President's Message - June 2001
Hi there!
Madison Seaman's presentation on equine dentistry at our last meeting was excellent. The event was held at Trilby's barn in conjunction with some absolutely divine banana splits created by Trilby. Oh, yummm-mmmm-mm!
Our next two months meetings will be held at different venues. Our upcoming program has become a much looked forward to annual event at Julie and Bob Suhr's Ranch in the Santa Cruz mountains outside of Scotts Valley. There will be a potluck and a presentation by George Hillard from Arizona. Mr. Hillard will be speaking on the difference in horses he rode as a cowhand and ranch manager and the long distance rides he has researched in depth. The date for this event was changed to June 6, 2001 which is one week earlier than the usual to accommodate our speaker and so as not to conflict with the 5 day Ft. Schellbourne ride. Be sure to note this date. Wish I could attend this but I will be off to a great trip to China leaving the day before.
Julys meeting will be at Steve Lenheim's home on Barnes Avenue off Almaden Rd. and will feature Rebekah Witter who has published books on the relationship between horse and people.
Judith Etheridge will be our official representative to the Western States Horse Summit being held at Cal Expo in Sacramento on May 31, 2001. Becky Glaser will also be attending in an unofficial representative capacity. I think this covers us quite nicely.
I've been out doing some riding again and have even thought about during an endurance ride in the fall with Bold( the Enderle offspring of a few years back). A friend of mine has been riding Curly Joe who is a big teddy bear. Maybe it will be a duo.
'Til next time,
Diane
June 2001
June 2 Wine COUNTRY ENDURANCE RIDES 30/50
Jessica Tuteur 707-258-1937
June 2 THE CALIFORNIO'S 100
Vern Biehl 661-724-1060
June 2 NASTR 25/50/75
Gary Ceragioli 530-694-2972
May 6 QUICKSILVER MEETING at Julie and Bob Suhr's
General: 6:30 pm
Details in later pages
June 9 CHALK ROCK
Katie Kenworthy 707-443-0215
June 11-15 FT. SCHELLBOURNE 5 Day 50's
Ann Nicholson 801-644-2400
June 23 OAKLAND HILLS 25/50
Laura Fend 925-935-8147
June 30 FLATWOODS 25/50/75
Christie Evans 530-337-6530
June 30 MARIPOSA RUN FOR THE GOLD 30/60
Richard Theodore 209-742-7895
MAY MINUTES
BOARD MEETING:
May 8 , 2001
TIME IN:
6:45 PM
CALL TO ORDER:
PRESENT: Diane Enderle, Trilby Pedersen, Jan Jeffers, Mike Maul, Cathy
Kauer and Steve Lenheim
MINUTES OF LAST
MEETING:
Minutes of
last meeting had been read in the last Quips by members of the BOD and
approved.
SECRETARY'S REPORT: Secretary not present at the meeting due to prior commitment.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
Diane has a volunteer
to attend the Expo and report - Judy Etheridge. Robert Oram offered his
home for the July meeting but it was agreed that this was too far for
most members to drive in the rush hour route 101 traffic to make it feasible.
Steve Lenheim offered his home for the July meeting and it was accepted.
The August meeting will be back at Trilby's as she will have returned from
the XP2001.
CORRESPONDENCE:
No significant
mail was received during the past month.
TREASURER'S REPORT:
GENERAL ACCOUNT
$ 683.60
RIDE ACCOUNT
$2582.35
JUNIOR ACCOUNT
$ 760.12
TRAILS ACCOUNT
$ 842.66
Report was read and accepted.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE : Maryben provided a list of members who had not renewed -only 5 at this point - most of last years membership has renewed. Not renewed so far included Evans, Manion, Sofen, Newman, and Cabanis.
PROGRAM COMMITTEE :
Cathy Kauer suggested that the Sept. program will be a training clinic by Ramona Koch possibly held at Carolyn Tuckers place on McKean Road. Jan Jeffers will check to see if Carolyn is willing to host this.
- For June, George Hilliard will be coming to speak. This meeting will take place at Julie Suhr's.
- For July, Rebecca Witter will be coming to talk about her book on women and horses.
GOODWILL COMMITTEE : None.
TRAILS COMMITTEE : None given.
RIDE COMMITTEE
:
Steve Lenheim
presented a plan for the Oct. ride to take place at Henry Coe Park. Cathy
Kauer and Jan Jeffers have been working with Steve on this plan.
Pacheco looks to be out of consideration now. Ride could start from Hunting
Hollow. Water and access are problems Steve will be working on with Jan
and Cathy. Calero/Quicksilver was presented as the backup plan if Coe could
not be made to work. Steve has mapped out several trails for the
route already and ridden them. Steve will report again at the next meeting
AWARDS COMMITTEE: None given.
NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE: None given. Next issue of the Quips will be June, 2001.
OLD BUSINESS: None.
NEW BUSINESS: The discussion for the Sept. meeting program was handled under new business.
A motion to adjourn
was called and seconded. The Board meeting adjourned at 7:35 PM.
GENERAL MEETING
- May 8, 2001
TIME IN:
7:40 PM
The General Meeting was a program and ice-cream social. Dr. Madison Seamens gave a talk describing the dental care and treatment of equines from a very young age to the geriatric stage - illustrated by a slide show and speaking his own cowboy poetry. Dr. Seamens is a graduate of Texas A&M and grew up in Texas. Trilby provided homemade banana splits for the members. About 18 attended the talk with one new member - Ann Rosebrook. Steve Lenheim presented plans for the QSER Fall Ride. He stressed the need for volunteers.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Maul substituting
for Jackie Davidson, Secretary
June Meeting *Special Speaker * Different Date *6:30 pm
The June General Meeting will be the first Wednesday of June, the 6th, rather than the usual 2nd Wednesday. It will be a hot dog roast and pot luck at Bob and Julie Suhr's in Scotts Valley. Quicksilver Club Members with last names starting with A thru L should bring a hot dish, casserole or pasta or something easy and N through Z should bring a salad or dessert. Soft drinks will be provided. If you have something else in mind, bring it and we will see that it is chilled. Also bring a chair and a jacket if the night is cool. If you don't care for plastic knives and forks, bring your own utensils. Guests are very welcome so gather up your friends. Anyone needing directions can call Bob or Julie at 831-335-5933. This is a chance for the Santa Cruz area crowd to stay on our side of the hill.
The guest speaker, George Hilliard of Arizona worked in the cattle business for 25 years as a ranch-hand and then as part-owner and operator of ranches in New Mexico and Colorado. He is also a pilot, author, a college instructor and served in the US Army during World War II and the Korean War. He is the author of 100 YEARS OF HORSE TRACKS, the story of ranching and cowboying in New Mexico early in the 20th Century. He believes deeply that woven into ranch life is an ethic---self reliance, neighborliness and dead-on honesty--that must not be lost.
He is presently working on a book titled HOW FAR, HOW FAST, HORSE TRACKS ACROSS AMERICA--which tells of long or unusual horseback rides and races from colonial days up through present-day endurance trials, perhaps thirty events in all, some in a few paragraphs, others at length.
The following is the closing paragraph in the Foreword, " I once asked a cowboy about the breeding of the flashy, blaze-faced sorrel he was riding. 'Don't know,' he answered," but he's a good 'un." Some of these stories, good 'uns like that sorrel horse, lack pedigrees, but that failing need not spoil their merit nor their appeal.
He says he would enjoy telling some yarns about my cowboying days, and then talk a little about horse keeping, handling, and using on ranches as I've seen such. And I hope there will be questions and general talk in the same regards, and about endurance horse training and riding--and personal stories. I've become really intrigued by this aspect of horse use that is all new to me.
Julie invited George to be our speaker when an e-mail correspondence blossomed into discussion on the differences between the horses he used and those that we are using--handling, feeding, and riding.
Also present on June 6th will be Rebekah Witter who will be the guest speaker at our July meeting. She, too, is an author who discovered HORSE POWER in her 40's and now is passionate on the subject. Learn about learning from horses.
Directions
to QUICKSILVER MEETING-June 6 - Wednesday
100 Marinera Road, Scotts Valley 831-335-5933
From NORTH-- Take Highway 17 toward Santa Cruz. 1 1/2 miles past the Summit is Glenwood Drive. DO NOT TAKE. 3 1/2 miles past the Summit is GLENWOOD CUT-OFF. TAKE. Go almost 1 mile. TURN LEFT. Go 1 1/2 miles to kiosk of mailboxes on right. This is WESTON ROAD. TAKE. Look at odometer. Come in 2 1/4 miles and look up to your right and you will see a redwood log that says MARINERA on it. Turn up driveway to right and just keep coming until you can't go any further.
From SOUTH--From Santa Cruz head toward Los Gatos on HIghway 17. Get off at GLENWOOD DRIVE /GRANITE CREEK exit. Go back over top of overpass so you are now on left side of Highway 17. Follow signs to GLENWOOD DRIVE. Go up Glenwood exactly 2 1/2 miles. Look for kiosk of mailboxes on left. This is WESTON ROAD. TAKE. Look at odometer. Come in 2 1/4 miles and look for log with MARINERA on it. on the right. Turn up driveway and come to top.
Mike Maul reports on SASO IV
The Shine and Shine
Only IV took place this w/e at Grant Ranch as usual with an FEI ride as
well.
The weather was very
nice for endurance - very cool and cloudy initially - then warming up during
the day. The scenery - as always - was the green hills of Mt. Hamilton
with good climbs and long trots on the ridges.
QSER members and volunteers were everywhere of course. The ride had 47 starters in the 50 and 33 finishers. The 25 LD had 27 starters and 25 finishers. The American River Ride on at the same time meant that both rides were available to people in our area.
The FEI ride put on in conjunction with the 50 drew 7 starters and 3 finishers. Marybens comment on Ridecamp was - We have 6 world championships represented.....1 with Sandy Schuler, 3 with Becky Hart and 2 with Valerie Kanavy. Mike Foss was there as a part of the vet team for the FEI ride as well as Valerie Kanavy riding a local(California) horse. Unfortunately Valerie was among the DNFs but still enjoyed the ride.
Notable events for QSER members included a great race at the finish of the 50 between Jennifer Kurtzhall on Tucker and Cheryl Dell for first with Tucker missing first by only 2 inches in 5:54. Rick Gomez was 3rd on Gary Belsers horse. Barry Waitte was 4th and BC.
Michele Shaw was 7th overall and 1st FEI on Tallymark, Steve Lenheim was 17th, Becky Glaser 20th, Dawn Perrine 27th, Marilyn Orlando 28th, Ken Cook and Peggy Bullock were 31 and 32 while DNFs included Mike Tracy(pulled at the finish), Val Weizer, Kathy Thompson, and Trilby.
The LD 25 included Julie Suhr, Barbara White, and Tom Stutzman finishing.
QSER member Nancy Elliot was head vet and the volunteers from the club included Brian Reeves, Bing Voight, Pat McKendry, Jan Jeffers, Kathy Mayeda, Scott Sansom, Eric Thompson, Mike Maul, Judy Etheridge, and Lori Oleson. I am sure that I missed some.
Ride management was Becky Hart and Judith Ogus - with our always cheerful ride secretary Maryben who just loves last minute changes and entries...
One other notable event was that the BC scoring and ride results were done using the Easycare Ride Managers program and the sample results were available at the AERC office in Excel spreadsheet form within 3 hours after the ride was over. These are unofficial of course until Becky approves the results and the medium of transmission. This was just a test to see how quickly it could be done.
A very nice Spring ride and close to home.
Nice ride - Becky
and Judith.
Mike
Thank you, Kathy Mayeda, for posting the following report on SASO IV to Ridecamp.
I helped out by being a vet secretary at this ride. I have to start out to say that I woke up on a sunny morning in Mountain View only to go into windy, cloudy Mt. Hamilton Road (San Jose) and had to wear three more layers than I normally would this time of the year.
As I drove home, I had to pull off a layer at a time as I descended back into Silicon Valley (so there, Maryben...)
The only difference I saw at this ride was that the vet check had a taped off area for P&R's and the vet lanes were more clearly marked. And of course, we had some endurance celebrities here! Mike Foss, DVM was there as the "foreign veterinary technical whatever....." and of course Valerie Kanavy. They are both very personable people and we enjoyed having them at the ride Sandy Schuler, DVM was looking kinda glam with her hot pink lipstick as she capably vetted.
Becky Hart did another great job as ride manager along with Judith Ogus. Becky is such a real person, that sometimes we forget that she has done so much for the sport of endurance with her three world championships! Mike Foss just returned from a trip to New Zealand and Australia to vet rides. Dr. Nancy Elliott just had a trip to Brazil to vet a ride. The vets were hanging around comparing notes on the different countries. I should have been more of a bug on the wall, but I was more concerned with getting my second cup of coffee into me.
The more I see Nancy as head vet in action, the more I am impressed with her as a ride vet. She knows most everyone by name, including the horses, and remembers their history.
I saw only two of the FEI riders finish the ride before I left at 5:00 p.m. They were not the ones racing, either!!!
Other people hanging out at the ride - names you might recognize from someplace- Julie and Bob Suhr, Ruth and Ron Waltenspiel, Mike Maul and his computer, Maryben - ride secretary extraodinaire, Heather Bergantz, Lori Oleson, Ken Cook, LS Zane Grey and his gang Eric, Kathy & Katelyn and a host of others that my fried brain is stuttering on.
Well, next weekend should be interesting too at Washoe. My farrier better come thru with his redo of three sprung shoes going into the second week of a shoeing cycle. Darn. Need to do an easyboot fitting and training. Got my health cert/Coggins. I just NEED to go!!!!
K.
ed. note: Unfortunately, Kathy was not able to solve her shoeing problem and was forced to pull out of the Washoe Ride she had planned on attending.
From the laptop of Ride Reporter Mike Maul.....
The Lakeside Classic was attended by a large number of QSER members on April 21. It was a very nice ride on Saturday but with an inauspicious beginning. It was raining in San Jose when we left for the ride and the rain followed us to San Antonio Lake near Bradley, CA. It rained on and off much of Friday afternoon and evening. It rained during the night at about 4 AM - then clear starlit skies at 5 AM and then cloudy again by the 6 AM start time for the 50s. This was the basis for MaryBen deciding she would not start on Barry. She should have started because the day turned out very nice - cool - windy - and lots of sunshine. She did crew for Heather and others - and enjoyed the ride.
The ride takes place at Lake San Antonio about 3 hours south of San Jose partially on the Hunter-Liggett Army base. Ridecamp has lots of space - a view of the lake - and hot showers . Barbara and Ron Sanches put on the ride as a benefit for the Vietnam Veterans of Monterey County. It's marked well - has spectacular views of the mountains and the lake - and is a lot of fun. They have access to new trails now and the ride is moderate in difficulty as compared to a few years ago when it was more difficult. The first part of the ride has some nice climbs - beautiful wildflowers - hillsides with Lupin, California poppies and Indian Paintbrush along the trail. And the roads are wide and called "tank" roads. I didn't think much about this while riding along them until I noticed the tracks on each side of the road - about 15 ft apart and wondered what type of vehicle could have made those...Army base - real tanks...
The vet checks are are 15 and 40 miles with 30 and 60 minutes hold. The last loop goes north along the lake with views from both high above and along the lake fingers as you ride.
High notes - Michele Shaw and Robinhood took first and BC. Head vet Diana Hassel said that the Robinhood looked even better at the finish than he did at the preride check-in - a great horse. Judy Etheridge and Orion took 6th, Jan Jeffers on Cloud(ex Rocket) took 12th, Mike Maul on Thor 13th, Lori Oleson 16th, Nancy Elliot 17th, Barb and Lud McCrary 20 and 21, Kathy Webster 33rd, Jeff Luternauer 53rd, and Trilby in last at 54th. Pat and Bob Verhuel and Gertrud Walker finished as well but I didn't get their placings. There were 80 listed as starting in the 50 - 20 in the 25 - on Friday but a number decided not to start due to the weather. And Mike Maul reached 2000 miles at this ride, as did Lori's horse, Kassiq.
Maryben had a cake at the ride meeting for Julie Suhr's birthday as a surprise. She pulled it off well as Julie seemed really surprised. Everyone had a candle while we sang Happy Birthday. Then it turned out it was Gertrud Walker's birthday as well. Julie and Gertie gave out cake and Julie later wondered - "How come no one asked me which birthday it was..."
Low notes - Rick Gomez on Monterey rode a very nice ride for 3rd in but was pulled at the finish due to lameness. The 5th place finisher - not a club member - was also pulled at the finish. Heather Bergantz - riding one of Julie Suhr's horses - took a fall with the horse when it stepped in one of the many ground squirrel holes. It coliced soon after and was transported offsite to the vet clinic. Bob and Julie were having a good ride but pulled to go to the vet with their horse.
And some of the things to mention:
Barbara mentioned in the awards meeting that one QSER member- Steve Lenheim - had to cancel at the last moment but asked that his entry fee not be refunded. He also made a very generous contribution along with his entry to the Vietnam Vets fund. We don't often think about the sacrifices that the vets made then - and that some are still making - but they are a part of our nation and deserve to be honored.
I see a young rider at the vet check - her horse is a little off early in the day while the temperature is still low and the vet says warm him up a little and come back later. In a few minutes - the rider comes back and says - he isn't my horse and let's not take any chances. There is always another day.
Judy Etheridge comes up to Jan Jeffers on Friday night and says - are you going to ride slow? I brought my western saddle - Orion was just shod yesterday and I have Easyboots on him in front. I need someone to ride slow with tomorrow. In the morning - no Judy until we see her coming back on the two way portion of the loop in first place with Rick Gomez in second and in 45 minutes out - she is already 15 minutes ahead of Jan riding "slow".. Later she says - when I got to the starting line - there was no one there so I just stayed out in front. 7th place is pretty good for a "slow" ride.
I talk to people at the ride dinner - one of the things I enjoy about the ride - and hear how this ride brings back lots of memories about people and horses from the earlier San Antonio ride. Ron Waltenspiel is wearing his buckle from that ride as we talk. I hear things like - we work hard all week and this is our chance to have fun.
I see many volunteers supporting the ride with their time and effort - always smiling and friendly and think how fortunate we are to have people - who are not really "horse" people come out and make our rides possible. We all owe them a lot.
I talk to a ride manager
of another ride who says - It would be really nice if riders who
have suggestions or complaints - would send me a note after the ride.
It's just too busy during the ride to do anything or remember
it for next time.
The last section before the finish line is flat and open right along the lake shore. It's a fantastic feeling cantering slowly along with your horse with the wind, the water, and the wildflowers. It's one of those moments you remember about rides....
I talk to a very experienced endurance rider with more miles than almost anyone else around. She says that she never has trouble sleeping - except the night before a ride. She still gets "butterflies" before each ride. I hear someone kid the most experienced endurance rider about doing NATRC when she started. She covers her eyes and says "That was a long time ago."
We pass another rider on the trail walking her horse in because she feels he is off. She completes in the mid-teens. People do take care of their horses. With my own horse - he hasn't been drinking until 25+ into the rides lately. We keep stopping for grass so I can get something with water into him. Finally he drinks a lot at about 30 miles. Why don't these animals know they are going to need water later...
Before I came to California - I always thought of Silicon valley. Now I think of it as miles of vineyards, irrigated vegetables, and fruit trees that help feed the nation. I think of the rolling green hills, the low fog, the mountains, the beaches, and the great places to ride.
Overall - a very nice
ride for a very good cause. Barbara and Ron - thanks for putting it on
and giving us a reason for seeing new places.
Washoe 2001 Under a Full Moon
The Washoe 25/50/100
took place on May 5 under a full moon in the Washoe State Park just
north of Carson City.
The ride was a combined AERC and FEI event put on by Connie Creech
as ride manager. The
turnout was good - 44 in the LD, 103 in the 50, and 38 in the 100 with
18 of the 100s in
the FEI event. The completion rate was excellent in the LD and 50
- 41 of 44
and 94 of 103 for
93 %. The statistics on the 100 were not available when we left early
in
the morning. The ride
was a very successful one for almost all QSER members. The weather
was excellent this
year - warm and sunny.
In the 50 mile event
- Mike Maul/Thor were 40th, Jeff Luternauer/Phoenix were 41st, Val
Weiser, Brian Reeves,
and Trilby were 81-83rd with Trilby doing a fast ride coming in 11
places before last.
Brian planned to do the 100 but with not feeling well - he
did the 50 with extra
time out at the vet checks. The winning time was about 6 hours.
Jeff's Phoenix passed
the 3K mile mark on this ride. In the team event -he Pacific South
Team
that Brian and Val
were on came in 9th of 14.
In the 100 - QSER riders
placing were Heather Bergantz on Red for a very fast first, Michele
Shaw on Robinhood
at 9th, Lori Oleson on Flame at 11th, Becky Hart/High Noon in the
teens, Melissa and
Robert Ribley somewhere in the middle, and Kirsten Berntsen completing
last.
Pulled were Dom Freeman
and Gloria Vanderford. Crewing were Hugh Vanderford and Hillary
Bachman. I am
not completely certain on the Ribleys because I didn't see them after 10
PM.
Heather and Red were
so fast that they were completing the 100 at the same time Trilby was
completing the 50
- about 6:20 PM after a 5 AM start for the 100 and 7 AM for the 50. The
other
QSER members completed
in the 8-11 PM time period with Kirsten finishing at 4:30 AM.
Marcia Smith was second
with Suzanne Ford-Huff, Jason Wonders, and Sharon Westergard
among the top finishers.
The trail markings
were really excellent - impossible to miss. There was an excellent meal
and
awards ceremony Saturday
evening No one went home hungry after the steak and chicken.
Snow-capped mountains
ringed the area and the views were very nice from the trails. Basecamp
was at 5000 feet with
climbs up to 6650. Loops included 49 miles with one out vet check for the
100s and 26 , 20,
and 4 miles for the rest. All but one 100 vet check was back at basecamp.
Basecamp was in the
park facilities which were horse oriented - lots of space for corrals
and
parking - and yield
to horses signs. There were hot showers nearby and dogs were allowed.
Nancy Elliot was head
vet assisted by Kerry Ridgeway and 4 other vets. The last loop of 4
miles was along the
beach of the lake - deep sand and very slow going. I tried for the packed
wet
sand at the waters
edge but Thor considered the waves to be too dangerous for that to help.
Ride manager Connie
Creech put on an excellent well organized ride. The ride packet
included extra information
like the preride list of entrants, free items like paste electrolytes,
and complete schedules.
It is one of the best organized and prepared I have been to. There was
water, horse and rider
food, and help everywhere on the ride.
There was a scale set
up for riders to weigh their horses before and after the ride. Thor
lost
20 lbs(2.2%) during
the ride and his rider lost 5. But during the evening - after
3 passes thru the
dinner line after
everyone else had gone through - his rider gained back the lost 5 pounds
easily.
The FEI part of the
ride had a positive impact on the AERC portion. With the vetting
boxes - it
looked like the flow
of riders was better to some who had attended in the past. Other than
separate parking areas
and the vetting boxes - it looked very much like a regular AERC ride to
me. I liked getting
to see how an FEI ride was run. If this is an example of the impact of
FEI
on AERC rides - it
looks pretty good to me. One other item - there were signs in kilometers
-
and miles - for the
100s...
Some parts of the trail
were rocky and most people walked. There were the famous SOBs in
the
first loop for the
50s and the next to last for the 100s in the dark. The third one was the
toughest
with lots of loose
gravel to slide on going down. When I mentioned the rocks to Karen
Chaton -
ride photographer
for those moments you don't want to appear on the internet - she said "Rocks
-
you haven't seen rocks
yet in Nevada." I jogged about 3 miles of the downhill on the ground
and
found that I can still
do some of this even with repaired knees. The one uphill attempt
I made on
the steepest part
of the second loop convinced me I was going to die if I did that again.
I had
forgotten the altitude.
Selected observations from the ride:
The desert has beauty too - you just have to look more to see it . The wildflowers we see on other rides were here too but some were so tiny you had to look very closely to see the tiny patches of color.
People like to talk
when they go by - comments ranged from a women pointing out the deer to
her horse "Look at
all the Bambi" to the grosser comment from a guy about the flock of sheep
-
"Now I'm up close
I can see which one is the prettiest". One of them was to me - as
one of our
elected representatives
- "I'd like to bend your ear on this item".
All of us have occasional
frustrations with our hopes for our horses and the ride season. One
pulled
100 mile competitor
said "Well - looks like the recovery was not as good as we had hoped.
Looks
like Tevis is out
this year."
I am always surprised
at the dedication of the volunteers - at 1:30 AM - the dinner area was
still lit up and serving
dinner to the late finishers in the 100. Sometimes a late rider can
only find a cold covered
plate of food at the end of a long tough ride.
Interesting to see
some history at a ride. Chris Knox - multiple Tevis winner
and ex-runner - was
there competing in
the 50 placing in the middle. Hearing stories of Tevis from the early
1970s from
a 70 year old doing
the ride. Hearing how much things have changed. Wonder what we will say
about how different
things are 30 years from now about our sport?
It was nice to see
a Horse Excellence Award for the LD. We may not see the support of
LDs
here that the CT and
SE regions have but they are a part of our sport and it's nice to see this
recognition..
And many I hear are
talking about the upcoming XP2001 - how much fun it will be - how
prepared
are you - how many
horses are you talking - are you going to do the whole thing... And some
say -
if I have a sound
horse at the end - "Lets do Tevis too the week after the XP finishes!"
We sure
get wrapped up in
this sport...
Driving home going
through Reno - the roadside signs tout "where the locals play, 30% more
paybacks,
breast implants only
$3600, body sculpting" - certainly different from the people and place
I spent
my time with this
weekend. People walking their horses around the morning after the ride,
hearing
on the trail - "Want
us to stop while you get on?" - "Is your horse done drinking and it's OK
to go?"
I am glad we have dedicated
ride managers like Connie and the others I see at rides - we are all in
this together but
they make it possible.
Mike
I'm
Almost There by Marvin Snowbarger
Eighteen months ago, November 1999, I received the official notice that I would be eligible for the Western States 100 Mile Run(the Tevis Trail) in nineteen months. So, here I am, one month away.
Yesterday, May 12, I finished the QUICKSILVER 50K, my last scheduled, competitive event. I used it for training and mileage. The weather cooperated and my result was generally promising. Now, it's time to focus on the Western States Run.
During the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I'll be in Foresthill, CA, as one of the participants in the Western States Training Camp. We will run the last 70 miles of the Western States Trail in 3 days. Although I know the Trail generally from my Tevis experiences, there are some sections that are unique to the Run. When the Camp closes, the nineteenth month will be upon me.
Training for an event such as this has been a 5 month experience with both physical and mental dimensions. The physical part consists mainly of running(hill repeats, long runs, back-to-back runs, and high mileage weeks) and selective weight lifting(abs, arms, chest, and squats for leg strength). I've even bought and read a few books on how the dogs of the Alaskan Iditarod Race are trained and prepared for the 1100 miles they run.
Far from Alaska and without exception, all of my training has been in Quicksilver Park because I don't want to use potential running time for travel. Early on, I thought about running with friends and groups in order to vary, and keep interesting, the running routine. But, I quickly realized that it was not time-efficient. Driving to distant locations doesn't get me in running shape.
The mental part of all this has been a struggle. There are a million ways to rationalize not doing a workout. As my own trainer and coach, I can say that putting concept(coach) and execution (trainer) to work(me) has created some serious internal arguments! Also, I've found that social detachment and insulation from personal involvements are absolutely necessary to ensure that the training occurs with some semblance of consistency and effort.
There is something of a "magic pill", however, and that is 8-10 hours of sleep every evening. Anything less, and my attitude goes south.
Although this 5 month effort has been difficult, it is increasingly made more difficult by the uneasiness of fear: fear that my preparation has been insufficient; fear that I may not finish; and fear that Maryben will not love me anymore. Maybe, borrowing from a famous quotation enunciated in a difficult national situation decades ago, the only thing I have to fear is fear itself. So Maryben would still love me?
We understand one of our Quicksilver members in the Cool area has big plans for the June 23rd 100 Mile Western States Trail Run. Mark Falcone has also been training hard. All the love and best wishes of Quicksilver goes down the trail with these Marvin and Mark.
It
Takes All Kinds.....
submitted by Ken Cook
The Riders
Natural Horsemanship: devotee looks like a throwback from a Texas ranch, despite the fact that he grew up in the suburbs of NJ. Rope coiled loosely in hand (don't want to send any messages of tension, after all) in case he needs to herd any of those kids on rollerblades away from his/her F-350 dually in the WalMart parking lot. Cowboy hat is strategically placed, and just soiled enough to be cool. Wranglers are well worn, with that little wrinkle above the instep of the ropers, and lots of dust (well, you know, from the round pen) on the lower legs.
Dressage Queen: is freshly coifed. Not even she remembers her own hair color, but she has taken great pains to ensure that Rolf, the hairdresser, makes the perm and highlights look "natural." Diamond studs are elegant and stately, and not so large that they blind the judge during the entire passage-piaffe tour. $30 denim jumper worn over $300 full seat white breeches and custom Koenigs.
Hunter/Jumper competitor: is in an aqua polo and those breeches whose color could be compared to, um, well, okay, let's say they're khaki. The polo is so that folks will think they're a jumper rider until they put on their shirt and stock tie. Baseball cap is mandatory after a ride, in order to provide free advertising to that trainer's stable for whom they shell over a mere grand or so per month, and to hide "helmet head."
Eventer: is slightly hunched over. This could be from carrying three saddles, three bridles, three bits, and all related color coordinated gear to every event, or it could possibly be a defensive posture where he/she is unconsciously protecting his/her wallet, which is, of course, nearly empty from buying three saddles, three bridles, three bits and all related color coordinated gear. Looked down on by the H/J's as "people who just run their horses at fences" and by the DQ's as "not real dressage riders". Eventers are smugly convinced that they are in act the only people in the horse world who CAN ride, since the H/J's don't jump real fences and the DQ's don't ride real horses.
Endurance: addict is wearing lycra tights in some neon color. Has not read the rule that lycra is a privilege, not a right. The shinier, the better, so that they can find her body when her mount dumps her down (another) ravine. Wearing hiking sneakers of some sort and a smear of trail dirt on the cheek. Sporting one of the zillions of T-shirts she got for paying $75 to complete some other torturous ride. Socks may or may not match (each other).
Backyard rider: can be found wearing (in summer) shorts and bra, (in winter) flannel nightgown, muck boots, down jacket. Drives a ford tempo filled with dirty blankets and dog hair. Usually has deformed toes on the right foot from being stepped on in the Walmart sneakers that are worn for riding. Roots need touching up to hide the grey. 2-horse bumperpull behind barn filled with sawdust/hay. Can be found trying to teach her horse to come in the kitchen to eat so she doesn't have to walk all the way to the barn.
The Horses
Rusty: is the quintessential NH mount. Rescued from a situation where he was never initiated in the NH ways, he'd learned to run down his owners at feeding time, knock children from his back under low hanging branches, and could even spit like a camel if provoked. The embezzlement has never been proven. The hospitalization tally for his handlers was twelve until he met Spherical Sam. After twelve minutes in the round pen, he is teaching algebra to high school freshmen, speaks three language fluently, and can put on his own splint boots (with Spherical Sam's trademark logo embossed clearly).
Fleistergeidelsprundheim: ("Fleistergeidel" for short) is an 18-hand warmblood who was bred to make Grand Prix in a European nation where his breeders are still laughing hysterically when they talk about 'zat crazy American.' Despite being runty, his owner fell in love with his lofty gaits, proud carriage and tremendous athleticism. Never mind that this talent was not revealed until he was chased down by a rabid raccoon, and has not been repeated since. Has been injured sixteen times in the last year, preventing his move to PSG at age 6, despite living in a 20' x 20' padded stall and providing family supporting wages to a groom whose chief job duty is "don't let him get hurt!"
Neverbeenraced: is a prime example of American Thoroughbred. The coat is deep bay, no markings, the textbook TB head, and no unusual conformational characteristics. Perfect, just perfect. Overcame a near fatal flaw in his H/J career when he learned that the plants in the jumps are NOT real, and therefore did not require him to stop and taste. Has learned to count strides all by himself, and asks in midair which lead his mistress would like today.
Fastnhihasican: is a Thoroughbred track reject who never won a single race - perfect eventer! He has two speeds, gallop and stopndump, and they are used, at his discretion, for all three phases of eventing, although he has some creative variations of gallop to spice up that boring dressage. There is the gallopdowncenterlineandrear, thegallopdepartandbuck, the extendedoutofhand gallop, and, a favorite among spectators, the gallopzigzagpirouette in which the gallop is performed entirely while hopping on his hind legs. His favorite phase is cross-country where all obstacles regardless of size are jumped at the height of 5.5 feet, and because that is where he gets to employ his personal favorite movement, the stopndump. This is the most fun when performed at cross-country water obstacles where his person invariably stands up soaking wet with murky, smelly water and threatens to sell him to Fleistergeidel's owner while he follows up with another fun gallop variation, the imfreeandyoucantcatchmegallop, another crowd-pleaser.
Al Kamar Raka Shazaam: was often called "you bastard" until he found an owner as hyper as he, an endurance addict. Can spook at a blowing leaf, spin a 360 and not lose his big trot rhythm or give up an inch to the horse behind him. Has learned to eat, drink, pee and drop to his resting pulse rate on command. Has compiled 3,450 AERC miles, with his rider compiling 3,445 -- those five miles being the ones he was chased down the trail after performing his trademark 360 turn, without said aforementioned rider.
Snook'ums: is the barkyard rider's horse. Big head; stride of a gerbil. Duct tape holding shoe on until farrier gets out next month. Has a little qtr, arab, standerdbred, tw, shetland blood. Mane cut with scissors straight across. He's been there so long she forgot how she got him or where he came from. Frequently seen ambling around the yard. Been known to join family picnics on the back porch.
Frequently Overheard
NH Devotee -- "Well, shucks ma'am, tweren't nuthin'!" "It's simple horsemanship" "With this special twirly flickitat'em rope ($17.95 plus tax), you'll be roundpenning like me in no time." "You silly human, that just ain't natural for a horse."
Dressage Queen -- "Oh no, he's hurt again?!" "The check is in the mail." To Herr German lastname: "Can't you tune up those one tempis for me?" To the groom: "Get me that mounting block -- can't you see my nails are still wet?" To the show manager: "That footing has ruined my chances at Olympic Gold in 2000, I'll have you know." and "What were you thinking, stabling me next to that nobody? That horse could be *diseased*?" To anyone who will listen: "When I had dinner with Hilda / Lendon / Robert..
H/J Competitor -- "Did you tell Neverbeenraced how many strides between Fence Four and Fence Five -- I can never remember!" "Is my butt sticking out enough when I post?""Oh no, I can't jump 2'6", my trainer will KILL me!""I can't wait to do jumpers with Neverbeenraced -- then we can wear one of those tasseled ear covers!"
Eventer -- "I broke my collarbone/ribs/ankle again last week, but I'll be fine for the jog-up tomorrow." "How do you get pond water out of saddle leather?" "Did you see our showjumping where Fastnhighasican bounced the two stride combination?" "Did you see our final gallopdowncenterlineandrear? I think he is finally starting to relax in dressage." "Oh, it's just a little concussion. Have you seen my horse?" "OOOOHHHHH SHIIIIIIIIT"
Endurance Addict -- "Anyone have Advil?" "Anyone have food? -- I think last year's Twinkies finally went bad." "For this pain, I spend money?" "Oh I never bring hay or water to the vet checks -- there's always plenty around." "Quick, quick, did you look, was his pee okay?""Shazaam, you bastard --it's just a leaf [thud]!"
Backyard Rider -- "It's
too hot/cold/wet/dry to ride." "I used to show." "Where's my metamucil?"
"Has anyone seen Snook'ems? last I saw him he was across the road in the
cornfield." "Here's a picture of Snook'ems when he was 43 years young!"
"Snook'ems stop slobbering on me."
Quicksilver Book Review
Seabiscuit-An American
Legend...few Quicksilver members can remember when Seabiscuit thrilled
a depression era generation. Your editor is one of them, however, and still
has a scrapbook with the pictures of Seabiscuit cut from the sporting green
of the San Francisco Chronicle in the late 1930’s. Her memories of
the crooked legged unlikely sports hero of that period are portrayed vividly
in the book, now currently Number 1 on the New York Time's
best seller list. You don't have to be a horse person to enjoy this
beautifully written story, filled with suspense, rags-to-riches melodrama
and back stage. race track lifestyle. Seabiscuit thrilled not just a nation
but a world in his highly publicized match race with War Admiral.
When a son of Man of War vied against a grandson is was considered
by many to be the most exciting two minutes in sports history. Laura Hillenbrand
has turned this story of one horse into exciting reading. Catch
it if you can.
js
Quicksilver’s ranks seem to be growing. We welcome to our group Ann Rosebrook of San Jose. Ann is new to endurance riding and wants to learn all she can. We hope to be able to introduce her to a lot of our members at the June 6th Meeting.
From Jennifer Layman comes news that she will be moving to Utah at the end of September. Park City will be home and what spectacular country she will have in which to ride and train. We will get her new address later in the summer.
Jack and Diane Enderle won a breeding to Cherie and Jeff Briscoe’s Doc Thunder Bask+// at the AERC Convention. Doc is AERC’s highest mileage stallion with over 14,000 miles in competition. He has completed 254 out of 260 rides which is a pretty enviable record. Jack and Diane cannot use the breeding so are offering it for sale at half Doc’s regular fee. You can send your own mare to his court or you can lease one of the Briscoe’s. This is a good deal for someone wanting a Doc foal.
John
and Nancy Goodrich have some super transportation for somebody’s horses!
A custom built
4-Star alum. 4/5 horse trailer. tack room/changing room with shelves,
hooks, 4 saddle racks, skylight, two blanket bars
and bridle hooks. Carries 4 to 5 horses, lined with rubber mats
on floor and walls. Large Aluminum hay rack on roof. 55-gal aluminum water
tank on roof-equipped with hose bibs for watering/washing.Exterior spot
lights all around. Bucket hooks both sides for feeding & watering.Torflex
Suspension Axels (torsion arm type) 4 tie loops on each side of trailer/6
tie loops on left interior of the trailer. 234x85x16 tires/heavy
duty 4 wheel brakes 12,000 miles mileage. Looks brand new.
Price:
$12,000.00
650-851-3393-home
650-851-7216
-answering machine
QUICKSILVER PRESIDENT DIANE ENDERLE will not be at the June Meeting because she will be in China with former Quicksilver member Susan Allison Cheng, among others. Arriving in Beijing, she will visit Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Imperial Palace. A side trip to see the terra cotta horses and soldiers will precede a cruise down the Yangtze River, the site of the great dam now being built and which the McCrarys visited over a year ago. Have a good trip, Diane!
Published by the Quicksilver
Endurance Riders Inc.
P.O. Box 71, New Almaden,
CA 95042
Julie Suhr, Editor
TEL and FAX 831-335-5933
e-mail marinera@aol.com