USA Team Trial Vet In

Friday March 30 2012

We're in Texas for the USA Team Trial - a 100-mile endurance race from which 6 horses and riders will ultimately be selected to represent the US in this year's World Endurance Championship to be held in Great Britain in August.

The top twenty finishers and maybe 3 'wild cards' in tomorrow's ride will be selected to be on the 'Long List'; from those six will be ultimately be chosen to be on the US team.

It's a rather extraordinary gathering of the nation's best 100-mile endurance horses, and it will be an exciting race full of strategy and intrigue.

45 will start tomorrow at 7 AM.

You can follow the race live on Endurance.net:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012USATeamTrial/.

Below are a few photos from today's Vetting in.

Monk and Lindsay Graham

John Crandell's Heraldic - a freak of a horse. (2-time Tevis winner, 2-time Old Dominion winner, 2-time AERC National Championship winner, came back after bad injury, etc)

Scrutinizing a trot out.

Getting a bath.

Photogenic Team Monk! Lindsay Graham, Monk, owner Chris Martin.

Ellen Olson and SA Belshazzar.

Jeremy Olson and Noslos Banjara. (Olson-Noslos - get it?)

Kyoko Jukumori and Noslos Lightning Strikes.

Warming up.

Doug Swingley (4-time Iditarod winner!) and Stars Aflame.

A Kutt Above and Jeremy Reynolds.

Riverwatch - last year's Tevis winner. He'll be ridden by Heather Reynolds.

Former World Champion Becky Hart (1988, 1990, 1992), with No Repeat.

Up top is Kyle Gibbon and Julio.

Many more photos at

http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012USATeamTrial/

Mandolynn Hill Arabians

Thursday March 29 2012

On our way to the 100-mile Texas Team Trial qualification for the 2012 World Endurance Championship in Great Britain, we stopped at Dr Mickey and Michelle Morgan's Mandolynn Hill Farm Arabians in Aubrey, Texas.

Aubrey happens to be the birthplace of my endurance obsession - I started riding endurance trails just down the road in 1998. In fact, as we wandered around Michelle's farm, it seemed a bit familiar, and when I saw the training track in a big field at the back of the property, I realized I had actually ridden on this track. Talk about Déjà vu!

Michelle raises her Arabians mainly for the racetrack; some have gone on to perform well in endurance and other sports. She has some extraordinary-looking individuals - good bone, powerful, athletic, well-built and well-bred - and personable. I'll have more on Mandolynn Hill later, but below is a slide show sample, or you can see more now at http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012MandolynHill.

[slide show here]

Stoner is My CoPilot

Sunday March 25 2012

Last time I hooked up with Stoner was in January in Arizona. We went on a fantasy flight through the desert.

We got back together again for some Colorado Rocky Mountain highs with some dear friends:

Kevin and Far

Rusty and Quake

Garrett and The mighty Fury

The foothills of the Rocky Mountains are not for pansies. They are for the fleet of foot, and the humongous of hearts. 

We trotted, cantered, galloped up mountains as if they were molehills, 15 miles of bliss. We flew together again, Stoner and I, through the Rockies, on the wings of a lithe, lovely endurance horse.

Thanks once again my friend!

Durango!

Saturday March 24 2012

Road trip! Steph and I headed southeast to Durango, Colorado, for our friend Rusty's surprise birthday party. Total success, he had no idea all of us would show up!

We stayed with Garrett and Lisa Ford, and Garrett took us on a little ride in the mountains around his place. Garrett is riding his Haggin Cup (Best Condition at Tevis in 2010) winner The Fury.

Just gorgeous. People have been known to come to Durango for a visit, then never leaving. 

Hmmm.

[slide show here]

Buggars!

Friday March 23 2012

Seriously? The first day of spring, it snowed.

The second day of spring, it blew gales.

The third day of spring, we had a good long ride, and afterwards,

the buffalo gnats came out!

Full force. Straight for the ears, driving the horses mad -
pinning ears and swishing tails,

shaking heads,


shoving heads under buddies' tails,

swirling in aggravated tight herds.




We totally skipped spring and went straight to summer - AND GNATS!

ARGHHH!

Twenty Miles

Thursday March 22 2012

We are working toward our first 50 mile endurance ride of the season, the Owyhee Tough Sucker I, on April 7. Normally we'd have plenty of time to get the horses in tip top shape, but what with the bizarre weather - snow, rain, mud, hurricanes, repeat - and the trip to the AERC Convention in Reno, and an upcoming road trip where we won't be back home till 5 days before the Tough Sucker, we felt we had to get a 20 mile ride in on the horses.

We made a long loop toward the Snake River, trotting much of the way, on soft ground, mostly flat and with only gentle climbs. Even though the horses are starting to shed madly, they still have enough of a coat where they worked up a thorough sweat (yes, even Jose's eyebrows sweated again).

We were grateful for the most excellent strong cool breeze that caught up with us right near the end of the ride, most especially because the DANG GNATS are suddenly out!

By my GPS, we covered 15.7 miles (and if you add the 10%, that's 17 miles), close enough to the 20 we aimed for, in just over 2 1/2 hours.

I think *I* ended up much more tired than Jose - I was the one who needed the 20 mile ride!

[slide show here]

First Day of Spring

Tuesday March 20 2012

Cold, blowing, snowing as the day breaks. Owyhee mountains disappeared in the storm, horses hunkered down in a draw, or heading for the hay to keep warm.

I could be the only one in the country deliriously celebrating the snow on this first day of spring. 

If this is a preview of what spring is going to be like, I say, Celebrate! Bring It On!

(This is Google's cool doodle commentary on the first day of spring, by Marimekko, for people of the opposite persuasion, i.e. warm weather Folk)