ACTHA ~ End of Trail

 

After we slipped and stumbled down the rocks and boulders covering the steep, challenging trail down the south side of the mountain, we moseyed into a wide open section where we lost sight of the orange ribbons, or maybe it was because we were too focused on the beautiful western views of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains in the distance? 

 

The map below shows our route after leaving Obstacle #5 behind. We headed south and eventually turned in a western direction, down into a wash between two mountains, heading towards Obstacle #6, The Rope Gate.

 

Those other two ladies, the older, more experienced trail rider and her arena-bound friend, out on her first real trail ride, had sort of joined with us, after they had left their own original group early on, just like Roni and I, right around the Vine Obstacle. I guess you could say we were all renegades or outlaws, blazing the trail out on our own.

This open area was rather creepy. There were spent bullet casings all over the ground along with different shaped metal and wood targets leaning against trees. There was also a partially decomposed cow carcass over on the right side of the trail (you can see it below).

 

Before we reached the base of the mountains and the weird beam-topped gate of the Open Space area, we did have to negotiate our way down one more very steep, boulder and rock covered gully. This time I was able to give Apache her head because the trail wasn’t as narrow and lined with trees, but it was still a little hairy. Apache took very good care of us, though, and we finally made it to the bottom of the mountain and slipped through the Open Space gate and were soon at Obstacle #6, where our original group was just finishing their turn on the obstacle.

The judge had told us that she changed the rules of this obstacle from removing the rope and replacing it back on the post, to just removing the rope and walking through while dropping the rope. Sounded easier, but she also reduced the time from 60 seconds, down to 30 seconds.

Apache and I timed out right away because she really wanted us to come into the gate from her left side, but the obstacle was set up so the horse could only walk up to the gate from their right.

In her defense, this is one obstacle Apache and I have never practiced, so she just didn’t know what I wanted her to do and I’m sure I wasn’t communicating it well to her either.

Also, we were just several hundred yards from the horse camp and SASS arena at this obstacle and she was greatly distracted by the horses there that were calling out. She is not one to neigh while under saddle, even when we are left behind by other horses and riders. She tends to be pretty independent. But for some reason, perhaps because she was tired and thirsty by this time, she was calling out to the horses in the camp quite a bit and I had to redirect her attention back to me over and over by moving her feet and talking to her.

Roni and Halley Cat, on the other hand rocked this obstacle like nobody’s business.  

 

 

To say that Apache made me work hard for this next section of trail between Obstacle #6 and Obstacle #7 is a huge understatement. I knew she was tired because I was tired, and I had to keep nagging her to keep the pace. And because we were circling around the horse camp (see photo below), she was very focused on it and was very heavy leaning on her left side. Which meant I had to be heavy on my right side and left leg to keep her centered on the trail and moving forward.

Thankfully by the time we left Obstacle #6 she had stopped calling to the horses in the horse camp, but she still looked longingly in that direction.

See those mountains over there to the east? Up there is where we had just ridden approx 4 miles of the day’s trails.   

 

As you can see from the map below, the trail circled around the horse camp to the west from Obstacle #6 until we rode down into a ditch and came back up into the Downtown area of Founders Ranch at Obstacle #7. In hindsight I wonder if Apache might have been less heavy and more soft and focused if there had been some water available to the horse somewhere between Obstacle #5 and 6. She was so thirsty that when we finally got into the Downtown, she cozyed up to a big metal trash can with a flapping black trash bag inside, searching for something to drink, I’m sure.  She also had no interest in walking anymore . We were both thirsty, tired and sore.

 

 I think many of the riders were surprised at the location of the next obstacle. Obstacle #7 was a trot past the bad guys (called Bad Guy Weave…which really cracks me up. Sounds like the bad guys got a bad hair weave. lol!) and then trot-around-the-cones.

But they had the trot course set up on the gravel road, which I thought was terribly unfair for the hot, tired, thirsty, sore horses after carrying their riders around for over 7 miles all day.

As you can see, just beside the course is a fairly rock-free strip that would have worked much better and been easier on the horses' feet, especially for many of the horses who are barefoot.  

 

My instructor/trainer, Jessica G. happened to be that obstacle’s judge, and I know she tends to be more critical and conservative because she is very talented and experienced on the ways that horses and riders should cover the trot while remaining in gait. But I’ve looked over everyone’s scores that day and not one person scored over an 8, and most riders and their horses scored below a 5. I wonder if that gravel road had anything to do with it.

Here’s Roni and Halley Cat taking their turn. I thought they did well, but didn’t score above a 6.

 

As you can imagine I chose to pass on that last obstacle because Apache and I weren’t up for it. I know I could not have gotten her up into a trot if my life depended on it. As it was, it took all of my strength and energy just to get her to continue walking back to the horse camp and SASS arena.

But we did it….slow and (just a little bit) steady, we finished the race.  

 

Waved good bye to one of the Founder’s Ranch cattle. “My! What big horns you have!”

 

When we got back to the horse trailer, I dismounted, tied Apache to the trailer, removed her tack while she munched hay, and drank the rest of the water in her bucket. She even tried to drink from Halley Cat’s water bucket while I was refilling hers.

In the end, we remembered what we had accomplished that day. We had started the trail at 9:45am, rode 7+ miles over pastures and rolling hills, into the sandy washes and canyons, and up and over the mountains, attempting 7 challenging obstacles along the way. Apache had carried me safely, confidently, sure-footedly, and willingly (mostly) in large groups of horses and all by ourselves.

No we weren’t fast. In fact we were incredibly slow. But something to consider:

We started off in the 4th group of 10 riders that day. There were 4 more groups of 10 riders who started after us. In the entire day, none of those riders, except two (and they were those two ladies who ended up joining us about halfway through the ride), ever passed us.

And we still completed the ride by 2pm, while the last of those 4 groups behind us, didn’t make it back to the Horse Camp until after 4:30pm.

Something also to consider, we always arrived at an obstacle much later than our assigned group. But not once did we arrive at an obstacle, and not meet up with our assigned group, who had been waiting in line to take their turn at the obstacle, often for quite a while. While, we, of course, never had to wait more than a few minutes to take our turn.

So, if you look at the bigger picture, I think we did pretty darn good. And I am very proud of my sweet, beautiful, big hearted mare.

 

But, Boy Howdy! When we were through with our ride, we were both extremely hot, tired, thirsty and sore.

My mare and I, we were both grateful it was the End of Trail.