I had not done an endurance ride since Ft. Schellbourne. Life just sometimes gets in the way of our fun and the endurance ride our family manages, the Ft. Meade Remount, took many hours in July. But the lure of motorcycles including riding dirt bikes in the Dixie and attending the vintage races outside SLC as well as the beauty of Bryce and Zion convinced my husband, Mike, to head south with sister Colleen and me to Bryce. I was also excited to see Raven, my granddaughter, who lives in Cedar.
We left the Black Hills on Saturday and did the 50 at Happy Jack (Laramie, WY) on Sunday. That was beautiful, lots of mist in the am and beautiful rock formations. We used Gloves with Goober Glue for cush and finished 3rd and won BC. Hawk looked and felt great, always wanting to go but never pulling on me. The cush from the Glue was evident on crushed granite roads we spent some time on during the first 25 mile loop. In 2005 I did that ride in steel and could feel Hawk's feet sliding around----that day the boots made for a great ride for his legs!
We traveled to Bryce on Monday and Tuesday then Hawk was able to rest Wednesday while we explored Bryce. I was delighted to reconnect with Brenda Benkley whose company and horse's gray butt I enjoyed on the California Loop at Tevis in 2005. That evening we hooked up with Garrett Ford and "the crew" and 1-2-3-4 all GlueOns were in place with Goober Glue for cush and Adhere to hold on the boots. I loved the "seal" of Goober Glue to prevent any sand from entering the boots.
Thursday through Monday Hawk and I went out every day with the goal of finishing and having a good ride. Hawk and I have almost 3,000 miles in endurance together plus about that in trailriding. He knows what to expect from me and I know what to expect from him. He is awesome on trail winding around, I always go slowly on rocky downhills and get off and let him follow me on most downhills. Bryce had quite a few areas that even I can "jog" to take stress off Hawk's legs. We were steady travelers most days and finished in the top 10 on 4 of the 5 days. After day 4, I knew we would be in contention for the fastest overall time but it didn't alter my plan----steady and careful. I finished 5th day 5 with Rick Leonard while our horses wanted to canter and we talked to them about our willingness to wait another ten minutes for a cold beer!
The Glue Ons not only stayed in place well, they sealed out any sand. The cush was evident in Hawk's movement on hard road and over considerable rock during the 250 miles. We iced, liniment, hand walked him every evening but he had almost no fill. We battled a large bite under the saddle area that his sister gave him prior to the trip but my Specialized Saddle and lots of Desitin helped that and we were able to prevent the scratches that affected many horses.
Bryce is a beautiful ride with significant changes in terrain, scenery throughout every day. There is wonderful water and grass along the way for the horses. Lunches were in wonderful places and the atmosphere throughout the entire ride was positive, fun and focused on the horses. Mark was one of the best vets I've ever experienced at a ride. There were a few incidents and injuries during the ride but all in all very few when you think of how many days, miles, and the type of terrain. As a nurse practitioner, I try to always focus on prevention whether in camp or on the trail. I was glad I didn't have to utilize my skills to any degree on the trail.
Hawk once again showed his morab "morability" on this 300 mile endurance adventure. Now he is back to running with his friends in the pasture, being a ladder when I see a few apples I want to pick, and babysitting kids and new riders. We do plan to go to the Moab ride and try to do all 3 days.
THANKS FOR THE GLUE ONS AND GOOBER GLUE. What innovative products that ARE WORKING. I'm a believer.
Hawk (Summerwood Silverhawk) and Kerry in the Black Hills of SD
So you use GG to seal the the boot? Not Adhere?
Posted by: gene limlaw | September 24, 2009 at 04:09 PM