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Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 1, 2008 16:29:42 GMT -5
Greetings from the great outdoors. We are now on day three of the shore to shore crossing, and I am totally whiped. ;D I have been traveling with three TWH riders that live in the same town my hubby grew up. They have been up here many times, and know all the trailer routes to the next camp, and the shortcuts on the trails. Every morning we get up around 5am and feed the horses. We un pack our tack, and pack up any last minute things that need to go to the next camp. By 5:30am we are ready to pull out, and make the drive to the next camp. Depending on the roads it can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes. When we arrive at the next camp we set up as much "stuff" as we are able; water buckets, hay bags, awning, etc. The bus brings the caravan of people that do not know the way. At 7am the bus pulls out of the new camp with all the riders on board, and takes them back to their horses. When we arrive back at the horses we take a "potty" break, get the horses tacked up, and head out on the trail. Everyone has been amazed at Rocky and how he can keep up with the gaited horses. He really is the smoothest trotting horse I have ever ridden. We are traveling at 7-10 mph, and I am keeping right up. He seems to have developed a particular attraction to Chico, one of the Walker geldings that I am riding with. If Rocky becomes unsure of anything along the trail he just moves right behind Chico, and keeps on going. The first day we rode, Friday, we did have rain all morning. It was fairly miserable for the horses, but we were snug in our rain gear. Yesterday it was overcast, but warm. Today it was chilly in the am, but warmed up to lower 70's for the remainder of the ride. It looks like the next rain we need to keep an eye on is Tuesday. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will hit overnight, and not during the day. We are making such good time, that we should not be too worried. After we make it back to camp each day I have been giving Rocky a bath, and then walking him around camp to cool him off. After his has been fed and watered I usually wander next door to my friends motorhome. We all sit back under the awning for awhile until we start to get sleepy. Then it is time to head back home or a nap.  I brought my Lab Koda with me, and he cuddles in the trailer with me while I sleep. After nap time I take Koda for another walk, and offer Rocky more water. He seems to naturally regulate his own system. He drinks small amounts of water all day, instead of downing an entire bucket at a time. He has really proven himself out on the trail, and I am not the only one that has noticed!!!! I have not taken as many pictures as last times, as we have really been moving along. I do have a few though, and hope to post them on my webshots account later. Until then.... Happy Trails Ellen & Rocky |
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Post by kimk on Jun 1, 2008 17:12:38 GMT -5
Right on, Ellen and Rocky!!! Reading this, honest to God brought tears to my eyes!! I am so proud of you and Rocky, and what you have helped him to become!!!
Kim
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Post by lindad on Jun 1, 2008 20:29:43 GMT -5
WAY TO GO ELLEN AND ROCKY! No surprise here, knowing the trust and bond that Rocky has in you! I am so proud of both of you! I am surprised at the pace! You just might have an endurance horse there.
YAAAA HOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
Linda D
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Post by DianneC on Jun 1, 2008 21:44:24 GMT -5
Wow, that's amazing! Not surprising but thrilling and I'm totally blown away by the speed you guys are making and how well Rocky is taking everything. Can't wait to see pictures! What memories you are making.
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Post by JoanMRK on Jun 3, 2008 13:03:07 GMT -5
Wow how neat Ellen! I am excited to hear more about your adventure. Don't you love it when your young horse kinda glues themself to an older, wiser one and then they realize that everything is okie dokie? It is the best kind of trail training, besides ponying, I think. Great job and can't wait to see pics! Oh, and take some of the trail while you're riding with his ears in the shot... Those are always fun to see.  |
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Post by angelsdream on Jun 7, 2008 9:43:06 GMT -5
How wonderful Ellen and Rocky - what an adventure. So glad to hear he's doing so grreat for you. You guys will need a definate lazy day when you get home to rest and relax...and he gets lots of treats - Can't wait to see pics and here your stories
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Post by fantasykiger on Jun 8, 2008 12:03:37 GMT -5
I am very excited to see pictures soon and hear new tales. What a great adventure |
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Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 9, 2008 10:06:49 GMT -5
Hi Everyone! Well we are home in one piece, and have the trophy to prove it. HS My Eye of the Tiger "Rocky" is now a Registered Michigan Trail Horse!!!! Unfortunately my laptop went down the day after I typed my first post. I had really wanted to journal our entire trip on the computer, and silly me did not bring any paper. Anyways.....here is what I can remember. Day Three: Toward the end of the day I could feel Rocky start to slow down. We had been moving along quickly all day, but I told my friends that I would hang back for the rest of the trip. For about 1/2 hour we walked. While his trot is the most comfortable, his walk is the slowest walk I have ever ridden. It was not long before he let me know that he was ready to move out again. For the rest of the trail I would let him do a very slow (5-6mph) trot for less than a mile, and would then ask him to walk again. Using this strategy we made it into camp only 30 minutes behind my friends, and Rocky still had plenty of energy to go. In fact we had a few "discussions" the last few miles as he really wanted to move out, and I wanted him to slow down. The great thing about this experience is that I was able to correctly read what he was telling me, that he needed to slow down for awhile, and that he was smart enough to tell me and did not push himself to keep up with the rest of his new "herd". I think it really helped each of us develop an even deeper level of trust in each other. Day 4, Rocky was full of sassy all morning ;D. From the moment I swung up in the saddle he let me know that he was ready to go! The weather was warm and humid, and by the end of the trail the horses were fairly mellow, but still full of energy. We would get up into that 7-10 mph gait (trot for us) and we keep that speed for 5-10 miles only slowing down for treacherous terrain. It was a great ride with no bugs, but toward the end I was getting dehydrated due to all the dust. Jim and I decided to hang back a little so that we would not eat all the dust kicked up by Dennis & Debbie's horses. Rocky was fine with this as Jim's horse Chico was his best bud by this time. It did not take long before the other two horses were out of our sights. About 10 minutes into our split I noticed that Chico was not moving right. Just as I said something to Jim Chico started to drag his right hind toe. As Jim started to get off Chico almost collapsed on that leg. There was no heat in the leg, but something was clearly wrong. Jim asked me to try to catch up with Dennis to get help. This was the biggest challenge Rocky and I had faced up to this point in our trip. Rocky was great on the trail, but was still lacking in the confidence to lead the group. Now here I was asking him to not only go off on his own, but to leave Chico behind. At first he zig zagged over the trail, but within 20 feet he understood that the issue was not open for discussion. I moved him up into a canter and started calling Dennis's name. I started to get a little desperate when we did not catch up with them right away. Rocky was flying down a single-track jumping fallen trees, and dodging roots and branches covering the ground. We came out to a clearcut section (were all the trees have been cut down by the lumber companies. Very hot and lots of obstacles.) I let him walk for about 100 feet so that we could both catch our breathes, and then asked him to move out again. By the time I finally caught up to the other two horses we had run almost 2 miles over rough terrain with only that small section at a walk. I was so out of breath I could not even tell them what was wrong at first. Once I did, they turned around and headed back. I swung of Rocky and we both just sat there for a few minutes. I still needed to get back to camp for help, so I got us back on the trail and walked him until we both had our breath back. Once we were better I swung back in the saddle. Camp was another 2 miles away that we covered fairly quickly. I was able to find the trail boss, and she was preparing to send out a trailer to pick up Chico, when the group walked back into camp. Chico was using his leg again, but seemed a little out of it. We dosed him with electrolyte paste and walked him. At this point everyone thought he was tying up. Rocky and I cooled out, and walked around camp a few times to stretch out our muscles. I put him back on the picket line and we both took a nap. Later that evening Jim wanted to ride Chico around to see how he was doing, and decide to take him home, or ride the next day. I jumped on Rocky bareback and rode around camp, and a short ways down the rode. This amused the entire camp, as did my walking Rocky every evening. They kept telling me to give my horse a break, he had already gone enough miles for one day.  |
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Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 9, 2008 10:08:04 GMT -5
I'll be back later with more adventures!
Ellen
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Post by kimk on Jun 9, 2008 22:37:48 GMT -5
Ellen,
You must be both exhausted and elated. What an experience! I look forward to more of the story!
Kim
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Post by DianneC on Jun 10, 2008 9:36:07 GMT -5
You bet, can you hear all of us holding our breath? Very exciting stuff!
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Post by fantasykiger on Jun 10, 2008 12:09:30 GMT -5
Quiet an adventure, I can not wait for the pics to start coming in as well |
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Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 12, 2008 15:21:25 GMT -5
Hi everyone! Sorry for not completing the story. To say I have been a little tired would be an understatement. I have been taking an afternoon nap & falling asleep between 9-10pm every night. I have started to post pictures on my webshots account, so go take a look. Most of the pictures are still on the laptop that will not startup, so gotta wait till hubby can take a look at it. Anyways, here goes.... Day Five - The fifth day went fairly well until the end. We had a great time on the trail, and enjoyed our "rest" at Smith's bridge. It is always one of my favorite spots to stop and take pics of the other riders coming in. We were so far ahead of the pack on this day though, that we did not see many people. The end of this trail is one of my least favorites. The last 6-8 miles is a deep sand two-track followed by a few miles of road. We were full of dust, and I was more than a little cranky. I even asked for a quick "potty" break at the very end just so I could get down for a few minutes and walk away. I do not do very well in the heat and humidity, and the gaited horses throw lots of sand around. By the time we got back to camp I was dehydrated and exhausted. Thankfully we had found a campsite on the edge of camp, away from most of the hustle and bustle. As soon as Rocky and Koda were taken care of I downed a Gatorade and curled up in my bed for a nap. I woke up about 3 hours later only to find out that Chico had a relapse. His back leg had locked up again, and he was not able to walk on it. The vet came down to look at it and said that he had not tied up. She thought that his knee cap had slipped out of place. (This was later confirmed once Jim took Chico home.) We were all fairly bummed as this meant Chico was done for the week, and possibly longer. We had a campfire and had a few drinks with Jim. Jim's wife Holly was supposed to meet us the next day, and we tried to talk Jim into having Holly bring their other horse up. |
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Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 12:41:52 GMT -5
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Post by barbhorses on Jun 13, 2008 13:28:48 GMT -5
WOW what a ride! I really want to go out and do endurance rides on my mare. She loves the trail and when she is fit she just keeps going and going. When I am out of vet tech college and get done with specializing in equines and have my land and am all settled down with my boyfriend (soon to be hubby) then I can finally start doing what I have always wanted to do with my mare. Hopefully she isnt too old by that time... she shouldnt be. She is a tough, strong horse. She is 12 years old right now. The Michigan ride has always been a very big interest for me as well as the Tevis Cup in my home state. I have never heard of a luxating patella on a horse before! That is normally just a common problem in small breed dogs. Very interesting! What kind of horse is Chico? Sounds like you have a very nice riding horse! Congrats on your ride and your horse! Looking forward to more stories on the rides you have. I can dream in your stories until I can finally do it myself! haha |
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I brought my Lab Koda with me, and he cuddles in the trailer with me while I sleep. After nap time I take Koda for another walk, and offer Rocky more water. He seems to naturally regulate his own system. He drinks small amounts of water all day, instead of downing an entire bucket at a time. He has really proven himself out on the trail, and I am not the only one that has noticed!!!!
