Owyhee Fandango Cookie Monsters

Tuesday May 22 2012

I don't often bake cookies for myself, but Jose? You bet. 

They're not just any kind of cookies - they are electrolyte horse cookies for the 100 miler on Sunday. Normally we don't give a lot of electrolytes - only a scoop in every feeding, and none on the trail in between. It is supposed to be pleasantly not-hot on Sunday - different weather websites say between 64 and 77 degrees (Jose and I are rooting for 64!), so electrolytes shouldn't be quite as crucial as on a hot day.

But after reading Susan Garlinghouse's excellent articles on keeping your endurance horse hydrated, I don't want to ignore electrolyting during the ride; and I've decided to try the electrolyte cookie route, instead of the messy electrolyte-in-applesauce-doses-by-syringe on the trail. Horses never enjoy that anyway - but they do love eating treats!

So, why not bake my own electrolyte cookies, to carry in our saddlebags, to give to the horses after they drink on trail? The salt doses will be less concentrated than in syringe doses, and can be doled out steadily throughout the day.

The big test was if the horses would like them.

Boy, did they ever!

Jose loved them.

My horse Stormy loved them, and his buddy Tex loved them.

 

And they all chased me down for more!

I'd  have to call this recipe a success, taste-wise anyway. (Connie thought they tasted good also!) We'll see how they work for the ride.

I used the "Electrolyte Cookie" recipe on this page:

http://grulloquarterhorses.homestead.com/cookies.html

You can follow tweets on the Fandango by EnduranceNet on Twitter, or on Facebook under Steph Teeter! Day 1 a 25 and 50 miler starts tomorrow, Friday! 

Meet the Fab Team 100-Mile Fandango Horses

Steve Bradley photo!

It's less than 5 days (!!) till the Owyhee Fandango 100. Time to meet the Fab Team's Fleet Four-legged Fancy Frolicking Steeds.

Jose: The Deep Thinker

Most of you already know my thoughts and feelings about Jose, The Best Horse Ever. Jose is a highly intelligent being. He notices things. I am positive he appreciates the scenery around him. He looks at things, studies them, ruminates about them. Around the house, up the canyon, out on the trail, he discerns things before I do, and he communicates with me. He'll tell me to come open a gate. He'll tell me right where a tick is biting him (like underneath, in the fold of skin by his sheath, or in an armpit). He'll spy a speck of a coyote far in the distance. I swear that when he stops on top of hills on a ride and studies his surroundings, his GPS synapses are firing in his brain, connecting the dots on a complex mental map. 

I talk to him a lot, explain things, because he just might understand everything I say.

Jose's much more competitive than I am on a ride, but he's very controllable. Last year Jose and I did 720 miles together, and that earned my first AERC vest, ever, for 2nd place in the Northwest featherweight division in mileage. 

Last year Jose did his first 5-day ride in a row at the Owyhee Canyonlands. This will be his first 100 miler. If he finishes, he'll hit 2000 miles.

Jose's owned by Steph, but he's my Heart Horse. I didn't plan it that way… it just happened. : )

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Steve Bradley photo!

August: The Turbinator

Point him down the trail, and he's gone, like he's got turbo rockets in those feet! Carol owned this horse once previously, then she sold him. It was a heartbreaker for her, not to mention we almost beat her senseless because she loved that horse. That's her business, buying and selling horses, so she was just doing her job. But, by a twist of fate last year, she came to own him again. They took about a year to really get to know each other again, and now Carol really loves him. August has become a monster on the trail on the five 50-mile rides they've done together over the last year.

Carol hasn't come close to finding his bottom yet. The Fandango will be his first 100 miler. Carol will hit 6000 miles herself if they complete.

And this time we will totally for sure beat her senseless if she ever tries to sell this horse again.

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Finneas: The Opinionator

Finneas, grandson of the Black Stallion, is not short on self-confidence or ego. He has opinions about EVERYTHING, how fast to go, which way to go, who should be in front on trail (him), where the other horses should go (behind him), when to eat (all the time, unless he's trying to get ahead of somebody on trail). When I told Finneas he'd better shape up because he's doing a 100, said, "I'm going to win! I'm the Grandson of the Black Stallion!! What's a 100?" 

He's an easy keeper, so, much to his chagrin, he's had to go on a diet before the Fandango - locked up and fed small rations of hay so he'll lose some weight. He hates diets. He screams like a girl when he sees me coming in the morning with his breakfast hay.

It will be Finneas' first 100 miler, and Connie's first 100 miler.

Steve Bradley photo!

Stay tuned for the Crick Girls' 100-mile adventure in the Owyhee Fandango 100 on Sunday May 27!

Click the link for a video of Jose's next-to-last training ride for the 100.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUMSb3W0fC4

and follow updates of our ride! at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012Fandango/

Close Encounters of the Jackass Kind

Saturday May 19 2012

I touched the horny jackass!

Remember the incidents with the Jackass last year?

He's a semi-wild brash donkey who hooked up with two wild horses out in the Brown's Creek drainage.

A few horseback riders have had unfortunate encounters with him (see the above link). The virile donkey appears to prefer geldings to mares in his amorous advances. Rushcreek Mac and John were disconcerted by him enough during our September Owyhee Canyonlands ride that they missed a turn on the trail for trying to outdistance the 4-legged Lothario.

Last year I encountered him on foot while hanging ribbons for an endurance ride, but he didn't want anything to do with me.

Today I was out on foot again, marking the trail past the rock corral in Buckaroo crick and up onto the flats, when I spied the two wild horses. 

"Hey guys!" I yelled. Their heads snapped up over the sagebrush and they stared at me. Shortly another shorter head appeared - the horny jackass. I kept talking to them, and the jackass started moving toward me, rather nonchalantly - almost friendly-like, as if he were happy to finally see a human after a long winter of 4-legged companionship.

Last year when I saw him, he gave me a wide berth in the trail; I couldn't have gotten closer than 50 yards if I'd tried. As for the mustangs, they were now 50 yards away which is closer than I've ever gotten to them, but they started - rather animatedly - following the donkey toward me. 

I kept talking to the donkey, and he kept coming closer, unafraid, and he stopped two feet away from me. 

I lifted up my hand and stuck my finger out. He stretched out his neck… further… and I touched the jackass!

He then took two steps toward me, into my space, and I suddenly remembered he is a horny jackass, towards some horses anyway, and, while he was the size of a pony, he still had 4 feet that could kick, some teeth that could bite, a big honking head he could swing like a club, and the body strength of a mule. Just in case, I swung my backpack off my shoulder onto my arm… and he took a step back. In this country I always carry a plastic garbage bag - something I can open up to flap around and make a lot of scary noise - and I put it in my hand… just in case.

The two wild horses were on high alert and were now within 30 yards of me. Fine looking pair they are.

The donkey just stood and looked at me, and I stuck out my finger again, and he sniffed it and touched it, then I stepped back, and turned and headed on my way.

They watched me, and the donkey followed a ways behind, almost as if he didn't want me to go. It must have been a boring winter out there, no other horses to harass, and no humans to listen to.

Some local cowboys have talked of going out there and catching him and those horses, but I kind of like seeing them out there. It's as if I know a special secret - a couple of special friends out in those canyons and washes.

Snake River Screech Owls

Saturday May 19 2012

I've been lucky enough over the years to have helped with spotted owl research and banding. And I was lucky enough to participate in helping to band screech owls with the Boise district BLM! They take out a handful of people on raptor banding trips throughout the year. I signed up for this one about 6 months ago.

Retired biologist John Doremus started working with raptors for the BLM in 1972, and he was the raptor biologist for the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Owyhee County along the Snake River since it was first designated a Natural protected area in 1993. He started hanging nest boxes and building nesting platforms for raptors, and banding and monitoring the birds; and as the BLM manages this NCA, they continue this raptor banding and monitoring today.

A group of us went to a number of these nest boxes occupied by screech owls along the Snake River. 4 of the 5 boxes were occupied; 3 nests had owlets too young to band (1 week old and 2 weeks old); we banded one nest with 5 young (3 weeks old).

Here's how you catch a screech owl: Greg Kaltenecker from the Idaho Bird Observatory was the Master Raptor bander. He climbed a ladder to the nest box, opened the top, and reached in and removed the adult (presumably) female screech owl and handed her off to one of us;

then one by one he reached in and removed the 5 owlets.

When owls are upset or feel threatened, they snap their beaks. All around us were the Snap! Crackle! Pop! of agitated owls. After a while though, as long as you don't make loud noises or make sudden movements, they relax in your hands.

Greg attached a silver federal band, each with a unique number, to the right leg of each owl, then weighed each of them, while Jill recorded the info.


The owlets were sublimely, ridiculously cute, and of course we all posed with our fluffy little treasures before Greg tucked them all snugly back in their nest box, putting mama screech in lastly on top of them.


One day, maybe each of these babies will be sitting on nests of their own along the Snake River.

[slide show here]

The Final Pre-Fandango Shindig

Monday May 15 2012

It's 13 days before the 100-mile Owyhee Fandango, and we gave the boys their final longest and hardest ride of 22 miles. I rode Jose, Carol rode August, and since Connie is still out of town, Judy sub-jockeyed on Finneas. (We all decided Connie needs to bake Judy one of her famous cakes as thanks.)(Which we all get to sample.)

We lit out across country to Regina's place, 11 miles at a smart clip (from 8 to 12 mph), sustained trotting most all the way, minimal climbing and descending, mostly trails and two-track. Jose and I thought it was a bit warm, but I purposely didn't didn't braid his mane, and I purposely did not wear my cool vest yet. 

At Regina's house we sponged the boys off and let them rest and graze, while we ate our lunch and grabbed some cool water from the house (thanks Regina!). Not that we're wimps or anything, but we were grateful for the high cloud cover that snuck over during our lunch break, or else it would have been a lot hotter on the ride home.

After a half hour break, we mounted up and rode the 11 miles back home. 

And that's it. The boys are ready. Between now and the 100-mile ride, we'll take them on two more easy rides of 5-7 miles. We are fortunate to have 200 acres for the horses to move about on, and they do that, up and down the canyon at least once a day. (Well, Finneas is still working on his diet right now; losing weight is the most important thing for him.)

I discovered a few things on this longer ride I need to adjust.

I need to attach a third water bottle holder on my saddle. I DEFINITELY need to freeze my water bottles the night before the 100. Drinking warm water is disgusting and does not quench my thirst. I'll drink much more and stay better hydrated if my water is cold or at least cool.

I definitely need a haircut. Jose will have his mane braided. I definitely need to find cooler tights, and I will be wearing my cool vest. Our horses (and me!) will be wearing a turquoise bead in their manes so we don't get struck by lightning (old Navajo saying; I don't know if it applies to white people and their horses, but I'm doing it just in case!).

I need to get in better shape! I was whooped after our ride and I felt like I'd just done a 50 mile ride. I would have had 78 more to go! If I were a bigger and better man, I'd have gone out in the evening and done a 5-6 mile hike.

But, I'm not and I didn't. I had a nice smoothie and a bowl of popcorn and watched my soap on Hulu, and went to bed early. 

Jose is ready! I'll work on conditioning myself more another day.

Re-Monster Post

Monday May 14 2012

some of you subscribers didn't get the horse baby video I embedded in my last post, so here's the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c5VDBIqjGY

Monster's First Day

Monday May 14 2012

It's hard work being a baby horse on the first day of life, coming from a dark and quiet womb into all the sights and colors and sounds and smells of a new world, figuring out the food source, and the long legs that wobble and won't fold right.

Steph's new little monster on the crick - could one day be her new endurance horse! - got a new name which is debuted in this video I made of her on her first day on earth!