Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Scioto Run & Religion

Just got back from the Scioto Run ride in Chillicothe, OH.  What a great 
weekend! This ride usually has weather in the extremes ~ in ‘03 trailers had 
to be 
pulled out one by one. In ‘04 it rained Friday, then the sun came out and we 
were in a steam bath for the weekend...Hot, hot, hot. Made those hills very 
long and strenuous. But, this year it couldn't have been more perfect. It did 
get all grey and misty on Friday, but it cleared and turned on the cool side. I 
even had the furnace on a couple of times. Hard to get those tights on while 
shivering...  Yes, I have an LQ and I darn well earned it!! Plus, I'm old...

This was the last ride I did on Rider last year when his hock became more 
than he could deal with. Eventual diagnosis was bone spavin, then he popped a 
curb, so he has been on vacation for nearly a year!  Boy do I miss him. 
Hopefully 
he will still be able to do an occasional ride to sponsor my granddaughter 
Paige and her horse Jack.
Now I'm on Slick ~ oh boy...  I had delayed starting him competitively 
because he was so immature mentally, but had to step up to the plate when Rider 
bowed out. Oh why, oh why, do I get these green horses at my age.

Slick did three LD rides last year, one of which was a back to back 30/30. 
Then I took him to AZ with me so I was forced to ride/school him during the 
winter. He spooked me off twice while there, so didn't ride out on the trails 
alone for fear of loosing him, or him me... But, we did get some trail riding 
in, 
and he showed me he has potential, but also a jerky little habit of throwing 
his head about, then crowing hopping, then a good buck if I am not quick enough 
to turn his head around to my knee...Just very full of himself in general. He 
likes to do this as soon as he has caught his breath and I ask him to trot 
again, or if another horse is in front of him, or if another horse is behind 
him, or, well, just because he can be a real jerk... The only time he is really 
good is when he is begging for air after trotting for a good long, long time... 
He is very good in the arena, and fortunately my host in AZ has a nice big 
one, along with a great round pen. Boy did I put that to use...Really saves the 
lounge line aches and pains, you know the shoulder joints, wrists, 
fingers....It only took him about four sessions in that to realize that, hey 
when I act 
silly, I can act silly for a long time and I end up all hot and sweaty, and out 
of breath....and worse, Mom loves it!

A week after returning from AZ I took him to the Chicken Chase and did two 
days of LD there. He FINALLY learned to extend his trot, and made the trip 
around a lot faster than when he was stuck with that little QH stride (he is 
half 
QH)...which frustrated him and made him want to misbehave. He was still a bit 
brain frenzied though, but on the last day did get by ourselves, away from the 
mare he thought he was in love with, and he was a joy! Even went through the 
last pulse and vet check without a buddy to stand by him... ~ progress!

But, you know how progress is, one step forward then boom, back a few...Still 
had his little bucking fits, and finally managed to buck me off, allowing me 
to use my chin to break my fall. Don't do that...It hurts like crazy...it 
twists ones neck and causes ones arm to go numb. It causes your riding buddy to 
become very concerned.  And of course it always happens as far out on a loop as 
possible, so the options to riding or walking out are slim...Always carry 
Tylenol it does deaden the pain enough to get back on. At least he behaved most 
of 
the way back to the trailer.

After one week, I saddled him again and worked him in the arena. Very bad boy 
for about twenty minutes, then he gave in and went through his ground work 
like he knew he should. Then gave me a good ride. Very nice. Wasn't able to 
ride 
him but once more before Scioto. I had hoped I would be able to get him to 
this ride as it has nice ‘horse church' hills....I wanted him to ‘see 
God'... 
Two weeks of Advil and we took off for OH... We had our dependable riding 
buddies with us Mary Lynn and her bouncy boy, Breezz...We were happy, mostly. I 
was 
more than a little apprehensive...To push the point, Mike Hubble commented as 
we did our trot out at check in, "He looks like a strong horse!"  Oh yes!

His new quirk is to think something awful is about to get him on his right 
side as I saddle him. So, he did a spectacular pull back until I yelled at him 
to get up...Good grief I didn't want to get on this silly horse... 

As planed, we waited until everyone was ahead of us before going down the 
trail...He was very full of himself, but constant circles and one rein stops 
kept 
me on the topside and his head up... Naturally, a couple of riders ahead of 
us had troubles of their own as their horses didn't want to get their feet wet 
in the creek. Slick thought it great fun to show them how to do this. Keeping 
to a walk on the first bit of pavement on a keg of dynamite can make one 
tense, not to mention a cotton mouth. Both Mary Lynn and Breezz were good 
influence 
for us though, and we made it to the trail at last. Boy did he remember how 
to trot out at full extension! Wheeeee....It was quite chilly this AM and our 
face and hands were frozen with the wind chill. His head was up so I let him 
get on down the trail. He can't quite push himself off as well as Breezz but he 
tries hard and Mary Lynn is kind enough to hold Breezz back enough that Slick 
doesn't bounce into a canter, at least not this early in the ride. He didn't 
think to do any misbehaving as he was having a blast looking for the horses 
ahead. He just did a few head shakes protesting my hold on him, but a stern 
‘anght' from me was enough. The first 12.5 mile loop was the easiest of the 
two, 
but it had some good climbs too, and Breezz, having a faster walk led us up 
most 
of them. Slick had to jog to keep up, so he was beginning to think about 
things a bit. The long trots on the gravel roads where exercises in 'how far 
can I 
reach without cantering...and when will we ever walk'!.<smile> At the 
first/mid-way vet check we were both able to walk on in and pulse down. I was 
pleased 
that we had hung together thus far and looked forward to the next harder 
loop...he, he... As usual, Slick is very ready when he has his breath back, and 
he 
needed it when he faced ‘the hill' that goes on and on...That took some 
starch out, but he was willing to trot on and we let them do some cantering now 
that their brains were more in tune to us. A lot of fun, and Slick had his head 
down, but without a single thought of bucking.... Still he had plenty left in 
him and he turned on the burners when he caught sight of a horse 
ahead...goodness. I just required that he trot with some control as we passed.  
Then, mercy, 
the big hill near the end....Of his own accord, he stopped when almost to the 
top. Yes, stopped without a request from me. Stopped without flinging his 
head about, without any cue from me, he stopped... Finally, he was at the 
‘church 
door'....

I needed to reattach my electrode, so got off and let him have a brief 
breather while I got rigged back up. For a moment I felt sorry for him, but 
only 
for a moment. I just had to take a deep breath to remind myself that I was 
still 
on Advil because of him, and a deep breath can still cause pain....So climbed 
back on and headed on in. He recognized the down hill gravel road that we had 
also used on the first loop, and both horses swung into their big trots and 
flew down to the pavement that led to camp. When he does this I just stand in 
the stirrups and sort of float above the saddle. But, this is when my left 
ankle was crying for mercy ( good grief a new pain)  and I could not hold my 
foot 
still for anything...Darn if the passing years don't cause one to whine about 
one thing then another!!!

Fortunately, the pain went away after a few steps on the ground. We stripped 
off their saddles, splashed on a bit of water and headed to the pulse and vet 
check. Since he refused to drink during the entire ride, the only water he got 
down was in his sloppy beet pulp slushy at the mid check, so  he had a C on 
guts. Yikes, and a B on his back. Head too high, back too hollow not used to 
that big trot. But good to go the next day...yeah!

Slick drank and drank, and ate and ate and napped and was so appreciative of 
every move I made.  Good boy! We went to farrier extrodinaire, Tom Keith and 
had new shoes put on. Ah, how good he stood...
Next day he was the horse I've been wanting to saddle for a long time. Did 
we slow down, no. But, we had much nicer rides, no chargy steeds this day, but 
still very willing and getting on down the trail. This day, the water in the 
creeks, the grass along the trail looked much better and he got down to 
business of surviving. He still wanted to catch that horse ahead and on 
occasion I 
still had my hands full but I never felt like I might loose control. We did 
much 
more cantering and the 3.2 mile stretch of gravel road was pure 
conditioning...trot canter, trot canter until finally the trail turned off 
again. Mercy, 
what a relief, as my wobbly ankle was back, and my neck and shoulder was 
talking 
to me...The vet wrap I had put on my foot and ankle helped to stabilize it, 
but again that down hill trot had me in all kinds of contortions to ease the 
weight off of it. We had tried to keep count of how many horses we passed and 
were passed by, this day, as only 19 of us were in the LD and we thought it 
might be possible to edge into the top 10, but naturally we lost count, and 
others 
were of like mind...<ha ha> Oh, and we also had to stop at ‘The Church Door 
Hill' once again. This time I didn't get off, but did let him have a breather 
and a few words of encouragement before going on. Again, he brightened right up 
when he saw that down hill gravel road...Ouch...And there was a horse ahead 
of us that had passed a few miles back, and he was determined to go after 
it...you would think he wouldn't want to leave his buddy, but no, he didn't 
even 
glance back.
Finally back at camp and we walk on in to the pulse taker. Breezz and Slick 
pulse down at the same time and we go to the vets. He was all A's and B's this 
day. Yeah!  And, to top off a wonderful weekend, we were told we were 9th and 
10th!!  Alas, it turned out that we were really 10th and 11th....No matter, 
our steeds did a great job, came through a tough ride happy and healthy,  and 
Slick now has religion...at least for a week or so...

Mollie, as usual, put on a great running ride. The Vets worked tirelessly 
from dawn to dark, the volunteers were ever vigilant, and to make us feel nice 
and safe, the Fire department was always on hand if needed. And, it turned out 
they were. But, all is well thanks to some helpful riders, and the EMTs...
This is a great ride for all types of riders and horses, those still 
schooling, and those raking up the miles, and those that like to really go. The 
terrain has it all. The camp site can't be beat, and this year at least, the 
weather 
God's smiled nicely.  Thank you!!!!

Janice & Slick

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