To ride or not to ride???

My first goal of the year is to ride the Michigan Shore to Shore Ride. The ride crosses the entire state of Michigan from Lake Huron in Oscoda to Lake Michigan in Empire. The first June ride is completed in 10 days riding from 20-30 miles a day. I rode this trail 2x as a teenager with my family, and again in 2006 with Topic. Topic will be 26 this year, so it is time to turn the torch over to one of my young ones.

Last September I sent my gelding Rocky to Tri C/V farms for two weeks. Rocky has an awesome mind, and is one of those horses that really want to please. I had done a ton of ground work with him, and even had ridden him in the round pen a few times. Velvet worked with him to give us a little jump start on the trail. The same day I picked him up from Velvet I trailered out to Hadley Hills and went on a 2 hour trail ride with my friend Linda. He was awesome. We rode every weekend until the 2nd week of November when I started having some health issues.

We had a very harsh winter with tons of snow, and lots of ice. I was able to trailer over to Velvet's once or twice a month to ride in the arena, but it was a struggle for us. Rocky does great out on the trail when he is with other horses, but he does not seem to understand what to do if he is not following someone else. In the arena he would walk a few steps and then stop. Each time we rode we were getting better and better, but we just were not able to ride often enough.

Now it's April, and there is only 5 weeks until we are supposed to leave for the shore to shore ride. I have been riding Topic every weekend while ponying Rocky alongside. After a mile or two I change horses for a few more miles. When we are getting close to home I usually change back to Topic again. This is the only way I could think of to desensitize him to our neighborhood, and try to condition at the same time. The problem is that it has still been a struggle to get him to move out. Once again he may walk 5 steps, or he may walk a 1/2 mile. Then something catches his eye and he stops dead in the middle of the road, and I have a problem getting him started again. I've been dealing with this for a month, and things have not gotten any better. In depair I called Velvet last night and asked for help. This afternoon I dropped Rocky off at the farm. He was very animated, pacing the stall and throwing his head. Not typical behaviour for him. Velvet isgoing to ride him for a week in the arena and down the road on his own. When he starts making progress Velvet will work with the two of us. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and hopefully we will be ready for the ride.

Goals, dreams, and other such things

I do not believe a goal is truly a goal until it has been spoken out loud or put into writing. That being said, here are my riding goals for the year.

Complete the Michigan Shore to Shore Trail Ride May 30-June 8.
AHAM – Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center Endurance Ride July 12 &13.
Oak Leaf Spring Roundup Endurance Ride July 26 & 27.
White River Labor Day Endurance Ride Aug 30,31, and 1st.
Tin Cup Springs Endurance Ride September 13 & 14.
Brighton Competitive Ride October 10, 11, & 12.


My current obstacle is that both Rocky and Zuni are only green broke, and it is hard to find time to ride the miles we need while having one child in ½ day kindergarten. Rocky does great in a group, but is not confident to head down the trail on his own yet. He does the whole stop-start thing, and I cannot keep him going. I was very upset after this past weekend. I tried to take him out on his own for the first time, and he started acting like a fruit before I even got in the saddle. I tied him to the trailer and tacked him up just like normal. The only difference was that Topic was not with us. The last few weeks I have been tacking both horses up, and riding Topic first. I then switch horses a few miles down the road. I though it was working great until Saturday when I finally tried to ride him on my own. He was dancing around and shying at everything. This is NOT normal behavior for this horse. I don’t know what I am going to do, but it needs to be soon if we are going to be ready for the Shore to Shore.

The end of a Day

We all have obstacles to overcome, and like most moms LACK OF TIME is the largest obstacle I face. Add Michigan’s miserable weather, two young children, and chronic health issues to the equation, and simple equine goals can seem insurmountable. I hear the same thing over and over on all the message board I read. How do you balance family, work, and riding goals without anyone suffering? I think it is near impossible without a support network.

I work full time on an off shift, and only see my husband for a few minutes at work during the week. It’s like being a single mom with conjugal visits on the weekends. Sometimes that’s good, and other times I just want to curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep. How do other people deal with it? It’s too easy for equestrian sports to be called a “hobby” even though there are many out there devoting their lives to their horses. Do the USET members deal with the same issues as someone like me? Does John Lyons and Monty Roberts get “the look” after they have spent all weekend working with a young horse? How about the Olympic athletes? Do the families of the track stars and ice skaters complain when they cannot make it to a birthday party, or need to leave the family picnic early? Endurance is not a sport for the weak or lazy. It takes time as perseverance to make it to the top levels. That is where I hope to be someday. While my husband and I have talked about my goals, I don’t think he realizes how many weekends (every) I’ll be away. I know my parents do not understand how I can be away from my kids so much. I would love to be home with them everyday, but that is not the life I have. I cannot give up my hopes and dreams to make everyone else happy. I’ve tried it, and it does not work. THEY are never happy anyways, and I am miserable.

Can you tell it is a rainy dreary day outside? My head is full of the negative, and my goals seem nigh impossible. Well tomorrow will be a new day, and a Saturday at that. Hopefully the rain will pass, and I’ll be hitting the trails instead of sitting here feeling sorry for myself.

The Cast of Charaters

THE PEOPLE

Ellen - That would be me. Horse crazy girl grown up into a thirty-something horse crazy mom

Jeff - My supportive but sometimes confused husband. We have been together since HS, so he is somewhat used to my crazy ways.

Jared - Our 7yo son. Spiderman, Star Wars, and video games rule.....horses are kind of cool too. Jared wants to grow up to be just like dad.

Aidan - Our 5yo son. Watch out world here he comes. Aidan wants to be Aidan, and nobody but Aidan. Anything that moves, makes noise, and can annoy his brother is REALLY cool. LOVES horses, and I would not be surprised if he is going down the trail with me soon.

Sarah - My younger sister, wife of devoted husband Nathan, and mother of three little rugrats all under the age of 7. She is the "eventer" extraudinare. She always has a new horse coming along, and another big show (or clinic) to attend.

Mom - The woman that gave birth to both me, and my love of horses.

Dad - The man that thinks we are all crazy but does not mind a nice quiet ride down the trail, as long as it is on a gaited horse.


THE HERD

Topic - 26yo Arab gelding that I grew up riding, and was reunited with in 2005. He was my first love, and is now spoiled rotten.

HS My Eye of the Tiger - Otherwise know as "Rocky". 5yo Kiger gelding that I purchased as a foal, and hope will develop into my first endurance horse.

Zuni Creek - Her Royal Highness would be more fitting. She is a Diva with a mane and tail. Sweet natured, but accustomed to making her own rules.

Cherokee Fantasia - 2001 Kiger mare that was rounded up from the Kiger herd in 2003 for adoption. She is a sweet quiet mare that appreciates the easy life, but is not sure she wants the extra love an attention.

Cherokee Moonbeam - 2007 Kiger filly. Come on everyone, it's time to play.

Montana Pixie Stick - 2002 rescued Shetland/Hackney pony. Pixie wants to mother everything on 4 feet, no matter if they want her to or not

Hi! My name is Ellen, and I am addicted to horses

They say the first step in recovery is acceptance. While I’ve never been in denial, I think my husband was! I’ll never forget the day my dad pulled Jeff aside and asked him if he realized what he was getting himself into. I don’t think he had a clue, but 16 years later he has earned an evident level of tolerance. This means that he can tolerate having me gone on weekends, but heaven forbid a horse poop in the driveway. While I would never leave IT there, I might continue on down the road intending to pick it up when I got back home (while crossing my fingers that Jeff wouldn’t notice).

I do consider myself fairly lucky. Over the years I have met more than one horse person that did not have a partner that was as understanding as mine. That’s probably not even the right word. I don’t think that others can truly understand, tolerate or support is the best most of us can hope for. If we are really lucky we might even meet and fall in love with someone that shares the same interest and passion in horses that we do. While Jeff may not understand my love for horses, he does support my endurance goals and dreams. He helps keep me motivated when I get down, and gives me a swift kick in the butt when I get lazy.

Many people have asked me why I want to do endurance. I spent years in H/J and dressage training, but my favorite riding memories have always been about trail riding. Also, now that I am “thirty-something”, with two children, I cannot summon up the same enthusiasm for flying over 4 foot fences on 16H+ horses that I had when I was 19. Plus I am enough of a realist to know that I need the competitive element to keep me motivated to ride during both the good and the bad times that simple trail riding does not provide (at least in Michigan). Only an endurance rider would be out on a 25 mile jaunt down the trail in 28° temperature and15 mph winds with snow falling so hard you can barely see the trail 5 feet in front of you. To me endurance is EXTREME horseback riding. As I have jumped out of a plane, had kids, and have been married for over 10 years, extreme appeals to me.

One of the things that I love about endurance is that it does not matter if you are young, old, rich, poor, man, or woman; there is a place in the endurance world for you. The AERC motto “to finish is to win” really does encompass the spirit of endurance riding. Some race and others ride, but each rider has the same goal of making it to the end of the trail with a happy horse. Although I have yet to enter my first endurance ride, I have set the goal of completing 5000 competitive miles on my chosen horse. By setting this goal I am hoping to stress my desire to prepare my horse for a lifetime of riding, and not getting caught up in the moment by pushing my horse too fast too soon.

I have started this blog to record both my blunders and successes, as I am sure I will have plenty of each. I hope that anyone that takes the time to view my logs will share in my triumphs, offer encouragement during challenges, and learn from my mistakes. While I accept that being truthful and honest in my accounts may offer me up to ridicule, I hope that my story can end with………and that they all live happily ever after.