Shade at Happy Jack, Aug 21, 2010

OMG I love when Deb and Paschal are taking ride pictures. They manage to get really nice pics almost every time. I bought this image from them, perhaps I should say from Karl creations, their business name, in size 8x11. Both Shade and I had happy days at the Happy Jack ride. We were 15 out of 18 finishers but finished at 5:30pm from the 7 am start, instead of after 6:30 which happened to me the first two years I did this ride. Shade was just awesome for me. We led the group or pair we were with about 90% of the time. Shade enjoys being lead mare but she was really good, we kept a pretty good pace everywhere, not just out in the open where she is most comfortable. I have learned to relax and ride a trot winding through the trees and Shade has learned that she can keep a trot and not worry about boogie monsters. Well it helped a lot that there was not thick underbrush here. If it was really thick she probably would needed ET to go in front and make sure we were not going to run into any bears or horse eating monsters.

It was fairly hot, luckily the ride is at some elevation so it was not absolutely miserable but I drained my camelback shortly before the vet checks the first two loops and needed to suck down some icy tea and wet my head a bit after getting Shade vetted through. The gal I rode the first 2 loops with pulled at the 2nd vet check. ET had some cramping I think. But Shade did not have to ride the last loop alone because S was taking her horse out for a leg stretch ride. She stayed behind so she would not be pacing me. Her Tevis mare really wanted to cruise though and about 60% through the loop I could tell Shade was starting to push herself because she KNEW that chestnut mare wanted to pass her so I told Sue to go ahead and boogie on at her pace. Of course then Shade wanted to push a bit to catch up, and then push a bit because she knew she was nearly done with the ride, even after I kept her at a walk till that mare was out of sight but I think Shade was more willing to go oh yeah I'll walk up this hill etc without the competitive instinct of an eager horse behind her.