[RC] Wolverine 100 - or Team Estrogen does Michigan - Laura Hayes
My pal Libby Llop and her sweet Fly So Free showed
up in my barnyard with a saddle and a change of clothes, so we jumped in my
truck and headed west along with my mare, Equal Terms. Two
determined, middle aged mothers and two good 100 mile arab mares - you can't
pack much more estrogen in a GMC and Featherlite than that. My spaniel,
Murphy (sometimes parading as the Village Idiot) was the only male holdout - but
then, he's neutered!
Wolverine is a 12+ hour drive for us from Western
NY, but we arrived safely after midnight to find ride manager Maggie Meiske
waiting for us at the turn off to camp. That is the first time that has
ever happened to either of us!
Before the vet in, we were treated like queens and
shuttled to the away vet, the trail crossings and treated to a full description
of the trail by Becce (yikes, I don't know her last name!) who later entered but
had trouble vetting in to the 100. In true mid western form (these people
are nice!), she later trotted our horses out at the checks, held them for us,
and fetched us stuff. Maggie and Nelson fed us, tried to fix my watch and
did all sorts of 'above and beyond' stuff for both of us- AMAZING!
The trail was extremely well marked and well laid
out. The first check (which was a trot by) through third checks were in a
nice meadow along a dirt road with a clear sparkling brook in one corner.
For the 50 mile check we were back in camp, which gave us a chance to get back
to our trailer for sand free socks, change of bridles and saddle pads, and
other necessities. The next check was a pulse and go, and then two more
checks in the meadow before heading the last 13 miles back to camp.
I rode most of the day with Marirose Six and her
adorable mule, Nellie. My grumpy mare pinned her ears every time that poor
creature came anywhere near her, yet when I decided to stay in the 50 mile check
a little longer in order to get more food into her, she hollered at the mule
going out the gate. No longer interested in her food, I hopped on and we
accompanied them the rest of the ride. Marirose's crew was extremely
generous with water and carrots for us and for Libby. THANK
YOU!
Allot of the trail snaked it's way up and down
sandy hills in the forest, and along dirt roads flanked by meadows and cow
pastures. It was beautiful with a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees,
interesting banks of sand and rock, and wild yarrow and berries along the
trail. The sand, which had packed down with the previous day's rain, got
looser as the ride went on and as the horse hooves plowed it
up. By nightfall it was deep in spots and though you
couldn't see it in the dark, you could tell by the feel of your horse
'swimming' as she trotted into it. The frequent and deep puddles became
smaller and smaller later in the day as the water soaked into the porous
sand.
There were five starters with one pull. The
winning time, by Libby and Fly, was around 15 hours, I think. The rest of
us, Marirose, myself and Jenny Meiske on Malik, finished together about an hour
later. I was grumpy in the last 13 miles (sorry girls) because I had taken
my mare's bit off and she was pulling. She pretty well pranced the
entire last leg, tossing her head and generally behaving badly, which in my
tired and battered state was making me mad! The next day she had a
swelling on her nose where I had to hold her too tight in the sidepull - it made
my stomach turn every time I looked at it....You would think that at 14, with
all these miles under her girth, she would settle in easier than
that....
There was a team of research vets from Michigan
doing a project, who took blood pressure, weight and blood from our horses
before, during and after the ride. It will be interesting to see the
results. I did use one tube of Lyte Now elytes at the 63 mile mark, as I
felt my mare was not feeling quite right. The heat was at it's peak and
she was panting more than I had ever seen her. She did perk up after that, but
it also coincided with the evening and cooling down of the air. E weighed
984 lbs at the check in and 914 the next day - a dramatic weight loss,
especially for a horse who ate everything in sight every time it was
offered. I will be interested to see how her bloodwork looks.
I highly reccommend this ride. It was
moderately 'fair' - not easy because of the sand footing, and not really
difficult because the climbs are small and infrequent. It is certainly
doable, and the wonderful hospitality is worth the drive!! The awards were
great also.
In 5 days I load up and drive my other mare back to
Michigan for Shore to Shore - hope the rubs behind my knees are
healed!
Ride safe and remember to look around-
Laura Hayes Vine Cliff Farms Brocton,
NY AERC# 2741
