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 :)