Biltmore 2017

When Dr. Bob saw me at No Frills, he asked if he'd also be seeing me at Biltmore. I replied, only half-jokingly, "I'll be there if I can find a horse." I knew Evelyn's plan was to ride Dart in the 75 at Biltmore. Dodie's mare, Penny, had injured herself and Dodie has been riding Steel in her place. Bob's horses are all either out of commission or were spoken for.

For those of you who are wondering, Magic's thumping issue never did resolve. My last completion with him was in 2015 at Biltmore. Then he thumped at RBTR and Iron Mountain. Then Julia rode him successfully in the LD at Nationals. He finished the season by thumping on Kally at the Ohio ride. In 2016 he completed the LD at Biltmore with Kally (seemingly the only venue where he has success). Then he thumped for Dr. Bob on the LD at Top of the Rock. At Black Sheep Boogie, Abby rode him super conservatively in the LD in an attempt to keep him from thumping. They ended up being over time. I don't know if he thumped there or not. His last ride was with Beth at last year's RBTR. They tried the LD with him one last time. He thumped again. So Magic is sitting out this season. It's a shame because he has matured over the last two years and his brain is right where it needs to be. Horses!!!

Evelyn heard my musings about Biltmore and generously offered to let me take Rella or Dee in the LD on Friday. I asked if I could hitch a ride down with Jeff and Evelyn because North Carolina is a long way to drive for an LD. In 2016, I drove all the way there only to get pulled after the first loop. Since Mike is still working a ton of hours every week, I really didn't want to make that drive by myself.

Biltmore 2016

Regular readers know that the Biltmore Challenge is one of my favorite endurance rides. When Angela asked me if I would be interested in it this year, my answer was a resounding, "Yes!" I got back from No Frills and sent my entry for Biltmore the next day, just before the deadline. (I try not to wait until the last possible second to enter rides, but I refuse to enter one until I've finished the one before it. When I'm riding every other week, that doesn't leave much wiggle room. Sorry, ride managers!) I was very, very, very excited to ride Biltmore with Moniet. Awesome trails plus awesome horse promised to make for a glorious weekend. Plus, I was really, really hoping that I might finally get to ride without rain, sleet, or snow. 

Biltmore 2015

Those of you who were reading the blog last year know that the Biltmore Challenge in North Carolina is one of my favorite endurance rides in the east. It was near the top of my bucket list, and after riding an incredible 55 miles there with Clover last year, I said I'd do it again any chance I got.

This year, Biltmore turned out to be quite a tease. Originally, I had planned to do it with Wendy again, this time on one of her horses. With Fleuron out of commission, however, that plan went out the window. Sara from What Could Possibly Go Wrong? generously offered to work something out so I could ride her mare, Gem. I was eager to jump on the opportunity, but logistics were going to be a bit of a nightmare, and I didn't think it would be fair to Mike, the horse, or Sara to carry through with the plan. From an adult perspective (boo, hiss!) I really needed to pinch pennies for a few weeks rather than blowing more money on travel expenses.

With ten days to go before Biltmore, I had accepted that it just wasn't happening this year, and started to look ahead to my next set of ride plans. Then, I stepped out of the clinic one afternoon to find a missed call and a voicemail on my phone. I was surprised and thrilled when I listened to the message.

"Hey, Dom. It's Dr. Bob. I know it's been a while since we talked. I have a lot to fill you in on! Anyway, the reason I'm calling is because I'd like to have you ride Magic in the 50 at Biltmore, a week from Saturday. Let me know if you're interested. Talk to you soon. Buh bye."

I practically did a cartwheel. I'd just been telling a few people that I was hoping to get some rides in on Magic this year. I called Mike first to make sure a spur of the moment trip to North Carolina was going to be doable, then I called Dr. Bob to tell him, "Yes, yes, yes! Count me in!"

It turns out Magic had been going well in Florida all winter long and was coming into the season pretty fit. Unfortunately, Dr. Bob had pulled Magic at 45 miles for back soreness at FITS back in February. Dr. Bob made a lot of changes and got the issue resolved, but he really wanted to recruit me to take Magic for his first ride back post-recovery. I was flattered and excited. I barely slept over the next ten days.

I got through No Frills that weekend. Then, Mike and I had four days to regroup, repack, and get back on the road. The good news is that the dogs were still eager to get in the car, so I guess they're not too sick of this ride camp, sleeping in a tent, hours on the road thing yet.

Mike and I left early on Friday morning to make the eleven hour trip to North Carolina. The day started with a brilliant sunrise, and the weather promised to be glorious all weekend.

We only stopped for gas and snacks, taking the dogs out to stretch their legs at one of the stops. My plan was to arrive at 4pm. We nearly made it too. We were making good time and had managed to avoid all traffic. It was also the first time we've driven down 81 without getting rained on. Then, at the last minute, we took an uplanned detour.

Last year, on the way home with Wendy, we had missed a turn and wound up doing an extra hour of driving. The roads around Asheville are very confusing, and it's easy to get turned around. You have to take 240E to 40W through East Asheville. Knowing that it was a crazy part of the route, I had written down explicit directions to avoid this exact situation.

At the last minute, the GPS decided to finally chime in (thanks a lot GPS. You're going to get thrown out the window, just like Carlos promised!) I had picked the correct lane, but the GPS disagreed and Mike shouting over my directions got me flustered. As I drove past the exit, I knew we were screwed. I did manage to turn around pretty quickly, but by then we'd gotten jammed in the middle of rush hour in the city. Plus, the turn around dumped us out on the other side of what would have been our exit. We were now heading West on 40, like we were originally supposed to, but we ended up going several miles before we realized the numbers were going the wrong way.

By then, I was losing my mind. It wasn't pretty, and I wound up having to apologize profusely to Mike. Honestly, I'm not even sure why we bring the GPS at all. It always leads us astray, and I'm better off navigating the old fashioned way without it. Seriously, we traveled all the way to Illinois without having to use it!

I did call Dr. Bob to let him know that I was going to be later than I anticipated. I was really stressed by that point, but Dr. Bob took it all peacefully and cheerfully, as always. He is so laid back, and I appreciate that more than I can express.

We did eventually make it through the estate gates, and I smiled and breathed deeply as we rolled towards horse camp. Even though we'd been there before, the size of the grounds never stops impressing me. It's an 8,000 acre lot!

We rolled up to ride camp shortly after that, and found Dr. Bob and company parked right where we expected. Mike set to work setting up our tent while I walked the dogs and said hi to Magic.

Camp was jam packed full of rigs, horses, and camping areas. There were two days of competition with various distances on each day. Friday featured the FEI qualifier for the PanAm games. Saturday featured the 100 mile ride. As it turns out, there were over 300 people entered over the course of the weekend. The place was swarming, and it lifted my spirits to see such good turn out at a ride. I hear talk of the sport struggling for members, and it was refreshing to see so many faces, human and equine, in one place.

Not long after we arrived, the ride briefing started. As always, Stagg and Cheryl put on a great meeting. They discussed everything a rider or crew would possibly need to know, and we got a sprinkling of history thrown into the mix.

We also found out that Claire Godwin, a very well known rider with over 13,000 miles under her belt, had been badly injured during that day's ride. One of the trails ran past a sheep pasture with fresh baby lambs enclosed inside. Apparently, there was also a Great Pyrenees guarding the sheep. From what I understand, the dog ran up, barking, and jumped on the fence, badly startling a group of horses. Several people fell off, and Claire hit the pavement just the wrong way, ending up with several severe injuries, including a torn diaphragm, lacerated liver, and internal bleeding. She was taken to the hospital, treated, and eventually released. From what I've heard, she was back in camp the following afternoon because endurance riders are nuts.

On that bombshell, it was time for dinner. The estate catered, and the food was wonderful. I was delighted to see that the desert featured my beloved Chantilly cream again. Dinner also included mashed potatoes, which I totally go nuts for. (Though, Mike still makes the best mashed potatoes I've ever had.)

We spent what was left of the evening catching up with Dr. Bob and Beth. I also finally got to meet Stephanie, who would be crewing for us the following day. Mike and I sipped beer, walked the dogs some more, and took in the warmth of summer, which strikes early in North Carolina.

Eventually, Dr. Bob left to go pick Kally up from the airport. Kally may be crazier than I am! She's currently going to vet school in Missouri, and it was finals week for her. After taking her last exam, she hopped on a plan to fly to NC and ride 100 miles with Indy. Talk about dedication!

I also knew that Liz was in camp somewhere. She was crewing for an FEI rider, and Mike had spotted her already. (He won our bet on what color car she would be in.) I did reach out to her before bed, but she was in town at the time. I knew Liz would be leaving halfway through the day on Saturday, and I really wanted to catch up, so we waited for her to come back even though I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Once we caught up with Liz and she wandered away to continue grazing her two charges, Mike and I crawled into the tent and went to bed. It was surprisingly chilly that night, and I was glad to have two dogs under the blankets to keep me warm. The memory foam has been working really well for us, and I slept really well that night.

I woke up to the sound of Herbie licking. Poor girl got pretty thirsty on our car ride down, and despite having a ton of water before bed, was still craving more of a drink. She's pretty smart, though, and was licking the condensation off the tent.

I threw on my riding clothes, gave the dogs more water, and got ready for the day.

Dr. Bob had spoiled us with real coffee (an endurance ride staple) and breakfast snacks.

Magic wasn't sure how he felt about being roused so early in the morning.

Kally and Indy were off at 6:15am, and Mike and I cheered them on as they went off. The 75 milers were off fifteen minutes after that, but the 50 didn't start until 7am, which gave us plenty of time to get Magic and Tess ready. Tess, the little  mare I met in Illinois, was being ridden by Dr. Bob's wife, Beth, and we were to start out together.

Magic has matured since I saw him last fall, and his ground manners have improved drastically. All the same, he was raring to go and had a lot of energy, which seemed to be bursting out his seams. Because of his prior back issues, I would be riding in Dr. Bob's saddle, a Boz. Dr. Bob has much longer legs than I do, and I shortened his stirrups significantly before climbing on board.

Beth and I waited for the rush to go out before heading across camp to the in timer. We checked in and trotted off towards the back of the pack. There were sixty riders in the 50, and it promised to be hectic. The first stretch of the trail was down the front of ride camp, and people were gathered, cheering, taking pictures, and just watching. I did take helmet cam video of the start. Originally, I was going to edit it into the ride video, but I'm sharing it separately so you can get a feeling for just how big ride camp really was.

It was a misty morning, and we came trotting out of the fog to start. Magic was acting like a star, and rolling right past the commotion. He listened well as I half halted, asking him to wait up for a much shorter Tess.

I swear he's gotten taller since I saw him last.

Magic spent the winter working with a trainer in Florida, and he obviously learned a lot. He has gotten softer, more balanced, and more rateable than when I last saw him. Good boy!

Trotting quietly down the starting line.

Don't let the quiet nature of this photo fool you...

The annual G.A.G. migration was right in front of us!

Mike called his good luck wishes and we disappeared over the iron rail bridge onto the first loop.

About two miles in, I had to throw in the towel and hop off of Magic. No, he wasn't doing anything wrong, but the Boz was killing me. I remembered reading nightmare stories about it on Liz's blog, and I knew she had talked about learning to post straight up and down to avoid problems. Despite the fact that I ride pretty upright in general, I was still getting bruised on my inner thighs from the pommel. I knew that changing the way I ride to cope with the saddle would leave me sore and probably have a negative impact on Magic's back, but I had to do something. In an attempt to resolve the issue before it cost both of us our completion, I tried shortening my stirrups by three full holes. That turned into a discussion with Magic about standing still. This is very difficult for a six year old horse to do when other horses are running past him and he's losing the race. 

Eventually, I climbed back on board my gargantuan horse (I guess I'm not completely unfit), and sighed a relieved sigh. Raising my stirrups did the trick, and I was able to ride comfortably in the Boz. Time would tell how my knee would react to the added strain. 

The first loop of this year's ride was the same loop as the last loop of last summer's 55, orange. I have to say that the loop went by much more quickly on a fresh horse. I was surprised at how  many landmarks I remembered, and how accurately I knew the course, despite only riding there once before. We even passed the lovely cottage at the top of the hill where I had let Clover tank up.

We did have one slightly scary moment on this loop. At one point, the trail dipped sharply down a grassy slope into the woods. As we were descending, Magic got started by a sign post and balked momentarily. His back legs slipped on the wet grass and he sat down with a thump. Beth says his butt actually hit the ground, and my eyes got really big.

"I'm impressed at how you handled that," she told me. "You sat so still and quiet, and except for your eyes, I don't think you did a thing."
"Well," I replied, "I was either still on the horse or I wasn't."

The first 15 miles flew by, and before I knew it, we were riding past the lagoon and back towards camp. The lagoon was peaceful that time of day, before the estate visitors had showed up in force. I tried to do the landscape justice, but couldn't ride and capture the scenery at the same time.

This photo by Ariel Bravy does a great job capturing the scene.

This was the scene through Magic's ears as we walked along the lagoon.

Shortly after that, Tess and Magic both decided that the manhole covers along the trail were going to kill us all. Both horses took turns spooking as we rode briskly back to camp. I'm sure it didn't help that other horses were going out on the black access loop as we came in. It was even less helpful that Indy was among those horses! Magic's girlfriend!!! I'm a homewrecker.

Thankfully, as we approached camp, we veered left off the dirt road and into the woods, riding through the shade and away from the outgoing horses as we came in. It wasn't long before Mike spotted us coming through the trees.

Even though Dr. Bob and Beth had both told me to ride my own ride and not worry about Tess, Beth and I came riding in to the hold together. We were both smiling and having a good time, and both horses still felt fresh.

The volunteers at the in timer tent were fabulous, and I was appreciative of the chit system that Stagg and Cheryl have put into place at Biltmore. No need to fumble for a ride card or wait to figure out in and out times. I honestly believe this should be the standard for all AERC rides.

I did have one unpleasant experience right then. Two riders were leaving for their next loop as we were dismounting. They came charging past us and shouted, "Move, you're in the way!"
I try to be a polite person in general, but I'm especially mindful of my manners when I catch ride for someone else. All the same, I felt like barking back, "This is the in timer. Try slowing down for half a second. I didn't realize your ride was so much more important than mine!" Seriously, if you two are such fantastic riders, why didn't I see you in the PanAm qualifier on Friday?

Tack off was required at all holds, so we stopped at our crewing tent to strip saddles and boots off the horses. Dr. Bob grabbed his stethoscope and checked the horses. Both of them were down already, so we moseyed over to the vetting area.

The vetting ran smoothly despite the extraordinary number of horses, and the ring at the equestrian center made for an ideal trot out area. Mike handed my chit and ride card to the scribe while I held Magic. He had already been vetted in when we arrived on Friday, so this was the first time I was holding him for his exam. I was pleasantly surprised at how much his behavior in the vetting has improved. He was still looking around a fair bit, but he wasn't pushing, dancing, and yanking like he did all last year.

We passed the vetting with flying colors, A's across the board, and no sign of back soreness. Woohoo!

From there, we went back to our crew area so I could relax and Magic could stuff his face.

Did I mention the crew area was insane?

Photo of the crew area taken by Becky Pearman.

I forgot how spoiled I get riding for Dr. Bob. My job is to ride the horse and take care of myself. I basically vetted, handed the reins to Stephanie, and sat down while Mike took care of me and Dr. Bob took care of the horse. It was downright luxurious! I ate and drank and behaved like a good little endurance rider, even taking a potty break. I also got to see Liz one last time before she left to go back to WV.

Magic was still sassy and feeling good. He was barely sweaty at this point in the day, and we didn't even have to sponge him.
"You're under riding my horse!" Dr. Bob poked fun at me. For a split second, I thought he was serious and I was mortified.
"I wasn't under the impression you wanted me to race this!" I told him.
"No. I don't want you to race. Ride for a completion and take care of his back."
"That's what I thought! You scared me..."

Next thing I knew, I had climbed back and Magic and was ready for the second and longest loop of the day. Beth and I were lucky enough to have the same out time, so we left together.

The second loop was 20 miles on the green trail. All I remembered about that trail from last year was that it was the third loop of the day, and that I felt like it would never end, and was ready to quit about halfway through. *gulp* My experience this year was very different! It wasn't hot yet, the horses were fresh, and I really enjoyed the views this time around.

We rode out on the black access trail, then crossed over the French Broad on the big, concrete bridge before picking up a shady trail into the forest, over the vineyards, and through farmland on the other side.

As we crossed the river, I spotted Kally and Indy coming at us, heading in off their second loop. I was alarmed when I saw that Kally was ponying a riderless horse.
"That's not how you do endurance!" I exclaimed, wondering what had happened.
"Is everyone ok?" Beth asked.

It turns out the horse belonged to a young rider. He had been acting up, and she climbed down to play it safe. Just as she was hand walking her horse, some people came galloping past them in a hurry. I can't help wondering if it was the same women who were so rude to me at the in timer. The young rider's horse spooked, jumped sideways, and knocked her over. She happened to be standing next to a log, and the way her leg hit, she broke and/or sprained her ankle.

The girl was being taken to the hospital, and the horse was being a good sport for Kally, so we continued on our way. Mike wound up taking the horse when Kally got back to camp, and found its rightful owners. He later told me that the horse was quite jumpy and upset, and seemed to know he had been 'bad'. The whole tale broke my heart.

This loop featured a lot to look at, including a whole herd of cows, a donkey, and many sheep. We also passed an ambulance, a fire truck, and several deer. Magic didn't seem to mind any of it.

About halfway into this loop, we hit a long stretch of ups and downs. Magic is a powerful horse with long, long legs and he eats up that kind of terrain. We briefly lost sight of Beth and Tess as we came up a hill along the river. Eventually, they caught up to us again, but on the next down hill, we started to leave them behind again. Magic is a machine down hill, and there aren't too many horses I would ride at that speed on a descending grade.

At one point, Beth shouted up to me, "You go ahead. I'm going to hold Tess up and let you go. I think you guys need to go faster than I want to, and you should do it."
"Are you sure?" I asked, pouting.
"Yes. Ride your ride. I'll see you in camp."
"Ok, ride safe. I'll see you soon."

I was sad to part ways, but it is about riding your own ride. The horses called to each other for a mile or so, but then we put some distance between them and silence fell around me. Suddenly, Magic and I were alone.

This was also the loop that winds you across the mountain across from camp. First you see the trailer parking from above, and then again from water level. I texted Mike to tell him, "I see you!" as we passed silently through the woods above camp.

I did have to get off of Magic at one point on this loop too, but this time it wasn't for saddle related issues. We were riding along a single track trail along the river. To the left was the face of the mountain. On the right was a short, but steep drop to the water. Ahead was a rock that protruded onto the trail. The rock must have snarled at Magic because he would. not. go past it. In fact, he started to spin violently when I tried to sway his opinion, and I decided it was still a little early in the year to go swimming. I opted to dismount and lead him past this particular obstacle. Once we were past it, he settled right down and let me scale stiffly back into the saddle.

We finished the second loop in good time, averaging 8 or 9 mph. When I came back to the hold this time, Mike looked surprised to see I was alone.

"How far behind you is Beth?" Dr. Bob asked.
"I'm not sure. We parted ways about halfway through the loop, but they both looked good when I saw them. I think she just wanted to let Tess slow down."

Once again, Magic pulsed down right away and vetted quickly without any problems. I had Dr. Bob jog him for me, and he made it look so easy. I think it helps that he has long legs to match Magic's stride.

By this point, I was starving, and I let Mike stuff me full of all sorts of food. I don't think I stopped grazing for the duration of the hold.

Partway through the hold, Dr. Bob's phone rang, and I overheard him say, "Where are you? I can come get you. Do you think you got off trail?"

My stomach sank. What is it about riding this horse that makes me ditch people?!?! Beth had gotten tired and dehydrated and had dismounted after crossing the French Broad. She was up by the guest parking and she planned to rider option. I felt a wave of guilt despite the fact that Everyone kept reassuring me that this had nothing to do with me. Beth isn't used to riding a trotting horse (she's a Walker girl), and especially not for 50 miles. She was burned out and didn't want to continue. It was a smart choice, but a tough one to make nonetheless.

Dr. Bob went to retrieve Tess so Beth could come in at her own pace, while Stephanie and Mike continued to do a bang up job crewing for me and Magic.

Next thing I knew, I was back in the saddle and heading out on the third loop. Magic was still bursting with energy, and even popped his front feet off the ground in anticipation of going out again. Sassy boy, no!

Plenty of spring left in that trot.

The third loop was another 15 miles on the white river trail. This was a trail I'd never ridden before, and without looking at a map or carrying a GPS, I had no idea what landmarks meant we were getting close to done.

Ride management had to get a little creative with this loop to make the mileage add up correctly. The loops started off by circling around camp and going upstream a short distance before winding back behind the trailer parking and rejoining the regular white loop.

The good news about this detour was that we got a refreshing water stop in a gorgeous creek.

The bad news was that we joined up with the 100's as they were coming off the end of their third loop. Magic and Indy trumpeted to each other, then trotted side by side, nickering as they went. The downside was that Indy and her friends were going back in to camp, while poor Magic had to head away from the group to go back out on trail.

After that, Magic was convinced that he was the only horse in the entire world who had to keep going back out. After all, we kept passing horses that were heading back in, and it was so very, very unfair.

A tiny Magic, all alone in the world.

After some time, Magic did get some pep back in his step, and we trotted downstream along the river for many miles, eventually crossing under the highway to get to the most remote part of the estate.

Along the way, we passed what seemed like a fairly aggressive wild turkey, which came running towards  Magic while I recorded it on helmet cam and asked it to kindly not attack my horse. Eep!

We also passed a wagon full of tourist who were getting to see the farming end of Biltmore. The driver cut the engine, and the tourists sat super quietly, watching us go by. They had clearly been told not to bother the riders.

Then, quite timidly, one woman spoke up, "Good luck! You guys are looking good!" After that, Magic got a round of applause, and perked up as if he knew it was for him. That sort of thing puts a big smile on my face every time.

Just when I thought we couldn't get any further away from camp, the trail turned outwards again. I will admit the views were lovely, but I was starting to get tired.

Magic was drinking really well by this point in the ride, and I even took the time to sponge him at one of the water stops.

Some time later, we got to some fields that looked like they might vaguely be in the general vicinity of familiar ground. Once again, ride management was doing all they could to get the mileage right. We got to one field and rode all the way around it. That part was fine. At the far end of the field, though, the trail doubled back and did several switchbacks across the field, back the way we came.

I may have done some primal scream therapy and dropped some f-bombs.

Hey. We were alone out there.

By the time we got to the next section of trail, which featured significant and unexpected climbs, as well as long stretches of exposed trail that left us baking in the now-hot sun, I was getting fed up. I couldn't tell if Magic was feeding off the fact that I wasn't feeling it, or if he was just tired of being the only horse left in the world, but I had to ask him for more effort for the first time all day. I let him take frequent walk breaks, but I insisted we keep trotting where the footing was good. Neither one of us wanted to be out there for many more hours.

Eventually, we dipped back into the shady pine forest, and I gave Magic a loose rein, letting him amble slowly up hill in the shade. I have never been so happy to hear other riders come up behind me. Best of all, one of them was a familiar face.

"How's it going?" Steven asked me as he caught up to us.
"O, you know..." I grimaced. "It's going."

Thankfully, seeing that other horses were also being tortured was enough inspiration for Magic, and he tagged happily along with their group for the remainder of the loop. By the time we reached the trail beneath the main house, Magic had found his second wind and was happy to carry on of his own accord.

From there, I knew exactly where we were, and the last couple miles went quickly. We crossed the road one last time and rode past the lagoon, where people were now picnicking, bike riding, pushing strollers, and flying kites. I passed a woman seated on a bench with two children and she waved cheerfully to me, then said, "We saw this horse already! Looking good!" I must have looked puzzled because she explained, "We were on the wagon earlier!" I have to admit I was impressed. Three hundred horses, and she was able to pick out the one she'd already seen. Pretty good!

A short time later, we rounded the final turn to the finish. Ahead was a long, flat, open stretch of grassy trail. At the far end I could make out Mike and Dr. Bob's silhouettes. Suddenly feeling re-energized, I got up in my half seat and kissed to Magic, who stepped right out into a huge, rolling canter. His long legs made quick work of this last field, and we crossed the finish line to cheers and applause. It's a good feeling.

I dismounted immediately, loosened Magic's girth, and walked him over to the shade to graze and drink some water. It was still two miles back to camp, but he had carried me for 50, so the least I could do was walk the rest of the way. I was grateful for the fact that Dr. Bob led Magic in for me so I could go at my own sluggish pace.

We were allowed 50 minutes after crossing the finish line to pulse in, and we took advantage of the extra time to really get Magic cooled, sponged, and fed. When we walked over to the vetting area, he looked ready to go for another 25 miles. Once again, Dr. Bob trotted him for me. He looked amazing!

Just like that, we had our completion!

I got Magic cleaned up and put away in his pen next to Tess. Then, Mike and I went back to the crew area to wait for Kally and Indy. They had two loops to go and their second to last hold seemed to fly by.

Heading out on their last loop, looking strong.

In the mean time, we all wandered up to the tent to get food. Ride management had provided hot dogs and hamburgers, and I wolfed down one of each, with plenty of room for more.

Kally and Indy were still looking strong when they came in next, 80+ miles into their day. Kally, to my amazement, was still as perky as ever. Both she and the horse were famished, but otherwise you'd have no idea how far they'd already gone.

As they got ready to go back out on their last loop, the one they would be riding in the dark, Kally made a reference to her last attempt at a 100. She had rider optioned at 96 miles, when she and Indy were alone on trail and got surrounded by coyotes. Indy had panicked and refused to move another step. Kally, understandably, got totally freaked out by it and had called Dr. Bob to come get them both. We teased her, promising to come walk with them on foot if they had problems only four miles from the finish this time!

"Well, Dom, you were at my successful 100 last fall, but not the one with the coyotes. Let's see if you're my good luck charm!"
"If you complete this, you can just carry me like a key chain at future rides," I promised her. "It will help you with your weigh in for BC, too."

While Kally and Indy were out on their last loop, Dr. Bob, Mike, and Stephanie broke our crew area down to the bare necessities.

"You burned a lot of calories today," Dr. Bob commented. "It's going to take you days to catch up!"
"Actually," I retorted, "I'm hoping to not catch up and shed some of this winter weight!"

After that, it was a waiting game. I was exhausted, but wanted to stay up to cheer Kally on. In the end, Mike and I crawled into our tent for a nap, setting an alarm for 12:30am. I was out cold the second my head hit the pillow, or possibly a few minutes before.

At midnight, we woke up to Dr. Bob announcing that Kally was only four miles out and that we needed to get our butts up to the finish line if we wanted to cheer her on. I was up in the blink of an eye, and we all rode up in the truck to wait.

One by one or three by three, the 100's started to come in. Each time a head lamp appeared in the dark, we strained our eyes to see if it was Indy. Eventually, just shy of 1am, a single head lamp appeared at the far end end of the field. Slowly, but surely, the bobbing light approached, eventually reaching the end of the floodlights that marked the finish. A familiar white-splashed horse appeared, ears pricked, plenty of spring left in her step. Indy!

I got chills and my voice caught in my throat as we cheered her on. Hours earlier, I was debating my sanity at continuing to punish  myself in this sport, but watching Kally cross the line, a smile on her face, the cheers of the people around us drifting on the night air, made me itch to do a 100 myself. I want to be that long awaited rider, crossing a spotlit finish line in the dead of the night after spending nearly an entire day on a horse.

I am out of my mind.

We escorted Kally and Indy the rest of the way back to camp, where they passed their final vetting and earned their coveted completion. Not only did they ride a bold last loop alone in the dark, but they finished an awesome 12th place in the process! Kally claimed that she was numb all over. Indy seemed no worse for the wear.

We congratulated them both and made sure the horses were settled for the night. I vaguely remember crawling back into the tent, and then nothing until morning.

That's when I woke up to the sound of the tent zipper, followed by the dogs getting up. I sat bolt upright as my brain registered what was happening. I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but our tent had come open and the dogs were loose in camp! I had a minor heart attack, but the dogs came right back when I called them, and seemed confused about the fuss. Good kids! Eek!

After that, I was wide awake, which was probably for the best because it was after 8am and breakfast was being served up in the tent. Hardee's sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit and more coffee than 300 people can drink? Yes please!

We all gathered, bleary eyed and dressed in our comfortable clothes, to hear the awards ceremony. There were some beautiful speeches and great announcements.

There was also some hard news. Another rider had gotten badly injured the day before. Apparently she was crossing an open, flat field, prime cantering territory, when her horse took a bad step and fell. She was launched, head first into the ground, and despite her helmet, suffered a skull fracture and severe concussion. At the time, she was in a medically induced coma, but the prognosis was reportedly good. Some days after the ride, we all received an email update stating that she was being weaned off of sedation, and that most of her injury seemed to be confined to her skull, and that she was able to move her limbs. That's the sort of thing that makes me really nervous because there's not a damn thing you can do about it.

I'm really not allowed to talk at Mike about the dangers of buying a motorcycle, huh?

I proudly collected my completion award, a totally gorgeous Biltmore T-shirt, which actually came in my size! I was thrilled to hear that Magic and I had finished 38th out of 60 starters. Considering that I was literally only riding to complete, that's pretty darn good! Plus, I think he had a lot more left at the end of the day. Dr. Bob seemed thrilled with how I rode the horse, and it sounds like I may be taking him to RBTR later this summer!

Almost immediately after the awards, Mike and I bid a warm farewell to the crew and hit the road. It was a long, but uneventful drive home. This time, there were no complications and we made good time. The dogs rode quietly in the back. Julio has taught Herbie that it's ok to lay down and sleep while she's in the car, which seems to take the stress out of long road trips for her.

We got home shortly after dark, and checked our own horses, who hadn't seemed to miss us while we were gone.

On Monday, we went back to the daily grind like nothing had ever happened.

It was a wonderful weekend. I am so grateful for so many things about this. I am grateful for the opportunity to ride such a sweet, talented, and charming horse. I am thankful for the kind, generous people that come with him. I am thrilled about the views and experiences associated with being out on that endurance trail! (I found out Biltmore was rated the third best place in the world to go horseback riding by the Travel Channel.)

But more than anything, I am grateful for this guy, who accompanies me on these crazy trips and supports all my nutty dreams:

And, of course, here is helmet cam from the day. Please ignore my ridiculous commentary.

Biltmore Preview

Tough, but amazing 50 miles in NC this past weekend with Magic Man. Details to follow :)

2014 Biltmore Challenge II

When I got started in endurance, I very quickly got a hit list of must-do rides. Of course, any of the west coast rides are on my list, mostly because they look so different from anything we have out here. My top three more realistic goal rides were the Vermont Moonlight, Old Dominion, and Biltmore. I got Vermont knocked out with Rayzer in 2011. I was supposed to go again with JJ this year, but opted out for a slew of reasons. As regular readers know, OD was my continuous non-starter event, but I finally got to ride the trail last month with JJ. One of the longer distances for OD is still on my to-do, but I'll take what I can get, given that I don't actually have a horse of my own to compete right now.

That left Biltmore, 600 miles away. My chances of getting there any time soon were pretty slim and I sort of pushed it to the back of my mind, focusing on more local rides this year. Imagine my surprise and delight when the opportunity to do this ride on a horse I know and love fell right into my lap.

I was sitting under the tent at OD, chatting with my friends, Ival and Wendy. I used to ride with them all over the place, but we haven't had a chance to compete together since 2011. I was lamenting my catch riding situation when Wendy threw the idea on the table.

"Well, how would you like to do Biltmore?"
"I would love to. When is it? I'd have to find a horse..."
"It's in a month and you could ride Clover!"

Apparently Wendy has been wanting to do the Biltmore 55 with her young horse, Fleuron, but Ival had family obligations that weekend and wouldn't be able to go. Without a riding partner and travel buddy, Wendy was looking at just staying home. Having me ride Clover would be a win for everyone involved. I would get to go to Biltmore (and be able to excuse myself from Vermont). Wendy would get someone to ride and travel with, and Ival wouldn't have to feel guilty about leaving Wendy for the weekend.

Biltmore would present me with a lot of firsts. It would be my first time riding in North Carolina (I had only been there once before). It would be my first competition in the Southeast region of AERC. In fact, it would be my first ride outside the Northeast region. It would also be my first time competing Clover despite the fact that I trained her back in my SRF days and have put some trail miles on her during conditioning rides over the years. As it turned out, it would also be my first time traveling through Tennessee. There was a lot to look forward to.

Mike, as usual, jumped right on board with the idea, offering to crew, photograph, and day-drink.

Unfortunately, Mike was able to get Friday off, but not Thursday. Since it's a 10.5 hour drive without a horse trailer, Wendy wanted to make sure the horses had as much time to rest before the ride as possible. This meant leaving super early on Friday morning. So, after a 45 surgery day at the clinic and a vet visit for JR, Mike and I had dinner and went to bed at our usual time, setting an alarm for the lovely hour of 2am. We were on the road half an hour later, and had the horses loaded and on the highway long before the sun came up.

The ride down to NC was long, but beautiful. Not surprisingly, Mike and I slept for some of the trip. By now, we've become pretty familiar with interstate 81. We've been on it more times than I can count over the last three years. Virginia is starting to feel like it's right in my back yard.

We spent a lot of time chatting about this and that and catching up on the goings on in each other's lives. We stopped for gas frequently (hauling a three horse slant with LQ will do that), checking the horses often along the way. But mostly I just gawked at the scenery. I get a kick out of watching the landscape, terrain, and plant life change as we travel around the country for these events. For some reason, I was surprised at how gorgeous TN was. I had pictured it to be mostly flat, oddly enough, and was impressed with the 'lumpy mountains' just across the border. I have added Tennessee to my to-ride list.

After nearly 12 hours in the truck, we finally arrived at the Biltmore Estate, where the ride is held. For those not familiar, Biltmore is the largest privately owned house in the United States, located on 8,000 acres (of the original 125,000), which has been open to the public since 1930.

For those of you who are wondering, this is what the Biltmore House looks like:

Image from Wikipedia. This photo gives a better idea of the landscape.

The official Biltmore website warns that visitors are often surprised at the size of the estate, but even with that forewarning, I was blown away. After signing in at the front gate (we had to have special access and have our names on a pre-approved list; it was very VIP) we drove across the grounds to the equestrian center, where ride camp would be. My jaw was hanging open and I kept marveling at "all the plants and rocks and water!"

Riding out of the mist into the first hold.

As we rolled into the horse camping area, we were surprised at how few trailers there were. Despite the fact that I saw a few numbers on hindquarters, this didn't appear to be a good turn out for such a well known ride. It turned out that this was just the day camp section of the equestrian center, however, and ride camp was still further down the road. 

We rounded a turn and suddenly there were many, many horse trailers, tents, and crew areas. "That's more like it!" Mike exclaimed as we pulled in. We stopped for wrist bands and meal tickets, then drove on to find a parking spot.

Camp was at the bottom of the estate, along the French Broad River. There was a ton of grass for the horses to eat, and some of the estate's resident equines dotted the pastures along the back edge. Vetting was next to the fancy outdoor riding arena, and there was a horse scale nearby. I weighed Clover at the beginning of the ride. She weighed 1005lb. By the end, she would drop 50 pounds.

After we got parked and unloaded, we went up to vet. It had been a long day for the horses, and I knew they wouldn't score perfectly at the initial vetting. Clover pulsed in at 40bpm (not bad for a non-Arab!) She was a little dehydrated and her guts were a bit quiet, but she trotted sound and perky, and got a B+ for overall impression. 

She also got scored a 5 on the body condition scale, which I told Ival, who has been worried that she's getting too fat. In fact, the vet noted that she could use some extra groceries if she was going to continue doing 50's. I'm glad I'm not the only one who wants to see her endurance horses a little fat!

Mike's epic photo of Fleuron, and a good 

demonstration of why I want an Asgard.

We had just enough time to finish unpacking and setting up before it was time for awards for the Friday distances (it was a two day event) and ride briefing. What followed the ride meeting was one of the best ride dinners I have ever had, catered by the estate's restaurant, and featuring the world's most delicious desert (blackberry tart, still hot from the oven, and coated in fresh Chantilly cream). In fact, I think this meal comes second only to the lobster we had in Maine. I may have mentioned this before, but I really do join AERC for the food.

After dinner and a few beers, we were off to an early bed time. Mike and I felt like we were living the pampered life, sleeping on the pull out couch in Wendy's living quarters. That may sound like roughing it to some people, but after sleeping in the front seats of my hatchback at the last two rides, it was a major upgrade. My only complaint was the heat. Mike and I are not summer people to begin with. I'm not sure what I was thinking, doing a ride in NC in the middle of July!

We were up at 4:30am for a 6am start. The horses must have known what we were doing, but Clover eyed me suspiciously anyway when I stuck her on the high tie. We were tacked up, electrolyted, and ready to go before I knew it. Our plan was to wait for the rest of the 55's to go out before hitting the trail ourselves. Fleuron has an issue with horses rushing up behind him, especially early in a ride, and we wanted to make this as positive an experience as possible. My only goal for the day was for all of us to complete.

We were mounted and  walking the horses around camp very shortly after that anyway. That's when I realized that I had made a big mistake by not bringing my own saddle. Everyone had told me how comfortable Ival's Big Horn endurance saddle, complete with its wool seat saver, was, and I always like to ride a horse in its own saddle when possible. However, as soon as I swung a leg over, I knew I was in for a rough day. The saddle was hard as a rock, despite the wool, and I could tell that something about the tree was definitely going to rub. Bummer, but not a whole lot I could do about it...

At 6am, the 55's were off. As they disappeared up stream on the blue trail, Mike gave me our traditional pre-ride kiss good luck. "I love you. Have fun, be safe, come back to me." And then we were off too.

It was still dark as we rode out, and I was grateful for my headlamp. It didn't do much in the way of illuminating the trail ahead, but it did give us some visibility in terms of cars passing us as we rode down the estate paths. At this point, there was a heavy fog sitting over the river, and I secretly hoped that it would stay overcast until we were done with our ride. Even though we were still enjoying the morning cool, the humidity was high and I could feel that it was going to be a hot day.

I quickly fell in love with the trails at Biltmore, even though we were on the least scenic of the loops. Everything about this ride was like something straight out of a country song: muddy waters, red dirt roads, tall pines, clay in the soil. It was enough to make me homesick for someplace I've never lived.

The only issue we had on the first loop was that the LD's were right behind us. Apparently racing the LD's is big in the SE, and they were blasting past us for a good chunk of the loop. Fleuron and Wendy were not thrilled, and I tried my best to shield them from the onslaught.

Wendy and I made good time on the first loop, covering twelve miles in just under an hour and forty-five minutes. The great thing about this ride is that we had excellent cell phone service out on trail and in camp. I was able to give Mike a head's up that we were coming in before we actually reached camp. 

This ride is put on by Stagg and Cheryl Newmann, and everything about it is organized and well-planned. I wouldn't expect anything less. One of the many wonderful things that they did was to provide ice for the horses at all the holds. One bag per horse per hold. It was something we would wind up being very grateful for, but after the first loop, we didn't even need our first bags of ice.

We came into the hold at 7:42 and put the heart monitors on the horses. They were both ready to pulse, thanks to the fact that we had walked the last stretch in. Three minutes later, Clover pulsed in at 60, with a CRI of 60/60. She scored A's all across the board, and I was thrilled. 

Once we were vetted, the horses settled down to eat, and Mike made sure I was taking care of myself. I ate bananas and yogurts, and Mike replenished the Gatorade I had been dutifully drinking on trail. I took a moment to enjoy AERC's luxurious 40 minute hold. 

At 8:25 am, we were off again. This time, we were following the black access trail along the base of the estate, then crossing over the French Broad to pick up the yellow trail.The first section of this trail was general use paths. We saw bike riders, joggers, and families walking dogs. We rode across trail where carriage rides and hack horses go out. We also saw signs for the Segway tours, which cracked me right up. 

The bridge over the French Broad was quite a sight, and a lot of horses seemed to have an issue with it. I don't know if it was the concrete footing or the white rails or the sheer size of it, but many riders dismounted and led their horses across. I chuckled because it's something I think Ozzy would have done without a second though, but he freaks out at sewer drains every time.

Once we were across the river, the terrain changed, and it was more like riding in the wilderness (except that it was exceptionally well groomed). 

On this loop, we rode past the estate's farm section, where Clover had an absolute melt down about the food troughs in the cow pasture (but was unfazed by the guard dog who lives with the sheep and was charging the fence line and barking as we rode past). 

After that, we arrived at what was my favorite section of the trails for the day. We emerged from the forest over the vineyards, riding along the crest of a steep foothill. The view all around went for miles. Golden fields dipped across the horizon, and blue mountains rose high in the distance. The trail wound dramatically ahead of us, leading to a valley where a crystal blue lake waited for us. I wow'ed out loud when I saw the view, and my point and shoot photos do not do it justice.

I was thrilled to see that the ride photographer was stationed here. I can only imagine the photos you could get out there. There are no words.

Photo ©Kenneth Martin, Smith's Photography, used with permission.

We did the second loop, 14 miles, in just under two hours. The sun emerged from the haze just as we were heading back to camp, and I groaned, knowing that we had many hot miles still ahead of us. Mike was ready and waiting for us when we arrived, with ice in the water buckets for sponging. We were riding into camp on sunlit paths, and in that kind of heat, it's only productive to walk in the shade, so we came trotting into the hold, at a controlled pace, but trotting nonetheless. After a quick sponging, both Clover and Fleuron were ready to vet right in. Five minutes after our in time, Clover pulsed at 64 on the dot, with a CRI of 64/64. Once again, she had A's all across the board. Once again, we let the horses eat and took care of ourselves.

Much to my dismay, the longest loop for the day, 17.6 miles, was next. At most rides, they get the longest loop done first, but I know ride management was trying to keep us in the shade as much as possible for the later parts of the ride. Still, it was a mental challenge to brace for this loop. I had Mike pack me a second Gatorade in my saddle bags, watering it down since I'd probably be chock full of electrolytes by the time I got to it.

At 11:03, approaching the hottest part of the day, we went back out on the black access trail, looking for the green trail markers on the far side of the river. Not only was this the longest loop of the day, but it also featured the most hills. We climbed up, then down, then up again, seemingly forever. We passed over camp twice, and I sympathized with the horses' frustration. "It's right there. Can't we just swim the river and go home?" I have to say that the difference between a 50 mile ride and a 55 mile ride may not seem like much, but when you're living it, those five miles make a big difference. I would have gladly taken them off that never-ending green loop. 

We weren't the only ones who were struggling on this loop. I think we were riding in dead last place for the first two loops, and at one point, a timer had told us, "You've got nothing but the day ahead of you," but on this loop, we caught several riders. We had taken a woman on a mustang mare out of the second hold with us, but we lost her somewhere on that loop as well. She would eventually end up pulling... RO.

By the time we were heading back in to camp, the horses were visibly tired, Clover more so than Fleuron. We had been out on trail for nearly three hours, and the heat, which was more intense than the heat we get here in Jersey, despite reportedly mild temperatures for the region, was really wearing on us all. Once again, we were coming into camp mostly in the sun. I was very grateful for the tunnel of trees right before the crewing area, and I'm  not sure we would have completed without it. I let Clover walk and walk in the shade, and dismounted and loosened her girth long before we were at the in-timer, but she was panting and sluggish nonetheless.

I had texted ahead to Mike. "We're coming in. Hot. Get ice."

I stripped Clover's tack under our hold tent and sponged her, first with cool water, then with cold. I held my breath as I put the heart monitor on her.

88.

Damn.

I sponged and scraped and sponged and scraped, but Clover's pulse still hung at 72. If I let her eat, it spiked back to the 80's. I could get her down to hovering at 68, but if I stopped icing her for a second, she would go back up to the 70's. Time ticked by, eating away at the 30 minutes we had to come down to 64, and I was starting to worry. Part of the problem was that Clover had had to pee for the better part of the last 17 miles, but she flat out refused to do it. I parked her in some discarded hay. Nothing. I whistled and begged and kept on sponging and pumping her full of water. She held it still.

The out timers kindly let me park her under their tent so I could keep her in the shade while I waited, then not have to walk far to vet. Mike brought a bucket of ice and kept sponging and scraping with me. I kept checking the heart monitor.

At long last, almost 15 minutes after we arrived, her pulse came down to 64 just long enough for her to meet the criteria, but Clover wasn't herself. Her CRI was 64/68, the worst it had been all day. Her guts were quiet and her skin tenting and jug refill were slow, despite the fact that she'd been drinking at every possible spot on trail. She trotted sound for me, but she wasn't her usual peppy self.

The vet decided to hold my card, despite the fact that there was nothing outwardly wrong with Clover. I am grateful for a vet who cared enough to want to see us again. I've come to expect that in the endurance world, but it's still good to see.

As soon as we got through the vetting, Clover parked out and peed. Immediately, her heart rate came back down. She stuffed herself full of hay and grain, then drank half a tub of water. When it was time for her re-check, her guts sounded good again.

"I'm letting you continue," the vet told me in a stern voice. "Don't you hurt this horse."
"Trust me," I assured him. "I am going to take very good care of this girl. If we have to walk the entire last loop, that's fine by me. We're not racing. I just want a completion and a healthy horse."

The last loop was only ten miles, but I really wasn't sure we would make it. Wendy's out time had been a full fifteen minutes before mine, and she decided to take it, in case Clover wasn't going to go back out. I waited a bit after my own out time to hit the trail again. At first, I was worried that I'd have a hard time convincing Clover to leave camp, especially alone, but she seemed up to the task, trotting slowly, but happily past the horse trailers and out onto the orange trail.

I took my time that last loop, allowing Clover to walk all the flat spots, and shuffle the down hills. At one point, after a particularly long climb, I found her panting and dismounted to lead her in hand for a while. Unfortunately, that just made her slow down even more, not something I thought was possible.

"We don't have to go fast," I told her, "But we do have to make forward progress." It was well after 3pm by that point, and I forgot that the end time for the ride was 7:12pm, not 6pm (hooray extra five miles). I was slightly concerned that we would be over time if we kept going at the rate we were going.

About halfway through the loop, we came upon a water trough next to a servant's quarters. The water was clear and cold, and Clover drank deeply.I sponged her for several minutes, using my hands to scrape the excess water from her neck and shoulders. I let her play in the water and we just stood for ten minutes. It was a shady spot and there was a breeze. If she wanted a break, this would be the place to take one.

Then, very suddenly, Clover threw her head in the air and caught her second wind. She must have known that Fleuron was ahead somewhere, and she gave a mighty whinny that echoed through the empty forest around us. Suddenly, she was trotting boldly forward with no encouragement for me, even offering to canter some of the up hills. I wasn't sure how much go she would have left, and I wasn't about to stop whatever she was going to offer. I grabbed some mane, got up in my half seat, and just enjoyed the ride. We rode endless switchbacks down the mountain, and Clover maintained her speed. Periodically, she would scream into the still, hot air around us. I strained to listen for any sound at all, but no answer ever came.

Just as I was starting to wonder if horses can hallucinate, I heard a familiar neigh from the gully below. Fleuron and Wendy were stopped at a stream just ahead. Wendy swears this was the first and only time that Fleuron called, but Clover must have known he was there. The horses were delighted to see each other, and greeted one another with arched necks and flared nostrils, before heading off side by side with energy renewed. I think Wendy was just as happy to see me as Fleuron was to see Clover, and we fell back into the lead. 

The rest of the loop flew by, even though we were taking frequent walk breaks. Before I knew it, we appeared in a field just below the House. I snapped a ton of photos, knowing that none of them would do justice to the view above us. It was like something out of a story book. 

The trail in the background is like a lot of what we rode that day.

From there, I knew where we were, and I counted down the minutes to the finish line. Wendy and I trotted the horses happily over the finish, whooping and cheering that we had done it.

"Where's everyone else?" a volunteer asked.

"Why, are we dead last?" I asked, thinking I knew the answer. Turtle and Heir Apparent to the Turtle. 

I was stunned when the volunteer replied, "Far from it. You guys are sixth. Would you like to tie?"

"Of course! We rode together all day. It was a team effort!"

Top ten at Biltmore! Now all we had to do was get our completions.

No wonder the vet had been reluctant to let me go back out. He probably thought, "Here's this kid racing this off breed horse in the heat."

The finish line was about two miles away from ride camp, and I wished Clover would walk faster behind me so that I could dismount and loosen the girth, but we just crawled in, eating away at the minutes to our 50 minute required pulse time.

For the last time, I texted Mike. "Heading in. Very slowly. Need all the ice you can get."

At last, we arrived at the crewing area. Mike helped me strip tack from Clover and I poured cold water over all her large muscle groups. It had taken us almost two hours to ride that last ten miles, but it was well worth it when Clover pulsed in at 64, then earned her best CRI of the day... 64/60. She trotted out sound and willing, she was well hydrated, and her guts were rumbling away. Clover finished a long, hot 55 (her first distance over 50) with an overall impression of A- (better than her initial vet in!) and a ride time 8h36m, completely respectable for the terrain.

I was walking on air (and beer) for the rest of the day. Top Ten at the Biltmore 55 was quite a feat.

I was exhausted and starving. I scarfed down what tasted like heavenly hot dogs for dinner, and I think I was asleep before the sun was completely out of the sky.

We were up before the sun on Sunday as well, and Mike made quick work of packing everything away. We were on the road by 6:30am. I slept through a lot more of the drive than I had on the way down, but was thrilled at the greeting we received when we reached the barn. Ival was there with Kris, the girl who has been riding and conditioning Clover every week, and they were cheering when they saw us.

I've had a week and a half to reflect on the ride now, and I have to do my duty to the Endurance Trifecta ;) and talk about what worked:

-Ice at the holds

-Drinking a bottle per loop

-Potty breaks at the holds

-Eating yogurt

-Letting Clover tell me when she wanted to go and when she needed to break

-Sponging on trail

-Walking into the first hold

-Wendy's magic electrolytes
-My own fitness. I am proud to report that I wasn't the least bit muscle sore after this ride, and felt like I could have definitely done another 25 miles.

And what didn't work:

-Tom thumb bit. I hate these anyway. Clover is mostly good and I rode most of the day one-handed on a loose rein, but when she's not listening, I have to wrestle with her in this bit. I am definitely bringing my own next time.

-The saddle. HOLY CRAP. I had an open sore on my butt from it. Never again.

-Yelling at Mike for not doing 1.5million things at once. He threatened to punch me in the head, and I snapped out of it. As always, he's the very best crew/photographer a girl could ever ask for.

All in all this was a very tough, but totally gorgeous ride. I'm glad I got to do it and I would definitely do it again. Also proof positive that standardbreds are awesome.