Year End Awards

290 riders participated in the Field Hunter division of the Western Carolina Hunter Pace Series that ran from August 2015 to June 2016. Gem and I made all but three rides which happened to be the last three of the season.  We were out of town for a funeral for one, the next was the weekend after the endurance ride and then the last one was over Memorial Day weekend and Dusty picked up a shift at an emergency clinic to help offset some of our life bills.

The year end ride is not counted towards anything, but it is a fun ride with lunch and the ability to earn a wild card to apply to any ride the next season which gives you credit for completing even when you couldn't make it. I went to the one at the end of the 2014/2015 season just to earn the wild card.

This year it was being held at Biltmore at the end of June and I was really excited to go until I saw that it wasn't starting until 10 am and the temperatures were already in the upper 80s by 8 am when I would be getting ready to leave. Last year's year end was held in the beginning of May and a horse died on course while I was riding. Dusty was called in to aid the treatment vet and Wyatt was entertained by the RM. I just lost all excitement for going when I saw how hot it was going to be and how late the ride was starting.

So I opted for my first dressage lesson instead and forgot all about it.

Then a fellow Pacer and friend sent me the following picture:

Apparently we placed 6th!!

The ribbon is massive and really pretty. She lives next door to the barn (she was the one who found this place for us) and dropped it off at the barn for us where the BO proudly displayed it on the tack room door.

I am really proud to have placed out of 290 riders and it really spurs me on to want to participate again next year and hopefully not miss any rides. We probably would have been in 4th had I not missed the last three and could have even shot up higher if I placed at all in any of the last three rides.

Still, I am super proud of my mare and happy with a lovely 6th place ribbon.

River Valley Hunter Pace: The Manic Depressive Mare

Sorry, no media, from this ride. Instead you get some of my favorite Gem pics.

Gem had a stick up her butt from the start. That stick was named Tristan. We pulled into the ride about 10 minutes ahead of BO and Tristan and they parked 4 trailers down from us. Gem knew. Tristan knew. They spent the next 15 minutes screaming for each other. I somehow managed to wrangle her tack on without getting either stomped by her pawing feet or smushed by her ever swerving big bay buttocks.

Kind of like this

I knew what I was in for and I secretly wished for my slow as a snail mare from last weekend.  In a way it was good though. I started going to the paces to not only condition, but to use them to get her over her race brain mentality. After all the paces we have been to this year, this is the first time she started a ride in the same mentality she does an endurance ride. In the past, it has taken her 10 miles to calm down and focus and I knew this ride was between 6 and 7 miles, so it was going to be interesting.

The ride was done backwards from December which meant that the horses leaving went past the trailers. As I was clipping the breast collar on her, Tristan went soaring past. Gem was livid.

The beast sleeps

I hand walked her to the start and climbed aboard. We paced as we waited to be let loose and then she took off. I had a death grip on the reins and I know my face was white as a ghost.

I don't mind fast. I love forward. What I don't like is fast and sometimes mostly forward with random sideways leaping and coming to a complete and sudden stop without any warning. just to leap forward again. We wove between the fences that create the trail and she was not listening to me one bit. Eventually I just started to circle her and make her halt. I don't know if that helps or hurts, but it at least gets her to focus on me and not on whatever lunatic plan she has at the moment (in this case it was catching up to the now long gone Tristan).

By the time we hit the woods around mile 2 she had calmed down with the spooking enough for me to dig my nails out of my palms and breathe again. She was still fast and furious, but was at least consistently moving forward. I let the reins out a bit and she galloped off. Fine, wear yourself out mare. Just keep moving.

By mile 3, she had decided that she was never going to catch him and calmed the poop down again. She was still looky and not 100% back to herself, but she was back to only tensing up or skirting problem areas and not trying to spin out from under me. So I gave her more slack, told her she was beautiful and let her move out. She clocked in at 9 mph and was mostly behaving herself.

Her yearling photo. At least she kept her attitude as she grew up. 

By mile 4, she had her breaks reinstalled and I could finally get her balanced going downhill or over more tricky terrain. I could nearly trust her to make smart decision by this point which was a big win. We were only 4 miles in instead of 10. Small victories, folks.

We reached the halfway point and she buried her nose in the water bucket then began shoving her face full of grass. She was sweaty, but it was more of a nervous sweat than a true exertion one. We moved off after the hold and she was a little more looky than I would have liked. I wished I had my whip with me, but had left it behind at the start not wanting to add fuel to her fire.

I never felt comfortable enough to let her canter, but we did move out freely and after the hold I actually caught myself having fun. I was smiling again and talking to her a lot to give her a confidence boost. We went down a few new trails that had some holes and she paid attention and skirted around them as directed.

We came to a road crossing and I finally got to meet Bec!! Hi!!! Not sure how she could have possibly recognized us with all our red and black tack on ;)

Gem never slowed down and never asked to stop or walk the entire ride which was a win in and of itself given last weekend. She was on a mission. We came out into the last field that goes to the end and just as the finish line was in sight I heard off to my right in the woods "hH Mommy!" I smiled and turned to look at him and said HI back, Well, Gem knew my attention was gone for a split second and jumped sideways. Good thing I was prepared for the shebitch to come out and I stayed put. Wyatt screamed out "Are you ok Mommy?!" I laughed and gritted my teeth and finished the darn ride.

We finished in decent time, but due to the first 2 miles being stop and go as I tried to get her to focus on the present we came in 9 minute too slow and out of the ribbons. It doesn't matter though. I was just happy that I actually turned the ride into something I enjoyed and got Gem refocused only 4 miles in.

Green Creek Hounds Pace

Sunday morning was brisk at 40F with a wicked wind that felt like it whipped right through you. My excitement for the pace dwindled as I got ready to leave the hours in the early morning hours. By the time we arrived at the barn, Gem was just finishing up her breakfast and it seemed to get colder. I grabbed her from the pasture and she was high as a kite.

The other two horses at the barn were racing up and down their pasture screaming at the wind. A quick risk:benefit analysis showed that it would be better to just throw her in the trailer without removing her sheet and hope she was calmer at the ride for grooming.

We arrived in a beautiful little valley that was completely sheltered from the wind. Gem unloaded and got busy eyeing up the lush grass all around her as I went to check in. Wyatt hopped on up and helped me warm her up as we wandered to the start.

 Three, two, one...enjoy your ride!

I started Gem of really slow. Two people had warned me that the NG shoes can be slick as skates on ice when riding over wet grass. Well as you can see from the above picture, the start was noting but thick and wet grass. We walked off and things seemed to be ok, so about halfway through the field I picked up a trot and she still moved out without an issue.

At the back left corner of the field, the trail headed into the woods and I let Gem move out as she wished maintaining a nice and forward trot. I wanted to feel how the shoes made her move.

The first mile had a few good hills in it and while the trail was mostly sift dirt, there were sections that became rocky. It took until the end of the first mile before Gem realized she didn't have to worry about rocks and really just flew down the trail.

We spent the first mile or so hugging the bank of a large stream/small river and the sound of trickling water made a lovely soundtrack to our progress through the woods. Gem was feeling good and the slight breeze that made its way through the trees served to keep us both cool as the sun began to warm the air.

The second mile came quickly and we began to duck into the woods and the skirt more gorgeous, lush fields. I began to grow more confident in the tall grass and kept Gem trotting. She never took an odd step or slipped in the grass. 

Eventually the trail dumped us onto a road crossing and I made her slow way down. Farrier had never heard of the slick in grass thing, but had heard people say that the shoes were sticky on pavement and to be careful. We made our way across the road and bypassed an optional jump before heading back into the woods. 

From here we once again skirted fields and ran through the woods. Gem was forward and willing the entire time. I wasn't quite up to letting her canter just yet, but she still keeping a good pace just at the trot.

 We eventually re entered the woods and the trail went up, up and up some more. As the end of the woods drew near, Gem was breathing pretty hard and I told her we could walk a bit once we reached the top. As the trail broke from the trees, I saw the steepest, longest hill I think I have ever rode on Gem. It was all grass covered and went on for forever. I apologized to the mare and let her walk half way up and then made her get going once again. At the top, the view was simply breathtaking and I felt my face break into an ear to ear grin that never faded until the end of the ride. I stopped at the top and turned around to grab a picture.

This was the only spot that made me second guess myself. The trail went straight ahead and there was a large jump. A sign read "TO JUMP" with a big, bold,  black arrow pointed straight ahead to the jump. There was another sign below it that read "NO JUMP" with a big, bold, black arrow pointing to the left. Right beside the jump was a small trail and typically on these courses you can take the jump or go beside it. As I was pointing Gem to go beside the jump I saw a blue ribbon off 90 degrees to my left going down and equally steep and long, rock strewn trail. Not seeing any ribbons dead ahead, I turned down the hill. There weren't any confidence ribbons along the entire down hill portion and I was beginning to think I made a wrong turn and should have gone straight to the jump when finally we reached the bottom and I saw a ribbon. Phew!

From here the trail go even more fun. Gem hit her stride and was just flying along without a care in the world. The trail was mostly single track and wove through the trees. There were small little hills that were more like moguls on a ski slope and we bounced up and around and through the woods. I was giggling out loud like a school girl and giving Gem huge pats.

Honestly, it was moment that just made me thankful to be alive and fortunate enough to get to enjoy my time on the planet like this.

These woods plopped us out by a local vineyard and there was yet more gorgeous scenery to take in.

The trail ran off to the right up a gravel road and for once I could let gem just go. The trail wound its way up the hill in the picture above and I was laughing as we soared around the curve and then the world exploded at the top.

I have never seen a more gorgeous view in my entire life. Thankfully, they put the rest stop at the top and I just sat there on Gem like a fool with my mouth gaping open. The hold folks laughed and said that it was coined the bas view in he county. I spun around snapping pictures and just gushing. The lady offered to snap my picture with Gem and I happily handed my phone over. Gem wasn't too thrilled with posing instead of stuffing her face full of grass.

I can't get over how shiny Gem is. She wasn't even breaking a sweat at this point and she just radiated. Well, except for her incredible angry face because I made her stop eating. 

The 3 minute hold ended and we headed off to go down the back side of the hill and entered a fairy land forest. Seriously, the grass was near neon green and covered the entire forest floor with trees sprouting from the earth all around us. It was surreal.

We trotted through our dreams for quite a way and then re entered a pine forest with the trail littered in pine needles. Gem was moving well, the ground was glorious and the trail wide and I asked for a canter. Maybe it was how relaxed I was, maybe Gem was feeling the magic too, maybe it was the shoes or maybe the footing, but most likely it was combination of it all. Regardless she put out the most glorious canter she ever has. I couldn't even feel her feet touch the ground as we soared along the trail.

We slowed as the trail grew more narrow and wound through the trees once again. We were at mile 7 and I reached for my phone to take a pic of the trail we had just traveled. Except my phone was not there. It had to have slipped out of my waist band. Darn. I though about turning around, but I figured we weren't that far away from camp and I could sen Dusty running it backwards to pick it up. I made a mental note to break down and purchase one of those thigh belts that holds the phone.

All too soon we were back into the fields and the trailers came into view. We crossed the finish line with my Garmin reading 7.8 miles and I fervently wished this was a longer ride. I briefly debated just going around a second time, but money is tight right now and the boys were waiting on me.

Gem didn't even look tired at the end. Even with a faster pace and a ton of hill work, she hadn't broken a sweat and people at the start asked if we were just heading out. She is looking amazing right now!

As I was filling Dusty in on my lost phone, a woman came over to let me know someone found it and was riding back with it. I was thrilled!! As we chatted, she asked me how the ride went an pretty much everyone could see my beaming face. These were the most beautiful trails I had ever ridden and I was sure to tell everyone who would listen. Turns out I was talking to someone from the Green Creek Hounds who hosted the pace and hunt on the private property were were fortunate enough to get to ride on. She invited me to join the int which honestly, I believe I will do. They put on a summer walking with the hounds thing where you can go and just ride with the hounds, but not do the hunt so you can get the horse accustomed to being with the hounds  and learn more. The attire is pretty much whatever and I plan to go the summer and learn more about it. If I fall in love, I hope to join the hunt next fall as a guest and maybe even a permanent member after that!!

I stripped her tack and we headed over to get lunch. They had tables set up with table cloths and it was very cute.

I let Gem hand graze a bunch and decided to forgo any extra grain. She didn't really work hard at all and there is no need to juice her up just to do so. I took a picture of how shiny she is too.

I am just so excited for this year. No matter what happen at Biltmore, Gem is looking and feeling the best she ever has and at 18 years of age that is saying a lot. We have so many great opportunities right now and I am just thrilled with life.

FENCE Spring Hunter Pace: EDITED with Score

Lesson learned: always trust myself. When I begin not to I need to use my confidence stick on myself.

The morning dawned grey and dreary with the threat of rain mid morning. I checked the website a dozen times before heading to the barn to make sure it was still a go and, when finally satisfied, we loaded up the truck with a million snacks, toys, and clothes for Wyatt and headed out.

Gem was in rare form when I grabbed her from the pasture. She was pawing, had the whites of her eyes showing at times and even attempted a rear in the cross ties. I'm not sure what was bothering her, but after a failed attempt at grooming while she fidgeted and fussed I decided to just load her up and deal with her at the ride.

We arrived and she was much calmer when she unloaded. Who knows what got up her butt back at the barn. I registered and tacked her up as more and more trailers began to filter in. It is still odd for me to think spring in February, especially when my friends in WI are still posting ice fishing pictures, but Gem is shedding like mad and there is a different taste to the air. I yelled goodbye to Dusty and Wyatt and headed off to the start area.

Wyatt and Dusty digging in the warm up ring. When we got there Wyatt looked around and loudly proclaimed "This is my kind of place!"

The start box was empty as we wandered over. I was instructed to follow the pink and blue ribbons and that the trail was 9 miles. I've ridden here twice before and it was 9 miles each time in the past, so I, erroneously, figured it would be the same trail.

3, 2, 1.... We will keep the lights on!

Gem and I were off. We walked away from the start and hit the steeplechase track for a short distance where I asked her to trot and she obliged. Since I was riding solo I had kept her bit in and remembered to grab the dressage whip aka confidence stick a term I have stolen from Liz! Gem picked up a lovely 8 mph trot which had me grinning from the start.

I really dislike the beginning of this ride. You ride out the driveway, cross a busy two lane road and go under two highway overpasses where the cars and trucks just fly overhead. As we were making our way alongside the busy road I recalled that I had never ridden this alone. Dusty and Pete joined me the one year and Haley was with me this fall. Gem was hyper aware, but moved forward willingly and I believe we were both equally happy when we turned off the shoulder and went down the driveway to the cross country course.

I need to get pictures of this because it is a full blown cross country course with a lovely water complex, but Gem is such a freak that I never have a free hand. Today was no exception. She HATES cross country jumps and spooks and bolts and stops all through the field. She nearly dumped me three times in a very short period and I was very focused on her.

The cross country field has also been notorious for getting people lost. In the past we have come across riders doing the entire ride backwards because of the cc course portion. I followed the ribbons and arrows being aware of this tendency and only relaxed once we hit the woods on the far side.
Gem was flying through this section and was feeling great. She was putting down 8 mph miles with ease and forward, happy ears and I was just humming to myself and enjoying the day.

Heading into the woods after the cc course

One of two creek crossings. Gem stopped to play in the water, but didn't drink. I think if there had been a water crossing later in the ride, she would have greedily sucked it down. 

At 2.25 miles and 22 minutes I arrived back at the cc course and saw that the trail went back down the busy road towards the barn. In the past, the trail did this and then you were finished a mile later.

Crap! I must have missed trail. We always spend the majority of the ride on this side of the property. I milled around the driveway entrance looking very confused and was debating what to do when a trio of female riders came up. I asked if they knew this ride, told them that I was worried I missed trail and asked what they knew. Their response? "Ride your own ride"

Excuse me? Wow. I hope you fall off.

Coming out of the woods and back at the cc course. Hmmm....

I decided that doubling up was better than missing a bunch of trail and turned around to see where in the cc course I made my error. I called Dusty and asked if he could find out what I did wrong, but nobody back there knew anything at all.

Letting Gem graze while I decided what to do

Going back around a second time

Surprisingly, Gem was happy to redo the loop and went striding out back into the cc course and while she was still an idiot about it, she was better behaved this time which let me really focus on the markings. These ended up taking me the exact same way and 2.25 more miles later, I saw the cc course again.

The darn cc course again

At this point it seemed silly to do the same thing a third time and I figured I'd just go in and tell them I was terribly lost and confused. Well, it turns out I should have just trusted myself and kept following the darn ribbons because the trail went right past the barn and out on trails I had never seen before. Stupid lack of confidence strikes again.

Gem was still in a good mood, but was much more aware of her surroundings on these new trails. The weather continued to be cloudy and the humidity soared to a sweat inducing 86%, but thankfully there was a cold head wind to keep us both cool.

We passed a herd of curious cows and Gem slowed, but kept moving forward like a brave girl

The trails on this side were wonderful. Loads of hills, mostly double wide tracks and all in the woods. Gem was a bit pokey and required more nagging to keep up the pace, but all in all she maintained a nice forward momentum.

Beautiful trails with beautiful footing just screaming to move out

The hills kept coming and they kept getting steeper. Gem started to ask to walk and I let her. After downloading the data, there was 1,000 feet of gain and the entire second half of the ride was a general uphill trend. No wonder she got tired!

Elevation profile from the Garmin. Some steep ascents, but a general uphill trend on the second half.

Lots of uphill climbs through the woods

Going up again...or should I say still?

We finally reached the halfway point and waited out the 3 minute hold. The trail from here followed a pretty lake. At one point I asked Gem to canter and jumped into a lovely 14 mph, balanced canter that made me laugh out loud. It was so wonderful to eat up the trail like that with a horse I love under me.

Lake coming into view

We even saw some geese alongside the lake. Gem could have cared less about them

Too amazing to not fly. This is right before we picked up the canter.

A few more climbs later and the barn was in sight below us once again. My watch read 9.5 miles (about 11 miles in real life) and 1:54 as we crossed the finish line. I apologized to Gem for adding the second loop on, but was glad for the extra miles.

Looking down at the barns and show grounds with the steeplechase in the foreground

The road system Wyatt and Dusty built before they needed the warm up ring to park extra trailers

She looked great at the end, but was definitely tired. She scarfed down her mash and then took a nap while we ate our lunch. I am still planning on changing up her feed to add oats, but she is feeling and looking good on the TC Senior and I love how shiny her coat is getting. I can't wait until she sheds out for the year. She is going to be gorgeous.

Messy mare face

Looking good. Still want to tack on a few pounds, but keeping her in work will help a lot to build muscle and not just fat

Two happy, and very matchy, competitors

As I turned her back out in her pasture, I noticed that she has some gray under her eyes and on her muzzle that wasn't there last year. I looked at Dusty and remarked how she is finally becoming a horse I can do most anything on and that I adore and now she is going to get old on me. Still, she looks amazing for nearly 18 and I made sure to give her an extra big hug and a thanks for everything she does for me.

I'm not too excited to see the ride results. I know we won't be in the running having added those miles on although part of me wonders that if we hadn't we may have come in way too fast.

EDIT: So we totally would have kicked major butt had I not second guessed myself and redid the first loop. Darn!!! We ended up coming in too slow by 33 minutes which was roughly the amount of time I wasted trying to figure out what to do and then redoing the loop and once again figuring out what to do and taking it easy back to base to waste a bit of time. Shoot. Oh well...live and learn. Course time was 1:23 and we came in at 1:56.

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