2010 Fort Howes

Saturday-Sunday June 12-13 2010



It's a labor of love to put on a 2-day ride like the Fort Howes endurance rides - especially when they are AERC and FEI. When you're a ride manager, and especially when you're putting on FEI rides, you are risking financial loss, and you're guaranteed a belly-ache of paperwork: "Sign this" "Give us your credit card number for that" "We need your blood for this" "Please sacrifice your firstborn for that" and various other offerings you'll be required to make. Sometimes the hoops you have to jump through are so great that ride managers feel it is no longer worth it to do both AERC and FEI.

But Jan and Bill Stevens have been laboring, and loving putting on the Fort Howes endurance rides, since 1997, and they managed once again to put on a fairly relaxed, and quite enjoyable weekend of rides, even though the weather forecast was, like last year, not looking so good. Temperatures wouldn't be quite as low (as in "chance of snow"), but there was a good "chance of rain" predicted for the rides on Saturday and Sunday, and it did dump over an inch of rain Thursday night.

However, as the locals say, if you don't like the weather in Montana, wait 5 minutes and it will change. Just come prepared for any kind of weather (shorts, winter wool and fleece clothing, muck boots) and you'll be able to handle it. And as soon as the sun comes out and the wind picks up, the mud will quickly start to dry out.

Held on the Stevens' Circle Bar Ranch in lush green rolling hills of southeast Montana, which has been in the family for 6 generations, a lush hip-high-grass meadow is sacrificed for the ride basecamp. "It's just a winter pasture," says Jan, but most horses would kill for a pasture like that. If it rains - and it will rain - cars and trailers will shred the pasture to bits, especially when they take a Big Truck or tractor to tow them out during or after the ride. The pasture actually recovers over the summer so the cows stay happy in the winter.

Attendance was down by about a third this year, probably because the selection trails for the WEG in Kentucky this year began in 6 days. Despite that, about half the riders on Day 1 were riding FEI.

And while you could see some good Arabians that are actually qualified for the WEG, and some top US riders that are qualified for the WEG, you could also see a breed of horse you've probably never seen and may not have heard of, and a couple of riders you've never seen on an endurance course before.

A couple of cowboys from further west in Montana showed up to do the
50 on a gaited horse breed called a Montana Travler. I thought that Dave Warwood, the cowboy with the big mustache, was pulling my leg when he rode by and said that was what he was riding. (I'd guessed it was a Tennessee Walker). In fact, the Montana Travler - a cross between a Tennessee Walker, American Saddlebred, Morgan, Thoroughbred, and Hamiltonian - is a gaited horse breed developed in the 1930's through 1970's by Tom Eaton. The Montana Travler that Craig rode, Company, was pulled for lameness, but Dave's horse Misery (I'm not making that up!) finished turtle on the 50, making him the first recorded Montana Travler to compete in endurance. Dave later said "Our horses are fit, because they work in the mountains, but they weren't quite ready for this!"

Chance of rain during the day was 60%, and the clouds were heavy from Friday on, but it held off till Saturday at 2 PM... at which time the rain gear and the muck boots came out. The temperature didn't drop below 50 till evening though, so it was decent riding for the horses. Except for the trail which began to get slick.

Cici Butler-Stasiuk finished third today on DJB Montyonthespot (on which Cici finished 3rd in the FITS 100 in Florida on March 6) - on the LD! With 11,000 miles and title of National Endurance Champion 4 times (2 50's and 2 100's - she won the National Championship 100 here at Fort Howes in 2005) under her belt, I had to ask: "When was the last time you rode an LD?" "Oh, maybe when I was 7!" (Or, possibly, never.) She accompanied Remy Hallam on DJB Cytron Kon JMF (on which Cici won the 100-mile Gallop on the Greenway on January 30 - both are WEG qualified horses). That didn't stop Cici from being thoroughly pleased and excited to accept a bucket for her ride award that night. Remy Hallam was pretty happy too.

Linda Fisher of Kenlyn Arabians rode Kenlyn Elusion on his fourth LD. "I just got my 20,000 miles. I don't have to ride a 50 anymore if I don't want to!"

14 of 16 starters completed the LD. The turtle, Karen Cox, finished just before the rain started. Karen has a great recap of her weekend here.

Cody Boysen and MD Maverick galloped out to the lead on the 50 miler. Cody stayed in front until his horse vetted out lame after loop 2 - and that left Columbian Gregory Smetek on Ivanov the winner. Gregory keeps his horses in training with Roxy Welling; this was Ivanov's first 50.

Roxy finished 3rd in the 50 on Pablo. She and Colleen Devry and Sue Hedgecock had a little race-off over the last 50 yards to the finish. Colleen finished second on Nightwind's Indigo Bey; Sue and Amazing Kon were pulled lame at the finish. "I know I shouldn't have raced at the finish," Sue said later. "But - it was fun! I felt like a 10-year-old kid. I couldn't help it!" Colleen agreed - sometimes that little kid just takes over the reins and spurs you on, and you just have to let her do that!

21 of 28 horses finished the 50.

Jeremy Reynolds and TA Tiran, and Tennessee Mahoney and DWA Khyber (riding her own horse this time! - Tennessee travels around a lot, riding a lot of horses) led on the first loop of the 75. Jeremy and Tiran had last won and BC'd at the Shine and Shine Only 75 miler in May. Tennessee's horse took a while to come down at the first vet check, so she backed off the front pace, and ended up finishing 5th.

Also near the front were Montanans Suzy Hayes on Greenbriar Al Jabal and Doug Swingley on Allaway, and Texan Devan Horn on DJB Deste Jazzman. Jeremy crossed the finish line first, but Tiran was pulled for lameness at the finish. That left Devan Horn the winner. Devan has been riding Darolyn Butler's horses since 2005. She and Jazzman last

11 of 16 horses finished the 75.

During the day riders from different distances went in and out of camp on different loops, ATVs and jeeps zipped around checking on the trails and the riders, and rain showers kept skirting camp (until 2 PM). I had a feeling Bill Stevens was secretly hoping for a little bit of rain so he could go 4-wheeling in the mud. Anne Pfieffer was also zipping back and forth to basecamp in her little truck laden with goodies she'd been cooking for several days before the ride. Anne is a retired schoolteacher from Texas, and she once had her sights set on officiating at FEI rides. "But when that fell through, I sort of stumbled into this catering at rides - and I love it. I found my niche!" You can expect everything from chocolate covered strawberries made to look like animals, beef stroganoff, fruit and nuts, to smoothies (when, say, it's 90* - the blender didn't come out here!) and hot chocolate, when your bones are cold and you don't think you can stand outside one more minute without something warm in your hands and your belly. Anne and her treats have become a fixture at some of the FEI rides here and abroad.

One of the volunteers for the day was the new Forest Service District Ranger. Claude came out to see an endurance ride, and he was put right to work, out timing one day, and in timing the next. He didn't complain too much. He rides horses (in fact, he fell off his horse on his first day on the district!) but nothing like endurance.

The pouring rain didn't stop the barbecue - the big fire-y grill was moved inside the big tent and would have smoked people out, but everybody stayed to eat the possibly home grown steaks, the green beans and potatoes, the fritters and home-grown honey. The weather finally cleared up at 7:30 PM, just when the last two 75 milers were heading out on their last 15-mile loop.

***

Day 2 was supposed to have less rain... but this is Montana, you know. Twenty 100's and 4 75's started on the trail at 5:00 AM, just as it was getting light. The sun came out for a while and a couple of friends of the Stevens fired up a grill and cooked breakfast sandwiches for whoever wanted them. "Before today," said one of the cooks, "the closest I'd been to a horse was when I was sitting in Bill and Jan's kitchen and a horse walked by the window." They had a good time as did everyone who had a happy sandwich (or two).

Going just 4 miles before turing around on the 100 was Canadian Elroy Karius - he felt A Salisbury Rose wasn't moving right, and was possibly going to tie up. She was treated back in camp as a precaution, but she had no problems afterwards - Elroy had quit on her early enough as to cause no harm. More bad luck fell to Namibian rider Kordula Voigts. Needing one more FEI starred ride to qualify for the WEG, Kordula was pulled for lameness yesterday on DJB Mistical Image on the 75, and again today on DJB K De Cielo on the 100. That left Kordula with only a last ditch attempt to possibly qualify at a ride in Canada July 1 - or in Namibia on the same weekend. Her decision would also be influenced by her fellow Namibian riders Olivia Mattaei and Anna Wucher riding the 100. They too had bad luck - Olivia's horse fell on her on the first loop - Olivia injured her elbow, and her horse was lame. Olivia had 8 months between high school graduation in Namibia and physical therapy school in Germany, so she came to Darolyn's place to ride her horses, and she loves it. Anna Wucher made it more than halfway before her horse DJB Tessarah was pulled for lameness.

Meanwhile, another Columbian (living in the US) was getting closer to the leader Cici Butler and DJB KD Fantasia in the 100. Hernan Barbosa was one of a trio of East Coast invaders. Riding Trident, one of Steve Rojek's horses, Hernan rode with Steve on Beaujolais and 20-year-old Kyle Gibbon on Steve's horse Julio for a few loops, before leaving them behind. "This is a nice horse!" Hernan said of Trident. He doesn't own a horse himself, just rides Steve's horses. "Steve has nice horses. I don't want to ride anybody else's horses." The East Coast invaders had in fact come to Fort Howes many years in a row, only missing last year's snowy renewal. "We weren't too disappointed about that!" Steve said.

Yet another Columbian was riding up front with Cici for a while: Mauricio Gaitan on Autumn N Motion, trained by Roxy Welling. Mauricio and Autumn had finished top ten in a 55, 75, and 100 the last 5 months. Yesterday's winner, Columbian Gregory Smetek was sort of helping Hernan and others in the crew area - he was very clean and could be seen holding a leadrope by thumb and one finger. "Today I don't want to get dirty. Today I am visiting!" Mauricio's horse was pulled for lameness after loop 5, leaving Cici with a distinct lead. Trish Dowling and ZF Mocha got pulled at the same vet check, which left Doug Swingley and Nash in second, and Ona Lawrence and CR Mackie's in third.

Doug Swingley had his hands full on the 100 with National Security. Nash finished the 50 here last year in 2nd place with Sue Hedgecock for owner Jeff Stuart. Doug later traded Jeff another horse for Nash. Nash had some high, fast opinions of himself in this 100 miler. "He's a monster!" Doug said. "He's used to that 13 mph Qualified canter, and when I ask him to trot where it gets muddy he doesn't want any part of that!" Doug was wrestling with him through the first couple of vet checks. After Loop 4, he asked Bill Stevens, "Are you ready to ride him? My arms are getting tired!"

Nicole Chappell and her gorgeous golden Arabian/Quarter horse/Friesian cross Golden Knight were attempting to complete their second hundred mile ride, after finishing 6th in the Mt Adams 100 in May. But alas, the gelding was lame after loop 4, with either a stone bruise or abscess in a hind foot, something he's never had before. "I hope this
After 11 hours and four minutes of riding, Cici Butler-Stasiuk and DJB KD Fantasia crossed the finish line first. Cici looked like she'd won her first ride ever. That's one thing about Cici - she is so enthusiastic about endurance riding, whether she finishes first in a 100 or 3rd in an LD, whether she gets a horse blanket for winning, or a sponge for completing. She's always smiling infectiously big on a horse, whether she's in the lead or back in the pack, having a good time. It's wonderful to see anyone having such a good time and enjoying the little things about the sport while competing on the big end.

Doug Swingley and Nash finished third. Doug was six minutes late going out on his last loop because he was putting a shoe on someone else's horse. No big deal. They still finished in COC (Certificate of Capability) time, of under 12 hours 18 minutes. As they walked back to their trailer after their completion, Doug asked Jan Stevens, "Do you have another 100 he could do tomorrow?"

Finishing 6 minutes behind Doug were Steve Rojek on Beaujolais and Kyle Gibbon on Julio. Kyle and Julio got Best Condition, their second BC together on a 100. They won and BC'd at the Far Out Forest 100 in February.

There were a couple of firsts on the 100: Marcia Hefker and her 11-year-old son Cy Brower and their horses all completed their first 100. From Raton, New Mexico, friends told them that Fort Howes was an easy 100 to do. There were a few chuckles at the awards over that. Fort Howes isn't very difficult, but you wouldn't call it very easy, either, especially when it gets muddy and you have weather to contend with. They finished 9th and 10th, only having to ride the last half hour in the dark... "But it was very dark out there!" Marcia said. I asked Cy the next morning if he'd had fun. "It was OK." Would he do another 100? "Not any time soon."

Terri Rashid, and her horse Keen Sweep, who finished 11th, also completed their first 100s. Her husband and two young boys helped crew. They were eyeing Cy Brower when he picked up his completion awards. Maybe there will be a couple more juniors doing the 100 next year with mom.

Doug Swingley got a big cheer at the awards when, at the chanting of the audience, "PINK! PINK!" he picked a hot pink halter and leadrope as his top ten award.

12 of 20 horses finished the 100.

Also getting a big cheer was junior Joe Haeberle from Wyoming, who finished his second day in a row on his horse Scooter, in the 55. He was also excited to pick up his awards - so refreshing, again, to see someone who is excited about endurance riding and enjoys completing and being acknowledged with applause and a ride Tshirt. Joe is 15 and started riding endurance 3 years ago. He loves his horse Scooter. "We got him for $30 off a rancher! He's a cool horse!" Joe came to the ride with Ronnie and Bonnie. Bonnie Swiatek had been riding endurance for 12 years - and today was her first 55. She finished 5th on BRA Surprise Skylark (they finished the LD on Day 1), and she finished first Heavyweight, and came away with an armload of awards and a big round of applause.

Winners of the 55 mile ride were Lynn Lee on Tazzeto and Suzy Hayes on RS Silverado. They trailered down together, rode together, and finished first together. Silverado had last finished second in the 50 at Mt Adams in May. He'd had some trouble with his glue-on Easyboots in April at the Git R Done ride - they'd had a little gap in the seal, where sand got in and rubbed a heel sore. Today the boots and the horse were a success. Suzy was another who was very happy when her horse passed his final vet check - she had hugs all around for everybody and a big smile. 19,000 endurance miles, and another person who still enjoys it and gets excited about finishing a 55 mile ride.

10 of 13 horses finished the 55.

4 started the 75, and 4 finished, with Cody Boysen and GDE Sweete Legacy winning by 1 1/2 hours over Leanna Marchant on Samsons Fire, and Kathy Irvine on Nightwind's Savannah, who rode the entire ride and finished together. Bonnie Mielke and Ola Loki finished 4th - and where else but Fort Howes can you finish last on a 75 miler and get prizes for finishing, finishing Top Ten, First Middleweight, and Turtle?

While there are a few definite 'right wing' and 'left wing' factions in AERC - all-FEI vs no-FEI - the Fort Howes ride is one where - especially this year - just about everybody got along and had a good time, even if they didn't finish. First timers, old timers, happy tears and cheers, good food, good awards, good trails and good horses and good riders - just good fun. It can happen. It did happen this year at Fort Howes.

Real Men Wear Flowers

Monday June 11 2010

That's Sunny (a girl) on the left, and Macho Men Batman in the middle, and Mac.

The men look pretty smashing with those bright yellow Mule's Ears, sort of like a boutonniere in a tuxedo, don't you think?

Dogged

Thursday June 3 2010

I knocked on the Oreana rancher's door. "You missing a red cow dog?"

Connie and Karen and I had ridden out towards Brown's Creek to pull ribbons from day 1 of the Owyhee Fandango. Out a couple of miles, we saw a coyote sitting by a water trough, watching us approach. He didn't move as we got closer.

"That's not a coyote, that's a dog!" As we got closer we got, the dog slipped behind the water trough and peeked over at us, as if he wasn't quite sure if he was going to get in trouble or not. A dog out here in the middle of nowhere!

He had to be a rancher's cow dog, seeing as he wasn't afraid of the horses, and seeing he looked like he was pretty sure he was supposed to be waiting at the water tank. But he was a long way from Oreana, and I didn't see any fresh signs of cows anywhere in the area.

Connie, who always has a goodie bag with her, tossed him some pieces of turkey jerky, and he gobbled them up.

We turned to continue on out the trail, and the dog stayed by the water tank.

Over three hours later we returned via the same trail and water tank, and Cowdog was still sitting there at the water tank, doggedly patient. Connie tossed him some more jerky; I got off to pet him and he wagged his tail; but he wouldn't follow us toward home when we told him to come with us. Cowdog was going to wait at that water tank, because he was sure somebody was going to come get him.

"I'll come get you Cowdog," I said, and an hour later I was bumping up the ranch road in my truck to fetch the dog. There were tire tracks on the road, but they were at least a day old, so the young dog had spent at least one night out there.

Sure enough, when I drove up, he was still resolutely waiting by the water tank. When I stopped and got out and called him, he still wasn't sure he was supposed to leave the tank, but the bowl of dog food I brought along brought him running. He SCARFED half of it before I could pull it away. I put the rest of the bowl of food in the back of my truck and helped him jump in, and he devoured the rest of it.

"Hang on Cowdog, we'll find your home." We putted our way back down the road the couple of miles to Bates Creek, then drove on toward Oreana. I drove up to Rancher Rohl's house because I knew they ran cattle up in the mountains up that road, and I figured at the least, they'd know who the dog belonged to.

I knocked on their door. "You missing a red cow dog?"

Missing him they were - "Clifford!" They'd run some cattle up there the day before, and Clifford must have gotten lost, or fallen off the cattle truck, or run off after something besides cows.

I let Clifford out the back of my truck, he ran in his yard, got petted, sniffed the yard dog, looked at me as I drove off.

Smart dog. He knew somebody would come pick him up if he waited long enough at that water trough.

Red Canyon of the Hart

Sunday June 6 2010

I used to hike a lot. Long hikes. Hard hikes. Peaks. Cross country. Forests and mountains. Now it's only on occasion. Last few hikes I did, I stumbled about gracelessly, the ground feeling foreign. My feet were out of practice, my body uncoordinated. I must get my hiking legs back underneath me.


Today I head cross country in the Owyhee desert to the Deep Red Canyon of the Hart. The skies are dark, blue-gray and heavy; the rain is moving down from the Owyhees. It begins to fall on the desert, on me, first a soft mist. Then I hear the sound of drumbeats all around me. Then I feel the drumbeats. The earth turns dark, glistening; the flowers emanate intense hues - the Indian paintbrush, purple sage, wild onion, buckwheat, penstemmon, globemallow, lupine. The earth gets wet. My skin gets wet. The flowers reach skyward and drip raindrops. I turn my head skyward and rain drips from my face.

Today my feet are feeling the earth, molding to the uneven ground, moving over it without tripping, without slipping on the wet rocks. I smell the wet desert, the sweet sage and flowers of the shadscale. I absorb the rain like the desert.

Today it's just me an a lone pronghorn on a ridge in the distance. We study each other. I have binoculars. He has the speed with which to disappear. It takes me half an hour to reach where he was.

Before I see the cliffs of the Deep Red Canyon, I hear the roaring waterfalls on Hart Creek far below. The cliffs are red and gray in the rain. Tall. I can't see the bottom of the canyon. Slippery. I don't get too close to the edge today. They rise abruptly from the wide valley floor to become a deep chasm.


Two empty eagle nests perch on the face of the cliffs. Pigeons fly about in confusion at this rare human intrusion. Canyon wrens sing their melodic downward spiraling tune.

I follow the rim of the canyon. It is magnificent, this hidden canyon in the Owyhee desert,
the rhyolite rock carved and sliced over eons by water running down from the Owyhee mountains. A lone juniper stands guard over the canyon walls. I stand beside it, dumbfounded by its perpetual view.


My feet find and follow a game trail down into the canyon. I startle a prairie falcon. It flies away, perturbed, screeching at me. A lush ecosystem crowds this narrow canyon. Fat cottonwood trees squeeze alongside the creek. They are thick with luxuriant leaves. Willows choke the ground. Bouquets of rice grass reach my waist.


I climb back up to the canyon rim and follow it until the high cliffs meld into the soft hills that cover the Owyhee desert, and hide these marvelous canyons.

The flamboyant wildflowers line my return path with a royal carpet. Three baby ravens screech and squawk until I climb a hill to see them. They sit silently and study me then discuss among themselves my place in their desert.


I have my hiking legs back under me today. I think the Ravens approve.

Owyhee Fandango Day 3: It's All About Your Perspective

Sunday May 30 2010

Ask a local rider if the Owyhee trails are rocky, and they might say yes. Ask a Nevada rider if our trails are rocky and they'll say no after chuckling. (I've done rides in Nevada: Owyhee trails are not rocky!)

Ask the riders who finished the 100 mile ride, after negotiating the technical trail through the Whiskey Traverse boulder field along the Snake River, and they'll probably say it was no big deal. Ask the riders whose horses got pulled at the Celebration Park vet check after negotiating the boulder field, and they'll probably say that's what got their horses.

It's all in your personal perspective.

It was an endurance juggling feat, trying to pull off a 30, 50, 80, and 100-mile ride, some of that over a new technical piece of trail (the Whiskey Traverse) with 3 out vet checks in two places, and with ride manager Steph riding the 80 miler, but all the riders adhered to head veterinarian Robert Washington's suggestion/instructions: "Don't go faster than 10 mph, and don't go slower than 6 mph, and we'll have you covered!"

Additionally, the Snake River Amateur Radio Club was out in force, at basecamp, at the vet checks and at strategic places along the trail, from 5 AM till after midnight, helping keep track of all the riders on the trails, and without them, the ride just wouldn't have run smoothly. Since 2004 they've been coming out to help on the Owyhee 100-mile ride day, for their community service, for the ride Tshirts and for the Fandango food (by Blue Canoe Catering), and for the fun.

The 16 100-milers and 8 80 milers started out at 6 AM just as the sun was rising. It was starting out as a sunny day - the first in a long time - though it was cool early. Jose had the day off, and I was going to be helping at one of the out vet checks. Originally the plan (well - after changing several times!) was for me to drive Dr Michael Peterson to the far out vet check at Celebration Park by 9:30 AM. But, as few things go exactly as planned at a 100 mile ride, we were instead suddenly leaving at 7:15, to first drop a car off at the first out vet check at Sierra del Rio Ranch (for John T who had set out at 5:30 AM to pre-ride the trail by ATV), then go on to Celebration Park (a 40 minute drive to the Ranch, and from there a 40 minute drive to Celebration Park). And we had to scramble to leave even sooner than that when we got a call from the radio guy at the first highway crossing that a horse had tied up and was waiting there for transport back to camp.

We got out there in good time - it was Naomi Preston and Karlady. The same thing had happened in this ride last year. Naomi had noticed it immediately about halfway between basecamp and the highway, so she nursed Karlady along till they got to the highway where they could stop and get transport back home. Dr Peterson was pleased with how good Karlady looked; he treated the mare with a muscle relaxant, and we went on to the Ranch while Naomi waited with Karlady for a trailer.

The first hundred and 80 milers were just coming into the Sierra del Rio ranch, at 15 miles, when we arrived. Dr Peterson stayed to help Dr Washington and Dr Balch for a while before heading out to the Celebration Park vet check, 25 miles down the trail for the 80's and 100's.

The park officials were happy to have an endurance ride vet check in their park. A couple of Canyon County sheriffs (we were on the north side of the Snake River) came by also, enjoying "something different." Some of the crews had time to take a little footpath through a boulder field where you could see some of the petroglyphs that helped make this Idaho's first (and only) archaeological park. If you had good binoculars, you could watch a golden eagle on the cliff directly across the river fetching food to its nest of young.

Lee Pearce on Fire Mt Malabar, and Christoph Shork on Double Dell, both on the 100 miler, were the first riders to be sighted across the Snake River, following the river path downstream, and approaching the Guffy bridge. They crossed the bridge and rode back to the vet check in the park. The rest trickled in over the next couple of hours.

Reactions to the boulder field were mixed - beautiful, no big deal, thumbs down. Five riders were pulled here. At least two of those horses had slipped going through the boulders. Steph had spent a good deal of time debating on whether or not to include that technical section as part of the trail (it got the riders to Celebration Park, which appeared to be a hit); after riding over it ourselves, she decided it was doable. After the ride, Steph decided she'll look for a safer route through or around it if this trail is used again next year.

The day started getting pretty warm and muggy (my perspective), but just as the last of the riders finished with their hold at the Celebration Park vet check, a cloud cover had cooled things down again, so that it was comfortable for the horses the rest of the day.

We returned back to basecamp, where Dr Burnett was taking care of the LD riders. James Robertsons and his mom Ada Stokes from Washington won the LD, as they had on Day 1. Junior Scarlet Kaplan and her horse Rushcreek Loyd ended up taking the 3-day Best Condition award for the LD.

Another happy finisher in the LD was Katrin Levermann from Canada. She'd planned to come to this ride for the first time with a group of friends, but they were unable to come. She had a not-fun 2-day drive here, getting two flats while crossing the border, then losing her lights and her brakes in the dark nearing Oreana. She wasn't sure how far down the bumpy dirt Bates Creek Road basecamp was (it's five miles! we'll put that in the directions next time), and twice she turned around (not an easy thing with a rig in the dark on a one-lane road with the lights not working right) and finally she stumbled onto neighbors Jan and Warren's property at 11 PM, almost in tears. They not only calmed her down and plied her with hot tea, they escorted her to basecamp at midnight and helped her unload her horses. Katrin ended up having a great weekend, finishing all three days on two of her horses.

Melanie Shirilla on Mika Nika, and her husband Doug Swingley on Iamsamm, won the 60. Dick Root and the steam engine Rocky were third, and Kara Yost and Musca Tiger Jack were 4th. Jack won overall Best Condition on the 50/50/60 3-day. Tom Noll and Frank finished the 3 days, giving 20-year-old Frank his 5000 miles. He still has a discussion every ride with Tom about how much faster they should be going.

Beth Buzis and TR Phantom of Wyoming, and Christina Long and LS Sole Talisman of South Dakota tied for first on the 80. It was Beth's longest ride so far. Jeff Stuart was third on JV Remington; it was Jeff's longest ride so far. "And I know why it's my only 80 mile ride!" he said, as he limped up to get his ride award. He was lured here partially by my photos of Owyhee. Amanda Washington finished her first 80. There are rumors a Tevis ride might be in her near future.

Ten of 16 riders finished the 100. Christoph Shork and Double Dell won it in 10:32. Lee Pearce and Fire Mt Malabar were second, and got Best Condition. Five Nevada riders finished. Karen Bumgarner's horse Z Summer Thunder gave Karen a great ride in finishing his first 100. "Not bad for a horse that tried to kill me!"

While some riders had bad luck, most of them still found things to smile about at the Owyhee Fandango. Having a good time here is pretty easy to do with this good crowd of endurance people.

Whatever your perspective, it was a good weekend for horsing around in
the desert.

Owyhee Fandango Day 2: It's All About The Trail!

Saturday May 29 2010

When you love the trails you ride - and i never get tired of this Owyhee country and it never ceases to catch my breath - and when your horse loves the trails you ride, it just doesn't get any better.

"50 milers: Loop 1 is green," said ride manager Steph. "Or maybe green and yellow, because it's so green in the desert right now, that the green ribbons are hard to see. Or there might be some orange... or pink... or blue... just follow the ribbons! If you are following ribbons, you are on the right trail!"

This year's Owyhee Fandango wasn't FEI, so the atmosphere was much more relaxed, (did I mention the Happy Hour every evening at 5:30?) although Steph did wake up once or twice before the ride, from nightmares that the cows ate all the ribbons off part of the trails. (Which is a good possibility.)

The Raven and I saddled up Jose again for another 50 mile ride with his pals Quinn (and Nance), Jack (and Kara) and Turbo (and Chris). It was another lovely partially overcast day (I LIKE cloudy days, so sue me! : ) with a chance of rain, but warmer. And after yesterday's dire chance of rain where we got not a drop, we weren't very worried about that today.

The 25 mile first loop to us to the southwest again over the familiar Hart Creek trails - out to Hart Creek, with an extra Brown's Creek loop thrown in for the 50 milers (that the LD's didn't do), and back to Hart Creek and the old Hart Creek Homestead. If you've been to an Owyhee ride before, you've probably done this loop, but I doubt anybody gets tired of this one. It's just beautiful. This is the trail we take visitors that we like on.

Richard White caught up with us not far out of camp and followed us down the trail on his daughter's pinto mare. After a couple of miles of trotting, we all stopped in Hart Creek for a drink, and Richard dismounted to do something with his mare's bridle. He told us not to wait for him, so we went on.

Jose was eager and forward beneath me again, moving as easily and strongly as he had on Day 1. Our four horses again moved along together well, all comfortable going at the same speed. The Raven was happily bouncing in his Raven bag on the saddle. The four of us riders sometimes told stories as we rode along (do the horses do this with each other?) and sometimes we rode in silence, listening to our horse's hoofbeats and soaking up the sagebrush desert and mountain scenery.

The Brown's Creek loop down a sand wash and on 2-track roads disappeared under Jose's feet, and soon we were back at Hart Creek at the Homestead, and climbing up onto the sharp ridge back onto the flats. The Hart Creek drainage opens up below and behind you while the Owyhee mountains suddenly emerge ahead of you and start to grow on the horizon. They aren't so tall (Hayden peak, aka Cinnabar mountain reaches 8403'), but they dwarfed the horses ahead of us.

A few easy miles and we were back in basecamp for our hour hold. There we heard some talk of a loose horse on the trail this morning - and a guy walking a long way back with his bridle - a pinto horse - and realized it was Richard White. When we left them at Hart Creek, Richard's horse must have left him! We felt a bit bad about that.

Turbo passed the vet check, but after waiting an hour, Chris detected a problem with one of his feet, so he opted not to go back out with us. So it was us three girls and three geldings on the last 25 mile loop that took us to the northeast toward the Snake River across the highway.

And oh, what a trail! I'd never been on this trail before, and neither had Jose. After going up a 2-track road into the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, and turning to follow a ridge briefly, we came to a point that overlooked another set of Badlands stretching down toward the Snake River in the distance, marked by the black canyon cliffs. The trail led right down into the maze of hills and miniature alluvial fans.

As he likes to do, Jose stopped a moment at the very top of the hill to Deep Think - observe and absorb the view - and then he plunged forward enthusiastically. I could just see the edge of his eyes, which were wide and bright. Down we trotted boldly for a couple of miles along the narrow trail, winding along the ridges and sidehills of these Badlands, and when we eventually made a left turn onto a road down on the flats, Jose never missed a beat.

This road dumped us into a sand wash - and, Oh what a trail!!!

Bordered by high walls, twisting and turning, snaking back and forth, we motored powerfully up this soft and smooth sand channel that had been carved by some serious water action over time. It wouldn't be a place to hang out in heavy rains. Jose had a ball, blasting up this wash, zooming around the blind corners, ears pricked forward, mane flying in the breeze he made, eager to see what was around the next bend, not hesitating for anything except when the wash squeezed together in a few places, tight enough for the sagebrush to graze my tights as we trotted through.

It was all uphill and I thought to slow Jose down a bit to give him a breather, but he wouldn't have any of it - a wash like this is meant to take fast and furious and fun!! He was so sure of himself. He made me laugh. A couple of times I video'd it with my camera (and therefore wasn't paying attention to the trail) and twice the trail split in the wash, and I leaned one way and Jose went the other and I had to grab on to stay in the saddle.

Once our trail left the wash and climbed a short steep hill, we let our horses take a breather, but soon they were off again. They made a great team again, trading the lead, keeping the same comfortable pace with each other.

As we climbed one more hill on the last few miles of trail back to the highway, from behind us we heard an equine freight train coming: Rocky, the huge half mustang half monster of Dick Root's. Dick has such endless patience with this big old guy. He'll spend hours in a ride finessing Rocky into behaving (because you can't outmuscle him). Dick spent Day One of the Fandango doing a lot of finessing. Today, halfway through the ride, Rocky was responding well to Dick's requests (mostly not to pull and chase down other horses... like our horses), and as a reward, Dick let him roll.

And when Rocky rolls, you can hear these big monster feet (size 6 shoe) in the distance - CLOP CLOP CLOP CLOP and his steam engine breath - WHOOOSSSH WHOOOSSSH WHOOOSSSH, and this huge daunting creature roars up behind you and is gone before you can say "Go Rocky!" We sang the Rocky theme song as they steamed past us. (On the last few miles in, Rocky was misbehaving again, so Dick took him back, and off the trail, and waited him out, and they ended up finishing behind us.)

We got back to the water tank at the highway crossing, where a radio guy took our numbers again. I got off Jose, hoping he'd drink a bit better. You always wish your horse would drink and eat more. Jose doesn't drink enough, and besides, he always has to look around and observe and absorb and Deep Think first. He's like me with a cup of coffee: he likes to take his time and sip and enjoy it. When he's done gazing, he'll drink a bit. Then he'll look around some more (holding the water in his mouth), and when he's done, he'll drink a bit more. Sometimes if I get off, he'll tend to drink sooner or better.

When Jose had his fill (not enough in my book), I stepped up onto the edge of the water trough to get on him easier and Jose started walking off before I was quite ready to put my foot in the stirrup and before I'd really gathered the reins. However, seeing I was starting to lose my balance (backwards) and I didn't want to land in the trough, I had no choice but to jump quickly and aim my butt at the saddle.

I landed kind of hard on Jose's back, and he leaped off into a trot, but luckily I'd landed square and I was able to scramble the reins together and get him stopped. That was my only attempt at ever becoming a Trick Rider.

Our horses zipped the 8 miles back home, as strong coming into basecamp at the end of a hundred miles in two days as they'd been at the first dozen miles. It's just like nothing else, riding a very cool horse on a very cool trail.

And with the completion at the finish, Jose hit 1000 miles!

Meanwhile, over an hour in front of us, Christoph Shork and his 3000-mile horse DWA Powerball won the ride again - they won Day 1 also. There were 3 Drinkers of the Wind Arabian horses in today's ride; besides Powerball, DWA El Paso and DWA Sampson finished the 50.

Elly Burnett and her horse Jasper O'Brien finished the 50. Tomorrow DOCTOR Burnett would be vetting Day 3 of the Fandango - her first endurance gig as a newly graduated veterinarian!

Bringing up the rear in next-to-last place was Rebecca Jankovich of Reno and Moose (Simply Irresistible). 20-year-old Moose, (now 5525 miles), and Rebecca have excelled at multi-day rides since Rebecca started riding him in 1999. Moose has always been a fireball and still has his own firm opinions of how fast they should be going. Rebecca was riding with her trainer Kathy on MS Donnas Star - until she just couldn't hold him back anymore the last few miles.

Just don't tell Moose he was almost the turtle today.

Owyhee Fandango Day 1: It's All About The Raven

Friday May 28 2010

Steph said It's All About the Trails, putting on these Owyhee endurance rides.

She's right, but she forgot one thing, besides the trails: It's All About Fun.

Which, in this case, it meant, It's All About The Raven.

If Jose and The Raven and I completed the 50 miles on Day 1 of the Owyhee Fandango, The Raven would have his 4000 miles! He's 150 miles behind me - I hit 4000 miles in April at the High Desert ride. The Raven started a year after me, hitching along on endurance rides in his own Raven bag, (among his many other adventures and accomplishments, which include sitting on the King's Royal Gold Carpet in Malaysia, and climbing Mt Whitney...) and once you start something, you just can't stop for no reason!

So, stuffed down in his Raven bag attached to Jose's saddle, we took off into the Owyhee morning at 7:30 AM, with a dire 70% chance of rain hanging over us in the heavily overcast skies. (And a slight chance of thunderstorms - eek!) It was hard to decide what to wear - it wasn't cold, but it was cool, and if we got wet, we'd get cold. It wasn't windy yet, but if it got windy, it could get cold. I settled on three layers and hoped for the best.

Jose and The Raven and I hooked up with Nance (Tevis finisher last year!) and Quinn (my Tevis mount last year!), Kara and Jack (Tevis finishers with us!), and Chris and Turbo.

We climbed out of Pickett Creek canyon, and motored along the southeast flats, headed for Brown's Creek across sagebrush country. We crossed dry Little Hart Creek drainage, and running Hart Creek at the location of the old Pilot Wheel homestead. Nothing left there now but a few remnants of the home's foundation and corrals. Rumor has it that the boys that grew up there rode their horses into Oreana every day for school - about 5 miles each way.

Somewhere behind me and Jose, as we led a string of horses through the sagebrush trails, we heard a Whoomp and an Uh Oh... I turned back to look and saw neighbor Carol on the ground, and her horse Suz, our training companion, trotting away. I stopped Jose and jumped off - and Suz ran right up to us, holding up her left foreleg. Her knees were skinned a bit, and she looked a bit bewildered. I just looked around for a second and the ground disappeared!

Carol got to her feet unhurt, and Suz put her foot down and didn't limp, so Carol got back on. Nothing else to do but continue on, because we were halfway between home and the first out vet check at 12.5 miles.

Many gates to close out on these trails; normally cows aren't out here this time of year, but there's such good grass right now that the cows are out everywhere, and the gates are closed. Which meant we had to get off for a lot of gates. I climbed off to open the first one... and that was the last one I did. I barely got it open, but it was so tight, I couldn't get the dang thing closed again. I cursed at it (sometimes that helps with barbed wire fence gates out in the Wild West), but I just couldn't quite get it. "This is a boy gate!" I yelled, and Chris jumped off to get it.

Chris, who recently retired and got his knees replaced, has better knees than the rest of us, so he took to leaping off at most all the gates and doing the honors. We offered to do some but we mostly let him insist. One time he opened a gate (4 strands of barbed wire, mind) without getting off Turbo, but once he got it open, Turbo kept backing up away from it (4 strands of barbed wire on a post chasing him), so Chris had to let it go, and dismount to close it.

We all made it through the first vet check with no problems - even Suz trotted out perfectly. Carol wasn't sure she wanted to continue though - next was a 25 mile loop, and what if Suz went lame in the middle of that? She decided to wait till the end of the 30 minute hold and have another look at her. They were just headed to the vet again when our group of 4 headed out onto loop 2.

It was still cool and overcast, with gray floaty clouds obscuring the Owyhees... but still it didn't rain on us. It really was the perfect day for riding. The trails and dirt roads were a bit slick in a few spots from all the rain we'd had over the last few days, but nothing scary.

Our trail led us down into Buckaroo Creek, past the rock corral, and back up onto the flats. I'd helped Steph flag this part of the trail on Mac; Jose had never been here before. He loved leading the way fast along the trail snaking through the tall sagebrush, ducking under the taller branches and bulling his way through some of them that obscured the trail, not knowing what was on the other side.

Our horses worked up a good sweat in the cool day as they gradually climbed several miles up a 2-track road to the foot of the Owyhee mountains. Some of this was new trail for me - just beautiful. The Owyhee desert looks so different in different light and different clouds - and today with the dark blue and gray clouds and wet earth, it looked like a completely different country. I never get tired of this country. I swear that Jose doesn't either, because he likes to pause and look at and study things. Nance called him a Deep Thinker, and that's what he must be doing when he absorbs the scenery.

As we turned off the common trail along the Alder Creek drainage, the front-runners on the 50 came cantering toward us, including Doug Swingley on his handsome gray Ali Banta, and his wife Melanie Shirilla on MikaNika. Those two Montana'ns slipped into the endurance world from the dog mushing world: Doug won the Iditarod 4 times in the 1990's and 2000's.

Our group of 4 followed Alder Creek canyon up, crossed over the flowing creek running out of a deep crevice in the mountains, then worked our way back down the other side We dropped back into Alder Creek at the Crazy Woman mine where, last August, the place was covered with sunflowers. Now sweet smelling lupine carpeted the hillsides in purple and white sheets. No word on who the Crazy Woman mine was named after.

After climbing back out of Alder Creek drainage, We rejoined our out-trail and returned via the rock corral, to the Brown's Creek vet check, at 37.5 miles, for our second hold. Our horses ate and waited out their 50 minutes, while the Raven helped Jose eat, and then sat in the saddle on his back, anxiously waiting to continue the last 12.5 miles back to basecamp.

By the time we left, some of the cloud cover had departed for Nevada - with the wind pushing it along. We had 12.5 miles of a very strong cool headwind to muscle through all the way back home. But it was literally a breeze for our horses, who had gotten fresher as the day went on and the miles disappeared under their feet. They all got along well, moved well at the same pace, traded the lead, drank together, ate together.

And suddenly there we were, descending the trail into Pickett Creek canyon for the last 1 1/2 mile skip home.

Jose and The Raven held their breaths during the final vet check: a completion for Jose, and 4000 miles for The Raven!! He got a round of applause at the awards, and he got a special little customized Pokey for his special accomplishment. I am quite sure that he is the only Raven in endurance history to ever reach 4000 miles.

Not too far behind us, Carol and Suz finished their first 50 miles (Suz's knees, which looked a bit puffy at that first vet check, now looked good and tight, and she trotted out soundly), and finishing not far behind them were Tom Noll and Frank. If they finished all three days, Frank would reach 5000 career miles.

Yes, endurance riding is all about trail and fun with good people and great horses. And today's Owyhee endurance ride was All About The Raven. Thank you Jose!