4 Stepping up Still More

So now it seemed George and I were heading towards our first 80km ride.  Despite assurances that George was plenty fit enough I had serious doubts, 80km was a LONG way.  All my rides so far had been single loops and whilst I sort of had an idea now about vet-gate a 40 minute hold was a complete unknown – I probably didn’t even know there was such a thing.

Kerry is nothing if not good at organising people though, so we were soon headed to the Counties ride… I was really nervous and totally not feeling ready.  I have no memory of pens or anything, I did own some tall standards so I guess I had something sorted, I do remember I was sleeping in the back of the car, and had some camping type cookers.

But disaster… I had left George’s log book at home!  And you were not allowed to start an 80km ride without one.  Kerry took over and organised for Wendy – who would be driving past my gate – to pick it up if my partner Bill could put it in the letterbox.  So I climbed the large hill behind base to get cell phone reception and we were organised.  They were going to let me pre-ride vet on a day-vet card.

But then a second disaster.  George was lame behind!  What?  How? The only thing we could come up with was that he had done something dumb in the float.  I was totally shattered, the anxiety and stress of getting ready for such a momentous ride, the stress of the logbook and suddenly it wasn’t happening at all.  Another trudge up the hill to cancel the logbook in the letterbox.

I had been becoming aware that the vets found George hugely amusing.  He’s not the most organised, his near-front leg is not straight, and to cap it all off he tends to swing his head from side to side as he trots almost as if he’d like to get a better view behind him, I have to agree it is pretty funny.  But the vet at Counties took the time to have someone else trot George up so I could see, “that’s just the way he goes (slight chuckle) but you can see he’s also lame behind”.

I was all for packing up and heading home immediately but Kerry and Richard convinced me to stay the night.  Those were the days when counties was at the Gun Club and everyone congregated in the club rooms for a social evening.  I had red wine, there was a lack of cups so Kerry and I shared a large green mug, drinking from opposite sides.  A lovely conciliatory evening.  That makes me suspect Kerry wasn’t riding the next day either!

And so George was off to see Baz the chiropractor who did his usual magic and George was all better.

Roll on our next attempt – Taupo Club, at the Equestrian Centre at labour weekend.  Would George still be fit enough after missing some training?  Apparently yes, I worried about that though, such a long way.  I was assured that Taupo was a great place for your first 80 as it was an “easy” course.

Pre-ride vetting, George was completely full of himself and in normal George style had become inseparable from Kerry’s mare Portia and actually reared when Portia did her trot up!  What the heck?  I guess he was really fit and feeling good.  That was the bonus of doing our first 80 here, it was Portia’s second novice 80, we would not be alone.

Everything went really well – have you noticed that when things are right it’s easy, but when they’re not right it’s just one thing after another? Nervous/logbook/lame last time.  George’s heart rate came down quickly at the end of the first loop, in fact his heart rates were always good – yes Standardbreds can do this game.  His gut sounds were down however so we spent some time grazing on the second loop.  George was starting to be hesitant to go down hills, were his shoulders sore?  But we got through the final vet check.  Number one 80km ride done, only one to go!

I was so proud!  The next day to help him recover I lead him on a walk around the farm.

We then had an awesome ride in the Tokoroa forest checking out a course with Lois, Andrea and Andrea.  It was funny, as mentioned earlier Andrea and I were first finishing novice competitors and she was very worried when going down the pipeline as George was still trotting while all the other horses were not only cantering but cantering quite fast… “can George gallop?” she asked, clearly concerned about our upcoming inevitable clash, “No” I say laughing, George is way too clumsy, I’ve never had him faster than three-quarter pace.

But it turned out that Taupo was to be George’s last endurance ride.  Although he recovered well from the Tokoroa ride, he then didn’t want to trot, not lame when he did but really didn’t want too.  It turns out he had arthritis in his bent fetlock and in compensating for that had partially torn the suspensory ligament in the other foreleg.  Was that why he had started being a bit hesitant down hills at the end of the 80 at Taupo?  I had broken my first endurance horse… 

I NEED a New Horse… Now!