ACTHA ~ On the Trail Again

 

Have you ever spent a night not being able to sleep at all because you were excited and anxious about something that was going to happen the next day?

You set the alarm, so you can get a good night’s sleep without worrying about over-sleeping, but still can’t allow sleep to take over. So you find yourself sitting up in bed again and again to check the time, and discover that only an hour has passed since you last checked, and you’re still awake. Finally you notice the sun is rising and you might as well just get up and start getting ready for the big event, even though you’re bleary-eyed and exhausted, and you can’t even eat breakfast because your tummy is full of fluttering butterflies and buzzing bees. Have you ever had that same experience?

Well, that’s just what I was going through on Friday night and Saturday morning. And so my llamas, goats and horse were quite surprised to find me stumbling up to the barn at 6am to feed them, when I usually don’t get up there until at least 8am. It worked out well, though, because I wanted Apache to be able to enjoy her breakfast in peace before my friend Roni came by with her horse trailer and her mare, to pick us up for the CTC at 6:45am.

Apache was ready to go when Roni arrived and she quickly loaded right up on her own without any trouble. And we were on our way…..just 4 miles down the road to Founders Ranch. After parking near the SASS Mounted Shooting Arena, we left the horses to munch their hay breakfast, while Roni and I jumped on a wagon, pulled by a truck, to take us to the Downtown area of Founders Ranch so we could try to swallow down some breakfast of our own. The meals that day were catered by Outlaw Catering, a company that does meal catering for the Film Industry here in New Mexico. It was a pretty good breakfast buffet with biscuits and gravy, veggie scramble, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, as well as juice and coffee, but my tummy was still twisted in knots and I could barely choke much of it down. The highlight of breakfast for me was having Tom Scrima join us, him having recognized my name and face right away from our e-mail correspondence over the past year and a half. Our relationship may not have started out in the very best way, but it has grown into a warm friendship and I really like the man, and also his beautiful and kind wife, Carrie. They have a place in Texas and a ranch in Colorado and I was honored that they invited me to come up to Colorado and stay and ride with them someday. I just might take them up on that!

(I took this photo of the two of them that evening during the Dinner and Awards Ceremony. Standing beside them is Theresa Falzone, NMMSAR member and the owner of the famous Lipizzaner/German Warmblood gelding, Zeema, America’s Favorite Trail Horse.)

Well because of our chatty breakfast, Roni and I ended up being about 10 minutes late to get back to the Horse Camp and SASS Arena for the Rider’s Briefing. We managed to only hear the last few minutes of the obstacle information, so we were going to have to rely on the ride map and obstacle description sheet that were handed out to all the riders, to get us through the ride.

(By the way, that’s Tom Scrima, Founder of ACTHA, front and center in the photo below)

After the Rider’s Briefing, and visiting with old friends, Roni and I headed over to the trailer and began grooming and tacking up our horses. I had bought Apache a hay bag last Spring, but hadn’t had the opportunity to have her use it until this ride, and I was surprised at how quickly she claimed it as her own and figured out the whole “eating-through-a-small-hole” thing.

Roni’s husband had stopped by to give her some support and encouragement, which I thought was very sweet, and he even helped me rig up my hay bag to her trailer using some tow straps from his car. I took  this cute photo of the two of them because I know how rare it is to have couple photos taken with your significant other.

 

I also acquired some new skills right along with Apache, too. I managed to move past three of the major fears I’ve had since my mare kicked me last summer: 1)Brushing her tail, 2)Picking out her back feet, and 3)Walking close to her back end.

Those are essential skills for any horse owner, but I just couldn’t do them until my mind was focused on actively preparing my mare for the CTC. But Apache made it easy for me by politely lifting up her back feet without me even asking or having to run my hand down them. All I had to do was was look at her back feet and she lifted them nicely for me. She was also very gentle, careful and quiet about her movements as if she was trying to stay aware of where my body was in relation to hers. Even when I fumbled around with having to make adjustments to her cinch, breast collar and bridle, she was nothing but patient and willing. I’m also always impressed with how eagerly she accepts the bit and will just reach down and take it in her mouth as soon as I place it below her muzzle.

After I got her all tacked up, I walked her around a little bit to allow her to relax her belly, so I could readjust the cinch. As we walked we watched the other horses and riders warming up in the arena. After about 10 minutes, I took a deep breath and decided it was time to mount up. Apache stood rock still while I mounted and got everything adjusted and after taking  another deep breath or two, we finally walked off, heading towards the arena, where Roni was already warming up her mare, waiting for our ride time to begin at 9:30am.

It was a beautiful, sunny day. Bug-free. Not a cloud in the sky, and even though there was a 20% chance of rain that day, I felt terribly guilty for packing the extra weight of my slicker on Apache’s back because I knew it was a slim to none chance we’d actually get any rain. (And we never did)

This is the view looking west out over the Horse Camp and SASS arena, from downtown Founders Ranch.

Even before I reached the arena I was surprised at the outpouring of support and camaraderie I received from my fellow riders, many of them knowing what I had been through last summer. Some of them had ridden with me in Jessica G’s group lesson 2 weeks earlier and had watched me go from being nervous and lacking self-confidence while being ponied around an arena, to a more confident, smiling rider crossing a wooden bridge and practicing side-passes, by the end of the lesson.

And there I was riding in a 7 mile Competitive Trail just two weeks later.

I wanted to give them all a hug right then and there. I really appreciated their generous, kind support at that moment…and it didn’t end there either. During the ride, other riders would come up beside us, who knew my story or had ridden with me last year, and their words of encouragement were just what I needed to keep going on down the trail.

And being able to pass those same words of encouragement onto other riders, just added to that feeling of confidence and good will. I love that about the ACTHA rides. We’re all competing, but rarely does anyone ever act mean spirited towards another rider. The competition is all in good fun and we’re all like a big family just enjoying our horses, the trail, our fellow riders, and some silly, but challenging, obstacle challenges.

Finally it was 9:30am and we gathered together in our group of 10, that I had signed up to ride with the day before, and I was happy to realize that I knew everyone in our group, and had ridden with all of them before.

There was Cory,

and Loeta, (with Mr. Bill and Roni in the background)

and Anna,

Kristi and her daughter Mari.

All of them friends whom I know from volunteering at Walkin N Circles Ranch Horse Rescue.

And there was the Veterinarian Mr. Bill (in the photo with Loeta above) and his wife Donna on her blinged-out, be-jeweled mule.

I just loved that mule. And he cracked me up every time he brayed. Donna said it was like sitting on an ocean wave when he did his half neigh/bray thing. lol!

  

I knew them from previous rides when I have ridden with them, had judged, or had photographed the rides. And of course, there was Roni, riding her gorgeous mare Halley Cat.

And me on my sweet mare, Apache.

We started off by getting slightly lost as we took a left turn and headed north, instead of a right to head south. But the map, as you can see below was a little confusing due to how the route appeared to cross over itself. For easier understanding, I added the colors, extra wording, and compass (and erased the phone #s) on the map with my Photoscape software.

The ride begins in Orange from the Arena and heads South to the southernmost point of Founders Ranch. And then it loops around and heads North again, crosses a gravel road, and finally arrives at Obstacle #1, the Moo-Cow Bridge.

From SASS Arena to the Moo-Cow Bridge, Apache was very forward and looking at everything, especially at all the metal shooting targets below us in the SASS Shooting Range. She wasn’t spooky, just very interested. She has always liked to stop and enjoy any expansive views we come across, or maybe she just knows I enjoy them, too, and like to take photographs. Either way, we did end up a ways behind the end of our group, stopping by the side of the trail a few times to take photos and gaze at the beautiful views.

(Downtown Founders Ranch are those colorful buildings below us and to the right. Those are the Sandia Mountains off in the distance in the middle of the photo. On the other side of those mountains is the city of Albuquerque. And on the other side of the Ortiz Mountains, to the far right in the photo, is the city of Santa Fe)

In the beginning of the ride I was able to easily move Apache into a trot and even up to a canter a couple times, so we could catch up with our group after our photo and view breaks……but that would change drastically later on in the ride. Still it was fun for the two of us to be trotting and cantering down the trail again. I think she really enjoyed herself, especially since the morning was cool and the first section of trail was mostly in the shade.

When I realized that the first obstacle was to be a bridge, I felt confident that Apache would easily ace it, with no problem.

And she did…..even though it was a blindingly white bridge…….until we got to the other side and there were 3 weird white and brown wooden cows on either side of the narrow trail, which were part of the obstacle.

(Later that same evening a cowboy wedding was held there on the other side of that Mission facade) 

Apache refused to walk forward and did a sort of half back up/half spin-around thing. And that kind of startled me. The judge told me that we had timed out and to just dismount and walk her through the scary White Pine Cows, which I did, and Apache calmly followed me through, with no problem, except for a snort or two. Silly mare.

Right after Moo Cow Bridge Apache decided she didn't want to keep up with our group any longer and chose a pace that seemed slower than molasses. She ignored my leg squeezes and the only thing that would keep her moving forward, at a walk, were some nudges and kicks with my boot. Looking back now, it seems to me, that she decided right after that first obstacle, that she was going to pace herself at her own comfortable relaxed walk, especially since the day was really heating up. By 10 am it was already above 90F degrees, and although it was less than 10% humidity, the dry heat felt like we were being baked in an oven. I had brought along two 24 oz bottles of Gatorade in my cantle bag and a 16 oz bottle of Gatorade in my horn bag, and I had a feeling they weren’t going to last all day, because I had already emptied the 16 oz bottle, and we had only finished the first obstacle.

So, in hindsight, as frustrating as Apache’s slow pace was, Jessica G. was right on the money when she was working with Apache at my house the week before and told me that my mare has strong self-preservation instincts.

And also in hindsight, I should have listened to my mare and my gut instincts and just rode our own ride, not worrying about keeping up with the other riders. I wasn’t there to prove that we could win a race. I was just there to prove to myself, and my mare that we could ride together again confidently and safely while having fun.

So, yeah, I did get caught up with feeling kind of frustrated and disappointed that we couldn’t keep up with our group of friends, even more so because I think my friend Roni, felt a little obligated to stay back with me, even though she could have easily left me behind with her much faster mare. I finally just told her to go on ahead and that my mare and I were just fine moseying along by ourselves. We were told during the briefing that once we had started down the trail, no one was required to stay within a specific group. We were invited to ride as fast or as slow as we wanted. There was no time limit and each rider and horse could make the ride their own experience. I didn’t want to put a cramp on Roni’s enjoyment and expectations for the ride, so I encouraged her to go on and catch up with the group, if that’s what she desired. 

So she did go on and lope down the trail to catch up with the group and then it was just Apache and I by ourselves.

And you wanna know something?

I secretly preferred it that way. Is that bad of me? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy riding with other people down the trail while having someone to chat with, but sometimes I really like the peace and quiet of spending time alone with my horse, focusing on her and the nature around us without any human distractions. Maybe that comes from me being raised as an independent Only-Child or maybe I’m just a little bit anti-social?  I’m not sure, but I must admit that my favorite moments during Saturday’s ACTHA ride, were when it was just me and my mare alone on the trail.

And Apache didn’t seem to mind it at all when I sang way off-key, the songs “My Darling Clementine”, “Home on the Range”, “Jingle Bells”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”(I think she really liked that one because she’d pick up the pace every time I sang it). She also seemed to like “Silent Night” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, too, but those two songs made her want to take a nap and she really slowed our pace when I sang them, so they were just one time deals.

And while I did do some singing just to help us both focus and relax, most of the trail was spent just being silent and enjoying the sounds of the birds, and the wind in the trees, and my horse clip-clopping up and down the trail.  

           

So, where was I?

Oh yeah. From Obstacle #1, the Moo Cow Bridge, the trail continued north, past the same SASS Arena, where the ride began, and soon passed through a gate in a fence. The gate was an odd one, too, almost an obstacle in it’s own right. Although it was plenty wide enough, it had a low metal beam across the top, that the smart-thinking NMMSAR had placed a foam pool noodle over, to keep rider’s heads safe. Still, even I had to bend down low to keep from hitting that beam, so anyone with a horse taller than 15.3HH probably had to dismount or hang off the side of their horse to ease underneath that beam.

At the gate I managed to catch up with my group and Roni, too. A couple riders, who were riding TBs had to dismount to get through the gate opening, but my short girl Apache allowed me to just duck down across her back to ease on through.

Once through the gate we entered onto public Open Space Lands and weren’t on Founders Ranch for the next 4 miles.

The next section of trail traveled alongside a barbed wire fence with some much needed shade, which was very enjoyable.

Our group quickly passed us by as Apache and I just bumbled along at our own slow pace. But not long afterwards, we came upon Obstacle #2 where we caught up with our group once again and had to wait for about 15 minutes for the group in front of us to work through the obstacle.

Obstacle #2 was called “Don’t Monkey Around” and was primarily a Dismount obstacle….very creatively done, but also very challenging with the added “Injured Animal” added into the challenge.

This gal and her pony had no problems with this challenge.

The injured animal just happened to be a large hairy, white stuffed gorilla, holding a bright yellow banana. Riders were supposed to ride over to the Hairy Stuffed Ape and dismount, then convince their equine to carry said Hairy White Ape on their withers.

This lady and her horse traveled to Texas recently to compete for the title of America’s Favorite Trail Horse.

Quite a few horses, said in no uncertain terms, “There is no way in Hell I am letting that scary white thing touch me!”

Like Roni’s mare, Halley Cat.

They timed out right about the same time that Halley tried to smoosh herself into the trees to get away from the scary hairy gorilla.

And because Apache didn’t seem to appreciate those creepy white Pine Cows from the first obstacle, I just decided to pass on the big white hairy gorilla, and stood around watching the other riders try to attempt it instead.

In hindsight, I don’t know why Apache and I just didn’t continue on down the trail in front of our group. They would have caught up with us in no time at all, because it seemed that their pace was set for a “Hurry Up and Wait” theme all day. They would ride quickly to the next obstacle and then have to wait for 15-20 minutes for the group in front of them to move through an obstacle, and then wait some more for everyone in our group to take a turn at the obstacle. Apache and I always caught up to them…but we would only have to wait a couple minutes to attempt the same obstacle.

Thinking about this now, I kind of liked our snail-slow pace after all.

 

To Be Continued……………