The introduction and more on Daddy....

A young Doc... Hoanna likes!

When I decided to breed Hoanna for my 'perfect' future endurance horse, I did a good deal of research. I asked around locally (several Arabian breeders here, one with a good deal of endurance experience even), online forums, and just browsed the net via google (interesting what 'endurance stallion' will turn up in google... NOT always horse related either, LOL). I got a ton of recommendations and horses I should stay away from. I was still VERY new to all this, so I didn't really know the horses, or their owners (some very famous in endurance circles) and though I was open to doing AI, I knew that could get costly and preferred a horse within hauling distance.
For sure, I knew I wanted something in a short-to-medium sized horse (15hds or under was ideal) and since I was in this sport for the long haul and all my horses stay with me for life once I commit to them, I wanted a stallion that had a good mileage/long years of riding record, versus a horse that was winning a bunch of stuff, but was only around for a few years.
Doc at the Bryce Canyon XP...later, Hoanna did her first 50's here as well...we'll hope Eow does this ride too (she saw it already doing Duck Miles two years ago) :)

Enter DR Thunder Bask. I stumbled upon his website through the google search...and I SO wish it were still up! Then you could read what I saw and understand the humor behind it all a bit better. But, alas, Cheri Briscoe is not tech savvy (in fact, she no longer even has a computer), and didn't want to burden anyone else with the upkeep of the site, so it has been taken down. Let's just say, I liked that what I saw (from pictures on there and his supposed miles, which I then looked up on the AERC site: http://www.doublejoy.com/erol/Individual/HorseHistory.asp (just type in DR Thunder Bask, as I can't seem to figure out how to do a direct link to his stats). He had an impressive number of miles, and out of 275 ride starts, was only pulled 5 times. Very cool! This is the kind of horse I want to have! Then I found out he was also a Hall of Fame horse and that he specialized (if one can call it that?) in multi-day rides, which is where I really was heading with my goals as well. He'd also entered Tevis four times....and completed each one. Considering that Tevis has an overall completion rate of 50% or so, he was way ahead of the game. And this was one of my other goals. I am not really a 100 mile rider....I prefer to ride 250 miles, 50 miles at a time for 5 days :) But...what endurance rider doesn't dream of having one of those coveted Tevis buckles? So seeing those completions in his record really helped too. Now, asking around again about this particular horse, I got some interesting responses. From " Oh god, YES!!!" to "Why him? He hasn't won hardly anything?!" I mulled it all over some more, then thought I would just go ahead and email the owner and ask some questions, before settling on a final answer..though I was 90% committed at that point :)
Another nice shot of him at home... nice looking horse :)

Now, this is where having the website still up would have helped you. One of the things I really liked on the site, was that the two stallions (MMF Faramir, another nice horse, though at the time less interesting to me than Doc) had their pages written in a unique way. Instead of the usual list of prizes won, babies had, and qualities of the horse, it was written from the horse's perspective. For Doc, it went something like this: "Hi, my name is DR Thunder Bask and ...." and it proceeded to tell about what he did in life and what he liked or not. For Faramir, it was something like "Hi, I am Faramir...the OTHER horse.." since he was not quite as renowned as Doc. It was all very humorous and I LOVED the approach..I tend not to take myself, or life, all too seriously, and I loved that the breeder apparently had the same sense of humor. To top it all off, as I browsed the site, I realized almost all the horses had names from The Lord of the Rings. This was in a time before the movies, and one actually had to have read the books, LOL. And some of them went into the obscure areas, like the Silmarillion, which only real fans read. Beings that I have been a fan since BEFORE I could read (had the books read to me as a kid by one of my cousins, and that hooked me on them as well as any other fantasy/sci-fi from then on), I was tickled to find my top horse pick had an owner with the same tastes. So, here is the first email I sent to her...and I wanted to see how she'd respond to the email coming from MY horse, to Doc, instead of just emailing the breeder as a person asking questions.

"Dear Doc,
My name is Hoanna. I am a 14h Morgan/Quarter mare in serious lust.... I saw your webpage while browsing online dating services, and I think it was love at first sight when I saw your picture...and my "Mom" thinks your endurance record would make for an awesome baby. She thinks I have a slight problem with my 'work ethic'....not my fault I have thicker quarter horse muscling and like to eat and sleep all day, and just mosey down the trail at a casual walk! Anyway, she thinks it is high time to find a boyfriend for me, so that she can do endurance rides without needing legs of steel. She does love my trail horse smarts (Mom likens me to a Jeep that will go offroading anywhere), level headedness, and fairly solid build though...and my willingness to try just about anything, no matter how stupid I think humans are for asking me to do these things. She just thinks I need some 'get up and go' bred into me. Would you like to go out on a date sometime? I am a beautiful copper chestnut lady and only 7yrs old...so drop me a line soon :)
Love (and lust),
Hoanna"
Hoanna's Tevis 'Pinup' of Doc :)


So then I tagged on a PS from me, her 'Mom' and asked a few questions about Doc (his build, feet, etc) and what it would take to breed to him and such. This is the response I got back:

"Hi Hoanna
Glad to hear you are interested in me. My mom says Quarter Horses and Morgan are my best outcross. Doesn't matter to me - I LOVE 'em all. You and your mom have asked a lot of questions - hope I don't miss any answers.
My mom says I'm a bit lazy (unless I'm racing). I prefer to think of it as self preservation. We stallions are very good at this as one never knows when their might be a willing lady around the corner or back in camp. True, this has only happened twice - once the day after Tevis and again after ROC - but I was successful on both occasions (both the rides and the ladies). Mom says one of the reasons I've stayed so sound and gone so many miles is that I'm easy on myself at home as well as on the trail. Plus, she says I travel very efficiently - close to the ground -- unless I am goofing around - NOT MY FAULT - goblins reach out of the bushes and grab my tail.
Now RACING is another thing entirely. I can tell from the start whether a day is going to be laid-back or boogity-boogity, or even a lade back with a late boogity. I have been known to puff way up - taking deep snorty breaths anticipating a race to the finish, and also to try to bully other horses into not passing me. I don't threaten to bite or kick - just seem to grow into 18hds and sorta do a leaping gallop sideways down the trail (works pretty good, too). I'm also very fast - but Mom hardly ever lets it go that far. Mom says I have an auto-pilot you can set anywhere between 6 & 10mph & I just hold it. I will go in front or back - doesn't matter, but I don't mind leaving other horses, either - especially in my dust when the occasion warrants (and mom lets me).
I have accompanied a couple of my children on the trail, and at rides, and they definitely have my trail smarts and quick recoveries. Mom calls me the world's best 4WD. My one daughter, Tari (MMF Elentari), on her first ride - the Sunland 50 - a nasty ALL up and down affair - came into lunch with a 28 pulse. Mom says all my kids have my big engine. Haven't heard any complaints about work ethic, but they DO occasionally enjoy lighthearted fun at their partner's expense. As they say - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
I have really good feet. My dad, Jeff, used to be a shoer (he's retired now), and I know he liked me. Said I have really thick walls and grow very evenly heel and toe. That made him really happy, 'cause he didn't have to do me as often. I have never thrown a shoe, and one set lasted through Tevis, Eastern High Sierra 50, Virginia city 100, and one week later we got 75 miles into the Buttermilk Classic 100 in Bishop, before the ends of ,y hind shoes broke off. Jeff tacked new hinds on - my fronts were still OK. Mom said she sent the shoes to St. Croix Forge - thought they might like to see them. I'm proud to say I pass my good bone and conformation to all my kids.
Mom has set my 'fee' at $1000 (personally Id' oblige for a LOT less -- like $0 -- but she says this stuff about buying hay...). My booking fee is $200, and that is non-refundable - but I have a live foal guarantee on live cover - good for as long as I'm still able. Mom gets the balance of my fee - $800 - when my mare checks 120 days in foal.
She says I'm a real pain to collect AI. I demand a 'real' mare and then just goof around hoping they'll change their minds and let me have the REAL deal. So far that hasn't worked - even though I drive the vet (and mom) crazy -- sometimes taking several hours before I will cooperate. Hey -it's mine and as they say 'you can lead a horse to water but....' Anyway, my mom charges $350 per shipment for me, and while she says I ship very well, I hear it can cost a lot of extra $$ when the lady in waiting at the other end has problems. Also, because mom's never sure if I'll give IT up in time, (so far I always have, but I can really hold out when I put my mind to it), she no longer offers LFG with shipped semen. My mom says if your mom is interested in the shipped stuff, it would be best if she called so they can discuss it. Mom says I am 100% (on mares that can conceive) with live cover. Of course!
I think your best bet would be to hop in the trailer end of March. My mom wants you to have all your inoculations - especially West Nile - before you get here. Our vets are thinking that giving WNV during hte first trimester can cause some abortions and we definitely don't want that. If this will be your first time, a culture isn't necessary, but it's probably a good idea to have your innards checked just to be sure it's all there and in the right place.
Our accomidations are 24X48 pipe corrals with covers, and we also have larger turnout areas, if you feel like stretching your legs. My mom charges 7$ per day mare care, and you would be here around 6 weeks if all goes well. That's assuming your mom would want you to stay for an ultrasound to confirm your pregnancy at 15 days. You are a perfect age (and color). Hope your mom likes bays, but she actually has a chance for three colors: bay, seal brown - like me - or black (there is a lot of black on my mom's side).
If your mom has any questions, she can call my mom at:---- Also, if she wants, she can see my entire ride history (except for my 1st Tevis - which for some reason they say the computer won't put in) at the AERC website.
Thanks for checking me out and I hope we can get together this spring.
DOC


Next posts: More "Love Letters" and Honna's trip to Tehachepi...

Mommy.....

Eowyn (left) and her mom, Hoanna (right) with me at the beach...I ponied Eow off her mom around all over the place as a youngster :)

Now for some of her background. This will be a picture heavy post :) I want to introduce you to Eowyn's mother, Hoanna. Hoanna (said HOE-NA...name given to her by her very first owner...it means 'Footsteps in the Stream' in Cherokee supposedly) was my first horse, and the best pony (at 14hds even, guess she really could be a 'pony' :) ) a gal could have! She originally belonged to my friend Terri, who was told that she was totally rideable and a nice horse when she got her. Not. The horse had NO CLUE what to do with a rider..she tolerated you on her back, but didn't understand anything about being ridden.
So Terri hired me to train her for her. No problem :) Hoanna, despite being an opinionated alpha mare at times, was really easy to work with and willing to try about anything if you put it to her right. I really enjoyed working with her, and of course, promptly fell in love with her. Not long after, I went to Germany to visit family for a few months. While there, Terri emailed me saying she just didn't get along with Hoanna (opinionated mares are not her favorite thing) and was thinking of selling her. I of course begged her not to, and to wait til I got back to the states and we could talk. We ended up working things out, and Hoanna was mine from then on :)

Our "Glamour Shot" together :) I had a lot of fun that day doing a photo shoot with her :)
Terri took this pic, and then I took 'glamor shots' of her up on her horse, Scooter...

This was in 2002 I think. Lots of trail riding later, Terri tells me her neighbors, the Ruprechts, introduced her to something called endurance riding. She crewed for them and helped volunteer at a few rides, and it had looked like a lot of fun. You could ride 25, 50, or even 100 miles! What a concept :) Sounded like fun. So Terri and I promptly decided to condition (over condition it turns out later) our horses and give it a whirl. After much trial and error, we figured it out. Hoanna didn't do too well at first (too much of that error part), so I was thinking she really wasn't any good at the sport (750 miles and a good amount of LD miles as well later, I now know I had just done it all wrong the first time around, and Hoanna can do the sport just fine!) and thought I should breed her to an Arab, for that perfect endurance horse... She was a QH/Morgan cross herself, so I thought a little Arab would get some speed and energy in (she has always been a tad lazy...would rather eat and sleep all day, not go work, LOL), but keep her 'do anything' and unflappable, mellow character in the mix. That's where DR Thunder Bask came in.
But here are some pics of Hoanna.... She is currently a semi-retired pasture bum (which she doesn't complain about), that I ride a few times a year, or put all my friends or family on that want to ride a horse. She is just as easy to ride if you ride her every day, or once a year. LOVE that horse :)


Back in January of 2009...she can run around like an Arab when she wants to :)






Always up for silly tricks of mine :) She's a good pony!

This is the FUN horse... I can do this same shot bareback, in a halter, no issues!

Hoanna's 3rd ride, an LD at the Pacific Crest Ride. We went overtime (again..all three of our first rides, as no one really explained that the Vet Checks were part of the 6hr ride time, LOL...so I was always just a little while over...) but otherwise did well. She wasn't sure of the water crossing in this shot :)

Ahhh... goofy saddle/pad (she STILL has white spots to this day from this saddle :(...), no saddle bags, but look! Even then (shod horses) I was carrying an Easyboot :) You can see Scooter, the big bay, in front of her. This was Terri's QH that she started on with me and Hoanna...he wasn't mentally fit for the sport though, and was sold (being ridden here by a mutual friend...Terri had already moved on to an older Arab for this and the next few rides).

I bred Hoanna in 2004, and then while she had the time off being preggers and having a baby, Terri ended up with Cheyenne (the big, grey, Mustang/Arab that I got most my miles on and most ppl were used to seeing me on) and the I started riding him, as he was too much of a handful for her at the time. She then got her trustee Oliver, and we rode those two all over in many E-rides. But in 2006, I decided to try and bring Hoanna back into e-riding again...I had learned a lot from Chey and many rides, and thought maybe if I did it right this time around, she'd be fine... and sure enough, she was and we had a wonderful time!
Here we are at the end of the Redwood 1 (or 2?) ride...this was one of the 3 we had overtimed our first year, and it was nice to get that load off our back, by successfully completing it this time around :)
And Cuneo Creek... I think I always had the biggest, shit eating grins on this horse :) It was always such a joy to ride her! So easy (as you can see, a halter is all she needs, just like Eowyn) and just fun to be around...



After doing fine on one-day LDs, I decided to bunp up to multi-days.....
Day one of Hat Creek... a wonderful ride and she felt great all day :)

Day two of Hat Creek.. still doing fine and we finished in the nick of time, but finish we did.

And at the Wild West ride.....

After she did fine in a few multi-days, I figured it was time to try our luck at a 50. I picked Bryce Canyon, as XP rides are much mellower an atmosphere, so no worries about getting caught up with a bunch of racers or other issues. And if she didn't feel like a 50, I could always explore the trails around camp for shorter distances.
My favorite picture of her... She looks so cute and happy and what scenery! :)


Out on trail... she did great! She finished two days there with no issues at all :)

And after the ride, we pulled ribbons as well... She and Oli look so goofy in their pink hula skirts, no? But it sure was a fun day pulling ribbons on the prettiest trail out there :)

We also did a day at Virgin Rim and at Grand Canyon with no problems at all either. So in 2009, I decided to try some more days... We did 3 days at Death Valley, and 3 days at Eastern Mojave, all with a happy and healthy horse. And now that I knew what I was doing, I also recognized what a good little horse I had. Her resting pulse was in the lower 30's, and she always recovered fast at vet checks and the finish. She was the Little Red Engine That Could :) That made the outlook for Eowyn being a future endurance horse all the brighter! Not only was Doc a great e-horse, Hoanna looked to be doing fine too. The hybrid genetics of the two, should result in a fine horse :)

Eastern Mojave... Snow and cold didn't phase her and we had a great time :) (Top photo by Steve Bradley)



Death Valley... Still having a great time :) Flat rides were her forte... turns out that her hocks are a bit arthritic (would turn up as back soreness on hilly rides)..so she did great on flatter rides, but not so well on really hilly rides (50's only, nothing was wrong on LDs). So that, along with having too many horses too ride, led to her semi-retired state.
And day 3...Still going strong :) Pic By Steve Bradley

After that, I took her to Cuyama and did two days before she got back sore on day 3 (hadn't quite figured out it was her hocks...thought it was the saddle first, so next we experimented with different saddles). Then we went to Ft. Schellbourne, where she also did two days, but I could tell she was getting back sore again, so didn't try any more days. Not long after, I figured out what the problem was. But then I got busy riding Eowyn a bit, and then Storm arrived and I really had too many horses to have to ride and keep in shape. So I tossed Hoanna out in the pasture and let her be, with the occasional trail ride. She seems to be enjoying herself and this lifestyle (always said she'd make a great broodmare, as she LOVES the boys and loves to eat and just hang in a pasture, LOL) seems to be making her happy enough. :)
A view from the top of the world...love Schellbourne, and hope to be able to ride each of my horses there one day... :) Eow will hopefully see it on the XP trail this year!

Little tuckered after coming up a LONG climb, but still game to go :) Love my pony! (Photo by Steve Bradley)

And a perfect picture amongst the beautiful Lupine.... Happy rider and happy horse :)

Daddy's Hoofprints

One of our training rides a month or so ago out in the Manila Dunes Forest.

Well, Ewoyn is going to have to step up to the plate and fill some big shoes. My stallion, Storm, who was going to go on the Long XP ride with me this summer, is out of commission. You can read how and why, and his adventures at his blog here: http://stallionadventures.blogspot.com/
This means that now Eowyn will be going on the trip instead. She is still out of shape, and with all the rain we are having, is not going to GET in shape for 50's by late May (when we start the ride). So what we'll likely do for the first month (it's a 2 month ride, following the Pony Express Trail across the country), is just ride "Duck Miles". Meaning we will maybe start with 15 miles on 'my' (I am sharing the ride entry with my friend Terri, so we alternate ride days and crewing days) days, working up to 25 or 30, and eventually to 50. Maybe by the time we hit Utah, she'll be in shape, and we can do a few of the sanctioned 50 milers :) I am along for the great adventure first and foremost, so I don't care if I ride 50 miles, or 5. It will all be fun and a grand adventure.
And as a result, hopefully Eowyn will finally grow up. Well, she's actually doing MUCH better than she used to, in the childish, willful, brat department. :) With this kind of endeavor, she'll get all those 'wet saddle blankets' that we can't seem to find the time for here at home. Basically we will either have worked out our issues by the end of the trip, she'll have killed me, or I will have killed her, LOL. But from how she has been lately, I think we'll work things out just fine. I will just need to find a saddle seat belt or something, to sit those dorky Ay-rab spooks she likes to throw in when she is bored... Not used to having to ride those anymore, as my other horses had outgrown those years ago! Oh the joys of a greenie!
The neat thing about all this, is that her father, DR Thunder Bask, has a LOT of history on this trail. He was the highest mileage stallion in AERC, made it into the AERC Hall of Fame, and many of his miles were XP miles. Both the 'normal' rides, and the Long XPs (for more info on XP Rides, you can visit their website: http://xprides.com/). In fact, talking to his owner Cherie Briscoe recently, she said some of his first rides as a 5yo, were on one of the Long XP rides in the 80's. And he did quite well :) So Eowyn will be following in his hoofprints...she has done one 30 mile LD ride over a year ago, and that is it. So HER first rides will also be on this trail...things have come full circle I guess :) With her getting out more and being my main riding horse now for endurance, I;ll make an effort to really get this blog rolling along. I'll start with how Hoanna (her mom) and Doc (what DR Thunder Bask is known by) met..it was all an internet hookup, LOL :)
Here is Doc at the Bryce Canyon XP some years ago. Eowyn got to see Bryce too, actually...I'll do that post some later time :)