Muckleratz Endurance 2026

 

Bonnie's first time at the hang glider launch.

Believe me when I say the last thing I wanted to do mere days after losing the mares was go to an endurance ride. However, Mike and I have a commitment to photograph the ride every year. I am nothing if not true to my word. 

So with temperatures forecast to be in the triple digits with absurdly high humidity, we packed the cameras, our belongings, and the dog, then hit the road. 

I did make one important change. Now that I wasn't bringing a horse, I had zero interest in camping in this weather, especially since it promised to storm heavily that weekend. Mike and I enjoyed having a VRBO at No Frills and I started my search in the Halifax area for an air conditioned place to stay.

As long time readers may infer, this ride is somewhat remotely located. Finding a place to stay on a holiday weekend was tricky. There were no big name chains to speak of unless we wanted to head all the way to Harrisburg. 

I stumbled upon the Halifax Inn, which looked a little sketchy online, but had nothing but glowing reviews. More importantly, they had vacancies. I booked a double queen room, and felt immediate relief. The packing process would be simplified, we'd have hot showers and cold AC for sleeping, and I could avoid talking to all my well-meaning horse friends any more than I wanted to.

I'm actually really glad we went. Being able to vent about unfolding events was cathartic, though I was somewhat alarmed at the number of people who have been through similar trials over the years. Ride camp is often my happy place, and that proved to be the case this year as well.

Plus Ashley was out from the west coast and it was really, really good to get to catch up in person!

We went up Friday after taking care of Chip, and arrived shortly before dinner and the ride meeting. 

A good turn out considering the conditions.

Bonnie is enthralled by the ride briefing. Clearly.

Terra and Michelle were riding together and it was great to see them and meet Terra's new neighbors. They moved here from Texas and are also endurance riders! They also have a newborn and I was amazed that Courtney was back to doing 50s just a few weeks after giving birth. Talk about dedication!

After saying hello to some familiar faces and getting the details of the ride, we drove up to the hang glider launch. Mike and I have spent many weekends taking in this view over the last decade, and I am very glad we weren't dogless this year. Bonnie got her photo added to the collection. It was too muggy, even as the sun was setting, to do much more than walk out, peek, and head back to the car.

Mike's first photo with his new, mirrorless camera.

Bonnie yawns across (more local) America.

It turns out the hotel was only twenty minutes from ride camp and it was a beautiful drive through the countryside to get there. We always enjoy driving down new roads and this was no exception. The hotel was right across from the Susquehanna River and we had it mostly to ourselves on the first night. 

Check in was done digitally so we never had to interact with a human being. 

The room itself was lovely. Clean, modern, and, most importantly, cold. The water temperature was a little finicky, but we got showered just fine.

Our little shelter dog has gotten quite accustomed to hotel stays.

Did I mention pets stay for free?

There were some brutal thunderstorms back home that night. We found out that Terra's neighbors had a bunch of trees down on their property. Matt actually drove all the way home that night because their fences were down and their horses were out. He nearly wasn't able to make it home because of the road closures. 

I was relieved that Chip was in good hands. It's so nice to have eyes on the horses even when I'm not there, and not to wonder if anyone would notice something amiss. It turns out the storm missed the farm entirely.

After the best night's sleep we've ever had at Muckleratz, we were up early. We enjoyed a lovely sunrise as we drove the empty roads back to camp.

After grabbing egg sandwiches from Mary, Mike and I went our separate ways. He headed up to his usual perch at the hang glider launch while I stayed back in camp to shoot candid photos in the vetting area all day.

Once all the riders went through up top, Mike rejoined me in camp.

The day was hot from the start, but it was bearable in the shade for the first few hours. Eventually, even that was miserable. Luckily, I had my handy dandy DeWalt fan. Bonnie has historically been afraid of the fan, but she came to like it over the course of this weekend. 

Tethered like a common hound.

Terrible.

Bonnie discovers the joys of Fan.

Ride photography is hard work.

I spent most of the day taking head shots and trot out photos and chatting with vets and volunteers. Ranelle is always a hoot.

It was definitely a tough day on trail but there was a 100% completion rate for the LD! There were only two pulls in the 50. Dan and Rachel were over time. 

Ashley was riding for Meg and their crew spot was set up right near where I was stationed for the day. I was eager to jump in and help where I could so Ashley and I could chat during her holds. 

Unfortunately, there was a little bit of excitement later in the afternoon. Terra and Michelle both completed with good vet cards. However, Nadi wasn't drinking or eating well after the ride. She gave herself a mild dehydration colic a few hours after completion. I ran up to assist while the vet treated her with NG fluids and electrolytes. That did the trick and she finally peed, after which she was ravenous. Nadi made a full recovery, but I think Terra was quite stressed. 

Poor Nadi.

Some time that afternoon, Jen and Christine arrived. They were doing the intro the next day. It was great to catch up with them too!

We stuck around for dinner and the meeting that night as well, but headed to the hotel shortly after that.

Saturday night was the holiday. There had been a few cannon booms in camp throughout the day, but this was nothing compared to the show happening seemingly right outside our room that night. The fireworks were plentiful and nearby and we didn't get to sleep until late into the night.

Bonnie was either tuckered out or cool as a cucumber. After barking once or twice at the onset, she just went to sleep despite the chaos. Good dog. 

I am not complaining though, because we were clean, cool, and dry while all this was going on.

Sunday was more of the same with an early start, egg sandwiches, and our assigned stations.

I took Bonnie for a walk up the camp driveway after the last riders went out. I wouldn't see them for a few hours yet. 

That's when I ran into Sonja who had a catastrophic boot failure before she even reached Mike at the overlook. She hand walked Star all the way back down the mountain, but was in good spirits when I saw her.

I got this photo of them coming back into camp:

Star wasn't done making a ruckus just yet, and I soon heard shouts of, "Loose horse!" as she escaped her pen and ran around camp before being safely contained. We've all been there!

Other than that, it was the usual hurry-up-and-wait. I took more photos and read my book from the comfort of my chair. I listened to some great vet stories from Nick and company, and got to watch riders experience the usual highs and lows of endurance riding. All in all, it was a lovely way to spend a hot day.

While a small piece of me wished I was riding, I mostly didn't miss it. I'm not really ready to analyze what endurance riding will mean to me in this chapter, but that weekend, I enjoyed being in camp without a horse. That's all I will say about that.

Gideon having a victory roll.

Resigned to her fate.

Poor beastie.

"Moooooommmmm...."

Once all the horses went through the hang glider launch, Mike came down to camp and we wrapped it up. We said our goodbyes and rolled out of camp with another ride on the books. We were at the barn by 2:30pm and home by four. 

At this time, I have no further endurance/CTR plans. Mike and I will likely continue to photograph No Frills and Muckleratz unless we have an important conflict. We've even toyed with the idea of having Mike photograph the NJ rides in an official capacity.

For the time being, however, I'm just taking a stance of let it be. 

A few weeks earlier, Michelle had sent a group chat. A friend of hers had a quarter horse who was flunking out of polo. He was free to a good home. As soon as Muckleratz was in the rearview, I messaged her and asked, "Is that polo pony still available?"
"He is."
"Can you put me in touch with his owner? It doesn't hurt to look."

Coming up next: Max enters the chat.