Get-Away Horse at Old Selam!

*this is overdue… it came from notes I made and I just threw the rest together!*

Since Hillbillie Willie’s brain exploded at the start on his first ride this year, even though he’s steadily getting better, I am just not sure what he’s going to do. So… with the goal of riding all three days of LDs at the Old Selam Pioneer ride (one of our favorites) outside of Idaho City in the Boise forest on August 30-September 1, I was just hoping for the best, in our case being good calm starts and pleasant rides and completions!

We arrived on Thursday with clear skies, but sadly the next morning it was smoky, and it stayed that way the rest of the weekend. It wasn’t terrible in camp, but I debated about riding Friday Day One. It wasn't real bad except for up on a couple of the ridges where the smoke got pretty thick and made my eyes water and made me cough a bit. You wonder how it affects the horses. And what are you going to do? Everybody comes here for the ride, some people from far far away, and to get out of the smoke you either have to leave or you deal with it. Had it been really terrible I wouldn't have ridden, but still you worry.

Willie’s not all about racing on the trails. He’s really all about the social aspect of endurance. And everybody is his instant friend, so he's happy to go with anybody. He'll go by himself but he loves the socialization.

And in camp, as we've had to do all year this year, Willie and I practiced leaving his bondo boy buddies DWA Barack and DWA Papillon, going on walks by ourself away from them, and Connie would take hers on a walk one at a time. Connie was planning to ride three 50's switching horses, and I was hoping to ride Willie on the three 25-milers. Over the weekend, Willie gradually got to where he would only whinny once when he left his buddies.

Day One started with everybody just walking out of camp calmly when the “Trail’s open” call came. Cat and Haffir started to lead out, but Haffir was spooking at the pond on his right, so Willie just went out ahead, and we ended up in front on the first loop the whole way, loose rein… the whole day! He enjoyed riding with his new BFF Haffir.

We easily made it to the out-vet check with a little space to spare before the next riders came in. Willie kept looking for Barack and Pappy, although he pulsed down right away and he ate a little bit at the hold.

We headed out on loop two back to camp, just cruising along comfortably at a steady trot. Halfway through loop two, Nora and her beautiful golden Morgan Marvelous Portia zoomed past us at a gallop. Yeehaw! Nora called over her shoulder, “She's on fire!” Willie didn’t alter his gait, just kept up the same trot with Haffir behind him.

We cruised on in to camp for the finish, where Willie pulsed down right away, finishing second. We both had a really super fun day, and best of all was the calm start and riding on a loose rein!

Day two was another awesome calm start. Willie and I fell right in behind Natalie on her tall leggy saddlebred She’s Spotless (they’d tied for first the 50 on day 1), and Kathleen on her Arab Elokwent. They didn't mind us tagging along, because you know, Willie likes the social aspect, and he matched their pace, and he has learned to stay back and not impolitely run up other horses’ behinds.

We motored right along and again had a super fun first loop. The trails at Old Selam are so incredibly spectacular, rolling logging roads with super soft footing, creek crossings and plenty of water troughs everywhere. Willie didn't drink at all on the first loop on day two, but I knew he drank overnight. But you always wish your horse would drink!

When we got to where Steve Bradley was taking pictures, Natalie went first, Katie held back and then Willie and I waited behind her. Natalie took off like a rocket doing whatever kind of racking her gaited horse does, and Katie's Arab took off galloping next, and oh my god when I let Willie go he launched into an instant pace, like he must have done on the track, and ohmygod, sit deep hang on and enjoy the ride! I have never ridden that horse that fast at a pace, it was incredible! I’m glad I didn't start giggling because I would have fallen off. Although he was very smooth, thank goodness!

Shortly past Steve, we pulled up (giggling) by a meadow, where a moose and its baby were just leaving the other side. They stopped to turn and look at us, and our three horses stopped and stared. It was Willie’s first moose! I thought it was cows at first, and I think that's what Willie probably thought they were, because they were far enough away that they kind of resembled cows.

And on we went.

Coming into camp for the vet check the last couple of miles, Willie’s turbos kind of turned on so it was pretty much a pull-fest the last mile or two because Natalie and Katie’s horses were flying, and Willie was going to stay close to his new BFFs!

Arriving in camp, Willie didn't whinny for Barack or Pappy once (!). He pulsed down right away, finally took a good drink, and he got to hang out with his BFF Pappy on his 40-minute hold for lunch.

When it was time to head out on loop 2, Willie was actually the first one out time-wise, but we waited to let Natalie and Katie go out first. I didn’t want to be up front setting a fast pace. But Katie was another minute behind me, and then Rory on his Arab SCA Vision, so since Natalie waited for Katie, and Rory headed out first.

Then Katie and Natalie took off after Rory, and Willie and I fell in behind. Just out of camp, Natalie and Katie passed Rory and they took off like rockets to the moon. Willie wanted to go with them, and I said heck no Willie, we don't need to go that fast because I’ll just be hanging onto you like a tail feather, so slow down buddy.

It was a pull-fest again for the next mile or two, until the girls got out of our sight, which happened on a big steep hill where Willie was willing to slow down a bit because he was huffing and puffing like a steam engine, and then Willie realized he had a potential new BFF behind him, SCA Vision.

So soon after, I had a calm forward horse on a loose rein and we trotted the whole nine miles of the loop, stopping for water now and then, which Willie he didn't care for, but we easily finished our loop back into camp with Rory and Willie’s newest BFF.

Willie pulsed down right away for third place. Day one his CRI was 50-46, today’s CRI was 48-44! Go Willie!

Day three, everybody started out at a stroll, and Willie and his newest new BFF saddlebred Chicory with Samantha aboard, went out first. We just shuffled along the road out of camp, then off we went on the trail, just trotting. Not fast, not slow, just long-legged horse trots.

I had a loose rein the whole first loop and most of the day, it was so amazing. Willie and Chicory stayed together for quite a while, then Chicory slowed down, after Nora and her Portia passed us. That horse went by like a bullet again, and we let her go on, Willie not giving chase. Then Chicory slowed down, and Willie went on, just the same steady long-legged trot. He kept looking back and wandering about Chicory, but then he caught sight of Nora's mare (another potential BFF) up ahead. He didn't race to catch up with her but after a while he did, and we stayed with her for a while, until Nora slowed down.

Willie just continued cruising on at his same steady trot. He really loves the winding logging roads in the forest. Sadly we didn’t have any views because of the smoke, which was thicker in some places. He even stopped to grab grass along the trail a few times, which is great for him, since he’s mostly all-business.

A couple of miles from camp, Chicory caught up with us again. We trotted into camp together off the first loop of 16 miles. Willie pulsed down right away, and since he wasn't frantically calling for his buddy Barack back at camp at the trailer, we stayed and splashed around in the slop, or horse crack, or oat floats (made of water mixed with rice bran, oats, and carrots), which he got all over himself and me. 

We waited for Chicory to pulse down, then we went back to our trailer where Willie ate with Barrack, then we were back out on loop 2. We just went out did our long-legged trot having the whole second loop of nine pleasant, beautiful miles to ourselves, Willie so willing and so awesome and so effortless. We even rode that last loop in our jaquima hackamore made by Maria Phillips of Vudu Tack & Crafts LLC and just had a lovely loop. Icing on the cake was, we came in first, finish CRI was 44-44, and icing on top of that dessert was that Willie got High Vet Score (!!!!), Best Condition (!!!!!!!!), first LD Pioneer 3-day horse, and Vet’s Choice Getaway horse.

My mind was blown! That was an exciting wrap to a fun three days in a row of 25's at Old Selam Pioneer. Willie and I really love that ride!

*those are Steve Bradley photos of us on trail!*