Our Latest 50
The short version: My original plan for this year was to start the season with Rabbit Run 25 in March, move on to a series of 50's through the spring and summer, and finish the year out with a three day 100 in Maryland before coming back to Jersey to gallop the Mustang in an attempt to win it. When Ozzy was pulled from Foxcatcher in April, his endurance career came to a grinding halt. My horse essentially sat around and got fat for a large part of the summer. I still rode and spoiled him, but he was far from fighting fit. At the end of August, I put him back in training and we've been making our way back since. I was hoping to find a way to the Mustang 30 when some friends told me they would be doing the 50. We tagged along and completed:
Ozzy wasn't as fit as I'd like him to be for a 50, but we were planning to go slow so 27 year old Jimmy could complete and get his 5000 AERC miles. I thought it through and figured Oz could do 50 miles even if we had to walk.
Ival came to get me Friday morning. I had everything packed and ready to go the night before. Ozzy loaded happily, although I had to pretty much beat Willie off of me to keep him from coming with us. Rob met us at the barn and tagged along for the weekend to crew. We took the drive down to the Pines, disappearing into the land of sand and Pineys. We arrived at base camp early and grabbed one of the good parking spaces at the back of the property. We had the pens and the tent set up and the horses settled by the time Wendy arrived with Jimmy.
Jimmy is a 27 year old quarter horse. He's shaggy and sway backed, but he's fitter than even my much younger horse. He knows his job and he knows the rules and he settled down immediately and started working on his pile of hay.
Clover took her cues from the two quiet geldings, decided that this whole endurance thing must be ok, and concentrated instead on shoving her butt in Ozzy's face to entice him. Oz, in turn, pinned his ears and chased her back, as if to say, "Ew! We're RELATED!!!" (They have the same sire, believe it or not.)
The day passed peacefully. We kept the horses stuffed, sat around the horse trailers eating, drinking, and sharing stories, and generally relaxed while waiting for the big day. Ival and Wendy tell some of the best stories.
The ride in general was an excellent reminder of why I do endurance. I got to hear a lot of great stories... both funny and terrifying. It's good to know I'm not alone in the crazy things that happen to me. There are certain things that ring riders just don't get. For example, one woman told the tale of her mis-adventure in Maine last summer. Her horse got swept down river by a powerful current and they were separated. A man wound up diving into the white water to save her horse, but their troubles were over yet. In the process of trying to get back on course, she and her mount sank belly deep in quick sand. Hmmm... near drownings, quick sand, and mis-adventures in Maine... sound familiar?
I came around the corner just in time to hear the tell-tale ping-snap of horses going through a fence. Two Arabs appeared in front of me, one gray and one bay. I was in the right place at the right time and snagged both horses before they could go anywhere. I handed the bay to Rob, but I could see the rocket launchers building in his hindquarters and I had just enough time to grab the horse back before they both exploded. Those horses were TINY (and dainty), but they were STRONG. They dragged me backwards several feet before I was able to stop them. I didn't let go, but it wasn't a fun experience.
"You're just a firecracker under that adorable face, aren't you?" I asked the gray. I kept baby talking the two of them until the fence was back up.
We spent some time up at the hold, just hanging out and watching the horses go by. At one point, a really cute border collie came up the driveway to see what all the noise was about. She didn't have a collar and was pretty skittish at first, but she warmed up to me pretty fast. If I wasn't pretty sure she belonged to the house up front, I would have taken her home with me.
Eventually it was time for the ride briefing (and dinner!)
The ride meeting was brief and to the point and the Mustang has one of the best dinners endurance has to offer. We stuffed our faces, memorized the pulse requirements, and turned our headlamps on to make our way back to the campsite.
By then it was pretty much pitch black out. We were in the middle of the woods with an early morning and a long day ahead of us so we went almost immediately to bed. Wendy slept in her living quarters and Ival camped out in her dressing room. Rob and I shared a two man tent that Ival was kind enough to lend us. It was freezing cold and temperatures dipped below freezing. Thankfully, this trip went much more smoothly than Foxcatcher and we didn't wake up floating on our air mattress. Wendy offered us a Mr. Buddy propane space heater, which we gladly accepted. There was a moment of fixing it with duct tape and we couldn't let it run straight through the night, but it certainly beat battling the elements unassisted.
Only a couple hours after we dozed off, I heard cries of "loose horse!" echoing through camp. I woke Rob, threw on my shoes, and unzipped the tent to help. We were too late and the horses had disappeared off to the main part of camp, but we stayed out for a few minutes in case they came back our way. The night was silent and it appeared that the horses had been apprehended. We made our way back to the tent, snuggled back into our blankets, and turned on the space heater.
No sooner had my head hit the pillow than we heard an awful crashing noise followed by galloping hooves. The entire tent rocked as horses missed us by inches. I knew the rhythm instantly. The first horse was Ozzy!!!
I cursed and we ran out into the dark. I pounded on Ival's trailer yelling, "That's our guys!!!" as I surveyed the damage. From what I can discern, something (possibly the other loose horses) spooked Ozzy and he hit the electric. Instead of backing off, he went through the fence, ripping all three temp pens out of the ground. There were stakes and electrobraid rope strewn to the far end of our site. He took off into the night, dragging his half sister with him.
Jimmy was standing amidst the wreckage looking sleepy and displeased. He blinked at me with a look on his face that said, "I have no idea why those idiots took off. Freaking youngsters..." I grabbed his halter just as Wendy emerged from her trailer.
"I've got him. Go get the other two."
"I'm not wearing shoes," I groaned, realizing that I had stepped in a fresh pile of manure.
I grabbed my sneakers and ran around the corner. Ozzy, having outrun his terror, had realized he'd made a terrible mistake and was standing in the middle of camp looking rather sheepish. Clover was prancing around snorting.
"There's one with a hood," someone announced.
"That's my guy," I called. "Don't worry about him. He'll come to me. Grab the mare!!!"
They got Clover and I walked up to Ozzy, who was definitely apologetic by this point. We brought the horses back to camp where they spent the night on the high tie. Clover was a little resistant to the idea at first, but Ozzy settled immediately with an air of, "O, I'm tied. I've been had. Goodnight."
Thankfully, the rest of the night was uneventful. I think I heard one more set of roaming hooves in the darker hours, but I was too sleepy to really register what was going on. I got up at 4:30am to give Ozzy his breakfast, then crawled back into the tent for as long as humanly possible.
I had hot chocolate and a bagel for breakfast before tacking Ozzy up with 20 minutes to go. I try to hold off for as long as possible before mounting so he doesn't have enough time to get excited and anticipate the start.
I was a bit concerned about getting going. After Ozzy's mission to pull my arms out of their sockets in Maryland, I was actually contemplating bringing Erin's pelham along just in case. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. Despite the fact that we started with the main group, Ozzy kept his brain in his head. He definitely wanted to go, but he respected my aids and there were no acrobatics this time around.
We started at the back end of the pack. One by one, horses slid past us. Ozzy wasn't thrilled, but I sat deep and MADE him wait. After a while, he figured out that we weren't running anywhere and that we were supposed to stay with Jimmy and Clover. Clover was on a mission to just keep trotting. She definitely has the right mind for endurance. Before long, all three horses had settled into a comfortable pattern and we had a fantastic first loop (20 miles). Ival and I would let the horses trot at a comfortable pace. Meanwhile, Jimmy would just jog along at his default speed (slow and steady). We couldn't ride behind him or he'd slow up and wait until nobody was going ANYWHERE, but if we got in front, he'd liven up and just keep chugging. Eventually we'd get so far ahead that we couldn't see Wendy and Jimmy any more. We'd take the chance to let the horses walk and rest. Wendy would catch up and we'd start the process all over again. It was a great experience for Oz, who finally learned how to rate himself. By the end of the day, he was telling me when he needed to walk.
The first loop flew by. Before long, we were on the road back to camp. At the end of the (long) driveway, I dismounted and loosened the girth. Ozzy relaxed immediately and walked quietly beside me. Rob met us at the crew site and helped everyone out. I pulled all of Ozzy's tack and let him drink before running over to the vet check. He pulsed down (to 64bpm) right off the bat. I was thrilled!
Then we got to the vetting. Right away, the vet's brow furrowed.
"What's wrong?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be.
"He's got a slight arrhythmia." The concern must have showed on my face because the vet immediately added, "It's not a big deal."
"Except it is," my own heart sank. "That's why he didn't complete in Maryland. How bad is it?"
"Not very bad at all. Have you been electrolyting him?"
I had. I bought a new brand of electrolytes in case the Enduramax was what caused the problem. He was on Finish Line, and I followed Wendy's advice and gave him potassium chloride to help with his heart specifically.
"Give him extra, make sure he eats and drinks, and we'll keep an eye on it. There's no reason he can't continue."
"I don't know what's up with this horse's heart."
Ozzy was acting fine. In Maryland I knew something was really wrong long before we got to the first vet stop. He was quitting under me. This time was different. He was bright eyed, pushy, and ready to go stuff his face. He was relaxed and raring to go.
He passed his vet check. I was jogging Clover out so a man named Russ took Oz. Ozzy doesn't really go with strangers so he got a B on impulsion, but everything else was fine.
The second loop was 15 miles. I used the new GPS Dev got me for my birthday to track time, distance, and average speed. We rode down a long stretch of road and passed a slew of motorcyclists who were very courteous and slowed down as they passed the horses. Ozzy had plenty left. By then he had figured out his job and was absolutely delightful to ride. If something was bothering him, he wasn't letting it show.
At the second check, the vets didn't detect an arrhythmia. Ozzy seemed bored with the whole vetting process and was ready to get back to his food and his buddies. I breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"I guess he heard you threatening to retire him," one of the volunteers laughed.
The last 15 miles was not easy. I don't know if we were just really tired or what, but the miles DRAGGED. The loop went on forever. Ozzy and Clover were tired. My shoulders were aching. I barely touched the reins for the last loop and was wishing I had a bitless bridle for Oz. I promised him that if he completed I'd invest in a biothane endurance bridle in his colors. Ozzy drank well and his breathing was normal. He wasn't sweating more than I would expect him to. In fact, I'm pretty sure he had more spunk left than I did. By 3:30, Rob was getting concerned and called to make sure we were ok. Shortly after that, we passed a man who was refilling water tubs.
"How far is it to the finish?" we asked.
"Two miles."
Sure, that feels right. I believe it's been about thirteen miles.
About four miles later we were still going. My GPS was dead so I had no idea how far we'd come. Finally, we happened upon a photographer.
"How much further?"
"Two miles."
"Are you kidding me?"
We did get to see a bald eagle up close, so that was cool. He was sitting in a low tree, watching the horses go by, no more than ten yards from us. I didn't even know we HAD them that far south and I've never seen one that close in the wild. There's no denying the scenery was beautiful, even if I was ready for it to be over.
At long last, we crossed the finish line.
Rob had already packed up camp and most of the crew site. He helped us untack and get to the final vetting.
This time, I had to wait a few minutes for Ozzy's pulse to drop. Six minutes later, he was ready, but when the vets listened to his chest, they pursed their lips and listened again. His heart rate was back up. The arrhythmia was back. It was unusual for a horse to be so relaxed (he was falling asleep... one foot cocked, eyes closed) and have a heart beat in the 70's. He had plenty of impulsion left and he trotted out sound, but his CRI was TERRIBLE at 60/76. We got our completion and Ozzy was done for the day, looking no worse for the wear.
I took the opportunity to ask a ton of question. Dr. Nick Kohaut is phenomenal, well respected, and approachable. There were several vets from the New Bolton Field Service present as well. These people know horses, know cardiology, and know endurance. If there's a place to have a crisis, this is it.
It appears that Ozzy has sinus arrhythmia. This means his heart rate goes up when he breathes in, but goes back down when he breathes out. This is weird not only because it's not how a heart is supposed to beat, but because it's an arrhythmia usually seen in small animals. This just proves that he thinks he's a dog, right? From the research I've done, it appears that this doesn't mean much for his endurance career. It's not life threatening. It's just abnormal. It WILL make vetting him in a pain in the ass forever and ever, but it's not likely to kill him, and his incompletion at Foxcatcher probably has more to do with him galloping 30 miles straight than anything else. The only thing I can really do at this point (since he's already had an EKG) is get blood work done while he's stressed and on electrolytes. Unfortunately, short of e-lyting him and putting him on a treadmill, there's not much I can do in the way of pushing him as hard as he's pushed at a ride, and blood work needs to be done same-day for the best results. It would also help to have a control sample from before his workout. I do plan on having him more thoroughly checked out before we do another 50, but the ride vets seem to think he's alright and there's a successful hundred miler who has a similar issue.
In any case, we got our completion and Jimmy got his 5000 miles. Wendy was delighted and Ival was thrilled. Clover completed too and Ival was beside herself with joy.
"If this mare can do this with so little conditioning, what won't she do???"
We walked the horses out, packed up what remained of our belongings, and were back home in record time. Ozzy was thrilled to be back out with Willie and is his usual perky, somewhat annoying self today.
It was one hell of a way to end a season I expected to be a complete bust.
Helmet cam footage of course:
Photos:
Plenty more at my photoblog :)
Ozzy wasn't as fit as I'd like him to be for a 50, but we were planning to go slow so 27 year old Jimmy could complete and get his 5000 AERC miles. I thought it through and figured Oz could do 50 miles even if we had to walk.
Ival came to get me Friday morning. I had everything packed and ready to go the night before. Ozzy loaded happily, although I had to pretty much beat Willie off of me to keep him from coming with us. Rob met us at the barn and tagged along for the weekend to crew. We took the drive down to the Pines, disappearing into the land of sand and Pineys. We arrived at base camp early and grabbed one of the good parking spaces at the back of the property. We had the pens and the tent set up and the horses settled by the time Wendy arrived with Jimmy.
Jimmy is a 27 year old quarter horse. He's shaggy and sway backed, but he's fitter than even my much younger horse. He knows his job and he knows the rules and he settled down immediately and started working on his pile of hay.
Clover took her cues from the two quiet geldings, decided that this whole endurance thing must be ok, and concentrated instead on shoving her butt in Ozzy's face to entice him. Oz, in turn, pinned his ears and chased her back, as if to say, "Ew! We're RELATED!!!" (They have the same sire, believe it or not.)
The day passed peacefully. We kept the horses stuffed, sat around the horse trailers eating, drinking, and sharing stories, and generally relaxed while waiting for the big day. Ival and Wendy tell some of the best stories.
The ride in general was an excellent reminder of why I do endurance. I got to hear a lot of great stories... both funny and terrifying. It's good to know I'm not alone in the crazy things that happen to me. There are certain things that ring riders just don't get. For example, one woman told the tale of her mis-adventure in Maine last summer. Her horse got swept down river by a powerful current and they were separated. A man wound up diving into the white water to save her horse, but their troubles were over yet. In the process of trying to get back on course, she and her mount sank belly deep in quick sand. Hmmm... near drownings, quick sand, and mis-adventures in Maine... sound familiar?
I came around the corner just in time to hear the tell-tale ping-snap of horses going through a fence. Two Arabs appeared in front of me, one gray and one bay. I was in the right place at the right time and snagged both horses before they could go anywhere. I handed the bay to Rob, but I could see the rocket launchers building in his hindquarters and I had just enough time to grab the horse back before they both exploded. Those horses were TINY (and dainty), but they were STRONG. They dragged me backwards several feet before I was able to stop them. I didn't let go, but it wasn't a fun experience.
"You're just a firecracker under that adorable face, aren't you?" I asked the gray. I kept baby talking the two of them until the fence was back up.
We spent some time up at the hold, just hanging out and watching the horses go by. At one point, a really cute border collie came up the driveway to see what all the noise was about. She didn't have a collar and was pretty skittish at first, but she warmed up to me pretty fast. If I wasn't pretty sure she belonged to the house up front, I would have taken her home with me.
Eventually it was time for the ride briefing (and dinner!)
The ride meeting was brief and to the point and the Mustang has one of the best dinners endurance has to offer. We stuffed our faces, memorized the pulse requirements, and turned our headlamps on to make our way back to the campsite.
By then it was pretty much pitch black out. We were in the middle of the woods with an early morning and a long day ahead of us so we went almost immediately to bed. Wendy slept in her living quarters and Ival camped out in her dressing room. Rob and I shared a two man tent that Ival was kind enough to lend us. It was freezing cold and temperatures dipped below freezing. Thankfully, this trip went much more smoothly than Foxcatcher and we didn't wake up floating on our air mattress. Wendy offered us a Mr. Buddy propane space heater, which we gladly accepted. There was a moment of fixing it with duct tape and we couldn't let it run straight through the night, but it certainly beat battling the elements unassisted.
Only a couple hours after we dozed off, I heard cries of "loose horse!" echoing through camp. I woke Rob, threw on my shoes, and unzipped the tent to help. We were too late and the horses had disappeared off to the main part of camp, but we stayed out for a few minutes in case they came back our way. The night was silent and it appeared that the horses had been apprehended. We made our way back to the tent, snuggled back into our blankets, and turned on the space heater.
No sooner had my head hit the pillow than we heard an awful crashing noise followed by galloping hooves. The entire tent rocked as horses missed us by inches. I knew the rhythm instantly. The first horse was Ozzy!!!
I cursed and we ran out into the dark. I pounded on Ival's trailer yelling, "That's our guys!!!" as I surveyed the damage. From what I can discern, something (possibly the other loose horses) spooked Ozzy and he hit the electric. Instead of backing off, he went through the fence, ripping all three temp pens out of the ground. There were stakes and electrobraid rope strewn to the far end of our site. He took off into the night, dragging his half sister with him.
Jimmy was standing amidst the wreckage looking sleepy and displeased. He blinked at me with a look on his face that said, "I have no idea why those idiots took off. Freaking youngsters..." I grabbed his halter just as Wendy emerged from her trailer.
"I've got him. Go get the other two."
"I'm not wearing shoes," I groaned, realizing that I had stepped in a fresh pile of manure.
I grabbed my sneakers and ran around the corner. Ozzy, having outrun his terror, had realized he'd made a terrible mistake and was standing in the middle of camp looking rather sheepish. Clover was prancing around snorting.
"There's one with a hood," someone announced.
"That's my guy," I called. "Don't worry about him. He'll come to me. Grab the mare!!!"
They got Clover and I walked up to Ozzy, who was definitely apologetic by this point. We brought the horses back to camp where they spent the night on the high tie. Clover was a little resistant to the idea at first, but Ozzy settled immediately with an air of, "O, I'm tied. I've been had. Goodnight."
Thankfully, the rest of the night was uneventful. I think I heard one more set of roaming hooves in the darker hours, but I was too sleepy to really register what was going on. I got up at 4:30am to give Ozzy his breakfast, then crawled back into the tent for as long as humanly possible.
I had hot chocolate and a bagel for breakfast before tacking Ozzy up with 20 minutes to go. I try to hold off for as long as possible before mounting so he doesn't have enough time to get excited and anticipate the start.
I was a bit concerned about getting going. After Ozzy's mission to pull my arms out of their sockets in Maryland, I was actually contemplating bringing Erin's pelham along just in case. Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about. Despite the fact that we started with the main group, Ozzy kept his brain in his head. He definitely wanted to go, but he respected my aids and there were no acrobatics this time around.
We started at the back end of the pack. One by one, horses slid past us. Ozzy wasn't thrilled, but I sat deep and MADE him wait. After a while, he figured out that we weren't running anywhere and that we were supposed to stay with Jimmy and Clover. Clover was on a mission to just keep trotting. She definitely has the right mind for endurance. Before long, all three horses had settled into a comfortable pattern and we had a fantastic first loop (20 miles). Ival and I would let the horses trot at a comfortable pace. Meanwhile, Jimmy would just jog along at his default speed (slow and steady). We couldn't ride behind him or he'd slow up and wait until nobody was going ANYWHERE, but if we got in front, he'd liven up and just keep chugging. Eventually we'd get so far ahead that we couldn't see Wendy and Jimmy any more. We'd take the chance to let the horses walk and rest. Wendy would catch up and we'd start the process all over again. It was a great experience for Oz, who finally learned how to rate himself. By the end of the day, he was telling me when he needed to walk.
The first loop flew by. Before long, we were on the road back to camp. At the end of the (long) driveway, I dismounted and loosened the girth. Ozzy relaxed immediately and walked quietly beside me. Rob met us at the crew site and helped everyone out. I pulled all of Ozzy's tack and let him drink before running over to the vet check. He pulsed down (to 64bpm) right off the bat. I was thrilled!
Then we got to the vetting. Right away, the vet's brow furrowed.
"What's wrong?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be.
"He's got a slight arrhythmia." The concern must have showed on my face because the vet immediately added, "It's not a big deal."
"Except it is," my own heart sank. "That's why he didn't complete in Maryland. How bad is it?"
"Not very bad at all. Have you been electrolyting him?"
I had. I bought a new brand of electrolytes in case the Enduramax was what caused the problem. He was on Finish Line, and I followed Wendy's advice and gave him potassium chloride to help with his heart specifically.
"Give him extra, make sure he eats and drinks, and we'll keep an eye on it. There's no reason he can't continue."
"I don't know what's up with this horse's heart."
Ozzy was acting fine. In Maryland I knew something was really wrong long before we got to the first vet stop. He was quitting under me. This time was different. He was bright eyed, pushy, and ready to go stuff his face. He was relaxed and raring to go.
He passed his vet check. I was jogging Clover out so a man named Russ took Oz. Ozzy doesn't really go with strangers so he got a B on impulsion, but everything else was fine.
The second loop was 15 miles. I used the new GPS Dev got me for my birthday to track time, distance, and average speed. We rode down a long stretch of road and passed a slew of motorcyclists who were very courteous and slowed down as they passed the horses. Ozzy had plenty left. By then he had figured out his job and was absolutely delightful to ride. If something was bothering him, he wasn't letting it show.
At the second check, the vets didn't detect an arrhythmia. Ozzy seemed bored with the whole vetting process and was ready to get back to his food and his buddies. I breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"I guess he heard you threatening to retire him," one of the volunteers laughed.
The last 15 miles was not easy. I don't know if we were just really tired or what, but the miles DRAGGED. The loop went on forever. Ozzy and Clover were tired. My shoulders were aching. I barely touched the reins for the last loop and was wishing I had a bitless bridle for Oz. I promised him that if he completed I'd invest in a biothane endurance bridle in his colors. Ozzy drank well and his breathing was normal. He wasn't sweating more than I would expect him to. In fact, I'm pretty sure he had more spunk left than I did. By 3:30, Rob was getting concerned and called to make sure we were ok. Shortly after that, we passed a man who was refilling water tubs.
"How far is it to the finish?" we asked.
"Two miles."
Sure, that feels right. I believe it's been about thirteen miles.
About four miles later we were still going. My GPS was dead so I had no idea how far we'd come. Finally, we happened upon a photographer.
"How much further?"
"Two miles."
"Are you kidding me?"
We did get to see a bald eagle up close, so that was cool. He was sitting in a low tree, watching the horses go by, no more than ten yards from us. I didn't even know we HAD them that far south and I've never seen one that close in the wild. There's no denying the scenery was beautiful, even if I was ready for it to be over.
At long last, we crossed the finish line.
Rob had already packed up camp and most of the crew site. He helped us untack and get to the final vetting.
This time, I had to wait a few minutes for Ozzy's pulse to drop. Six minutes later, he was ready, but when the vets listened to his chest, they pursed their lips and listened again. His heart rate was back up. The arrhythmia was back. It was unusual for a horse to be so relaxed (he was falling asleep... one foot cocked, eyes closed) and have a heart beat in the 70's. He had plenty of impulsion left and he trotted out sound, but his CRI was TERRIBLE at 60/76. We got our completion and Ozzy was done for the day, looking no worse for the wear.
I took the opportunity to ask a ton of question. Dr. Nick Kohaut is phenomenal, well respected, and approachable. There were several vets from the New Bolton Field Service present as well. These people know horses, know cardiology, and know endurance. If there's a place to have a crisis, this is it.
It appears that Ozzy has sinus arrhythmia. This means his heart rate goes up when he breathes in, but goes back down when he breathes out. This is weird not only because it's not how a heart is supposed to beat, but because it's an arrhythmia usually seen in small animals. This just proves that he thinks he's a dog, right? From the research I've done, it appears that this doesn't mean much for his endurance career. It's not life threatening. It's just abnormal. It WILL make vetting him in a pain in the ass forever and ever, but it's not likely to kill him, and his incompletion at Foxcatcher probably has more to do with him galloping 30 miles straight than anything else. The only thing I can really do at this point (since he's already had an EKG) is get blood work done while he's stressed and on electrolytes. Unfortunately, short of e-lyting him and putting him on a treadmill, there's not much I can do in the way of pushing him as hard as he's pushed at a ride, and blood work needs to be done same-day for the best results. It would also help to have a control sample from before his workout. I do plan on having him more thoroughly checked out before we do another 50, but the ride vets seem to think he's alright and there's a successful hundred miler who has a similar issue.
In any case, we got our completion and Jimmy got his 5000 miles. Wendy was delighted and Ival was thrilled. Clover completed too and Ival was beside herself with joy.
"If this mare can do this with so little conditioning, what won't she do???"
We walked the horses out, packed up what remained of our belongings, and were back home in record time. Ozzy was thrilled to be back out with Willie and is his usual perky, somewhat annoying self today.
It was one hell of a way to end a season I expected to be a complete bust.
Helmet cam footage of course:
Click to viewPhotos:
Plenty more at my photoblog :)