On a crisp Friday afternoon in mid-October, Sarah and I rode Vienna and Starlet four miles over to the Lopin' Larose base camp. Sarah ponied Sasha, as Vienna and Sasha don't mix in close quarters. Once we arrived we vetted through with no problems, and settled in for several beers with several friends. Night falls early in October in Canada, so bedtime was pretty early too... and with the sinking sun, the temperature dropped even further.
I can safely say I've never passed a colder night in my life. Even with a cold weather sleeping bag and several horse blankets, I was legitimately convinced I was getting hypothermia! Sarah let me come snuggle in her sleeping bag, but it was only marginally warmer. Eventually the torture was ended by the alarm clock ringing 6am.
I can safely say I've never passed a colder night in my life. Even with a cold weather sleeping bag and several horse blankets, I was legitimately convinced I was getting hypothermia! Sarah let me come snuggle in her sleeping bag, but it was only marginally warmer. Eventually the torture was ended by the alarm clock ringing 6am.
The first loop, 12.5 miles, passed by with no issues, with the Sassy White Dragonpony happily leading the way. The scenery was gorgeous as always, and it was fun to spend time on the Larose Forest trails on the opposite side of the forest to Wildfire Arabians. The horses had low heart rates and passed the vet checks with all As, and riders spent the vet check making sure that no one got a chill (horse or rider) in the cool temperatures. Since in Competitive Trail Riding you manage your own hold time, we took about 20 minutes and headed back out on the second loop.
The second loop was the same trail as the first. We had some time to kill at the end (you have to come in within 5 minutes of the prescribed time) so we walked a good portion of the last mile or so. When you spend most of your time trotting and cantering, it's amazing how slow a walk feels!
At the final vet check, Vienna vetted through with all As. Starlet was next, with a low heart rate... but she was very reluctant to do her trot-out, which was highly abnormal. The vet took a look, and in a shocking twist, it turned out that Starlet was very slightly sore in both shoulders and both sides of her lower back. This was baffling to all of us, as Starlet was her normal energetic and willing self on the trail; however, she is also a very stoic horse and never complains, so her performance in the second loop was a testament to her wonderful disposition and great attitude.
At the final vet check, Vienna vetted through with all As. Starlet was next, with a low heart rate... but she was very reluctant to do her trot-out, which was highly abnormal. The vet took a look, and in a shocking twist, it turned out that Starlet was very slightly sore in both shoulders and both sides of her lower back. This was baffling to all of us, as Starlet was her normal energetic and willing self on the trail; however, she is also a very stoic horse and never complains, so her performance in the second loop was a testament to her wonderful disposition and great attitude.
Sasha was up next, and in another surprising turn of events it turned out she was slightly tweaky on one side of her lower back. Needless to say, after a very fun ride this final vet check was a bit of a downer, especially as we had been planning on doing a 50 mile ride on Sunday with Sasha and Starlet! After the incredibly awful cold of the night before, I can't say I was disappointed to avoid another night of torturous discomfort, although we were all disappointed that our goal of our first 75-mile-weekend wasn't to be. We took a few minutes to talk about lessons learned, then gave each other huge hugs, gave the ponies some carrots, and settled down to some victory beers!
So what happened?
Based on pressure points, the vet pointed to Starlet's saddle as the culprit. This was news to us, since Starlet had completed 40 miles of hills at Calabogie and 25 miles at Tay Valley this year (and all her rides in previous years) in the same saddle and finished with all As. The difference? Starlet had four weeks off between Tay Valley and Lopin' Larose, with the same grain rations as during conditioning. This was done intentionally, as Starlet loses weight extremely quickly and we wanted some extra pounds on her going into the winter. However, this also changed her physiological characteristics - meaning that she was a different size/shape than usual, which affected her usual saddle fit. A bonehead lesson learned - one I'm still kicking myself over!
Based on pressure points, the vet pointed to Starlet's saddle as the culprit. This was news to us, since Starlet had completed 40 miles of hills at Calabogie and 25 miles at Tay Valley this year (and all her rides in previous years) in the same saddle and finished with all As. The difference? Starlet had four weeks off between Tay Valley and Lopin' Larose, with the same grain rations as during conditioning. This was done intentionally, as Starlet loses weight extremely quickly and we wanted some extra pounds on her going into the winter. However, this also changed her physiological characteristics - meaning that she was a different size/shape than usual, which affected her usual saddle fit. A bonehead lesson learned - one I'm still kicking myself over!
Sasha was tweaky on only one side, and the vet pointed to potential rider imbalance. One of the reasons that Starlet had been off for four weeks was that between rider injuries, family issues, and back-to-school schedules, no Wildfire riders were available to ride for a whole month. The horses didn't mind, but any rider who's taken time off knows that your first ride back you're certainly not at peak performance - especially if your first ride back is 25 miles long! So, minor rider imbalances had likely added up in the second loop due to fatigue.
"We ride in a team..." Vienna thinks not! What to do differently
Starlet has always been very slim and it's hard to keep weight on her. She is almost 20 years old, and we specifically wanted her going into winter with as much weight as possible. Since I wouldn't have traded her weight/condition for anything, that means an extra saddle check the week prior to a competition. Her saddle has an adjustable gullet, and if we had increased the width one size we likely wouldn't have run into the same issues.
Every rider knows that life, unfortunately, can sometimes get in the way of riding goals. Due to injuries and schedules, all three Wildfire riders hadn't ridden in four weeks. Sasha's slight tweak was a very good reminder that riders have to be cognizant of, and actively correct, any small changes to form that may have crept in during time off. We ride in a team, which means we can lean on each other to point out any oddities, which is a great help!
Starlet has always been very slim and it's hard to keep weight on her. She is almost 20 years old, and we specifically wanted her going into winter with as much weight as possible. Since I wouldn't have traded her weight/condition for anything, that means an extra saddle check the week prior to a competition. Her saddle has an adjustable gullet, and if we had increased the width one size we likely wouldn't have run into the same issues.
Every rider knows that life, unfortunately, can sometimes get in the way of riding goals. Due to injuries and schedules, all three Wildfire riders hadn't ridden in four weeks. Sasha's slight tweak was a very good reminder that riders have to be cognizant of, and actively correct, any small changes to form that may have crept in during time off. We ride in a team, which means we can lean on each other to point out any oddities, which is a great help!
Onwards!
Both horses got home and immediately ran around in their paddocks. They were happy and healthy, and we had a complete blast - so the weekend was a success in our books! Sarah goes back to university, so Starlet will have a nice relaxing winter, packing around guests. Rider injuries have been healed and personal schedules have been stabilized after the back-to-school chaos, so we'll be getting out a lot more over the fall and winter. Also over the winter, the three mares will be showing Prince Nari the trails, and the riders will start planning for Summer Fling 2019. Busy - and fun - as always!
Both horses got home and immediately ran around in their paddocks. They were happy and healthy, and we had a complete blast - so the weekend was a success in our books! Sarah goes back to university, so Starlet will have a nice relaxing winter, packing around guests. Rider injuries have been healed and personal schedules have been stabilized after the back-to-school chaos, so we'll be getting out a lot more over the fall and winter. Also over the winter, the three mares will be showing Prince Nari the trails, and the riders will start planning for Summer Fling 2019. Busy - and fun - as always!