Re: RC: Shine and Shine

[Linda Cowles <linda_cowles@mentorg.com>]

Shine and Shine (Only) is a West region ride series run in the San Jose
CA area. These rides are managed by Becky Hart and secretaried by
MaryBen Stover, and are most often held in Quicksilver Park in the
Almaden area of San Jose, but is occasionally thrown in Grant Ranch and
MAYBE (Please MB & Becky!!! I'll help!) eventually in Henry Coe Park...
that's a personal fantasy, BTW, not a plan!

They're called Shine and Shine Only (SASO) because there were originally
the "Rain or Shine" rides until the park changed it's policy on horses
on muddy trails! This is always a fun ride, very informal and relaxed.
The ride management is superb, Nancy Elliot is usually vetting, the
footing is fantastic and the trails are very well marked. They have hay
and carrots at the vet checks, great volunteers and ample water. If
you're a new rider, this is very good ride to start out with.

I rode this three weeks ago on Gavilan. Nick Warhol will ride Gav in
tomorrows 25 with a friend of his, while I ride Mike Maul's mare Pecan
in her first West Coast 50. 

This is Pecans first 50 with elevation gains in excess of 200 feet net
gain and loss over the course of the ride!!! Pecan's an incredible mare
that those of you in Mike's home region know well. Folks, this mare can
move out! Tomorrow's SASO will be slow, however Pecan has a
ground-eating trot that I've only seen the likes of in Stacy Barger's
old friend, Porter. She did spook at the hills initially - couldn't
comprehend elevation gain not preceded by a ditch or a curb - but she
now eats up the miles no matter what the rate of assent. 

Mike, I'm sorry you hurt your leg, but I like the opportunity to ride
your horse!

OTOH - Gavilan DESPERATELY needs to gain weight!!! Susan's paper on
Tevis completion's at Convention really hit home - Susan - thank you for
a great paper! Before SASO he was a 4 on Susan chart, and now a 3.5 is
more like it. My priority is to put enough weight on him between now and
Tevis that I can feel good about entering and completing - I want a 4.5
at least! I've been feeding him 2 scoops of BP, 2 of wet cobb, 1 scoop
alfalfa meal & molasses, 4 c of rice bran, 2 c corn oil, flake each
alfalfa and oat and 5 acres of the richest pasture in CA. After SASO, I
backed off on training rides (am training Pecan) between 50's, so we'll
see. I wish **I** had this much trouble gaining weight!! 

(And to y'all down in Texas, I know that your rides are tough as ours
for different reasons. I've had more than one Texan chew on my ear about
how their flat rides are just as tough as our mountainous ones - and I
BELIEVE YOU!)

Linda Cowles
Lion Oaks Ranch
Gilroy, CA


owens wrote:
> 
> Hey All,
> I am assuming that the Shine and Shine in the West region is on?  Please
> reply.
> Katee
> --
> I'm not tense;  just very, very, alert.
> 
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=