Friday, January 3, 2014

Meeting Orion - New Years Day Ride, 2014


Happy Camp, Moorpark, CA
with Cynthia & Rebecca.

I am going to start this note with a big thank you to all of the fabulous folks I have already met, who have welcomed me into this sport and the world of endurance with open arms. You are all incredible ambassadors for your sport! Happy New Year and may you always be on sure footed and happy horses, and may the trails rise up to meet you. See you out on the trail in 2014!

Starting with a quick sidebar: I’m the type of person that likes to belong to the organization that governs whatever I’m going. And so in that vein I joined the AERC and since I’d also like to join a State group I joined the California StateHorseman’s Association and will be participating in their Endurance and TRAP (Trail Riders Awards Program), which basically keeps track of all my time on the trail (and time helping to maintain trails). It’s my idea that as a newbie, having the help and support of these groups can only help me, and at the same time I’m supporting the sport, trail maintenance and so on. And I got my AERC member number today so I'm good to go. 

New Years Day Ride: So the plan was for me to ride the Grey gelding, Everest, again at Happy Camp in Moorpark, I was looking forward to moving out a little quicker on this ride. His owner had checked in with me about pushing him a bit more because in a few weeks he will be doing a 30-mile ride, and I can help the efforts to make sure he takes those 30 miles in stride. We were going to get out the heart rate monitor to watch his rates during the ride and go a bit farther this time.

But the night before his owner calls me and she is having to back out of the ride, BUT has already arranged for me to ride another woman’s horse. Sounds good to me, I’m just going where the trail leads right?

So I meet Cynthia Binder and Rebecca where their horses live and helped load up. I’m to ride a seasoned, ½ Arabian, ½ quarter horse named Orion. They let me know that he has carried many new and experienced endurance riders, tell me a little about him, and mention that he has won many awards, including championships in dressage. See him on YouTube this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tft5wnk4LGk#t=0

Now since I am a newbie, I don’t know anyone. I don’t know “who folks are," or who the veteran riders are. Well, after the ride, I looked up Cynthia & Rebecca on the AERC site (all members records are tracked, reported there along with the horses), and realized that I had just been out (yet again) with some riders who have been doing this a long time. Talk about a wealth of knowledge. Miles and miles, and so many different rides, year after year. I am in good hands yet again.

I really think this is exactly where I am supposed to be, cause I just keep getting connected with exactly the “right” folks. Loving it. Ok back to the ride.
That me on Orion (the bay) and Rebecca on her cute young Mustang.
Orion was munching on some grass along the trail.


So – the first thing I’m really excited about is that Orion is a “self loader” into the trailer. I mean the polo ponies would mostly just walk on up and in the trailer too, but this guy, you just toss the lead rope over his neck while I'm standing on the ground next to him, and he just walks up and into his spot. Easy peesy mac-n-cheesy. That’s what I’m talking about! Any horse I get, I want to know how to train them to do that. And the same getting out. I go in, let him know it’s time to back up, and he just does it.

And the next thing I was excited about was the saddle. I was getting to not only ride on a true endurance saddle (a western style one – with a rounded pommel, no horn) but one with sheepskin on it too. OH baby that felt good. And with sheepskin all the way down the stirrup fenders, I liked that too.

So Cynthia was on her - “forget about it” – Arabian stallion Jimmy. I say “forget about it” cause you will not believe that he is a stallion. And Rebecca was on her young, still green, but going good BLM Mustang. We did a lot more trotting this time at Happy Camp than my last ride there. Good for me to get used to that, to gauge my own fitness and to just practice getting in the rhythm of trotting for a long time, up hill. Orion has one of the nicest trots I’ve felt; all his gaits are super smooth. And while he is perfectly happy to cruise along at whatever speed I ask, he does not hesitate to kick it up a notch.

GEAR ADJUSTMENT: Ok so I love my helmet and Da Brim (sun brim) set up. But on this ride the wind kicked up quite a bit when we hit the upper portion of the hill. And while I knew the brim was totally secure on my helmet, I quickly learned that I needed to tighten my helmet chinstrap. I felt like the helmet was going to take flight a few times. It never was going to impact my vision, and since I knew the plan was to dismount for Chalk Hill where I could adjust my helmet, I just coped with a helmet that wanted to fly for a bit. I thought of it as good training for me, a slight equipment malfunction. And I’ll have to consider if the shade provided by the brim is worth the “tug” on my head during high wind events.

So we reach chalk hill. Remember, the last time we rode down it, me on the young horse that had never done it before. But, this ride the plan was to ground walk down the hill. It gave me another good chance to wear in my Ariat shoes – they did great, and the traction felt secure for me on that narrow, rocky, sliding at times trail – and to start getting used to walking down steep trails with a horse – something I just have never done. But I got a bunch of rocks in my shoes. Yes, I need a pair of half chaps (planning on the fabulous fringe ones that a lady custom makes, just deciding on the color) that will help with the rocks I think.
My no longer new Ariat riding shoes after
a walk down Chalk Hill. 


Once we came down the hill, and I had adjusted my chinstrap, Cynthia offered Jimmy to me to ride for a bit. Ok, sure I’ll ride a stallion. “The way Orion is a Mack truck, Jimmy is a Cadillac,” she said. Immediately I felt that difference. Nothing flighty or nervous, he was just “listening” for me to tell him what I wanted. Right away things were a tad off for me, my stirrups were too long. I could sort of manage, but I didn’t feel secure with him at his nice trot, and rather than mess with the stirrups, I just went back on Orion. Which by that time, Cynthia had said I am welcome to ride him at Cuyama in March. I could go up with Rebecca since she is taking her young mare up and it will be good for her to be with a calm, older horse. Again, just amazing ambassadors for the sport.

We do some cross-country exploring, find the year round water spot, let the horses canter up a few spots and finish up about 10 miles or so. A great fun ride.

So if everything pans out I’ll be on Orion at Cuyama doing the 30-mile ride with Rebecca mentoring. In preparation I’ll be working on trotting more and longer, getting all my own gear squared away (I need a better chapstick with sunscreen) and finding out the preparation procedures from Rebecca and how I can help.

Goals – 300 miles this year (20 miles logged so far), loss 10 pounds before Cuyama, work my trotting muscles a bit more, and find the perfect undergarments for riding & trotting long distances – standard underwear just doesn’t cut it.

Happy Trails in 2014.