Blog Hop: The Little Things

I love blog hops and this one is a great one! The $900 Facebook Pony asks what the little things are that make me love my mare. It comes at a great time too. I've been really taking the time to realize what it is about Gem that makes me so happy.

First and foremost, Gem taught me how to ride. Oh, I knew how to sit on a horse and go before her, but she wasn't game for that. With gem you have to ride every step of every mile or she will dump you. She made me pay attention to my aides more and really develop my independent seat. With all her hard lessons she made me the person I am today and I am forever grateful to her for that. 

If she hadn't made me work for every single achievement, I wouldn't have had to actually step back and learn theory behind it. Take trailer loading. Had she been a great loader at the start, I never would have had to learn the tricks and techniques to make her do it and now that I have worked with her she self loads like a dream.

On a less sappy note, she travels like a pro. She self loads, eats hay the entire ride, will eat mashes as ffered at rest stops, unloads and looks around like "where on earth am I now" and then settles right in on grazing and making herself at home.

You say we are in southern GA? Ok..well the hay tastes just as good here.

Gem is independent and while she does prefer company on the trail, I can load her up and go camping all alone, ride solo on new or familiar trails and even ride around the property without her looking for or calling other horses.

Room for one please

She looks fabulous in red and black tack :)

Not a whole lot more to add except getting a new red mohair girth. That would just about do it.

She is 100% honest. No drama queen fluff to deal with, but not stoic enough to work through all the pain either. She will tell me when something isn't right and I can trust her opinion.

Nothing to see here...just a lazy horse being lazy

She has self preservation. There won't be any running off a cliff or jumping a 10 foot high wall in our future and I am 100% okay with that.

My beautiful princess

She makes me laugh. Yes, sometimes it is out of pure frustration, but seriously just the thought of where we started 6 years ago and where we are now completely blows my mind. I never would have imagined myself hooking up my trailer, driving to some camp 6+ hours away where I knew nobody, setting up camp by myself and then preceding to ride 50 miles while self crewing. Ever. Yet that is what I did last year and what I plan to repeat again this spring. It is amazing and without Gem I never would have done it.

One of my favorite pictures of Gem taken during an extremely hot summer conditioning ride where she basically told me to go screw myself.

She hauls my toddler around (under supervision) and acts like a normal horse with him on board. She is darn near toddler proof in fact and doesn't even bat an eye when a bucket clad toddler plays nearby.

Hind foot resting as Wyatt plays nearby

There are so many reasons to love Gem and that make me happy that I stood by her and worked with her through all the crap she threw at me in the beginning.

Hoarding - A Blog Hop

Blog hops, specially during the down times in my horse world, are one of my favorite things to participate in. The $900 Facebook Pony started a new one about collecting/hoarding items.

I am not much of a collector. Honestly, I can't think of a single real life "collection" that I have. It stems from my need to throw away all the things. I also like to sell an item before buying a replacement for it and keep an entire PayPal account just for my horse items.

Two things come to mind though.

The first thing: hats. Much like Amanda from $900 Facebook pony, I love hats. Off the top of my head, I can picture 12 different ones sitting at home. Most are from Life is Good, but there are two that stand out.

One is this lovely black hat that Dusty bought for me at the Run for the Horses Endurance Ride/Ultramarathon back in September. It fits me well without covering my ears or being too tight and black goes with everything. It was purchased to help replace my all time favorite hat: a grey one with a horse embroided on the front. This hat was special and irreplaceable. It was the completion award at my first ever LD in 2011. Then Einstein ate it.

 

The other is this blue running hat made by Headsweats. If you have ner worn a Headsweats hat, you are seriously missing out. The sweat band is comfortable and actually works to keep the sweat from stinging my eyes and the material is light enough to prevent an inferno on my head in the summer heat.

The second collection: ride photos

At every endurance ride I try to buy a ride photograph or two. I don't have a professional one from my first LD because the ride photographer wasn't there the day I rode, but I have one from my second LD and both 50s. The goal is to create a ride scrapbook that includes the ride photos, special moments, mistakes made, thigns done right and her ride card if I can remember it.

I guess I am a pretty boring hoarder.

Blog Hop: Why The Heck Did You Start?

I was going to write about my Sunday blunders, but you will all have to wait until tomorrow for that because Mel over at Boots and Saddles has come up with a great blog hop. And I love blog hops :)

Her question is:

WHY THE HECK DID YOU START?

 

 

At first I thought this would be a simple question with a simple answer, but as I sit here trying to write this post I am realizing that it is oh so complex.

 

I started riding a million years ago on my aunt's farm tooling around on the back of a pony in the pasture. I then graduated to sharing the saddle with my uncle as I encouraged him to go faster and faster on his mare. Eventually I got old and tall enough to get my own ride and then the entire world opened up for me. We covered so many hundreds of miles on horseback in so many wonderful places. It truly was a great time of my life.

 

But why did it all begin? I think just because it was available, I was a young girl (like 3 years old) and in love with any animal on the planet that I could get near. And my parents allowed it. The more important question for me is - why did I continue?

 

Riding has always been my Zen, my stress relief, the only time in my life when my brain shuts down and focuses on the moment I am in instead of all the other things going on. My brain goes quiet, my soul feels free and I am extraordinarily happy. It is kinda like heroin :) And I am still that 3 year old girl who loves any animal I come across. Just the thought of having Gemmie in my life is amazing.

 

Taking it one step farther - why did I start endurance?

 

Gem and I were spending our time fiddling around in the arena basically attempting anything we could to avoid massive, insanity inducing boredom as we went round and round and round. My aunt and uncle had instilled in me a deep love of the trails and once I grew a set I convinced the hubby to head on out on the trails with me. Gem was much better out on trails than in the arena and I was in love with trotting and cantering down the trail finding out what was around the next bend.

 

I knew endurance existed from previous research on what to do with an Arab. I like having goals, having something in the distance to work for, or I tend to just become lazy about it all. I mentioned it to an attending in residency who happened to have a friend who was kicking butt on the LD circuit up in the arctic north and we hooked up for dinner. She made it all seem so attainable and doable that I quickly found myself signing up for our first LD, then found myself there, then found myself completing with the worlds largest grin (and sorest body) ever. 

 

 So why did I start? Because I could, it was available, and I had a horse who I thought would be able to finish without killing me.

 

It is basically the whole story of my life. Why do I do anything? Because it is available and I can :)



Blog Hop: Equestrian Wardrobe

I love blog hops and now Equestrian At Heart has taken over, so I am looking forward to some new topics. Go ahead and shoot over to her site and get acquainted with her too :)

She posts:

I want to know about what you ride in and why? Show us your Equestrian Fashion choices and tell us why you wear them!

I scavenged what pictures I could off my phone to show off my lovely wardrobe. I dislike shopping, so I rarely ever go and most of my riding apparel is either scrounged up from my regular closet or was a gift. But here goes:

I grew up riding miles and miles of trails in the summer with my Aunt and Uncle. I wore whatever was comfortable and I believe that ended up being cotton breeches and a t shirt. I wore knee high black rubber riding boots (stylish - I know!) to prevent ticks as well as for those afternoons when we inevitably ended up in the creek. A helmet was also mandatory.

As I got older and branched out on my own I basically just stuck with that except I exchanged the rubber boots for Ariat riding shoes. They no longer make them anymore and I still have mine in good working condition after many miles and 5 years of use, but have switched footgear options out.

Endurance is all about color and comfort and so I go with anything that matches Gem's red and black and is comfortable. Currently my set up includes a brown Troxel Sierra helmet which is always, always on my head. I never ride without it although I do run with Gem without it on. It is comfortable enough and I honestly doubt any helmet is really very cooling, but it works. It is not flattering to my head/face shape one bit, but until it is ready to be replaced I'm sticking with it.

Moving on down my shirt is generally whatever t-shirt I have at hand and don't mind getting stained with Gem grime. On conditioning rides I don't care the color or the make. In the winter I am usually wearing at least 3 layers - t shirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece vest. Up north in the arctic I would ride to -5 Fahrenheit and so would usually also add a fleece coat to the mix.

For actual endurance rides, I must match and I have my favorite Irideon red and black t shirt that is some awesome tech fabric. It is cool, comfortable and lightweight. Unfortunately, it is also no longer available. When it comes time to retire it (or if I ever have time to venture into multi day rides) I won't be buying actual riding shirts, but instead will gravitate to running/hiking gear. It holds up well and is very comfortable. The only issue with tech material is that it smells. Quickly and permanently.

Moving farther down the line:  I keep my cotton breeches for conditioning. I think they are Tuff Rider brand with suede knee patches and used to be beige. Now they are a mixture of beige, brown, black and green. They are 5 years old as well and are starting to disintegrate. Little runs by the knee patches have turned into big holes. They are ok for conditioning, but I rode 15 miles in them once and nearly cried from the chafing.

My mostest favoritest piece of clothing used to be my Irideon Issentials tights in black with a small red pin stripe. They were amazingly comfortable, didn't chafe at all anywhere and matched! But then I had a bit of a problem at Biltmore and they were ruined. (Actually in the TMI category they weren't really ruined at Biltmore, just sort of gross, but then they got left in the laundry pile outside the laundry room by the hubs and the dog came by and ate out the crotch so they had to be pitched) I can still buy the Issentials, but they don't have the red and black anymore. I don't really need them until October, so I am weighing my options.

The whole get up was so nice, comfy and pretty. Please ignore chubby Gemmie. This was over a year ago.

And last, but not least I use Just Chaps neoprene mesh half chaps. I have a review on the blog here somewhere. They are comfortable, but seem flimsy and after not that many rides they are already showing signs of wear. I doubt I would shell out $75 for them again. My original half chaps are pictured above - Ovation leather and suede and they have lasted many years and many miles. I think they cost like $35 too. The knee patches are pulling off the rest of the chap, but I think I can find someone to restitch it for me. I will go back to these in the future.

Shoe wise I began in ariats of some sort. They are tennis shoe style and again no longer available. They are pretty comfy, but after awhile I ditched them for my Brooks Glycerin running shoes and won't go back. The Brooks are just plain comfy and are nice when I get off to run some miles.

Irideone tights, Just Chaps, Brooks running shoes

And that's just about it. I always wear my Garmin (when I remember it) and if I am out for a long time or it is particularly hot out I will throw my Camelbak on as well for hydration. Nothing fancy, but it is all comfortable and works well.

Boots and Saddles Blog Hop: 5 Questions

One of my all time favorite bloggers (Mel over at Boots and Saddles) posted her first blog hop and I am very game to join in (well...actually she posted 5 Q&As on her blog and I commented that she should make it a blog hop because I enjoy them a lot).

Here it is!

Name: Sara

Age: 32

Location: South Carolina

Family Situation: Hubby, 2 year old son, 2 horses (the Dynamic Duo), 3 cats and 2 dogs

1) How long have you been riding? Endurance?

I've been riding since I can remember. My aunt had a farm and horses and my mom let me go spend time there during the summers since I was itty bitty. I started just hanging around and then got ponied around and eventually was graduated to riding. My time spent there was magical and my aunt and uncle took me on literally thousands of miles of trails. We went to Gettysburg to ride on the battle fields, WV mountains, Acadia Maine and so many local trails. I was hooked and give thanks to them for showing me the way!

I started endurance in 2011 with Gem and rode 2 rides that season (not as an AERC member since they were in October and the season was over so it was cheaper to pay the $15 fee than sign up) followed by a Ride and Tie the next spring. I had terrible experiences in ride camp at both, so I gave it up until moving to the South and now have done my first ride here in July.

2) What does a normal training week look like for you?

Sporadic at best. What I would love to do is get 3 rides in a week with two 5-7 mile rides on weeknights and a 10+ mile ride on the weekend. This has happened a hand full of times. What happens in reality is either a hand jog of around 2 miles or a shorter 3-4 mile ride once a week on the weeknight and then a 6-10 mile ride on the weekend. That's just my reality working full time with a toddler.

If an event is looming in the near future, I like to do a 15ish mile ride about 2 weeks out, but don't see the point in pushing her much farther.

I used to run as well about 2-3 nights a week, but then it got really hot and humid and I got really lazy so that stopped. I hope to do that again. Usually 2 miles.

3) Any advice for endurance spouses?

I'm a bit spoiled with this. The hubby is an ultra runner and I have been up at the crack of dawn to crew for him and take pics and such so he fully understands what is needed. But my advice would be to try to get involved somehow. Whether it is helping to crew, take pictures or just being there to hear the same ride story for the umpteenth time and still pretend to find it interesting. Think of your own hobby that your spouse doesn't do and how much you appreciate their small involvement.

4) Where will this sport be in 10 years?

I see it going one of two ways:

a) AERC dissolves and it goes back to local clubs running local events with more old school rules and regulations. Why? Due to internal fighting and elitism which doesn't allow the sport to grow and instead causes the rise of costs and the decline of participants.

OR

b) More and more divisions of distances. 100 still remains that gold standard, but in an attempt to grow the membership more "intro" type rides of 10-15 miles pop up and become more popular. I think this is a good thing and you can see this happening every day in the running world. Runs are becoming more family friendly and offering 1 mile fun runs, 5ks etc...which don't detract from the 50 milers, but instead allows more people to enjoy it.

I also see the use of better maps for trails including GPS markers, more criteria added to the riders card for vetting and lots and lots of miles of trails to be enjoyed.

Personally I would love to see the addition of more "man versus horse" type rides like the Vermont 100 and Prescott AZ.

5) What was your best race and why?

I've only done 3 endurance rides and two RnTs, so my choices are limited, but I'd still say my first was my best. I was so nervous and ill prepared, but the feeling of elation of completing has never been matched to date at another ride. I think having no clue made it al the sweeter. I learned a ton in just one ride and my riders high lasted for over a week afterward.

My 2nd ride was cold, rainy and miserable and the attitude of the fellow riders was so terrible it scared me off.

My last ride I just did was fun and a great re-introduction but I didn't "ride my own ride" and it caused added stress to the entire thing making it not as much fun as it should have been.

Bonus Question: What is you favorite beer?

Sorry, but I don't actually drink beer. The few times I have I found Alaskan Amber to be the least displeasing. If I'm going to drink, you will find a vodka martini of some sort in my hand.

An InLinkz Link-up

VC Blog Hop: Chock Full of Advice

The Blog Hop this time asks for the best and worst advice ever received from a trainer or fellow rider.

This is a great question namely because horse people are oh so fond of giving advice even when it is neither wanted nor asked for. I ran into this a ton at Crabby Acres last year. The BO would corner me every time I showed up to "school" me in my errors and offer up sagely advice that I didn't want.

1) Best Advice: This is going to seem oh so simple, but the best thing I ever learned was:

Horse + Rider = 10

Always.

I keep this in mind pretty much all the time when I ride Gem and it has really made the biggest impact on our relationship.

What it says is that if your horse is slow and sluggish and would be rated at a 2 on the scale, you better come into it at an 8 to make it equal 10. So come with energy, focus and bring that horse back up!

If on the other hand you are at the start of an endurance ride and find yourself astride a fire breathing monster that sorta, kinda resembles your mare and she is rated at a 9, well you better sit there nice and calm at a 1.

It works every time to help me either calm or amp myself up and I really notice the difference in Gem.

2) Worst Advice: This goes hands down to Crabby Acres BO last fall. Gem was running a bit amok in the arena and there were people milling all over the place, so I circled her tightly to avoid plowing into them. My usual technique for slowing her down and it works very well. Well, BO had to come over and suggest her own technique for not letting a horse get too fast on you (for the record she wasn't bolting or anything and was in complete control, she was just enjoying cantering in the arena and the people were milling about cutting us off) which included burying your left hand into her mane and not moving it at all while pulling back as hard as you can with the right rein and settling that on the mane as well. This causes an unfortunate amount of torque on her mouth and as the BO pointed out has been known to causes horses to rear to the point of flipping over "until they get used to it" Um...no thanks.

VC Blog Hop: Let's Make a Baby (horse, not human :)

Hmmm...breeding the Gemmiecakes, huh? The initial post asked to please ignore personal thoughts on backyard breeding (for the record I am strongly against it) and just have fun with the topic.

Unfortunately, I have not put any thought whatsoever into breeding Gem. Don't get me wrong. I do thoroughly love my Gemmiecakes. Each ride is getting better and better and Sunday after a conditioning ride I thought not only how lucky I am to have her but how very far the two of us have come. But breed her? No way!

But....to play along the best I can here are my thoughts:

What Gemmie brings to the table:
Good, solid confirmation. A strong back, straight legs and a gorgeous hind end. She has muscle to spare and holds onto it well. She easily brings her impulsion from her hind end naturally.

Excellent hooves. I'm talking most.awesome.hooves.ever.

Brains. She is very smart and while she usually uses that in a negative fashion, she can learn quickly and is easy(ish) to train.

Not mareish at all. I can never even tell when she is in heat because she acts the exact same. She is low mare on the totem pole, never picks a fight and doesn't do anything aggressive. Her temperament in this regard is perfect.

Awesome bay coloring :) I love me a brown horse. If I did breed her she would have the potential to produce a more colorful foal. She is registered as a breeding stock pinto and comes from a line of color, so a small Gemmie baby might be colorful if bred to the right sire.

Things left to be desired:
Work ethic. Oh man she is one lazy horse when push comes to shove.  A sire that brings a strong desire to work would be great.

On that note, a more enhanced desire to please would be great. And definitely add in some loving attitude.

More loft to her step. She isn't the most springy mover although she can be when she wants to. Basically she has learned efficient movement and daisy clips her way down the trail. A lot of Arabians have a nice spring to their step.

From what I know of the various Arabian lines out there (which is admittedly very little) I think I would look into the Egyptian lines as they tend to be known as being very people loving, friendly and possess that desire to please that my mare lacks. CMK breeding is also up there on my list for a great endurance prospect.