My first endurance ride

Following the other bloggers who have lately posted about their first ride, because it was before the time when they actually blogged,  I need to tell mine too!

Ever since I was little, I knew it was my sport. I saw the endurance section in my  horse encyclopedia and thought, "That's it" long before I had any contact with horses, they were a pipe dream, I'm from the city.

I was doing dressage and convinced that I wasn't able to drive a truck and trailer myself. I stopped feeling that way in 1999 when I attended my first endurance event as crew for my mentors, and immediately bought a Chevy truck and ancient but super cool horse trailer. And learned to drive them, cuz by next season, I wanted to be competing.

Baasha was 15, already mostly fit cuz I rode him everywhere in the mountains of Issaquah, and we started really really conditioning, doing CMOs every month.

Finally, endurance. My thing.

Home on the Range. It will always be my favorite ride. My blog readers know that I waited to move to Germany the day after this ride in 2007, it was the last thing I needed to do in America. (I WILL DO YOU AGAIN....WAIT FOR ME!)

I was with my mentors, their horses were Laser and Ozar.

Baasha was out of control at the start, of course, he was always hell in a group. Even a group of 2.

We just flew across the gorgeous landscape that was so alien to me - I'd only been out there once on a college geology trip, fascinated by those rock formations.

I don't remember too many details of the ride besides the countryside and the red-winged blackbirds singing like crazy in the ponds. I stopped to take photos. I have only two photos of myself during that ride, but sadly they're in my parents' attic in Seattle. I'll never disconnect the sound of red-winged blackbirds from HOTR.

Sarah  Metcalf was the manager, and she later became my horsey dentist, and told me it's too much to try to manage rides and do dentistry. I will always love her wolf logo for that ride. (But sweat pants, and cream color?)

I was riding in my mentor's old Abetta saddle, in a TTEAM bit for the semblance of control, and white running shoes. I had purple hair and was super thin cuz I'd been taking Metabolife. I was in ecstasy.

We got 4th, and later I learned that our pace was pretty reckless.

I never really did break that reckless pace, unfortunately, but I don't blame that on Baasha's early retirement, he'd done more miles in his life than I could expect his club foot to hold up to.

I met Aarene soon after starting, she was in a team and invited me to join. They had purple stuff. They had a fancy rig and always invited me, a loner, in for breakfast (sometimes bran muffins). They always wanted to help me out, seeing I was alone.  I got that a lot in my camping days with CMO and endurance - people always took pity on me cuz I was alone. But how I love being independent with my horse! I also love cowboy coffee cooked on the fire in the morning, excuse me, nice to meet you, can I have some? (Magnanimity, above all, in our sport?)

To this day I appreciate Aarene's team inviting me for some of their comforts, they really seemed to understand the mechanics of teamwork.

I was severely addicted and became quickly known to abandon important engagements and family events for my sport. In fact, I had to tell everyone in my family they are free to skip my funeral, due to all the ones I skipped for endurance rides. (I'm not proud of that.)
 
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A few memories from the early days with Baasha....

Our first 50, also, HOTR. Baasha straining to pass every horse on the horizon, me off walking, me finally yelling at him in frustration, and him losing his entire drive. I dragged him onward, then took off the saddle, sat on the ground and let him graze until his spirit returned. Which, somehow, it did, and he was fine.

Baasha calling to just-made friends in the vet check, refusing to pulse down. I slapped him in the muzzle,  and suddenly he dropped his head, giving up his nonsense. The pulse taker started cracking up, saying as soon as I scolded him, his pulse dropped by 10. That's the kind of horse he was: )

I did one entire loop the wrong direction, not yet knowing that ribbons are always on the right. (Klickitat Trek.)

The only time I ever completed Foothills of the Cascades, strangely, was on my own horse, Baasha.  Amazing.

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It's my life, and I'll have it again someday. Just probably not here.

OK this was the Sunday after my first real (50) endurance ride, taken by Aarene's teammate. We all went out the next day to get planned shots of our horses with the pretty landscape. In this photo I have my dressage saddle on (I thought it might spare his sore back to switch saddles), and a weird bridle on loaned to me by Aarene's team. Note my sneakers and purple hair, and baseball cap under the helmet - at that time there were no Salamander visors.

This was my first 50 at HOTR. I remember how he was looking around like, "Hm, never seen country like this before." I love this moment.

 

I didn't realize how hard this would be for me. I've dreamed about him twice this week. I miss him so much.