Burnam Flat Tastes Good!

Monday July 20 2010

An epic adventure for Dudley in the Owyhee Mountains.

We hauled up to Silver City - a narrow, twisting, unpaved road up into the Owyhee mountains, to try to find a way to ride to Burnam Flat from up top. We'd tried from the bottom but couldn't find a way up there. You get out onto these old mining roads, and you never quite know if the road you're following is on the map, or if the map says there is a road when it no longer exists.

The trail was beautiful, historic. Past old mines, some restored old shacks/mills/now houses

(I believe there's an ordinance in Silver City and the surrounding area that you have to rebuild to the way the buildings were in the gold and silver rush days), past old mines

some with the rails still running into them and streams running out of them, past Fairview Cemetery (established 1875)(and with a very fine view to the Snake River drainage some 4000 feet below),

through cool and shady sweet-smelling fir forests, through hot mountain mahogany forests, through thick miniature aspen forests,

past red palisades

and mountain meadows,

across the springs that are the headwaters of the creeks we ride down on the desert flats. Sometimes I would cup my hands to make a little dam in a flowing spring so Dudley could get a drink.


It was a lot of walking, a lot of climbing for a fat boy like Dudley, but he willingly went along, ears pricked forward, looking for that Burnam Flat Meadow I'd promised him a picnic in.

And after 7 1/2 miles, we reached it from the road we were on, and Dudley had the best picnic he'd ever had. We called Steph on a cell phone, "Hey Steph! If you look out your window right now, you'll see us waving at you from Burnam Flat!" (Of course she would have needed a telescope.)


Instead of backtracking we decided to make a loop out of it - new territory for all of us. We had a map that covered most of the route.

It was that missing part of the map that we really could have used... and then it might not have helped us at all (see paragraph 1).

Over the Pickett Creek saddle

(that's the creek I live on, way down there!) and onto the backside of the Cinnabar Mountain, we followed a main old logging road (the one on the map), skirting the base of Cinnabar,

crossing the wide creekbed of Lightning Creek Spring (which is at times a huge runoff),

and a climb up the other side,

heading for a pass on Cinnabar somewhere.

We thought.

Somehow, this main dirt road becoming more of a... fading logging road, and we found ourselves heading the opposite way of where we should be going, and back down, after that hard-fought gain to 7,000 feet. And this is about where we were off the map.

14 miles now, and Dudley was working hard (even at a walk, but the fat boy hasn't done a whole lot). And then the road went up even more, a steep climb. I got off to lead Dudley - till I couldn't do it anymore. The horses all huffed and puffed and dug in and got to the top... and the road quit.

15 miles, and now a canyon between us and the ridge we should have been heading for. What now? Retrace our steps 15 miles (making a 30 mile trip... and mostly walking...) or try to bushwhack further up, then down (hoping it wasn't an impassible canyon) and up another steep climb to gain the Cinnabar ridge... and hope there wasn't a steep drop-off on the other side so we'd then have to retrace 17 miles...

I was feeling bad for Dudley. We hadn't planned on 20 miles, and certainly not this much climbing. He was pooped (though that didn't stop him from eating) and his feet were getting tender. He's barefoot and it's the first time he's done any more than 5 miles in the Easyboot gloves. And the fat boy was just tired.

Well, we went for the cross country scramble.


Fortunately we didn't have a deep canyon to cross, and though the climb was steep, it wasn't too bad, and we took our time and when we got to the top... we hit a road! At 7800 feet. We were between War Eagle Peak and Hayden Peak (8403', highest in the Owyhees)

- the highest Dudley had ever been, and ever wants to go. Burnam Flat was a great distant memory. We were even above the last remaining big snow patch in the Owyhees.


But a beautiful sight (besides the beautiful views that we'd had all day) was another small meadow as we descended by road off the Cinnabar ridge. Our horses dove into the grass... and soon the long hard trek was a distant memory.


We still had several miles to get back to our trailers, but we hit the road we were looking for, successfully making a loop (though it wasn't quite the one we'd intended), and it was mostly flat or downhill from there.

Dudley looked bright eyed this morning... and a bit slimmer. I see his hipbones starting to take shape again.
By the end, we'd done about 24 miles in 8 1/2 hours. I was pretty proud of Dudley. He just completed his first Bushwhackin' Owyhee Tevis ride.

Looking Down the Trail

Monday July 19 2010

This is one of a series of profiles of horses and riders on track for competing for 5 spots on the US Team for the World Endurance Championship, part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, to be held on September 26th, in Lexington, Kentucky.

2010 WEG: LZP Julioslastchance and Rider Sue White Hedgecock - Looking Down the Trail


One of the qualities an international competitor on the US Endurance Team in the World Endurance Championship in Kentucky will need is focus.

Sue Hedgecock knows a thing or two about focus.

Focusing on being in the here and now is what kept her moving forward, away from disease and all the trauma that goes along with 8 or more years of being in and out of hospitals. She was diagnosed with nonhodgkins lymphona in 1995.

She also knows a thing or two about dreams, and making them happen. "When I was sick, I dreamed of all the stuff I am doing now... watching my son grow up, fixing and landscaping our new home, and growing horses, and riding to a high level of international ability. I had not touched this before but had always had the idea of riding to an international level back in my mind - amazing what your brain will do when flat on your back or in a curled up position when bedridden!"

Sue and her twin sister Sally grew up immersed in horses. As young teens in Vermont they helped a horse trader show and sell his various breeds of horses; in the summers they rode at his farm in South Dakota. "We rode all over creation - it was heavenly!"


Sue and her twin sister Sally also skied a lot together. "Our family owned a small business that our grandfather started - a restaurant, inn, 3 or 4 gift shops and a day lodge and ski area, as well as cabins for seasonal or year round rental.

"Since our parents worked at the ski shop in the winter it was just natural to stick us out on the snow just about the time we were able to stand up. I remember looking at Sally and then just lying in the snow because the equipment was too heavy to move!"

They grew into the equipment and the sport: both ended up on the US Ski Team in their 20's. It was another thing, along with the horses, that shaped the direction of Sue's life. "Being a twin and having a great companion that could do things very well is sure an asset to striving for higher levels, whether it be skiing or horsemanship." Sue was later a coach for the junior US ski team, and she still gives skiing lessons in Deer Valley in the winters.

Sue's first endurance ride was in 1991; cancer interfered until her next one in 1999. Then she spent a lot of deserved time in the saddle. Endurance became passion, a continued form of healthy living.

"It's looking down the trail," Sue says, that is the thrill of endurance. "It's a tremendous lure. It's an unending trail... As any endurance rider knows, going down the trail is additive and wonderful. It's so 'in the moment' - think of all the endorphins released!!"

After racking up over 5000 miles by 2005, including 1 historic Outlaw Trail and 2 Tevis Cup finishes, along came LZP Julioslastchance.


Julio is a 9-year-old Polish-bred (on the dam's side) Arabian off the racetrack... although it wasn't as if Sue scrutinized her prospects closely at the time. "I called up this trainer and asked him if he had any racehorses he no longer wanted and thought might make good endurance horses. My only requirement was that he had to be gray - because I was into grays at that time." Sue bought him sight unseen as a 4-year-old. "How dumb are we to buy these sight unseen horses, much less have them sent to us off the track without really knowing much about them!"

Julio turned out to be a challenge. "He was full of himself!"

He also turned out to be a nice horse. He still is full of himself at times - but he's smart, and he just keeps getting better and better. Sue has brought him along slowly and carefully, having learned a lot from her previous horses. "Julio always wants to go out and give it his best shot. He's got good ingredients."

Julio and Sue had just gotten their COC (Certificate of Capability; 100 miles in 12 hours 20 minutes) in June at Fort Howes, then 2 weeks later participated in the West Selection trials for the WEC. Sue was very pleased that Julio did everything asked of him, and she loved the whole atmosphere and flavor of the trials, being coached, riding as a team, and performing as asked.

This journey and the challenge of competing for a slot on the US Team for the WEC is tremendously satisfying - truly a dream come true. "I want to see if I have prepared my horse well enough for what I have to work with here in the mountains (living and training in Park City, Utah, where it's winter 6 months of the year). I feel if I get a good horse underneath me - build him up right - he'll carry me where I want to go. This is another test, challenge, and experience, and I hope the best horse/rider pairs get selected and do well. It has been a priviledge to have the opportunity to ride at this level on such an exceptional and kind athlete as my horse Julio.


"And the greatest part of all this is to have my husband involved, and to have my son helping - having some family time throughout all this. And some very wonderful friends, like Cia and Alex Reis, carrying the load along for me too!"

It's looking down the bluegrass endurance trail in Kentucky in the World Endurance Championship that is Sue's next dream.

"It is just great to be alive and have the bonus of living a dream with our horses!"

Oh, What to Wear Today!

Sunday July 18 2010

Endurance Granny just did a post on riding shorts (are there any? Besides Dave Rabe's jean shorts that he always wears : ) and riding shoes.

Here's a look at some of my riding essentials.


My shoes of preference are Roper Womens Athletic Horseshoes that I order from ValleyVet.com. Just my opinion, and that is: I've used these shoes for years and thousands of miles of endurance riding (many more thousands in training!). A decent amount of walking/running/bushwacking on foot too, in desert and mountainous country. They're very comfortable and I don't have a problem with ankles so I can't comment on support, but since they're a bit high-topped they seem like they have good support. They are quite hardy and last a pretty decent amount of time. Sometimes the stitching comes out in places, and the top layer of the shoe at the back of your heel wears out, but I think that's not unreasonable with the work mine get put through. To me they are worth the reasonable price.

Lisa at Laughing Orca Ranch and I were emailing this spring about tights, just at the time I was ordering a new pair of Irideon Essential tights (I got it from Equestriancollections.com though I don't see a website of an Irideon company), and (yet) another pair from Evelyn Allen of Just For Horsin-Round.

I've mostly worn Kerrits tights - and most of them have been hand-me-downs. They last a loooooooooong time, let me tell you. I sadly threw two hand-me-down pairs away last year after a very long second life with me.


These are Kerrits' classic Performance Tight - very long life, very comfortable. I think this is actually the first new pair I've ever bought! The material is fairly thick so it keeps me warm when it's cold, but I do get a bit warm in the summer (wah! I HATE being hot!). But the thicker material should make them last even longer so I don't have to mourn throwing them away for a good long while. The material is 90% Meryl (if that makes any sense to anybody) and 10% Spandex. Gives you a good grip in the saddle.


These are my ultra-favorite Kerrits tight - love the fit and the feel and they are great in a saddle. I like the zipper at the bottom of the legs. I like this pair so well I often take them traveling. I don't see them available on their website anymore, so they must not make them. Therefore I better stop wearing them so I don't wear them out!

I just tried for the first time a pair of Irideons (on sale, plus a promo code coupon). Love the feel of the fit. I could live in these. I kind of live in my tights when it's not HOT anyway, and these are nice. The material is thick too, but slicker - 88% Polyester and 12% Lycra. Little bit less of a grip in the saddle, and it feels like the kind of material that will equal what the temperature is outside, i.e. when it's HOT outside I'm going to be hot, and when it's cold outside I'm going to be cold. I'll get back to you on that.


Then there's Evelyn's tights. I've been wearing hers for a long time, too. She makes a nice fleece tight for winter, thin but soft and effective fleece against the cold. Again, very comfortable, very long lasting (although my friend wore the butt cheeks out of one of my fleece pairs, haha). I live in these also, all winter.

Evelyn makes all her tights by hand (they aren't sent off to China to make), and she'll probably have whatever color you want (she had this hunter green for me I couldn't find anywhere else!).




In my younger, earlier (crazier?) endurance days, I bought these tights from her. They fit great, they even look good on me, but if I wear them I make darn sure it's a horse I'm not going to fall off, because I figured I better look like I know how to ride if I'm going to be daring enough to show off in these. But then, what the heck - the zebra stripes would be easy to spot by helicopter, yes? And so far I haven't scared the horses, so what the heck.

Evelyn can work with you on fit, too. Her prices are extremely reasonable and to top it off she's a wonderful person. Consider supporting a US artisan and artist when you get your next pair of tights!

Then there are chaps. I do have a pair of full chaps that I wore when I did horse packing - very useful in the wilderness for unexpected frigid rain and snowstorms that can suddenly sweep over you, or for bushwhacking you might end up doing. I got them from a local 4H club. They have lasted forever but I don't know who made them.

For endurance, I wear half chaps. Some people just wear long socks - or nothing over their tights. My lower legs get pinches and rubs if I don't wear half chaps. That can make even a training ride miserable.


I often use a pair of Just Chaps US for training rides. These appear (so far) indestructible, and the best thing is that the zipper hasn't broken. I am totally zipper dyslexic so this is a very good thing. The only thing I haven't tried them in is heavy rain. I've seen some chaps sag down around ankles in rain, though these might not do that. Kind of hard to test in the desert : ) .



My most favorite pair of leather half chaps are these - handmade by endurance rider Ann Kratochvil in California. They have just enough flash (but not too much to make you look like a silly show-off if you fall off), are also rugged, adjustable, comfortable, good in all kinds of weather, and heck they just look good.


Ann can make them in any color, and she has several sizes. She says you can throw them in the wash, but I wouldn't - i just hose mine off and let them dry out of the sun (and stretch them a couple of times while drying, just in case they want to shrink a bit). The velcro is tough, and after thousands of miles of riding (and plenty of leading off the horse), sometimes some of the stitching comes loose or the under-the-boot-strap wears, but send them back to Ann and she can re-stitch them for a small fee. Ann doesn't do internet so if you're interested, email me and I can give you her contact info. I bought my pair years ago and they were around $110 then. Price of materials has probably gone up since then, but they worth it. And, you're supporting a US artisan and artist again. Always a good thing.



(This is a fine color combo. I've always had a hankering to go walk around the high falutin' shops in Hollywood wearing these chaps, or even better, these chaps with these tights. What do you bet some celebrities would think that is SO COOL and start wearing them, even though they have probably never touched a horse. Wouldn't that be a hoot! I haven't done it yet because I don't think Ann can handle the volume of orders the celebs would make...)

If you do order tights (or anything) online from companies, don't forget to first google the company name and "promo code" as you'll probably find some sort of discount.

Steely Determination II

Friday July 16 2010

This is one of a series of profiles of horses and riders on track for competing for 5 spots on the US Team for the World Endurance Championship, part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, to be held on September 26th, in Lexington, Kentucky.

2010 WEG: Bogart VF and Steel Patriot and Rider Charisse Glenn - Steely Determination II

You might expect to meet a lot of varied, interesting people in the City of Dreams (Los Angeles); but an international endurance rider competing for a slot on the US Team in the World Endurance Championship in the 2010 FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games probably isn't one that readily pops into your head.

But if you know where to look, you just might run into Charisse Glenn, of Malibu Endurance. A free spirited, well traveled, enthusiastic horse person who's lived around the world, Charisse says, "I never, ever, ever thought I'd end up living in LA!" but she's the first to admit that she's got the ideal location. 30 miles away from her doorstep is where she works in the LA show biz scene as a commercial casting director; 50 yards away from her doorstep is where she rides endless miles of trails in the Agoura Hills - a mix of National and State park and conservancy lands - to condition her two WEC qualified horses, Bogart VF and Steel Patriot.


And they are good ones. Charisse has had the WEG in her sights and plans for over two years, and she has brought her horses along sparingly and carefully, averaging roughly 4 starts a season for them both.

Steel, a 14-year-old, 3/4 Arabian, 1/4 American Saddlebred, is very dominant in his home herd, but a gentleman on the trail. "He's really honest. He gives you his all; he's really smart. He picks the best way for himself on the trail and he takes care of himself." That's probably what got him through 2 Tevis cup finishes (in two starts) in the top twenty, and his 21 completions in 24 starts. "He has an extra long stride, is very comfortable, and covers an amazing amount of ground effortlessly. He has a 7 mph walk, though I don't think we'll be walking much!"

Bogart VF, now 11 years old, is a product of Ventura Farms, in Thousand Oaks, California. Charisse got him at 10 months of age with a couple of other horses, when a client of hers had a misfortune that was going to leave her unable to feed her horses the next year. She gave them to Charisse with instructions to sell them or give them away or keep them, as long as they got good homes. Charissse started Bogart in training, and saw some raw talent in him.


She kept him. He's now 14 for 16, including 12 top ten finishes, and 3 Best Condition awards. "He's sweet and submissive in the herd, but the opposite of what you'd expect in competition: he's fiercely competitive on the trail." When he moves, you can see why Charisse says he's like riding on a cloud: he's got a light, long stride, and an easy canter.

Both horses are scheduled to go to the next step of Selection Trials in Danville, Illinois, which begin on August 12. While it may not be as humid in LA as the conditions that the horses will encounter in Illinois, it's hot - temperatures are usually in the high 90's and 100's in the California summers. They will be well prepared.


It's an enormous commitment to take on this World Endurance Championship quest: riders must be willing to take at least 2 months off - from their work, farms, lives - and the monetary challenge is great. Some local endurance riders and friends are hosting a fundraiser for Charisse on July 25th, and already Charisse has had offers of donated supplies from horse people she hasn't even met yet. "It's interesting to see such enthusiasm from all kinds of people. And humbling."

A quiet and calm, but fiercely determined competitor herself, Charisse is ready to tackle the further challenges of the next phase of Selection Trials. In her 14 years of endurance riding, she's managed to mark a couple of international competitions off her bucket list - a completion at Ribiers in France in 2007, and the Tom Quilty in Australia in 2008.

She's hoping she'll be able to check off the World Endurance Championship in 2010 next.

Morning Dance

Wednesday July 14 2010

They come down the canyon in the Owyhee morning, running, romping, rollicking, taking turns winning the sprint to the house. They are the lucky ones, with all this room to roam.

They are a feast for the eyes, a reason to give thanks for another day.

We are the lucky ones.

Dudley's Honeymoon Adventure (by Dudley)

Monday July 12 2010

The following are Dudley's best memories of yesterday's (failed) trailblazing attempt to reach the green mountain meadow of Burnam Flat from the base of the Owyhee mountains:

It was all uphill! (until we turned around).

It was hot for a fat horse.

Juniper trees are nice until they turn into a dark jungle, and start closing in on a great big claustrophobic horse.

"Oof! Ouch! Argh! Ack!" - my rider's noises and stunt riding, throwing herself flat on my neck, almost hanging off my sides, as I bulled my way through many overgrown trees on a very old, faint, fading, gone, trail.

The Honeymoon Cabin!


Lots and lots of horse edibles: green grass, brown grass, flowers, weeds, junipers, willows, etc. I sampled everything I could get my mouth on.

The box canyon and nowhere to go after all that climbing!


My rider hugging a juniper tree.


After all that effort and no green mountain meadow to picnic on, do my dimples look any smaller??


(See the slideshow of the day's ride here:)