So what did I do differently?

1. Bit: No, I don’t think you should answer every training problem by sticking more or harsher hardware on your horse. Yes, if you’re having an issue with a horse ignoring a snaffle in this sport, I do think you should experiment with bits, potentially with a curb action option. Scrappy is not the first horse I’ve ridden in endurance who will run through a snaffle merrily to the detriment of us both,  but check himself approximately twice on the curb setting of a quality Kimberwick and then *not question it* for a good while if not the whole ride. Many folks start in a stronger bit and switch out once the initial start excitement is over, and that may certainly be a route I take with Scrappy in the future if I get the chance. Anyway, after having literal holes in my hands at GRS in November, I added gloves, but I also switched him to a ported Myler Kimberwick, and will continue to use it.

2. Camping/Ride Strategy: At GRS I got lured into the lovely temptation of camping and starting the ride with friend. It’s the most natural thing in the world to want to camp with if not ride with your buddies at these events, but it’s not always the best thing for your horse. In this instance, Scrappy and my friend’s gelding became buddies on arrival, camping at the trailers, strolling around, vetting in etc together, and when we started on ride morning and her gelding set off at a faster trot than he was managing, he came unglued and never recovered his composure until sweetly and sleepily vetting in 27 miles later. I wasn’t willing to let Scrappy run blindly through the uneven but flat and open footing, which meant we fought the entire time, and a yo-yo effect of catching and leaving his “buddy” meant he was just a pisser the whole time.

 At Mojave, through circumstance and some cultivation, I went entirely alone, with just my crew chihuahua on board besides Scrappy. The only friend I knew going wasn’t going to arrive until Friday afternoon for Saturday’s ride. We pulled in Tuesday night, set up next to friendly strangers, and spent our extra day in camp just doing OUR routine, doing a pre ride, walks, vet in,etc. The extra day in camp and pre ride without it being an actual ride were definitely helpful to a better brain state too. He jigged around like a goober on the pre ride and then had a big “Ummm HUH…” moment when we came back to camp after a few miles and that was that. He watched horses come and go throughout but never got worked up or attached to anyone and when we strolled out of camp on ride morning, well, you see that we did indeed stroll.

3.Home Strategy: I can’t speak to facts on this but I always try to look at and include the full picture of the horse and issue at hand. Up until the GRS ride, Scrappy lived alone in a pasture, sharing fence line with other horses but not actual space. We mostly train alone, with at most one other horse once in a while. It occurred to me that ride camp was becoming nearly his sole horse group interaction setting, and that could really add to the stimulation. While acknowledging a potential need for work in other group ride settings, I also finally braved the risk and put him in with my fillies after GRS. It’s been going really well as you’ve seen in pictures. They’re peaceful but entertain each other, keep each other moving, and Scrappy is certainly friendlier for being around the mugging fillies.

So there it is, for what it’s worth. We haven’t solved the loin soreness issue yet but we’ve got ideas. I’ll take the ride mental game win anyway, in the meantime!

 The goats have been a nuisance lately as only goats can, but their pasture reshuffling has certainly gotten me some entertaining pasture-tv and photos. Predictably the fillies are bold and terrorize the goats at will, embarrassingly Scrappy turned tail and ran, but he’s since found his inner Rushcreek and started herding them quite effectively into their own quadrant from which they may not emerge.

 Back to it, and this time Sheza had to REALLY work, not just trot around in pretty circles. But first, some of that plus staring, of course, as the equine audience settled in.

Since her initial 60 days with April, I’ve worked Sheza in the round pen and on walking rides around the pasture a handful of times, and have taken her to the local trails for a few hikes and short rides. This was actually our first official time working in the home arena itself since I was teaching Sheza to pony as a foal, years ago now..what? YEARS ago? I still can’t believe that. Anyway, the husband had scraped up a passably smooth surface for some walk/trot circles and gait transitions, which when working a youngster can be like advanced algebra, and quite enough brain food for the day!

Let me tell you a story. It’s a winding tale of ups and downs of a horse and rider who have spent the last year and a half ironing out their game, and fortunately it’s all mostly already been told. From the first AERC ride together after purchase and back soreness at Gold Country 2013 to the first RO at Chamberlain Creek, to the first 50 completion with back soreness at Derby 2014 and on to the RO at Gold Rush Shuffle 2014 for poor behavior (but no back soreness!). Not featured so prominently in those blogs because I really only care about my horse and have been battling it forever, are my migraine/heat issues that take me down at or after nearly every single ride. Endurance is called what it is for a reason, certainly.

There are no photos of me getting briefly lost finding ride camp in the dark, or my nighttime camp set up shenanigans, but here’s Wednesday a.m. and Scrappy saying “Holy crap mom, we aren’t in Nebraska/Bangor anymore.”

The wind screamed from Tuesday midnight until late afternoon Wednesday. Going a day early was as great idea as Scrappy didn’t properly address any of his hay until Wednesday night. He ate mashes and eagerly grazed on the dead stubble around ride camp and ate the odd mouthful of hand fed alfalfa while drinking like a champ so I wasn’t necessarily concerned but I would have been if I’d been trying to start a 50 right off.   As it was we had a fairly relaxing morning despite the wind, nice warm up ride midday Wednesday, vetted in at 5 pm, ride meeting at 7, and he ate and drank alll that 2nd night. Good pony!

 Wouldn’t it be just glorious to end the story there, after 50 miles well ridden and wonderfully performed by the reformed Scrappy? Even at this moment, days later, I’d like to embrace my imagination and say it was so, but it wasn’t.  We finished our 50 in a glow of triumph–and he was back sore in the same ole loin area again afterward. And residually sore deeper in that area the next morning.

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@#^^*!#&%*(($^&&!(#$&%&*!!!!!

Also, don’t flap your bare arms in Joshua tree country, or try to grab a bite of one on the go, Scrappy would add.

 There were and are many opinions on what the problem is or what I should do about it. I was encouraged to give him a day and try another 50 at Mojave, which made zero sense to me as we had both had a perfect ride together and the result was the result, so how could I go out again just hoping it would be different? I was encouraged to buy this saddle, that pad, use a crupper, try chiro, massage, red light therapy, check for selenium/magnesium deficiencies, and see if it wasn’t compensation for a hock problem (note I’ve already done many of those, but not all). There is much wisdom to be gleaned from those that have gone before in this self same battle, I certainly don’t pretend I am the only one going through or gone through it. I don’t know what the answer is yet, nor what the future holds for Scrappy in endurance. I merely currently exist in the bitter reality of taking another beloved horse to the vet for a work up to sort out a problem that I’ve done my very best to never have in the first place, and then fix in every other way I could, all along battling to keep my own self healthy at rides. It’s exhausting, demoralizing, expensive, and merely, what it is. We’re home now, Scrappy is feeling great, and we will work on his problems, but  neither my eyes nor my heart are currently yearning toward the AERC schedule the way I always have after a ride before, even a hard one. Time will take care of that no doubt, but for now I’ll take care of my horses.

It hardly seems real but I am pulling out for Eastern Mojave XP this morning. I haven’t done an XP ride since my very first 50s at Cuyama XP with Desire and I’m especially thrilled because Lynne Glazer is the ride photographer for EM this year as she was for Cuyama then. Hear me now, giraffe-Scrap, we shall make a pretty picture!

packing in the rain yesterday..

562 miles til ride camp!