Our first endurance ride, finally, nearly four months after I had planned to do our first fifty, was last weekend. We did the 50-miler on the second day of the Laurel Mountain xp ride. Because of COVID, it was not an AERC event, but thank goodness for the Western Distance Riders Alliance (WDRA), XP Rides, and the Nicholsons for putting them on. Fortunately, WDRA rides count towards the 300-mile rider requirement for Tevis, although I would have gone to Laurel Mountain in any case.
Laurel Mountain was an excellent training experience. Below I will first describe the ride itself. Then I will list the things I did well, the things I need to improve, and the take home: what I learned over the three days I was there.
Table of Contents
- A pre-ride exploration of the surroundings
- My camping arrangements…
- Ride day
- Race brain
- The Trail
- Water (and food) on trail
- The hold
- The second loop
What I learned on our first endurance ride
The Laurel Mountain XP ride
The ride took place February 4-6, Thursday through Saturday. I had thought to ride the first and last day, but I work until 4pm on Wednesdays, and I didn’t feel good about arriving after dark at a place with which I was unfamiliar. (Or about driving through Bakersfield rush hour traffic.) So I left home Thursday at 9:15, and made it in a leisurely three hours, 20 minutes.
A ride camp in a primarily flat desert makes for easy parking and no backing up (yay!). As per ride rules in view of COVID, we had to park at least 50 feet away from other people. Easy. I drove in slowly around one, and meandered around to the far end before parking. I was really lucky to have Kristin Ojala pull in and park next to me (during COVID, up to 150 feet qualifies as “next door”). In a camp full of living quarters, we both had simple trucks and trailers.
After setting up and getting Fantazia as settled as I could (which wasn’t settled at all.. she ate and drank nothing until during the ride… more on that later), I walked around until I found the Nicholsons’ trailer. EDIT: Fantazia and I walked around. She went bonkers when I tried to leave her alone at the trailer. That was just as well, because Dr. Nicholson was there and we could do the pre-ride vetting in. I also took the lengthy instruction packet. Later I dropped off my card on our way out for a quick ride.
A pre-ride exploration of the surroundings
I wanted to take Fantazia on a relaxing ride through the camp and to the start of the next day’s trail. First we explored ride camp, then we walked down the main road. After a while we met up with Andy and his mare, and walked out along a dirt road along what we thought was (but turned out not to be) the trail.
Ride camp was very convenient, especially considering COVID restrictions. No, we didn’t have a portapotty, but we did have a dumpster (we couldn’t leave hay, poop, or other leavings in BLM land). There was no running water or hookups (it was desert!) but ride management had provided water for the horses.
Of course, I didn’t need that water. I had brought 18 gallons for Fantazia and five for me, and she drank nothing at the trailer until the second night. Because she had drunk well during the ride, I gave her electrolytes afterwards–I credit that for the 2/3 bucket she drank in the early hours of Saturday.
The short ride with Andy and his mare gave me a hint of what to expect. Fantazia was calm in front, but as soon as they got alongside, she started jigging. When I suggested trotting, Andy took off much faster than I wanted to go. I wouldn’t let Fantazia follow, so she cantered in place, sideways, and so forth, basically being very annoying to ride. So I turned around and we trained for a while. Once she was calm, we walked back to camp.
My camping arrangements…
I had brought a tent, after discarding sleeping on the back seat of the truck. But Fantazia had not made much of a mess in the trailer, so I swept it out and layered a horse blanket, an old sheet our cat Paco uses as a bed, a faux down comforter, a blow up camping mattress, and a sleeping bag. I changed into my ride clothes before crawling in. It was freezing at first, but then I got too hot and had to divest myself of all but a t-shirt.
It worked out fine. Less fine was the fact I had forgotten a vital part of our little propane stove, so I had no hot water. I drank cold beer, ate brie and crackers, and made a fire. If I had had a grill (I’m thinking something like this one), I could have cooked on my fires, so next time, grill!
On the other hand, the stock trailer proved quite comfortable. Once I had unpacked everything, I had a neat little room with easy access to my horse. (And she knew where I was all night!)
Ride day
Our first endurance ride started at 5:15. My alarm was set for 5:30, but other people were up, and that meant Fantazia was up, pawing and dancing around. I got up, at some lemon-ginger cake I had baked for that purpose, and drank a cold coffee drink Kristin had given me (eternally grateful!) I took off the heavy blanket I’d thrown on Fantazia when it got cold the evening before, groomed, tacked up, and tossed a light blanket over her.
Around 6:30 I untied her and mounted. It felt early, but it was the right move. There were a few other horses already, some having meltdowns. When Fantazia tried to have her own meltdown, I backed her, asked for turns on the haunches, and stood still for at least 60 seconds. It is a routine we practice at home in the arena, and it helped her settle. She remained settled at the beginning of the ride, when we all started at a walk down the main road… right up until a pair of riders passed me at a trot. Then her race brain set in…
The race brain
At that point, I could have let her stay in front on a loose rein at a fast trot. I’ve no doubt that Fantazia can trot very fast, at least as fast as the riders I let pass. Trouble is, I didn’t want to go that fast. So I opted to keep her at around 9mph and let other horses pass. Five passed right away. Three more passed some miles into the ride.
Fantazia trotted sideways, cantered sideways, trotted in front and cantered behind, went hollow-backed, head up, tail up… She pulled–as much as a light mare can pull, which isn’t much, but it’s tiring after ten miles. Some people I passed slowed down and I passed them (on the climb up to the highest elevation we reached, just over 4,000′). We played leap-frog (great training). I got cranky. Fantazia did not get tired. At all.
After 15-20 miles she started to relax and be a pleasure to ride…
The trail
Our first endurance ride was in the desert. Let me tell you, it’s a lot better to ride in a dry desert than in a humid climate such as that of Oklahoma. I had worried about cooling my horse without water (a problem in a humid climate with a hairy winter coat!). In the desert, with the slightest of breezes, a sweaty horse cools easily.
And yes, it’s arid. Later in spring, I imagine there are beautiful flowers, but this last weekend, it was just dry tumbleweeds and other low vegetation for the most part.
It was also very rocky, as you can see in the picture on the right above. Once Fantazia had settled down, she did a good job of not stepping on stones. At first, I had to steer her all the time (ineffective and tiring!). They recommend pads, and I didn’t use them, but I might consider having my farrier put them on for future rides in the region. I’ll show him some pictures… (Fantazia is shod in steel.)
The total elevation gain was around 3,200 feet, in two parts. We went up from ride camp (around 2,800′) to around 4,100′, then back down and up again. The second up was the prettiest part of the ride, through a canyon with old mines. You can see the start of it in my first video above. In the video below, we are walking through another part.
The elevation gain was gradual, and Fantazia did it effortlessly. At no point during the ride was her heart rate and respiration near what it gets on our regular training rides at home. (See my post about riding the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.)
At one point we had a railroad crossing, and then followed the tracks for some time before crossing back to the other side.
A bit before crossing the tracks, there was a water stop… I imagined what bad luck it would be to have a train pass when you were trying to get your horse to drink!
Water (and food) on trail
Fantazia had not touched water since we left home the day before. I had gotten her out of her pasture around 8:30, so by the time we hit the first water stop, she’d gone nearly 24 hours without drinking. Not being stupid, she didn’t mess around. She stuck her head in the first trough and took around 20 deep swallows. She proceeded to drink at every water stop (I didn’t count, and lost the map, but it felt like there were around 6-7).
Around mile 25, Fantazia realized she hadn’t eaten anything for over 24 hours (except a few carrots, before she decided to refuse them too). She came to a screeching halt to nibble the dry grass and weeds underneath a tumbleweed. I let her… it was a long way to go without a snack, even for horses who eat normally away from home.
The hold
Naturally, she didn’t eat much at the single hold of the day. She snatched some alfalfa from the ground by the camp watering troughs, and nibbled a bit at her own hay, but would have nothing to do with her mash of beet pulp, alfalfa-timothy cubes, and rice bran.
I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Dave’s Good Seed bread and opened a beer (I’d brought a 12-pack of Firestone IPAs).
The second loop
Despite fasting, Fantazia had plenty of energy for the shorter second loop. We had come in 8th after the first loop, and I didn’t leave until 20 minutes after the riders who were 6th and 7th respectively. Because the riders following me came in a long time afterward I did, I didn’t expect to see anyone.
Much to my surprise, after a few miles I could see two riders in the distance. I had been letting Fantazia choose her pace at the trot (~8 mph) and even let her canter some, because I knew I had plenty of horse. I figured we could walk if she got tired, and still finish.
Apparently the riders ahead of me thought the same, and were taking it easy. Fantazia easily caught them up… and soon afterwards I missed a turn and went about 500 yards off course. Probably because I messed with it so much trying to figure out how to use it, my watch battery died. (See below about learning to use the guiding feature on my Garmin Fenix.)
We were still ahead of those two riders, and in not too long, caught up with two more… then we went off course yet again. All four got a bit ahead, but I let Fantazia trot at will and we easily caught up and pulled ahead before ride camp. Without even trying, we were fourth… and more importantly, I had a relatively fresh horse.
What I learned on our first endurance ride
More importantly, I had learned much about Fantazia’s strengths and weaknesses.
Fantazia’s Strengths
Fantazia is fit
Fantazia is fit, more so than I gave her credit for. Our longest training ride was 20.5 miles (see my post about it). Most of our more strenuous rides are 10-14 miles long, and they have happened at most once a week. For months we just walked. But our playground is hilly. Mountainous might be a better word for it.
At no time during the ride last Friday did Fantazia’s heart rate or respiration get anywhere near when it gets when we do any of our steep hills here. At no time did she really employ her lungs, at no point did she have to push herself. Towards the beginning, I had to repeatedly check her to keep her trot under 9 mph. Once she had calmed down (yes, it takes 15-20 miles), she wanted to go round 8.5 mph most of the time. On the second loop, we hovered around 8 mph at the trot the entire time.
Fantazia is smart about most things
When she realized she was going to need water, she drank. She drank on the ride at every opportunity.
Fantazia will eat on the trail, once she is tired and hungry.
She is careful not to step on rocks or stones (as long as her brain is somewhat engaged).
She chooses a smart pace (as long as her brain is engaged). Fantazia can trot at 12-13 mph, but that wouldn’t be smart. Depending on whether we are pointed towards home (or camp) and her level of tiredness, she will generally choose a speed of between 7.5 (pace = 8 minute mile) and 9 mph (mile in about 6 2/3 minutes).
Fantazia’s Weaknesses
Fantazia gets very nervous at a ride
She dances around by the trailer and paws whenever another horse passes. If I try to leave her tied to the trailer she pitches a serious fit. (She doesn’t mind if I get in the truck or go to the other side of the rig where she can’t see me. But she doesn’t want me walking off and leaving her alone.)
When I ride, she’s fine if alone, out of sight of other horses, or in front. As soon as a horse is next to her (or, gods forbid, ahead), she loses her brain. She doesn’t do anything dangerous (no buck or rear)… although I wouldn’t want her to be dancing sideways on the cliff side of a mountain trail. But she is very annoying to ride, and wastes energy. Wasting energy is the last thing you want to do on an endurance ride, especially if you haven’t eaten or drunk properly in the last 24 hours.
She doesn’t want to eat
Fantazia ate almost nothing until we were 25 miles into the ride (at which point she came to a screeching halt to eat dry grass and weeds). She accepted one carrot from me when I first tied her to the trailer, and grabbed a few bites of hay. After that, nothing. At the hold/lunch break, she grabbed some alfalfa off the ground by the camp water troughs, and nibbled at some that had fallen from her hay net. That was it. She wouldn’t eat her Purina Ultium, rice bran, oats, soaked alfalfa/timothy cubes, beet pulp, or ground flax seed, all of which she usually gobbles. She wouldn’t even take a carrot or an apple.
Finally, around 11pm. I heard her attack the hay bags. By morning she had eaten about 5 lbs of hay. I had wheat, Bermuda, and alfalfa hay in separate bags. She ate a tiny bit of wheat, no Bermuda, and lots of alfalfa (if you can say “lots” when the total is not much more than 5 pounds…)
She only drinks when absolutely necessary
Fantazia did not drink until we were at the first watering stop on the 50 mile ride. This means she went from Thursday morning before 8:45 till Friday morning at 8am without drinking. I gave her electrolytes (Endura-max) before we left home (she had drunk well after breakfast).
During our 50-mile ride, however, she drank enough to make up for it and then some. I forgot to carry e-lytes with me, and hadn’t given her any that morning, so I dosed her at lunch and again after the ride.
Still, once back at camp after the ride, she stopped drinking again. The e-lytes must have had some effect though, because she drank about 2/3 of her bucket at the trailer over night (around 3 gallons).
Things I need to (or can) do differently
Deal with potential ulcers
Given her behavior last weekend, I believe I need to put Fantazia on omeprazole. I’m considering getting her scoped for ulcers, but in any case I will treat her for ulcers and then give her omeprazole several days before, during and several dats after rides. She gets Purina’s Outlast in her twice-daily Ultium (see my post about Feeding the anxious horse). However, if she refuses to eat it at rides, that does no good at all.
I’ve been giving her some Ulcergard left from my last round of treatment. I also spent a long time ordering Abler several days ago. (More on that experience in a later post!)
Be more conscientious about electrolyting
I forgot to take e-lytes on the ride. It turns out Fantazia drinks very well while working, but e-lyting on the ride might have led to more drinking afterwards. It might also be a good idea to do a more demanding warm-up ride after setting up the trailer, so she thinks she needs to drink (and I can then e-lyte).
Stand for BC!!!
I totally forgot to include this in the original post (this is an edit), but I forgot to stand for best Condition!!! I saw the scale at the final vet check, thought, I need to come weigh, etc., and then went back to the trailer, took care of Fantazia, and broke out the beer…. oops!!
Then there are the things I forgot or simply didn’t think about…
Besides the piece that attaches my stove to the propane burner, I should have remembered
- A charged head lamp (I brought mine, no charge)
- A flashlight (any would have worked, but my favorite is actually a bike light, which was not charged)
- Cold caffeine drinks just in case I forget the stove attachment again
- A grill to cook on the campfire
- Zinc oxide (didn’t need it, but I usually have it in my grooming box, just forgot this time)
- Charger cables for phone and watch and a portable charger (I just ordered this Anker one)
On the other hand…
I had more than enough clothes. Optimistically, I brought three t-shirts, and never changed the one I put on Thursday morning. I had more than enough water (18 gallons for Fantazia, 5 gallons for me), feed (four meals Fantazia did not eat), food for me, beer….
The next day
Fantazia woke me up at 5:15, when ride camp began to stir. I refused to get up until 5:45, when I started to pack. Fantazia was dancing around and pawing as she watched other horses getting saddled. (From a long distance!!) So around 6:15, I strapped a foam pad and saddle towel on with a racing overgirth, put on her bridle, and hopped on from the trailer fender. It was a beautiful morning, and good training to make Fantazia stand quietly while other horses rode off.
I packed up and left around 8:30. It had been a great ride.
And yes, I do love shadow pictures!
Sounds like you have one really fit mare, congratulations! You did a great job with her and the ride. I love seeing all the photos and videos, it’s quite different from the Virginia Blue Ridge region. What saddle did you end up riding in? Any tack suggestions for us novices?
Thank you 😀
I rode in the Reactor Panel, and it worked out fine. (though I REALLY need to get the billets replaced, because it’s becoming difficult to find the right spot for the girth!)
My suggestion is just use whatever saddle and bridle are comfortable for you and your horse.
One thing, if your horse gets wound up before a ride, the easiest thing is to put a lightweight halter on the day before, and just slip the bridle over it when you need to tack up.
I have an entire blog post about bridles/headwear. Bits, bosals, and Hackamores I think it’s called.
Great story – and it sounds like you have an amazing horse you’ve brought along! I was at that ride with the 2 big brothers (one chestnut, one gray) across the camp from you. We did a slower pace Day 2 and came in 11th & 12th so we could go back out on Day 3. It was the gray’s 1st back-to-back 50 . . . and we did 3 in a row.
PLEASE if you ever see me/us in camp, please don’t hesitate to chat with us. I have a ‘magic mash’ I’ll share with you that even my pickiest eater will chomp on . . . we also had a propane firepit and socially distanced with another rider around it as well as gave him some good human food (I always bring tons).
Keep up the great work!!
Thank you! Will you be at Coso?
Pingback: Road to the Tevis Cup #31: Introducing Fantazia's pasture mate, Beroni
Pingback: Road to the Tevis Cup #33: The two weeks leading up to our second ride
Pingback: Road to Tevis #35: The dangers of riding in rocky terrain
Pingback: Road to Tevis #36: Benefits of using a heart rate monitor
Pingback: What is a 40-mile ride? Semantics, suggestions, and many photos -
Pingback: How to add gpx maps to Garmin watches via Connect (Road to Tevis #65)
Pingback: Results of the 2022 Tevis Cup (Road to Tevis #73) - Wild Horses
Pingback: Jazz's first LD at the Bill Thornburgh Ride (Road to Tevis #77)
Pingback: Fantazia's return to endurance and Fire Mtn. (Road to Tevis #81)
Pingback: The Montaña de Oro Endurance Ride (Road to Tevis # 93)
Pingback: What's in my horse trailer? - Wild Horses
Pingback: River's second endurance ride (Road to Tevis #110)
Pingback: The 2024 Cuyama Oaks xpride: Snow, rain, hail, and sunshine (Road to Tevis 111) - Wild Horses