Touch of Class Award

 Ross Peddicord, Jim Steele and The Maryland Horse Industry Board gave me a very nice tribute and award last night in Annapolis. The Touch of Class Award is given for " demonstrating the Highest Standards of Excellence in Maryland's Equine Industry. I was very touched and appreciated the honor given to me by my peers. I did like representing Maryland and the United States in the Mongol Derby this past summer and believed that some part of my accomplishment came from the support and well-wishes from friends in the horse world as well as family. It was a grueling endeavour that fulfilled a "bucket list" dream of mine and I was thrilled to finish ninth in 8 days, only 3 hours behind the winner. Certainly one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also one of the most inspiring. It made me realize I can accomplish anything I really put my mind to and I hope it inspires others to push their boundaries a little and reach further.

In addition, my fellow Marlborough Hunt Club member, Joanne Stone, and her husband, Senator Norman Stone, congratulated me personally, and my adventure was recognized with an Official Citation from The Maryland General Assembly and Senator John Astle of Anne Arundel County. This was heady stuff and I was truly surprised and grateful. Thank you Joanne and Norman. Public speaking is hard for me and only my family in attendance knew how nervous I was. Riding 640 miles in Mongolia, facing wolves, storms, desert and bad falls was not nearly as daunting as standing up there to receive an award. Still pushing boundaries myself!  Thank you and I hope to keep inspiring my over 60 crowd to keep surprising themselves by Just Doing Something Hard!

Hunting with Lynn Lloyd in NevAda....

Hunting in sagebrush is a little like mogul skiing. You stay loose in the saddle, keep your eye on the horizon, and let your lower body just move with your horse. He can pick a better path than you through the dense brush and if you second guess his choice, parting company is a distinct possibility. I have just returned from 5 days of hunting with Red Rock Hounds in Reno, NevAda (emphasis on the A!). It is big hunting:endless sky, huge tracts of land, big horses, big belt buckles and big cowboy hats. Lynn Lloyd's Red Rock Hounds at Ross Creek is about 1 hour north of Reno. She ran out of gas 30 years ago in this valley and as she puts it, "God must have had a reason".  She stayed put and has built a wonderful hunt club and facility that the whole valley seems to enjoy. Lynn has the most enrolling personality I have ever met and the proof is in her membership. Not only do some of the local cowboys enjoy hunting with her, Western style, but there are also motocross kids, who fly up the steepest ridges to watch for coyote for her. There are mountain bikers who follow, throwing their bikes over the coops as they ride behind  and lots of landowners in their big trucks on the dirt roads below. Some who generously bring water for the hounds in this dusty, dry country. She has welcomed all into her club. I rode with a woman who was Lynn's first student, 30 years ago, and she told me how 5 of them used to take out hounds in the beginning, watching them disappear high into the mountains, learning as they went how to hunt this tough country.
It was an awesome 5 days  and the best part was riding close to Lynn as she explained her hunting style. She has learned to stay high and listen to the hounds as they follow coyote. I watched them vanish into the sagebrush after quarry and scanning the distances, one can see their movement way ahead and hear their cry. Then she picks her path through the brush and the field gallops for miles. Coyotes run a long way and after two long chases one day, we had the trailers brought around to load tired hounds and tired horses. On some days, from the tops of rocky ridges, you could see for miles around and watch wild horses in the distance and golden eagles hunting on the wind. Excited hounds would burst after long- eared hares, before returning quickly to Lynn's side. She does not scold the hounds but explains to this visitor, that she believes it keeps them enthused and interested in hunting, and as they settle on the right quarry the puppies learn from the steadier hounds.

Fellow foxhunters had come from California, Montana, Washington State, Idaho, as well as a couple of us Easterners. This was the Pacific District Triannual meet and on the first day we hunted with Santa Ynez Valley Hounds and Claire Anderson-Buchy, huntsman. That was followed by Terry Paine of Santa Fe West Hills, who brought his English pack,  and showed us excellent sport on day two and three. Lynn hunted her hounds the next day with some of the hounds she had given to her Montana friends, Kail and Renee of Big Sky Hounds. The last day she hunted her American (Walker) hounds at nearby Campbell Springs. As we rode home at the end of the hunt, we passed by the shady tree and green grass of Campbell Spring and Lynn told the story of the last Indian massacre taking place on that exact spot in 1907! A group of disgruntled youths of the Paiute tribe massacred a whole settlement, and showing unusual restraint,  the nearby American troops let the chiefs of the tribe deal with the miscreants in Indian fashion. Just what that was is lost to history.
On Friday evening Red Rock Hounds held their annual Hunt Ball at one of the big casinos in Reno. A "Jeans and Jewels" theme ensured the finest in Western wear! Gentlemen wore their Scarlets over jeans and substituted bolos for a bow-tie. It looked great and the fringed shirts and bejeweled women in their fancy boots made for great people watching. The crowd impressively raised thousands of dollars that evening to help the Red Rock Hound Foundation and, clearly, showed how much Lynn and the hunt is beloved in their community. It was a treat to see an American foxhunting legend in her element and I hope to return many times to enjoy her warm hospitality and watch her hunt these excellent Red Rock hounds.

Wyoming 2014

We spent a week in September with our friends, Kathy Farley and Rhem Wooten in Alta, WY. On the other side of Jackson Hole, they have a lovely home at the base of Grand Teton. Spectacular views abounded and we hiked, rode horses, fished and drove through Yellowstone National Park. Lazy days meant great food and hilarious evenings playing Cards Against Humanity. It was a wonderful week and very relaxing. Mike and Rhem tried and enjoyed beginner's luck at flyfishing, while Kathy and I rode up into forests and and had up-close and personal encounters with moose and even a small bear. We think this will become a tradition and look forward to next time.

my Mongol Derby adventure "write-up" for friends who might not seen this elsewhere ....it was amazing .....

                      

 Racing in Mongolia: The Mongol Derby 2014

 I am bent over at the waist, hands on knees, gulping air as the vet checks my pony. His heart rate is 72 and will come down to the required 64 in about 5 minutes. Mine is about 200 beats per minute and no one cares. I used to watch my basketball player son stand like this during timeouts, trying to recover, and now I completely understand. I am exhausted and have about 20 minutes to recover before leaving on the next jet-fueled pony! This is Day 6 of the Mongol Derby and the urtuus (horse stations) are starting to blend into one.

I thought I was going to romantically name each pony and remember every thing about the rides between stations. However, I not only forgot to name them, as half the time I was hanging on for dear life as they rocketed out of the stations and bolted for the next 10-15 kilometers, but I do not remember individual stations. I remember moments of complete panic as I thought I was going to die or moments when I feared my comrades in saddle were going to die. Interspersed are memories of lovely meadows and fragrant pine forests, incredible views across mountains and long, long rides when we wondered if we would ever get there!

The Mongol Derby is a 1000-kilometer (or about 620 miles) adventure, billed as the world’s longest, toughest horse race. It is every thing they say and more. Absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done and yet, one of the best highlights of my life so far. Childbirth hurt more but did not last as long. I finished the race in eight days, riding about 80 miles a day. I finished 9^th, out of 38 riders. Eleven had to retire. Upon returning to the States, one of my sons said it was, as if, I had galloped from Baltimore to Chicago in 8 days. I realized I had no concept of such a distance, as all we were concentrating on each day, was riding the 25-mile legs between horse stations (urtuus). I was trying to ride 4 legs every day.

This race was conceived 7 years ago by Tom Morgan, the founder of The Adventurists, a British expedition company that looks for really extreme ways to challenge oneself. The adventure recreates Genghis Khan’s empire building postal system or pony express route. Genghis Khan had devised a system to pass information to his generals by sending riders with messages. They changed mounts every 40 kilometers and could carry messages literally hundreds of miles in a day. Supposedly some galloped 250 miles, changing ponies, before stopping themselves. Genghis Khan reportedly had 10 devoted generals, who were with him for 30 years or more, and this communication system helped them conquer the second largest empire ever known.

These riders rode the same marmot-hole strewn, dusty plains, crossed the same swollen rivers and looked for the same mountain passes that we did. And they did it without GPS help. I read somewhere that the messages were written in verse and the riders sang the song to the next messenger so the instructions would remain the same. Even today the Mongolian herders sing to their horses while riding. I tried it and it did pass the time on a slow pony. On the fast ones you had no breath to spare and you just hoped they did not step in a hole. More on that later.

We all arrived from various countries, into Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia around August 3^rd.  The Ramada hotel had a rooftop bar and it was there that the friendships started. The riders slowly introduced themselves and different pairings began. The end of the race sorted the riders by ability more than anything else, but in the beginning, I would have to say the ability to drink copious amounts of beer or vodka was the deciding factor of companionship.  After 3 days of pre-race training, where we learned how to use our GPS navigators and how to call for help on our trackers, we were deemed ready.

I don’t think anything really prepares you for being turned loose on a bolting pony in a strange country. My first pony was great, biddable, relatively fast and I started the race in front, heading down a valley in a straight line. I had met two lovely New Zealand ladies that were about the closest to me in age- every one was younger by decades- and I looked to ride the next leg with them. While waiting for them, I picked my second pony simply by asking for a strong, fast horse (I soon learned to add a few more qualifiers to those criteria). The herder threw me up on this second pony and he bolted at a dead run for the next 15 miles. I never saw my New Zealand friends again until the last day! This pony ran and jumped and careened across a plain that was full of marmot holes, sagebrush like bushes, and gravelly dry streambeds. It all went by in a blur. I could only aim for the one rider in front I could see and once we passed him I was just hoping that the distant peak I had lined up in my sights was the right one. I could not pull out my GPS until this pony had slowed after about 1 ½ hr of galloping. Luckily I remembered to keep sipping water from my hydration pack, as that was all I could do- I just kept the sipping end in my mouth. Riders who did not do this quickly succumbed to dehydration and dropped out the second and third day completely exhausted and sick.

So, I was all alone, about 2^nd in the race, wondering where I was and if this pony would stop when another rider galloped up beside me. I remember saying, “Thank God, someone else!”  It was Mary Lee, a fashion designer from Miami, whom had seemed a little distant in pre-race training, but looks are deceiving, and she and I became great friends and rode most of the race together.  With a long. black braid affixed to her helmet and her own exotic dark looks, the Mongol herders loved her. She and I shared a similar riding style and outlook on life. No patience for the whiners, it was “balls to the walls” and we rode like bats out of hell for the next 8 days.

My fox hunting background definitely gave me an edge on many riders. The frontrunners all had either foxhunting experience or were race riders or racehorse trainers in their respective countries. Mary had been galloping polo ponies for a year to prepare and Catherine was just as fit as could be. We were used to galloping long distances over rough ground and we had clearly separated into the hardest riding group by the third day.

I did fall and face-plant into the dirt on Day 3 when my pony stepped in a hole at a full gallop.  It happened so fast that all I really remember is popping back up and saying some choice curse words. My companions had waited to make I wasn’t dead, then said, “Try to catch up!” and they were gone. Luckily it was close to a herd of ponies and a nearby herder returned my escaping horse.  I did manage to rejoin them, to their surprise (they told me later) and I earned a little respect. The “tough old bird” legend was beginning! Actually, every one of us had falls. Some very dramatic, some comical, but all of them made us hold our breath until the rider was deemed OK. There were some serious accidents and some riders had to drop out due to injuries. The guys in our group were definitely better than the girls, at hanging onto the ponies, as they somersaulted. Brent, my wonderful Australian friend, fell one day 4 times I think, and amazingly, never let that pony get away. My second fall occurred on Day 6 as I tried to read my helpful notes. Pulling that piece of white paper out of my pocket scared the ‘bejeesus’ out of my pony and he disappeared at a dead-run before I even hit the ground.  Charles, the South African guardian angel of the riders, did rescue me after I called for assistance.  A welcome sight indeed, he brought another herder who returned my spooky pony, and I continued. That was the leg I did alone, which my son reminded me  (as he watched my spot tracker) that I seemed to meander erratically. That was because I could not pull my GPS out without the pony starting to buck so I meandered. I finally hooked up with Bonnie Hutton, a fellow American, but our ‘no-good, very bad day’ continued. Bonnie got bucked off again, breaking a finger.  Eventually, we arrived at station 22 with time penalties.

The next day was a long one, fraught with attacking guard dogs, marmot holes, and never-ending dusty plains.  We had left the beautiful Orkhorn River after two legs and seemed to ride forever. Coming into station 25, Cozy Campbell, the young Australian vet, was a welcome sight. He had a jar of olives and peanuts out and I think I ate the whole thing, thinking it was the best food I ever had.  This brings me to the food, which was pretty awful.  We all lost weight and lived on rice pudding for breakfast (not bad) and noodle stew with bits of mutton, carrots and potatoes the rest of the time. It fueled us but that’s about it. The herders were very good about having boiled water at every station. Sometimes all we really wanted was a cup of cold water but, in general, we just really appreciated the kindness and thoughtfulness of the host families. Their generosity to strangers is legendary and part of the culture. I can only imagine what they really thought of us crazy foreigners.

There were wolves, lightening storms, rain, hail, never-ending bogs, long mountain passes and yet, what I really remember are the wonderful days in the saddle with great people.  The friendships I made were, for me, the best part of the adventure. I could ride for ten days anywhere, but to do this challenge in the wilds of Mongolia, one had to make friends and help and support each other. We laughed and cried and encouraged each other through some tough days.  I proved to myself that I could do an extremely hard, physical challenge and that alone was a personal best.  The biggest reward was hearing my kids and family tell me how proud of me they were.

Snowie and John

Snowie never missed a birthday. She sent me a Happy Birthday card for probably the last ten years at least. I think she kept better track of birthdays than anyone I know. I have tried to emulate her and remember to wish my friends Salutations on their big days. Today is John Myers birthday and I know she would want us to wish him the best.  Happy Birthday John. We miss seeing you and we all miss Snowie.
She always wrote lovely Thank You  notes after any and every occasion, no phone calls or emails, but a beautiful, thoughtful written note. About two and 1/2 weeks ago, I invited friends over to hear about Mongolia. Snowie called the night before and asked if she could come, "Would love to hear the tales!", she said. I was delighted to see her and managed to have a few minutes to ask how she was and how was John. She seemed a little frailer but was happy to be with friends and talked about maybe moving to a house on the water. Never a word about her own health. Mike and I managed to give her a kiss goodbye on the cheek as she left and I still have the thoughtful note that came two days later saying how much she enjoyed seeing everyone. I never heard Snowie complain about any health issue and she had several scares in the past years. We all worried about her heart. I remember one day hunting at Morelands, I was returning to the trailers and came upon Snowie literally hanging onto the tail of her horse who was quietly walking back to the trailer. I jumped off and asked what was up. I think it was one of her first episodes with her heart and because she never wanted a fuss made,  she never radioed for anybody to come help her,  but let her horse bring her back. She was the original "tough old bird!"
When I first started hunting she was riding sidesaddle and whipping with John. I remember the very quiet but insistent, " John, John, John...."  slightly louder as he might have moved on a little quicker after a view. In fact, Leonard, our mutual blacksmith, said to me after hearing about Snowie's passing, that if he had a dollar for every time he heard that " John, John, John,..." he would be a rich man. Still brings a smile to my face.
Snowie was the most gracious lady and she never had a bad word to say about anybody. She loved hunting and her help with hounds in the last years was invaluable. Her home was the site of many memorable parties and Hunt Balls, in fact, I will never forget a few legendary conga lines. She taught me a lot about watching hounds work over the years and I loved to chat with her as we met at a check once in a while. She waited with a book in that big truck of hers and kept on hunting as our best road whip even when it was harder for her.

I will miss Snowie, a great lady and wonderful friend.

This is for my friend Snowie ,

RETURN by Beulah Smith

If I come back- and well I may, my dear-
You will not find me in a summer rose.
Nor in a twisted, withered copper leaf
that spirals from a naked tree and goes;
You will not find me in a swallow dipping
Through chiffon April curtains of rain;
You will not find me in the rippling wind
That stirs as a sea of golden August grain;
I shall not be a cheery hearthside cricket,
Nor sing from the plaintive throat of whippoorwill;
But when the hunter's moon rides to the west,
If you should hear a fox bark on the hill-
Then turn in your soft, smooth bed a bit.
Knowing, with shuttered eyes, the moon is bright-
Knowing a vixen runs, alone with the stars,
Down all the frosty ridges of the night.

missing Mongolia....

When I went to pull creamer from the fridge early this morning, for the first cup of coffee, I suddenly had a hankering for rice pudding. Every morning in Mongolia we were served hot bowls of soupy rice pudding. It was actually the only meal I really enjoyed, probably because it tasted familiar, even though it was made with yak milk. One horse station, I think it was HS 4, had raisins in it! We ate quickly, even when it was scalding, because we were in a hurry to make the 7 AM departure gallop. But it definitely fueled the first 35 km. And it made me think of the other things I miss. Mostly I miss the people, the friendships that were formed in 10 days of extreme conditions; extreme fatigue, extreme moments of panic, extreme hilarity and extreme vodka drinking, will last a lifetime. When you sleep, eat, pee with 8 friends in an 30 ft diameter ger ( yurt) you get familiar very fast. Modesty does not exist, nor do judgements. We could all smell ourselves becoming a little rank but could not notice each other. I remember someone told the story of a "lost" t- shirt. Everyone smelled it to identify the owner. We could all smell ourselves but nobody else. This was probably a godsend! I miss the three British "boys" and Brent,  The "Aussie', cussing each other out all the time. Absolutely excellent riders all, they were the most contemptuous of each other, at the same moments they depended on the each others skills to navigate or catch a horse, or just to pass the time! Truly I miss the sarcastic camaraderie. I miss watching Mary Lee's ponytail flying in the breeze ahead of me. The Mongols all loved her helmet attachment, a little Genghis in attitude! There were moments of "one-ness" with my Mongolian pony that I miss. Sometimes we were in a perfect lope, just mile after mile of synchronicity. I do not miss the rapid dismounts when faceplanting in a marmot hole or getting bucked off, but in general, these ponies were extremely tolerant of our whooping on them and giving us their all, galloping for miles and miles. I miss the Mongolian landscape, so incredibly vast. To look for as far as you could see and not see a soul, sometimes not even a creature was humbling. The Mongolians used to worship the sky, called it the Big Blue, as a god, and it makes perfect sense when you are riding under an endless sky of the most perfect blue imaginable. I miss the singleness of purpose, the focus on just riding. It made me aware of every thing I did; my balance; pulling out my GPS; looking at my notes (which got me bucked off); trying to stop a runaway; trying to watch a friend on a runaway; avoiding marmot holes; trying to stretch a muscle and not spook you pony; trying to untangle the extra lead line rein from tired fingers, and a wild mane, so you could whip a tiring pony and not get bucked off. I guess I miss it all (except the mutton stew!).

Back Home...

I have been home about 5 days now and am just beginning to recover and relax and put the Derby in perspective. I am so happy to have finished,  in the top ten no less, on the 8th day. It was definitely the most grueling physical thing I have ever done. I think the adrenaline and concentration or focus it took was tremendous. I keep waking up at night, thinking I am riding and looking for my GPS line to take me to the horizon. Others have shared it is the same for them. I know I have finished but my instinct is to keep moving. Very strange, makes me wonder if it is a little like post-traumatic stress disorder. You are so determined to accomplish something that everything else fades to the background- it was a survival mentality. I did not want to ride alone so was very focused on keeping up with my rider friends. The three Brits, Jamie, Chris, Rob and I shared a foxhunting background and the two Aussies, Sam and Brent, were race riders. I think the ability to gallop long distances over rough ground was a help and we rode similarly, a posting canter, that spared our ponies backs. By the last days I think we were all galloping standing up like the Mongolians. The "bolters" were a bit scary but definitely covered the miles the best. Several times we would bolt at full speed, very little control for 10 km. The ponies would stop for a minute, pee, grab a bit of grass and then bolt again, for another 10 km. We flew through several horse station distances this way. Much easier to hang onto a bolter than to push a lazy, tired pony to a jog for long miles. Anyway, I am happy to be be home in one piece, happy to have experienced Mongolia, truly the last frontier and loved the people I met. More to follow. BTW my knee was fine the whole time, I wore the brace because I had nowhere else to put it. The 5 kg weight allowance was basically the sleeping bag and was a bitch to pack every morning.

" Leaving on a jet plane... don't know when I'll be back again...."

"Leaving on a jet plane..don't know when I 'll be back again..."  

Well, I do sort of know I'll be back about August 18th. And Outer Mongolia is not the back of an asteroid..so thanks for all the well wishes. I have my map, I am getting my horse!(s) and am about to meet 45 other crazy, adventurous souls for the ride of a lifetime. See you soon and we will have martinis . Maybe I will bring back a recipe for an "Airag Martini"!!!

3 days to go-

3 days to go until I leave!!! Last minute double checks. I wake up in the middle of the night and wonder "where did I pack the extra hydration pack? or "Am I bringing enough socks?" At this point it is kinda funny- what will be is about to happen and the expression "Winging it!" is going to be the norm. They sent us the map of horse stations, water holes, river crossings and mountain passes that we are going to follow and the thought that predominantly came to mind was, "Oh Sh__."  It looked a little like a giant scavenger hunt map.  I think I am going to pretend I am 10 years old and just get really excited and go running to look for all the treasure, ditching the 60 year old who knows how much can go wrong. Not exactly throwing caution to the wind but letting go of the doubts and staying very much in the moment. Being anxious is not going to stop the sh__ from happening but it will stop me from thoroughly enjoying the ups and downs and incredible moments that are about to happen. When you think back on adventures it was the moments that scared you or were hard, that you re-tell over and over again. It is meeting the unknown that makes us push our limits and try to do more than we thought we could. This is why I am doing this race anyway. I don't know if I can ride 75-100 miles a day in a foreign land but I am glad that I am going to try it!
I will be thinking of my morning ritual of coffee on the patio at dawn, watching the sun top the treeline here, as I experience a new dawn every day over there. I will be thinking of you all, as you think of me. Thanks for the support!

just about a week before I leave for Mongolia...

There is only a week left before I board that United flight for Mongolia! I am so glad I am flying west, over the Pacific, through Tokyo, where I switch to Mongolian Air ! rather than anywhere near war- weary Middle East or Ukraine. I am looking forward to ten days on the steppes, living a nomads life, with no nightly news that makes me sad for the human race.
I quit training ( riding 25 miles) yesterday. I rode one spooky mare, then my lovely gelding and halfway through the next ride on another witchy mare, looking for demons in the corn, I just said-" Enough." I will keep walking the yearling and bike riding maybe, but now I am officially resting. Sounds lovely- I just did not want to fall off and get hurt. The other lovely thing about this last week is that I am eating pretty much whatever I feel like- that is French Fries with the burger! I think the last time I had that attitude was 25 years ago with the last pregnancy! Now I am trying to figure out all the social media outlets that The Adventurists want us to post our updates. Basically for my friends that want to follow my adventure I suggest you Goggle  the Mongol Derby and look for "tracking the riders"   then you will eventually find my name and a dot on the map!!!  Hopefully this dot keeps moving !!!

photo of Mongolian sunrise....

It is too hot to ride with 90 degrees and high humidity, yet I have to keep training so rode three this morning. Sometimes I enjoy it and sometimes I am starting to feel like, “enough , I’m done, no more…”. I know that I have gotten stronger and fitter because when I have had enough it is actually more mental than physical. My legs and thighs keep gripping and my upper body stays straight, so this is good. I do worry about concentrating for 75 miles a day though. When you’re tired, even bored, and don’t pay attention to every flick of the ear or toss of the head, or tensing of body before a spook, that is when you get into trouble. Most horses and ponies will let you know when something has frightened them and you can prepare but for 12 hours a day, in the saddle??? I don’t know. These are the little unknowns that you cannot really anticipate.

I have packed and repacked. All my energy snacks are putting me over my weight limit of eleven pounds. In fact, every chocolate granola bar and gummi chew that seemed appetizing in the outdoor store seems destined to not make it into my saddle bag but I am taking them with me anyway. I’ll eat them on the three days we have to prep I guess. There is a Facebook page called The Mongol Derby 2014 where lots of competitors are asking questions, and past participants are telling tales and offering advice.            

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

 This quote was on Amy Wallace Whelan’s website, a fellow Derbyist and close to my age.  She is an endurance “pro”, from Kentucky who has logged more than 10,000 miles in endurance competition! I think us “older” gals are full of the adventuring spirit and I am looking forward to meeting some of my fellow riders. I am going to start to post some of their pictures and short bios.

Cross-training

My son, Sam, his dog Auggie, and I went hiking in Patapsco Park this morning. We walked for about 2 hours along some lovely bike and hiking trails . There are remnants of an old flour mill and a ranger was displaying photographs back to the Civil War from the area of the park.  Lots of people walking dogs, children, bike riding- it was a lovely morning and a welcome change from galloping horses. Hiking downhill is hard on my knee but otherwise it was great. Cross training works. I have about 4-5 more gallops and then I am taking a break before riding off into the August "supermoon" over Mongolia. Leaving in about 2 1/2 weeks !

spooky Thoroughbreds are a pain.....

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I realized I only have to do my morning training 6 more times. WooHoo! Yesterday, Pia jumped across the tiny, muddy little creek with an enormous leap and dumped the unsuspecting me on my ass again! I thought that she might actually walk across this time, the hundredth time, but not a chance. There are, you know, monsters that only she can see! I landed flat on my back, wondering if I had burst my hydration pack, which luckily by then was almost empty. It probably cushioned my back a little. She kept going to the next field and stopped, but then just kept walking a little out of reach, just rubbing it in a little! I eventually remounted and continued galloping around. I love riding but I will be happy to stop galloping around, soon.

I am in the best shape I have ever been in, same weight but have lost 2-3 inches from all the important measurements. I am even happy to lose 2 inches from my bust, which makes me almost normal!  I even have a 6-pack, well the closest I will ever come to having a ripped abdomen. It is hard and I can keep standing in my stirrups for miles and miles of galloping. Having a goal has been the best trainer. I would never be riding in July, in the heat and humidity unless I was training for this race. After riding two horses around 6 miles each, I have to tell myself I need to keep going and do two more for the total 24 miles because I am about to ride 75 miles a day! It is a motivating thought. But I will be happy to stop.

I think riding these spooky Thoroughbred mares must be preparing me for semi-wild Mongolian ponies. They cannot be any worse. Every time they jump at a turkey, or a squirrel, a groundhog or the simplest dark shadow in the tree line I tighten my legs, give a kick and hope I hang on. Which I think is exactly what I will be doing in about 4 weeks half way around the world!

Still prepping for the Derby

This is a picture from the start of last year's Derby. I love the breathtaking vastness of the steppe. A little intimidating to think I have to ride across that vastness but I still love the image. A benefit of logging all these miles in the saddle, beside the fitness, is that my horses are learning to relax and maintain an even rhythym for a long distance. A recommendation from their endurance trainer is to change your posting diagonal at the trot every 5 strides. Seemed extreme but it works. The horse relaxes and carries himself and I mentally count strides which makes me ride evenly for those strides. I remember Tad Coffin told me once to ride 8 strides at a time. No more. He said a horse can only concentrate for a limited time and if you hold your attention for 8 and then ride the next 8 and so on it becomes very smooth and encourages the horse to carry himself better. It works. I find that even my mare, Polly, who has a very high-strung attitude will relax and even out. I think the mental counting of strides must imitate a metrodome, that thing piano players use to each students. It teaches cadence. At the canter, I sit for 4 strides and stand for 4 and it achieves the same cadence. They can quietly canter long distances. I actually feel OK after 25 miles, my knee is fine and the hydration tips have helped in the heat. 

new training regime....

Well we did not do the 50-mile ride, so onto new and better things! My new training regime is to ride 3-5 horses every morning, galloping them each 6 miles. I have a route around the neighboring farms and mine, that is about 6 miles and the best part of all is that they do not spook so much because it is the same path almost every time. Horses love their routines and I love not being almost dumped every time a deer jumps out. Thoroughbreds are wonderful but most of them have that little spook in them. I save Michael's Quarter Horse, Bob, for last because he is a solid trooper, just canters and trots around with no fuss. By then I am a little tired. But with this training routine I can get in my "galloping 25 miles" without stressing any one horse. I am lucky that I have several horses with which to train, and I will definitely have the fittest horses around, not to mention me!
I practice drinking the whole time from my hydration pack with electrolytes and have found that it really does help. I do not get a heat stroke headache if I drink the full 2 liters for every 25 miles. So, we are getting there. Still working on the packing though! Happy Father's Day to my Dad in heaven ( yes, I was a little cowgirl), and to my husband, Mike  who has always been there for my kids.

Disappointment....

Today I was looking forward to completing a 50-mile endurance ride as part of my Mongol Derby prep. I had been working towards this particular goal for of couple months, having done 2 previous 25-mile rides. These rides were on my foxhunter, Red, as I realized quickly, that if someone has a horse good enough to do a long endurance race they are not "giving" the ride to someone else. So, Red and I had been riding long miles so that I could see how I felt after a 50 mile ride. But, it was not to be. Last night Red seemed to develop some mild gas colic, whether from the electrolyte dose, or some of the new alfalfa hay that I gave him, I don't know, but he was definitely uncomfortable. After walking and watching, having the vets check him and then being unable to find the one vet allowed to treat, I gave him a dose of Banamine. To me this was good horsemanship, as he was uncomfortable and it would help. Unfortunately, none of the vet techs told me it would be cause for disqualification from the endurance ride the next day! I was not an AERC member and was unfamiliar with their rules, so though very disappointed I said I understood, but asked,
could I simply complete a shorter ride, not as a competitor, but just to keep training for the Derby. Red was fine this morning, checked out OK by the vet that I couldn't find earlier.  But they would not let me ride on the trails at all- I was extremely bummed and just came home:(
Hopefully tomorrow I can do a 25 mile ride locally and just move on. I guess I am used to the fox hunting world, which is not a competition per se , so not subject to such rules and we medicate as appropriate all the time. I would not have worried about hunting today at all but oh well.... another time. I am trusting that the world works in mysterious ways and that Red was not supposed to do such a long ride. I made it home to entertain my son and his girlfriend, Annie's  family from Virginia, which was great.

The Mongol Derby: Only 9 weeks away!!!

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I sent 2 wire transfers today. The first was to Bodi Insurance, a Mongolian insurance company, to insure me on this adventure. They will pay for the emergency medical extraction and related expenses if required, that is, if I come a cropper somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Michael, my wonderful husband, who actually knows about these things (the sort of  “I will have to kill you if I tell you what things”) says that he can find me if he had to, as long as I take my cell phone. I do not have to turn it on, just have it stowed somewhere!  That is actually very reassuring in an odd way. 

Apparently Lloyd’s of London quit insuring the Mongol Derby because of too many claims! At least that is what The Adventurist head office laughingly stated.  Not really funny, I thought. The second wire transfer went to Cool Earth, which is the charity The Adventurists support. Part of the entry requirement for The Derby is to raise 500 English Pounds for this charity. I want to thank all my wonderful friends who have generously helped me in this crazy endeavor and donated. I was able to send the full amount and feel good about helping to save a small piece of rain forest.

 The deer flies are just starting and the young mare I rode this afternoon was not very happy with them so we kept a brisk pace to avoid a buck. Between riding an hour or so, several days a week and working with the yearlings, I hope I am getting fit enough. I spoke with a writer today, who is doing a story on foxhunters doing the Mongol Derby, for Covertside magazine. She asked me what I was most excited about and I said, “Being able to do this; I am excited about being physically fit enough to do a race like this and to experience Mongolia, which seems incredibly exotic and beautiful.” Then she asked me what I was most afraid of and I laughed and said, “Not being able to do this; not being fit enough to race 600 miles across Mongolia!”

Springime babies

On my early morning ride yesterday I came up on a
doe that had just delivered a set of twin fawns. She jumped up and bolted off. I felt so bad and hope she came back for them. Not that I need anymore deer around here but they were so beautiful and so brand new! A little later in a back field I saw another fox and family of kits playing near the edge of the woods. The fox kits ran away immediately but the vixen watched me for a awhile. So lovely in the early morning to see the natural wildlife just doing their thing. We scared up a couple of turkeys but thankfully Red doesn't spook with them very often.
It is warm enough to sit out on the patio now and enjoy my morning coffee. I asked Lynne , the competitor from last year, if there was coffee available in the mornings in Mongolia and she said NO!. I was horrified and the prospect of 10 days without coffee was the worst news I had heard about the Derby. She suggested Trader Joe's had these little pre-measured packets, coffee, cream and sugar, to which you just add hot water. I found them the next day and they are definitely going in my 10 lbs of gear! Mornings without coffee are awful. All my gear is now upstairs, strewn on the guest bed. I keep riding with the GPS to track my miles but I need to start putting in "Waystations" and learning to navigate to them. I hope YouTube has a tutorial! On the Mongol Derby site they are putting up rider profiles and I am starting to feel seriously outclassed. Some of these participants are real adrenalin junkies, world-class adventurists! I am getting excited though.

25 mile ride at Rosaryville

This is the beginning of Week 11. I took Red to Rosaryville State Park and went for a twenty-five mile ride. We averaged about 7 mph and did the 25 miles in 3 1/2 hours. Red seemed fine. He canters and trots, picking his own speed for the most part. I think he got a little tired but finished well. He finished better than I, because as we approached the van to go home, just walking, he suddenly jumped to the side and dumped me hard. I was completely taken by surprise and called him a few nasty names. Another rider on a Western pleasure horse trotted over to see if I was OK and I nodded, "Yes", while explaining that I thought Red had just "gotten me back" because we had just finished a twenty-five mile ride. My back was sore and I was hoping several Advil would do the trick. It does feel better now. Earlier, we had been galloping away from a property that we hunt, down a section of power line that we do not usually cover which was high with grass and he had jumped sideways again. This time at a puddle and I hit the ground a little more softly this time. What is it with Thoroughbreds that they can switch their whole demeanor in an instant and be airborne in a millisecond. All I can hope is, if the Mongolian ponies dump me, that it is closer to the ground from a 13 hand pony than from Red, who is 16.2 hands high. I am a little sore, but good news is that the 25 miles was pretty easy. So, we are going to register for the 50 mile ride in June and keep training! Red is awesome.
Today on the remote power line stretch, I viewed  a fox "couple" and 5 kits. I made the pass twice and they were out sunning both times, the cubs playing in the dirt. Very cool and because we have had such trouble with trappers this year, it was wonderful to see a whole family. Closer to out regular hunting area I viewed a bald eagle in the new-mown- hay fields by Donnie Christmas' farm. He circled once as I rode by, then landed again. There must have been a mown-over snake or something. They are impressive birds. There were also wild turkey that flew up and luckily Red did not spook. We see a lot of them. Oddly I saw very few deer. Came head to head with several groups cycling and realized as I kept riding the perimeter of Rosaryville that the bike-riding trails are better maintained than the horse trails. Many old ones are becoming completely overgrown. As I passed Greg Bush's house his brindle dog happily joined me for the last leg of my ride. I finally called Greg to let him know and swung by his house as he blew his hunting horn. His dog ran home thankfully.
So, I can do twenty-five miles fairly easily. Now I have a month to get myself and Red fit for a fifty-mile ride.

Preakness 2014

Preakness Day was wonderful. California Chrome won the Preakness and is headed to the Belmont. What a wonderful boon for racing to have a modest horse with regular working owners grab the national spotlight . Everyone cheered when the horse went by and every time the announcer said "California Chrome" the crowd erupted again. Carol and I went both Black Eyed Susan Day and Saturday for the big race, Preakness Stakes. Donned our fancy hats and partied turfside.

Mother's Day

Had a wonderful Mother's Day with Sam and Will. Missing Sarah who was in LA with Kevin. We were remembering the beach week last summer and making plans to reunite in late August if possible. We will have all been traveling and it would be so much fun to compare stories. Mine from Mongolia, Will and Annie's from SE Asia and Sarah will have been in Switzerland with Kevin's family!  World travelers indeed! So mark that weekend guys!
I made it back from Kentucky safe and sound, leaving Dreamie and foal to be bred. The rest of mares will go to various breeding sheds this week I hope and I will get back to logging miles horseback. I am still planning on my 50-mile ride in June and really hope this is going to be enough training. Still riding 10-15 miles every other day and just super busy the rest of the time. Starting to think the trip to Mongolia may be restful! Counting my blessings and appreciating my family.

I won an award!! Dubious but fun...

 Cool Earth and The Adventurists
 The Countdown Begins
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Greetings jolly Derbyists,

It is now just 96 days until you'll be sat upon your steed, frantically applying those last dollops of anti-chafing cream. ... By now you're hopefully into full fundraising swing. The big question is, can you hardy band of Derbyists surpass last years sterling fundraising effort.

The class of 2013 managed to raise a very impressive £7,213.29. This was enough to build and stock a medical outpost in our Ashaninka project in Peru.  (* This is the Cool Earth project that I choose.)

 Humiliations Cup
FUNDRAISING HUMILIATIONS CUP
Kudos this email goes to;
 Barbara Smith
Everyone loves a blog, and Barbara's is excellent. All her busy training preparations are well documented including a run in with a heron and the eternal struggles of using a printer. A wonderfully mediocre prize is on its way to you.
Now keep up the great fundraising efforts and don't tire yourselves out with all your frantic training you marvellous bunch.

Onwards, save the world, we salute you.
James and the Cool Earth Team.