Al Andalus: Day 2 - Sanlucar de Barrameda to El Rocio

2009 Al Andalus: Day 2

Saturday March 28 2009

2009 Al Andalus - DAY 2

Fase 1 - Sanlucar de Barrameda - Matalascanas - 34.36 km

Fase 2 - Matalascana - El Rocio - 30.67 km

TOTAL: 65.03 km

Our hotel was terrific... except even up on the 10th floor, with earplugs in, I could hear some serious partying going on, all night, out on the streets. Did I say the Andalucians knew how to party?

I sent my suitcase ahead with Maaite to El Rocio, and I was bundled into the car of ride officials Guillermo and Eugenia, and we headed to the beach, where the horses would gather to catch the ferry across the Guadalquivir for the official start of Day 2's ride. The streets were wet, and it was heavily overcast... and in a bit of questionable planning, I'd left my raincoat in my suitcase.

The officials had planned for all the riders to gather at 8:30 AM at the ferry for the ride across the river, and that the start would be at 9:00 AM on the other side. It's good to make plans, and it's often hard to imagine, or think ahead of all the potential problems that can arise on a big multi-day ride with so many facets of organization required.

For example, last year, the horses had done this day in reverse: starting in El Rocio, and finishing on the beach on the other side of the river. They'd been quite tired after a long 60 km day in the sand, and none of the horses had any real trouble walking up the ramp onto the ferry for the crossing, because they really didn't care much about anything but eating and resting.

Well. These horses had been in stables overnight, and had only warmed up on the 3 km walk down the beach to the ferry. For some of the horses in Equipos, this was their first day of competition. In other words, horses were not tired enough to care what they were walking up and onto.

Most of them loaded easily on the ferry for the first trip across - and those that didn't want to load waited for the ferry to cross and dump its load of a few of the official's cars, and a load of about 20 horses, and then come back. The entire process took about 20 minutes. It only took 20 minutes when the horses loaded smoothly, that is. Two horses would not step on the loading ramp. Would. Not.

All the others but these two loaded on; I saw one of the horses get a tranquilizer and eventually get loaded; a few bicyclists went on the ferry; and the one horse Off Spring just flat refused. It was a lovely warmblood of Maximilliano Portes. Everything was tried. One person tried to pull him; two people tried with one pulling and one pushing; a group of people tried shooing him on; some people whapping him on the butt; he refused to put a foot on the ramp.

Finally one rider, David Gacinos, handed his horse off to someone else, and he took the reins of Off Spring, and backed everyone off and told them all to quiet down. He tried leading the horse, then he tried just letting the horse relax a bit standing near the ramp. Meanwhile, the clock was ticking, the officials started looking at their watches, it was lightly raining, all the other horses were standing somewhat quietly on the ferry and starting to shiver in the cool air. David then mounted Off Spring and tried riding him up the ramp, still keeping everyone back. Boy, he had more nerve than I did.

The horse was calmer, but he still refused to step on the ramp. After a few minutes of that, David got back off, let the horse stand a bit, then tried leading him again. Horse refused. David picked up a forefoot, and tried to set it on the ramp. The horse was onto him. He didn't back up, but he wouldn't put his foot down. More people quietly moved up to help. David finally got the one foot set down on the ramp. Another man on the other side picked up Off Spring's other front foot up and eventually set it down on the ramp.

The horse backed up. They tried it again, slowly. Ines got in front of the horse with some carrots. Some more men moved in. One slow step at a time, they moved his forefeet onto the ramp. The horse reached for a carrot from Ines. He ate it. David had stepped to the horse's rear. He picked up a hind foot, moved it forward and set it down. The man on the other side moved that foot forward while David pulled forward on the horse's tail. Ines gave the horse another carrot, and he took it and ate it. "Ines!" I called. "Rub his head!" She rubbed his head, he lowered it, he licked his lips, and let his front feet be picked up and slowly put down further up the ramp. Finally, all four feet were on the ramp, and when the horse realized it, heck, he just walked right up there. It had taken about 30 minutes to load the one horse, and all the horses and people on the ferry who'd been standing there the whole time were shivering in the light rain. The horses on the other beach had been warming up the whole time.

As one of the German girls said, "It's hard to practice this - loading a horse onto a ferry - just anywhere! This ride is good for experiences - the horse learns, sees many new things and new experiences."

The rest of us crammed in the end of the ferry and it took us across. Everybody piled out, and as soon as everyone was mounted, the field was sent away, 34 km up the beach to Matalascanas. I was worried some of the horses that had stood so long shivering on the ferry might tie up, but I found out later that nobody had.

The rain had stopped, but the heavy gray clouds remained, shading the Atlantic Ocean a reflecting somber gray as the horses cantered along the sand that was made firm by earlier rain. Guillermo drove on the firmer sand, not in the water chasing seagulls, and not too fast, and I attempted to talk with them in my version of Spanish. We passed two big water trucks that had buckets and sponges waiting for riders to come by, and we passed several of the National Park buses that would be transporting the crews to the water stops and vet check.

As we reached the first condos and hotels on the beach of Matalascanas, we got just a hint of blue skies up there somewhere. Eugenia did a happy dance on the beach as Guillermo searched for a way to drive up off the beach into the town. He was successful in not getting stuck!

Last year's vet check was right on the beach, but this year it was moved to a small stable 2 km away. After their long stretch along the beach, the riders climbed up a bluff from the beach and headed along paved roads to the vet check. It was quite chaotic there, when the bulk of the day's 43 riders were there all together for their 30 minute hold, or coming in from or going back out onto the trail through a rather narrow gate, all at the same time.

Once most of the horses were on their way, we drove on to El Rocio, counting horses trotting along the side of the highway as we passed them. Last year's trail cut through Donana National Park - another 30 km of sand, some heavy at times; this year's trail instead went 30 km straight along the highway directly to El Rocio. And there was plenty of sand here - either you took your chances on the narrow, paved shoulder of the highway, with cars whizzing past by inches (few cars slow down for horses here), or, you took your horse through the sand off the highway.

We arrived at the finish in El Rocio where the meta (finish) line balloon was set up in front of the imposing white Santuario of Nuestra Senora de el Rocio.

Normally a sleepy little town of sand streets on the edge of Donana National Park, bordered by a swampy lake that's frequented by a herd of wild horses, it becomes the site of the Romeria del Rocio on the weekend before Pentecost Monday - the largest Pilgrimage in Spain. A million people crowd into the small town to visit the statue of the Madonna of the Dew, a tradition that began in the 15th century. They come by car, on foot, in oxcart and on horseback, to party and dance and perhaps partake of the magical powers of the Madonna.

We came to watch the finish of Day 2 of Al Andalus. It was a racing finish between the first 3 riders. First across the finish line by two lengths was the Spaniard Santiago Perez on Marlboro Yac, followed by Portuguese Joaquim Cruz, who was a few lengths in front of Italian Stefano Chidichimo.

If there was anyone who epitomized the heart, the pure enjoyment, and the appreciation of Al Andalus, it was Stefano. Wherever he went, there was a cloud of la dolce vita that preceded him and a wave of enthusiastic support that followed him. Once upon a time a lawyer, now doing Horse Management - tourism, events, training - he just BEAMS when he speaks of why he came to ride in Al Andalus for the first time. He looks to the sky and squints, in deep concentration, "It was a dream." He pounds his heart, where the deep feelings originate. He had read about Al Andalus and was friends with Jose Manuel Soto, and he found friends in Spain with horses to ride, so here he is. "I LOVE endurance around the world - the people, the riding." He got a huge cheer when he received his third place award on the stage in the town square.

Coming in 9th, and first Binomios, was, once again, Eduardo Sanchez and Hermes, just a few lengths ahead of 2nd place Binomios Claudia Lorenzo on Camila Av. Then it was an all-out horse race between the next Binomios riders: Ottto Velez and his son Andres Velez. They were clearly having a good time, as father just outlasted son under the finish balloon.

This is Andres' first ride in Al Andalus, but Otto's 4th. Otto's riding his homebred Arabian gelding Pal Partenon, with whom he finished 6th in Binomios last year.

The sun finally emerged from behind the clouds to shine on the town that was now busy with Al Andalus horses coming in, getting cooled down and doing their final trot outs, Al Andalus horses having their end-of-the-day roll in the sand, tourists, horse rides for rent, and a few bitted up Andalusians prancing through the sandy square.

Head veterinarian Francisco Castejon was happy with the performance of today's horses: of the 42 that started, there were only 2 eliminations at the first vet gate, 1 from lameness, and one rider option, and there were no metabolic problems.

The night's stay was at the same place as last year, Camping La Aldea, with convenient, comfortable bungalows right next to stables for the horses. A HUGE meal was provided for riders and crews in the restaurant; there were over 150 people, partaking of at least 5 courses of food, and beer, wine, and soft drinks. More than a dozen waiters efficiently zipped in and out, keeping fresh servings of food and drinks in front of everybody. There was so much food, I didn't know where to put it all, but it kept going down so i kept eating what they gave me. It was uproariously loud, people having a grand time visiting, especially the table of young riders, who were enjoying themselves as much as the adults, with talk and laughter and rearranging of positions for rounds of photos.

While the ride and the big meal of the day were finished, the work didn't stop. While vet inspections were held for tomorrow's Equipos horses who had not been ridden today, other riders and crews were busy with their horses: brushing, picking feet, hosing legs, walking. Maaite the physical therapist was busy working on 3 horses.

The "8:30" ride meeting was in the restaurant in the typically too-small room with too few chairs for too many people, and there was the usual much talking and visiting and little listening! Which is all part of the Al Andalus fun.

The WORST news to come out of the meeting was: Set your clocks back tonight for daylight savings time! The exact same thing happened last year when we stayed in El Rocio - we lost a precious hour of sleep. Another part of the Al Andalus fun!

Merri

Jose's Escort Services, LLC

Monday April 20 2009

Need a date? Need a companion for a few hours? Need someone to lean on or someone to help build up your confidence? Jose's your man.

Maybe you are, say, a little gray gal who hasn't been out much and could use a handsome, intelligent, clever, personable, confident, patient escort out on the high desert trails. You're not real nimble yet, and you sure aren't used to hills, and maybe you aren't quite sure of yourself out in the big world, if you've lived most of your life in a small flat paddock.

If that's you, then Jose's your man.


Today Jose politely, quietly, gallantly and willingly (especially with carrot treats!) accompanied Carol's new, rather inexperienced little gray mare out on a trail ride, up a sandy wash, up a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig hill (Jose grazed along the way while the mare stopped to rest and collect her thoughts about this biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig hill), and along a ridge with a great 360* view of the big Owyhee world.


It was a good leg stretching, and easy ride for Jose, after his 25-mile endurance ride on Saturday, and it was a good confidence building trail ride for the little mare, who led a very handsome polite gelding all the way.


All that, and Jose doesn't charge much - a handful of carrots and a bucket of grain, and a few head hugs by his rider at the end is all he needs.

Al Andalus: Day 1 - Jerez to Sanlucar de Barrameda

2009 Al Andalus: Vet In Day

Friday March 27 2009

2009 Al Andalus - DAY 1

Fase 1 - Jerez de la Frontera - Trebujena - 24.9 km

Fase 2 - Trebujena - Sanlucar de Barrameda - 37.78 km

TOTAL: 62.68 km

There were a few bleary eyes and slow-moving people at breakfast in the Ibis Hotel early in the morning, including Jose Manuel Soto: "I'm already tired! And it's the first day!" (These Andalucians seem to get by on little sleep.)

The controlled start from the Centro Militar de Cria Caballar was at 8:30 AM through the busy streets of Jerez, with police on motorcycles, and the lead car of Javier and Alberto (my drivers for the day). It was heavily overcast with threatening clouds, and it started to rain! It was just enough to make the streets really slick, making me wince at the thought of already-slick horseshoes-on-cement. Now was when you didn't want a horse acting silly, on the first day of Al Andalus, on wet pavement! However, most of the horses were well behaved, and there was lots of chatting and smiling amongst the riders at the beginning of this adventure.

Javier, on the other hand, said, "Merri. I'm nervous!" "Why?" "I don't know, maybe a horserace?"

Javier and the police switched off the lead for the riders as we came to roundabouts, keeping traffic out of our way when, suddenly, we took a wrong turn - oh no! Horses were right on our tail, almost poking their heads through out back window - and we sure couldn't turn around (Andalucian cars don't have a reverse gear). Now what! Radios crackled, phones rang, many animated discussions occurred simultaneously while we continued to lead horses forward, along streets, a big bus squeezing by us once, then onto dirt roads, past a construction site where horses had to squeeze by big noisy equipment.

There was still a great deal of discussion going on, but magically, we arrived at a roundabout near a busy highway. All the horses gathered, and eventually, were led off on another controlled half-mile escort until they reached a marked trail onto farmed land, and the field was turned loose.

Off they went! 2009 Al Andalus was officially, by the clock, on its way. Through slight rolling hills of vineyards and olive groves, grass and wheat, riders moved along to an assistance point in a little village. The front runners stopped only for a drink, but others stopped for water, a washing-down, and a little snack for their horses. It was a pleasantly cool morning, 15* C and sans the predicted 25 kph wind.

We drove by road - not on the trail with the horses - on to the vet check at Trebujena at 25 km. A white city closely perched on a hill, it overlooked horse competition grounds where crews were able to spread out their water buckets and hay and wait for their riders to come in. It had warmed up enough to peel off my fleece jacket, 68* with a little breeze, perfect for horses on the trail.

Inigo Del Solar on his big Anglo Arab Zafia had a five minute lead leaving the vet check, and we took off after him, heading for the Guadalquivir River in Sanlucar de Barrameda. Alberto put on some locally flavored Andalucian flamenco, and he and Javier clapped in stereo rhythm, singing out the open windows. The dirt road took us past farmed fields, which gave way to cattle, some with some rather large horns.

The dirt eventually gave way to sand, and then the land surrendered to wetlands and marshes (Las Marismas) created by the Guadalquivir delta, an important part of Coto Donana Espacio Natural that's one of the last refuges for the Spanish imperial eagle and the Iberian lynx. We passed numerous flocks of pink flamingos, and saw crabs scuttling in muddy drainage ditches beside the road. Al Andalus riders cantered through cattle and horses herds roaming the area.

We kept pace well ahead of the first riders, arriving into the backside of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Located at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River and dating back to Roman times, it is home to the oldest horse races in Spain, (dating back to 1845), it was the departure point for world oceanic explorers Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it is home to Manzanilla, a variety of fino (driest and palest of the traditional varieties) sherry. Somewhere near here is also perhaps also the final resting place of the ancient civilization of Tartessos, and possibly the mythical lost city of Atlantis.

We squeezed our cars onto the beach, and drove alongside the river which was about a half-mile wide here. We were free and clear - only a few kilometers down the beach to the finish line, and the first day of Al Andalus was done!

However, this is a multi-day ride, and something unexpected is bound to come up...

...like shipping cables and metal rail tracks stretching from some machinery at the top of the beach to far down into the water, directly across the trail for the horses! These men were working on somethingorother... creating an impassible barrier, all the way up above the beach as far as we could see and all the way to and far into the water.

Javier and the other car stopped, and I jumped out into the sand - "No no no no! Horse can't cross this!" Just in case anybody thought otherwise. Radios and telephones flew out of pockets and they started crackling and ringing. Jose Manuel Soto drove up in his jeep, and we all stared at the railing and cable, the men considering if horses might find a way over. "No no no no!!!" I said, and hurry up about it, because the first 4 horses were now on the beach, cantering our way!

Jose went up and talked animatedly to some of the men, and they started to mechanically haul the killer cable up out of the water, slowly pulling something along the tracks - slowly, slowly... Finally, that obstacle was moved, but the horses still had to cross the steel tracks. They were a bit like railroad tracks, only bigger and scarier.

Javier had waved the horses to a walk, and when they got to the rails, all four of them balked. Three of them were at least considering crossing it though they were nervous; their riders urged but did not rush them over. The three finally made it across, hopping as if their feet were on hot coals, but the fourth horse, ridden by Joaquim Sancho Cruz of Portugal, would not follow them. He refused to cross, danced sideways in both directions, but no, he was not about to cross those horse eating things at his feet. After trying for a few minutes, Joaquim took him up higher, where the rails were partially buried by sand, and what you can't see can't hurt you if you are a horse (most of the time), they made their way over, and were on their way to the finish.

We followed, bumping and bouncing over the rails in our car, and raced down the beach after the leaders. We passed Inigo Del Solar, Emma Rosell, Iris Marion, and Joaquim cantering along, talking and laughing together. As they got close to the finish, Joaquim dropped back, while the other 3 made a sprint for the wire. The last 40 yards were full out, with Inigo's bay getting the jump, Emma's little stallion 1 second behind, and Iris' chestnut 1 second behind her. Joaquim came trotting under the line half a minute behind them

The first 8 across the finish line were Equipos (teams) riders; the first Binomios rider across the line was Eduardo Sanchez Hidalgo on 16-year-old Hermes. (Originally, I heard Hermes was 14. As the ride progressed, he became 16 : ) .

It was Eduardo's first time to ride in Al Andalus - he's been away at university studying and has no time to ride. Normally it's his brother who rides. It is Hermes' 4th appearance in Al Andalus - and the first time as Binomios: their goal will be to finish every day. Why, at this age, ride every day on a 16-year-old horse? "Because it's a challenge! And he recovers (his heartrate) quickly." And why did Eduardo want to ride in Al Andalus? "It's heard to say! Because I'm Andalucian, and for the adventure."

43 horses started this morning; 4 received time penalties at the finish. One rider opted not to ride phase 2, 2 horses were eliminated at the finish on lameness, and 1 was eliminated on metabolics (the horse's pulse did not come down to 56 bpm in the required 30 minutes).

Loaded cargo ships passed from the ocean to Sevilla and back on the Guadalquivir, as the riders continued to stream in steadily under the finish line. Jose Manuel Soto raised his hands and shook his fists in the sky in victory - they pulled it off! First day successfully completed!

Most of the riders had finished by 3:15 PM. The Al Andalus stage was set up (as it would be every day) - the boys opened up the truck, set up the Kaliber and Cruzcampo beer stand for every finish line, and took it down after everybody left. Aceite de Oliva Virgen Extra de Andalucia set up a green octopus tent where they handed out samples of their divine olive oil. I called it an octopus tent, because at one point during the afternoon, the tent began to collapse, and eventually enveloped the person and all of the olive oil in its tentacles.

Stables were at the same place as last year, conveniently right across the street above the beach. Dinner was also held there - soups and stews with ingredients fresh from the river or sea. To top things off there was an ice cream bar for dessert.

Leonard and Joelle the Belgians, and Miguel the Argentinian had an enjoyable ride on their first day. On one track they'd come to a rather large cow, with rather large horns, that showed no interest in getting up and moving. Joelle detoured off the track to go around it, while Miguel trotted right past it. "He's from Argentina, he's used to cattle!" Joelle was amazed at the Organization's work in putting on Al Andalus and is astonished at what all must go into it. "Of course there will be mistakes," she said, but so far, so good.

I sat with one of the groups of Germans at Al Andalus. Nina Knapitsch is crewing for Annette Nothhaft (riding 2 horses) and Heike Blumel (riding one horse). Heike's horse Lens Armstrong KL is an 8-year-old trotter who was once a racehorse, but "he was too slow." It's Lenny's first year in endurance. Al Andalus was Heike's dream for 2 years, and now she's here, to see the countryside of Andalucia and to experience this 8-day ride. Nina used to ride in endurance, and in fact rode in the World Endurance Championships in Kansas in 1988, but now "my horse is not interested in endurance." (Kind of sounds like my horse at home...). She's no longer interested either in the commitment to ride at a high level of endurance, but she still loves the sport and enjoys crewing. When she heard these gals wanted help crewing, Nina jumped at the chance.

While the vet control was held at 5:30 for the new Equipos horses that would be ridden tomorrow, I found and bummed a ride to my hotel in town. What a hotel it was! We were on the 10th floor (my roomy was Maaike Vanhoutte, the physiotherapist asked to come to this year's ride) with a great view over the city. What was even better was the cafe I discovered on the 7th floor that provided the cappuchinos I needed so I could work on my photos. That provided a 360* view of the city, the beach and Guadalquivir, the ocean and the sunset.

My evening text message from the Organization - the clever way all participants were informed of schedules - indicated the evening's meeting and awards would be at "8:00 PM" in the Pedro Romero Bodega. It was within walking distance. But to find which Pedro Romero was the challenge of the evening. Many doorways said "Pedro Romero" but none were open. One pub said Pedro Romero, but the meeting was not here. Many people pointed the way for us, but we seemed to keep backtracking and spiraling inward, block by block. It was a good way to see the town. We saw some assistance cars, and finally we ran into several other people looking for the correct Pedro Romero.

We did find the one with the open door by 8:15. Not to worry, because "8 PM" in Andalucian time is somewhere around 8:30, more or less. Usually more. The first half hour or so were always taken up with visiting

"Tomorrow will be a difficult day for assistance," said Jose Soto. (Mostly in Spanish... some of the meeting got interpreted into other languages). While the horses would take the ferry across the Guadalquivir river into Donana National Park, and then travel in a straight line along the beach for 35 km to Matalascanas, and from there 30 km to the finish at El Rocio, all the assistance cars woudl have to drive over 200 km to get to El Rocio, by backtracking to Sevilla first.

Only a few official cars would be allowed on the beach; one person would be allowed on the ferry to crew for 2 horses, and would be transported by National Park buses to the vet check at Matalascanas. The organization would provide water stops along the beach. The rest of the meeting sort of descended into friendly chaos.

The awards were handed out to the top 3 riders in Equipos and Binomios to great cheers, then the meeting adjourned to wine and sherry provided by the Pedro Romero Bodega.

2009 Owyhee Tough Sucker

Saturday April 18 2009

Owyhee Tough Sucker

They don't come to this spring ride for the frills: the showers aren't working, there are no catered meals; ride awards are not donated by sponsors and are somewhat improvised. You might find that trail pie plates with arrows on them pinned to sagebrush have blown away, or half blown away so that the arrows are pointing the wrong way (so watch for the ribbons, and bring your map), and you might find ribbons pinned to cow pies instead of stakes in the ground. And if you show up a day or two early, expect to be recruited for chores: marking trails (use the rides to condition your orse! Or bring your dirt bike!), getting the lawn mower started (sometimes you get to mow the lawn too!), fixing an outhouse, putting out water troughs or setting up pens - just depends on timing and how lucky you are.

They do come here for the thrills: perfect weather (this year!); excellent trails; easy first ride at the start of the season (for most horses); a choice of 3 distances: 25 miles, 50 miles, 75 miles; and just the great company here in this part of the Pacific Northwest.

I was going to get to ride John T's horse Rushcreek Mac in the 50, with Steph on Rhett, meaning we were going to go FAST! But Mac colicked on Thursday night (!). Mac was fine on Friday, but riding him was out of the question. So, I pulled Jose Viola off the bench and took him on the 25 mile ride. Jose hasn't been ridden much since September, and by December he was already out of riding shape (like me). I knew he could handle the 25, but I didn't want to push him, or let him go too fast like he'd want to on a 50... there's always more endurance rides down the road.

The 2009 Owyhee Tough Sucker was the first time in Owyhee ride history that local Owyhee celebrity Frank was not present. What - Tom Noll without Frank?? Instead, it was the Debutante Debut of Whiskey a large, stout, big-headed original Owyhee County mustang.

Six years ago, Tom and some friends were out riding near Wilson Creek. On their way back to their trailer, they ran into some ATV guys who said, "We found your horse loose and we tied him to your trailer." "Our horse?" they thought. What they saw tied to their trailer was a less-than-one-day-old mustang colt who had probably gotten left behind from his mama during a BLM roundup that was going on right then. Geez - what to do with a tiny mustang colt?

You put him in the back seat of your truck and you take him to Tom's house. They straightened up the BLM/ownership details later, and in the last 6 years, Tom has been getting Whiskey ready for his endurance debut. Tom sent his entry in the mail with a debutante card - Whiskey's Coming Out into (Endurance) Society party.

I'd heard some Stories of Whiskey the last year or two... like he knocked other horses and riders off the trail once (or twice), he was freaking out on a ride once when another horse was wearing a fly mask, he's very opinionated, friends had a Mustang Intervention with Whiskey and Tom and they made Tom send him to a trainer... things like that. When Tom brought him to the vet in on Friday, he was carrying a little riding whip. I saw him waving the whip at Whiskey, and Whiskey staring at him. "What are you doing, swatting flies?" "No, I'm training him!" Tom laughed.

Ask anybody who handles mustangs regularly, and they'll tell you that mustangs are just a little different than all other horse breeds, that you handle them a bit differently. It was Whiskey's first endurance ride, and Tom thought 50 miles might be a little stretch for him, but he knew that 25 miles would be too short. "He'll just have to Toughen Up at the Tough Sucker!" They'd be riding with Nance Worman and Quinn - their occasional riding partners. (And Nance didn't show up until 7 AM Saturday, just in time to saddle up for the 7:30 AM start.)

It was a good turnout for the ride: 21 riders on the 25 miler, 30 on the 50 miler, and 7 on the 75 miler. Several people were here for their first endurance ride ever, in the 25 and 50 milers. Several horses were doing their first endurance ride. Neighbors Rick and Carol, who helped ribbon the trail and put out water for the ride, got out early Saturday morning to check on water, AND they rode their first-time horses, Performazon and Boon, on the 25.

The 75-milers started right near sunrise, 6:30 AM; the 50 milers started at 7:30 AM, and us 25-milers hit the trail at 8:30. I prefer doing 50 mile rides, but now and again, I sure don't mind sleeping in late, and getting finished early in the day! Especially when I'm riding a great horse like Jose.

When you do an endurance ride, do you choose to ride with somebody, or by yourself? There's good and fun reasons for both. And I did both today. Jose and I (and the Raven) started off near the back of the pack with a group of 4 horses - I knew Jose would want to go faster than was good for him, and he's better about rating with a group. I sure didn't want him to get in any hot-shoe race with any fast horses up front. He's such a good horse; he always listens, and even when he does get excited (which is not too often), he doesn't pull.

The first 15-mile loop for all distances led onto the northeast flats, following the rim above Bates Creek canyon. What a perfect morning: 55* and a slight breeze, not a cloud in the sky, snow on the Owyhees to the southwest, an enchanting layer of green all over this desert, the occasional deep pink Indian paintbrush and the yellow arrow-leaf balsam root, and a couple of purple flower carpets along the way.

Jose and I hung with this group, Yvonne, Mary, Pam (riding a huge Shire-Thoroughbred mare), and Lew, for a couple of miles at a slow steady trot. Lew had been talked into doing his first endurance ride by ride manager Regina. He was riding his wife's horse, and after he finished his first ride today, he decided that he had enjoyed himself quite a lot, and he might be back in May to do it again at the Owyhee Fandango. "This is a real good group of people here," he noticed.

Then Jose and I moved on ahead with Tammy Bromley and Ali for a while, crossing Bates Creek road and trotting our way back up onto, and along, the southwest flats. Then we went on ahead by ourselves, me and Jose, moving along at his choice of pace and gait, until we got to the top of Pickett Creek Canyon. I got off and walked him down into the Canyon, and then I got back on and let him go the last 1 1/2 miles back to camp. He trotted big, he cantered, and I only slowed him down right before we came in. I figured it would take him a while to pulse down, but as soon as Regina checked him, she said "Oh, he's down!" Well - good for Jose! Maybe he wasn't that out of shape after all.

We had a 30 minute hold, and just as we were going back out on our second loop of 10 miles, Rhett and Steph were coming in off their 3rd loop. Oh darn! Jose whinnied after his buddy for several miles as we went along the trail away from base camp. But nevertheless, Jose is always quite willing to do what you ask, so we kept moving along by ourselves, trotting slowly but steadily until we got to the little climb heading up onto the scenic Hart Creek Rim Trail. Jose had a bit of sweat going on under the breast collar, and though I knew we weren't moving too fast for him at all, we slowed to a walk all the way up the hill.

Once up top, we saw a couple of horses ahead of us, and Jose decided they needed passing. We steadily caught up to and passed the first pair, and while we set aim on the next single horse, I swear Jose was enjoying the view off to our left of Hart Creek Canyon. He's a looker and he likes to take in everything around him. He

The trail took us back onto Spring Ranch road and Jose caught up with Carrie Thornburn, doing her first endurance ride on her Arabian mare A Little Jazzy. Carrie was a trail rider, and decided to try endurance when she realized her mare would be good at it. And they both looked great, just trotting on down the trail like they'd been doing it for thousands of miles. She said later they'd both had a great day.

We stayed with them a while, then Jose chose to move onward as we turned for home the last time, along the ridge above Pickett Creek. The cool wind blew my hair in the Owyhee sunshine, and Jose's hooves clipped rhythmically along the dirt road. I thought of how lucky I was to be here today, with my buddy Jose, a strong and willing and sure-footed partner carrying me along the trail on a day like this.

Once up to
I got off for the walk down into Pickett Creek Canyon again, and when I got back on Jose, I let him cruise home again. Jose is just the coolest horse! We cantered much of the mile-and-a-half back, never breaking a sweat, and his pulse was down as soon as Regina checked him at the finish. AND we'd come in 5th place, only 11 minutes behind the winner!

"Geez Jose, we coulda done the 50 today after all!" But there's always more endurance rides. I gave the Joser a big hug and took him back to eat. "You want to show for BC?" asked Regina. "Sure," I said, though with my weight we wouldn't have a chance (heavier riders have the advantage in the weight percentage of the BC judging). "Jose wants to do it!"

I stepped on the scale with my tack, and somebody yelled, "What does that bring you to, 100 pounds?" Heck, Jose carried a lot more than that! 150 pounds with my tack. That puts me into the UPPER end of the featherweight category, almost a lightweight, thankyouverymuch. Jose got to eat and eat, and got cleaned up, then we went and trotted in circles, then Jose got to eat and eat and eat some more, hay and beet pulp and treaties sprinkled liberally with hugs.

Steph and Rhett came came in just a few minutes after we finished our 25 - they tied with Richard White and Kats Kite for first on the 50 - and while I would have had fun riding Mac fast with her (he'd probably have kept up the whole way), man, I just had the best ride on Jose.

Another good thing about these Owyhee rides, besides the good company, are the good riders - we usually have good finishing percentages, which can only mean we have some good riders that take good care of their horses, and listen to advice from more experienced riders and from the vets when they need it (with a few exceptions). 18 of 21 riders finished the 25, 28 of 30 riders finished the 50, and all 7 riders on the 75 miler finished, and all of them before dark. Only one of the first timers didn't finish.

Craig Van Engelen chose to do his first endurance ride in the 50 miler, on a big gorgeous palomino. Several riders saw him cantering along the trail with a big grin on his face, having a great time. Jose and I passed him in Pickett Creek Canyon, coming off our last loop. His palomino wanted to come with us. "He'd gallop all day if I let him!" The vets advised him to slow down for his final loop because his horse was looking pretty whooped... and Craig did slow down, and he finished the ride in 13th. I saw his horse trot out at the finish, and he looked great. Craig was still grinning at the awards dinner.

There were two familiar mules at the ride: Ann Kock's Lamplighter Hot Stuff, who did the 50, and Max Merlich and Junior, who did the 75 with his wife Lisa Anderson. Junior has over 2600 miles under his big girth, including 3 100's. Junior's rarely fast, but he's nearly always there - only 5 pulls in his 61 rides.

Cindy Bradley finished 15th on her Morgan, Bogar Tucker. After some serious health problems over the last couple of years, Cindy is finally riding steadily again. The Tough Sucker made 355 miles (plus 50 miles of LDs) just this year already! She's back!

Annerose Carlile, long-time Northwest rider - over 9000 career miles - finished the 50 on JAC Ginger, a horse with over 4000 miles, all but 200 of them with Annerose.

There were also 5 gaited horse riders who showed up after noon to do a 15-mile trail ride - go gaiters!

What did Whiskey think of his first ride? "At 40 miles he was thinking it was already too far!" said Tom Noll. Whiskey came to a stop up on one of the ridges... (a few times, I think) he decided he wasn't going any further. Eventually Tom got him going again (and again), and they completed the 50-mile ride, alongside Nance and Quinn, in just under 8 1/2 hours. Not bad for a mustang who hasn't yet figured out the thrill of going down the trail like his horse mentor Frank has.

Michele Unsworth won the 25 mile ride and BC on Morgan; Melinda Sands in her first endurance ride was second, just behind her. Richard White and Steph tied for first on the 50; third place Ernie Schrader and his big paint, Captain Calypso, got BC. Dick Root won first place and BC on Bubba in the 75.

You just didn't hear too many complaints from people - even from the 2 riders who got lost (Steph went out on the ATV to search for one) and were overtime. "I always count it a good ride if I came away with no bruises!" "It was a good ride because I didn't fall off!" Those were words of wisdom from some experienced riders. Then there was an overdose of "It's a beautiful day!" and "The people here are just great."

It was a pretty easy ride for 58 Owyhee Tough Suckers - it really couldn't have been any better.

The only thing I have to add is: the Raven and I love Jose.

All Kinds of Happy

Thursday April 16 2009

Driving home very late Tuesday night from the airport it happened again - the same thing that happened the last two times I came back home from a trip - you got it - snow! Flakes were swirling in the air on the drive home, and I woke up to an inch on the ground, and little flakes blowing in through the open window and landing on my face as I slept.

I was all kinds of excited, while the locals think I should be shot. "Enough already!" they say - of me and the snow. Cindy Bradley, who's here from sunny Arizona with her husband Steve and two horses for the Tough Sucker ride on Saturday, said, "You're just all kinds of happy aren't you?" after she saw me do a snow dance.

It wasn't just the snow I danced in; I had all sorts of welcome home gifts. My horse ran up to me nickering, when I got home at 2 AM, and he ran up to me again in the morning, nickering. : )))

During the day, the wind peeled away the layer of snow in Pickett Creek Canyon to reveal a green carpet of grass (and weeds), framed by the bright white Owyhee mountains in the southwest.

It's been so long since I've been on a horse I was afraid I might have forgotten my balance or something, but today I had an awesome ride on Rushcreek Mac (he's done GREAT with John down south this winter), and followed that up with a great ride on Rhett. Now, I'm watching my horse out the window, mowing the lawn grass.

The catch-up work never stops - there will be stories and photos from the Owyhee Tough Sucker endurance ride here this weekend, I have pages of emails to wade through, I still have many Al Andalus stories and pictures to catch up on, and there's the next ride to get ready for here in May (the 3-day Owyhee Canyonlands), which means more horses to condition for that.

Oh, it's good to be home again.

2009 Al Andalus: Vet In Day

Thursday March 26 2009

I took an overnight train from Catalonia to Jerez de la Frontera - the starting point of this year's Al-Andalus, making my way eventually to the Centro Militar de Cria Caballar where the horses were stabled for Al Andalus and where the vetting in would be.

Immediately I saw some of the staff from last year's Al-Andalus Raid who gave me a warm welcome, including at the inscription - sign in - where Gabriel, Ines, and Rosa were busy registering riders and handing out 'welcome' bags with goodies from sponsors - Tshirts from Kaliber and Andalucia tourism, small bottles of Extra Virgen Aceite de Oliva (exquisite olive oil), among other things.

I wandered around, peering in stalls and greeting old friends, and immediately making some new ones as it's so easy to do at this ride. I'd been studying Spanish diligently - well, for at LEAST a month before I came to Spain - so it was a wee bit better than last year. I attempted to use it a bit, which is fun, because the Spanish get a kick out of it, (unlike some other countries and languages who don't have quite the same humor), and they always tried to help me, or at least guess at what I was trying to say. If I couldn't find the Spanish word I needed and sign language didn't work, we just laughed. With my Spanish, or Spanglish, as I came to call it (mangled Spanish), I probably didn't get all my stories straight, but... that's how the story goes, right?

The grounds were stabling for a riding school in the middle of the city. I missed some free show at the Spanish Riding School of Jerez - another Gabriel rushed me off the grounds and pointed vaguely across the street, and said in Spanish, "Go! It's free! Right now!" but I couldn't find the place anywhere. I did get to see a little bit of the city of Jerez on foot...


The stables were full of gorgeous Andalusions, a good percentage of which I estimated to be stallions, judging by the bellowing welcomes that the arriving Al-Andalus horses were getting. A few of the stalls had signs posted by their doors: "Peligro! Pastor encendido" which, if you choose to go by one particular online translation, means "Danger! Ignited shepherd."

Siesta time in Spain is not just for humans, it is for horses as well. All was quiet around the stables (except for one trumpeting stallion) in the middle of the afternoon. People had disappeared, and horses were resting back in their stalls, not even sticking their heads out in the sun.


Vetting in went on throughout the day (except for the big block of siesta time). There were all sizes and shapes of horses for Al-Andalus - mostly Arabians and Anglo-Arabians; I saw at least 2 gorgeous little Arabian stallions, one of which would be ridden by a very tall boy. Considering the fact that most of Europe had a hard cold winter and it was difficult to train, most of the horses I saw looked well enough, except for 2 exceptionally skinny horses, 1 with no muscle tone and very hairy. You can see far too skinny horses anywhere - the US, the UAE, Europe - and it makes me wonder if there shouldn't be some sort of standard body fat qualifying criteria for horses in endurance rides. It can't be good for the horse to be so under-nutritioned for an athletic event, can it?


I was told there was a "ride meeting for officials at 4 or 5." However, I've been to Andalucia before, and I had already set my watch to Andalucian time when I arrived. I went out and found a cappuchino in a cafe and came back to the stables, strolled around and visited and took pictures as 4:00 then 5:00 passed. The riders and crews were saddle fitting, walking horses, riding, lunging horses, attaching easy boots to saddles, adjusting bridles, sorting leg boots, re-packing trailers and assistance cars, filling water jugs, making last minute adjustments to gear before tomorrow's start - you don't want to begin an 8-day ride with ill-fitting tack.

I spotted my Belgian friends Leonard Liesens and Caroll Gatelier - Leo would be riding a horse of Joelle Sauvage, and Caroll crewing. Joelle and her husband Bernard and daughter Melanie - Belgians now living in Alicante, Spain - brought 3 horses to Al-Andalus, for her, for Leo, and for Leo's friend from Argentina, Miguel Pavlovsky.

For some people, to loan a horse out to a stranger is nothing; to other people, it's like loaning out your child. For Joelle, her horses are her babies. Miguel and Leo have known each other and ridden together for years, but Joelle didn't know either of them, had only met Leo through email when he contacted her. But she graciously offered her horses to the foreigners. They were all pure Arabians from France and Spain, 6, 7, and 9 years old.

I'd been wondering what it is that brings people here to Al Andalus. On the surface, it sounds fun and romantic - riding on horses for 8 days across a section of Spain, and heck, 60 kilometers (37 miles) is not THAT far, and there are many who argue that anything less than 80 km (50 miles) is not "endurance."

But anybody who can imagine riding 60 kilometers for 8 days, and moving each time in between would have some idea that there's much more involved. Not to mention the expense, and the time taken off from work, for you and your crew - because you cannot do this ride without a crew of at least one person, especially if you are entered with two horses.


Joelle simply said what was a common theme among many people: "Al-Andalus is my dream. I've seen some of Andalucia, but I want to see more by horseback. I want to finish, and enjoy."

"To finish": last year only one Binomios rider finished all 8 days. It is a challenge to nurse a horse through 8 days of riding, and even, for the Equipos entries, getting a horse through every other day of the endurance ride.

Spirits were naturally light and high at the start of such a challenge, and that carried over to the rider meeting that started after the official's meeting that began, well... well after 5 PM. The rider meeting pretty much started with mayhem and ended in mayhem, and that was pretty much the pattern for the whole ride. But that's part of Al Andalus - 40-some riders, 80-some crews and friends and families, a dozen officials, people who speak not one specific common language but Spanish, French, English, Flemish, German, Italian, and Portuguese, all needing some interpretation, gathered together in one room with bad acoustics (and no microphone for the officials), trying to sort out details for tomorrow's start of a big exploit. And, try keeping so many people quiet so everybody can hear!

One thing repeated in several languages came from Jose Manuel Soto: "Enjoy the ride! Go slowly! The last two days are very hard, and it is very difficult to win this ride. Conserve your horses so that you will ride every day!"


Afterwards everybody adjourned across Jerez to the Bodegas Williams & Humbert, where we first watched a mini-show of beautiful dancing Andalusians and a woman; then, after speeches by some of the sponsors from the winery, we were plied with beer and wine and tapas.

Tomorrow's start was at 9 AM, but I didn't dare look at my watch when I hitched a ride in the crowded Belgian car to my hotel for a short night of rest.

2009 Tierras de Al-Andalus: The Migration

Thursday March 26 2009

For the fourth spring, the competition Raid Kaliber Tierras de Al Andalus comes together: the unique 8-day endurance ride across the southern autonomous community of Andalucia in Spain. Once Spain's poorest region, it is now one of the most popular destinations, with the wealth of its scenery, the warmth and joyousness of its people, and the rich historical treasures awaiting the visitor. It is the home of bullfighting and flamenco; it is bursting with fiestas, romerias and religious celebrations; it is home to the Jerez Horse Fair, "the most important equine event in Europe"; it is filled with traditions and architecture, food and arts, from the successive waves of Romans, then Vandals and Visigoths, then Moors (Muslims), and then the Franks that in turn conquered and occupied it.

The route will take riders past ancient Roman ruins from the third century; into a 14th century fortress; near a Great Mosque (church-turned Mosque-turned church) which was at the time the largest in all of Islam; over an old Roman bridge; through old city gates from the 15th century; past the port where Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan set sail around the world in the 16th century; through the sleepy little sand-street town of El Rocio which, during the annual Rocio Pilgrimage which began in the 15th century is saturated with a million people... and that is just to name a few highlights. A tour worthy of itself; but then add the horse into the equation, and a group of modern-day adventurers ready to test their skills and their endurance - people and horses - over 8 days and 500 kilometers.

And it is not just an endurance ride. It is an event. It is unique, challenging, tiring, and exhilarating - for the organizers, the horses, the riders, and the crews. It is extraordinary in its offerings of riding, sight-seeing, companionship, and culture, rich with thousand of years of history, rich with the traditions of the horse.

This year, though the world-wide economic crisis wreaked havoc on sponsorship, and was lurking just around the corners of conversations and minds of everybody, a larger number of riders and horses entered than last year, and competitors from Spain, France, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Argentina descended upon Andalucia.

Every year the route varies; this year was 8 days and 514 kilometers along the Ruta del Guadalquivir, the longest river in Andalucia. The trail would begin at Jerez de la Frontera (the site of the 2002 World Endurance Championship in 2002) and move directly to Sanlucar de Barrameda at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River, working its way northeast, always close to the path of the Guadalquivir, into the Sierra mountains near Andujar, with the final day's finish ending with a steep climb to the foot of the 13th century Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Cabeza.

22 Equipos (teams) were entered - 1 rider and 2 horses, or 2 riders and 2 horses; and 21 Binomios (1 horse, 1 rider) were entered. Every day's ride was approximately 60 kilometers, the first 6 days being relatively flat; a rest day (!) in Cordoba on the 7th day; followed by 2 more days of climbing: to 392 m (1286') on day 7 and 619 m (2030') on day 8.

From the first day, Jose Manuel Soto, the native Andalucian singer/songwriter/actor/horseman and creator of this event, (he's from Sevilla, the home of flamenco, to be precise) encouraged riders to "go slowly. The last two days are very hard, so you must conserve your horses. Take your time! Enjoy the scenery!"

Enjoy the scenery, the food, the camaraderie - enjoy this rare and remarkable challenge and adventure that is Tierras de Al-Andalus.