Jazz’s first LD at the Bill Thornburgh Ride (Road to Tevis #77)

Last Friday I loaded Fantazia and Jazz into the trailer and headed for the desert, near Pearsonville, CA, for the Bill Thornburgh Friends and Family endurace ride. Fantazia was just along for the company. I didn’t want her making my parents nervous by screaming the entire time I was gone. It would do her good to be at a ride and not compete. And Jazz might be more relaxed with her there. Of course, she could also make him more nervous, by modelling anxiety and refusal to eat. But not much can stop Jazz from eating, and I knew he’d be calmer if I could pony him a few miles before riding. I wanted Jazz’s first LD to be as easy as possible.

Events leading up to the ride

As I explain in my last blog post (Planning Jazz’s first ride), life has been a bit chaotic lately. I’ve got a new job which keeps me in Bakersfield during the week. I moved out of my home of several years back in with my parents. My easy access to the best endurance training ground in the world (steep foothills of the Sierra Nevada) was no longer so easy. So Jazz had his first serious training ride two weeks before his first LD. I rode the weekend before the ride, but not the day before driving down. I prefer to always ride the day before, but I got home after dark.

So Jazz was fit, I knew. We’d done 17 miles and over 4,000′ total elevation gain two weeks before. But he’d had a lot of changes. He was fresh and not nearly as trained as I like them to be. (He still cannot reliably leg yield.)

Getting there and setting up…

Luckily, I got a fairly early start on Friday and arrived before three. This was despite Jazz deciding he didn’t want to get in the trailer (a first). And a low tire pressure warning that sent me to Big Brand to have all the tires checked. (They were ALL low, suggesting my ex-boyfriend’s gauge is reading low). I unloaded horses, tied them side by side with water in between, and vetted Jazz in. Fantazia danced around like a lunatic, interpersing levades with piaffes and screaming her head off the entire time we were away. Jazz behaved fairly well for the vet, only a bit wiggly though definitely keyed up.

At the trailer, they did well. Jazz ate and drank well. Fantazia only wanted to eat his feed, ignoring her hay bag and feed bucket. Still she ate more than she ever had alone. Jazz took advantage of the unusually abundant hay supply and emptied the hay bag three times. I could hear him drinking in the night.

The preride

Fantazia had not been ridden in months. She’s unshod, hairy, and jealous of Jazz. So I saddled them both up and rode Fantazia to pony Jazz for three miles (walking two, trotting one). They both drank on the way back to ride camp, and ate some hay. Then I untacked Fantazia and left her to dance around at the trailer while Jazz and I did another 3.4 miles.

Having Fantazia neighing at the trailer did not help him relax. But he did well up until we saw a man throwing something for his dog to fetch, when we were returning to ride camp. That scrambled Jazz’s brain and he did an abrupt about face while I was videoing. A few perilous moments of me holding on to one rein and trying not to drop my phone while Jazz cantered in a circle jumping plants.

Not the first time or the last that I “almost” fall off Jazz when he decides to opt out of foreward motion.

Jazz’s first LD

The start

Jazz was very keyed at the start. It was all new, and Fantazia was doing Grand Prix movements at the trailer. We started towards the front, partly because I had agreed to ride with someone who was doing her second ride, partly because everyone was spaced out and it seemed safe. My proposed companion soon shot ahead, going far faster than I wanted to go with a newbie. Jazz was fine with that, but then two people galloped up behind us and passed. Well, “gallop” is a bit of an exaggeration. They did a slow but out of control hand gallop, and then pulled their horses into a circle to stop. Let us pass, then lost control again and “galloped” by. At this point, I slowed Jazz to a walk and waited for all the crazies to pull away.

Jazz was obedient, but unfortunately (if naturally) very worked up. I refused to let him go faster than 8 mph, so he did a lot of power trotting and head tossing for about a mile.

I should not complain. On Fantazia’s first ride, she pulled on me for 20 miles.

Jazz calmed down after about two miles.

My biggest mistake

Weirdly, Jazz did not want to drink for the entire first loop (15 miles). He sipped water, maybe a total of 10 shallow swallows. He nibbled on some hay. For Fantazia, this would be normal. And he wasn’t tired… but at home he always eats and drinks at every opportunity. And I had given hiim Endura-Max mixed in Kaolin Pectin. He didn’t like that… I should have mixed it with butterscotch pudding, but I had stopped doing that for Fantazia because she hates everything at rides.

Jazz finally ate some hay between loops at the trailer. And halfway through the second look he drank a LOT of water. So I gave him more e-lytes. He immediately clamped his mouth shut and wouldn’t touch food or drink until the ride was done and he was untacked.

I think he hates the Kaolin Pectin. We’ll try something else next time.

My second biggest mistake

Riding with other people… was a big mistake. At first, I wanted to ride with others. Jazz was a terrible spook monster the entire ride. He left me hanging on the side of the saddle at least five times, with huge spooks when I was riding on a long rein. And I wanted him to get used to company. When we finally did ride with someone (whose name I have forgotten, sadly! I want to say Katie but not sure. She rode a pretty grey horse…), Jazz spent a good amount of time pinning his ears. And then he because very bonded.

Every time I let her go ahead, he turned into power-trotting anxiety monster. At the end, when we were about a mile from Ride Camp, she wanted to trot in. I wanted to walk. Jazz became so annoying I got off and led him. It was that or start circling back, which would have been entirely unproductive and made me increasingly impatient and Jazz hysterical.

I didn’t think race brain would be a problem for him, and I still don’t think that. He’s not much interested in racing. But he’s very interested in not being alone. He will trot away from other horses, but reluctantly. He really doesn’t want to stay behind.

Jazz’s physical condition

Jazz’s first LD was definitely easy for him physically! He definitely could have done the 50, if only because that section of the desert is nearly as flat as the Texas panhandle. Less than 800′ total elevation gain over the entire 30 miles. I led Jazz into ride camp after both loops with him dancing around me. After the first loop he pulsed in immediately at 56, with CRI of 48. Second loop he was at 60, and I don’t know the CRI (vet didn’t write it down). But he moved out like he was in a halter class.

I believe an LD was a wise decision, because I was not entirely sure he was ready to do a 50. But he was, and a 50 would have been better for his brain. He was barely tired. Legs perfectly clean afterwards and the next day. He ate well at the trailer, and better when we got home that evening, so he lost no weight. If anything he looks fatter after having extra rations for the ride.

What’s up next

I’ve just entered the Sesenta Anos xpride. We can only do the last day, because I have to work. Fantazia and I did all three days last year. It’s a great ride. Jazz will do the 50. It will be much more challenging, because it’s hilly. But with 30 miles of trotting two weeks prior, he’ll be ready. He’s been doing hill work for months now.

Fantazia will come along for company again. And I’m getting her shod next week. She’s sound, apparently. I’ll do a long ride Friday, after Jazz’s preride. See how she’s doing.

After Sesenta Anos we’ll aim for Cayuse in December. I’ll be done with the semester–at least the lecturing part–so I can stay all weekend. If it’s not as cold as it was last year!