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!”