The Time Has Come

Re-post of article written for the Highland-Bath Recorder.

Last November, the idea of traveling to Vermont for the historic 100 mile endurance ride seemed like a great fun adventure goal; now that we leave in two days my feelings have shifted some. 

The questions hover near the surface of my mind: Am I ready? Is she ready? Is Matt ready? Do I have everything I need? Will I have enough time to get it all together and actually haul out of here to make it to Vermont before the trail opens? 

I’d like to answer a resounding YES, but there are so many variables and unknowns, the real answer is:

I hope so! 

The mysteries of the unknowns are a challenge. I have confidence that one step at a time is how this will work out. I will try to stay in the present, yet plan for the future without getting overwhelmed by it, and learn from the past without obsessing over it. 

The Old Dominion 55 helped me uncover some weaknesses that I’ve been addressing in the past weeks. 

First, Khaleesi went into the June ride with a body score of “Ideal” which is a five out of 10. On the other side of that ride she has been too lean, dropping down to a four, or “Moderately thin.” I don’t want her on the thin side leaving Virginia for two days of trailer hauling (which can bring on weight loss and dehydration) and then going into a 100 mile ride without enough weight to burn and utilize through the ride. I spoke to my nutrition professional (Stephanie Carter of Indigo Ancestral Health) who knows my horse and has worked with us for a few years. She gave me some tips to bring her weight up: more quantity of higher quality hay (the new hay season has come so we have access to better hay now), adding a stabilized rice bran to her current diet of hay pellets and Coolstance and feeding that twice a day consistently instead of once a day, increasing access to my limited pasture now that the grasses are healthy for summer. Also she has been on increased rest — the bulk of our training has been established over the past nine months. There is about one month between the OD 55 and the Vermont 100,  and instead of regular riding I have taken her on fewer rides that are around 20 miles to simulate longer segments like we will face in a 100. She has rounded out her figure a bit and is looking less lean today.

After the intense humid heat of the OD 55 crushed us, I did some research into the issue of calcium loss and found that in high humidity, excess sweating, and horses that tend to pant to stay cool (Khaleesi does this), studies show increased depletion of calcium above the other electrolyte minerals. If it’s humid in Vermont, I will be prepared with Calcium (mixed with watermelon liquid which helps the taste) to support her with. I tried it on the long training rides with no ill effect so it won’t be as experimental now. 

As for electrolytes, I often bring extra just in case and end up wasting them. For the OD ride, for the first time, I estimated what I would need minimally and did not bring extra. Due to the heat and humidity she would have benefitted from more electrolyte support than usual and I was unprepared. For Vermont, I will not be stingy with my electrolyte plan.

I spend a lot of miles and hours in the saddle, and I am also constantly considering how I can improve my riding. I have been taking virtual lessons with a wonderful dressage trainer I admire from Tennessee (Mattalyn Rogers), and she is helping me find where Khaleesi is tight or weak and where I am not balanced well. We continue to improve our movement toward relaxed and flexible strength. I had one last lesson before packing up, and it gave me some great ideas to consider while we’re riding all day Saturday into Sunday!

I also do virtual consultations with an Alexander Technique practitioner (Deb Romero with Optimal Posture) who has helped me understand posture basics. She reminds me where to be strong in the core, where to have increased flexibility, and how my joints work together to stay out of my horse’s way as she carries me those long miles. This has helped me not only in riding but my every day life as I move around in my body all day long.

Also, I found someone who does counter strain with horses. Counter strain has been very effective for me, and I was interested to see if it could be helpful for Khaleesi. True enough Dave found a nerve pathway that was inflamed and it corroborated an issue my dressage coach noticed in Khaleesi’s right hind. He was able to help her release that nerve pathway and it should help her increase flexibility and freedom of motion going forward.

The last pieces are on the human side. The completion rate on most single-day 100 mile endurance rides ranges from 30-60% and the first 100 we attempted in 2022 had nine riders begin and only one finished. It wasn’t us. My horse was still healthy and strong at 4am, but hours of rain had made the course so sloppy the rest of the competitors either had minor injuries or were going too slow to finish in time. In order for the day to end in a completion for one of these events, everything needs to line up in your favor. First you pray for favorable weather, then it helps to know the course, be familiar with the set up of the vet checks, and the flow of the ride in general, these details help to know how to prepare.

The many unknown factors are my biggest concerns. I don’t know what the course is like, I don’t know what the crewing areas are like, and I don’t know how the vet holds flow. I have noticed that the rides in the South have slightly different customs than the rides around here, and I’ve heard there are more differences out in the West, so my guess is Vermont might have it’s share of unique ways I won’t be used to. These are not entirely new rules, but how the ride management and people in the area navigate the basics can vary. If you aren’t used to them it can cause confusion and take some time to get acclimated. When you are on the clock, wasting time with confusion is never welcome.

As for my part, my plan is to ride what is in front of me on the horse I have to the best of my ability. I am less nervous about the actual ride. Once on the horse the only option is to keep going or quit. It becomes pretty simple. It’s in all the preparation that I get frazzled and that is where I am residing at the moment! I am very limited on helping Matt know what to expect in crewing this ride, so he is going to be on his own figuring out what to do and where to go while I’m out on course. I hope it doesn’t get overwhelming for him! People in this sport tend to help each other out, and Matt’s proven pretty capable in all things so I believe we will figure it out.

There is a saying we share that just getting to the starting line takes a lot of endurance! In this case it’s been months of preparing, training, and planning that will be under our wheels so to speak as we roll out of Bath County on Wednesday on this great adventure. And whatever comes, we’ll have to take it on together!