Transition Tuesday Week 11

Doing It California Style:

Hanging Out On The Tevis Trail On Week 11

That’s what the owner of this car said when she saw me taking this photo. Needless to say, she’s also doing Tevis this weekend.

I drove up to the Auburn area on Saturday: 842 miles from Scottsdale to Cool, CA in about 15 hours. Far looked a little lean when he got off the trailer, but he traveled well and was very relaxed. He was back to his old self 24 hours later. I’m sure it helped that he was back in his old pasture next to his former buddies.

Ready for his day in court.

I let him rest all day Sunday. He spent the day in the shade of a great Oak tree eating Leslie Spitzer’s nice Orchard Grass hay she gets from Nicholas, CA: much more interesting than the hay I brought from home.

On Monday morning we set off to the lookout point at the Tevis finish line. I have only ridden Far once since he got tangled up in the high line two weeks ago. I’ve been treating five wounds on various parts of his body twice daily since then and I think they will be only just healed by the time Tevis starts on Saturday.

It seemed fitting to have a shot of Far’s no-shoes feet on No Hands Bridge.

We rode 11 miles from the finish line to the Lower Quarry vet check and then turned around and came back.  I used the new style Gloves on the fronts and the older style Gloves on the hind with Powerstraps. The trail is not overly challenging at this point of the trail, but there is a good mix of single track trail with a few small climbs, some rocky sections and a couple of small water crossings.

A welcome break from the heat.

I obviously want Far to stay sound and healthy this close to such a revered ride, so it was very comforting to fit the boots and then start trucking down the trail knowing that Far has the ultimate hoof protection. My memory from riding Tevis two years ago is that there are rocks embedded into much of the trail, so there is constant tripping and stumbling as the dust from the horse ahead hides the rocks in the trail.

The trail is very well maintained and certainly makes the horse think about where he is putting his feet.

I used my trusty athletic tape on the hinds and none of the boots came off or twisted at any point. This must be the ultimate test! I’m looking forward to using the Glue-Ons for the 24 hours I hope to be riding on ride day, but the Gloves have become for me a very dependable and convenient way to train and to race. Far just slithered along the trail, picking his way over rocks and moved out at a good speed down the road on the other side of Highway 49. We paused for a while when we came to the welcome streams that cross the trail on the way to the finish line. He didn’t take a false step, nor did he trip, slip or show any signs of discomfort. In fact, his way of moving has really changed for the better in the 11 weeks since I pulled his shoes.

Crossing No Hands Bridge (the wrong way).

I have been doing some interesting reading thanks to some tips from a few of you out there. I spent the last week or so reading up on Dr. Robert Bowker. There is an older short article here that is definitely worth a look and a list of his published articles here. I’m fascinated by the notion that environmental stimulation of the back part of the hoof created from contact with the ground actually creates a more robust foot structure that will better withstand the concussion created every time a horse’s foot lands. That is obviously good for the endurance junkies of the world for all kinds of reasons. But is also good news for pack and trail horses out there who also spend time hundreds of hours on the trails.

Heading back across the bridge.

I’m heading up to Truckee on Thursday afternoon to claim my spot. Garrett is gluing on the boots for all the Easyboot junkies on Thursday and Friday with some boots that are still in the development stages and a new combo of glue. I’ll be sure to take lots of notes and report back on our experience from the back of Horse # 129.

A clean leg after a couple of hours on the Tevis trail. You can see one of his wounds from the accident two weeks ago was not irritated by the gaiters.

Keep up the boot legging!

Kevin

Comments

[gene limlaw]

Is Far tough? my mare is very thin skinned and I'm wondering if the gator would rub the hide of her. I find this all really interesting as I am finding it hard to keep her balanced and am condition barefoot a lot out of frustration. I will go back and reread all your post as I have missed a lot of information. Thanks and it is inpiring flowing your journey. gene limlaw