Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I couldn't wait to plow thru all my Emails before writing out my latest excursion, adventures, and latest discoveries from the Land of the Sun ride in Wickenburg, AZ, held Jan 28th.

As some of you may recall, my "sweetie" Doimas has been doing the on again, off again lameness waltz with me since April, so I decided to bring Sebastian the Neurotic with me to his first ride.  Of course, Doimas went sound for the entire week prior to the ride, but I stuck with my original plan I really wanted to see how Sebastian would do.

Sebastian has a huge engine, terrible brakes and countless "issues" from his past life as someone's yeehawing whippingpost. Altho I've been working over 6 years with this guy and have seen remarkable progress, he will never (IMO) be completely in his right mind. Of course, neither is the owner, so we kinda suit each other. The pin holding my right index finger together is still swaddled in bandages, making it a real pain to do anything right handed.

Never mind that it was very cold when I was getting ready to load him and my husband "insisted" I put Sebastian's blanket on him. This is Bill's #1 "buddy" and I'd better not come home...ever...,if anything happens to this horse. Then Sebastian decides he is not getting on the trailer. No fear. Just NO!  Over an hour later, he's finally on, but not until I manage to slice off half my Left Index finger. I quickly wrap a bandage around my new owey and we're on our way.  

We get to Wickenburg, I start setting up camp, he has a fit. Wants off the trailer NOW! Kicks the crap out of the trailer, knocks a window half out and tears up his blanket. Fine. We are off the trailer in his very own pen.  I feed & water him and he does fine.  Natalie arrives as I'm getting ready to take Knucklehead (I swear that will be my next horse's name) down to the pre-ride vetting, and parks in the campsite next to mine. We're appx. 50 yrds apart thru trees and rocks.

I vet him in for the 25. He PR's at 28. Is this spastic...neurotic...panic-ridden animal alive??? He gets all A's and I'm thrilled. Skip to the next morning, or rather 4am when he starts banging around on and off the trailer. I feed and water, meet up with Nat, we huddle in my suburban on top my catalytic heater, watching our breathe in the freezing air with some amazement and alot of moaning. Then we go for coffee at the base (this is the Champagne Ride after all) and then go banging at Annie George's trailer get warm. She is thrilled to see us, of course. I decide I'm going to pretty much play the whole ride by ear and just go with the flow.  

We get ready, ride down after the main "herd" (there was something like 85 LD's starting) has left. Nat sees Annie coming, but I just let Sebastian go ahead. He seems calm and very alert. Rather than start a contest of wills by making him wait for anything (I do know how anxious he gets when forced to stand), I head off after the people lined out on the road ahead.

Sebastian has an amazing trot and we start passing people. He keeps it together and I'm thrilled. Of course, we are PASSING. Later on when a few rides pass us, he has a fit. Sebastian is very competitive and a handful.  He gets extremely bent out of shape when a few riders go by and start moving out faster. We get into a long discussion, but he bides his time until we reach a rather long, steep, rocky mountain descent, then he takes off like somebody shot a rocket up his butt.  Yes. This is very enervating! The wind causing your eyes to tear, my alternately praying and cursing this knothead not to kill us on the way down so I can kill him at the bottom. 

We make it and I saw and one rein him to a halfway decent speed. Twice more I am taken for an exciting trip until we reach the vet check. He takes a vew minutes to pulse down. Not because we blasted in, but he's very excited about watching the horses trot out for the vets and everytime the girl starts pulsing him, he tries to rub his wet face on me and his pulse goes up. Done with that and we got thru the vetting. He's fine but only B's in skin tenting and gut sounds. I don't like it. Now he won't eat or drink, just stands there looking at everybody.  I move him to a new area where he recognizes two horses. Immediately starts eating and drinking.  Aha! THAT'S the problem! Sebastian needs friends. Sheesh! And I'm one of those who likes to move away from all activity and be alone. So much for that. 

We leave two minutes awhead of his newfound friends who catch up with us shortly. Thank you Veronica Quinn & daughter Amber. You guys are the best. This woman & her daughter stopped with me when my jacket started coming loose from the ties and sliding, again when knucklehead overreached and tore off his Epic (just the boot, the gaitor remained) and again when I decided to remove the other Epic for fear he was going to overcompensate with the booted foot.  They were wonderful to ride with and are why I love the people in AERC.

We finished 41st. Pulsed down in a few minutes, but his gut sounds and tenting were now C's.  I become a wreck because he's refusing to eat & drink once back at our camp. He's not distressed, just pacing and bellaring for company.  I take him for a walk and once around othre horses, drags me to a water tank and no more problems.

Moral: ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR HORSE. I ended up taking him down to Natalie's site and tying him with Moah the rest of the evening while we went to the dinner & awards ceremony.  We decided he'd do best riding home in her stock trailer with Moah with me following behind.

Everything happens for a reason, folks.  The alternator in my truck died at the corner of Bell Rd & the 303 at 10pm. 

Next ride for me is Old Pueblo. And yes, I'm thinking I'll take this goofy horse again and do the LD both days. I will park next to as many other horses as possible this time.

What is it with this Wickenburg ride and me?  At least I got to finish this year. First time in 3...but that's another story.  Can Sebastian do a 50? Yes! But I truly believe he needs to learn how to take better care of hinself first.  Maybe after OP.

Cindy Edwards
Buckeye, AZ