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I didn't know about trotting steady like we had pretty much done on
saturday but I decided we definitely needed to trot about 50% of the
time and pick the breeziest and shady spots to walk as much possible
or this 2nd half of the ride would feel like forever. Shade was quite
good about trotting when I asked.  When we hit the far point of the
loop she really perked up and was ready not only to trot a lot more of
the time but also to canter a bit, and I did let her canter a bit, but
not too much. After a few miles from that point we caught up to a
couple of riders, one was a local and he was showing the other some of
the cool spots just off the official trail; they had come from off the
trail as I was approaching and they moved over for me after a short
ways apologizing for holding me up so I thought they were just
trail-riding.  I said I was getting the tail-ender award and no
worries, then they asked if I doing my 3rd loop and I realized that
they had mis-taken me for a 50 miler and I said "No I'm the last 30
miler" and they said they were doing the 30 miler too.  I made a joke
that they couldn't rob me of the tail-ender. But Shade did want to
trot faster than their QH's so I let her stay in front.  Then about a
mile farther we hit the 2nd water and tank and we were caught up to
Elaine on Mouse and the gal on the Mustang.  

Shade was thrilled to be back with her first loop companions but it
turned the last few miles of the ride into more 'training' than I'd
anticipated.  First had some excitement as 5 horses were drinking
around a big round stock tank -plenty of room for all.   It was
-clockwise Mouse at 4, Shade at 6, Mustang at 8 or 9, and then the 2
QH's at the top.  That silly Mustang laid his ears back at one of the
QH's who promptly snapped at him, Shade dove away from the action. 
The QH rider got after his horse and took him back from the tank
(which he should for snapping, but I would have gone easier since the
mustang had started things)  But with thing more spread out Shade was
brave enough to come back and continue drinking well (she is so good
about eating and drinking -I love it)  Then Shade was ready to lead
the way but Mouse was bent out of shape at the prospect and was doing
this funny little skip as she tried to sneak a canter into her trot as
the 2 horses were even at a wide spot on the trail.  Well Shade is not
too serious about taking the lead, (often she wants back behind, the
first scary thing she sees) so I just pulled her back.  

Then when Elaine decidied to lead Mouse down the steep hill I decided
I'd be nice to Shade too.  Shade needs work on this; She was getting
mad at me for walking too slow and losing ground on Mouse.  Well, I
grew up cowboy -if the horse is screwing around threatening to step on
me I want to be up top where I'm safe. so Shade got to get really mad
as I pulled her off, let the gal with the mustang go on --she sweetly
asked if I wanted her to stay --and then of course it took over a
minute for Shade to stop stomping circles around me and let me mount. 
Then she wanted to run down the hill to catch up, but of course I
insisted we 'mince' (I was not going to get a real walk) down the hill
and not speed up till it leveled off. 

We all hit a water tank that was just off the trail at the bottom of
the hill and Shade drank good again.  The gal on the mustang and
dismounted here - Elaine had been having to hold the mustang so she
could remount all day.  The mustang always wanted to take off right
away as soon as the gal hit the saddle and Elaine was trying to hold
him and make him walk off nicely when she decided, so I took Shade off
to the side. Good thing, the mustang was really pitching a fit, Shade
decided she needed to get another 10 yards from the action right now,
but then she let me stop her.  Elaine finally had to let go of the
mustang, she didn't have a lead rope so she couldn't just nose him
around her.  The gal got the mustang down from his canter, but he was
cruising for home at a fast trot.  Shade would have had to canter to
keep up and I was not letting her so she was mad at me some more with
lots of head-shaking and attempts to jump into the canter.  

Caught up to them when they hit a single track off the canyon up to
the pasture where the basecamp was.  We were coming in at a decent
slow trot there - and the mustang did one of his veers of the trail at
a canter towards the trailers.  Elaine took off at a gallop so that
he'd run with her and Mouse and finish the course for the gal.  Well I
didn't even think of that, and no way was I galloping into the finish
on an LD and take forever to pulse down.  So Shade was mad again, but
somewhat distracted from missing that action by Grey calling to her. 
At any rate she was wound up pretty good when we hit the pulse down
area.  I went past to where my stuff was, stripped her tack and
sponged her and her pulse was only 51 on my HRM (but the on-board unit
had been giving me false low readings on the 2nd loop so I think my
'watch' battery may be low )  I took Shade to the pulse-in area and
she was high 60's on their HRM.  I wanted to let her walk and bit and
graze but she kept trotting a little circle around me instead of
relaxing; so as no one else was trying to get an in-time right then, I
took Shade back into the pulse down area and made her stand there
while the pulse taker was busy for a minute and finally she had
settled down enough to be at criteria.   Barney vetted her out right
away, I wanted her to learn she has to do this stuff before she's done
and can go back to the trailer.  I led her and Grey Moun down the road
for a good walk a couple hours after the finish; and as we went back
we went past the vets who were still waiting on some 50 milers so I
asked them to watch her trot now that she was not "under the adrenalin
influence"   She looked fine trotting away from them.  Found out at
the awards that we were 7th out of about 15 finishers.  The first
place horses had completed the 30 miles in 3:38, a couple of minutes
faster than first place on  saturday.  I never caught our exact time,
but we were just under 2.5 hours for the first loop and I dont think
it was too much different on the second loop. --Really racing in for
the top ten -huh?  I didn't make the vets score Shade for BC since we
were so far back on time and the horses that had completed in 8 mph
instead of about 6 mph had been reported to look good.  

Teresa and Shade and Grey Moun

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