Karen's EasyCare & Endurance Musings

15th Washoe Valley Endurance Ride 2008

The Washoe Valley Endurance ride is a really well run ride with great ride management, vets and lots of volunteers.  The trail was very well marked with plenty of water and even hay provided on trail.  Dinners each evening and awards were also really well done.  If you haven't done this ride before be sure to put it on your calendar for next year if you are able.

As you can see, there is quite a bit of variety on this ride between the scenery and footing.  We had a lot of great wildflowers this year which came in all different colors.  Check out an entire album of photos and take a virtual ride through the day two 50-mile course!  I rode Bo for the 2nd time on an endurance ride (the first time was the middle day of Mt. Carmel) and he did very well.  He is a really fast walker, especially going up and down hill so we did a lot of walking with trotting reserved for the more level and better footing areas and finished around 31st out of 50 starters.  He now has 500 miles and this was the fastest ride he's ever done.  Here and here are photos that the ride photographers got of us during the ride.  Be sure to check out this photo as well - of Dave Rabe and Rushcreek Okay.  They completed the first day 50 miler.  This was Okay's first ride since the trailer accident and he did really well - Congratulations Dave!  (note:  there is still time to participate in the raffle to benefit Dave - click here to learn more!)

We had nice weather for the ride with a slight breeze which was perfect for the horses.  There were three loops with the first loop being 25 miles with an hour hold, then an additional 18 mile loop with another 15 minute vet check and hold (all in camp) and then a remaining 7 mile loop around Washoe Lake.  The first two loops had a lot of climbing with some incredible scenery.  Pulse criteria was 60, which Bo breezed right through and overall handled the ride exceptionally well.  He is really level headed and steady.   His shoes had come off the week before and he handled using four Epics and dome comfort pads just like he'd always been doing it - size 2's on the fronts, and 1's on the hinds.  So far he has been sound barefoot with no signs of foot soreness, so appears to be making the conversion to barefoot just as well as Chief did.  :)

 

Mt. Carmel XP Ride Photos

Click here to view the entire photo gallery of images from the 2008 Mt. Carmel XP. 

Back from Mt. Carmel & Easyboot Contest Update

We had a great time this year at Mt. Carmel.  The weather was fantastic and the trails in great shape.  I love this ride because it is so colorful with lots of singletrack sections and some technical stuff as well.  A great variety of terrain - we ride in sugar sand, dirt, rock, coarse sandy washes, over slickrock, boulders, shale, through pine trees and pink and orange colored cliffs.  Turnout was good with 78 riders the first day. 

We had several riders in the EasyCare hoof boot contest racking up more miles.  Once all the results forms are turned in check for updates here at this link.  Terri and Oliver are still in the lead.  Have I mentioned before that Ollie is a gaited horse?  He is doing great in the boots, and is sure racking up a lot of miles! :)   

I rode Chief on days 1 and 3.  He had a really great ride both days.  He wore me out on the last day but then finally settled in a bit after lunch.  We went a little faster and that just made him want to go even more.  I used two Bares and two glue on boots on him.  They stayed on both days and really worked great.  He moves very nice in them.  Check out this photo and see if you can tell which hoof or hooves have the glued on boots on?  He had just been bathed and then had sand stick to him.  From a distance you can't even tell if the horse is barefoot or not.  Natalie and Cheyenne completed all three days together with the glued on boots on their hinds and EasyUp Easyboots foamed on the fronts.

Mt. Carmel XP, 2008

I'm leaving today to go to Mt. Carmel, Utah.  This is a 3 day 155 mile ride and I am bringing Chief.  It is a long way for me to go (600+ miles one way) with just one horse, but I want to give Tigger a bit of a break after Color Country.  He tripped and clunked something into a rock on the 2nd day, and while he was able to walk in the last ten miles and trotted out sound at the finish I think it's good for him to have a month off before returning to work.  Chief on the other hand, is... well... Chief --- he did three days at Color Country without any issues.  I don't know yet how many days he will do at Mt. Carmel because I have a couple of people bringing horses for me to look at.  I may want to try one or both of them out and ride them on the ride.  Won't know till I get there! 

Chief has been to Mt. Carmel several times.  It was his first ever endurance ride.  It is a really beautiful ride - very challenging at times due to the sand, and the climbs.  The country is gorgeous and it's just spectacular to ride through.  The top photos shows riders starting to lead down the "trail of death", which is really not that scary.  Click here to see more photos from last years ride.

Do you see the light?  I love riding Chief through tunnels! 

Back from Color Country

Chief and I had a terrific ride at Color Country this last week.  It is a three day 155 mile ride in Hurricane, Utah. 

Many times over the weekend were we told that "they don't call it Hurricane for nothing".  Yep, it WAS windy --you couldn't see across camp at times.  Reminded me of the windstorm we had at Death Valley a couple of years ago. 

Turned out though that the first day of the ride in the wind was really very nice.  It kept the horses cool, and that was by far the easiest day of the ride.  We had a great time riding with Tigger and Dave Rabe.

The second day was also a nice day.  However, the wind had died down and it was getting warmer - almost too warm.  The horses both did well, and we took our time and enjoyed the day.  The sky was so blue that some of the colors almost seemed unreal next to the orange, red, purple and white colors that we rode through. 

After finishing on day 3, we were greeted warmly (moreso than normal) by the finishing committee.  Turns out that AERC was doing drug testing and lucky me - I won the lotto!  Yep, I was one of five lucky winners to be given the opportunity to donate two vials of blood from my horse.  Chief didn't seem to mind being a pin cushion after finishing what turned out to be by far the toughest day of the ride, and the hottest.  We had a really nice ride though, and Chief did great in the heat - it sure helps that he's dropped a few pounds and is a little thinner.  (though still not thin, for an endurance horse)

Color Country Pioneer Endurance Ride

I'm on my way to the Color Country endurance ride today.  It is in Hurricane, Utah.  This is a really nice ride in great country.  We get to ride past dinosaur tracks as well as quite a variety of terrain.  One of the nicest ride photos I have of Chief was taken last year on this ride by Steve Bradley.  Here is a photo album of a previous ride.  This is one ride where I have ridden all of my horses on and it is so easy for me to get out there and shut my eyes briefly and remember all of the great memories I have of those rides. 

Speaking of Chief - we have been adding him to the EasyCare website in multiple locations with more on the way.  We created a character of him, called an "avatar", and have been having a lot of fun with it.  Be sure to check out the new talking Chief on various pages.  I'm not sure I would always really want to know what Chief would say if he could talk but I do know that he is very happy going down the trail in his hoof boots! 

2008 Cuyama XP Results

Here are the daily results from the Cuyama Oaks XP ride.  If you notice any errors please let us know asap.  Thank you! 

Photos from Cuyama.  The ride was extremely gorgeous this year.  The wildflowers were so colorful, what fun and how lucky we are to get to ride through them for hours with our best friends.  :) 

Next XP Ride:  Mt. Carmel, May 3-5, 2008, Mountain Region - Mt. Carmel, Utah.  Another really colorful ride.  Click here to see photos.

Raffle to help Dave with expenses from accident

Susan Favro from Healthy as a Horse is helping put together a raffle to help Dave Rabe with expenses and getting back on his feet after his terrible accident a couple of weeks ago. 

If you would like to donate an item for the raffle, please contact either Susan or myself no later than April 9th so that it can be included and we can start selling raffle tickets.  Tickets will be able to be purchased directly from the Healthy as a Horse website and will sell for $5 each or 6 for $25.  Every cent collected will go directly to Dave. 

Once we have everything set up and the tickets available for purchase we will post more about it on the various internet lists as well as here in my blog.  This will go a long way to help Dave out and he will no doubt be surprised that so many people want to help him out.  Many have generously contributed to the B of A account that we started from donations collected at the Cuyama ride.  (THANK YOU!)   

Dave has done a lot to help out many, many riders as well as dozens of rides and ride managers over the years.  He is always going above and beyond to help with marking trail, clearing trail, hauling water, unmarking trail as well as always stopping to help anybody that needs help on the trail.  He has also helped countless riders with their Easyboots -- we will be sure that there'll be Easyboots (and several other EasyCare products) donated to the raffle.  Hope you will buy some tickets and win something! 

Trailer accident - time to help out someone who always helps others

UPDATE: I am leaving this post as a featured post at the top of my blog for a couple of weeks.  Feel free to leave comments for Dave Rabe.  Please click below to expand this post to read information on how you can help Dave.   Please know that everybody chipping in to help will really make a difference for Dave.  Thank you! 

The trip down to Cuyama this year was not a good one.  It was quite tragic for Dave.  Here is a newspaper report on what happened.  Fortunately, Dave was not hurt and nobody else was involved in the accident.  His friends have set up an accident assistance fund for him and the information is below.  If you know Dave or know somebody that is a friend please pass this along to them.  Dave of course, does not know that we have done this and he would never ask for help.  He is always helping everybody else, so this is a small way for us to help out when he needs it the most.  He has suffered a terrible loss in so many ways.  Thank you Cuyama riders for the donations you made at the ride. 

Riding through a tunnel

This is a tunnel we go through that goes under Highway 166 at the Cuyama ride.  I rode Chief through it both times we went through this on the days I rode him - on days 1 and 3.  I just leaned down and told him it was okay to go through.  It's nice that he trusts me and knows that I won't ask him to go where it isn't safe.  He still is smart enough though, to check things out when I do tell him to go through things that could be unsafe - such as the quicksand in the river, or a mud bog.  He will cautiously place a foot in and test it and if he sinks, calmly step back and ask for further direction from me.  I like that about him - he doesn't just barge in like I have seen so many other horses do and then they get stuck up to their bellies struggling to get out.  Part of why I love riding Chief so much is because we both look out for each other and trust each other.  He still can be a bit too enthusiastic as far as his competitiveness goes so it is a challenge on a ride as large as Cuyama is to get him in his own 'space' on the trail.  By having our own space I mean that little sweet spot you get in where you aren't chasing a horse in front, or having riders come up behind you - all of which makes a competitive horse just want to go-go-go even more.  When I can get Chief into our own 'spot' he goes along so nicely and with little effort.  It's such a pleasure to ride like that.   My best rides on Chief are when we are completely alone -- yet, since we are with each other I don't really consider that I am alone! 

Soon after the tunnel, we were back in the wildflowers.  They were so abundant and breathtaking this year.  It sure does make the ride go by fast when you have such gorgeous scenery to look at!  I also did ride along for various sections with others and enjoy that also - that is what makes endurance riding such a great activity.  You have so much freedom to do what works best for you, and your horse.  I love it! 

You do have to be careful about allowing your horse to graze down the trail on this ride.  In this colorful photo you can see some of the darker orange colored plants - that is fiddleneck, which can be toxic to a horse especially if eaten in large quantities.  Chief did grab a bite or two of it, which resulted in me pulling it out of his mouth. 

When we finished the 3rd day of the ride, I pulled Chief's boots off - he used two Epics and two Bares.  You can see in this photo how the dome pad looked.  I really like using the pads in the boots as I think they are great for reducing concussion and also for making the horse more comfortable especially on the hardpacked and rocky trails.  I've been really happy with how well these pads are lasting too - this pad had already been used (I always break them in first) and then did another 100 miles before this photo was taken.  I have pads that have done 7 days of 50's and are still in good shape.   I was especially happy with how well the Easyboot Bares fit Chief on this ride - even with the sand and wet river crossings we did, they stayed nice and clean inside - this photo was taken as soon as the boot was removed.  If you are getting dirt, sand or other debris into your Bares while riding, try using plunbers putty around the top edges, adjusting the bungees tighter or seeing if a smaller size boot or bungee will work. 

This last photo shows Chief's hoof and pastern after the ride was over on the 3rd day.  On the first day of the ride I did use vetwrap but did not on the 2nd day (I rode Tig that day), or with Chief on the 3rd day.  Neither Chief nor Tigger had any rubs from the days they did without using vetwrap (or with, for that matter). 

I've been using a heat temp gun to measure the horses hooves, ankles and legs before and after riding them.  I've been checking the same areas regularly now for training rides both barefoot and booted, and also on endurance rides.  The results have been interesting and so far from what I've seen I think that the horses are benefiting the most from being ridden with boots and pads together.  Versus barefoot or with boots alone.  Give me a few more weeks and I'll if I still think that theory is valid or not.  Very interesting!  ;)   

Cuyama XP Photos 2008

Click here to view the entire album of photos from the 2008 Cuyama XP multiday ride.  Chief didn't get any rubs from his boots, but I did - ouch! 

Cuyama Oaks XP 2008

I can't believe how fast time flies.  It hardly seems like a year has gone by since the last Cuyama XP, and yet it has.  I have Wilma (the Garmen Nuvi) programmed with where I am going tomorrow, even though I know the way it is always fun to use the new toy ya know?  Should be about a 9-10 hour drive.  I'm meeting up with Dave Rabe at 5 a.m. and we'll caravan down together. 

I am bringing Chief and Tigger and will alternate them.  I haven't for sure decided which horse will do two days and which horse one, but am leaning towards doing two with Chief.  Both horses are looking really good. 

This is one of the only XP rides that has limited entries.  As soon as the ride is over each year, people start entering for the following year.  It's a very popular ride. 

Here are photos from a previous year.  Beautiful country, we are really privileged to be able to ride here.  Below are photos showing a bit of trail.  One photo shows riders watering in a creek - I think that is Dave Rabe and Jeremy Reynolds.  The other rider is Sue Benson in the foreground.  This ride is famous for his brilliantly colored wildflowers that illuminate entire hillsides.

Eastern Mojave Scenic Results 2008

For those who are interested, the results from the 2008 EMS ride are up on the Sunrise Ranch Rides website.

Due to the popularity of this pioneer ride, it is now going to be an XP Ride.  Look for for information on it for next year on the xprides.com website.  With the inclusion of this ride the series of XP rides will now include:

Eastern Mojave Scenic XP, 155 miles
Cuyama Oaks XP, 155 miles
Mt. Carmel XP, 155 miles
Fort Schellbourne XP, 250 miles
Bryce Canyon (The Randy Coleman Memorial Ride) XP, 250 miles
Grand Canyon XP, 250 miles

New this year are classifications for some of our awards:

1000 miles - same horse and rider, any combination of XP rides = GOLD MEDAL
750 to 999 miles - same horse and rider, any combination of XP rides - SILVER
500 to 749 miles = BRONZE

You can count on the awards for these achievements to be very nice. I love all of my XP awards that I have gotten and treasure them more than any other.  Not just because they are nicer (and the clothing actually fits!), but because of the significance and what I got out of earning them.

Chief has been a Gold Medal horse twice, and we both thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it - I'd love to be able to do it again sometime.  For now, I'm alternating horses this season since I'm bringing along a new one (Tigger).  If I'm lucky I'll maybe have two horses make at least the bronze level.  Here is what I wrote about the last time we made Gold Medal.  My advice is if you have the opportunity to do something like this - horse, funds, health - make it happen.  It's one of those best in a lifetime experiences that you won't ever regret doing. 

Eastern Mojave Scenic Pioneer Ride Photos

Here are a couple of photos from the Mojave ride that Merri took.  The first one is me and Tigger at the start on day 3.  He was super well behaved all day and seemed to really enjoy getting to go down the trail another day.  We had a lot of fun!  The other photo is of Les and Tulip.  Tulip lost a shoe early in the ride so got to do the last couple of days with an Easyboot.  Tulip is the current highest mileage AERC horse still going down the trail. 

Here is a photo album of additional photos that I took all three days during the ride.  Photo on left is junior rider Rachel who rode with me on day 3.  Lots of trail photos, some camp and some vet check photos.  I rode Tigger two of the days, 100 miles and Chief on the middle day - 55 miles.  This was a perfect opportunity for Tig as he is starting to 'get it' and this was a really good experience for him.  He has been doing everything right - he eats and drinks well, and is controllable in the S-hackamore.  He is paying attention to where he places his feet and goes smoothly through dips and ruts rather than  just stumbling through like a clod. :)    On another positive note - Laurie Ledbetter came and rode a couple of days.  Here is a video of her mounting her horse at Bryce.  Her horse lies down for her to get on, since she is quadriplegic.  It's really great to see her riding, and she is always so polite and cheerful on the trail.  

Chief's Award Plaque from Grand Canyon XP

I got a plaque and matching mug today.  I had to share - here is a photo of the plaque.  At the Grand Canyon XP last October, Chief reached the 7,000 AERC mileage mark.  I'll post photos soon from todays 50 at the Eastern Mojave endurance ride.  It was a great day! 

Eastern Mojave Ride

The three day Eastern Mojave endurance ride starts tomorrow.  The first couple of photos are of my horses, Tigger and Chief.  It is a bit cool (50) today with a little breeze.  Looks like we will have excellent weather for the ride! 

Tigger was a bit full of energy earlier when I tacked him up and took him for a walk around camp - I ended up longing him on a line to let him get all of that excess explosive energy out.  Chief just looked on with a calm eye.  I am planning on riding Tigger tomorrow and then will decide based upon his behavior how many days he will get to do.  I think I'd like to ride him at least two days, and then ride Chief on the middle day.

The second two photos are of Michael and Julia from Horses Dacor.  They are vendors of endurance tack and equipment and are set up at the ride.  As you can see they utilized a joshua tree to hang some of their items up with!  You can tell from their photo (the one where they are holding Easyboots) that the breeze has made things a bit chilly. 

There will be several Team Easyboot members at this ride who are going to be helping test various products.  During the last couple of days we have been getting everything fitted and product sized up with various horses that'll be competing in this event.  It looks like it will be a great ride!

AERC Convention News: Get your Easyboots fixed and help AERC Trails at the same time!

If you are going to be attending the AERC convention and tradeshow in Reno February 29-March 1, 2008 please stop by the EasyCare booth and visit with us!  Chief and I will be there and will be able to answer your questions and show you all of our tricks and tips on using EasyCare boots.

If you let us know now what parts you need, we will be happy to repair your Easyboot, Epic, Bare, Grip or Custom boot (2005 and newer models, so no riveted/older boots).  All we ask is that you make a donation to the AERC trails fund.  Keeping our trails open is very important and we need to do everything we can to help make a difference.

Death Valley Ride Results

Results from the 2007 Death Valley Encounter can be found on the sunriseranchrides.com website.

In case you missed the photos, you can find them here. 

Next year the ride will be completely different!  It's going to be great so stay tuned to the SRR website for more information.  It will still be point to point but will start and run opposite of how it was this year, with different camps.   We will have a much better location for the New Year's  party.  Yay!!   

Bin Laden Son Wants to Be Peace Activist - by doing a 3000 mile endurance ride

Here is an article from AP about Bin Laden's son and how he wants to be a peace activist by riding 3000 miles on horseback.  I like that he's trying to make peace, and he can't be all bad if he wants to ride a horse that far and help children that are the victims of war.  That won't be easy. 

Bar H Ride Info & Entry, PS Region

Below is info along with an entry (copy and paste to print out) for the new 2 day Bar H Ride in Southern California on February 2 and 3, 2008.  It is going to be a really fun ride, so don't miss it!  Don't take anything too seriously here either, read the following with a sense of humor.  :)   You guys that get to go will have to tell me all about it!  I'll be at the Equine Affaire that weekend in Pomona, California - if you are going to be in the area stop by and say hello. 

Death Valley Encounter Photo Album

Here is a photo album with photos from all four days and 200 miles of the Death Valley Encounter.  You'll see lots of the scenery and the footing.  There are also many photos of the new Easyboot Edge boots.  I used dome comfort pads in them all four days and used four Edge's on Chief (he is the one in the grey ear-cam shots), and two Edges on Tig (the bay pictured here w/ the blue and black tack).  Two of the Edges I used did all four days and 200 miles and two did two days and 100 miles.  They held up really well, never once came off, and did not cause any rubbing on either horse.  I used no vetwrap and made no modifications to the boots. 

We had perfect weather for the entire ride.  It was great this year! It definitely seemed a lot easier than the previous year - that's what happens when your comfort level is raised a bit.  ;)  Next year the ride will be even better and will be run in reverse.  That will allow us to have a nicer place for the New Year's Party. 

Happy New Year from DVE & Easyboot Edge Testing Results

We had a really great ride this year at Death Valley!  The weather was absolutely perfect.  I rode Granite Chief 100 miles (2 days) on days 1 and 3, and Tigger 100 miles in two days on days 2 and 4.  Today was New Year's Eve so our horses wore party hats today.  The horse to the right of us in the photos is Thunder, ridden by Dave Rabe.  Thunder did 200 miles in four days using the new Easyboot Edge boots on his front feet.  Tigger used the Edge's on his hind feet, and Chief used them on all four feet.  So I had a set do 200 miles and so did Dave, plus one other rider I think did that hasn't finished today's ride yet.  The boots did really great and held up extremely well!  Other riders used the boots for a day or two.  Everybody is in love with the boots!  It was so great, I used the boots for all 200 miles and didn't use vetwrap and didn't have a single rub anywhere on either horse - the new gaiters on these work great.  I'll post more later, right now it's time to go join the New Year's party!  Happy New Year everyone!!!