2008 Ermelo - Dutch National Championships

Saturday June 7 2008 2008 Ermelo: the Dutch Championships 81 riders left the starting line today in a cool damp fog, beginning with 23 riders on the 160 km ride at 5:30 AM. It began as an uneventful, orderly walk out onto the road in front of the KMSH offices, and a trot out on the trail into the forest. The sun was not yet up, but there was plenty of light to see by, even in the cover of the forest. 32 riders started on the 125 km (15 of them in the Junior 125 km) at 6:30 AM; 19 riders started the 100 km (2 in the Junior 100 km) at 7 AM; and 7 riders (2 of them juniors) started the 60 km at 7:30 AM. Officials marked down riders that went out, and checked them for their regulation FEI wear: collared shirts, vest turned the proper way, shoes with heels (this measurement will increase in 2009 - requiring a larger heel), stirrups with cages or safety releases. No riders in tank tops at this ride. Three of the riders in the 100 km ride were sent back to change their stirrups, and they almost missed the 15-minute time limit to start on course. Forest and heide (heath) - that was the scenery for the ride, almost all on soft tracks, and, "not a stone anywhere," said one of the riders afterward. Despite the entire 6-loop course weaving around half a dozen large towns, there was a minimum of main road crossings (all of which were manned by ample volunteers, who stopped traffic), and negligible asphalt to traverse. The fog hung around till well after noon, which kept things muggy, but helped keep the temperatures down. When the sun did come out, it remained hazy and humid - at least 26* C; but big clouds passed over with a breeze, cooling things off, with a few of them threatening sprinkles. The shade of the forest was the coolest part of the ride; it was noticeably warmer in the white sand crewing and vetting area which reflected the heat. Some crews put up a tarp so their horses had shade to stand under during their holds. All the distances did the 35-km yellow loop as their first. I went out on the trail just across the road from the venue, where the riders came across the heide. Arriving in first of all, clocking 16.7 km/h, was Dutch rider Roxanne Brouwer on her lovely 15-year-old bay thoroughbred gelding Chiruy. I have a thing for Thoroughbreds, and even though they are at a disadvantage to the Arabians, who were made for endurance, it's nice to see them competing. I like to watch the underdogs, the unusual and unexpected. For me in endurance that's the Thoroughbred and the Akhal-teke. Following two minutes later were a strong group of Dutch riders: Anita Lamsma (a former Dutch Champion) on Layla Ara Francina, her sister Marjolein Voss on Black Magic, Jannet Van Wijk on Latino, and Marly Van Ditzhuyzen on Czarownica LB. Marly just celebrated her birthday two weeks ago: she turned 61. There aren't too many endurance riders around the world in their 60's regularly competing in 160-km rides, so you couldn't help but root for her also. The riders from all distances came rolling steadily in... several horses and riders caught my eye. Looking particularly good was the gray gelding Paradise Ox, 9, with Blanca von Hardenberg of Germany, in 4th place on the 125 km. The four Akhal-tekes passed me, all with the same long-striding floating trots and rolling canters. Leading on the 125-km distance was German Harald Braun on another Thoroughbred, 10-year-old Tango Lady XX; wearing a western saddle and curb bit, she cantered effortlessly on a loose rein with her head down like a western pleasure horse, while cruising along at an average of 17.5 km/h. Riding in a group were five Danish juniors and seniors on the 125 km rides. Just like the orange Netherlands riders stood out, you couldn't miss the Danish on the trail or at the venue, with their Danish-flagged tent, red shirts, red tack, and their teamwork - as the day went on, as their riders fell from the competition, their cheering only got louder for those that were left, including the two riders in the 160 km. At the first vet gate, while there was serious competition and crewing going on, there was a lack of franticness and tension that you see at many other rides in Europe and the UAE. It helps if you have plenty of space for crewing and vetting, and there always appeared to be enough veterinarians and lanes available for the inspections, with a minimum of waiting. But there were no smiles, and maybe a few tears, for 12% of the field here - already 10 riders were eliminated from the competition for lameness (one retiring). One of them was the Akhal-teke Danagul. Owner Michele Van Kasteren said later that the mare had almost pulled a shoe off. Another to fall was Junior Lithuanian rider Samanta Loginovaite on her bay Karbardiner, Sport, in the 125 km; but she would still have 3 other teammates to cheer on in the 125 km races. Loop 2 for all distances was the blue 35 km loop, the one that markings kept mysteriously disappearing from over the last few days. Nissan provided several vehicles for the Ermelo ride, and Zulu Liebenberg was out on the trail ahead of the horses in one of the trucks making sure the ribbons and signs were up. Other volunteers drove the course in front of or in the middle of the riders on other loops checking on markings, and later in the afternoon and evening, escorted some of the riders to the finish. Coming into Vet Gates 2 and 3 in the 160 km, Roxanne Brouwer and her Thoroughbred Shiruy were still in first place. Following in nearly the same positions on both loops (Loop 3 at 30 km) were the same strong-looking Dutch horses, joined by three Germans, Michaela Kosel on Black Shetan, Veronika Grell on Piove, and Alexandra Lange on Erb, with the pace fastest of all on loop 2. Leading on the 125 km at Vet Gate 2 was again Harald Braun and Tango Lady XX, but at Vet Gate 3, after 100 km, they'd fallen 5 minutes behind Blanca von Hardenberg on Paradise Ox. Dutch rider Yara de Boer led the Juniors. Eight more horses were out of the competition at Vet Gate 2 - where some metabolic eliminations were starting to show, now that it was getting warmer with the fog burning thinner - including Genghis Khan, the Akhal-teke ridden by Hendriena Ritsema. Dutch rider Marjolein Vos retired Black Magic after she passed the vet check, but just didn't feel right. Nine more were finished at Vet Gate 3 including Carmen Römer and Eddie R - oh no! That left one Akhal-teke in the ride to cheer for, Janet Lam's Bugainvillia. Meanwhile, the 100 km ride came to a conclusion with Germany's Stefan Zoeller winning on Antares, with Italian Marina Ceshchina (one of 2 Italians riding today) second on Koussaia. The one distance that had a 100% completion rate was the Junior 100 km ride. Okay, so there were only two riders, but Elisabeth Loresch of Germany, finishing first on Stein Lina, and Jarmila Lakeman and Sattarov finishing second, took good care of their horses. After the second vet gate, Jarmila had said of Sattarov, "His back is not as strong today, so we aren't going too fast." Jarmila knows Sattarov well, having finished a 125 km and 120 km on him previously (besides numerous training rides). After the finish: "His last loop was his best one. He felt good and he wanted to go! So I am happy with him." They are qualified to be selected for the European Junior Championships in Olviedo, Spain, in September. Loop 4: 25 km. On the 160 km ride, the Germans and Dutch traded off the lead. Brouwer and her Thoroughbred Chiruy were eliminated for lameness at the fourth Vet Check. Anita Lamsma's Layla was good at the preliminary check, and at the re-examination ten minutes before she was due to leave - until she trotted back toward the vet, and she got the hiccups, or thumps - and was eliminated. Vet Gate 4 was also the finish of the 125 km rides... but not for three Germans and a Belgian rider, all eliminated at the very end for lameness. Dutch Yara de Boer easily won the Junior 125 km on Gitano Sumaya. Coming to the finish 2 hours behind Yara were two Lithuanian girls, in 6th and 7th places; their horses presented to the vets and trotted out soundly, to cheers from their home team. The Lithuanian team almost didn't make it to Ermelo, when the ferry they'd arranged was cancelled the day before they left, so they had to scurry to make alternate arrangements for the two-day trip. Half the team finished, and they all enjoyed Ermelo... they presented Eric with a thank you bottle of vodka upon leaving. Blanca von Hardenberg and Paradise Ox won the 125 km ride. Underneath the helmet, Blanca is not just another endurance rider, and she is not just another endurance rider that worked for and learned from two-time World Champion Valerie Kanavy. At 45, she is an enterprising young woman about to embark on a challenging, visionary culture-project: in September she will begin a 10,000 km horseback ride from Dubai to Berlin, to raise awareness and understanding of other cultures and people. An ambitious project, to say the least, in the face of the wars that politicians and leaders are waging around the world, but perhaps something everybody can learn something from. She is encouraging endurance riders from around the world to join her on any part of her trip. But more on Blanca and her fascinating story later. On Loop 5, what was a strong group of Dutch in the lead has become a strong group of Germans in front. Gabriele Forster and Michaela Kosel are first out, followed by Dutch Jannet Van Wijk, and German Veronika Grell. The pace has picked back up over this 19 km loop, and Van Wijk and Latino arrive first into Vet Gate 5. All day Latino has looked terrific on the trail and at the vet inspections. When this pair trots out, it's sometimes one of those cases of the rider detracting attention from her horse, though this is not because Van Wijk is clumsy or out of step with Latino. It's because Latino is barrelling along, his legs spinning fast and his ears pinned back, making Van Wijk run as fast as she can (with a surprised look on her face) trying to keep up with him. Kosel's Black Shetan looks tired at his trot out, and he needs a little convincing to go back out on the trail, but once he gets going, he moves right along; he looks stronger now than he did on earlier loops. Two more are eliminated here at this next-to-last Vet Gate with lame horses - German Alexandra Lange, and last year's defending Dutch Champion, Yvonne Van Der Velde. Thunder rumbles nearby, and a dark blue cloud is forming in the west as Van Wijk and Latino leave on the last 16 km loop at a canter. The smile has not left Van Wijk's face: she has a good chance of winning the race... though anything can happen on the last loop, or at the final vet inspection. How fast will the other riders come on? How much horse does she have left? How much do the others have left? Kosel, wearing a mask of concentration on Black Shetan, follows two minutes later in hot pursuit, and three minutes behind her, Veronika Grell and Piove. Don't count out Forster and Priceless Gold, who are another 7 minutes back. There's a gap of 20 minutes back to Russian Nikolay Melbard, which is too much to make up in 19 km. So it's down to the top four. A crowd grows at the finish line, dominated by orange Dutch shirts. We get little reports as we wait: Van Wijk is in the lead by 500 meters; she is in the lead by 200 meters; Kosel has taken the lead; they are riding together changing positions; another rider is not too far behind. Finally we see two helmets bobbing over the hedge, and when the round the corner, it's Van Wijk and Kosel, side by side. It's not till they make the final turn for home they begin their last sprint for the finish line now crowded with cheering spectators. Latino is in the lead, but blows the turn, taking Black Shetan wide with him. Latino continues going wide, and Black Shetan cuts to the inside. They straighten up together, nearly even, but it's Latino who has the jump, who has more gas. Van Wijk's enjoying every moment, a huge grin on her face as she bends low over her little gelding, who appears to be enjoying all the ruckus also, with his ears pricked forward and eyes wide as they race for the line. Kosel is still concentrating, and Black Shetan's ears are back as they grasp for the line... but it's all Dutch today, Latino and Van Wijk, leaping over the scary white finish line a length ahead of the Germans Kosel and Black Shetan, a rousing conclusion for a first class race. A light rain has begun to fall in the evening sunshine, helping to cool down the heated horses and spectators. Veronika Grell and Piove cross the finish line 3 minutes later. All the riders weigh in, and then move with their crews and horses to the crewing area. Latino and Black Shetan both take ten minutes to present to the vet. Black Shetan goes first, and breaths are held as he trots away from and back to the vets. He looks tired, but he is sound - cheers for the little black stallion and Kosel! And now Latino: it is so hushed you can hear the sprinkles falling on the sand as Latino and Van Wijk trot out... and Van Wijk's "Whoooaaa!" as Latino, ears pinned again, makes Van Wijk sprint beside him to keep up, back to the vet... and a chuckle from the crowd eases some of the tension. Then comes the intake and holding of breaths for the final poking and prodding of Latino... And then the words, "Congratulations." Jannet Van Wijk and Latino are the new 2008 Dutch National Champions! There were 10 more riders still in the 160 km, with 6 as yet to go out on their final loop. A steady crowd hung around the finish line all evening, which looked like a big family picnic in the grass with a big group of orange (the Dutch) and a big group of red (the Danish) and other guests. Getting a big hand for 5th place was the always-serious Russian Nikolay Melbard (though I am sure he was enjoying the Dutch ride), in 6th place 61-years-young Marly Van Ditzhuyzen, Tanja Van Willigen cantering home 8th bearing the Danish flag, Dutch rider Janet Lam on her Akhal-teke Bugainvillia in 11th, and 13th and last across the line, escorted by a Nissan truck, an ecstatic member of the Sturrus family, Karin Obink-Sturrus. It was Jahdamour's 6th attempt at a 160 km, and today it all finally came together, and they completed, at 8:50 PM. It took another hour before the sun fell on another Championship ride in Ermelo, The Netherlands - but the stars still shined brightly over the new 2008 Dutch Champions, Jannet Van Wijk and Latino.

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2008 Ermelo - Vet In Day

Friday June 6 2008 Ermelo - Vet In Day Come to Holland to ride endurance and you get it all: good competition, a broad medley of rivals, an efficiently conducted ride, a congenial and homey atmosphere, and fun. While you may be in it to win, there's nothing wrong with having fun with endurance, too. For some there will be disappointment, but if that's in store for you, maybe this is one of the best places to have it. Held on the grounds of the Dutch National horse federation near Ermelo, The Netherlands, the 2008 Dutch National Championships attracted riders and crews from all over: Austria, Denmark, Germany, France, Lithuania, Russia, Luxemburg, Italy, Belgium, and of course Holland; and officials from Holland, Germany, Austria, Lithuania, Great Britain, South Africa, and Botswana. The grounds (stalls, paddocks, indoor and outdoor arenas, a cross-country course) are used for many horse disciplines - this week a driving clinic took place, and even as the endurance horses began moving in, the carriage horses were pulling their last rounds. There's plenty of space for parking and camping - in this part of Europe, many people bring caravans and tents to stay in - and stalls for 90 horses. Since 96 horses were pre-entered, organizer Eric Lamsma had to arrange for temporary stalls to be added. The grounds began steadily filling up from Thursday evening on; by Friday noon everything fell seamlessly, and seemingly effortlessly, into place: the office, registration, timing system, vet and crewing areas in the new blinding-white sand arena. The veterinary inspections began in the stables at 4:30 PM, moved along quickly, and then the horses moved to the arena for the trot outs down the lanes. Lots of familiar faces greeted me, riders and veterinarians and team coaches, and all of the Dutch riders I spent a training weekend with last summer. A couple of old equine friends were there too: Anita Lamsma's mare Layla Ara Francina, and Carmen Römer's half Akhal-teke gelding Eddie R - both of whom I rode last year - would be carrying Anita and Carmen on the 160-km ride; and Danagul, an Akhal-teke mare owned by the Van Kasterens - whose farm I visited last year - would be carrying Peter Van Kasteren on the 125 km. There were in fact 4 part or full eye-catching Akhal-tekes entered in the rides: Eddie R, Danagul, Janet Lam's black mare Bugainvillia, and the gray Genghis Khan, ridden by Dutch rider Hendriena Ritsema (and sold to her by Janet Lam). Janet and Bugainvillia finished the Dutch Championship last year; they then went to the European Championship in Portugal where they pulled after loop 4. Bugainvillia was looking exceptionally well here, strong, fleshed out and with that bright metallic sheen the Akhal-teke has. Dutch rider Jeanne Lineweever arrived; I also stayed with Jeanne and Charles last year. She wouldn't be riding her horse Riki's Macho Man, because he is temporarily out with an injury. Instead, they'd be crewing for the lone Austrian rider, Marguerita Fuller and her young Arabian gelding Komet. While waiting on their number to be called for the trot-outs, I visited with Jannet Van Wijk, and her boyfriend Mark, while her little gelding Latino attempted to chew on my foot. Jannet has had Latino - now 12 years old - since he was 5. "When we got him, he knew absolutely nothing," Jannet said. He was running around in a field, owned by a man who didn't ride but liked to look at his horses. "He really knew nothing," Mark added, "he even spooked at a parked car at when he first came to our house because he'd never seen one. The only thing he did know was a hand in a pocket, because the man fed his horses treats." Now Latino is familiar with everything - he's been to rides in France, Germany, and Portugal, but he still does spook once in a while, in play. And guess what he does spook at: purple flowers! At least one horse does it here in Europe, too, not just in America! Jannet thinks it's the smell; when the heather blooms purple here it gives off a strong aroma. However Latino performs tomorrow, at this point Jannet is not interested in going to Malaysia for the World Endurance Championship in November. She knows something about physiology, and says, "it takes too much out of a horse, and maybe they never completely recover." She picks her races carefully, and she is intrigued by a longer-term goal: Kentucky 2010. "We are definitely interested in Kentucky," said Mark. And I would certainly love to see them there! It was tough luck trotting out for the vets today for Sammy Seigers of Belgium with Selma, who trotted out lame and would not start tomorrow. It was painful luck for Carmen Römer's father Lei, who trotted out Eddie R for the vets. Back home, Lei and Eddie worked on trotting/running in step for the vets. I'd never heard of this, and even though this might seem a trivial or silly thing, or too much work, it immediately made sense when you watched the other trot outs, some of which were all over the place. There are those grooms or riders who run out smoothly, and then there are those lumber, or sprint and try to drag their horses along by a bit, or swing back and forth like a metronome, or bounce up and down like a bunny rabbit, or chop along like a pogo stick, all of which are distracting (I wonder which one I am?) against the horse (which can be good or bad, depending on how your horse is travelling). Even with the people who run smoothly, there can be 6 legs flying around all at once. Running in step with your horse, now - there are no distractions, nothing for the vet to look at but your horse. Lei and Eddie had rehearsed this and had it down... but trotting back in step, Eddie got irritated at something, and without missing a beat, whipped out a hind leg and kicked Lei in the thigh. And there was no more in-synch trotting... there was one sound trotting horse and one badly limping man with a white face and bugged eyes. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack!" Lei said. He would use a fair supply of drugs and liniment on himself that evening to get through the night. Jarmila switched from her organization shoes to her riding shoes, and vetted in 14-year-old gelding Sattarov for the 100 km ride, then went back to organizing work. Jarmila, at 19, is a smart, careful rider - one you could be confident of putting on your horse, and knowing your horse would be well taken care of. She's learning everywhere she goes, from riding in races in Holland, Germany, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Bahrain, Hungary, and Australia. She spent 6 months of last year with Brooke Sample in Australia, getting an insider's view of how a top Australian endurance rider does things. She's smart enough to see what's good and bad, to know the difference, and to be able to incorporate some of what she learns into her own methods. She's more on the conservative side, not needing to go for a win every time she sets foot in a stirrup; she's always concerned about the welfare of the horse she's riding. "When I finish I'm happy. Next day, if the horse is not fine, I'm not happy anymore." At 8:00 PM, Technical Delegate Zulu Liebenberg conducted the ride meeting in English. Main point of the evening was that the 160 km ride would start a half hour earlier, at 5:30 AM, not the 6 AM as planned. There were groans all around. It seems that a couple of other events were taking place on the 35-km Loop 1 of the course: a sheep shearing event, a walkathon, and a motorcycle race (the last of which Eric was informed of on Wednesday evening). By starting earlier, the endurance ride would be sure to miss the other events. And anyway, I heard there's plenty of light that early, and the sun doesn't go down until after 10 PM - and it stays light enough to see the trail till near midnight, though so far I'd had no intention of getting up that early (or staying up that late). Many times throughout the day, I joined the Family Sturrus and their circled wagons (campers), for tea and coffee and snacks, when Mom Sturrus and daughter-in-law Angela weren't out in the field plying the family/volunteers with goodies. Every time I walked by, Mom Sturrus yelled, "Hello Merri! Tea? Coffee?" To which one can only reply "Ja!" - to the drinks and the company. Their camp became more festive as the day went on, with carpeting and chairs (and relatives and friends) multiplying around an expanding table, and orange balloons and orange flags (the color of Holland!) rising from tent poles, and orange Tshirts - which are bright enough to see from space - adorning more bodies. Tomorrow, we'd see which orange Tshirt would be on the new 2008 Dutch Champion.

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Off Again

Tuesday June 3 2008

Saying goodbye to my horse again... I think he knows when I'm leaving. He gets smooches and hugs, and when I walk away I wave at him... he stands there and looks at me. Yes, he knows. But I always come back, and this time it's only 5 weeks again.

He doesn't worry about it like I do. What if something happens to him when I'm gone? He goes back to eating beside his harem.

It didn't really hit me, till we were halfway to the airport, that geez - I'm going to Europe again! And I'll be halfway around the world (more or less) in 24 hours!

And this time, I must brag about my suitcase. If you recall, on my last trip to Europe my suitcase was ridiculous, and though nobody who had to lug it around day after day in Al Andalus complained about it, there really was no other way to describe it as anything other than too RIDICULOUSLY BIG and STUPIDLY HEAVY.

This time my suitcase, for the same amount of travelling time and for likely more varied weather, is half the size, and 1/3 lighter. Please excuse me for chuckling at the lady checking in next to me, whose Big Suitcase was 60 pounds when she grunted and heaved to get it on the belt, and she had to take things out and repack things to get the weight down so as not to have to pay $50 extra.

Of course, we'll see what I forgot to pack, and how cold or wet or hot I get on this trip. But, I have my computer and camera, emergency cappuchino packs, a couple changes of clothes, and my Raven. Really, what more do I need?

Come Play With Jose

Monday June 2 2008

Everybody loves Jose.

Jose loves to play.

Especially with his half brother Kazam.

Eagally Speaking

Saturday June 1 2008 Eagally Speaking I've pretty much been working feverishly, non-stop since the Fandango ride, writing and working on pictures, a little cleaning (OK, and a lot of sleeping) and packing for my next trip. I've got to get everything done before I leave Tuesday for Europe. So far the endurance schedule is: the Dutch Championships, a ride in Sweden, then to Athens to sound-engineer my Gospel at Colonus show (that's another story), then a ride in Austria, then a ride in Italy... then back to the US for Tevis, and on and on... Haven't even had time to ride a horse since the Fandango, but I did take a few hours today to go with Karen S to check out a golden eagle's nest on Castle Butte. A co-worker of Karen's had done a fly-over by helicopter a month ago, and had seen an eagle sitting on a nest. We drove out there with the landowner's permission, over the old Oregon Trail, to the base of Castle Butte, to see how the young were doing, because by now, the young would probably be approximately 4-5 weeks old, getting ready to fledge. Thirty years ago, the eagles in this territory nested on the northeast facing cliffs of the butte, sheltered from the strongest winds, and from the blazing heat that can cook the cliff faces in the spring and summer. Since then, a farmer built a place on that side, and the eagles, bothered by the constant human presence, moved to the southwest facing cliffs - more wind and more sun, and presumably less success at nesting. Karen set up her spotting scope, and we saw several nests, two of which looked like they'd had some recent activity, with some whitewash on the rocks around the nests. Karen's experienced eye picked out the "decorated" nest, the one with fresh branches of sagebrush on it. We looked, and looked, through the scope and our binoculars, at the nests and scanning the sky, and saw no sign of eagles. We were looking at an angle up at the nest, and sometimes the young can crouch quite low in those deep nests, but after watching for over half an hour, we saw no signs of eagles. We concluded the nest failed - with that hot spell last week, with wind-less temperatures here in the 90's (so, imagine that cliff face baking in the sun), if there were young chicks, they probably fried. I prefer to think that the eggs never hatched. We stopped at Regina's on the way home and I was entranced by her two black Percheron mares. One had a thick forelock that dropped fell her lip, both had 2 foot long manes, and both of them were so sweet. I'll be going back there for pictures of them, like maybe in the golden October light...

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2008 Owyhee Fandango Day 3

Saturday May 31 2008 It wasn't a particularly tense weekend despite some serious competitors with serious goals on yesterday's FEI 100-mile ride - maybe it's the wild west setting out in the boonies - but today was particularly casual, more like a group of people getting together for a trail ride. After finishing her 100-mile ride on Jazzbo last night and getting to bed around midnight, Nance Worman saddled up Quinn this morning and was in the saddle by the 7:30 AM start time, looking pretty darn good. Just nine other 50-milers hit the trail today, while many riders and crew started packing up for a leisurely departure for home. Connie was one of 50's, riding her beloved Phinnaeas, after he had a day off yesterday. Gretchen hadn't planned on her two horses doing three days of the ride, so Steph gave us two of her horses to ride today, Rhett and Quickie. I took Rhett, because I expected he would be a handful, and Gretchen got to ride Quickie. The gray mare is half Arabian and half Orlov trotter, and man can that horse trot. She can trot as fast as some horses gallop. Our original thought was to drag ride and close gates, and maybe pull ribbons, but I realized that unless we started an hour behind everybody, Rhett wasn't going to have any part of going slowly or pulling ribbons, (he won the 50-mile Eagle Extreme two weeks ago with Steph), and Quickie does not specialize in standing still, especially if somebody is leaning off her sideways to pull ribbons off sagebrush. So, unless we wanted to walk the entire 15.5-mile first loop on foot, we would be taking Steph's advice, "Go on out there and have fun! Just ride!" I didn't want Rhett to go TOO fast though, so we let the 13 other starters leave without us. One of them was Rachel Gregson, riding another of Steph's horses, Rushcreek Mac. Mac is an underling to Rhett, and I am sure Rhett was well aware that Mac was ahead of him. An insult! Another of the riders was Laurie Wells, doing her first LD ride. She'd done the Trail Ride on Saturday, and she was a bit nervous about her first LD. She was in good company, however, riding with her husband. Gretchen and I thought we were last, until Bruce Worman caught up with us as we walked out of camp on the trail through neighbor Carol's Lost Juniper Ranch, passing right by her three golden babies by her cremello stud horse, LJ Owyhee Moonstone. On the first day of the ride when everybody rode past, the babies were scampering around and around their paddock. Today they were all sacked out by their mommas, totally unaffected by and broke to a herd of horses riding by. Bruce's daughter had planned on coming today and riding the LD with him, but she didn't make it, so he was stuck with us on this first loop. I took a big chance leaving camp, snapping Rhett's reins on the least severe rings, and, without anybody in front of him, I had no trouble keeping him to a low roar. I did still have to keep both hands on the steering wheel most of the time just in case, so I didn't get too many pictures on the loop. Hart's Creek loop is probably the most spectacular trail of the Owyhee rides. The trail leads east of camp, along a sandy wash into the Harts Creek valley, winding along cow trails through tall sagebrush - Rhett had a ball flying through here - until it dropped us into the creek. We crossed the flowing creek twice before reaching the 'Homestead,' where a local family lived in the early 1900's, till one of those hundred-years-floods came and washed their home into Oreana proper, maybe sometime in the 1960's. Some old stones from the foundations, and old corrals are still left under the locust trees that still stand guard over the place. Cow trails led us right up to the base of the tall narrow canyon from which Hart Creek emerges. We turned right just before it, and began slowly working our way back up onto the plateau above the creek. We followed wash, then began a little hill climb, which ends on a somewhat steep narrow ridge. As we were climbing, we saw a line of riders on the top of the ridge ahead of us, framed by baby thunderheads. Once the ridge is attained, it narrows considerably. On the right is a drop into a fold in the hills that rises to eventually meet the ridge; on the left is a steep drop into Harts Creek, which is now a couple of hundred feet below; behind is the broad Harts Creek valley ending in the far distance at the canyons of the Snake River; ahead are the still-snow-covered peaks of the 8000-foot Owyhee Mountain range, where storm clouds were brewing. It was another cool morning, but our horses worked up a good sweat by the time they reached the top of the ridge, which became the plateau and the trail for home. We'd had a nice relaxing ride so far, Rhett deciding on how fast or slow he wanted to go... but now, we were turning for home, and now, he could see 4 horses in front of him, including his stablemate Mac. Uh oh. Pack the camera away: no more pictures till the vet check. I rode him with a snug hold for a mile but before we made that last turn directly toward home, I knew I'd be in trouble unless I jumped off and moved his reins to the severest rings. I did just that, and I still had one big handful of one big horse, all the way home. Now it was me who worked up a good sweat, and I was huffing and puffing hard with that last 1 1/2 mile trot-strangle-hold-canter down Pickett Creek canyon into basecamp. I was really worried Rhett would get away from me and race after the 4 horses in front of him, blowing by them and spooking everybody, probably dumping me off in the dirt in the process (although if that happened, I might have bailed). And so I was very glad to take the optional little flagged detour off the road in the last half mile, to use it to slow Rhett down. Only thing was, he was so miffed I wasn't letting him gallop home on the road, he almost dove off the little cliff over Pickett Creek instead of following the trail - twice! I sure was glad that I was able to hop off Rhett of my own volition as we came into the vet check, and I was glad to give my muscles a rest and catch my breath! Our horses were all down when we arrived, and we vetted through quickly, with the group of 4 other riders who'd come in just ahead of us, and Bruce who came in with us. Our horses had a good meal of hay and alfalfa while we waited out our 40 minute hold. Belgian Caroll was out and hobbling about with her sore muscles from her fun ride on Jose yesterday. She was grazing Jose on the grass, and she'd bought him a massage this morning. : ) I made sure Gretchen and I left on our last 9-mile loop exactly on time, and the other riders must have been a little late, which I was pretty ecstatic about, because I didn't want to go blowing by anybody out of control on this loop, either, and this loop was a training one Steph and I had been over on Rhett and Jose a few times at a good clip. But Rhett had nobody in front of him for a while, and he cruised along quickly on a loose rein, with Quickie easily keeping step behind him. Sometimes he chose to walk, which was fine with me, even when Morgan Olson and his mule Jackson appeared in front of us. Once the trail took us up onto the southeast plateau (where Rhett likes to cruise), our horses moved right on out, quickly catching up with Morgan and another rider. They let us pass, and we let our horses roll on as they pleased. It was fun for Gretchen and me; when we ride her horses we are used to small striding little Arabians, so this was a different kind of ride - fun, fast, and (at the moment) in control! We got off and walked our horses down the hill at the end of Pickett Creek, then got back on for the last mile and a half home. I was so very pleased with Rhett, we were trotting or cantering easily along in hand; he wasn't pulling, I wasn't pulling (or gasping for breath), and Gretchen was having a great time behind me on Quickie. We came to the optional flagged trail through the sagebrush, and from behind me Gretchen called, "You want to take the trail or the road?" I said "We'll take the road, since Rhett is being so good!" And he was; the closer we got to home, his pace stayed the same. We got off and walked in at the very end of the road, and our horses were already down when we got to the pulsing area. We lingered there letting the horses have some hay, and were about to go to the see the vet, when Regina and the others at the in-table said, "You have to go back out, you missed some trail!" We did!? Well, OK, we can go back out, we thought they were joking. For real... but where could we have missed the trail? How far back? Which loop? Maybe we can just go do the whole loop again, it really was fun! We missed trail - really!? "Yes, that last little detour off the road!" "Oh - you mean the optional trail?" "It's not optional!" "But it is! Someone said you could take the trail or the road!" Much laughter ensued, something about the person who marked the trail couldn't follow it... Well, Gretchen and I really didn't mind going back out and loping that last bit in again, because our ride goal today was to have fun, which we were - though Rhett and Quickie didn't know what the heck we were doing. Besides, even though they finished the ride (well... not yet!) they were not finished being ridden; they were taking Leonard and Scarlet de Rodas out on a little trail ride afterwards. That Rhett and Quickie would understand, after seeing the vet and eating during a rest stop, but this turning around to go right back out on the trail was clearly a bonehead idea by their bonehead riders. I was afraid Rhett would be so mad that he'd take off with me for real this time coming back in for the 3rd time, especially if he could see horses in front of him (like Mac), but there was nobody in front of us, so Gretchen and I had one last fun zip into camp, the successful conclusion of her Riding-with-Merri-Fix for the summer. On our last little jaunt, we puzzled over who we'd heard say we could take the road or the sagebrush detour, when finally it came to me - Steph said it, at the first ride meeting! She'd made the detour because the road had become so rocky after grading it, but the detour turned out to be a bit rocky itself, so we had a choice. Maybe I was imagining it, but Gretchen heard something like it too. "It was YOU!" I said to Steph when we got back. She said, "It was?" She couldn't remember - and that after all the raking Connie and I (especially Connie) did! Maybe Gretchen and I both imagined it. But we all had a good laugh anyway. The bigger laugh would come later in the 50-mile ride from Connie... but first, we unsaddled Rhett and Quickie and vetted them in, then saddled them right back up for their trail ride. The rest of the LD riders came in, including Laurie Wells... by herself! Her husband was pulled at the first vet check, so she was left to do the last loop on her own. She was happy to have successfully gotten her first LD out of the way, so she won't have to worry about it anymore. That makes her an old hand at her next ride, right? The thunderstorms were gathering again in the afternoon, one particularly heavy one hanging over the northern flats, which was convenient, since today's entire ride looped around the southern flats. Good thing, because there were some serious lightning bolts dropping over that way, as we waited for the first 50-mile riders to come in. The first two came cantering across the line together: one of yesterday's Ground Jury, Scotsman Clive Pollit, and Colorado tornado-runner Tennessee Mahoney - one more rider who attempted, and completed, the 'Triple' - the 50 on Saturday, the 100 on Sunday, and the 50 today. Tennessee's horse DWA Pearl also ended up winning Best Condition. Nance Worman crossed the line in 5th - the only other rider to complete the 'Triple' - make that a Double 'Triple,' as Nance did the same thing last year on her two horses, Jazzbo and Quinn. Quinn and Nance completed Tevis last year; yesterday was Jazzbo's first 100, and she is aiming for Tevis with him this year. I kept expecting Connie and Phinnaeas to come in, but it wasn't until much later, after 6 horses finished before her, that they came in. "Where have you two been?" I asked. "We got lost!" Well, they didn't get lost, but they missed some turns, and they also started out on one of the loops wrong. "I've done just about everything wrong today that I could do as an endurance rider. I don't have any more to mess up!" She figures she and Phinneas did about 60 miles today, and she was blown away by him, because he was willing to do whatever she asked, all day long, even when she had to turn him around and go back to camp and go straight on out of camp on the correct trail. I did notice, however, that Finny did not readily give her any kisses at his final vet check. She had to beg him, and he took his time considering, but of course he handed out the kisses as soon as she brought out his Happy Meal. Beth Bivens on WRF Prince Niles, and Tom Noll on Frank, were the final riders in, bringing to a close the 3-day Owyhee Fandango. We had a miniature ride meeting - after John rang the loud dinner bell one more time - the few remaining campers gathering in chairs on the deck to hear the finishers and collect their completion awards, and to tell a few stories. It was a successful jaunt for almost everybody - from those who hauled in from down the road, and those who came from across the country and across the world; from those FEI riders aiming for Malaysia to the trail riders; from those who rode every day to those who came to ride one day; from riders who have 19,000 miles to those who completed their first or second Limited Distance ride; and from those horses who have 5000 miles to their name, and to those with just 25 miles to their name. It's always a good group we have here in the Northwest, and this year we Fandangoed with old and new friends from around the world.

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