Bia GPS Watch: A Review, Part 2

With a lot of excitement I put the Bia on my wrist. To give it the fairest shot, I decided to try it out on my 2 mile neighborhood run. This is on paved roads in suburbia with pretty much no tree coverage.

I had read numerous blog entries about the accuracy prior to purchasing. They all raved about it and one even showed how it was used on an actual track which is historically difficult for GPS units. The Bia had picked up which lane they ran in and it was all very exciting.

I laced up my shoes and headed out.

This route is precisely 2 horrendous miles pre measured with my car. I live in a small neighborhood with many cul-de-sacs and in order to get the miles in I have to go down pretty much all of them. It really isn't very enjoyable, but it is safe at night which is the only time I have to run these days.

I paid attention to the watch to see how the fit would be. At first I was super concerned that it would jam into my hand, but it didn't. In fact it was way more comfortable than my Garmin and was light weight enough to forget it was there. The Go Stick was clipped where instructed: on the same hip as the watch and white side facing out. They connected to each other very quickly and the GPS signal was picked up in about half the time of the old Garmin. A great start!

As I was running, I kept looking down at it and I will admit that the jaunty angle was super easy to read. I had my head lamp on, so didn't need a back light and the black on white display showed up just fine. The screen showed my pace, time and distance easily enough, but I did miss the lack of beeping at the mile markers.

I was happy with it when I finished. Comfortable, light weight and extremely easy to use. It automatically uploaded and by the time I entered my front door and logged in my data was waiting for me. 

So two thumbs up for ease of use, comfort and both acquiring GPS and uploading data quickly. I was tempted to try the SOS feature, but refrained because Wyatt was sleeping and I didn't know how loud it would be and knew Dusty couldn't come find me anyway. 

When I logged in though, I was disappointed. The Bia read 2.25 miles which on a suburban route with no clouds and no trees was odd. How could it be that off when everyone else showed screen shots of an almost unbelievable accuracy?

Well, here is my screenshot.  You can easily see the areas where those extra miles came into play. I don't have sidewalks where I live, so I run along the actual road. While I hoped it would, I did not actually expect it to pick up exactly where on the road I was, but I did expect it to show that I was actually on the road and not running through people's houses. It also apparently thought that I ran past the cul-de-sacs and into yards.

A big two thumbs down on accuracy :(

To compare here is the Garmin:

While also not perfect, you will notice that the lines are smooth and it looks like I actually did run this route.

I emailed my screenshot to the company and they responded very quickly. One big bonus to an upstart company. The customer service rep said the route looked jumpier than normal and sent it along to the tech team.

Well, not to let a good purchase go sour after only one try, I took it out to the woods on Saturday. Unfortunately, I was stupid and took a whole new trail. That meant that I wouldn't have any old Garmin files to compare to. Not smart on my end, but the ride meant more to me than the actual watch.

We headed out and I was skeptical of the readings the entire time. I missed my Garmin and knowing how off to plan on. Who knows if it was adding or subtracting miles?

Here is the read out from that ride:
 

For the trails that I know, this looks pretty good. It shows pretty much all the creek crossings and roads accurately and I only see a few spots that make me question it. It is at least smooth and not all jumpy and weird. Maybe it just needed a warm up? 

Given the two test runs, I'm not sure what to think. The tech guys responded that the first run looks just fine to them and that the additional mileage can be attributed to the cul-de-sacs. Basically they claimed that if I ran to the center and turned around that the miles would be less than had I run around the entire circle. No crap? Really?  They say the watch figured I did the circle and I must have only ran to the center and turned around. But they are wrong because I always make sure to run along the outside edge of the circle for the added miles. Sorry, boys but the GPS signal just sucked that night.

The rep was really nice and explained that I can use it until the end of the month before returning it for full money back. An upgrade to the software should be out prior to that and may make the data better. She also thinks an update rolled out between my run and ride which may be why the run looked crappy and the ride pretty.

I am going to use it out on the neighborhood again tonight to see how it compares to the first run. Hopefully it looks similar to the Garmin read out and all my concerns can go away. Otherwise, if it remains sketchy I will just return it. The only reason to shell out the cash was for an upgrade to what I already have. If it isn't going to be much better, than it isn't worth the money.
 

Bia GPS Watch: A Review, Part 1

For the past two years or so a Garmin Forerunner 410 has donned my left wrist almost every time I run or hit the trails. It has done a decent job at tracking my miles and pace and has a ton of features I have no clue how to use, so I ignore. I've used it enough to know that it drops 1 mile out of every 5 in the woods which is fine by me and can be accounted for. So why change it? Well, it doesn't fit me very well, is annoying to get things to upload off of and the battery life is only 8 hours requiring me to shut it off at every hold if I want a watch at the end.

Dusty scoured the internet for me looking for a suitable replacement and came up with a brand new product. A new product is both exciting as you go into uncharted waters hoping to strike gold (or catch a white whale or whatever analogy works well here), but it is also nerve wracking because well, it just might not work.

We found a product that seemed very promising...the Bia GPS watch. 

Having never heard of it before, I delved into the internet to read all about it, find reviews and any small piece of information that might lead me to either by passing it or purchasing it. In the end I got one and have now tried it out twice.

What is Bia?

Its a GPS watch that does what all good watches of the sort do: tracks time, pace, mileage. It has modes for swim, run and bike, but unless Gem dumps me in a lake or I need to "borrow" someones mountain bike to catch her, I won't use anything besides the run feature. It happens to be made specifically for women, which isn't a particular draw for me, but it does mean things like shiny colors and a size that actually fits my 5" wrist. The company wants potential users to know that this is not a fancy schamncy watch with millions of features nobody knows how to use. It does the basics and claims to do them very well. 

The watch itself come in two pieces. There is the typical wrist watch that displays all your data. It is set at a jaunty angle that supposedly makes it easier to read. This has non rechargeable battery with an 18month life span. When it dies, you replace it.

The watch. See the odd angle?

The second piece holds the technology and is called the Go Stick. This clips onto your belt and actually finds the satellites and transmits data. Without it you get nothing but a time piece. This has a 17 hour battery life and does need charged.

Go Stick

Ok... that is the basics, but what drew me to it and what was I worried about going in?

 

Lets start with the fun stuff...the PROS:

1. Light weight and came in a  size that fit my small wrist
2. No more of the Garmin touch crap that I can't ever work. One button starts, pauses and stops everything. The large touch screen does the rest. 
3. Automatically uploads your workout using a cell signal. As soon as you are done and a signal is found, it is online. No more annoying Garming stick.
4. Automatically uploads upgrades to the watch which apparently roll out frequently

Those are all nice, but you want to know the real reasons I chose it?

1. SOS
2. Live Tracking

Yep, those are what sold me. SOS is a great feature that is free. If you are lost like me or feel in danger, you hold down the button and a single goes out to any cell number you pre set up online to receive it. It goes out every 5 minutes or something like that until you turn it back off. Not only does it send your help message, but also a location and if on a smart phone it even includes a google map. And it is scary accurate.

Live tracking is not free, but isn't super expensive either. A month is $5, quarter $9 and year $36. You can allow people access at all times or just for certain events. I would love it if Dusty could watch my progress during a ride while he is at home with Wyatt.

The downside to these two features is that they don't run off the GPS, but on a  2G cell signal. For those of you who ride in areas without any cell signal at all, these won't work. I have yet to ride anywhere without a signal, so for me these were a big draw.

The not so fun stuff...the CONS:

1. The two pieces thing. Ick. More to break, more to forget and even more to not work when one doesn't see the other. 
2. No back light. Its a little thing, but something they should fix. I don't ever go out at night without a head lamp, so I do have light to read it with, but why not just add a back light?
3. The actual Go Stick doesn't have a read out for battery life. It isn't until you hook it up with your watch that you can see the battery life on it. This means you either have to remember to check it the night before by setting the system up or hope that when you climb on up Gem and hit go that it actually works. 
4. No beep for mile markers. Again, a small thing but it is really nice to hear the beep to tell you. I didn't realize I liked it so much until I went without and I miss it.
5. I also worried about the fit. The angle looked like it could jam into the top of my hand with wrist bent.

Pretty much all of the cons are livable (except #5, I don't need to add more pain to my body on a 50!!)  as long as the benefits are there and the thing can accurately (as much as any GPS device can) tell me the information I need when I need it. 

Next up....my test spin....

Let The Conditioning Begin!

At 10 am I pull into the trail head to see about a half dozen others already there. I generally don't see many people beat me to the trails, but then again it is much later than I normally arrive as well. People are all milling around talking and looking about. Something is off here.

I park and turn off the radio and immediately hear it: the woods are reverberating with the echo of packs of hunting dogs. It is extremely loud and I can see why the others are concerned. As I get out of the truck and unload Gem I find out that it is rabbit season. I sure hope some of the furry little, nearly meatless, critters survive this ambush. It sounds like a war zone out there!

The drive was an hour long and I am not turning around before we even start. I haven't had a great ride on Gem in weeks and I need this to be a good one. 10-12 miles is on the docket and I am hoping to keep a good pace. These are my favorite trails and are not only single track and twisting but very hilly with bridges, roads and creeks to cross. Perfect for getting a good work out in.

We head off in a new direction to explore a trail I had hiked with the pups. It begins with a steep mile long hill which is great if Gem decides to be a lunatic. She can run herself ragged up that hill if that's the case! We make our way up and she is being very good, but once we hit the woods she loses it.

She starts to spook at every stinking stump, rock, stick etc.. and I am getting frustrated very quickly. What is up with her? Yes, she has always been a moron about bare wood in piles, but we had worked so hard to get past that. Surely a month and a half off wouldn't have caused this much mental decay?

The woods are slick with the past weeks rain, so we take lots of walk breaks, but I try my best to get her moving out once it is clear again. Problem is she just wont go beyond her annoying shuffle and stare and spook and shuffle and stare and spook. A little over and hour in and we have made it 3 miles. 3 miles!!! Shoot me! I could get off and walk her at that pace.

At about this point I begin to lose my temper and take a moment to figure out a plan. I want 10 miles minimum, but can't possible take all day to do them and at this pace it will take all freaking day. Not going to happen. I could call it a day, but that won't solve anything and if I want to make good use of my Xmas gift, we need to condition. I know of a short cut back to the trailers about a mile away and decide to cut back and grab my dressage whip. Maybe a few rides with that will make her move her big brown butt. She isn't breathing hard at all and hasn't even made a drop of sweat so I know she isn't tired. It is all mental. And she needs to get over it.

Just as we near the cut off, two ladies come toward me on bay Arabs. I pull over to make room for them to pass and as the second one comes up I hear "Sara? Is that you?"

It is none other than my new friend I rode with for the Barefoot ride! She is out with her daughter in law on two of her young geldings (a 5 and a 6 year old). She asks if I would like to join them and I breathe a sigh of relief "Yes I would!!!"

She asks if I want to lead and I decline to give Gem a mental break from the last hour and we cut in behind them going back the way we came. Gem doesn't fuss at all and happily moves out after them. About 100 yards later we came across a big flat rock lying over the trail with a trickle of water running over it. Their youngens balk at the obstacle, but Gem is great at this stuff and besides we had just crosse fit going the other way, so I offer to lead. They accept and off we go.

I expect Gem to be slow, pokey and hesitant to lead given her previous behavior the last hour we spent together. Instead she trots off at a lovely 7 mph pace with a spring in her step and her ears alert but soft. Huh? Some times I just don't get her.

We spend the next hour playing leap frog as we head down the trail covering some old territory and being introduced to some trails I didn't know existed. Apparently there used to be over 60 miles of cut trails there, but they have been reduced to just over 30 miles. Still, I didn't know there were even that many and have been riding there for a year and a half now.

The trails we took were even steeper, but this side of the system was a lot drier as it was farther from the lake. The two ladies were amazing to ride with and we chatted and laughed the miles away.

A little over an hour later we wind up back at the trailer and I look at my watch to see how far we went. We covered just shy of 12 miles per the GPS with only 3 of them occurring in the first hour while we rode solo. That means we travelled over super hilly terrain at 9 mph :)

Gemmie is sweaty at the end, but I palpate her all over and she doesn't react to anything. I offer her a wet mash which she greedily gulps down as I talk saddles, rides, and horses with my new friends.

It is such a relief to ride with somebody and I hope to catch up with them again. It was such a stresses hour going from in the back to front to middle and just moving along. This is the Gem I love and the one I have been searching for these last few weeks. Maybe she just was tired of always being out alone and needed a mental reprieve. I know that not all horses are leaders.

It also turns out that she will be attending Pow Wow as well and asked if we could ride together again since it worked out so well last time. I am all too happy to agree and can't wait to see her there!!!

Happy Gotcha Day!

Have I told the story of how I got Gem? I don't think I have or at least not recently so here is a semi condensed version to celebrate our 5th Anniversary. I can't believe we have been together for 5 years now!

On December 28, 2009 I came home with this:

A shaggy, dirty, underweight pony with a belly full of worms, hooves grown over her front shoes that had been in place for almost 2 years, and a piss poor attitude.

She had no topline, no butt muscles, and no hair on her rump due to rubbing it all off on the fence posts. She could care less who I was or what I wanted.

My horse search was pretty mundane. Looking online, I reduced the horrific number of sales ads by including only picture ads for mares over 15H and between 10-15 years of age. I didn't even know endurance existed or that there were horses being sold for the sport. A few horses peaked my interest enough to contact the sellers, but I never took it any farther. Nothing seemed right.

Then one day in the middle of December I saw a no picture ad that read:

10 year old Arab mare, bay, 15H $800.

That's it. No description of her personality, training history or current status. For the life of me I don't know why I emailed the seller, why I convinced the hubby to drive 2 hours to see her, or why I gave a 16 year old boy a check for $800 and drove off to find a suitable boarding facility.

When I went to look at her she was standing in a shed in the front yard all alone. She nickered out at us, but it was a call for food, not attention. She was filthy, about 150 pounds underweight, horrid feet and so full of worms you could almost hear them in her belly. I didn't ride her. I didn't care what her training was or where she came from.

The boy dropped her off at her new barn and I got to work brushing out her filthy coat. Only then did I fully realize how underweight she was under all that hair. She hated the attention. She tried to rear in the cross ties. She tried to bolt away. She was uncatchable in the paddock. She wasn't mean. She wasn't violent. She just saw no value in making friends with some strange human who was probably going to ditch her or not feed her or ignore her anyway.

We had the vet out and she was healthy otherwise. The farrier came and took an hour to get a single shoe off. Her feet were angry. No, I didn't do a pre purchase exam on an $800 pony that I had no clue what I was even going to do with. We made a nutrition plan and I signed up with a trainer at the barn to figure some things out.

The beginning posts of this blog are a retrospective account of our first few years together, so I won't rehash it all here, but I will say that she was emotionally distant, stubborn and would oscillate between refusing to move at all and bolting wildly around the arena looking for an escape. She had no respect for me or anyone else and in general seemed upset with life.

After many hours, days, weeks, months and years of working with her this is what I now have:

It doesn't even look like the same mare, does it?

Emotionally and mentally she has changed a ton too. While Gem isn't an "in your pocket" type of horse, she does come greet me or at the least stands still and watches me walk over to her with ears towards me and a light in her eyes. She gets angry when I go too long without visiting. She has her moments where she reverts back to bad manners and behaviors, but I can forgive those when I remember how she used to be. She is the prettiest horse in the world to me and I am forever thankful that I looked at the single line ad with no picture. I couldn't imagine tackling the trails upon any other animal and hope to see many, many more years with her.

She will forever have a home with me.

Happy 5 years Gemmie!!!

Endurance People Are The Best

Why do endurance people rule?? Sit down and I will tell you a tale....

There once was a man who was in a great strife
For he didn't know what present to get for his wife.
A new bridle, a bit, how about a new pad?
But if it didn't work out, she would be so sad.

Then one day it hit him
How could he have been so dim?
A ride entry it would be
That would fill her heart with glee.

He looked at the schedule and chose with great care
Which ride and which distance would she dare?
A 25? No way he thought with a scow
A 50 it would be at the Camp Osborn Pow Wow.

He emailed the manager who was in charge
Could he task her with something so very large?
The entry and packet had to be hidden
So she wouldn't know what was to be ridden.

The woman was game
The envelope would get a new name!
In he upper left corner the State Attorney would appear
So that prying hands wouldn't go near!

Inside she would find a very special flyer
Hand typed by the manager, her eyes need to be drier!
A surprise indeed, they pulled it off
Gemmie better tank up at the water trough.

For in 6 short weeks, they will be
Towing the line at the start of their second fifty!!

Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

 

to all of you out there, two legged and four!!!

2014: A Year In Review

Another year has just flown by! Looking back is always an interesting experience, but it is one of the best reasons to blog in the first place. It really helps to put things into perspective when you read back and realize where you were a year ago.

So, without further ado:

2014

 

It is a new year and I look forward into the days yet to come. My soul is aching for that 50 mile completion, so I put in writing three goals: get a saddle that fits, get Gem in shape, and claim that 50 mile completion. The first order is getting a saddle that fits and doesn't ride up her neck. I've been trialing an Advantage saddle for a few weeks and on January 6th, with glee in my heart and only a vague concept of how I will eventually pay for it, I place my order for a new one to call my own. I plan on 6-8 weeks for delivery and with a heavy heart place my beloved WISE saddle on numerous websites for sale. I also place my Wintec and a few extra girths online.

 

But on New Year's day itself, I load up Gem and head out to a brand new trail system to brave the wilderness alone. This trail system will quickly become a second home to us, but on this day it is all new and we are both horribly out of shape. Luckily, the day is bright and I manage to follow the trail markings without getting lost. I do run into this display of brilliant human common sense which causes a brief moment of introspection as I figure out what to do:

 

 

Who on earth places a trail marker on a NO TRESSPASSING sign? Sigh.

 

The month continues to move forward and I keep getting the same scam over and over again and I question why people don't just get a real job? Things are looking bleak for a safe and secure sale and to brighten things up Dusty and I hit the trails together on the first date in a long time. We travel the trails at Clemson under a brilliantly blue winter sky.

 

It is now February and I find that I am growing anxious with each passing day that my new saddle will arrive before the old one is gone. The Universe has it's eye on me though and I read a great blog post about how to sell high end saddles safely and effectively. What perfect timing!! I decide to ship it off to the Maryland Tack Exchange and see what they can come up with. Of course, the Universe has a cruel sense of humor and an impeccable sense of irony as well, and, just one short week later, I receive an email from the company that they have heard talk of WISE closing shop. This will, of course, make my saddle less desirable and therefore the already too low price should be dropped even more. 

In non horse related news, I have finally reached my breaking point in my job. While it is a stable and well paying job, it is also highly stressful and no fun whatsoever. Staring down 30 years of this nonsense makes me want to hurl, so I join the numerous members of my past and current family in becoming my own boss and announce to the world that I will be starting my own private practice. I also think that starting the Insanity work out is a great idea, so I drag poor Dusty down with me and at 7 pm each night we are squatting and jumping our way to better bodies.

I quickly realize that I do in fact despise squatting and jumping more than I thought was possible and so early in March, not even half way through the program, I happily quit a routine that was improbable in the first place.While the sun is beginning to stay up later and the weather is becoming more glorious by the day, Gem decides that she needs to unmistakably show the world how bad of a horse owner I really am.

I panic. Are these bite wounds? Fungus? A weird prelude to certain death? It turns out it is none of the above and instead is simple seasonal alopecia. It appears as though Gem is trying to ditch her arctic winter coat for a more subdued Southern belle summer style, but the summer hair is not able to keep up and come in fast enough. I keep the areas lathered with the best horse product around, Belly Balm, and soon enough the small new shiny summer hairs fill in the gaps and hide my neglect.

A most remarkable thing happens mid month:  my WISE saddle sells for full asking price against all odds. I am elated for about 20 minutes until it is brought to my attention that I made an expensive blunder while forming my new business and guess how much the fix is going to cost? Exactly! One WISE saddle. Bummer, but at least I can afford to fix it and now will just have to come up with the funds for the saddle some other way. Speaking of saddles... shouldn't my new one be arriving any day now? It has been 2 months.

I manage to squeak in a short trail ride on Gem solo and after a brief encounter with a speed boat that makes me question my life expectancy, I place a plea online for a riding buddy. S is kind enough to respond and so with March quickly fading into the past, we meet at Clemson and have a wonderful 9 mile ride together thus starting a new friendship. Unfortunately, the ride ends with a two hour battle to get Gem back on the trailer. S is wonderful and offers to trailer her to my barn in her rig which Gem complies with and I embarrassingly accept.

This sets Gem up for a tough start to April. One sunny Saturday afternoon I set the trailer up, grab my lunge line and dressage whip and settle in for a day of trailer loading 101. It takes a while, but soon Gem learns that this is one fight she will not win and eventually decides to give up this battle (I'm certain she still plans to win the war though).

To celebrate my 32nd birthday, S offers to trailer up for the Biltmore Hunter Pace on the 13th. This is amazing since the hubby has tried everything to ruin the day: no gift, forgets to pick up the cake before bakery closes and then writes happy 34th on my 32nd birthday card. The day is simply amazing with a bright blue sky, sparkling green grass on rolling country hills and the pop of pink spring flowers. Gem gets hot and tired, but otherwise holds her own on a hilly 11 mile ride.

May. What a great month you are! Having finally made some riding friends in the area (seriously, it is insanely hard to make friends in a new town as an adult), I am beginning to be exposed to new experiences. T (I met her shortly after meeting S) sends me a text wondering if Dusty would possibly be interested in vetting a Ride and Tie at Clemson. He laughs and says why not and I quickly text S to convince her to be my partner in the 8 mile event. We find a sitter for Wyatt and then find ourselves bright and early at the familiar Clemson trail head getting ready to start.

The Ride and Tie goes off without a hitch and S and I make our way down the trail, swapping off riding and running, on what turns out to be more like a 9 mile trail. We are having fun and keeping up a decent pace until about 1/4 mile from the finish when I make a wrong turn on foot and start the race all over again. Luckily, I have a fully charged cell phone on me and S calls wondering how on earth she beat me to the finish line when I was on foot well ahead of her. Ooops! I figure out my error, with her help, and turn around after making the 8 mile race a 10 mile one. It was still a blast and gets me jazzed to do more.

Completion award

After the excitement of this ride and Gemmie looking fantastic and like she barely did anything at all, S and I head to Sumter for my first experience at the Brick House trail system. We get lost, which is becoming an unfortunate habit, but the trails are nice and the company is even better. We manage about 15 miles before calling it a day back at the trailer and heading home.

I begin to wonder if that new saddle I ordered back in January will ever arrive.

I am a fairly low key horse owner. I don't spend loads on supplements, expensive food or tack. I basically keep it to the bare essentials which is great until you find yourself riding in a pair of disintegrating chaps and driving around a disorganized and slightly dangerously packed trailer. To fix these two things, in early June, I order a pair of black Just Chaps half chaps and a groom organizer. I fall in love with the organizer, but the chaps fall short of their Ovation predecessors. I am beginning to feel more and more like a real endurance rider and less like a complete fraud. Always a good thing.

But June is a terrible month that I won't ever be able to forget or think about without tears. The absolute, hands down best dog to ever walk this planet, Hero, is lost to us and joins his friends of days gone by in the meadows and wooded trails in Heaven. You can read my farewell to him here. I still think of him often and while most times it brings a smile to my face my heart is still broken and I find tears stinging my eyes.



This month is a month for changes and after saying a heart breaking farewell to my best friend for 14.5 years, we pack up our home and move across town to be nearer our jobs. This puts me a crappy hour away from Gem though, so I begin the hunt for a new farm.

The end of the month promises better things to come and I sign up with the most excitement I've felt in weeks for a 25 mile LD at Biltmore in July. I make plans for her last minute conditioning and as usual the Universe laughs in my face and throws curves that I learn to navigate around.

With 4 weeks to go until the event, Gem and I hit the trails for what turns out to be the most miserable, hot and humid conditioning ride to date. Just look at how crabby Gem looks!

We only manage 4 miles before we are both so sick of each other, the weather and being dehydrated that we call it quits and plan to fight another day. The following weekend Dusty runs in his first 24 hour race and puts in a respectable 62 miles before shock brings him down around midnight. I am very proud of him!!! With only 2 weeks to go, I sneak in a 10 mile ride at Clemson and then prepare to let her rest until the big day.

After the sadness and changes that June brought, July has to be better and it doesn't disappoint! The 12th finds us standing at the start line of the Biltmore 25 mile LD ride waiting anxiously to begin the adventure. The trails are beautiful and the weather is perfect. Gem comes off the first loop looking like she hasn't done anything and I get yelled at by the ride vet that I am riding too slow. I am riding with S and her junior and we are all having a great time. Dusty and Wyatt show up at the hold and help where they can and before I know it we are off once again. A short time later we are pulling back into camp for our first 25 mile completion in 3 years!! It is a wonderful weekend and confirms in my own head what others have been telling me all along: Gem can easily do a 50.

Having successfully completed 25 miles with no back soreness or tack issues I start to wonder if I should just buy the demo saddle I have been riding in since December. It has been 6 months since I excitedly placed my order for a brand new saddle from Advantage and no saddle is in sight. What is the enemy of good? Better. With that in mind, I inform them that I will just purchase the demo saddle and call it a day.

The hour long drive to see Gemmiecakes is starting to drag on me by the end of the month and after an extensive and exhaustive search, I settle on New Life Farm. It isn't perfect, but it cuts my drive in half and lets the Dynamic Duo remain together.

Shortly after this Einstein joins our family. He is a 7 week old Boykin Spaniel and I have high hopes that he will some day become a great trail riding partner. He is playful, snuggly and puts up with Wyatt exceptionally well. Welcome to the family!

August is now here and summer is in full swing in the South. While I will ride in temperatures as low as -5 Fahrenheit, I can't seem to force my leg over her back when it is above 90. By default Gem is ending up with a great mini vacation. I make plans to go to Jubilee in VA, but bail at the last minute due to logistics and lack of conditioning. I also finally realize that there is no way I am going to make the September 50 I have had my sights on since the beginning of the year. Bummer :( 

 

Dusty and I manage to squeak in a quick date  and the first Dynamic Duo trail ride since January and head off to Croft State Park.

 

I must admit, come September, I am feeling a little sorry for myself having had to bail on both Jubilee and now the 50 at Biltmore. I finally find a suitable, and doable, replacement in the Barefoot Shine and Wine in TN in October and the fire is relit! Poor gem doesn't know what hit her as I up the ante on our conditioning program once again. Early on I have a heart attack inducing incident with a massive spider late at night. Those things are creepy!

 

By the middle of the month, the 35 minute drive to the barn starts to get old and I am once again on the look out for new digs for the Dynamic Duo. The outlook is bleak having just scoured the area a few months ago for a suitable barn, but hope springs eternal and I look anyway.
 

 

One perfectly harmless Sunday morning I load her up and head off to Sumter to get a 20 mile conditioning ride on the books. It is the worst conditioning ride ever, but we manage a solid 18-20 miles and in retrospect this is the best thing I could have ever done. The ride takes 5 hours to do and while it isn't hot and I am not pushing the pace, it is still a long time without food or water. Afterward Gemmie gulps down her water and eats every morsel she is offered. From this point forward she no longer turns her nose up to any food offered before, during or after a ride. I also learn the importance of carrying water and a granola bar with me as well as eating breakfast before heading out.

 

Towards the end of the month, Dusty heads off to run 50 miles at Biltmore for Run for the Horses and Wyatt and I join up near the end to welcome him across the finish line. He finishes in a great time with a huge smile on his face.

 

At the end of the month I move the Dynamic Duo into what will hopefully be the last boarding barn they ever see. It is a wonderfully laid back barn with a 40 acre gelding pasture and a 35 acre mare pasture filled with grass, an outdoor arena and manicured grassy tracks surrounding the pastures for riding. The weekend following the move, I take Gem on one final 20 mile conditioning ride at Clemson and then let her sit until our big day.

 

One overcast day in October I find my stress addled brain attempting to function as I pack, load and head off to Barefoot Wine and Shine 50 mile ride. Unfortunately I let my stress levels peak and I ruin what could have been a glorious start to a wonderful ride, but I quickly find some new friends and everything turns around 10 miles into the ride. We finish in 8 hours 8 minutes with a great CRI and some concerns over her hydration status. Otherwise, she looks fit, sound and happy at the end and I couldn't be prouder of her.

 

Soon November rolls around and brings delicious fall weather with it. Gem gets a major holiday as I lose my riding focus and motivation. Wyatt learns the joys of riding as we play around the farm and Gem gets regulated to ponying duty for the month. Since daylight savings time has ended and killed off my week day riding ability, I start running again. Just 2 miles around my hilly neighborhood in the evenings a few days a week. It is a good start and hopefully by the time our next 50 rolls around I will be in better shape.

 

As time continues to pass December is upon us and I finalize my ideas for 2015. A spring 50 attempt and a fall question mark depending upon my spring completion. Gem's condition goes back online and we hit two wonderful hunter paces during the month. It begins with the Clemson Pace on my favorite trail system. We push hard and come up in 7th place which is respectable. This is followed a couple weeks later by the River Valley Pace where her brain shuts down and we spend the time re learning how to be a trail horse.

 

  

And that folks is a long version of how 2014 went for team Gem. I can't wait to read everyone else's reports.