In which Farley tells me we aren’t finished with endurance yet
| March 27, 2015 | Posted by Melinda under Uncategorized |
Lest you think that I am sitting around lamenting the tragedy of my life (I am not, and it isn’t), I need to interrupt my fascinating morning chore of finishing up records and take on the horrendous task of sharing pretty pictures from my ride last weekend.
All pictures in this post are courtesy of Funder. I was too busy managing Farley, the wretched poison oak on my arms from my adventure the *previous* weekend, and…well…talking. (I know, shocking).
With Cache creek a mere 6 (5?) weeks away, I was getting indecisive. To do it or not to do it? Risk waiting until the easier Wild West ride mid June and potentially not getting a fifty in at all this year if it didn’t go well? Or go to Cache Creek – a much harder ride that although local was going to be tricky logistically because of still being in clinics.
Any endurance rider who has done this sport for any length of time will recognize the following conversation….
“Maybe the old mare is done? She looked a little creaky the other day. And the last 2 rides I did on familiar trails were not exactly spectacular. Unless spectacular is defined by the number of time I had to beat my horse with a *stick for her GO FORWARD? Maybe she wants to be retired? I’m secretly sick of riding this horse anyways. Ugh. How bad would it really be to just wait another 3 years or so and ride ML? Farley has certainly earned her retirement anytime she wants it. We haven’t done a 50 in a year. And that nine hour ride and tie in July surely doesn’t count. We haven’t done ANYTHING IN FOREVER. WE WILL NEVER COMPLETE ANOTHER ENDURANCE RIDE. WHAT WAS I THINKING??????”
*I jest. Farley was not beaten with a stick. She was encouraged to respect my leg using a naturally grown dressage whip.
So Funder and I went riding. The goal was a 4 hour ride, which we nearly nailed at 3hr 48 min, which included a 20 min stop for lunch.
When I wasn’t listening to the panicking voices in my head that said I was completely delusional that any horse I owned would ever do endurance EVER (imposter syndrome anyone?) my rational brain was telling me that Farley was probably bored sick of the Oroville and Yuba City trails which have been our sole conditioning grounds for the last 2 years or so. And a change of scenery would *probably* do her good.
So…ummm…Farley is probably not done with 50’s.
Because if she can trot/canter/buck up the Cache Creek hills for 3.5 hours with minimal conditioning (we’ve done between 50-60 miles this year on the trails TOTAL. 5 trail rides and 4 dressage rides), a nicely paced and managed 50 is not out of the realm of possibilities. Especially because we have time for one more long ride between now and Cache Creek.
The most difficult thing about Farley is that she rewards poor decision making.
What do I mean? I can make all sorts of poor decisions and Farley will mostly give a big sigh, and then go on to give me success that I have not earned and do not deserve.
It’s extremely humbling, and the longer I do this sport – extremely frightening.
Two years ago I finished the Cache Creek ride after 2 years off (the exception being an LD eight months prior). My longest recent long ride prior to that finish was 12 miles.
Thus this year’s debate isn’t whether if I start Cache Creek whether I will finish…but whether it’s the right decision to even ask.
My biggest fear right now is that I do a ride that is not quite right, driven by the fear I won’t get to do a fifty at all this year. And we both know which is the worst of those two choices.
After last weekend’s ride, I’m more confident that asking her to do Cache Creek would not be unreasonable.
Perfect timing! I was composing in my head a woe-is-me post about how can I possibly know if I’m ready for a 50 after not doing one for 1.5 years, how my horse is a slug and/or alternately crazy, how we’ll never get the training miles in with 2 conferences between now and then….
Great job by you and Farley! She just needed a change of pace, and lovely green hills look perfect for cantering! I think she has such a base on her over the years that she doesn’t really lose much condition, which is awesome! Do you think those trails will still be green in a month?
OK, I’ll suck it up. Though I’m still waffling between a 25 or a 50. I still may have to post my worrying post for some emotional support…
Kerrie, your words are exactly what I would tell u about major! He has plenty of base yada yada :). I too was waffling between ld and fifty….but no way is an ld an option now. I might due on our next ride. There was so much more there then I would have guessed from her recent sluggish or crazy bucking fiend rides! I suspect major is in a similar circumstance…..
Thanks. I made the mistake of feeling less than prepared and reading some “how to train for endurance” articles. Which stress way more miles than I put it. Doubt crept in. I’ll fit in some longer rides and see how he does!
Oh yeah. Those articles will do you in everytime. Even at the height of my riding I wasn’t riding as much as those articles suggestd and I was still overriding my horse!
Go for it!
Such stunning views. Perhaps it’s just because I’m not living the itchy hell myself, but I think that trail would be worth the poison oak rash.
LOL! The trails usually are since I keep going back…….
Not a lot of poison oak (none?) on this particualar trail. I think the elevation isn’t quite high enough which makes it a nice change from my normal trails….but there’s plenty of ticks! it’s strange how there’s NONE where I live, and yet you drive a short distance into the foothills and BAM, ticks.
BTW Funder told me while we were riding that this sort of landscape (shown in these pictures) is something she thinks of as very “California”. And I think she’s right. I grew up near/in the foothills of CA so I don’t think about it much, but the oak trees on the rolling foothills admist the wildflowers (which is my favorite landscape) is probably fairly unique? I never take it for granted even if I consider it “normal” that’s for sure.