Owyhee Upheaval: Herdicus Miximus

Tuesday April 20 1020

Herd dynamics and interactions are fascinating.

Big upheaval here at the Rancho.

While staying here in Owyhee over the winter, I had two 'herds.' Finneas and Dudley (the Hoodlums) made up one herd (with Finneas being the Boss). The other herd consisted of Jose, Mac, Stormy, Kazam, Huckleberry and baby Smokey. They didn't really have a Boss, other than Jose being the Social Director. Jose/Kazam/Mac sort of had a triangle thing going on, but they all really got along. I turned both herds out together occasionally, but even then, the 2 herds often retained their separateness - the two Hoods would often go off and do their own thing.

Three weeks ago, Huckleberry and Kazam moved next door - they are for sale. They spent their first 2 days ignoring their new herd, and running the fence line next to our ranch and whinnying. Didn't eat or drink, just ran, ran, ran the fence. (Maybe they dropped a few pudgy pounds.)


At the same time, the three Arizona horses came home: Rhett, Sunny, and the new Batman. Batman first joined the scene on the trailer ride down to Arizona; those three bonded like glue for 4 months down south, and they were kept separated from the others for a few days when they arrived back home in Owyhee.

The last several years, Rhett had been the Big Boss of the entire Owyhee herd; he and Jose and Mac were the Three Musketeers. Rhett was a good Boss, obviously in charge, but never had to do more than pin his ears at someone and they moved away. He never kicked or bit anybody. Now, Jose couldn't quite understand why his buddy Rhett was back, but was separated from him by a fence, nor why he seemed to be a member of the Three Stooges now.

Meanwhile 2 more horses arrived about the same time. One of them was 4-year-old Tex
(from Texas).

We put Stormy in a pen with him for a few days so he'd have a companion while he got to know the other horses over the fence. Stormy was so happy to have one horse besides baby Smokey that he could boss around... though it wasn't long before Tex figured Stormy was bluffing, and he didn't take Stormy too seriously. Tex bonded right up with his new pal, and Stormy appeared to like his important new Big Brother status.

The other new arrival was Krusty

- renowned Owyhee endurance horse. Krusty, 20 years old, is a huge stout black half Orlov Trotter ('and half mostly arabian, a little thoroughbred'), that Steph rode on over 3300 miles of endurance (including 9 of 10 100 milers, including Tevis as his first 100), including the 1999 Pan American Championship, the 2000 World Championship in France, and the 2001 Dubai World Cup (aka the 'World's Most Preferred Endurance Race'). He was the original natural, decisive, and kind herd Big Boss of any horse that passed through the Rancho. He just had to give anybody the Eye and they did what he wanted. When Krusty retired from endurance, Steph gave him to Nance and Bruce Worman. They'd been using him as a riding horse (he still does LD's) and as a teacher for Bruce's daughter Belle.

Steph was feeling homesick for her old boy, and she thought he'd make a great herd re-leader with the new mix-mash of horses here, when we turned everybody out together.

But that wasn't quite what happened.

First, we turned the Jose Herd and Krusty out together, figuring big ol' Krusty would move right on in and take charge immediately. Did not happen! Mac became the aggressor - Rushcreek Mac! He kept chasing poor big ol' Krusty away. Mac was the only one offended by the newcomer; the rest of the horses went about their business, eating hay or grazing, ignoring Krusty. Krusty was bewildered

- he hung near the periphery of the Jose herd and followed them timidly around for lack of anything else to do.

Second, we turned two of the herds out together. The Jose Herd was across the creek grazing, when we turned out the Arizona Three Stooges Herd. Those three ran around near the house,

enjoying the freedom to stretch their legs and run about. It attracted the Jose Herd's attention, and they came to investigate. First, enthusiastically, came Jose the Social Director.


The two herds ran around together,


came together,

did some neck bowing and prancing and snorting...

then moved on their separate ways, hanging somewhat together, but still in their separate herds.



Next: Stormy and Tex met the Arizona Three Stooges. Tex tried to be social (or aggressive) - but Sunny turned her butt once on him and threatened to kick,

and that was that. Those two herds remained segregated, going about their business,


with Tex staying right close to his pal Stormy.



Next, Stormy and Tex met the Jose Herd (who Stormy normally hangs out with) - Mac was again the aggressor! Wouldn't let Tex anywhere near anybody except Stormy. Viciously chased him away from any food or any of his Jose herd. When Stormy horned in to eat hay at the feeder, Mac ignored him (all the horses kindly put up with and humor the old racehorse), but he kept Tex away. Tex had to hang back and wait for the herd to leave so he could eat hay, or for Stormy to leave so he could hang by his side.

We kept the two Hoodlums Dudley and Finneas locked up in their big paddock a while - they tend to kick first and ask questions later. They interacted with the other horses over the wood-rail fence.

The first day that the three herds - Jose Herd, Stormy Herd and Arizona Herd mingled, they wandered their way down the pasture and on across the creek, somewhat together while still keeping their separate entities.

But suddenly, here came Tex, galloping back to the house lickety split. We discovered he wouldn't cross the creek. Must not be any water in Texas! Tex wanted to be with Stormy, but because of that big monster scary horse-eating creek, he preferred hanging close to the house, and in that way he spent a lot of time close to FInneas and Dudley. Dudley and Finneas would act aggressively toward Tex across the fence... but Tex didn't take them too seriously either.

Meanwhile, I left for two weeks.

John turned all the horses out together - the 4 herds - during the day a few times, and they still all more or less kept to their same herds, with Krusty staying on the outskirts of one herd or another, and Tex hanging near Stormy - unless they crossed the creek (which now is a raging creek).

Now, since I've returned to Owyhee, the two Hoodlums and Krusty hang out at nights in the fat pen (Krusty is Low Man on the Totem Pole), and get turned out during the day. With the exception of the Hoods, the other horses have integrated somewhat into one herd - although they still retain their attraction to their original herds... unless they cross the raging creek, when Tex comes back to hang with the 'Hoods, or by himself near the house. Rhett is back to being the Big Boss, though as usual, he doesn't have to do anything but pin his ears at anybody. Mac still thinks he is the boss, but he won't try anything on Rhett. Jose is still the Social Director.

I'll keep tabs on the dynamics. It will be interesting to see if things change, and if Krusty regains his kingly status like he once held. I feel sorry for the old guy. He's been around the world and done more than all these horses put together, and nobody likes him or respects him. He's got a lot of rungs on the ladder to climb, but I'll be rooting for him!

Owyhee Home Again

Tuesday April 20 2010

I'd just driven up to the home ranch yesterday morning, after two weeks away in California and Nevada, when Carol flagged me down. "Get changed! Karen's coming and we're going riding!"

I parked, unpacked my helmet and chaps and reins, caught and hugged and saddled Jose, and off we went for a ride. It was great to be back in the saddle after one whole day out of it! : ) And it was great to be back on Jose. : )


And Jose and his pals Rusty and Suz had a good time on the ride, because the ride was more of a Pig Out than a Work Out.

So much grass has exploded out here in the desert in the two weeks I've been away, we just had to give in and let the horses feast a while.

We did at least get a little bit of a workout in on the way home.

Back at the ranch, I gave Jose a bath, he had a good roll, and cantered off to his herd.


So much more new growth and changes in Owyhee occurred while I was away.

Two babies at Lost Juniper Ranch next door: LJ Owyhee Crystal and LJ Owyhee Flint.


Stoney is on a mission to get back together with his girlfriends. It's that time of year.



The bird nests on Bates Creek are going great guns!

The eagle is on her nest! The other nests are all occupied, including a Raven nest, 2 red-tailed hawk nests, and this great horned owl nest. I thought I was looking at two adults sitting in the tree, but when I blew up the picture, you can see it's one adult, and 2-3 good-sized babies!


And today, a spring Owyhee storm front is blowing through - cold wind, gusts, rain, hail, thunder, lightning. The wind is howling and whirling about from all directions.

The three Hoodlums in the 'Pen are perturbed at the storm, turning their butts to the rain and hail, putting their heads to the ground, then rolling

and running about, shaking their heads

at the sky as if shaking their fists.

The other herd is spinning about like the wind, sprinting


and leaping before the gales, their tails and manes blowing ahead of them and sideways. Leaves fly upward, birds silly enough to try to fly are blown sideways through the sky, and tumbleweeds leap the pasture in a single bounce. A strong gust makes the horses wheel as one and all show the wind their butts.

Then they leap off into another whirling dervish.


Definitely not a good day to be riding. : )

The newly sprouting leaves and branches sing harmony in the wind, and the wet earth and sage smell sweetly of home.

It's great to be back again.

High Desert I: The Spice of Life

Saturday April 17 2010

If you were at the site of the 10th High Desert Classic Endurance ride
by Stillwater, Nevada, during the ice age, you'd be swimming. The
huge glacial Lake Lahontan was roughly 8500 square miles and 900
feet deep in places. Over time, as the lake disappeared, it left
behind, in this area, freshwater marshes and rivers, brackish water
marshes, alkali playas, extensive salt desert shrublands, a 25-mile
long sand dune complex, and a small island in a desert lake. The
Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1949, hosts
nearly 400 species of vertebrates, including lizards, rodents,
foxes, coyotes, deer, cougar (!), and 290 species of birds. If you
look to the Stillwater mountains, and several mountain ranges beyond
that, you can see the ancient water lines of the lake. On the
southern end of the Stillwaters, Grimes Point is one of the largest
petroglyph sites in the US. Some of the rock art may date as far
back as 7000 years.

Basecamp for the endurance ride, and part of the ride itself, was in the shadow of the Stillwater Mountains, and on the edge of the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge.

When Gretchen and I arrived at basecamp early Friday afternoon, we were one of only three rigs there. But by evening camp had filled up, and a few rigs were still pulling in after dark.

Gretchen brought me her horse Definetly Spice to ride. Spicey is a character. One might say, a dork. (I wrote a story on her 3 years ago, Spice is a Dork. My next story on her might be, "Spice is a Dork and She Likes It That Way.") One day she might be crabby (especially when a vet pokes her on the rump), and the next she might be a little angel.

She'll still swing her butt right in your face to make a point, and if she feels like walking off while you're saddling her (she knows better), she will. Spice is ALWAYS HUNGRY, and she'll eat ALL NIGHT LONG at the trailer while you're trying to sleep (and this she did every night we were there). Most horses will pull hay out of a hay bag and eat it. Spice will jam her nose in the bag, grab a bite and slam the bag against the trailer a couple of times. I think it must taste better that way - food is here to be enjoyed to the fullest!

She still sometimes walks like a drunken sailor down a trail, and she still putts along with her neck and head sticking out a little to the left. And she has one speed. Steady. One might say slow. But no matter what your opinion is about it, that's her speed.

She's also got 2655 miles doing it her way. Spice and I had done 310 miles together over the years.

Gretchen rode her horse Kustom Kavalier - "Kav" or, as she sometimes calls him, "Kavalooney". They've done 300 miles since Gretchen got him in 2009.

Ride managers Zip and Nancy Upham advised us at the ride meeting that day 1 wouldn't be too difficult, but it was a true 50 mile ride.

And indeed it was. It kicked my butt!

The 50 mile start at 7 AM for 36 riders was calm and casual, as the sun rose over the Stillwater Mountains. One horse we passed at the beginning was Tulip, the all-time high mileage horse with over 21,000 miles... but the rider was not Les Carr! Middle of March Les had a fall from a new mule, and broke 6 ribs, a collarbone, punctured a lung, and had bleeding on his brain. When I asked him how he felt, he said "I just
don't think about it. I feel like I could jump on and do a hundred
miles!" but fortunately, Dave Rabe wasn't about to hand him his
horse.

It was Dave's first time to ride Tulip, but with Dave's 47,000+ miles, (think about it - those two have done a combined 68,000 miles of endurance trails!!!), they probably had things figured out.

The trail took us up into the Stillwaters - 15 miles of gradual uphill, all the way to the first vet check. We trotted through a sandy wash and cross-country, then we hit a rocky road, then a very rocky wash. The rocks went on for miles, but those who have done Nevada rides take the rocks in stride, as just part of the scenery. We trotted when we could, walked when we had to. That formula will get you through just about any ride, including Tevis : ) .

Next came a grand wash - like a highway - always gradually uphill, sometimes with red monster cliffs towering over both sides and squeezing the wash close around tight corners. These canyons must be absolutely spectacular during a flash flood - depending of course on where you're standing when you see one. We leapfrogged with 6 other riders, and Rob and Bubba the horse hung with us a while.

We had such a treat arriving at the vet check by some old corrals - our friend Carly had come to crew for her friends Tinker and Kay, and she crewed for us too. What luxury, to come into a vet check and have the horses' food mixed and waiting, and our snacks and drinks waiting for us too!

We only had a 15 minute hold here, though it took us several minutes longer to pull Spice's and Kav's heads out of the grain buckets.

Rob and Bubba the horse followed us out on the next 20-mile loop,
which took us on a climb up and up some more, to a high point where
we could see a couple of Nevada mountain ranges, including the
Sierra Nevadas 120 miles to the west. Spectacular!

We got off to lead our horses down the steeper part of the descent, then got back on for the nice long downhill sandy wash, and caught up with Jerry Zebrack and Helen Mooney still running on foot, leading their horses down. I thought I had done good when I ran a hundred yards down the steeper part!

The ride managers didn't warn us about the next part of a trail - a turn up a narrow wash lined gauntlet-style by pinyon pines. Some that you had to throw and flatten yourself over your horse as she tried to scrape you off beneath. I think this was Spice's favorite part of the trail. : )

At a tank and spring, Dave Cootware and his riding buddy caught up with us. Dave was riding 22-year-old Talasmans Cruzer+/ (a tall horse - wonder how they fared under the pinyons?) who's getting close to his 4000 mile mark. Dave and Cruzer have had several firsts and Best Conditions at this ride over the years.

It was in the upper 70's - we stayed cool when we had a nice breeze in our faces, then got a bit warm when the breeze was at our back going the same speed we were. Our horses had winter coats (which Gretchen had shaved just a few weeks ago), so they had a sweat going. The 20 mile loop went on and on - gentle climbs and descents through the Stillwater hills, and good footing. There was plenty of water on the trails, either from springs, or water the Uphams put in empty troughs. There wasn't a horse that turned their noses up at the welcomed water.

And the loop went on. I was hot n' tired by the time we got back to the hour lunch hold (*I* was tired? Spice was doing all the work), and Spice was - surprise - starving. Carly had the horses' food ready, and had chairs and our lunches waiting for us girls. Spice and Kav didn't pick their head up once during the hour hold from their hay and grain.

The 15-mile trail back to camp followed a different scenic route, all
gradually downhill, down more winding sandy washes, across a few
flats in valleys between the hills, and eventually, with 5 miles
left, onto the hard packed road.

And it was here that Kav started favoring his left front. Dang it! We both got off to walk and lead our horses, and soon we could see ridecamp down in the valley as we worked our way out of the mountains. I'd been warned about this though: "You'll see it forever and you'll never get there!" And so it was. Our trail turned off into a wash (Gretchen stayed on foot leading Kav, I was already beat and I got back on Spice) and kept heading toward basecamp, which never got any closer.

Helen Mooney and Georgie Porgie were behind us. "It's cruel and unusual punishment, seeing basecamp for so long and never getting there!" We walked, and walked, and walked, for an hour or so, and eventually, we got back to camp and the finish. Gretchen, number 517, finished at 5:17 PM. Wasn't there some kind of prize for that?

We held our breaths as Gretchen trotted out Kav for the vet: inconsistently lame in that left front! Dang it! She trotted him out a second time, for both vets, on softer ground. Dang it! Now it was a consistent head bob! No completion! Spice and I got a completion on Gretchen's horse - my 4000 miles, and she and Kav didn't. Just didn't seem quite right.

But we celebrated anyway - I had a Dr Pepper and Gretchen had my favorite beer, Pyramid Apricot Ale, and Spice and Kav ate. We also had a memorable dinner cooked by Quinn (this is the second time I didn't get his last name, and the second time he cooked a spectacular ride dinner). We celebrated my 4000 miles, a fun ride, a great trail, great company, awesome views, another chance to spend the day doing what we love doing - riding endurance.

Thanks Gretchen and Spice - here's to another 4000 miles!

(We opted not to do day 2 - I wasn't going to ride Gretchen's only horse and make her crew for me, though truth be told, I was WHOOPED! We headed our homeward ways the next morning after the ride started. I highly recommend this High Desert Classic ride - not too difficult and the scenery is quite awesome.

And notch up another 100 miles for Tulip!)

4 Grand!

Saturday April 17 2010

After 13 years, a few trials, many beautiful trails, a lot of knowledge (but never enough), and many, many wonderful friends, I hit the Big 4-0!

4000 AERC endurance miles. (And when i think of all those training miles that got me there...) Pretty good for never owning my own endurance horse.

On Day 1 of the High Desert Classic outside of Fallon, Nevada on Saturday, where I reached my 4000 miles riding Spice, Jerry Zebrack, riding beside me said, "You must be a good rider, riding everybody else's horses."

My reply was, "The more I know, the more I know I don't know."

Horses never stop teaching you, if you listen. Very often, some of them know more than you do.

I've got a ways to go to catch Hall of Famer Dave Rabe and his 47,000+ miles. I figure at my pace I'll get there when I'm 190 years old. It's my new goal!

And now for my Oscar speech: I couldn't have done this without, well, just about everybody. Thanks to: Spice, Raffiq, the great Zayante, my pal Jose, Rhett, Mac, Quickie, Razzie, Odyssey, Quinn, Kon, Fadrika, Riptide, Jazzbo, Charlie, Cloud, Quigley, Oak Hill Kindred Spirit, Redman, Rocket Man, Maggie, and my first finishers long ago, Masrita and Rocky. Thanks to humans Gretchen (owner of Spice!), Steph and John, Jackie, Robert and Melissa, Sue, Nance (owner of Quinn, my Tevis partner!), Ann K, Quenby, Sally, and Shelley. Those are just the immediate thank yous... many more are in the second and third tier... but my time has run out.



(Top photo by Ren Baylor of Baylor & Gore Photography!)
And yes, that's the Raven with me! He's actually 150 miles behind me, so with 3 more completions, he'll get his 4000 miles!