Macho & I take on Endurance riding.

Macho & I started our relationship in 2005 in Farmington New Mexico.  Since then he & I have been through MANY ups & downs.  Saturday March 17, 2012 was definately an UP day.  I have always said there is a great horse inside of there all I had to do was find him.  Saturday the AWESOME horse was there.  Saturday we competed in our FIRST AERC endurance ride, a LD 35 mile ride!!!  Friday I had to work from 8 - noon.  I could not focus on ANYTHING there.  My mind was racing with all I had to do to get to the ride!!!  I got off work at noon, made a stop at the bank & dashed home to get hooked up to the trailer.  I loaded our hay box, hooked up the trailer & brought it up to the driveway to get everything loaded up.  I went out to catch Macho & he was particullarly playful.  He had had a week off as I was told to do before a competition, & he was really full of himself!!.  Phil came to see if I need help to catch him I said no just to watch.  I stood in the center of his pen as he & Kodi played all around me.  I was not moving just standing as they ran & played.  Kodi got tired of Macho pushing him around  & BIT Macho on his butt!!  I laughed & laughed all while just standing there waiting for Macho to choose to be caught.  Less than 5 minutes passed & Macho stopped, snorted & walked nicely up to me.  Phil was amazed!!  I told Phil that Macho was not done & I did not hurry to halter him.  As I suspected Macho turned & trotted away.  I just stood, practicing my waterhole rituals & waiting on Macho to come back.  He came back over & this time he dropped his head down & "asked" to be haltered.  We went out to the trailer & Macho got a rinse down.  It was an almost 70 degree day & he was REALLY filthy.  I thought it best to at least START with a clean horse.  I then loaded Macho into the trailer to stay out of trouble while I got everything else into the trailer.  I gathered all my clothes I laid out on the bed, my bathroom things & FOOD!!!  Macho was stamping & pawing with impatience that he was in the trailer & it was not moving.  I opened the door between the living quarters & the horse area & scared the CrAP out of him, from then on he was VERY quiet whenever I was in the trailer loading things.  I finally got all I thought I needed loaded & headed off to the Santa Fe Equestrain Center, AKA  base camp for the Caja Endurance Ride.  We got there at 2:30 just in time for check in.  I unloaded Macho, got a great parking place, set up the trailer & Macho's corral.  Macho was happily munching his hay so I took time to get housekeeping done at the trailer.  Trish Hug was already at the Caja as she was volunteering to help with Check in.  I visited with her & she had found Macho a shiney new blue halter for his first ride that I had asked her to look for!!!  How AWESOME it looked on him.  I totally forgot I had even asked her to loook for this!!  I watched a couple riders vet in & decided it was a piece of cake compared to NATRC check in.  I got Macho brushed up & looking good & decided it was time to vet in.  A quick vet check, trot out & Macho was in!!  No turning back now. 

I put Macho back in his pen along with his beet pulp mush so he could eat all he wanted.  Phil passed on camping once I told him the schedule of things for the weekend so Trish camped in with me.  I was soo happy to have someone there to keep me sane & distracted.  I knew I needed to be calm the next morning but I was having a terrible time containing my nerves & excitement of our first endurance ride.  There was a riders briefing that was...... well.... BRIEF!!  I was left with questions but I figured they would be answered soon enough.  Phil came out to make us an AWESOME supper of fried potatoes, grilled steaks & steamed asparagas.  YUMMY YUMMY.  After dinner Phil headed home for a real night's sleep, I tucked Macho in, took a couple tylenol pm, & Trish & I were asleep by 9 or so. 

Saturday I got up at FOUR AM to FEED Macho his mush.  It was a bit frozen so I added HOT water from the trailer to make it more like what he is used to eating.  Macho greted me with a soft nicker & happily began muching his early morning breakfast.  I trudged back to the trailer.  I did take time to notice the briliant orange crescent of moon just rising on the eastern horizion.  What an awesome treat to see, I normally sleep through that part of the day.  I crawled back into bed & luckily fell right back to sleep.  Trish & I got up at 6 for the day.  We made omlets in a baggie with FRESH farm eggs form Lisa Westfall.  MMMMMM  I only ate a little bit of mine as I was too excited & it was not sitting well with me.  All of a sudden it was 7 o'clock.  I went to tack Macho & get ready to ride.  As I walked back to the trailer with Macho the ride manager saide it was 7:30!!  TIME TO RIDE!!!!

I didn't see anyone that I knew so Macho & I just got headed down the trail.  I made the decision I was not going to fight Macho at all I would let him go the pace he chose.  I know that is not the right way BUT I figured we would waste more energy fighting that just kicking up & going so go we did!!!  The 35 mile LD riders would ride the 17 mile loop 2 times, once each way.  I looked at the map & made the ride into little bitesize pieces.  First water was at 3 miles out.  No drinking for Macho there.  We rode with Julie from Durango & her Appaloosa that won best appaloosa last year in AERC.  Her horse was so calm & was getting down to business, Macho followed her lead & pacing.  Next water was at the 1200 well, 6 miles out, no drinking there either.  It was early & cool but I was already shedding clothes.  I left my jacket with the nice HAMM radio operator who was there to track all the riders as we came & went so they knew where we were at on the trail.  We left the 1200 well & had a great open area with good terrain that Macho really made GREAT time across.  Julie pulled out ahead of us & Macho was content to slow down a little bit.  We travelled alone a lot of the morning & it was really awesome to just hear the cadence of Macho's hoof beats at the miles passed effortlessly away for him.  My legs were burning but I kept thinking, If macho can do this I can do this".  We got to the gate & the next water.  Still no drinking,  Macho was really happy & relaxed on the trail.  Moving out REALLY well sweating but no fighting with me.  WOW we are already back to the Y 3 miles into camp!!  What time is it?? CRAP I forgot to wear my watch.  Macho took a SMALL drink there.  We have hardly walked since we left camp.  I am back from our first loop in about 2 hours & 20 minutes for 17 miles!!!  I knew we would be faster on ride day but I never thought we would be that much faster.  Phil, my  husband & chef , will not even be there yet.  Who will help me care for Macho & get my lunch???  I had to get Macho to pulse down to 60 BPM.  He had no problems with that.  We now have 45 minutes before we can ride out for the second loop.    Trish jumped right in.  I pulled Macho's headstall & halter left him saddled & turned him into his paddock.  Trish was making my peanut butter & jelly sadwiches for me.  She was at that moment my VERY VERY best friend ever!!  As I ate she checked on Macho to see that he was eating & drinking.  Phil got there & was VERY suprised to see us already in.  I shed a few layers of clothes & relaxed a bit in the warming sunshine.  All too soon it was time to go.  Kathy Meyers offered to ride the second loop with us.  We left a little late from lunch, but we were not racing all we were doing was riding & I thought it was best to take care of me & Macho.  What an honor to ride with Kathy & her horse Blue.  They  completed Tevis in 2010 when Blue was 18.  At almost 20 Blue was still in fine form.  We trotted where we could & walked a lot.  Kathy said even at walk we were still travelling at 4 MPH &that was a good pace for her.  I worried a lot about slowing her & Blue down as they were doing 50, they would still have A THIRD loop to do after we got back to camp!!  Macho was tired but not reluctant.  We would trot as I could tolerate it & walk when he asked to.  He would drop his head & stretch & was still quite energetic.  I alternately thought I would throw up or pass out wasn't quite sure which was going to happen.  Kathy tells me that is normal.  I had to stop to visit a bush.  Kathy held Macho for me then & it took all I had to climb back onto Macho.  We trotted from the gate toward the 1200 well.  We caught a couple different riders headed the wrong way.  They were quite grateful.  Finally we made the 1200 well & Macho DRANK!!!!  LONG, SLOW, HUGE drinks!!!  Hooray!!!  Only took him 28 miles to decide he needed a drink!!!!  6 miles till we were done. I again told Kathy to go on ahead & we would make it in fine but she & Blue stayed.  She told me it was not necessary for riders to come in alive with their horse & she would tie me onto the saddle & drag us in if she had to.  I never doubted Macho but it does occour to me that if I am going to be an endurance rider I MAY need to get into shape!!!  Kathy let me know that we were stil at about 5.5 MPH even with as much walking we had done!!  I was amazed.  This second loop seemed to be lasting forever!!!!  We got to the Y where final water is at & only 3 more miles to camp.  Alternately trotting where we could & walking where the rocky trail slowed us we progressed to the finish line.  The 50 riders were passing us as they headed out for their THIRD loop.  Kathy was firmly in last place but still there with Macho & I!!  We crossed the ranch gate & the finish line was in sight.  Phil & Trish were there waiting for Macho & I to get in.  Kathy egged us on & we trotted across the finish line in STYLE!!!  Was so awesome to finish.  The motto in AERC is, " to finish is to win" I had no idea where my placement was but I knew we completed.  This is something I had never thought I woudl be doing.  I thought endurance riders were nuts.  Now I know they are!!  I was not done yet I had to get Macho down to 60 BPM before we were officially done.  That only took 5 minutes or so.  Macho still had enough energy to wiggle around during vet check.  Phil & Trish were taking photos of us the whole time.  He was a little dehydrated but completed sound & "fit to continue".  HOORAY!!!  I pulled all of Macho's tack.  Washed him with warmed water & wet towel, curried him off & put a light blanket on him.  Macho didn't roll like I expected him to.  He went to his freshly made mush that Phil had ready for him ate that & his hay & seemed quite happy to stand in the sun & relax. 

I got changed out of sweaty clothes & ate & drank pretty much anything I could get my hands on.  The pony club from Los Alamos provided a fantastic supper for the riders & volunteers.  Baked potatoes with every topping known, green salad, many different desserts.  YUMMY!!  At awards Macho & I found out we finished 11th place out of 17 LD riders.  The placement was unimportant to me or Macho just happy to have finished sound & safe!!  A short ride of 6 - 10 miles will never be the same. 

Somehow everything got packed up & we got home just after dark.  I unloaded Macho.  Kodi surely heard a huge story of what Macho did all day.  I got the trailer unhooked & was asleep by 10.    I still need to unload dirty clothes even as I write this.  They will still be there monday after work. 

Sunday I had to work at 10 am.  Phil & I had breakfast at Wecks & I worked all day at Lowe's.  There are so many places on my body that hurt I will spare the gory details.  Let's say I will probally not walk normally till Wednesday or Thursday!!!!  Ibuprophen is GREAT!! 

Remember set a goal & take little steps till you get there!!  This endurance ride is the first step for Macho on his road to the Tevis!!!