Magic was at a low 42bpm, and was actually on his best behavior for the vet. He was far from tired, but the miles had put his brain into gear. Good boy.
At the second hold, I ate better than I've ever eaten at any ride. Aja's grandmother, Brenda, had made beef stew and brought it for riders and crew alike. It was absolutely delicious and I kept scarfing it down until I had to cut myself off so I wouldn't over eat and be uncomfortable on the last loop.
Forty minutes later, we were out on our third and final loop. I was anticipating some resistance from the horses when they realized we were getting on them yet again, but both youngsters were fit and ready for more. We trotted out of camp and passed Mike, who had jogged out to the first field on trail to get some ride photos for the whole group of us, in lieu of the non-existent ride photographer. The man is superhuman, I swear. I suspect people only let me ride their horses so they can borrow Mike for the day.
By this point, the sun had come out. I wasn't thrilled about the rising temperatures, but I was glad the predicted rain had missed us.
We made it past the bees without getting stung, and were glad to have that part of the ride behind us. The fishermen had gone home for the afternoon and the picnic areas were deserted. Aja announced that the fern-filled section of forest was her favorite stretch of trail from the day, and I agreed. By this point, we had the mucky spots memorized and knew how to best avoid them. We cut a lot of time off the technical stretch of trail. The lake monster was silent as we trotted past, and we suspect he was shot by the hunters we could hear firing from across the water. I remembered to turn my helmet cam on for the boggy stretch, only to finally find a good way around it that didn't involve dismounting and leaping and belly deep mud. It was a very anti-climactic video. The cows were still lazing in the shade. Just as we were wondering why there were all black cows and one chestnut colored calf, a chestnut bull appeared over the top of the hill, and I declared, "I guess we found Baby Daddy."
And then the miles dragged a bit. The upside of riding the same loop over and over is that you can perfect your technique and know how far from camp you are. The downside is that the anticipation of the next landmark can really make time slow down. The stretch from the cows to the field where we let the horses graze seemed to last forever, and we both said, "I don't remember it taking this long."
Losing it at about 45 miles.
I think the horses could sense that this was the final loop, and they weren't interested in stopping in the field to graze. They grabbed a few mouthfuls each, then wanted to move right along.
Neither one batted an eye at the big park sign and they boldly walked right across the horse-eating bridge and past the lake monster breeding facility.
We did trot a little bit after that to make up for lost time, but we both had completions and clean ride cards at the front of our minds. One of the vets had told Aja that Tess looked a little crampy in her left hind, and she wanted to really play it safe. We dismounted about a mile from the finish line, loosened our girths, and hand-walked in nice and slow.
We arrived with fresh-looking horses to cheers from our slew of crew. Magic didn't even look tired. I thanked Aja for riding with me. We had found that we had a lot in common as we chatted amicably over the miles. Riding with someone for eight hours makes for a fast friendship, and I sincerely hope we'll get to ride together again.
"It's nice to ride with someone with similar goals and strategies," Aja told me. I couldn't agree more.
Finish line photo.
I do think Magic was a little worn out by this point. He pulsed in right away, as did Tess, and we declared that we had ridden together all day and wanted to tie. He still trotted with plenty of oomph, but he was no longer dragging me down the line. He got a B on gait, and this time the vet said he looked slightly off in his left hind.I had felt a little bit of unevenness up the last few hills, and I suspect it was muscle fatigue more than anything else.
We got our completions, amid a lot of cheering and hugging, and went back up to the trailer to get the horses put away.
Aja and I had turtled, which was just fine by us. We had also, as it turned out, top ten'd (after the pulls and our tie, we reportedly came in 5th). Despite the fact that we were a good distance behind the riders before us, and despite the fact that both horses weren't BC contenders, we decided to stand them. It would be a great learning experience for the horses. Magic humored me by doing one last trot out, and was even tired enough to make our circles look presentable. Dr. Nick would have been proud.
Once that was done, we went back to the campsite to wait for the 100's to come in to their final hold. It was getting dark as they emerged from the fourth loop, but both Prince and Indy looked awake and happy. They were starving, but their riders were in good spirits. I jumped in to help crew and we got them pulsed, vetted, and eating mash. Neither horse seemed to complain, even as we saddled them up to go yet again. Mike and I duct taped glow sticks to saddles and breast collars while Kally and Jen ate and used the potty.
All you see of the 100's in the dark.
Forty short minutes later, we sent them back into the dark forest and the waiting began. I'll admit it was a little nerve wracking to be on the waiting end of the game, especially at this ride. As I said, there were no spotters on trail. There were also no glow sticks. We were basically sitting there hoping our 100 mile horses and riders were still alive out there for three hours.
While they were out on the last loop, Aja and I went up for the award ceremony, and were delighted to find that they had plenty of t-shirts in all sizes. We both tend to get our shirts after all the smalls are gone, and wind up swimming in XXL shirts from all our rides. We were thrilled that we wouldn't have to add these shirts to the 'make a quilt some day' pile. Haha.
As for BC standings... BC went to a heavyweight rider (man) who came in way faster than us. Magic didn't score very well on his vet score because the head vet rated him a 4/10 on gait. I told Bob afterwards, "I'm sorry I crippled your horse... apparently."
Dinner was a potluck, but we decided to opt out. We were all tired and had plenty of food back at our own campsite. We wanted to eat, grab some beer, and wait for Kally, Indy, Jen, and Prince.
Our riders were not disappointed when they came in. We had stayed up and were cheering ourselves hoarse as their glow sticks and headlamps appeared, bobbing their way steadily towards the finish line. By then the horses looked pretty tired (and hungry), but Kally had her spirits up enough to keep everyone going. We pulled tack and let the horses eat and cool down before bringing them for final vetting.
I stayed up long enough to watch them get their completions before crawling into the tent and passing out. I was exhausted, but content.
I vaguely remember hearing coyotes howling throughout the night.
I woke up to a rooster crowing, and realized with a sinking feeling that the sun was already up.
Mike and I had planned to leave camp at 6am for the long drive home, but his phone had died during the night and we didn't wake up until 6:30. It was 7am by the time we packed up and left. That made it 8am our time.
We made quick work of Illinois and were back in Indiana before we knew it. We made it through Indianapolis before the Sunday crowds were up, but our adventures weren't over.
We took a quick detour just outside of Indy to see windy-withers. I have been dying to meet her since pretty much the beginning of blogging time, but we're never anywhere near each other. I couldn't pass right through her home town without stopping.
I have to thank Jenn for her flexibility that weekend. She offered to open her home to us on either night if we needed a place to stay, and then drove out to meet us for breakfast so we wouldn't have to go far out of our way. Breakfast was at Bob Evans. It's pretty sad because we don't have a Bob Evans in NJ, but I still have regular items on the menu.
This is also when we found out just how worn down I was. Jenn and I had no shortage of things to chat about, and I was babbling away and opening my sugar to put it in my coffee. Only... I didn't put it in my coffee. Mike didn't even have enough time to intercept before I dumped all four packets right in my potato soup. At least I didn't put crackers in my coffee?
The plan was to meet for breakfast, then get back on the road, but it was such a gorgeous, gorgeous day, and Jenn was planning to take Sol out for a drive, and I just couldn't resist. I begged Mike to go on an extended detour, but I really didn't have to. He just goes along with whatever crazy idea I happen to have.
So we drove through the countryside and followed Jenn to her adorable little red farm. I finally felt like I got to see the flatness everyone talks about, and I was already glad we'd followed them home. The minis were charming, the Arabians were gorgeous in their pasture, and Solomon was as handsome and sweet as I expected. Jenn quickly rigged up his fancy harness and had Mike hold him while she hooked up his beautiful carriage.
Mike needs a draft horse.
Then we climbed in and went for a jaunt around the 'block'. And by block I mean... wow. There really is nothing out there. Jenn even handed me the lines and I got to drive for a bit. Except that Sol totally knows his job (including all his voice commands) so I was just a decorative line-holder.
I wish we could have stayed for a few days. I think Jenn and I would have gotten into worlds of trouble, in the best way possible.
Eventually we had to say goodbye and hit the road again. The ride home really wasn't any worse than the ride out, but it did seem to take much longer. I think that last stretch through PA was the worst part. The state just seemed to drag forever, and by the time we reached the tunnels through the mountains, I was ready to teleport the rest of the way.
But, we arrived safely sometime around 1am, without much traffic, without getting any speeding tickets, and without getting hit by any drunk drivers, so I'd call that a success.
The next day, I went back to work like nothing ever happened.
And of course, here's the helmet cam video:
Spirit, Magic, and Indy heading to vet-in.
Bob and Spirit
Aja and Tess at the start.
Beth and Sprit coming into their hold.
The neighbors and their horse, also Spirit.
Jen and Prince.
Kally and Indy
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