Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine Feb 2019 Vol 4 Issue 1

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

Owl Hoot Spook - here they come! On Halloween Weekend, the team made their first attempt at a 50 mile ride in Vinita, Oklahoma. It was the first very cold weekend after a relatively mild fall. The temperature on the morning of the ride was in the 20s! Miles was eating everything in front of him. He was chowing down on his Total Equine like it was going out of style. He was a total “rock star” all day! First loop, 19 miles. Miles and Whitney were feeling good. Second loop, 19 more miles. The team was even a little ahead of schedule, eating and drinking well. Last loop - 12 miles to the finish. Miles and Whitney came in strong and sound. It was getting dark and the temperatures were rapidly dropping. As they waited for two horses to vet in ahead of them, Miles stood contently with his cooler on and was eating well. Then, the vet check... Heartbreak again. Miles was slightly off in his right hind - a muscle cramp. 50 miles ridden in great form but no completion. For the first time, they had gotten pulled by the vet. Now the pair was looking at 2018 with new goals to meet. First ride in 2018 was a 25 mile Limited Distance (LD) ride back at Kanopolis. Knowing this was a tough ride, Whitney and Miles were up to it. This one was different than the last, although once again, it was hot and humid. Whitney joined a group of seasoned riders and thought riding with them would help her keep an adequate pace so they would finish on time. It

was too late when she heard one of them say, “Even though we aren’t going to finish in time, this is still a great conditioning ride.” Only then did she realized they were no longer attempting to get a completion. Since a couple of the horses were not Arabians and due to their different body types, they had a more difficult time cooling themselves in the heat. It was

a tough lesson - they passed the vet check with flying colors but they came in over time. No completion. They had learned a tough lesson about one of the reasons why endurance riders always say, “RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE”! Now the team was sitting with three non-completions in a row. It was very discouraging but they did not give up. Next up was the 2018 Jo Tate Memorial Ride in May, and again, the pair proved themselves at this ride. There are many tough Ozark hills to climb on the rocky trails in the Flag Spring Conservation Area near Washburn, Missouri. It was also an EXTREMELY hot and humid weekend. There were nine horses in the 25 mile LD and only three of them finished that day! Whitney and Miles got 2nd place overall and 1st in their weight division. The curse was broken at last!

The next few months brought many more miles on the trails. First, a week in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas. There are many beautiful, but tough and technical trails there. They were even more difficult due to the sweltering heat - temperatures were near or above 100 degrees every day. Later, in August, they made a couple of trips to Kanopolis for some good hot weather conditioning and trail riding. In early October, Miles and Whitney did their first ride at Eminence, Missouri. They spent a week there enjoying the trails and, in addition to having a wonderful time with good friends (both equine and human), Miles appeared to be well conditioned for the upcoming 50 in Vinita, Oklahoma.

7 Everything Horses and Livestock® | February 2019 | EHALmagazine.com