|
|
Post by citykid on Jun 13, 2008 20:23:18 GMT -5
Thank you so much for sharing your adventure. That is quite the feat and it is a pleasure to look at the pictures - can never get enough of those!!!. I wish the weather had been alittle more cooperative. When I was small my mom and dad took all of us kids camping around all the great lakes (a little over two weeks v.k) - it rained / poured every night but the first and last day of the trip. The tent was drenched; could hardly keep all six of us dry. My dad would tease the best part of camping was getting back in the car. Dad promptly saved up and bought a camper. But 50 years later, looking at your pictures , I can still remember the smell of the beautiful Michigan woods. Awesome.
|
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 21:25:06 GMT -5
I'm "talking" way too much, so I'll try to make this short and sweet.  Day 6- 4 Mile to Goose Creek. As Jim was not able to ride, he acted as our rig jumper. What this means is that I packed everything up the night before, and got up in the morning, tacked up my horse, and rode out of camp. Jim moved both rigs, and had our picket lines, water, hay, etc. ready for us when we rode into Goose Creek later that afternoon. Within an hour out on the trail I figured out a major mistake. I did not walk around or stretch out before we left. Within an hour I developed a muscle spasm in my right upper thigh that went down to the inside of my knee. All movement was extremely painful, and was not a "fun" way to spend on horseback. Thankfully Deb had some aleeve in her saddlebags which made things bearable, but it was something I had to deal with for the remaining days. One really neat thing about this ride is the amount of local businesses that really cater to the MTRA (our group). We were able to stop at a local restaurant that had set up picket lines and a mounting block. We were the first group to ride in, and they actually called in more workers to meet the coming demand. The had wonderful cinnamon rolls!!!! About a mile out of camp is the largest hill that the trail goes over. By this time Rocky had learned how to pick the most efficient trail, and to avoid obstacles. While making our way up the hill he decided to go right when I expected to go left. He is such a wonderful horse that he scrambled and shifted until he was back underneath me, and made his way to the top. Later that evening he showed obvious signs of swelling from knee to fetlock. There was no heat, but I was panicked. I soaked his leg, applied liniment, and walked him throughout the remaining daylight. I was not willing to risk Rocky's future, and was making plans to take him home in the am if needed. By the time I went to bed the swelling was reduced, and he was not off. I made the decision that if the swelling stayed down all night, and there was no heat, we would ride in the morning......but at a much slower pace. |
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 21:29:12 GMT -5
Day 7 - Goose Creek to Kalkaska The first thing I did when I woke up was make a dash for the outhouse ;D and then check on Rocky's leg. The swelling was down by about 60%, and he was feeling frisky and full of energy. I ended up making friends with two other ladies in camp that also rode trotting horses. We had a wonderful day, but lots of rain!!! We walked 90% of the trail, and it took us 8 hours to make it into camp. My friends even called my cell phone to make sure that we were okay. Once the rain stopped, the sun came out and it became VERY humid. We all got off to strip off the rain gear, and give our wet parts time to dry out. The next thing I know I feel a slack in the lead rope, and Rocky is rolling in the sand, saddle and all! Thank god I ride in a treeless saddle is all I can say. He had looked so miserable standing there with water dripping from his mane and forelock that it was hard to be too mad at him. I let him complete his roll, but was extra aware for the rest of the week.
Soon after I brushed all the sand off my saddle, I mounted back up, and away we went. We had been out on the trail for so long, that we decided to move out a little, and try to make up some time. There were three of us, with Rocky and I in the rear. We went up into a canter, and I decided that I needed to do an equipment check and make sure everything was tied down properly. My pommel pack was great and ever thing was secure. I almost did not turn to check my rain gear that was tied behind the saddle, but something told me I better. Here we were moving along at a nice fact canter when I look behind me to see that my floor length raincoat had come untied on one side, and was now dragging on one side flopping and wrapping around Rocky's right hind leg. When I yelled at my friends to stop they could not believe their eyes. Not only was the raincoat wrapped around his leg, but a strap that went around my arm was also wrapped around his leg pulling tight. He never reacted at all!!! He just stopped and stood as perfect as pie and let me unravel the raincoat. Now that's a horse!!! No way this guy is EVER leaving my barn.
|
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 21:38:09 GMT -5
Day 8 Kalkaska to Schecks
This is one of my favorite sections of trail. Tons of wildlife, and lots of good footing. The swelling was almost completely gone from Rocky's leg in the am, but I still decided to go at a slower pace to be on the safe side. I rode with the same girls as the day before. We had just as much fun, but the day was hot and miserable. The temps were in the high 80's with the humidity level so high you could feel it with every breath. We had been warned about the weather though and moved out a little faster in the am, so that we could slow down as the day progressed. We even dismounted a walked 2 or 3 times to give the horses a break. When I got back to camp I walked up to the first water bucket I saw and stuck my head in it and just sat there. I was sticky and miserable, but at least we had made it into camp in 6 hours. All the horses in camp were wiped out by the humidity, and many spent the afternoon laying down. I created another stir in camp by sitting with him while he napped on the picket line. He placed his muzzle in my lap, and leaned his head against my forehead. Wish someone would have taken a picture of that!
Almost forgot to mention our leap "horse" experiment. Sandy and I both read the same article about working with horses that have trouble following or leading on trail rides. Sandy and Mary's horses did not like to follow, and Rocky did not like to lead. While going down a single track we lined up, and the first horse led the group for a minute, pulled off to the side to let horse 2 & 3 pass, and then took up the rear position. Every 60 seconds we would rotate through the line. The first 2 times I asked Rocky to lead he would zig zag across the trail not wanting to go. By the third time we led he moved out with nothing but a cluck from me!! From that moment on he would take the lead evertime I asked.
|
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 22:13:08 GMT -5
Day 9 Schecks to Lake Dubonnet
This is everyones least favorite trail. Lake Dubonnet is located just south of Traverse City, a major tourist spot and busy busy busy. There was probably 10-15 miles of road riding, and we had to cross many very busy highways. Rocky was a champ each time, and the only thing that gave him a start the entire ride was when a little dog came running out around a house on the other side of the road. I had to giggle that the dog got his attention when the balloons, scooter, and lumber trucks never even got a second look. Of coarse maybe he saw the dog and thought "fun" as chasing them is one of his favorite pass times.
I started out with my Walking horse friends, but another gaited person on a paso fino wanted to ride with them that day, and they were moving out a little too fast for me. I spent most of the day with Sam a Mexican cowboy in full chaps and cowboy hat, and a male nurse that was riding a paint that hated Rocky for the first few miles. They were both riding trotting horses (very rare on this ride), but moved out at a consistent 5-7 mph continuous trot. We made really good time, 20 miles in 3.5 hours, until the very end. About 5 miles out of camp is a very nice water hole at a lake. Most people tie there horses to a tree and sit around having a snack. Unfortunately for us Roy's horse was not moving right. His horse had shoes on the front, but was barefoot on the back. His heals were worn down, and we thought they were starting to bother him. Sam and I stayed with Roys, and walked to horses the rest of the way into camp. Roy and I had dismounted and walked most of that. When we got back to camp he had one of the farriers take a look. She was only 1 rig down from me, so I checked in on them. His hooves ended up being ok, the farrier said he had a curb. Below his right hock he had heat, and if you looked from the side you could see where the leg curved out where it was not supposed to. She had originally worked with harness racers, and said it was fairly common on the track. She said it is tiny micro tears in the muscle, but will easily heal with some R&R. One day left and he was going home.
Right before I left she asked me how my guy was doing. "Great" I replied. She smiled and gave her husband an I told you so look. Earlier in the week he had given me a hard time because Rocky was barefoot on all four. He said that many had tried, but they all ran to his wife in a panic half way through asking her to put shoes on their horses. She just looked at him and asked me what type of horse I had (she acted like she already knew). When I said Kiger Mustang she responded that if any horse could make this trail barefoot it would be a Mustang. She was right. I had taken easyboots just in case, but Rocky completed the entire ride barefoot!
|
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 22:34:20 GMT -5
Day 10 - Lake Dubonnet to Gary Lake (18 miles) to Lake Michigan (9 miles)
We woke to threats of thunderstorms and high winds. We tied up the raingear thankful that the temps had at least dropped. All of Rocky's swelling had been gone for two days, so I decided to stick with my TWH horse friends and there friend Dennis and his Paso. We had a long ride ahead, and after a few minutes to warm up set out at a pretty quick pace. The scenery was gorgeous!!! Beautiful hardwoods and lots of dear, and what we think was a Black Bear cub. We made two quick stops to adjust tack and a potty break, and still made it to Gary Lake (18 miles) in just over two hours. We were all ready for a break. I tried to snap a couple of quick pics of Rocky resting, but the weather was overcast and fairly murky. After 15 minutes we set back out on the trail for the last 9 miles. We slowed the pace down a hair, but Rocky was fighting me to move out faster. I was surprised as this was the first day he really showed me a little competitive edge as he wanted to take the lead. I had to work to keep him well paced, and not let him tire himself out.
It was not long before we made it to Empire, MI. Empire is a cute little town with a couple of stop lights, and a surprising amount of traffic for a Sunday morning. We had to ride along side the road with traffic through town, and were not allowed on the sidewalk or grass the grew next to the road. There were all sorts of cars passing us left and right, joggers, and people sitting on their front porches. I was a little nervous with all the commotion, but Rock handled it all in stride. If anything he put an extra spring in his step, and moved out a little more. It made me even more thankful that I did not have to more about metal shoes slipping on the pavement. After a few blocks through town we finally came to the beach. Just as we hit the sand we could feel the light drizzle start. There went my hopes of pics of Rock in the water. Due to the weather the waves were coming in strong, and the horses were unsure but thirsty. Rocky spent the first 4 or 5 waves chasing the water out to get a drink, and then running backward as the wave chased after him. We could have won good money on America's Funniest Videos. After a few seconds of this he did not care anymore and waded in to his belly. As he is barely over 14'2 H this was not too bad except that I have really long legs!
I did my best to contain my smile as we made our way back to the trail boss's rig in front of the beach to accept our trophy and certificate. It had only taken 5 years, but I had finally made it. Not only that but I now have a hell of a trail horse! The rain started to increase, so we made our way back to our rigs a few blocks away. We were all happy to finally be heading home, and I'll even admit to a few tears. We let the horses cool down and much on the grass while we got ready for the 5-6 hour drive home. I have never seen Rocky jump into a trailer faster than when I opened that back door. Thankfully I did not step in his way or I might have been run over.
|
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 22:45:58 GMT -5
Things I am great full for:
1. Knowing that I had a horse that could have easily gone another 10 miles if needed when we rode to our rigs that last day.
2. Rocky and I learned how to communicate at a deeper level. I am now confident I pick up his cues when he is tired or off.
3. Rocky has already learned 2 of the 3 things that every successful endurance horse should know. If we stopped for more than 30 seconds he would pee, even if it was only a trickle. He learned to eat every chance he was given. He drank at almost every water hole, but I would feel more comfortable if it was every watering hole.
4. I learned to trust my horses instincts on the trail. I joked that I just put him on cruise control and let him do the rest. He knew where the best footing was, and how to avoid obstacles when needed.
5. I learned that the easy going horse I thought I had is even better than I could have imagined, and yet does posses that competitive edge and drive needed to be a great endurance horse.
6. If you have a smooth gaited horse (like Rocky) that you don't need to bring the anti-monkey butt and other various creams to avoid sores and raw skin! Yahoo!
7. My Rebecca Underwood "softrider" saddle rules! This saddle was beyond comfortable and did not shift an inch! I took it as a back-up saddle, and ended up riding in it almost everyday. In fact I regretted not using it everyday. I just did not have the same security in my other saddle.
Ellen
|
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 22:56:38 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. I rode this with the Michigan Trail Riders Association. The AERC also holds and endurance ride on the trail every year in August. Kim K and I are planning on crossing with the MTRA next June, and then I would like to participate in the endurance ride in August. We will be doing our first Endurance ride in July, so we will see how that goes.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?
Chico is a Walker. Booth vets said they see it in gaited horses, and that it could be related to muscle development/conditioning. Jim had original planned on bringing his other horse up, and changed his mind. Though Chico has completed this ride in the past, he did not have the same amount of conditioning that he had in years past.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 |
|
|
|
Post by zephyrcreek on Jun 13, 2008 23:00:32 GMT -5
Thank you so much for sharing your adventure. That is quite the feat and it is a pleasure to look at the pictures - can never get enough of those!!!. I wish the weather had been alittle more cooperative. When I was small my mom and dad took all of us kids camping around all the great lakes (a little over two weeks v.k) - it rained / poured every night but the first and last day of the trip. The tent was drenched; could hardly keep all six of us dry. My dad would tease the best part of camping was getting back in the car. Dad promptly saved up and bought a camper. But 50 years later, looking at your pictures , I can still remember the smell of the beautiful Michigan woods. Awesome. Michigan really does have some beautiful countryside! I cannot complain about the weather too much as I crossed in 2006 on my arab, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We had about 2 hours of mild rain on day 5 that left us dry, but watered down the trails so that we did not have all the dust. I slept in the dressing room of my 2 horse bumperpull, so I did not have to worry about getting wet. The biggest challenge was making sure the dog did not get wet so that I did not have to sleep with the "wet dog" smell. Ellen |
|
|
|
Post by stlkigers on Jun 14, 2008 8:49:04 GMT -5
Ellen....
You and Rocky are amazing....Thanks for the beautiful journal you kept for us....How amazing to do that kind of a ride....You keep complimenting Rocky, but someone needs to really compliment you for getting Rocky to this point, and knowing enough how to do this ride! What a great team!!!!!
Angela
|
|
|
|
Post by DianneC on Jun 14, 2008 9:21:55 GMT -5
Amen to that! Ellen, you showed that you were a rider your horse could trust and who knew how to listen to him. He showed that he was a horse that would give you a 110%. This will surely be a memory that will bring smiles each time you remember it for many years to come. And how cool to have Rocky so smooth that your butt didn't get sore! What was it that made you feel so secure in your saddle? Thanks for sharing your adventure with us, it was truly enjoyable.
|
|
|
|
Post by lindad on Jun 14, 2008 10:21:45 GMT -5
Ellen and Rocky,
I am so proud of both of you! What an accomplishment. However, I am not surprised knowing how you allow time for Rocky to think things through and decide to do what is being asked of him. He now trusts you completely and is confident to do everything asked of him with little concern. No force, no resistence! You did it girl!!!!!!!!! Yahooooooo! You also demonstrated that a good smooth horse with the three basic gaits, can be a wonderful ride. I bet there are a few more folks that have respect for/interest in Kiger Mustangs! And Rocky is so nice to look at!
My friends TWH has had the same knee problem that you described. It improved with rest, but would just catch, until it went back into place. She rides extensively and had to get a second horse so to be able to not to break him down.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience. I dreamed of this ride for years!
Linda D
|
|
|
|
Post by fantasykiger on Jun 14, 2008 15:56:17 GMT -5
All I can say is ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! congratulations to you both and Thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and share it all with us here on the board. I really enjoyed reading about all your adventures. ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by dazzlingduns on Jun 14, 2008 17:55:10 GMT -5
Way to go Ellen and Rocky!!!! You are much tougher than I am! Just the thought of riding as long and as far you did makes me cringe! hahaha!! I'm not one for "roughing it" either. You go girl!
Keep it up!
Melissa
|
|
|
|
Post by angelsdream on Jun 17, 2008 8:18:49 GMT -5
Ellen -
That's so wonderful! Thank you for sharing the experience with us. Rocky sounds like a wonderful horse - I know he got lots of loving and treats when you 2 got home and got rested. I can tell you've gained a whole new respect and love towards him than before you set out on the ride.
|
|
Looking forward to more stories on the rides you have. I can dream in your stories until I can finally do it myself! haha
