Horse Dirt and Sore Muscles: A report from HOTR 2012

So...it actually happened. I planned, I plotted, I paid bills, I cooked meals, I begged and cajoled and finally...I was able to pack the car and off I went into the sunset grey barely visible distance. Driving through the Columbia River Gorge on Friday was...fun! So much moisture everywhere, add wind and 65mph=not much visibility.  It took 6 hours to drive out to Washtucna, Washington, out past the Tri-Cities to where the cattle roam (literally. About a gabzillion of them). 

Once I pulled into camp, I was met with a sight I hadn't expected: (yes some of these pictures I borrowed from Facebook, because I was bad and didn't take a lot of my own pictures):

Vastly entertaining

The ground was so muddy that one of the land owners had his tractor out and was hauling fully loaded trucks, campers, and horse trailers through the muck to a camp site. For some reason, this was endlessly fascinating to me. I'm easily entertained I guess. 

Eventually I hooked up with Nicole Miller and her group and threw myself into setting up camp-camper, two corrals and hot tape for four freckled grey Arabians. There was Dancer, Nicole's up and coming mare, El Cid, a 22 year old fire breathing dragon/pretty pony, and a few of Nicole's friends and their horses Molly and Country, plus assorted children and husbands. They pretty much threw open their arms and welcomed me-crewing for all of us and feeding all of us, holding horses at vet checks, throwing me up into the saddle (cause otherwise I wasn't making it up there) and letting me sleep in their camper. No cold hard ground for this girl!

El Cid

We got all set up, checked and vetted in cleanly. To all those who didn't know, my 23rd birthday was on the 29th of March, day before I left. See that purple number on Cid's pretty butt? I'm thinking it's my new lucky number, since that's what place I came in on the 25 mile Limited Distance Ride...but that's jumping ahead of myself. 

I tacked up Mr. Cid and went for a quick nice to meet you ride on Friday night, heading up the hill behind camp a few times. He didn't even break a sweat. But neither did he actually walk. Instead I was treated to some beautiful dressage moves, despite the rocks and muck and steepness of the hill. 

Camp next to us

The ride meeting was short-a nice introduction to the families who were letting us wander around on their 70,000 acres of pasture land. Also Gail Williams, the long time manager of this ride, detailed the trails to us, despite being woozy from drugs-she'd just had shoulder surgery a week before the ride. Wow. My immediate biggest worry was the train. Running right through the first loop were train tracks, and as we were warned, trains just come flying through that area at 60+mph, with very little warning of their approach. We had to cross the tracks three times-once over the top, once under a very tall trestle bridge, and once through a tiny tunnel. Thankfully the land owners were able to open up a two hour window for us all to go over the top and pass the tracks without incident.

I barely ate or slept that night for excitement. I curled up in my sleeping bag with every soft comfortable layer of clothing I had on and went over our ride plan for the next day. Don't leave with the front runners; don't worry about time; get to know Cid better; enjoy every single second. 

The weather reports in the week leading up to ride day were not favorable for the area, so everyone had packed a ton of rain gear. I rode out in ski pants and my new Marmot heavy duty rain coat. This is what we woke up to on ride day:

 A good omen

It didn't rain a drop during the 25 mile ride, although as soon as Cid vetted in the rain came, so the 50 milers got poured on, and one rider pulled with the "I'm not going back out in that crap" attitude. I wouldn't have either: along with the rain came the wind, almost blew the camper over and set blankets and hats to flying everywhere. 

I ate maybe one egg for breakfast, despite having read Aarene's blog about eating well and taking care of the rider before the ride. My stomach wouldn't take anything else, although I did suck on a peppermint tea bag for a bit of a wake up. We watched the 50 milers head off as we groomed and tacked up and kitted out saddle bags and Camelbaks. I put a picture of Kaeden at my uncle's wedding on my pack. 

The Crazy Freckled Ayrab Club

Finally Nicole's husband threw me up into the saddle as the first rush of 25 milers headed out. Now, Cid had been shivering all morning. He stood with all four feet on the ground, no nervous pacing or anything, but shivering hard core, like he just couldn't contain himself. He wasn't cold-he was warmer than I was despite his trace clip. He was READY TO GO. So we went. 

Looking good, pretty pony!

I had followed everyone's advice about making my stirrups short to start with, which did help me stay in the saddle of Cid, who for the first five miles was Pogo stick dragon pony. The one thing I did not anticipate was my lack of leg muscles. Oh, I have them, somewhere. But making my stirrups so short to start with back fired on me, as the muscle that runs along the outside of my leg from knee to ankle became useless within 4 miles. I'd been riding for the past month a sturdy gaited Icelandic, which didn't require short stirrups, so those muscles were called on never. This meant that posting was agony, so even once Cid settled down and stopped his dressage moves, we couldn't trot for the long periods of time he was used to. I couldn't get myself off his back, and I could only sit for so long. After about 5 miles I was ready to get off and walk in. But I'm not one to throw in the towel, so I turned my attention to the scenery instead. And gorgeous it was, a much need relief from the socked in grayness of the winter in Portland. We both finally relaxed after mile 5 or so, finding each other's rhythm, and I was able to start enjoying the ride, which is what I'd set out to do. After all, what was there to be bothered by? I was on a fit, pretty pony, in the middle of beautiful country, free to set our own pace.

Which turned out to be mostly slow.  The first 15 mile loop took us 4 hours, 20 minutes. We did make up some time along the fence line and a few roads, because his canter was beautiful and that was much less effort for my legs. When we hit the canter going up a few hills, I couldn't help but whoop like a cowgirl. There is nothing like a good canter to make you feel on top of the world.

 He really did settle down after everyone passed us (all of them exclaiming how pretty the pony was). As long as we were alone and out of sight of other horses, he was a dream to ride at any gait, quite responsive and with a brain. The problem is that out in Washtucna there are no trees, and line of sight can go for dozens of miles. Every time Cid would see a horse, the pogo stick action would start up again, because he had determined in his mind that he had to beat every horse near him. I insisted on a nice, calm, smooth walk. That's why the first 15 miles took so long-we were trying to figure each other out. Eventually he copped to the fact that if he walked for me as I asked without any fanciness or jigging, there would be a nice long trot or canter in store for him. After about the 7th mile or so, we were good enough that I whipped out my camera and managed to catch a few shots. 

Beautiful

Oh Sunny Day!

We were the last of the 25 milers to make it back into camp from the first loop, but Cid immediately pulsed down (in order for your clock to stop, your horse's pulse must be under 60 beats per minute). Our 45 minute hold started just as Nicole and her mare Dancer were getting mounted up to head back out for the last 10 mile loop. She was grateful to see us both alive, and gave us a cheerful wave as she headed up the hill out of camp. Cid and I settled to eat lunch before his vet check, and I continued to strip off layers. Between us, Cid and I annihilated no less than four apples at that hold. They were just the best thing in the world to me at that point. 

Nicole and Dancer

Cid vetted in fine, a bit low on his skin tenting (a way to check a horse's hydration level) but still fit to continue. Again Nicole's husband threw me into the saddle and we were off, at a much more reasonable pace this time. I only had just over 90 minutes to finish the 10 mile loop-in order to actually complete, you have to finish and pulse down your horse in under 6 hours for 25 miles (12 hours for 50 miles).I had glimpsed Aarene in camp helping pulse horses, and heard that she'd had to pull Fiddle, but I didn't have details at that point. There was too much going on for me to speak with her at the hold, but I caught up to her eventually.

On the second loop we pretty much stuck with a few horses, which helped motivate me and set a really nice pace to make up time. I met up with a pair of girls that had been behind me during the first loop, and we got a really nice 3 and half mile power trot in that was just beautiful. It was hard work though-the ground was so soft that everyone was sinking deep with every stride, up to pasterns in the wettest parts. We were well behind everyone else so the trail was well broken up. Cid powered through it though, quite happy to finally just be given his head. 

Second Loop

We leap frogged a few riders going up a really big hill, and met up with one of the "Grey Crazy Ay-rab" club, Jala, and her mare Country. We stuck with them the rest of the way in to camp, and realizing we both only had 45 minutes left, and we had no idea where camp was, we pushed our horses as much as we dared, which wasn't much. The ground was just too wet and full of holes. The one time we did try to get some speed up, Cid and I hit a hole about knee deep. Thankfully the ground was so soft it didn't hurt him, but after that we power walked. It was quite nice to ride with someone to talk to after the isolation of the morning's loop. We finally hit the hill above camp, and Jala said we had 20 minutes to pulse in. The trail leading into camp was too steep and rocky for any speed, but she said it was fine for us to go ahead-her mare's saddle was slipping forward, so she had to hop off and walk. Cid and I hustled down the hill, because after not caring all morning if I completed, I suddenly REALLY wanted that. I wanted to complete.

Jala and Country

Cid pulsed down with 2 minutes to spare. It was beautiful. He was an entirely different color with sweat, I could barely walk, the promised storm was blowing in right behind us, and I was exhausted in every pore of my body. I managed to stay upright and functional long enough to get Cid untacked with his cooler on and vetted in, with ample help from Nicole's crew. Jala and I were the last of our group to finish so we had helped getting all the horses settled and fed with their coolers and turnout blankets on. Nicole and the others hid in the back of the horse trailer during the storm. I stripped, put my soft warm clothes back on, and passed out in the camper for two hours, oblivious to the world, achy sore wet and tired and on top of the world. It was awesome. 

Best picture: Workin' Hard Cid

I eventually came to and wandered around camp in a bit of a daze, forcing myself to walk so I wouldn't stiffen up and become bent and gnarled. We cheered as the 50 mile riders trickled in, chased by the wind and the rain and the evil looking skies. I was pretty much in an exhausted haze that whole evening. I remember dinner, though. It was stew, thick and soft and the best thing on the PLANET at that moment. I inhaled that so fast, but nothing else-that was all I wanted. I felt much more alive after that. Enough so that when my name was called I managed to walk to the front and grab my shirt without falling on my face. Cid and I came in 29th place of those that started the 25 mile ride. I love that number.

Trying to settle everyone to sleep that night in the camper was difficult-everyone in our group of Crazy Grey Ay-rabs had completed, the horses were all fine and life was damn good. 

We had planned on sleeping in on Sunday morning and packing up in a leisurely fashion, but just past 6am, again came the cry of "Loose Horse!" I was out of my sleeping bag and out the door in two seconds flat, since the call sounded so close to our camp. I didn't even grab my glasses before counting our ponies-one two three four, all looking unconcerned. So I helped catch somebody else's loose horse before I was even really aware I was awake. 

We managed to get camp packed up, but we ended up walking and lunging the horses a bit so they wouldn't stiffen up on the ride home. Also, there was a line for the tractor valet service as everyone tried to head home as the same time.

Yup, still entertaining

 Eventually the horses were packed in the trailer and we said our pleasantries and I pointed the little Scion towards home. The drive home was not nearly so fun. The wind had really picked up, and there's nothing out there to stop it. I had to fight to keep the little car between the lines. One minute I would have my foot on the floor of the gas, trying to maintain 60mph, the next the wind would shift and be pushing me from behind and I was doing 90mph going, "Sh!t!" Speed limits are apparently a relative thing out there. But I made it home, although not without stopping for an unexpected nap outside of Umatilla. I did see a bighorn sheep, just hanging out by the side of the highway. I was lucky-I had my camera on in my hand, snapping photos as I headed through the Gorge from bright sunny day to grey rainy wetness again. 

I was so happy to be home. I was disgusting-sweaty, matted hair, horse dirt everywhere-but Kaeden came running up to me and demanded up just the same. He cuddled for 5.6 seconds, then he moved on, wanting other things. Ah, toddler hood. I was quite glad my boys had survived the weekend, but I had priorities that including stripping and standing under running hot water and never leaving. Tristan was nice enough to provide a big tasty burger for dinner and listen while I rattled on about the ride and my plots to manage to do another one. A full summer of rides. 

Now I'm addicted....if I can just find a babysitter so I can keep riding!