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I never got Shade's Black Hills ride story written last week,
partly because I was busy cold-hosing her leg 2x/daily.  She
finished the ride sound, but she got quite a bit of fill in
her hind legs, especially her right hind, which she managed to
scrape a bit, right above the fetlock during the ride. 

Long story short is that she is not going to go 25 miles at
Ashland. I'll probably haul her up so I can take a mild ride
on her over the weekend though. I thought she was short-striding
on her RH on tues, and though she has not shown any hint of anything
since, even when I had my vet out on Wed to give it a good once-over
(what can I say I do get a bit hyper-chondriac with my horsey kids :) 
the swelling has been persistent enough that I will skip
the 25 on her at Ashland and she'll just do some mild trail-riding
this weekend --but Grey 'gets' to do a slow 50.  

Shade is 6, but has seemed a year younger than her actual age 
since I bought her as a 2.5 year old.  My goal with doing LD's
on her this summer is for them to part of her LSD work to 
prepare for future 50's.  and our Mountain Region LD rides are usually
great for training like this, the winning pace is often only about 8
mph --including at Black Hills both days last week BTW; and there will
be riders doing an easy 6-6.5 mph pace which is what I'll be aiming
for with Shade for the most part, depending on the ride.  

I was really pleased with Shade's ride last Sunday.  Saturday after
finishing up with Grey Moun, I went for a trail ride on her with my
sister.  I wanted to cross the river, which I knew had excellent
footing a few times to refresh Shade on water before we hit the LD
loop the next day which had softer footing on the little creek
crossings. (Shade is still a bit scared of mud).  We crossed the river
3 times heading out, just following cow trails and the river valley
instead of the official loop 2 track.  We had doubled back along the
river at one point, thinking we'd find another good crossing spot and
there was a cattle crossing near a fenceline but I made Naomi and
Patrick double back to my crossing as the cattle spot looked like it
got deepish and their cut up the bank had a wet spot that might have
been quite soft. I was sticking to building Shades confidence with
easy water crossings.  Those 6 crossings we did were great.  I love
that river.     

I started her near the back of the pack of those that started right on
time.  (I didn't realize it, but several folks waited a few minutes
before starting)  Shade was really quite good.  She took a few horses
passing her in stride, and was being quite good about not crowding
right up behind the horse in front of her.  Last year when I riding a
very green 5 year old I vowed I'd never start one again - and probably
I wont, but I am enjoying Shade this year.  First loop about the only
excitement was once when I'd held Shade back from the mustang in our
little group of 3, and she was trotting to catch up, he went charging
off the trail up a steep little incline.  Good thing the gal riding
him has good balance.  Shade and I were no where near running right up
on him, but I suggested to the gal that perhaps hearing us had set him
off and he'd do better in the back.  She did drop back, but the
mustang still took off a few times -always well off to the side; so
Shade and I never felt threatened that we were going to get run over. 
Elaine (I never caught her last name) led the way on her mare "Mouse" 

We came into the first vet check and Shade did fine.  She runs hotter
than Grey, so I pulled her saddle and sponged her before heading to
the timer + our group had walked in.  So Shade was down w/i a few
minutes.  We vetted thru and I turned her and Grey into their electric
tape pen to eat (Grey was on high-tie while we were out-I think I
trust him less to be by himself in camp than Shade)  Shade ate and
drank better than Grey had the day before; but when I pulled her out
of the pen her expression and attitude remined me of Gary Coleman on
the old 'Different Strokes' show "what you talkin bout
Willis/Teresa?"  too cute.  I was a few minutes past my out time so
Elaine on Mouse and the young gal on the mustang were gone, and I
thought I was the last LD'er so Shade and I would be on our own the
whole way, or until the 50 miler front runners passed us up.  Shade
was a good sport about going out again, a great sport until we
completed the C where we turned out onto the trail instead of back to
camp.  Then it was a few more minutes of "What are thinking?" but she
let me insist that yes we are doing this all again.  I let her walk a
lot thru the painted canyon-even though its nice footing and 2-track
wide, and up the big hill, then we were up in the hot spot of the
trail. 

Teresa and Shade

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