Steely Determination II

Friday July 16 2010

This is one of a series of profiles of horses and riders on track for competing for 5 spots on the US Team for the World Endurance Championship, part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, to be held on September 26th, in Lexington, Kentucky.

2010 WEG: Bogart VF and Steel Patriot and Rider Charisse Glenn - Steely Determination II

You might expect to meet a lot of varied, interesting people in the City of Dreams (Los Angeles); but an international endurance rider competing for a slot on the US Team in the World Endurance Championship in the 2010 FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games probably isn't one that readily pops into your head.

But if you know where to look, you just might run into Charisse Glenn, of Malibu Endurance. A free spirited, well traveled, enthusiastic horse person who's lived around the world, Charisse says, "I never, ever, ever thought I'd end up living in LA!" but she's the first to admit that she's got the ideal location. 30 miles away from her doorstep is where she works in the LA show biz scene as a commercial casting director; 50 yards away from her doorstep is where she rides endless miles of trails in the Agoura Hills - a mix of National and State park and conservancy lands - to condition her two WEC qualified horses, Bogart VF and Steel Patriot.


And they are good ones. Charisse has had the WEG in her sights and plans for over two years, and she has brought her horses along sparingly and carefully, averaging roughly 4 starts a season for them both.

Steel, a 14-year-old, 3/4 Arabian, 1/4 American Saddlebred, is very dominant in his home herd, but a gentleman on the trail. "He's really honest. He gives you his all; he's really smart. He picks the best way for himself on the trail and he takes care of himself." That's probably what got him through 2 Tevis cup finishes (in two starts) in the top twenty, and his 21 completions in 24 starts. "He has an extra long stride, is very comfortable, and covers an amazing amount of ground effortlessly. He has a 7 mph walk, though I don't think we'll be walking much!"

Bogart VF, now 11 years old, is a product of Ventura Farms, in Thousand Oaks, California. Charisse got him at 10 months of age with a couple of other horses, when a client of hers had a misfortune that was going to leave her unable to feed her horses the next year. She gave them to Charisse with instructions to sell them or give them away or keep them, as long as they got good homes. Charissse started Bogart in training, and saw some raw talent in him.


She kept him. He's now 14 for 16, including 12 top ten finishes, and 3 Best Condition awards. "He's sweet and submissive in the herd, but the opposite of what you'd expect in competition: he's fiercely competitive on the trail." When he moves, you can see why Charisse says he's like riding on a cloud: he's got a light, long stride, and an easy canter.

Both horses are scheduled to go to the next step of Selection Trials in Danville, Illinois, which begin on August 12. While it may not be as humid in LA as the conditions that the horses will encounter in Illinois, it's hot - temperatures are usually in the high 90's and 100's in the California summers. They will be well prepared.


It's an enormous commitment to take on this World Endurance Championship quest: riders must be willing to take at least 2 months off - from their work, farms, lives - and the monetary challenge is great. Some local endurance riders and friends are hosting a fundraiser for Charisse on July 25th, and already Charisse has had offers of donated supplies from horse people she hasn't even met yet. "It's interesting to see such enthusiasm from all kinds of people. And humbling."

A quiet and calm, but fiercely determined competitor herself, Charisse is ready to tackle the further challenges of the next phase of Selection Trials. In her 14 years of endurance riding, she's managed to mark a couple of international competitions off her bucket list - a completion at Ribiers in France in 2007, and the Tom Quilty in Australia in 2008.

She's hoping she'll be able to check off the World Endurance Championship in 2010 next.

The West Selection Trials

Monday June 28 2010

Chris and MONK take a walk (above).

Cheryl and Reason.


This little puppy was literally thrown at Charisse a few days before the ride when a couple of drunks drove by in a pickup. "She looks good with you. Give us some gas money." So for $23, Charisse had a new puppy. We suspect she was stolen from somewhere - she wasn't hungry and her belly was full; and she was already smart (made her way each night to the back of the horse trailer to relieve herself, came when called (various names), and stayed around Charisse's trailer even if she followed people or horses around). Carl was resistant to having another dog. "We have enough mouths to feed at home already!" The Raven slept with and watched over the puppy.




See how resistant Carl is?


Soon Puppy was following Carl everywhere. "She's not my dog!" No sir, certainly not.


Team Malibu Huddle and Hug.


The final haircut.


Charisse and Talon, Christoph and Stars Aflame head out on a loop.


Pamper your rider when she comes in to a vet check!


The Bucket Brigade lines up and waits for incomings (horses).




The Bucket Brigade in action.




A group on a loop in the desert.


This enthusiastic soul has tattooed the name of his horse on his arm! (You know who you are!)


Team MONK.


Jeremy and Smitty head out on a loop.


Resting at a vet check under a tent.


US Team Veterinarian watching a horse trot out.


Heather and Sam, Jeremy and Smitty out on another loop.


"This is not my dog!" (Famous last words by Carl. The puppy has now been named "Saka" after Sakajewea, an Indian woman we all know who was stolen from her family then sold or gambled away to her husband. Saka now has a great new home with Charisse and Carl and is part of Team Malibu Endurance.)

Mum's The Word

Sunday June 27 2010

Just returned home from an interesting weekend as *CREW* for a friend of mine at the west coast selection trials for the World Endurance Championship (at the World Equestrian Games) in Kentucky on September 26th. There will be 5 US horses and riders in the race.

Charisse Glenn has two horses qualified for the WEC; she asked me, along with several of her other friends, to come crew for her this weekend, and we happily jumped at the chance.

It really wasn't a selection trial anyway, more of an early exhibition trial of what the horses and riders are capable of, with the Chef d'Equipe, the Team Veterinarian and a couple of other veterinarians and several selectors watching the horses and all their parameters before, during and after the ride. Three 'trials' happened this week, in Maryland, Illinois and Oregon, with all qualified horses and riders hoping to make the WEC team required to attend one of these. Riders were asked to take their horses certain distances at certain speeds... and that's all I can say.

Even though I was wearing my Malibu Endurance team crew Tshirt and hat, and though I crewed all day Saturday for Charisse (and everybody else who needed help), I was approached by more than one selector saying: "You're that reporter aren't you?" ("Yes, but I'm CREWING this weekend.") "Good. That's good." I was practicing crewing for Tevis, and I figured crewing for a high stress event leading up to the World Endurance Championship would be a good prep for me.

So, I am unable to tell anybody anything about what happened at the 'selection trials', other than no horses were 'selected' for anything. I can say that any rider and horse that came to either of the 'trials' in Oregon, Maryland or Illinois this past week are welcome to go to Illinois in a couple of weeks, to stay there for 6 weeks to train and exhibit their horses' abilities again, from which the 5 team members will eventually be chosen some weeks before the WEC. It's a big commitment of money and time - i.e. your life - to pursue a dream of representing your country in what we might call the Olympics of horse sports. It's certainly a shame, with all the talented horseflesh and riders, that only 5 will be chosen for the endurance race. (Previously in other World Endurance Championships held in other countries, the home country was allowed up to 11 horses/riders - in Malaysia in 2008 and the UAE in 2004 - I haven't been able to get a definitive answer as to why this was changed this year.)

I can also say it was a fun, and interesting weekend, and I learned a few things I can safely share.

Double check that your horse's heart monitor is accurate by comparing it with the reading you get with a stethoscope. You might be surprised at the difference. (This does me no good however... I can't hear a heartbeat through a stethoscope - it's like the can't-hear-thunder syndrome. And I ride slow enough that I don't need a heart monitor.)

This isn't a secret, because this is the second time I've seen this, though for a different reason. I saw people backing a horse up a few steps before trotting it out for a vet at a vet check. In this instance, it was done to get the horse to balance and collect itself better, instead of starting all strung out.

Try putting boots on your horse's hind legs at home first. Then try putting ice boots on your horse's hind legs at home first. Walk him around in them so he knows they are on his legs. And if you have to rip them off, don't get kicked in the head! (Nobody was, but that's a good thing to know.)

If you really want to desensitize your horse to any situation that might arise on a ride, arrange for a staked-down tent to get caught in a whirlwind and rip straight up into the air right near your horse. If he doesn't have a heart attack or run away to China, your horse might possibly be on his way to becoming bomb proof.

It's a good skill to be able to convert miles per hour into minutes per mile. I, of course, can't do this without a calculator. (Or, just buy a GPS that will tell you that.)

And most of all, if you want to have fun during a stressful time, have a good crew.

We did.

If you want more information about the US endurance trials, and would like to start cheering for some horses and riders, sorry, I can't help you... You might check out Monk's blog at: FEIRedhorse - I'm sure Chris will have an update soon.

I'll post a few photos from the weekend tomorrow.

Steely Determination

Wednesday April 14 2010

If you spend some time around her, you'll see she's quiet, even-tempered, methodical, and determined. And tough. Very tough.

Try sustaining 3 concussions - from the same tough horse - before you finally let someone else help you with him. (Bogart VF is now 14 for 16, and is qualified for the World Endurance Championship discipline of the 2010 Alltech FEI WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES.)

Try remounting your horse in a severe thunderstorm in the middle of the night, with terrifying lightning bolts dropping around you, and continuing your endurance ride, as if you might not die in the next second. (Charisse completed the Australian Quilty in 2008.)

Try following a veterinarian's rehab instructions to the letter for a horse with a hind bowed tendon: icing every two hours for 25 minutes, 24/7, for 1 month ("I was pretty exhausted"), then handwalking, no hills, no trotting, just walking for another several weeks. (Steel Patriot since completed 19 of 22 rides, including Tevis twice, and is qualified for the Alltech FEI WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES).

Try training and competing for one of five elusive slots on one of the two horses you've qualified, for riding in the World Endurance Championship in Kentucky in September. (Riders will be selected in August.)

And enjoy the journey while doing it.

Charisse Glenn grew up with parents who let her make choices to attain her goals. In high school in Los Angeles, she was in a special program that required students to do civic projects and think and plan for themselves. She credits both with giving her the confidence to know she can make it and do things on her own. She's always been a bit of a free spirit, living in various places around the world - Hawaii, California, Paris, New York - although, she says, "I never, ever, ever thought I'd end up living in LA!"

She's followed her passions, particularly with horses. "I've always wanted to ride horses around the world" - and that's exactly what she's doing now, competing in the international arena. "I love the multi-cultural flavor of the international competition - the people, the languages, the camaraderie, the different ways other countries do things, the pressure, the tension!" She also enjoys helping other riders in the vet checks when she's not riding, and will jump in anywhere, whether it's sponging down a horse to cool him down or taking a pulse, or carrying the rider's tack.



Charisse was actually doing a form of endurance riding as a teenager living in Hawaii - though she didn't know it at the time. She and a friend would saddle up two horses and ride off into one of the parks and camp for a few days. Or she'd spend a day riding to a friend's house, spend the night, and ride back the next day.

While living in New York later, "I was Jonesing for a horse, so I rode in Central Park on one of those rented horses. He was a bit high spirited, and I got in trouble for bringing him back lathered. They made me handwalk him for an hour to cool him down!" She signed up for jumping lessons with a friend - though she'd never jumped before - and the instructor took her under his wing and taught her some of the finer points of riding.

When she moved to the LA area to work for her mother (a casting director) for a while, she met a girl who asked if she wanted to ride. Of course she did! "That was my first time with Arabians; I didn't know anything about them." Eventually the friend gave Charisse the horse. One day Charisse was taking another friend for a ride in the hills, and she ran into a group of riders in Agoura Hills led by Boyd Zontelli. Boyd was one of the early endurance riders, and a 4-time Tevis cup finisher (and 1-time winner).

Boyd eventually talked Charisse into working for him, helping train and condition his horses, and learning about endurance. "We had some nice horses - they were owned by Shaikh Mahktoum. I didn't get to do a lot of rides, but we conditioned a lot in the hills." Boyd is known as a fast endurance rider, and while Charisse has a strong competitive streak, she learned the value of pacing her horse, and riding to his ability that day. "It's human ego that often gets in the way of doing the best thing for the horse."

Charisse met her husband through her work, when she was a casting director for a Silverado commercial. Carl Merganthaler, a horse trainer, worked with the horses on the commercial. They have a nice hidden acre tucked away in the Agoura Hills, and access to hundreds of miles of trails to train on, which is what Charisse does with her 8 horses, when she's not work as a casting director for commercials. "It keeps my horse habit going!" Fortunately she has good people working for her, and she can do a lot of her work on the road - which is where she has been spending a lot of time over the last two years, going to endurance rides around the country, working to qualify her horses for the WEC.

"It's a HUGE commitment, and I could NOT do this without Carl, who stops what he's doing and is wholeheartedly committed to it with me. He hauls my sorry butt around everywhere; he's my best crew. I couldn't do this without him, and if I make it, it's because of him; and if I don't make it, it's not because of him."

It's a huge commitment - and a big adventure for her. "If I make it, I make it; if I don't, I don't. Don't get me wrong, I would love to ride in the World Championship, and kick everybody's butt, but I've enjoyed the whole journey it takes to get there." And there's other rides around the world on her bucket list. "I want to do the hardest 100-mile rides in other countries." She's already checked off the Quilty in Australia - the one she survived a lightning storm to finish. "I want to ride in South Africa; there's Florac and Ribiers in France; I'd love to do the Quilty in Tasmania, because it's supposed to be the hardest one. I'd love to ride in a World Championship in Europe."

She's already got the desire, determination and confidence; and with a little luck, she just might be able to check off a World Championship in Kentucky this year.