Through the Eyes of a DEF

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

From Limerick and I :-)

"Heaven’s remuda improved by one fine mare", and a love for mares!

2012-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

Heaven’s remuda improved by one fine mare on February 8 begins the tribute to Whizards Baby Doll, aka "Roxy", on Stacy Westfall's official website. I was saddened to read about the passing of this wonderful mare yesterday, and I can only begin to imagine the grief of her human family. One fine mare, indeed.

And who was Roxy? If you watch this video, then you will remember, and you will know. If you are like me, then you have seen this performance many, many times. Perhaps even dozens of times. It's one of those horse videos that you can't help but watch over and over, mesmerized by the beauty of the connection between horse and rider. Much like this video, and also--of course--this one. Each time, it seems like the rider is nearly motionless, nothing more than a passenger. In the case of Secretariat and Ron Turcotte, that was indeed true (as Turcotte himself has noted). But not with the other two.

The video of Stacy and Roxy showed thousands of people worldwide what was possible with your horse, while the video of Blue Hors Matine has captivated over a million people. But before you can ride a championship reining run sans tack or a gold medal freestyle dressage routine, there needs to be a constant line of trust between you and your horse. This is particularly true for mares, and I would like to point out that both Blue Hors Matine and Roxy were mares.

Mares have a bad reputation with many equestrians--I cannot count the number of times I've heard people proclaim that they will never buy a mare, or that they dislike working with mares. And yes, it's true that mares can be difficult sometimes. But unless your mare has violent mood swings (in which case, you need to contact a vet immediately, because abnormal mood swings in mares can be caused by ovarian pain or tumors), then she is likely a normal mare. If you are a woman, or married to one, then you know that it is normal for women to have mood swings. You have accepted this, and it is okay. So why can't it be for mares?

Limerick herself is a little on the "extreme" end of the normal mare spectrum. When we first got her in 1996, it was quite a surprise to me because I was used to laid-back school horse types. The horse I rode before Lim was an appaloosa mare named Frost, and she was as mellow a horse as you could ride. Nothing fazed her! So to find myself grooming, tacking up and riding a tail-swishing, ear-pinning spooky crab of a mare, it was truly an eye-opener.

Unfortunately, I was initially encouraged to fight Lim when she displayed these negative emotions. I was not comfortable with this approach and felt like it would have been far better, and much more progressive, to instead be patient and soft with her. But as a young teenager in a strict hunter-jumper barn, what did I know...right? It turns out that I had the correct idea.

Over the years I found opportunities to work with Lim in my own quiet way, and before long I was able to do this at all times. She visibly relaxed, and so did I! We were both no longer on guard around each other, and I found her so much easier to work with (I'm sure she would have said the same with me). I loved mares before Lim came into my life, and thanks to Miss Lim, I can now tell you that I cannot imagine not having a mare!

You see, a happy mare is priceless. A mare that trusts you is loyal for life, as long as that line of trust is not broken. A mare devoted to you will do literally anything for you. This is why Lim cooperates so well for me when we go out on the scary trails! I know the entire ordeal is potentially very frightening for her, but with my hand soft on her neck and soothing words whispered to her, she listens to me. She knows that I will not do anything to hurt her, so in turn she does not want to do anything to hurt me. Of course, despite this, I do exercise caution--I ride her in the arena before we head on the trail, and I make sure we are with other horses. You need to operate within the limits of both yourself and your mare.

These days, when Lim is having a moody day, then I change tactics. Instead of forcing a ride on her, I instead give her a massage or pamper her by giving her a bath, or braiding her mane and tail (which she adores--she is guaranteed to doze off), then taking her down to the grassy strip to graze. And the next day I try again. Chances are, she will be more than up for a ride--and give me 110%.

There is really nothing like a fine mare!

I *love* my mare!

Limerick after last night's ride

2012-02-06T08:20:00.001-08:00

She was great, and felt good too, hoof-wise. The barn was nearly empty due to the Super Bowl but I figured there was no better time to go.

Sweet-faced mare

2012-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

I found these photos yesterday while uploading the pics for yesterday's blog and realized I hadn't shared them on here. They were taken in October or November of 2011 and they clearly illustrate Limerick's sweet face.

As those close to Lim know, she is a mare of many expressions--observant, excited, cute, pleading, annoyed, silly, curious, joyous, sneaky, angry, resigned, sleepy, and so much more. But she also has a very, very sweet face when she is relaxed, as she is here. The sun, mild temperatures, and the company of her boyfriend--what more does a girl need? Well, the gates to the grassy pasture being opened would probably complete the picture!

I rode! And the new x-rays are here.

2012-01-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

That's right--I rode last night! It was balmy and a bit breezy--great riding weather, even though I had to ride in the indoor arena. I am still sick (chest cold this time, ick) but felt that the ride would do me good. Besides, of course, I've been dying to ride Lim since she showed me how good she felt on her feet last week.

I was expecting her to be somewhat cautious on her feet with the extra weight of a rider and tack, but she went far beyond my expectations. I asked her to walk, and she jigged. I asked her to trot, and she quickly bored of that and wanted to canter. I (reluctantly) asked her to canter, expecting the worst, and she was perfect. If anything, after two laps around the arena she decided it would be fun to try to grab the bit and run (which I didn't allow, of course, although it pleased me). She was wary of the Scary Arena Door moving in the wind, and she was ever-attentive and alert to environmental stimuli.

I was so focused on trying to sense how comfortable she was that I ignored all of her shenanigans, which struck me as ironic later (an uncomfortable Limerick wouldn't spook). In short, Lim was her old self.

After a half hour I jumped off and removed her tack, allowing her to roll in the arena dirt. What a wonderful return to riding! I am hoping to do it again tomorrow night.

Getting up from her roll

"I'm ready to go in and eat dinner now!"

"Why are you standing around the corner?"

I love that nose!

Also, my vet emailed me the radiographs of Lim's fore hooves and here they are. I've included the one taken of her left fore in January 2011 for easy comparison. Overall things look better--the rotation of her coffin bone, P3, (in my opinion) has reduced slightly, and her toe looks much better. It was far too long last year!

The bone remodeling at the tip of P3 looks no different than before, and if you ask me it appears the bone has reinforced itself somewhat there, because if you compare it to the old radiograph, it appears more solid now. But then again, I am not a vet so I am just theorizing here. I know that is still a sensitive part of Lim's foot and we need to be careful to not remove any of the hard-earned sole underneath that bone when her feet are trimmed.

If you look at the radiograph of Lim's right fore, that is how your average, ideal, healthy horse hoof and coffin bone should look. So clearly her left fore has gone through a lot in its lifetime, but those hard years are well behind us. Nevertheless, that will always be an area to pay special attention to.

January 2011, left fore

January 2012, left fore

January 2012, right fore

Sweet night!

2012-01-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

There's no better cure for a sorry week than your horse surpassing your expectations by not only giving you a great, springy trot, but also a hard gallop, a lot of bucking, and the very picture of a horse having fun!

Okay, maybe no riding this time

2012-01-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

No, it isn't Lim--her tootsies are just fine, and sparkling clean thanks to all the turnout time she has in the snow (but maybe not as of tomorrow since all that snow is melting into a muddy mess).

It's me--I came down with a mystery virus sometime late in the week, and awoke Saturday feeling like an invisible python was wrapped around my neck. I was also exhausted, and from past history knew better than to try to ride or go for a run....grumble grumble!

So I stayed inside for most of the weekend.

I am feeling somewhat better today, so I hope to resume running (on the treadmill! I don't think I need to be sucking down cold air right now) tomorrow evening if my health continues on this upward slope. And the ride? Postponed for this weekend.

Improving feet and vet appointment next week

2012-01-13T14:28:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report that Lim's feet appear to be much more comfortable. I free-lunged her at the walk and trot last weekend (I didn't want to ask for the canter just yet) and I was pleasantly surprised by how well she moved. She moved freely and quietly, with no discomfort.

However, I do know that the arthritis in her left hind hock is bothering her. So with all this in mind, I've decided to try riding her this weekend at the walk and trot. She appears comfortable enough for it and the extra movement will be helpful for her arthritis.

I also made an appointment with the vet for Thursday the 19th. I asked that she give Lim an Adequan injection booster and also requested lateral radiographs of each fore hoof.

Fingers crossed that Lim continues to improve and I can ride her again regularly. I sure miss being on my silly mare's back.

Farewell, Indian Charlie

2011-12-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Twice this year, my husband and I had the chance to be enamored by two different horses. And this year, we lost them all too soon. As fate would have it, both horses were of the same family--a great sire and his champion daughter.

A few months ago I posted about the loss of Fleet Indian, and this morning her sire, Indian Charlie, passed away.

Airdrie Stud was the first stud farm we visited in Lexington over Breeder's Cup weekend. The visit was a stark contrast to the hubbub of the open houses later in the day. Rather than a milling mess of people, it was just my husband, his friend, the stallion manager, the barn cat, and I...and of course, the horses. And rather than seeing stalled,perfectly-groomed stallions on display, we were free to roam the property of Airdie and see the stallions at their best--as happy, muddy horses.

This alone was a wonderful treat, but the first stallion we made a beeline for--and the number one reason we were at Airdrie--made the visit all the more special. He was Indian Charlie, and his personality was larger than his gigantic frame. He ran, he made us laugh, and he happily posed for our zillions of photographs. He also reminded me very much of Fleet Indian, and it was clear where she had acquired her looks and sweet temperament. Indian Charlie was a stand-out from the other stallions there and such a pleasure to visit that if we had packed up and left for Illinois right after Airdrie, I would have been satisfied.

"We must see him again next year," I told my husband as we were leaving, and he wholeheartedly agreed.

Upon learning of his passing this morning, my husband I were extremely saddened. We both feel very fortunate to have met both sire and daughter this year. If only we had more opportunities with them in the future. Rest in peace, Indian Charlie.

My husband photographing Indian Charlie

http://www.thoroughbredtimes.com/breeding-news/2011/12/15/indian-charlie-dies.aspx

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/66607/indian-charlie-loses-battle-with-cancer?source=rss

Barn etiquette and an update

2011-12-13T14:49:00.000-08:00

No, I still haven't ridden, unfortunately! I guess it's not so bad to not ride during the winter, though....not! I would give anything to ride Lim right now. However, I have to wait. She is still barefoot and still sore after trims--not as sore as she was when she had the abscess, but still sore enough to push aside any hopes of riding her.

I don't know how long it will be, but it'll be a while. Sigh.

Lim had a chiropractic appointment on Friday; it was a last-minute thing after I found out an equine chiropractor would be at the barn that day. I had been thinking about having this done for a while with Dr. Heinze but I figured I would give this vet a shot since she was already there. I will post more details at a later date, but it was an interesting session.

And now, the subject of barn etiquette. A little over a week ago, I arrived at the barn and found a couple key items in Lim's stall in a disarray--her stall guard was looped up in a way that I would never do, and even worse, her rubber feed pan was located across the aisle by another horse's stall. Needless to say, I was furious!

After texting different people, I could not figure out who had moved her feed pan. So the next step was to talk to the barn owner. She did a little investigative work of her own and pinpointed a particular person, but this person denied everything. I will not go into detail here, but I have decided to drop the whole thing for now. If it happens again then there will be hell to pay, but in the meantime I simply let this person know that "no matter" who moved/used Lim's feed pan, it would not be tolerated. I also updated the info sign on Lim's stall and added a new sign stating that her stuff should not be used or removed without permission and placed it in a prominent location. Lastly, I wrapped her feed pan twice over with bright green tape and wrote her name in black marker all over this tape. There had already been tape on the bottom of the pan, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to make it more clear that the pan belonged to Limerick.

Hopefully this takes care of everything, but really? I find it amazing that people are so inconsiderate and rude that I have to do this in the first place. What happened to "if it's not yours, don't touch it" and other basic, common-sense rules?

While I love this barn and am happy Lim enjoys it there, at the same time, incidents like this make me want to move to my own place that much more.

No riding for all of November! Or nearly so, anyway.

2011-12-01T12:04:00.001-08:00

Sadly, my great riding streak ended in October. I rode on the 1st and 3rd of November but not since. I sorely miss riding but I need to wait a while before I can hop back on Lim.

You see, she had the Perfect Hoof Wear removed on November 4. Later that same day, she developed an abscess in her right fore hoof (possibly caused by running herself silly in turnout after the removal of the PHW--too much, too soon!). Fortunately it was minor and disappeared fairly quick. But that aside, I also get the impression that she is protecting her feet somewhat. I have only seen her trot a couple times--once to free-lunge her after the abscess resolved in order to see how well she moved, and again on Thanksgiving when she was turned out in the outdoor arena while I cleaned her stall. I caught her trotting around and putting on a little show for the pasture horses that were watching her from the fence line, silly girl!

She moved fine, but not with her usual lengthened stride and flair. At her best, her trots are not unlike that of a Standarbred's, or perhaps even a dressage horse in full extended trot. Lim is something to see then, particularly if her tail is flagged.

However, a ride will tell me so much more, and I was debating riding her over this past (Thanksgiving) weekend. But after noticing how tense she was on her left side during a grooming session last week, I decided to put the ride off. Instead, I gave her a massage that very day after grooming, and a second one over the weekend. I will massage her yet again either tonight or tomorrow, and also free-lunge her again tomorrow.

If she isn't tense/sore and she moves okay then a ride will be the definite next step. If she is still tense then I will likely make another chiropractor appointment for her; I can only do so much with massaging. Since she was sore in her right fore hoof, it is not a huge surprise to me that she is now sore on her left side.

It seems like a lot of waiting for a ride, but I have learned that this is the best way--if you want a happy, willing horse then you must not force him or her to ride when they aren't up to it. Your horse is your partner, not your slave.

Breeder's Cup 2011 weekend photos

2011-11-11T15:07:00.001-08:00

Apologies for taking so long to get these photos up--we had a wonderful time in Kentucky over Breeder's Cup weekend. The view from our seats at Churchill Downs was incredible, and while I had no complaints about last year's seats, it was so much easier to get to the paddock and back this year.

Highlights of the Breeder's Cup itself include seeing Giant Oak's incredibly impressive, acrobatic bucking fit in the paddock (I knew he would do well in the race after that--and he did, 3rd); Shackleford being a handful for his amused groom in the paddock; seeing Baffert in person for the first time (how can you miss that shock of white hair?), and his wondrous charge, The Factor (sorry no photo, Blogger gave me troubles with that one for some reason); seeing the great Goldikova and Gio Ponti in their final race, the turf Mile; and the entire field for the Classic in the paddock.

Although there were some disappointments, such is life with horse racing--if the favorite won each time, no one would bet!

That evening we drove to a hotel in Lexington. Our first stop the next morning was Airdrie Stud, and it ended up possibly being the best part of the whole trip. It was just my husband, a friend of ours, and the stallions in their paddocks. No crowds, no cameras, no other fans. The day was gorgeous and almost too perfect--crystal-blue skies, grass still green, the leaves on the trees in all shades of the fall rainbow. Seeing Indian Charlie himself was to be a special treat, but his endearing personality made him all the more likable.

The rest of the stallions were an entertaining mix--from the naughty Canadian Frontier to the clownish Majesticperfection.

Then it was on to the Lane's End open house. It was more crowded than I expected but I still enjoyed myself greatly (I didn't even mind the long line for the lone bathroom too much!). While most of the fans seemed to crowd around Curlin, the pedigree buff in me particularly enjoyed seeing AP Indy and Kingmambo.

The afternoon was spent at Old Friends, where I got to know our new Nikon DLSR camera quite well (okay, perhaps just well enough to get a few decent shots!).

We capped the evening off with a visit to the gorgeous Keeneland, where I got more photos, and the Fasig Tipton sales, where I had the most surreal moment of the entire weekend--watching Hip 105, Funny Moon--in foal to Indian Charlie--sell for a sales-topper $2.3 million. Since we had just spent time with a muddy, funny, sweet Indian Charlie that morning, well--WOW.

The next morning we spent a quick few moments with a very-pregnant (in foal to Medaglia d'Oro) Serena's Song before driving back to Chicagoland.

Oh, Kentucky...you never fail me.

Giant Oak (Marathon)

-shortly before his bucking fit

Shackleford (Dirt Mile)

End of the Dirt Mile - Caleb's Posse, winner

(view from our seats)

Sidney's Candy (Mile)

The great Goldikova (Mile)

Gio Ponti (Mile)

Havre de Grace (Classic)

Drosselmeyer, eventual winner (Classic)

Uncle Mo (Classic)

Stallion barn at Airdrie Stud

Indian Charlie (Airdrie)

-a sweet boy despite the action-filled shots!

Canadian Frontier (Airdrie)

-not so sweet

Majesticperfection (Airdrie)

-a clown of a horse

Flashy Bull (Airdrie)

-eating the fence in frustration

Brother Derek (Airdrie)

-"you guys bore me"

Istan (Airdrie)

Istan (R) & Indian Charlie (L) (Airdrie)

Creator (Old Friends)

Popcorn Deelites & Affirmed Success (Old Friends)

-doing their song and dance

Leave Seattle (Old Friends)

Clever Allemont (Old Friends)

Bullintheheather (Old Friends)

Ogygian (Old Friends)

Keeneland

Funny Moon in foal to Indian Charlie,

$2.3 million (Fasig-Tipton)

Greyciousness, dam of The Factor (Fasig-Tipton)

Quality Road (Lane's End)

-love the forelock!

Kingmambo (Lane's End)

Smart Strike (Lane's End)

English Channel (Lane's End)

Lemon Drop Kid (Lane's End)

Candy Ride (Lane's End)

AP Indy (Lane's End)

Curlin (Lane's End)

Serena's Song

Limerick's new sheet--adorable!

2011-10-21T14:30:00.001-07:00

Goodnight, moon

2011-10-13T10:55:00.000-07:00

We've had a lovely hunter's moon lately, and with the accompanying beautiful weather and clear skies, I've been taking advantage of it by riding Lim after sundown.

Some rides began shortly before sunset, but before I could even get into a warm-up trot, the sun was deep over the horizon and the moon was already high in the sky. Moments like that create a surreal mash of fading red light and growing blue light, complete with moon shadows. Nighttime--what's that?

Limerick was full of pep and spook for the first couple rides in the moonlight, and honestly I didn't blame her. If I were by myself, I too would be a little creeped out by the coyote yips in the deep shadows surrounding the outdoor arena. But before long, the routine became old to her and she relaxed.

Each time except one, it was just Limerick and I out there. Naturally, I could hear really nothing (those coyote yips were very, very close by, so I could hear them) and during the earlier rides, when the moon was not near full, I could barely see anything past her pricked, fuzzy ears. But I knew the lay-out of the arena and I knew that Lim could see quite well, so I trusted her to know where to go. In having all my senses gone except feel, I could thoroughly concentrate on my seat, my legs, my arms, and my shoulders.

As a result I was able to sit her spirited trot, playful bucks--and yes, occasional spooks!--with nary any difficulty. And although her senses were not gone, and she was at times on high alert, Lim listened to me acutely, her ears flicking back to catch my whispers and her body responding to my reassuring hands on her neck. We were very in tune with each other.

And now the moon is growing smaller again, and we have several days of clouds, rain and cold ahead of us. There will be no more moonlit rides....for the time being. But the memories of the past week will never fade.

Photos from Keeneland

2011-10-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

My husband and I went to Keeneland on Saturday for the stakes races that day, mainly the Shadwell Turf Mile. Being fans of both Sidney's Candy and Gio Ponti, we wished to see these guys in person.

I have never been to Keeneland for live racing before--I am an Arlington Park girl all the way through!--but thought the track was very beautiful, particularly the paddock area. Big old trees always win me over.

And of course, I took a lot of photos.

The rolling hills of Lexington: the best view from a car, ever!

An earlier race.

Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes: Dances with Ashley (6, chestnut) and eventual winner Holiday for Kitten (5). All following photos from the same race until noted.

Musical Romance

Shotgun Gulch

Diamond Song

Promised Mandate

Switch

Above and below: First Lady Stakes; Wasted Tears (8), C.S. Silk (7) and Gypsy's Warning (10).

All following photos from the same race until noted.

Eclair de Lune (11)

Wasted Tears (8), Gypsy's Warning (10) and Eclair de Lune (11)

Bay to Bay (1)

Cherokee Queen (2)

Category Seven (4)

Wasted Tears

Above and below: Shadwell Turf; Tajaweed.

All following photos from the same race until noted.

Above and below: Sidney's Candy

Dance and Dance (IRE)

Zoffany (IRE)

Gio Ponti and Society's Chairman waiting behind Zoffany.

Above and below; Gio Ponti

Society's Chairman

Wise Dan

Get Stormy

Sidney's Candy going back to the barns

Overall, it was a wonderful day. We were up over $600 by day's end! My husband was disappointed that Sidney's Candy came in third but it was a thrill to see Gio Ponti win. I've long been a fan of this hard-knocking horse--he is nothing but a professional, and gives it his best each time.

The Shadwell Turf was to be Gio Ponti's second to last race (the Breeder's Cup Mile being the last). After the race, I leaned on the rail and watched as he was taken to the winner's circle, then untacked, sponged down with water and led past me. By then, it was just him, his groom and the late afternoon sun, but I watched until he was led to the gap in the rail and out of sight. At that moment, he wasn't a multi-millionaire, or even a race winner. He was just a horse--just a horse on his way to a clean stall and supper. It was almost an intimate moment, and knowing that I would only see this guy run one more time, I had a lump in my throat.

What a beautiful picture.

The hard part about being a racing fan, and a formal farewell to Fleet Indian

2011-10-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Both my husband and I know that there is one very difficult aspect of being a horse racing fan: the inevitable loss of horses over the years. From pensioners passing due to old age to breakdowns on the track and everything in between, finding out that a horse you have cherished, followed, and/or met has passed away is never easy.

Although you don't own these horses, they are out there for the public, and a small part of each horse belongs to the fans and followers of the sport.

The sense of loss varies. If I read that a horse I have never heard of had to be euthanized, I will feel a pang of sadness. It doesn't matter if I have never before read that horse's name, or seen any of that horse's races. As a fan of the sport and all-around horse lover, a part of you quietly grieves.

Then there are occasions where I can sit with tears streaming down my face after finding out a well-loved horse has passed away. I remember where I was when I found out Seattle Slew died. I remember bawling on my way home from work after Personal Ensign's death. I remember the deep sorrow I felt when John Henry passed away, and that wound was opened anew when I visited his grave for the first time. This was before the monument, when the grave was a stark patch of bare ground rimmed with flowers. Upon seeing this bare ground, I burst into tears, for it was the first time in two decades of visits that there was no John Henry for me to see at the Kentucky Horse Park.

But this time, I got a deeper look into the emptiness that opens up after the loss of a beloved racehorse.

As I mentioned in my last post, I found out that a mare we had met in May of this year passed away--Fleet Indian. At the time of the visit, I was provided with the email address of a woman at the farm, and she helped me set up the visit. I distinctively remember her telling me, with delight, that I could certainly meet "Ms. Indian" and her filly. The love for this mare traveled strongly over the email! So when I found out about the passing of Ms. Indian, my first thought was to email this same woman again to tell her how sorry I was. Her response was so thankful yet so full of sorrow and loss that it brought tears to my eyes. What a fortunate, lucky mare Ms. Indian was to be with such a loving, devoted farm.

And today, the eloquent Barbara Livingston created a tribute on her blog: Fleet Indian, a.k.a. "Large Marge"

This inspired me to write my own brief tribute, which I initially posted on the local horse forum.

I had the honor of meeting this beautiful mare and her 2011 filly in May of this year. I was struck not just by her angular features and her towering frame (what a girth on that girl!) but by her sweet personality. She had big floppy ears and endearing, soft brown eyes. At the crinkle of the peppermint wrapper in my hand, she brightened up and waited for me to present the candy to her, then took it gently from my hand. She did the same with my husband.

Never once did she show impatience or a longing to get back to the pasture with her friends. When it was clear to her that the peppermints were gone, she stood patiently for pictures before being led back to the pasture, filly by her side.

I was also struck by the love and admiration everyone at the farm had for her--from the ladies that helped me plan my visit over email, to the woman that not only showed us Fleet Indian but also gave us an impromptu tour of the farm. I know that every person there grieves heavily for this sweetheart of a mare. I was also told that not long before her death, Fleet Indian was playing the role of babysitter for the farm weanlings--and loving it.

And last, but not least, she was also a magnificent racehorse, the champion older mare of 2006. But in meeting her, her character almost outshines her achievements on the track.

Rest in peace, Ms. Indian.

Breeder's Cup 2011 plans and other quick notes on horse racing

2011-10-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

With the Breeder's Cup a month away, now is the time to start finalizing plans. Like last year, we plan to watch the Friday races at home, then hit the hay super-early. We will then wake up at around 3am to drive to Churchill Downs. Let's hope there are no lake effect snowstorms in Indiana this time!

Then on Saturday night after the races we will drive to Lexington and stay the night there, then spend Sunday in the Lexington countryside, visiting stud farms and watching the Fasig Tipton bloodstock sales. Then Monday morning we have an appointment to feed the lovely Serena's Song peppermints before driving home. Whew--busy weekend, but the best and only kind to have in Kentucky!

Of course, we will take lots and lots of photos and I will post them on the blog once we're done.

Yesterday, a lot of final prep races for the Breeder's Cup were run, including the Kelso Handicap, Jockey Club Gold Cup, Lady's Secret and Beldame Stakes. The impressive winners of the day were Uncle Mo in the Kelso and Havre de Grace in the Beldame.

I don't know what words can be accurately used to describe the power of Uncle Mo's surge down the stretch over a sloppy track. What amazed me most was that jockey Velazquez merely had to let Uncle Mo see challenger Jackson Bend at the top of the stretch before the colt made his big move. Uncle Mo worked a blazing 4f in 46 and change earlier in the week so we already knew he was in top form, but being human, one cannot help but be so impressed by his performance in the Kelso.

Havre de Grace easily defeated top filly Royal Delta in the Beldame. She is now pointed towards the Breeder's Cup Classic and will attempt to become the second filly since Zenyatta to win the Classic. But if Uncle Mo also races in the Classic, that will not be an easy task for her.

On a sad note, I found out that champion mare Fleet Indian passed away at Summerwind Farm due to colic. We had the great opportunity to meet her (and feed her peppermints) during our trip to Kentucky in May of this year. Rest in peace, beautiful girl!

Fleet Indian and 2011 Medaglia d'Oro filly, Castlegrace

Foggy sunset at the barn

2011-09-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Some new headwear for Lim

2011-09-14T14:08:00.001-07:00

Yes, she did this herself. It reminds me of one of the silly fancy hats at the royal wedding, so she's right on trend!

Not-so-great pic of Lim's dapples

2011-09-13T11:35:00.001-07:00

You get the idea! (and yes she's licking her stall doorway in the other pic; she likes to do that while eating!)

Dapples in the winter coat

2011-09-12T11:38:00.001-07:00

Lim's winter coat is growing in, and it seems to have dapples! How exciting--this is a wonderful sign!

Fun with the sun and a surprisingly good ride

2011-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

I was practically blinded by the sun while grooming Limerick last night. Being rendered unable to see by the sun's glare reminded me of just how much I rely upon my eyesight...I kept looking to my left and right for approaching horses (Lim is the type of mare that will try to kick any horse that surprises her in the aisle). I did not like the lack of peripheral vision!

But the artsy side of me realized that the light presented a great photo opportunity.

Last night was also the night of a test ride to see how sore Lim was, if at all. The plan was to evaluate her from her back, and if she was okay at the walk but not the trot, then I would stick to a walk only for the time being.

Well, when I got on her back, she stepped off into a lively walk right away. Great! After a few moments I asked for a trot, and it was quickly clear that she was not sore at all. If anything, she stepped quick and light, with carefree strength. Maybe a little too much strength, as she would randomly leap into some of her patented acrobatics, her head shaking back and forth in glee. I'm sure that from the ground, she resembled a playful fawn at times, but that was okay!

(I do admit that this behavior and the fact my saddle had just been cleaned made me painfully aware that I could slide right off her back with any unexpected moves).

As the sun dipped further into the horizon and the night chill crept in closer, Lim began to see the boogeyman lurking within the shadows. I finally decided to sit the trot and ask her to collect, which is not typically something I would do after weeks of very few rides. But I had to focus her energy positively and this did the trick. After a 20 minute ride I had her walk out on a long rein. She stretched her neck out and walked quickly (with a minor spook on one turn). I was very, very pleased!

After the ride I let her loose in the arena and took some more photos. One of the barn cats, Mini-Me, decided to join us.

I then took her tack inside and got her stall ready for her. When I was walking back to the arena, I noticed huge clouds of dust rising up into the darkening sky. She was galloping! Sure enough, I saw the blur of her dark form, tail flagged, flying by in the dust and dusk.

You have no idea how good it felt to see her running so freely and without pain! Just for fun, I ran up and down the fence line with her and she followed me--it made me feel a bit like Alec and the Black when they were on the island in The Black Stallion.

Then it was time to go in. I put her halter on and walked her around the arena a couple times to cool her off, and then we went in.

New "shoes"!

2011-09-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Limerick has new shoes now! Except they aren't your standard horseshoes--they're something radically different. If you think of standard horseshoes as steel toe construction boots, then the Perfect Hoof Wear would be comparable to very thin sneakers, or even the minimalist running shoes I use.

How long they last is up to the individual horse, but whether they stay on for 2-3 weeks or 6 weeks, they will give Lim's weak-walled front hooves a chance to strengthen and grow properly.

This also means that I can ride her over Labor Day weekend--yay!

...and it gets worse

2011-08-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

At the barn last night, I could see that Limerick was very sore when I led her out her stall. Of course, I freaked, thinking it was her soles. But then a more logical part of me suggested that perhaps those stupid hoof boots were rubbing her raw somewhere.

I took her fly boots, bell boots and hoof boots off. When I took the right hoof boot off, she frantically tried to jerk her hoof out of my hands. After a couple tries I managed to get it off and checked the back of her pastern and heels.

Sure enough, there was a large, raw sore on the back of her pastern. Ouch! Poor girl. My heart sank and I felt terrible...it had been a bad day, week, month, year and this was just the final straw.

There was a sore on the other pastern, too, but not as large. I put a large gob of human antibiotic ointment (the type with pain relieving stuff in it) and some aloe cream on a bandage and tried to wrap that to Lim's pastern with vetrap, but she would have none of it.

She is usually a very good patient so I knew it had to hurt! Which of course, made me feel even worse. I don't remember the last time I cried while tending to a horse wound--in all the years I've had Lim, I can on count on perhaps three fingers the number of times I've cried while tending to her medically, and this includes the daily bandaging of her laminitic hoof after it had been radically resectioned in 2002.

Finally I gave up on the bandages and smeared the ointment directly onto the wounds, gave her a gram of bute and put her back in her stall. I also decided that, at least for today, she should stay in from turnout.

(But as I was writing the last line, my barn owner emailed me to ask if she could do anything...and after some thought, I asked if she could let Limerick out onto the pasture with the others at 1pm. I figure that two hours of turnout on the grass will do her far more good than harm).

As for what to do next...I don't know. I could try wrapping her pasterns with vetrap then applying those boots again, but whether I can do that or not depends on the wound. We'll see tonight.

Barefoot horse....and farrier out of commission.

2011-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I opened this window to compose a blog about Limerick being barefoot for two weeks as of August 25. But now situations are a little worse than I thought.

Long story short, Limerick lost both shoes last week before her farrier appointment. The farrier said that set us back to square one, and instead of putting shoes back on to her thin hoof wall, he decided to let her go barefoot for two weeks and grow back a bit of hoof, then re-shoe her.

We both didn't like the idea but knew there was no choice. I had hoof boots so the plan was to leave her barefoot and monitor her, and if she seemed sore then I would put the boots on.

Well, last night, she was sore. She was okay before that, but definitely sore last night. So on went the boots.

And today I found out my farrier is injured and out of commission for a few weeks. Ohhh noooooooo! I need to find a new guy to shoe Lim temporarily. I hate foot-related issues with her...they are so stressful.

No birthday ride for me--bummer!

2011-08-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today is my 31st birthday (or as Miss Lim may say, I was foaled 31 years ago today...and if you ask my mom, I was nearly as large as a foal when I was born).

I had a birthday ride planned/hoped for, but alas, it is not meant to be...Limerick lost a shoe yesterday. But this time she didn't take out massive chunks of hoof along with it so that's something to be happy about. The farrier is already scheduled for Thursday, so I will just wait until then to have it taken care of.

I did ride her last Thursday with an audience composed of my parents and a family friend from the UK. Lim was great--very calm yet playful at predictable times, and she moved so, so, so! well! My dad told me she looks wonderful for her age and I agree.

I just wish her dapples would come back--they disappeared shortly after she colicked (and lost 100+ pounds). The weight is back but the dapples are not. Hopefully they make an appearance when her winter coat begins to grow in.

Dentist today

2011-08-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Limerick had her teeth floated today. Since her appointment was in the late morning, I could not leave work to hold her. Instead someone else did, and she also texted me updates.

At lunch, I swapped the stilettos for muck boots went to the barn to check on Lim. When I arrived, she was already 98% awake from the sedative and being led out a stall by the barn guy. He led her over to me so that I could say hello to her, then turned her out in the big pasture.

As I watched, she wandered through the horses, looking for her boyfriend, Joey. I quietly rooted for her to find him quickly. And she finally did, and with a big whinny she galloped over to him, her eyes wide with happiness.

My friend! I've found you!

Her joy was so profound, so sweet and so intimate, that I couldn't help but tear up with my own joy for her.

I'm glad you found your friend, baby girl, enjoy the sun and the grass on this beautiful day.

"In memory of Niki"

2011-08-16T18:09:00.001-07:00

Goodbye, Niki

2011-08-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

God forbid that I should go to any Heaven in which there are no horses. ~R.B. Cunninghame Graham

Today, the world lost a rare gem, a truly wonderful, kind, genuine woman named Niki. Always cheerful and upbeat, Niki instantly made anyone she met comfortable.

I remember when she was new to Gladstone, and had a stunning black Arab/ASB mix named Raven. How proud of him she was! And with him came all the horse supplies--blankets, tack, and more. We shared tack trunk space, and would both laugh at how much "horse crap" we had. But of course, how could we give any of it up?

I remember all the late winter nights at the barn, riding around the indoor arena with Limerick's fleece quarter sheet over her rump, all bundled up in my winter riding clothes. And Niki and Raven would often be the only other ones there. I would often stop riding and just start chatting with her until Lim dozed off beneath me. We would talk about places, kids (or our desire for lack thereof), our animals, our husbands, and life. She really warmed up those cold nights!

I also remember the first time she saw me ride--she praised my riding skills and said she wished she could ride like me. I told her that it took a lot of hard work, but that she could do it! And you know what? Within two years she won a blue ribbon in her first show on her beloved Raven. I was so proud of her!

Whether she had met you once or a thousand times, she always had a friendly greeting for you. And if I was too far away to lip-read her? She would instead give me a huge, cheerful wave. How could you have a bad day after that?

She was a beloved member of my barn family, and she will be sorely missed by all. But although she is physically gone, she will always be in our hearts.

May you be surrounded by horses, Niki!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nikihelmer

Prayers for Niki

2011-08-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

A wonderful member of my "barn family" was seriously injured in a trail riding accident yesterday.

Niki is one of those rare and wonderful beacons of light, with a smile and kind words for everyone she sees. She laughs easily and always genuinely cares about how you and your horse are doing. She worked incredibly hard to organize the barn, and Gladstone is a much better place for it. Although she recently moved her horse to another barn, we at Gladstone still consider Niki a member of the barn family.

Get well quick, Niki--hang in there! The world needs more people like you, not fewer :-(

A hot evening at Gladstone

2011-07-21T20:15:00.001-07:00

Sore lack of riding lately

2011-07-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I haven't been able to ride as much as I'd like over the past couple weeks. I blame weather and an (irrational???) fear of inadvertently causing Limerick to lose another shoe.

On that note, although a small patch of epoxy did come off, Lim's hooves have been doing well so far. She continues to wear the bell boot/fly boot ensemble every day.

A humid evening

2011-07-10T20:46:00.001-07:00

Limerick patiently awaits me on the crossties.

A run to the barn

2011-07-06T18:18:00.001-07:00

Lim and I, and all the stuff on her legs in the name of keeping her shod!

Oops!

2011-07-01T17:52:00.001-07:00

I see my last post went through three times. I was so sure they wouldn't!! Ain't technology great?!

New shoes for Lim

2011-07-01T15:47:00.005-07:00

New shoes

2011-07-01T15:47:00.003-07:00

Lim was hot-shoed last night. The farrier also put a lot of epoxy, etc on. Fingers crossed she keeps these on...

Lim's new shoes

2011-07-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

Limerick was hot-shoed last night; I don't remember the last time she was. The farrier also applied several layers of epoxy and other materials to help the shoes stay on.
I really hope they do...losing three shoes in a month is really hard on her feet.

Another lost shoe....sigh.

2011-06-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah, what the title says--she lost a shoe yesterday. It's getting frustrating. The farrier puts epoxy and glue over the chipped areas of her hooves, where the nail holes go, but that epoxy falls off after a while, and then the shoe inevitably follows.

What's happening here? Well, based upon radiographs, in late winter my vet recommended that my farrier trim Limerick's feet slightly differently. He had no problem doing this, but in between her feet adapting to the new trim, the extreme wet/dry swings in the weather lately, and the influx of flies (and the stomping that follows), Lim has just been losing shoes left and right. Literally.

I also suspect that her health issues in April may be contributing, because hooves are only healthy from the inside out. But it's hard to say.

Either way, it's so frustrating!

I did have a great ride on Tuesday evening. I rode in my old hunter/jumper saddle (I need to get a feel for that thing again! It feels like a jockey saddle after riding in the dressage one) then after the ride I took the saddle off and walked her around bareback, scratching all her itchy spots for her as we went. I think she enjoyed it more than I did!

First trail ride: success!

2011-06-26T11:43:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8fIeZpYGv4

Foiled again

2011-06-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, as I was doing a final girth check and putting the stirrups down on the saddle, a lady ran into the arena to tell me that the tornado sirens were going off.

I was surprised--there was some nasty weather brewing but Limerick hadn't shown any signs of hearing the sirens. She had been behaving a little oddly while I was grooming her--very cuddly and wanting me to hug her, which is unusual for her--but since it was a "positive" odd, I had not thought about it much.

Maybe it was because of the storm.

Either way, I took her back to the barn immediately and untacked and fed her in record time...and not a moment too soon! On my way home the hurricane-force winds and torrential rain started, and I saw the biggest, blackest funnel cloud of my life. Yikes yikes yikes. Fortunately, the storm didn't do much damage around the barn or my home.

Then yesterday....

While picking Lim's feet out I noticed that one of the horseshoe nails was coming out and awkwardly twisted in her shoe. Crap!!!! I really wanted to ride, so since the shoe was still on straight and not all that loose, I decided to try anyway. I put her bell boots and splint boots on just in case that nail tried to do damage. Doubtful, but you never know with horses.

Yet when I walked her to the arena, I could see that she wasn't walking properly. She strided out fine but would step down hard with the hoof that had the loose shoe, as if it were annoying her. Once in the arena, however, she appeared to walk okay so I decided to see how she was.

It just wasn't meant to be...from her back, I could tell she wasn't walking perfectly and the awkward steps were very obvious to me at the trot.

Ughhh....I was supposed to go on the first trail ride of the year with her this Sunday. Hopefully the farrier can fix the shoe before then. To make things worse, I'm afraid to turn her out like this, so she has to be on stall rest until that shoe is fixed.

Foiled again!

Pics of Sunday's ride

2011-06-21T11:03:00.000-07:00

Warming up

Limerick watching my husband

Cavaletti

Cantering a ground pole

A post-ride roll

Thanks to my husband for all the great photos!

Videos

2011-06-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

I figured out that I can take videos with my phone and upload them directly to YouTube. So of course, I've already taken a bunch of horse-related videos.

Riding Lim at a walk

Lim eating grass

Lim watching clouds part one, and part two.

I love the clouds videos in particular...she's trying to not blink, then has to blink hard...what a silly girl!

Great Sunday ride!

2011-06-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

I had a great ride on Limerick yesterday--we did cavaletti for the first time since November. I want to begin doing this with her regularly (think of it as core work for horses), and also I was curious as to how well she would move over them since her chiropractic appointment.

For those that don't know--cavaletti are basically poles laid out parallel to one another, at a specific distance. Both horses and humans would have to take gigantic steps to get over each pole. I will try to post photos tomorrow for a visual aid.

I spaced out four poles, flat on the ground (cavaletti can be raised slightly, too). Easy enough. I was expecting Lim to hesitate or rush the poles, but she did neither. She was wonderful! She lifted her back and legs high, which is the purpose of the exercise, and stepped over the poles nicely.

My husband was there taking photos with his new camera so I decided to go a step further and asked him to move a single pole to the other side of the arena from the cavaletti. My plan was to--over the course of a single 20-meter circle--trot the cavaletti then canter around to the single pole, hop over it in a controlled, even way, canter around to the cavaletti and trot again before reaching it. And so forth so on.

Limerick was fantastic! She kept up a great pace to the single pole and didn't rush to or from it, and hopped over it cleanly (with me doing my best to "see" my spots). She also continued to do well with the cavaletti...she tried to duck around it once but I did a U-turn and went right over it again to tell her that she can't duck out!

As we rode, in her typical fashion she became more and more excitable and worked up. But unlike many times in years past, she never felt out of control, which I was very pleased with. Hopefully that calmness is here to stay and isn't just a byproduct of her being out of shape.

As mentioned, I need to post some photos my husband took--they look great! In the meantime I do have this one:

Great ride, loose shoe

2011-06-08T19:55:00.001-07:00

I had a great ride on Limerick; she was nicely forward and very attentive as always. She even gave me a huge spook as we were warming up! We worked on figure 8's and maintaining pace throughout them (she tends to speed up on the straightways).

But before the ride, I noticed she had a loose shoe. Since it wasn't twisted I just taped it securely to her hoof and asked my hubby to call the farrier. No big deal.

Heat wave

2011-06-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

We're in the first true heat wave of the year (with a "feels like" temperature of over 100 degrees). I knew it was coming when I felt the hot winds blowing in from the southwest last night as I left work.

When I got to the barn, I checked Lim and although she was dry, I could tell she had been sweating so I took her down to the hose to be rinsed off.

After a lot of pawing at the water and diving for patches of grass nearby (what happened to the posts holding the crossties?! They're gone!), I got her cooled down. We then went over to the outdoor arena so she could roll in the sand, then back to her stall with fresh hay and the fan turned on.

Her next ride is scheduled for tomorrow evening and I'm hoping it is cooler by then--if not, I will still ride but take it really easy. I am determined to make riding a habit--and if we only walk one day, then so be it!

Three rides in under a week--amazing! And shifting focus for the year.

2011-06-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

I don't remember the last time I rode three times in less than a week; my inner thighs sure are paying for it today!

Limerick is moving and feeling very, very well after all her issues and chiropractic appointment, so now I have to start getting her back into shape for jumping. At this point her back has dipped slightly and she's lacking some muscle on her hindquarters, but for a mare that has been through so much this year, she doesn't look bad at all...hardly! And mentally she is incredibly motivated and ready to get back to work--that is the most important part.

To aid in ensuring that Lim stays on the track to fitness, I asked a teenage girl from my barn to ride Limerick once a week. She's a good, experienced rider so I think it would be fun for the both of them, and relieve a little pressure on my busy schedule.

Speaking of which, I have also decided that I am not Superwoman and it is impossible for me to focus on both running and riding. Meaning, I cannot reasonably expect to train for a 100-mile ultra-marathon if I also want to jump Limerick again.

So, for this year at least, it looks like I will not be racing. I do plan to get back into running regularly, and will even run a 20 miler here and there, but race? Nah. I also plan on working on jewelry, for humans and animals alike, more. So rather than the focus being on running, with riding as a supplement (as it was in 2010), I will shift gears to the focus being on riding, with running as a supplement, and jewelry-making at home in my spare time.

Maybe it's because I got a taste of losing Limerick in April, but for now I just want to spend as much time with her as possible. She is a wonderful horse, and even after all these years, my sense of discovery with her has not abated. If anything, I feel like there is so much more to explore with her, and time is running short. She may not look or behave it, but she is 20, and I have far, far more years on this earth than my girl.

I need to make the most of my time with her!

With my new focus on getting Lim back in shape, I have signed this blog up for email posting; now I can post photos and bits of text immediately from my phone, anywhere!

Email posting activated

2011-06-06T12:20:00.001-07:00

I can now post directly to this blog using email through my phone.

Check out a sleepy Limerick...more on this soon!

Our trip to Kentucky, with pics!

2011-05-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

My husband and I made another trip to Kentucky a couple weeks ago; the primary goal of the trip was to watch live racing at Churchill Downs on Preakness day (as well as the Preakness itself on the televisions there). We also wanted to spend some time in Lexington, visiting horse farms.

Leaving Limerick was tough after all she had been through, but I knew she would be watched by the many, many "aunties" she has at Gladstone Ridge.

We drove down on Thursday afternoon, after Lim's chiropractic appointment (which went very well and ultimately was a huge help). We arrived in Lexington at around 9pm and went to sleep not too long after.

On Friday morning, our first farm appointments of the day were very special--we were seeing some famous mares! The first farm was the home of the 2003 Juvenile Filly champion, Halfbridled. I was a huge fan of her as a racehorse, so the prospect of seeing this mare in the flesh was thrilling! She had a two-week-old Distorted Humor filly by her side.

See her Breeder's Cup J. Filly race here!

The next farm was home to one of the greatest mares of the 90s--the one and only Serena's Song. Halfbridled had been (unsurprisingly) indifferent to our presence, as broodmares can be, so I was sure Serena would be the same.

But I was wrong. When we arrived at the farm office, our guide pointed to a wooden box full of mints and told us to grab a bunch. We then drove over to the maiden/barren mare barn (Serena's Song has no foal for this year, although she has been bred to Medaglia d'Oro). And promptly, out she was led. She was far larger and far more beautiful than I expected....as well as far sweeter!

See Serena's Song and Flanders race in the Breeder's Cup J. Fillies here. Although Flanders had to be vanned off after winning, she enjoyed retirement as a broodmare until her death last year. Serena's Song went on to be one of the greatest mares of the 90s--and history.

Later at the same farm, we visited a couple mare and foal duos, including Serena's Joy, a daughter of Serena's Sister (literally the full sister of Serena's Song).

Later in the day, we stopped at Darley and Adena Springs. The highlight of Adena was visiting one of our favorite, recently-retired racehorses--Einstein. A durable, tough racer that could do it all, he was a thrill to watch and follow. It was so nice to see him in the flesh again. To sweeten the deal, we each got to pat him on the shoulder.

The highlight of Darley was the stallion barn in its entirety--I had requested to see Street Cry (sire of Zenyatta), Medaglia d'Oro (sire of Rachel Alexandra) and the great Holy Bull. But we did not expect to walk into the stallion barn to see the who's who of Thoroughbred studs eating their suppers! Including the stallions we were there to see, we also saw Bernardini, Hard Spun, Street Sense, Any Given Saturday, Quiet American, Quality Road, Street Boss and well, every single horse listed here. It was a truly surreal moment. In the midst of it all, the grooms led out the requested stallions for viewing.

Medaglia d'Oro

Street Cry
(still licking his supper from his lips)

A quick pic of Hard Spun

The great Holy Bull, see him win the Woodward here.

Grave of Affirmed, 1978 Triple Crown winner

Einstein

Giacomo (2005 Kentucky Derby winner)

Another great horse--Ghostzapper, winner of
the 2004 Breeder's Cup Classic

The next day we went to Churchill Downs. We had seats in Millionaire's Row, which was fun! The view was great and so was the food.

Track favorite Ready's Rocket winning a claiming race

Then on Sunday it was time to go home, but first we went back to Lexington for a couple more quick stops. The first was to see champion racemare Fleet Indian with her Medaglia d'Oro filly. See her win the Personal Ensign here.

Finally, we went across the road to Old Friends.

Danthebluegrassman tells
pasture-mate "You can't have my carrots!"

Bull inthe Heather

New resident Afternoon Deelites

It was a wonderful and very fun trip, and as a strange bonus we got to see a tornado on our drive home. That was a first for me! We will be back for the 2011 Breeder's Cup at Churchill Downs!

Lim is 20 tomorrow, and an excellent piece on her grandsire Damascus

2011-05-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Limerick's 20th birthday! My husband and I plan to make something special for her to eat.

I've always been a fan of Limerick's pedigree--very old-fashioned and full of black type names of yesteryear like Damascus, Citation, The Axe II, Blenheim II, Sir Gallahad III, Blue Larkspur, Mumtaz Mahal, Man o' War, and more.

I can see these horses, particularly Damascus and his sire, Sword Dancer, in her.

I came across a wonderful blog post about Damascus, as well as some videos of historic races. I've long been an admirer of the blazing-fast Dr. Fager, as well, and I will always think it is so cool that Lim's grandsire and Dr. Fager were rivals!

And to cap off this post, in honor of Lim's birthday here are some photos from her direct paternal line--sire Hot Oil, his sire Damascus, his sire Sword Dancer, and Sword Dancer's paternal grandsire, Sun Again. That blaze really travels!

Hot Oil

Damascus

Sword Dancer

Sun Again

A tough week!

2011-05-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

Poor Limerick, it doesn't end for her, or me. On April 13, after our first ride (which was short but very sweet!) since December, after cooling Lim off I untacked her and led her back to her stall. All was well and I began making her dinner. She stood at her stall door, watching me.

And then she got a faraway look in her eye before going over to the middle of her stall. There, she laid down with a heavy sigh. I watched her, not really believing this was happening. After a moment, it was clear she wouldn't get up so I went into the stall and sat down by her head. I texted my husband to come over to the barn as soon as he could, and as I waited for him Limerick laid her head on my lap and stretched out her legs, breathing hard. Her eyes were big and rolling, and it was clear that she was in a lot of pain. A part of me hoped that Shannon wouldn't show up right then, because it would be tough for him to see that.

After a moment, she lifted her head and was back on her sternum, legs curled up beneath her like normal, her breathing not as intense. Shannon arrived not too long after and I asked him to call the vet. When that was done (and the vet was on his way), he asked me if I would like him to call my friend Mary. I said okay...I love Shannon and was very glad he was there, but having support in the form of another horse person would have been such a relief.

As we waited for the vet and Mary, I asked Limerick to get up and walk to the arena with me. She did, obediently. Once in the arena I expected her to walk quietly but instead she kept trying to lay down, so the walk was a lot more work than expected. Finally I decided to let her stand, just in case walking was more painful than being still. She would periodically cramp or spasm up in her hindquarters then nearly collapse. She was sweaty, hot, breathing hard, and miserable. I was very concerned because in the past, Lim was fairly stoic when she had colic.

Mary arrived, and then the vet. He did not note anything very out of the ordinary when he examined her rectally, which was a relief. So although her symptoms were not good, nothing required an immediate trip to the hospital. We took her back to her stall and the vet treated her with drugs and mineral oil and water. Within moments she was much more comfortable....and once I was sure she was OK for the night, we left.

She was fine over the following days.

Then at work on Monday the 18th, a fellow boarder at the barn texted me to say that Limerick was acting like she was uncomfortable. My heart sinking, I hurried over to the barn again. The symptoms were the same as the previous week, but not as bad.

Nevertheless, the vet was called since every case of colic is an emergency and needs immediate attention. He gave her drugs and tubed her with mineral oil and water, as is standard. As he did this, I suddenly felt terrible dread. Watching Lim's eyes, I could pick up a sense of quiet panic in them. What was happening? I told myself that tubing oil helps a horse, and never hurts them. Yet I could not help but think "This tubing is hurting her".

The vet finished and pulled the tube out of her nose...all seemed well. Then within ten seconds, Limerick started stumbling around the stall in an awkward circle. She would drop to her knees and nose, then jerk herself up, then again fall to her knees, and repeat, in a circle. I did my best to stay out of her way...then suddenly, she threw herself down onto her back and tensed up in the worst way--I did not even know a horse was capable of moving in the way that she did.

At that moment, I experienced a profound sense of loss, or the possibility of loss. The sadness and grief, however premature, consumed me and I broke into tears. This was the type of thing you heard about--the type of end that you heard about.

I can tell you with 110% certainty that seeing your baby thrash around helplessly, her beautiful face contoured terribly, is one of the worst things you can see in your lifetime. Throw in the fact that your baby happens to be a 1,000lb animal that can kill you with an errant hoof to the head, and therefore you need to just stand back and wait, made the experience that much worse.

But to my overwhelming relief, she was soon up and standing, exhausted and dazed. The vet told me that we have to get her to the hospital now. Here was a vet that has been around for decades and had likely seen it all telling me he didn't know what "that" was, and she had to go to Kendall Road equine hospital.

During the ride to the hospital, I texted friends and family, telling them to keep Limerick in their thoughts. Mary drove and I did my best to not sob like a baby next to her, but it was very difficult at times.

Long story short, the hospital diagnosed her with a left dorsal displacement (her colon became looped over her spleen and remained trapped there), which was successfully treated with drug therapy. Surgery had been the next step but we never touched that, fortunately....my relief was immeasurable!

The next issue was the grand mal seizure she had after being tubed back at the barn. Fortunately, the vets thought it was a freak, one-time occurrence, the result of a perfect storm of many elements coming together. More relief! Limerick stayed at the hospital for two nights and was released on Wednesday.

(oh yes, and my car died the day before, on Tuesday; when it rains, it pours!)

When Limerick isn't right, then it is a tremendous burden on me...and in this case, for a while there I had this awful, sinking feeling in my stomach that this was it...this was the end....I feel so lucky, fortunate, blessed, you name it, that she is okay now. Don't ever take what you love for granted! I never took Miss Lim for granted, but over the past week I have taken more time to sniff her neck, look into her soft, expressive eyes and tell her I love her.

Here are some photos of Miss Lim at the hospital:

The first night, right before I had to leave
(and believe me, I didn't want to).
The muzzle is to prevent her from eating.

These three are from the next day--she was much
better! Top to bottom--"Hi mom!", looking for hay,
taking a nap.

Testing....

2011-03-29T16:05:00.001-07:00

2N776ABNCS2K

Limerick's leg is doing fantastic!

2011-03-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

What a relief...Lim's leg is well on its way back to being 100% again. She still has an ugly wound but it's pink and clean, and should close up soon. More importantly, the swelling and heat is almost entirely gone.

She can't be turned out until Monday, maybe Sunday (depending on the wound) and I have to keep her leg wrapped until then, but the penicillin injections are finished and I'm finally taking her out for short walks.

(speaking of those injections, she was a complete model patient for me! Each time I gave them to her, she stood perfectly still and waited patiently for me to finish. You need to inject them very slowly, so these injections aren't over with in the blink of an eye. What a goooood girl!)

Lim's leg on March 11--compare the area below
her knee to that of her normal right leg.

Lim's leg on March 16

The traditional "Thoroughbred gaze" moments
before she decided to do some acrobatics

Last night Limerick decided to show me just how much better she feels! I took her down to the grazing strip and all was well--she would graze, lift her head high and focus on some faraway point, then repeat. Nothing out of the ordinary for her.

But after a few moments I heard what I guessed was a dog barking (I found out later it was a small pack of coyotes, which are common around here) and Lim completely flipped out! She flung her head straight up, snorted, and went into a lovely capriole. It was like my mare had invisible rockets on the soles of her hooves--I barely even saw her move before she launched herself three feet into the air, her hind legs kicking back in unison with each leap. She did it again, focused on some faraway object I couldn't see (snorting and blowing like a bull all the while), then threw out a few more caprioles.

Finally, she settled down for a second and threw her head down again for a hurried bite of grass, then without chewing, flung her head back up again and snorted at the same faraway object. Abruptly she then pranced and cantered in place around me, the whites of her eyes flashing. Greatly amused, I tried very hard to reach for my phone so I could record the whole thing, but any move I made was greeted with a lot of dramatics and airborne moves on her part.

I couldn't stop laughing!

Finally I had enough. The last thing I needed was my injured horsey getting away from me and galloping off at top speed.

"Alright girl, time to go back to the barn, huh?" I said. With a little difficulty, I managed to move my prancing, piaffing, flag-tailed, snorting mare over to the driveway. She alternated between a prance/piaffe combo and a super-slow, high-kneed canter the whole way up the barn driveway, neck bowed, nostrils huffing and puffing. I had to circle her every few paces to slow her down.

There is a massive pothole in the driveway and when we reached it, she stopped abruptly, splay-legged, and snorted at it before launching herself over it in a tidy leap, knees tucked high. Of course, this made me trip over the pothole, and in response she threw herself into a frenzy of bucking bronc/Lipizzaner moves. I did my best to not laugh too much, lest I startle her even more and lose my grip on the lead shank.

Ah, Thoroughbreds!

In sickness and in health...

2011-03-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

I thought it was draining and difficult to be personally sick for nearly three weeks. From a mysterious infection in my cheek, to full-blown flu, to bronchitis, and then lastly, the nasty side effects of the antibiotics prescribed for the bronchitis, being healthy is something that has evaded me since mid-February, and is something that I yet to have a full grasp on.

In the meantime, I continued to go to work and did my best to perform up to expectations. I tried to make jewelry when I had the energy and...cleaning? While I am normally a neat freak, cleaning was far down my list of priorities. Sure, I still did it when I could, but not with the same level of detail and care. My husband had to play "nurse" and I really got to know the cushy contours of our couch.

Of course, running wasn't in the near future but riding? Yes! I had planned to give riding another try this past weekend. But then I had to cancel those plans because Limerick got her leg caught in a fence.

I suddenly had an education: as miserable as I was while sick, it really does not compare to the mental anguish of having a hurt horse. I've long known that when Limerick is happy and healthy, then my mind is at ease...and when she isn't right, then it weights upon me heavily like no other burden.

Since she is my baby, it's not a surprise that Limerick's health affects my mental state. But just how much is amazing. In this situation she had a wound on her leg, which in turn was swollen and hot. She had to be inside on stall rest, and I had to give her penicillin injections daily. It's not colic, or laminitis, or broken bones. But I was so anxious about the whole thing that it kept me awake at night, and I could think about nothing else. I visited with Lim as much as I could, and fed her an endless parade of treats. I told her she was a good girl and that I loved her. I iced her leg, changed her bandages, rubbed muscle rub cream into her shoulder and upper leg (yes, she loved it!). I made sure her fleece sheet was clean so she could have something super-comfortable to wear while on stall rest. I picked out her feet and made sure the rest of her was okay.

All the while, I was miserable. Sure, I no longer had a fever or a nasty wet cough. I no longer became lightheaded and nauseous when I stood up, and I no longer wanted to vomit at the very sight of food. But I was miserable...mentally. I was receiving an abrupt reminder that Limerick and I are connected, and my mental well-being is on par with her physical well-being.

She isn't out of the woods yet but rapidly approaching that point, and tonight I give the last penicillin shot. Can I breathe a sigh of relief? Not yet, but I can allow myself to smile.

Next time I'm sick, I'll think back to the time that I was ill for three weeks and had a healthy, happy horse, then abruptly the tables were turned, and the mental anguish that came with it was far worse than the physical toll of illness. I'll remember and be thankful that while my body is down, my mind is in a good place as my beloved mare stands outside in the sun with her friends, content and happy.

New jewelry blog

2011-03-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

I finally have my new jewelry blog set up; check it out! I guarantee that it will be amusing!

The Birds and the Beads

15 years!

2011-03-01T11:52:00.000-08:00

She makes me laugh, and she's made me cry,
she's dropped my heart into my stomach and she's lifted it into the sky.
On her back and by her side
I've experienced some of the greatest moments of my life,
and together we've grown from
silly young girls into silly mature gals.
She's my horse and this month we've been together for 15 years!
I love you, Limerick!

Busy, busy, busy--Lim's eye and a new jewelry shop

2011-02-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened since I last posted. In late January, I noticed Limerick had a small growth on her eye. It is subtle, but I did notice it. I took photos and emailed them to my vet.

In the photo, you can see what looks like a tiny faraway nebula in outer space on the outer corner of her eye. As you can see, it's only visible when she looks forward.

My vet responded stating that she does not want to make a diagnosis (which is understandable; it's not very professional to do so over email) but that we need to monitor the growth closely. After further discussion I learned that if the growth gets larger, Limerick will need to be referred to an equine hospital for biopsy/removal of the growth, and due to the location she will need general anesthesia.

I am not freaking out over this--hardly. I know she will be fine, especially since I caught it early. But due to the potential for large vet bills in my future, I was spurred to take my jewelry-making hobby a step further and open a jewelry shop on etsy.

It just went up recently and so far, since jewelry is already a heavily saturated market, I am just trying to market my shop as best as I can. You can check it out here: Heidi Carpenter Designs and also check out the Facebook page I made for my shop.

I also plan to start a blog about my jewelry making, and will post the link once I do so!

The perfect end to a phenomenal career

2011-01-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Zenyatta finally did it--she won the coveted Horse of the Year award. Like last year's HoTY "race" against Rachel Alexandra, this year's was just as hot. Blame, Zenyatta, Blame, Zenyatta--who would get it? Who deserved it? Who earned it? The debates raged throughout internet forums and blogs.

But in the end, the Queen won. My husband I watched the Eclipse Awards ceremony on television last night and funny enough, in the final handful of seconds before they announced the winner, I just knew, without a doubt, that Zenyatta had won. I don't know what sparked it or why, but the feeling was strong and suddenly there.

Congratulations to Jerry and Ann Moss, two of the kindest, most generous Thoroughbred owners in the sport. Watching them press their faces together in tearful elation after Zenyatta's name was announced brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations to them a thousand times over!

And....the riding screeches to a halt.

2010-12-21T15:16:00.000-08:00

Yeah, what it says. Over the past couple weeks, the temperatures dipped down to abnormally cold levels, the wind howled, and I just didn't want to do much more than bundle up in 1000 layers and do the basic feed/muck stall/adjust blanket/scratch withers/kiss routine with Limerick.

And then...

Last Thursday night, I went out for a run. The snow was falling, it wasn't too cold for once, and it was simply beautiful! I wanted to run a normal winter route--along the sidewalks along Warrenville, up Yackley and onto Ogden. Well, I got to the corner of Warrenville and Yackley and abruptly found myself on my back, stars of pain shooting within my head. It hurt so, so badly--it reminded me of the amazing pain I would feel when I hit my head on the ground after falling off horses. But worse.

What had happened?! I was stunned--there's no better word for it. Just stunned.

Suddenly I realized I was by an intersection and people in the nearby cars could probably see me on the ground. I jumped up and moved off the black ice that had taken me down and onto the snow-covered grass. I found my headlamp a few feet away and picked it up and put it back over my head. OH WOW, the pain! My head did not like that headlamp strap...at all!

I tried to shake everything off and proceeded to walk in the direction of my intended route. I got a dozen feet before I realized it was really stupid to be heading that way. I had just fallen on concrete, on the back of my head, what was I thinking? I should go home! The throbbing headache in my forehead was enough to convince me.

When I arrived home and talked to my husband, it was like trying to talk through mush. To compromise, I didn't say much and did my best to speak clearly. I didn't think about why that was happening, and it resolved itself within a few minutes.

But the next day--headache still present--I looked up concussions and read that difficulty speaking after hitting your head is a common symptom of a mild concussion. Ugh. To be safe, I decided I wouldn't ride for about a week--maybe more.

I have a ride scheduled for tomorrow (err, yes, less than a week) but I may change my mind. I plan on lunging Limerick first to get the silliness out of her, and I'll tell her to take it easy on her poor mama!

Hopefully there are no more setbacks. (knock on wood)

Winter's definitely here

2010-12-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

We're sinking deeper into the icy clutches of winter. Normally at around this time, I would be riding less and less. But thanks to my new-found determination to get Limerick into shape for jumping, that's not the case this year.

Fortunately we have a nice warm polyfleece quarter sheet (hunter and blue plaid, not Newmarket stripe) to help keep us warm. It's the type that falls over my lap while I ride and is very cozy (although I do sometimes wonder what will happen if I fall off her while that thing is wrapped around us--will she drag me to a painful albeit fashionably cozy death?)

Then of course, I wear my usual Toastie Toes when it's cold enough...and I also have long johns that I wear under my jeans while riding....and can't forget the two pairs of socks....and turtleneck...and thick hoodie...and...ah, yeah, I look like the Michelin Man upon Limerick's back.

But it pays off.

I've had a lot of fun rides on her, lately. I even acted upon my longtime wish to ride her in the snow and, after a warm-up in the indoor arena, led her to the outdoor arena this past Sunday night. It was well after dark and bitterly cold (I would guess about 10 degrees).

On our way to the outdoor arena, in the dark I could see the dim shape of her head perk up and gaze before her. She then whipped her head one way, then another, observing, watching, listening. Uh oh.

I almost turned around when I saw the dark shape of another horse in the arena. It was my buddy Mary on her mare, Abby. I knew Abby could play babysitter for Lim so that decided it. I proceeded.

In the arena, I mounted up. It was very dark but the white glow of the snow revealed the way. I sent Limerick forward and could feel the snow crunching beneath her hooves. I kept her at a walk off the rail in case it was icy. The stars were out. The biting air made my eyes water. My lap was warm beneath the polyfleece sheet. Lim looked around but was calm. At one point she saw the dark blobs of the pasture horses in the distance to the right of us and stopped to stare at them, her head craned towards their way. I stroked her long fuzzy neck and Mary stopped Abby alongside to talk to Limerick. Lim eventually relaxed and continued on.

After a while, Mary and I became too cold to continue so we dismounted. But I can't wait to do it again! It was a beautiful ride--very short but very sweet.

Long live the Queen

2010-11-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is it--Zenyatta is officially retired. I'm a mix of emotions--happy that she has been retired safe and sound, elated that I have been able to bear witness to this great mare (and in person for her last race, too!), a tad disappointed that she won't be raced in the Dubai World Cup next March, which I think she could win...and of course, I am sad.

I have been thinking about a particular poem for the past few weeks. It was written in 1937 by Joseph Alvie Estes:

'Big Red'

The days are long at Belmont.

Speed they never learn.

And it's many a day since Man o' War

Has looped the upper turn.

The guineas stopped their rubbing,

The rider dropped his tack

When the word went round that Man o' War

Was coming on the track.

The crowd was hoarse with cheering

At ancient Pimlico

The day he won the Preakness-

But that was long ago.

The dust is deep at Windsor,

The good old days are gone.

And many a horse is forgotten,

But they still remember one.

For he was a fiery phantom

To that multitudinous throng-

Would you wait for another one like him?

Be patient: years are long.

For here was a horse among horses,

Cast in a Titan's mold,

And the slant October sunlight

Gilded the living gold.

He was marked with the god's own giving

And winged in every part;

The look of eagles was in his eye

And Hastings' wrath in his heart.

Young Equipoise had power

To rouse the crowded stand,

And there was magic in the name

Of Greentree's Twenty Grand.

And Sarazen has sprinted,

And Gallant Fox has stayed,

And Discovery has glittered

In the wake of Cavalcade.

We watch the heroes parading,

We wait, and our eyes are dim,

But we never discover another

Like him.

A foal is born at midnight

And in the frosty morn

The horseman eyes him fondly

And a secret hope is born.

But breathe it not, nor whisper,

For fear of a neighbor's scorn:

He's a chestnut colt, and he's got a star-

He may be another Man o' War.

Nay, say it aloud--be shameless.

Dream and hope and yearn,

For there's never a man among you

But waits for his return.

When Zenyatta's retirement was announced today, initially I wasn't that sad. I guess "relieved" would be a better word for how I felt. But when I went back and looked through my email archives for this poem, I couldn't help but become overwhelmed with sadness as I read the poem. When I got to "We watch the heroes parading, We wait, and our eyes are dim, But we never discover another like him" the tears welled up.

When any good horse retires, fans of the sport can't help but search for the next good one. And they will come along--it's inevitable. There will be another Curlin, another Azeri, another Invasor, another Tiznow, another Skip Away; although there will always be those to debate that. There's already another Miesque (and beyond) in the great Goldikova, and I honestly never thought there would be another filly like Ruffian until I saw Zenyatta. Even then, their differences are so vast that I can't tell you with certainty that Big Z could beat Ruffian on any given day.

But will there be another Zenyatta? No. I can't imagine it. I've been reading about the great champions of racing since I was around six or seven, and never--from the legendary Eclipse to the immortal Lexington, up until the days of Colin and Man o' War, and to the present, have I ever read about a horse with even half the charisma of Zenyatta.

Many of the greats knew they were great. Most were business-like about it, while some posed each time someone raised a camera (Secretariat, I'm talking about you!). Yet others were infamous for their ornery personalities (John Henry), which only further endeared them to the public. All had charisma to one degree or another.

But has there ever been another horse that literally danced in the paddock? A horse that, in the middle of the post parade, would would stop to survey his or her "public" like a member of royalty? A horse that was the equine equivalent of Muhammed Ali declaring "I am the greatest!"? A horse with a thrilling deep-closing style that never failed to both frighten and elate her fans? A horse that, save her first couple races, always returned to cheers and applause--even after her lone defeat? A horse that could do all this yet be so gentle and kind in the backstretch that she allowed her public to kiss her on the nose, and would return in kind? A horse that calmly allowed the wheelchair-bound to approach her and put a hand on her mighty shoulder? A horse that, with kind eyes, lowered her head down low to gently nuzzle the heads of small children?

I can't even imagine it.

Zenyatta grazes on a strip of grass beneath a tree on the Hollywood Park backstretch. Her dark bay, almost black, winter coat has softened her shine just a bit. The late fall afternoon sun casts a golden glow. Fallen leaves and long shadows. Blue skies. She raises her head to gaze at the devoted gathering standing behind the chain link fence next to her, her eyes soft, her ears pricked. She knows she is loved, but does she know by how many? Does she know just how many unseen people are thinking about her at the moment?

Thanks for the memories, Zenyatta--the past 32 months have been a wonderful, wild ride. I'll always cherish the memories of you. Enjoy the green hills of Kentucky!

Nay, say it aloud--be shameless.

Dream and hope and yearn,

For there's never a man among you

But waits for her return.

A training plan for Limerick

2010-11-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back to riding Limerick regularly (I took some time off after running an epic distance). She is doing very, very well, and it's clear that she is eager to please me while under saddle.

Since I am a self-coached runner, I always write up a training plan for myself. Seeing a plan on paper ensures that I stick to it, which of course will produce better results at the race.

In Limerick's case, while I don't have any goals to show her (maybe someday, but not now, nor in the immediate future), I do have a goal of being able to ride a jumping course of decent height--a couple feet or so--on her at least a couple times a month.

Naturally, getting her there will take some conditioning. So I decided to write out a plan for her, just like I would myself! This plan is much more flexible than the complex tables and charts I make for my running, but it's a good start and will hopefully put me on the path to jumping courses again.

LIM TRAINING SCHEDULE

WEEKLY

1-2 Rides Easy/light collection/trail

(NO JUMPING)

1 Ride Dressage

(Individual moves, tests or exercises)

1 Ride Jumping

(poles, individual jumps, courses, or grids)

MONTHLY (from scratch)

1^st Month – Build endurance/rhythm/focus,

no jumping fences, pole grids

2^nd Month – Small jumps/grids, heightened collection and

dressage exercises

3^rd Month – Courses/grids with small jumps,

increasingly complex dressage moves

4^th Month – Medium (2.5ft) jumps,

1^st level dressage tests and up

USE EQUESTRIAN EXERCISES BOOK!

TAKE OCCASIONAL LESSONS! :-)

Still Pinching Myself: A recap of the Breeder's Cup

2010-11-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

My husband and I awoke shortly after 2am on Saturday to drive down to Kentucky for the Breeder's Cup. We arrived at Churchill Downs at around 11am and settled in our seats in section 124.

They were nice for bench seats--we had an open aisle in front of us and had brought blankets to layer on the seats. It was my husband, a friend of his, and myself. We watched the first few races from the seats and then for the 7th race, the Juvenile, I headed down to the paddock to "camp out" by the rail until the Breeder's Cup Classic--race 11. I was determined to see Zenyatta up close.

Another racing fan I had met on Facebook, his fiance, and I stayed by the tunnel for the Juvenile, then when the horses left for the track and the crowd began to thin, I steered us to the central part of the paddock rail. There were already a lot of Zenyatta fans camping out by the rail, but we managed to find empty rail space--score!--and settled in for the long wait.

There was a large television screen above the paddock that would allow us to watch the races unfold throughout the day, and on it we watched Uncle Mo deliver an impressive win in the Juvenile.

I had another reason to camp out at the paddock: Goldikova. The great mare was to race in the 8th, the (turf) Mile. If she won, she would be the first horse in history to win three Breeder's Cup races (she won the Mile in 2008 and 2009). An European runner, she was a star in her own right and, if she won the Mile, would be one of the greatest mares of all time.

She arrived at the paddock fashionably late, her trainer, Freddy Head, by her neck. His dedication to her was evident; he rarely took his eyes off her. Interestingly enough, as a former jockey, he had won the Mile on the famous Miesque in 1987 and 1988.

Goldikova was such a lady, such a professional. The crowd in the paddock was heavy with her fans and all eyes were on her. She did not disappoint. As my heart hammered away and the folks at the paddock cheered loudly for her, she delivered a thrilling stretch run and won the Mile handily. What a mare! I felt so fortunate to see history in the making with her.

And she wasn't even the finale of the day!

The Dirt Mile and Turf horses came and went. The sun slowly glided across the sky and down into the horizon. It became colder and colder and my toes slowly went numb despite two pairs of socks and Toastie Toes foot warmers in my shoes. I had not drank any water for most of the day, just some coffee, to ensure that I wouldn't need to use the restroom and lose my place at the rail. Nevertheless, my bladder was beginning to fill. I ignored all this and waited, waited. I had slowly worked my way forward to the rail at the far front and had a completely clear view of the paddock walking ring.

After the 10th race, the crowds trickled in steadily. Jerry and Ann Moss, the owners of Zenyatta, walked in to loud cheers and applause. They waved at the crowd before heading over to stand by stall number 8, Zenyatta's stall. Before long the middle of the paddock was teeming with well-dressed racing folks and police reinforcements were placed around the edge of the walking ring. All around me, Zenyatta fans wore teal and pink and waved TVG-provided and homemade signs showing support for the great mare.

I watched the clock ticking down--35 minutes to post...30 minutes to post...she should be here soon!...27 minutes to post....and then without further ado the paddock television was on her, the Queen, as she walked along the track to the paddock. She pranced and pawed and stretched out that long right leg of hers into her trademark dance. Her constant companion and groom, Mario Espinoza, seemed to barely have a hold on the massive power next to him.

The Queen was arriving!

My eyes grew misty and a huge grin spread over my face. I felt a sudden urge to either laugh or cry, or both. After following her career closely since the 2008 Apple Blossom, I was finally here, I was finally about to see her in the flesh. It almost felt like a dream. It was a dream!

When she entered the tunnel to the paddock, she stopped to gaze at the crowd before her, her fine neck and head held high. She reminded me of photographs of Man o' War when she did that--that trademark high neck, ears pricked, the look of eagles in his eyes. She abruptly pawed the ground and tried to circle Mario. He put his free hand on her neck and shoulder and convinced her to move forward.

Even I could hear the cheers and applause that followed her as she walked out onto the walking ring. I craned my neck to the right and watched for her intently. First a cameraman came into view, semi-crouched down for a dramatic view, walking backwards, his camera pointed ahead of him. I held my breath and did not blink.

And then there she was--all 17.1 hands of dappled dark bay, Zenyatta!!--and then she was gone, headed to her stall. It was just a quick flash--blink and you miss it. I could just barely see the top of her head over the thick crowd (which was saying something, considering that I couldn't see any of the other horses in the walking ring over that crowd).

The other horses in the Classic circled the walking ring but Zenyatta stayed put. Those horses seemed to be but secondary players in the main act of the Zenyatta show. But make no mistake--they were the best male horses in the country. I snapped photo after photo of them.

Quality Road in particular took my breath away--he was a masculine bull of a horse, more Quarter Horse than Thoroughbred in looks. I had liked him immensely since his Derby trail days of early '09, and in fact he had been my Derby pick before he was taken out of the race.

And then it was riders up! One by one, the mounted horses walked by, one or two people--grooms, assistant trainers, or trainers--leading them out to the track and the waiting ponies. As I snapped photographs, out of the corner of my eye I never stopped watching Mike Smith and his bright, familiar teal and pink silks.

The camera was beginning to frustrate me--it was getting dark so I had to use the flash in order to take decent photos, but the camera was slow and uncooperative. I knew I would have one chance at a photo of Zenyatta; any other attempts would not allow me to gaze upon her with my own two eyes.

Neck bowed, she was suddenly before me. Now! I took the photograph then forgot about it. I, as well as everyone on the rail by me, leaned forward to watch her pass. I did not take any other photographs after that--I was so intent on watching the Queen leave the walking ring.

As soon as she was out of sight, I rushed through the crowd, moving as quickly as I could without crashing into anyone, and headed for my seat. I wasn't alone--all around me people were walking and even running (okay, yeah, me included!) back to their seats. I did not want to miss any second of Zenyatta's time on the track.

Back at my seat, I stood upon the bench just like everyone else and my husband gave me the binoculars. I watched Zenyatta and Mike Smith through them as they milled around the the turn for home, awaiting the starting gate.

The horses were loaded and I squeezed my husband's hand. This was it. The gates opened and everyone broke well.

Zenyatta was dropping behind, that's okay--normal for her...dropping behind, behind...wait, why is she so far behind? Dread began to taint the hopeful anxiety I had started with. The horses went around the far turn, Zenyatta trailing the leaders by at least 20 lengths.

The horses disappeared from view and I watched them on the television screen. Come on Zenyatta, move up! I noticed that the horses ahead of her had divided into two clusters. Tricky, but I had confidence in her. Sure enough, she began to eat up ground. Soon she was right behind the trailing cluster, and now she was passing them.

The turn for home was coming up and my heart began to pound. This is it, this is it, can she do it? Make no mistake, I had zero doubts in the talent of this great mare but it was a horse race--anything can happen.

She seemed to swerve off the rail then ended up behind a wall of horses at the head of the stretch. No room! She was several lengths off the leaders, and a horse--I didn't know who--was breaking free and running for home. Mike Smith sent Zenyatta wide and she dug in hard, her massive strides eating up ground. She blew by horse after horse, and the grandstand--me included, the one that never yells at races!--screamed for her to move up and catch the free-running leader, Blame.

It seemed like she was running one stride for Blame's every two strides; she was a giant unstoppable machine, moving faster and faster with every jump, and then she was virtually even with Blame, and then his head bobbed down and the wire went overhead.

In the first instant everyone cheered for her but in the next, the place was silent. Had she gotten it? The PHOTO sign went up and everyone waited. The race replayed on the big screen over and over again, the final stretch run re-played in slow motion. It was clear, Blame's head came down right at the finish line, while Zenyatta's stayed up. He had gotten it...he had defeated the great mare.

I stood on the bench, stunned. All around me, silent people trickled out of the grandstand. I watched her on the television. As she was unsaddled, she pawed the ground fiercely, her dirt-caked face, chest and legs an unusual sight. Perhaps she thought she had won and wondered why she wasn't in the winner's circle. The camera followed her as she was led up the track towards the barns, and no doubt a good bath.

I thought back to an article I read many years ago about Nijinsky II, who was undefeated until his final two races. As he was led back to the barns after his last race, a woman called out, "We still love you, dear!" I also thought about Seattle Slew's defeat in the 1978 Jockey Cup Gold Cup, a defeat so valiant that it boosted his rank amongst the legends of racing from simply great to immortal. And finally, I thought about Man o' War overcoming impossible circumstances in the 1919 Sanford, only to be narrowly defeated by a horse appropriately named Upset. It was the legendary horse's only defeat, and it, too, was so valiant that now a brass plaque re-telling the tell of his lone loss is mounted by his grave site.

Zenyatta--we still love you, we always will--and in your own valiant loss, you have proven yourself to be worthy of mention in the same breath as the all-time greats in the history of racing. Not all will agree with this statement, but over time the specifics and particulars about your wins will be overlooked and your legend will preserve.

Sidney's Candy

The great Goldikova

Goldikova

Sidney's Candy (9) and Goldikova (10)

Goldikova after saddling

Goldikova and her ever-attentive trainer

Gio Ponti (3) and Delegator (5)

Court Vision (5) and Sidney's Candy (9)

Sidney's Candy

Goldikova en-route to a historic third win in the Mile

Dirt Mile winner Dangerous Midge

My view of the Spires from the paddock rail

The crowd begins to gather for Zenyatta

Awaiting Zenyatta

Jerry and Ann Moss arrive

A cameraman films Zenyatta posters

Police enforce the paddock

At last, the Queen makes her way over to the paddock

All eyes are on the television--here comes the Queen!

Quality Road

Blame

Musket Man

Lookin at Lucky

Paddy O' Prado

Haynesfield

Zenyatta leaving her stall, Mike Smith up

Zenyatta!

Breeder's Cup 2010

2010-10-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I had November 5th and 6th all planned out for this year.

March: I was invited (begged may be a better word) by some running buds to run the Ozark Trail 100 on November 6th. I considered it...until I saw that the Breeder's Cup Classic would be run that day. The Classic--how could I miss it? It was likely to be the last race of what is probably the greatest mare to ever set foot on a racetrack.

And even if for some crazy reason I decided to go ahead and run the race, and DVR the Classic for later, I would spend much of the race wondering what happened and before you know it, DNF just so I can get home sooner.

No, no...I would make sure my schedule was clear for that day. We would watch the race on our new big-screen, high-def television (thanks to my husband's mom for the X-mas gift!). I would cheer and cry for Zenyatta, then spend the night reminiscing her racing career with my husband.

July: We were still planning on watching the Cup at home, but this time with a guest--a buddy of my husband's that is often at the racetrack with him. Cool and fine by me, as long as he doesn't mind seeing his friend's wife sob over big Z.

October: I was sitting on the couch at home, doing what--who knows. No, wait, I was sitting on the floor, which means I was either in the middle of yoga or playing with the cats (or both). My husband stood in the door frame to the office and said "Maybe we'll go the Breeders Cup this year?" Should we?! We were, are, broke and really can't afford to travel anywhere but...too late! The ball was rolling, the gears were turning.

Zenyatta in the flesh--she was the horse I had dreamed about for 20 years, and I was going to see her in the flesh?

Turns out my husband's buddy (yup, same one) was headed there and, why shouldn't we go, also? Why sit with our thumbs up our butts when Churchill Downs is within a day's drive away? Last year I had wanted so badly to fly to Santa Anita in California to see the Breeder's Cup, only to be defeated by high airline and hotel prices. That wasn't the case this year. Carpe diem!

Fast-forward to today. We have all the details ironed out and the tickets are in the mail. And no, no--they weren't outrageously expensive and they're actually good seats. They're not right at the finish line but, in my opinion, somewhere even better--halfway between the turn for home and the finish line: Zenyatta's real estate.

And, from what my husband has told me, I know I won't be the only wet-cheeked one in company on that day. To bring: box of Kleenex.

Some great photos of Limerick

2010-09-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

Zoe, a high school girl and daughter of a fellow boarder shot these over the early summer, and I didn't see them until a couple days ago--aren't they gorgeous?

Finally getting back on track with the riding! And a heart attack, courtesy of Limerick.

2010-09-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

Wow, August was a horrid month for riding. I think I rode only twice during the entire month, and one ride was cut short because the bugs were causing Limerick to go berserk.

Hot, humid, buggy, wet, sweltering...not good riding conditions.

September, on the other hand, has been perfect so far. The bugs are present but at a tolerable level, and the weather is crisp and cool compared to August (I guess, if you can call 75 and low humidity "crisp and cool").

So far I've had two rides after dark (and it was truly dark for the first ride--I could barely see past Limerick's ever-pointed ears, but I trusted her and she was so good! There's nothing like cantering your horse through the dark), one ride in the made-over indoor arena (complete with power-washed and painted rafters/walls and brand new footing) and a fourth ride outside during the day.

We remain at one trail ride for the year but hopefully I'll find time to get out again; it's not too late, yet.

Back to the ride in the indoor arena. During that ride, I jumped Limerick over a very, very small fence as a test. I do want to get back into jumping with her but I am going to move forward very gradually. I first wanted to see how she would react to a small fence; I was pretty sure she would treat it no differently than she would a ground pole but, first things first.

As expected she did really well and I could just hear her thinking, "This is n-o-t-h-i-n-g, come on, you know I can do more!"

When we were done, as is customary when there is no one else in the arena with us, I took all of Lim's tack off to let her roll in the arena dirt. I carried it into the tack room. My saddle rack is by the large windows that oversee the arena and from there, I could see Limerick standing before the garage door that leads into the arena, cheerfully watching it open. As soon as it was open just enough, she trotted through the door, halter-less.

Wait, what?

I dropped the saddle and bridle and ran out of the tack room. It was late and dark and no one else was at the barn; what if she ran down the barn driveway and out onto the road? How would I deal with that alone? Worst case scenarios flashed through my head as I hurried outside.

She stood between the building that housed the arena and the barn.

"Limerick, stop right there!" I said. She looked at me, wide-eyed, then trotted into the barn. I ran after her, hoping she would go into her stall. Sure enough, she went around the corner and right through her open stall door. I ran over to the door and latched it shut, heart pounding.

Whoa....knees weak, I went back to the arena and looked at the garage door. How on earth did she open that thing? She's been loose in the indoor arena countless times before without any problem.

First, I pressed the "close" button from the outside. It didn't close. Hmm. Then I went into the arena and tried to close it from there. It didn't close. Great, not only did Limerick scare me half to death but she also somehow broke the door. Just great!

Then I noticed another, much newer-looking, garage door button by the gate to the indoor arena. It was large and flat. I pressed it and ta-da, the door began to descend.

So that's how she did it.

The new door opener was far too easy for a horse to open. I had to admit, I was relieved that Limerick did this and not one of the pasture-boarded horses. As much as she had scared me, I knew Lim was smart enough to go right into her stall. But if one of the pasture horses had done it, how would they have dealt with it? They have no stall to run to!

I told the barn owner about the incident the next morning, and by that evening there was a wooden box over the garage door opener, placed in such a way that no equine nose could ever nuzzle it open.

Right now I can laugh about it, but at the time, wow! What a scare.

The things we do for our horses...

2010-08-18T15:11:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that we are in the middle of one of the nastiest mosquito seasons ever, remember?

Well, Limerick isn't taking this so well...she's always been super-sensitive to bugs (crossing her eyes in an attempt to watch a fly land on her nose and getting her right hind leg stuck in her stall window while kicking out at a fly comes to mind) and I would guess that if you asked her, she would state that this is the worst summer, ever.

The mosquitoes are so relentless that clouds of them hover inside the barns...
...so relentless that they will swarm and bite me even after I apply half a bottle of Deep Woods OFF! insect repellent...
...so relentless that Limerick stops, eyes huge, and goes into Total Freakout Mode when she sees a puddle of standing water....
...so relentless that this summer alone I've seen Limerick go into more acrobatic scratching poses (the type you tend to only see small ponies and dogs do) than I have in the rest of my 14+ years with her.

But despite all this, I thought she was doing ""okay"" with them. I did wish I could bring her home with me at night and bed her down in my living room so she would be mosquito-free for a few blessed hours, but she was ""okay"", right? That belief was knocked down when I visited her one evening a few nights ago.

There I was, standing at the door to her stall, snapping a carrot in half, and did she look at me? Nope! She's only ignored a carrot breaking in half three times in her life, and needless to say, at each of those three times she was in a lot of pain. I went over to her and put my hands on her neck and shoulders. Her pounding heartbeat resonated through her chest and to my hands. I was concerned but after a quick check, found her okay otherwise.

She was simply done with those damn mosquitoes. She had it up to here. She was downright angry with them! That was it, I was declaring war on those bugs.

The very next day, I ordered an Amigo Mio tight-mesh fly sheet with a neck cover for Lim and checked off "overnight" in the shipping options. Then, on my way home from work, I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a dozen mosquito repellent bracelets made for humans, as well as one of those little battery-powered repellent fans.

That evening, I tucked the fan into the waistband of my jeans, switched it on, and spent an hour braiding the bracelets into her mane and tail. I also saturated her so heavily with my usual Pyranha aerosol spray that I momentarily wondered if I would develop lung cancer in a few years. I also told her that she had something very special coming...

The next day, it arrived. Boy, was it ugly:

(Not Limerick)

But it would get the job done!!

Lim doesn't really like blankets or sheets (okay, downright hates them) but she didn't protest in the least when I put this one on her. It fit well (I ordered a size up to ensure good coverage) and actually didn't look half-bad. I think.

For added measure, I pulled the belly straps through a couple extra insect repellent bracelets. So far everything seems to be working OK and holding up in turnout, and Lim doesn't bat an eye when I put this sheet on her (if anything, she nods off).

If only I could permanently attach that little battery-powered repellent fan to her somehow...

I need to update this more often....

2010-08-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

I feel like I say that each time I post on here! Here's the run-down:

The study of Lim's false pregnancy is now officially over; results are pending. Hormone wise, she seems to be in a twilight zone of normal/pseudopregnant, with rare moments of crankiness/flightiness/touch-me-nots here and there. But that could just be the heat.
We went out on the trail in July, with Corrie and her horse Abby. We headed over to the Danada grass track and trotted and cantered around it a handful of times. Other than the typical nervous-nellie behavior, Limerick was actually very good, despite the bugs.
Oh, the bugs. We're in the middle of the worst mosquito infestation in 20+ years. As you can imagine, Lim is totally freaking out and my barn time is more devoted to warding off the little bloodsuckers (or trying to figure out ways to ward off the little bloodsuckers--what's up with these things, did they crossbreed with killer bees or something? They are aggressive!!!) than riding.

More later....

An open letter to my betta...

2010-06-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir Tom,

In a way, you were just one of dozens of bettas I've had in my 20+ years of keeping fish. But the similarities end there.

You came into my life when I needed you most. You see, the day before we took you home, I lost my beloved oscar, a fish with a personality larger than the 180-gallon aquarium he resided in, a fish that was so special to me in so many ways. My husband took me to the fish store you were at and insisted that I pick out a new betta. Your little 4-gallon tank had been standing empty for months since the last betta I had (and at the time, my favorite betta of all time) passed away.

I watched the rows of small bowls, a betta in each. You stood out right away with your big red combtail fins and even bigger attitude. You know how you male bettas like to threaten each other through the glass. You took it a step further--I was convinced you were about to jump right out of your bowl and into your neighbors' bowl!

Of course, I picked you. After all, you reminded me of my oscar--an ornery little S.O.B. But my heart was still grieving for the loss of my oscar and I put you in your new home rather unceremoniously.

A couple days later, I noticed you were gasping for air at the surface of the tank. What was wrong? Was it the water? I had cleaned the tank before putting you in it, but maybe something had happened to the chemistry as it stood empty for months. Or, despite your attitude, had I picked out a sick fish? I looked closely at you and noticed a tiny bit of cat hair sticking out of your mouth. Having four cats, it was inevitable that a hair or two would end up in the aquariums.

I netted you in a white brine shrimp net and, with tweezers, carefully pulled the hair out of your mouth. You stayed still, as if you knew I was trying to help. The hair turned out to be from one of our Maine Coons and was over 4 inches long. How you managed to get almost all of that into your mouth, I have no idea.

But thanks to this bizarre and funny incident, I began to really like you. I named you Tom (ie, tomcat) then added "Sir" because you're too fancy for a simple name like Tom.

The betta before you had lived for just over two years and I didn't think I would ever have another betta live that long. But you surpassed that, and then some. You lived life with a vitality that I had never seen in any other betta in my life. As you moved through your little tank, you would open your fins wide with each pause, as if reminding everyone around you of your beauty. You killed almost all the algae eaters I put in your tank with you, except one. And that one was chased mercilessly on a daily basis until a couple weeks before your passing. You made me laugh every time you bit my husband and I when we fed you. It's a good thing you were so small! Your tank is next to our piranha's tank and when you would swim over to his side, he would come over and watch you. You are both members of our family and although Flipper probably just wanted to eat you, I found it very endearing.

You were there during some of the hardest times of my life. I remember feeding you during this time and being stricken with how normal it was. It was a sense of security in a surreal world. And last but not least, you really helped me get through a time of heavy grief due to the loss of my oscar, and for that I am eternally thankful. So thank you, Sir Tom. Enjoy the Big Pond, and try not to kill too many algae eaters in there.

Love, me

Limerick: Research Subject

2010-06-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like there's a part two to Limerick's pseudopregnancy story.

The year began uneventful--she started her heat cycles in March and they continued somewhat regularly until late April. But that's pretty much where they ended. After that point she did not display any obvious heat symptoms. I didn't think much of it until I noticed her udder in early May.

The reproductive vet told me last year that her teats would never go back to normal again; that I was to expect them to remain larger than normal. Okey dokey. And true to his word, her udder dwindled down to nothing while the teats themselves remained kind of puffy looking.

But in early May, the udder began to bag up again and her teats slowly grew back to the sizes of last summer. Familiar with the routine, I decided to wait and see what happened. And nothing did for a while. She did not have any heat cycles. She was pleasant to ride (most of the time! She did have some silly moments, but nothing related to going into heat). Then this past Saturday, May 30th, I took her down to graze on some grass. Within a moment of arriving I noticed something falling from her udder area. I looked and saw milky white droplets dripping rapidly from each teat. Witch's milk!

The dripping slowed after a few seconds until a single drop hung from each teat. When I got home, I emailed the reproductive vet because I knew he would be very interested in this. And indeed he was--he wanted to see her as soon as possible. We set up an appointment for noon on Tuesday.

(I love seeing Limerick in the middle of the work day!)

When she saw him, her eyes went wide. That's the guy that always puts his arm up my butt!

He performed the usual ultrasound and rectal exam (everything pointed towards another pseudopregnancy) and this time drew blood for a hormone test and after 20 minutes of dodging flying hooves, he managed to get a sample from her udder.

All of this is for the vet's personal research. He is now drawing blood from her twice a week to see if there is a pattern in the hormones. We'll see what happens....Limerick may be a medical oddity, and a research subject, but she's still my baby.

Photos & videos from Sunday

2010-05-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

My husband took some pictures and videos of me riding Limerick this past Sunday. She was being a goofball and the goal of the ride was to just keep her steady and calm. I succeeded...somewhat. Typically, I make her work hard if she acts silly but on this day, the footing didn't allow for it--outside or in.

We started in the outdoor arena, which was a slop from the heavy rains over the past couple days.

Telling my husband that I'm going to head indoors because the footing is just horrid.

"Come on, Limerick, you can eat grass later!"

Lim waiting for me to open the gate to the indoor arena.

In the indoor arena, Cashel fly mask off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6IPn-zJe8k

A nice walk...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY9exPPnE6I

A nice trot...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEEVZJ6um5I

A not-so-nice trot. She kept trying to either walk or canter here, so I had to work to get her moving at a steady pace. She sprinkled in a couple clownish head shakes, too--one directed at some pigeons nearby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr8gh-SsCLI

Here, I'm encouraging her to give me a nice, quiet canter. As mentioned before, if she's being silly then I normally make her work hard but today, the footing was just too awful for that. Instead, I went for the "let's attempt a slow, quiet canter" approach. It worked...for a short time! Then she decided to throw out another goofball move.

(Right before she acts silly, you can see a huge wet spot on the arena footing. For whatever reason, this spot was making her act up. She even jumped the entire thing the first time I tried to canter over it)

Finally, I decided to give up on the cantering and brought her back down to a trot. She eventually gave me a nice, forward trot with no silliness and I called it a day!

Dapples!

2010-04-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Limerick's spring dapples are back, and better than ever. She had her first bath of the year last weekend.

I don't know why she has more and more dapples every year (she hardly had any 14 years ago) but no complaints here, of course! Perhaps it's some sort of genetic coat thing.

She's been doing really well lately. A couple weeks ago, I raced her along the fence line of the outdoor arena (her in it, me out of it) and she was moving with a huge, flashy trot, her tail straight up. She truly looked great.

With my ultra-running training lately, I haven't been able to ride as much. But I'm taking most of the summer off from training so I'll be able to get a lot more riding in.

Clinton Lake 30 Race Report

2010-04-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

The day—the running of the Clinton Lake 30—was a cumulation of months of training, but was also a training run in itself for the McNaughton Park 50-mile. Some people told me to take it easy at Clinton Lake and save something for McNaughton. Yet others told me to go out hard and fast, to make Clinton Lake a bigger effort than it needed to be, in order to make up for the 20-mile gap in between the two race distances.

I opted for the latter, not because it made sense, but because I wanted to! I wanted to push myself and see what I could do. I was secretly hoping for a sub-6 hour finish.

My husband had to work until 6pm the day before Clinton Lake so not long after he arrived home at 7pm, we made the 2-plus hour drive to a Super 8 motel in Le Roy, about 20 minutes from the Clinton Lake start area.

The stress of the late drive combined with anxiety about race day made for a bad night’s sleep. The too-soft bed and flat pillows helped none. When I did sleep, I would dream of running on trails and tripping over roots, jerking myself awake.

I awoke at 5am and, after struggling to get the room microwave to work, nuked a large cup of McDonald’s coffee that we had purchased the night before. No matter what, I can’t start my day without coffee! I showered and got ready, and then my husband drove me to the race start area.

The morning was much colder than expected. I had hoped to mingle with other runners before the race but instead choose to sit in the car with my husband, the heater blasting. I wasn’t concerned about the race weather—it was to be sunny all day and I knew that the temperatures would be climbing into the low 50’s later. Perfect running weather! Before long it was 7:20—almost time to start.

I lined up a bit behind the leaders and off to the side. Even though I hadn’t run the course before, and had been warned about the difficulty of it, I wasn’t nervous. I was pretty sure I could nab a sub-6 finish, providing nothing went wrong. But of course, in an ultra, anything can go wrong!

The race started and the leaders dashed ahead. I held my pace as we ran out of the parking lot and up a hilly asphalt road. After a quarter mile we turned into the woods and onto singletrack. I quickly picked up a pattern. I would run behind a slower runner for some time then, when the coast was clear, pass them on the side of the trail. After a few miles I became hot and knew I would have to swap my winter cap for a baseball cap and take off my polyfleece shirt when I got back to the start/finish area on the loop.

I quickly discovered that I was pretty good at running down hills. During my first ultra a few months prior, I would lean back and “brake” into the downhills, which led to horribly sore quads by race’s end. But I had been working on this over the winter. This time, I leaned into the downhills and let my feet take small, quick steps beneath me. I pictured myself running like a cartoon character—an upright figure with a circular blur of legs below. It worked! As long as I watched carefully for roots, rocks, and sudden drops, I was able to hammer it down and overtake people. It was also a helluva lot of fun.

The hills were never-ending. Up and down, up and down. I had trained myself to recover on slight uphills, however, so I never felt exhausted. The only issue I had was with the muddiest section of the course—a stretch of ankle-deep mud on a downhill. Rather than heading over to the leaf-covered, firmer muck on the right side of the trail, I found myself following the runner in front of me right into the worst section of mud on the left side of the trail. My feet slipped out from beneath me and I landed in the mud. My water bottle—tip included—absorbed the worst of the impact.

Argh! I tried to wipe the bottle tip clean as I ran but needed water to clean it well enough to use it again. After the bottle was re-filled at the next aid station, I cautiously drank from it then spit water onto the dirty bottle tip until it was clean, all while running. Success.

I got to the start/finish area—and the end of the first of three loops—under the two hour mark. I quickly swapped caps, took off my polyfleece shirt, and yanked off my right shoe and sock so I could glob Vaseline onto a hot spot. At the same time a volunteer came over to take my water bottle and fill it. Shoe and sock back on, and water bottle returned, I hit up the porta-john. Then I was ready! No, wait! I had to get some food. It was a mental juggle to remember everything.

My second loop was more of the same, except I was alone for almost the whole way around. I hammered it down the hills, power-walked the steep uphills, and recovered on the flatter sections. My Garmin told me I was going at an average of 9:30 minute/miles during the flatter sections and it felt like I was hitting the downhills closer to 7:30 minute/miles. I knew I was going a bit fast but I felt awesome so I kept it up.

Well, awesome other than a bit of nausea.

I hit the start/finish area again at just under 4 hours. I was still feeling pretty decent, but not as good as before. I grabbed a couple ginger chews along with the usual Shot Bloks. A sub-6 was still possible but not looking as likely. But I was going to try! And with luck, I would get my second wind.

A mile into the final loop, my batteries began to die. Fast. One moment I was thinking you can do it! And the next moment I was walking…on a flatter section...with no intention of running again anytime soon. The nausea was worse than ever and I was thirsty despite drinking more than enough. Or was it too much? My fingers were a bit puffy and my wedding band, which is normally easy to remove, was tight on my finger. I realized I was over-hydrated and had taken too many S-caps. That explained the nausea and the wall that I had run into.

After walking for nearly half a mile, I resumed running. But it was a slow, shuffling run—a big change from an hour before. A few moments later my tired foot stubbed a tree root while going down a hill. I flew forward like Supergirl and, after landing on my right knee and hip, slid down the hill on my side. Sometime during the slide I had rolled onto my back as I laid there helplessly, I began to laugh. Another runner—a woman I had passed on the first loop—was approaching. She had seen the whole thing and when she saw me laughing, she laughed too.

I got up and, after a quick mental check to make sure no body parts were mangled, resumed my shuffling run. I tripped over another root a few miles later but since it was going uphill, the fall was far less dramatic.

This time around the hills seemed endless. I would walk then remind myself that I was almost done, just a couple more miles, just a few more hills, think of the ice cream and brownies and I could eat afterwards, think of the comfortable couch awaiting at home. And with these thoughts I would begin running again but it wouldn’t last.

On the last hill of the course was a neon green sign with “Are you loving the hills yet?” handwritten in black marker. I had thought the sign was amusing on the first loop but now it was a beacon for the finish. Last hill, last quarter mile, almost there! And who was standing next to it but my dad, camera in hand? What a welcome sight!

He walked with me to the bottom of the hill then, when we got to the asphalt, I ran the rest of the way to the finish. The clock said 6:35—about a half hour later than I would have preferred but, given how difficult my last loop had been, I was happy with the time. Clinton Lake is a much tougher course than Farmdale and the fact I was able to do so much better, and not be overwhelmed by the hills (just my own fueling issues), was a testament to my increased fitness.

Let's see what happens at McNaughton Park.

Are you loving the hills yet?

After loop 2.

Half a mile to go.

A different farrier will shoe Limerick tonight....eeeks.

2010-03-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd see the day, but a different farrier needs to trim Lim's hooves--which happens tonight!

My usual guy threw his back out some time ago. Lim had an appointment with him on March 6 but he was unable to make it. When I asked him to recommend another farrier for the time being, he said he could come out and do Lim's feet himself when he had a better day.

Unfortunately, that day never came.

I know enough about back injuries to realize it might be a while before he can do Limerick's feet. In the meantime, they haven't stopped growing! So, I am finally resigned to finding someone else for the time being. I hate doing it but I have no choice.

The farrier I used before my current guy made Limerick lame, in more ways than one, so I am understandably worried and apprehensive about this. But again, I have no choice.

We'll see how it goes tonight.

At least I know Limerick isn't carrying a phantom foal. When I rode her on Sunday, she displayed obvious signs of heat. She was energetic but had a hard time channeling this energy. I had to strongly encourage her to use that energy to move forward. If she had it her way, she would have stopped to throw a temper tantrum every time another horse was ridden near her.

I don't usually get impatient with her but on Sunday I admit that after she tried to point her hindquarters at a horse for the second time, I made it abruptly clear to her that I wasn't going to tolerate that. I quickly turned her nose towards the offending horse and did a kind of shoulder-in away from that horse. I took her crankiness and turned it into work.

She was a bit better after I did this a couple times and settled into a nice, long-strided trot. After a few moments of this lovely trot I called it a day. When you're working with a mare in heat, it's better to err on the side of caution and end the day on a good note, no matter how short that note may be!

The spring heats are always the worst but at least she's settled down a lot in her older years.

I've been riding (and owning) her for 14 years this month and she's really come a long way from the temperamental fireball she once was. My mom can definitely attest to this. Limerick is like a fine wine--better with age!

On the running front, I'm running my second ultra-marathon this Saturday--the Clinton Lake 30. I feel far more prepared for this one than I did Farmdale. I'm excited and nervous! I feel like my legs could pull off something good but anything can happen in a race of this distance so we shall see.

An update!

2010-03-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated my blog. It seems like just a couple weeks ago that Limerick's photos were taken as she galloped and played in the snow.

The snow has melted, the spring rains and fog are coming and going, and pretty soon it will be trail riding season!

In early February, I received a letter from the barn stating that the board was to go up by $50. Yikes. Since the board hadn't been raised in two years, the amount wasn't very surprising. Unfortunately, the letter arrived at a bad time for me, financially.

The letter also noted that the cost of the middle barn stalls was to remain the same. These were the stalls that I had moved Limerick out of over the summer. There was nothing wrong with them, really, they were just old and had no runs. They used to be pretty dark, too, but windows had been recently installed in them so they were brighter during the day.

Since Limerick didn't use her run all that much (the only difference was she opted to crib outside on the door to the run rather than inside the stall) and she was turned out every day, I decided it wouldn't be all that bad to move her back to the middle barn and save $75 a month.

So I did that during the last weekend of February.

Around the time of the letter regarding board increase, my husband made a feed store run for me. He texted me from the feed store to tell me that they only had two bags of the feed I wanted. Ugh...frustrating!

It seems like every other time I get feed, there is some sort of problem. They're either out of pelleted or texturized, or they only have X bags when I want to purchase more, or the price of the bags has suddenly gone up, or blah blah blah.

As I made a note in my day planner to go back in two weeks for yet more bags, if they even had them, a small voice in my head dared to ask, What if Limerick was switched to Equine Senior?

Purina Equine Senior. It is fed by my barn and included in the board cost. I do not get a discount for feeding my own grain, so if I move Limerick to a new stall and switch to the feed provided by the barn, I would be saving around $150 a month.

Hmmm. Two years ago I wouldn't have even considered it. But now? Limerick is doing extremely well. She grazes on pasture grass in the summer with the rest of the herd, sans grazing muzzle. She eats the same hay as everyone else, unsoaked. She looks and feels wonderful. The danger of reoccurring laminitis appears to be long past.

To be sure, I did some research. The NSC (starch and sugar) levels of Purina Equine Senior aren't as low as Buckeye Safe N Easy, but they're not as bad as I thought they would be, either. Senior horses appear to do very well on this feed. I inquired with my farrier and vet. My farrier said "go ahead" and my vet said that it would most likely be okay, but to be safe we should run an insulin test on Limerick after she has been on the Equine Senior for a couple weeks.

Deal!

Well, the test was done last Friday and the results are in--her insulin levels are excellent, nice and low. I will continue to monitor her but both my vet and I feel she will be just fine.

And last but not least, she loves that feed!

Founder: Then and Now

2010-01-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

Today, I was sharing my experience with founder on a horse message board. To show that a horse can go to the depths of hell and bounce back, I decided to dig up some old photos of Limerick's fabled LF (left fore) hoof.

Looking at these, it's really quite amazing how far she has come in the past several years, and the past year in particular thanks to my farrier.

(Photos taken in early 2003, about 8 months after a hoof wall resectioning)

Back then, we were pretty sure that Limerick would be crippled for life. It's hard to imagine escaping 17 degrees of rotation, with near-sole prolapse, without any blemishes.

But we were wrong. Almost seven years after the photographs above were taken, here's Limerick.

This photograph was taken yesterday by The Click Chick Photography.

It brings a huge, huge smile to my face. Here is a 19-year-old mare, once horribly foundered, galloping through the snow with pure joy. As they say, a photograph says a thousand words. What do all the photographs on this page together tell you?

If hell froze over...

2010-01-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the inaugural running of an organized "fun run", Windburn Six in the Stix. The winter counterpart of the Sunburn Six in the Stix, it was run on the same 2.28 mile limestone trail loop (with a shorter half-mile option) as the Sunburn fun run.

Since the run was self-supported I packed my drop bag with a few edible goodies, S-caps, additional "maybe I'll need it" winter running gear, and a bottle of Gatorade. Since I prefer to run with a Nathan fuel belt in winter rather than my hand-held bottle (I find holding anything in cold temps makes my fingers go numb, gloves or not), I also took that with.

It was cold. Very cold. It was windy enough to be annoying. And the snow...oh the snow. It was so deep, easily 12" in most places with drifts of up to 18" and over in other places. Since no one else--save a few snowshoers-- was insane enough to trod on these trails, us runners were the lucky ones to break the fresh powder.

I honestly wanted to quit after the first loop. Before the second I decided to put on my YakTrax to see if they would help. They did...somewhat. Nevertheless, halfway through the second loop I decided that I officially hate snow.

HATE IT!

But I hung in there and persevered. Some of the more experienced ultrarunners lapped me again and again and it just astonished me; I watched their feet carefully but didn't see how they could be going faster.

Even with the YakTrax, with almost each step I was slipping and sliding all over the place. If running through the fresh powder wasn't hard enough, there was also several inches of icy, crusty old snow beneath the new snow, making the footing uneven at best and downright ankle-twisting on average.

By the end of the third loop, my quads and hips (hips?!?!) were burning like something wicked. I decided that if hell froze over, it would be something like this.

But again, I persevered. My hamstring was stone silent. My calf had let out a little peep at the start of the first loop but was quiet from then on. Other than a burning soreness and a "I hate snow" mantra running through my head, I was feeling pretty damn good.

Hell, I was having fun!

But I didn't think I could do more than five loops. No way, no how. On the start of the fifth loop, I even considered just doing the half-mile loop. But for some reason, at the fork in the trails, I found myself heading to the right, towards the longer loop.

Noooooo! I don't wanna! I thought to myself as my masochist legs unwillingly carried me towards the long loop.

Midway through that loop I stopped completely and looked around. For as far as I could see, there were no other runners. A thought came to me. Quick! Make a snow angel! Laughing to myself, I laid down and made a snow angel.

Rejuvenated by my own immaturity, I gleefully ran on.

And guess what? Thanks to that snow angel, I willingly--mind and body working in harmony this time--did a sixth loop just so I could see my snow angel again.

But after the sixth loop I had enough. I had done almost 14 miles in four hours. My body held together. I was proud of myself, and it was a great training run for Clinton Lake. I headed home happy and, after a good lunch, took a two-hour nap.

I no longer hate snow.

2009: A look back, and 2010: A look forward.

2010-01-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Oh 2009, you were overall a good year, with a few surprise twists.

A year ago I stated that I had three goals for 2009.

1) To show Limerick.
2) To run a marathon.
3) To be published for pay.

Well, I've accomplished a bit more than 2/3 of that.

1) I didn't technically show Limerick, but I did wake up at an absurd hour to take her to a dressage show, keep her in a rented stall, prettify her up, then get home at another absurd hour, all to see how she behaved in a show environment. She got a B-.

Unfortunately, due to increased spookiness on her part and lack of funds on my part, we never actually rode in a show.

2) I was training for a marathon in August but was unable to run it thanks to a klutzy injury. I did, however, more than make up for it by running an ultra-marathon in October.

3) It's not out yet but a piece of mine was accepted to be published! The magazine pays--I don't know how much, but even $10 would be fine! And another piece was just published without pay. Still cool!

So, I got the majority of those goals accomplished, which I'm very happy about.

And the best part of 2009? Limerick had relatively few health issues. Of those she did have, one--the false pregnancy--was simply unusual and interesting.

I was talking to a friend about Lim's false pregnancy a while back and I joked that perhaps Dynaformer, a stud at Three Chimneys Farm, impregnated her from afar when I made her wear a baseball cap with his name on it early in the spring. He agreed that we should not underestimate the potency of the big stallion.

The offending hat.

The stud himself. Tall, dark and handsome--just Lim's type
(excluding the time she 'dated' a Welsh pony: short, dark and handsome).

All kidding aside, do I have any goals for 2010? Yes and no.

I don't have them listed out like last year. Rather, I've decided to adopt a more carefree, spiritual attitude for this year. Breathe and enjoy life!

I found myself far too overwhelmed by stress last year, particularly at the end of the year. As a result I was seriously sick not once but twice, which is unusual for me. Stress is a powerful thing. Don't underestimate it.

As a result of this lesson, I've taken steps to try to ensure that my life is as stress-free as possible.

I hope everyone has a wonderful year!

An interesting lesson in equine behavior.

2010-01-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

I was able to witness one of the more interesting displays of equine behavior that I've personally seen last night.

A fellow boarder is now leasing Lim's "boyfriend", Nick. She already has a Thoroughbred mare, Lady, at the barn. She was there the same time as me last night and asked if I wanted to put Lim in the indoor arena with Lady.

Why not? The mares aren't best friends but they're friendly enough with each other. So into the arena they went.

After a while, Lady's owner asked me if I wanted to leave Limerick in the arena so she could take Lady out and put Nick in.

"Why not put them all in together?" I said. I didn't think it would be an issue; all three seem to get along fine and Limerick isn't the jealous type. Little did I know that there would be jealousy, but in an unexpected way.

Lady's owner retrieved Nick from his stall. Limerick was beyond excited to see him and he responded in kind; we could barely get his blanket off him!

Finally all three were loose in the arena together, sans blankets. Nick and Limerick began trotting and cantering around in unison, with Lady following. It wasn't long before it was apparent there was some kind of conflict between Nick and Lady. Lady bucked and kicked at Nick and he did the same back, while Lim stayed on the other side of Nick, away from the flying hooves.

Lady's owner and I looked at each other. Should we interfere? But before we could discuss it, the horses seemed to settle down somewhat.

"Lady's jealous," her owner said.

"But of Limerick or Nick?" I said. We weren't sure. Since Lady was a somewhat girlfriend of Nick before Limerick and I arrived at Gladstone, I thought she was jealous of Limerick.

But...Lady seemed to want to be near Lim, not Nick. I was expecting pinned ears and threatening gestures from Lady when she was near Limerick but if anything, she was the opposite.

The horses settled down a bit more and it became clear that Lady was trying to protect Lim from Nick! I was flabbergasted. She kept her body in between Lim and Nick and if he moved, she moved accordingly. If Lim walked one way, Lady mirrored her, carefully keeping her body in between Lim and Nick.

Lim seemed equally flabbergasted. Why was her friend keeping her away from her boyfriend? At one point the mares got close, arched their necks and touched noses, as if to discuss the situation as Nick looked on.

It was pretty funny to see. It made me think of women trying to discourage their girlfriends from dating 'bad news' guys, you know the guy with the motorcycle and cocky attitude and taste for walking on the wrong side of the law.

If Nick was a human, he'd be exactly that.

Then the kicker. Limerick pooped in the arena and immediately, Lady walked over to it. I assumed she was going to give it a casual sniff. But no! She began pawing at it in an attempt to scatter it and cover it up! I was laughing out loud, I had never seen such a thing. It's like she thought Limerick--who is a few years her senior--was her foal!

Horses...you never stop learning from them.

What does one do when the temperatures are hovering around zero?

2010-01-04T13:18:00.000-08:00

It's been too cold for me to ride for the past week, which is too bad...I was hoping for a New Year's Day ride.

(But I did turn Lim loose in the indoor arena on New Year's Eve and play 'tag' with her, excited snorting, flagged tail, flying arena sand and all!)

Of course, you don't need to ride in order to have fun with your horse. Yesterday I went on a run that took me by the barn and of course, I had to stop in and see Lim.

She was turned out when I arrived.

Look at that blanket all askew! She, and the rest of the herd, were dozing in the sun.

So I wouldn't spook her, I kissed at her from the doorway. She turned her head and looked at me, eyes wide.

Hey, it's you!

I went into the pasture and stood by her in the sun. She was glad to see me. I rubbed her fuzzy neck and forehead then scratched her withers beneath her blanket. I tried to get a picture of her but each time I backed away a couple steps so she would fill the frame, she would walk towards me and give me a nudge or curiously nibble my Blackberry.

Finally, I got a picture.

After chatting with Lim and more wither scratching, and her nuzzling me (including my head), my sweaty self was getting cold beneath my layers so I had to leave. When I ducked back beneath the bar blocking the pasture door, she followed me and watched me leave until I was out of sight. Awwww!

Bye bye, baby, I'll see you later tonight for your dinner!

I want to get outside and ride in the snow!

2009-12-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

I've been having a lot of good rides on Limerick in the indoor arena. She has been wonderful! She even passed the ultimate test last week: a solitary ride while heavy, wet snow slid off the roof of the indoor arena, over and over and over.

Normally that would mean tension, explosiveness, a frightened horse, and a ride cut short. But with the sheepskin ear puffs, while she did look up at the ceiling a couple times, she remained calm and relaxed, and all it took was my hand on her neck for her to drop her head back down and sigh.

I was nothing short of stunned and amazed. I was so proud of her!

I've always wanted to ride her in the snow but until now I never gave it more than a passing thought. But her wonderful attitude as of late is giving me more and more confidence and I have begun to wait for the perfect moment.

Picture this:

A few inches of snow on the ground, a sunny clear day, the air crisp and cold but without a biting wind.

In those conditions I want to ride her in the outdoor arena a few times, and, from there if she remains good, maybe we will try the trails!

Unfortunately there isn't always snow on the ground, and when there is, about half the time the wind is so harsh that it numbs any exposed skin. And there's the matter of daylight hours--it is completely dark by the time I get out of work, so obviously this will need to be done on the weekends...or perhaps, under a full moon on a cloudless night. Wouldn't that be cool?

I just need to wait for the right moment, and in the meantime continue enjoying the great rides on my wonderful, fuzzy mare!

Thoroughbred power!

2009-12-04T13:14:00.001-08:00

She didn't want to work. But that was okay--I didn't, either. Yet I wanted more.

Content with trotting on a long rein, she again asked if we could transition down to a trot. Not yet, Limerick. I squeezed the reins in my hands and she gave me more power. Her canter was strong and effortless, easy to sit.

Just like Tuesday's ride, I was again reminded of my first few rides on her nearly 14 years ago.

I softened my grip on the reins and she slowed. Trot now? Not yet, Limerick. I squeezed the reins again and she gave me even more power. Another gear up, longer strides. The short side of the arena approached quickly.

She laid it out for me--I have more power, I can go faster, and here... She rocketed out of the short side of the arena, faster and faster. It was like being behind the wheel of a sports car. As she cantered, I sensed that despite the strength behind her stride, we had not yet touched the bottom of her reservoir.

I lightened my grip of the reins by a feather and immediately she dropped down to a long fast trot. I let the reins slide through my hands to the buckle and her neck lengthened, her nose reaching down eagerly.

I knew the wind howled about outside...yet she was not bothered. Is it the ear puffs? The quarter sheet? The pure bliss I had in being on her back?

The vet diagnosed Limerick with mild cataracts in her left eye. While Lim can still see out of that eye, her vision is a bit altered. Due to her sensitive nature, she is reacting to this more strongly than you'd expect your average horse to. I understand perfectly...and this is where the sheepskin ear puffs come in.

With them in, she can hear but sounds that normally make her paranoid and anxious during a ride are muffled or unheard. These ear puffs, these $4.95 pieces of equipment, have been more of a blessing to us than I ever expected...I wish I had found them sooner.

These, combined with the unusual fluidity of her stride as of late (you guessed it--she's consuming all her supplements now!) have made for some wonderful rides.

At the start of this year I had some long-term plans. One of them included showing Limerick. I haven't quite abandoned those plans, but it's fair to say that they are on the back-burner for now. We're just enjoying our rides...we aren't working. I know Limerick could churn out a blue-ribbon Green As Grass test if I asked but I don't feel like asking, and I know she doesn't feel like doing it.

That's just fine. Enjoy the moment.

The crescendo of a legend

2009-11-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

There's no turning back now. This is it.

They enter the final turn and I hold my breath. My pounding heart fades away into the background. This is it.

There is no clear path. Can she do it? My heart jumps into my throat. My eyes burn hotly.

Then there it is! Like the strike of a great black panther, her long, strong body stretches out into her tremendous trademark move. I am vaguely aware of other horses in front of her shuffling into position. She is larger than life and she blows by them like they are nothing—the best colts and horses in the world, the most stellar Classic field in years, if not ever. They are nothing to her!

She powers down the stretch along the inside, and my heart is bursting within my throat, and Mike Smith guides her around a wall of horseflesh, and she is now on the outside, undaunted, ears pricked joyfully, opening her long dark legs up into ground-eating strides, and tears flow down my face as she flies beneath the wire the very picture of a horse thrilling in her own epic strength.

Even I can hear the roar of the Santa Anita crowd through the setting California sun as she gallops out beneath Mike Smith, her swan-like neck high, ears up, let’s do it again.

Beneath Zenyatta on the television screen, I see the time—2:00 and change. It barely registers. My husband hugs me and I hold him tight. The emotions of the past 18 months are at a peak and the tears flow harder.

We are at the OTB off Butterfield Road, watching the horses load into the gate for the 2008 Apple Blossom. I am here to see a bright chestnut mare named Ginger Punch. My husband has told me of an undefeated tall, dark filly named Zenyatta running in the same race, so I watch her, too. The Apple Blossom is her fourth start.

I admit that at the time, I am a bitter horse-racing fan. Years of disappointment after disappointment have veiled my hopes of ever seeing a true legend in dark clouds.

But on that day, the clouds part just a bit. In a single tremendous move from behind, the tall, dark filly defeats my favorite with neck high and ears forward, running free and easy. Zenyatta…who is this Zenyatta? In her, I see something that I have only seen in grainy old videos of the reigning Queen of the Turf, Ruffian—a dark breathtaking graceful filly so fleet of foot that in every race, at every pole, she was in front, flying like the wingless Pegasus she was.

And so, began my love affair with a second tall, dark filly—a modern-day Ruffian named Zenyatta.

I dreamt of her. Following my personal superstition, I refused to bet her races. My heart pounded hard at the start of her races, and at the end, I would breathe a deep sigh of relief. As the wins racked up, these sighs turned into shaky breaths, then tears of joy. With every win, the clouds parted even further.

By the time the 2008 Breeder’s Cup Ladies Classic was done and won, I was convinced she was the greatest filly of all time, after Ruffian.

It is said that in 1973, the great golfer Jack Nicklaus fell to his knees and wept as he watched Secretariat win the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths in record-shattering time. Upon inquiring Haywood Hale Brown as to why he had such a reaction, Brown responded, “Jack, your whole life is a quest for perfection, and you saw it in the Belmont, and it moved you.”

Thirty-six years later, I understand perfectly. For on the evening of Saturday, November 7, 2009, I saw perfection, and it moved me.

Memories of last Halloween

2009-10-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Last year on Halloween I went for one of the best rides of my life on Limerick. It was a beautiful day--crisp, clear, the skies blue, the leaves falling and all shades of red, gold, and brown.

Two other boarders and I rode our horses across the street to the forest preserve. We were out there for hours and Limerick, normally a nervous nellie on the trails, was wonderful. Honestly, it is really one of the best memories of my life.

Among the trees, in the quiet woods, on my horse.

I wish I could do it again tomorrow. But while I won't be on a trail ride, I will be riding for the first time in a month! Yes, that's right, a month. I feel like a bad horse mom. I feed Lim every evening, as usual, groom her five days a week, and pick her feet every day.

But I just haven't been able to ride. Early in the month, the weather was very bad on the nights I wanted to ride. Then during the next two weeks, I was almost afraid to ride--not because Limerick was being misbehaving--but because I really didn't want to risk falling and injuring myself so soon before my ultra-marathon on October 17.

Then, thanks to running said ultra-marathon with a cold, I developed bronchitis and was just very run down and exhausted, and it took all my energy to just get out to the barn and groom Lim. Riding was out of the question, especially since I knew she wouldn't give me an easy time of it!

I've also been having problems with some sort of food sensitivity. I can't quite figure out what the culprit is, but when I eat it, it just wipes me out for the day. Then there's my stiff, knotty neck.

I had been planning to ride yesterday. I lunged Limerick on Tuesday with the ear puffs in, and she was soooo good, she relaxed her tail and stretched her neck out long and low. But during work yesterday my neck started to bother me. I happened to feel a tight tendon on the front of my neck and after looking at it the office bathroom mirror, I became queasy. I have a thing about abnormal-looking tendons in people...particularly if they happen to be on me, and painful!

I want conditions to be just right for my first ride in so long. So I tearfully decided not to ride. I groomed Limerick instead, and she was so sweet to me.

She has a routine vet exam tomorrow morning (eye exam, radiographs of her left fore, possibly discussing the arthritis in her left hock), then I plan on riding in the late afternoon. Hopefully everything falls into place this time!

The Art of the Equine Roll: A Photo Series

2009-10-30T08:58:00.001-07:00

Gladstone Ridge, August 2009

Horse ear plugs.

2009-10-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

I did it...I went ahead and bought sheepskin horse ear plugs for Limerick. Let's see if that $4.50 really pays off!

Oh yeah, I also got Sit-Tite for my saddle.

Can you tell I'm predicting another wild winter?

Arthritis returns?

2009-09-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like Limerick's hocks are bothering her again. It is not a severe case but I want to nip this in the bud before it gets worse.

Last night I sat down and removed all the SmartCalm from the Smartpaks she already had in her bin. Following orders of the Smartpaks will be without the SmartCalm.

If she continues to not consume her supplements then I will have to start giving them to her via oral syringe. I got into a good daily groove when I was giving her dissolved SMZs via oral syringe for some time so it won't be a big deal....and if I go on a trip, Lim is usually good for other people when they give her oral medication.

I am also considering having my new vet, Dr. Heinze, come out and meet the both of us and give Lim an injection of Adequan or Legend. I still have three vials of (good) Adequan from last winter, so this trip should not cost me much. I hope!

I can't believe how quickly Lim's winter coat has begun to grow in! Last week she was still a sleek, sassy thing. But almost overnight, she became a fuzzy darker brown. Now, either due to this (Who says mares don't have "I'm fat!" days, too!?) or because she is in heat, she's been Missy Crankypants lately.

If she were in heat, it would be a good thing....I feel like she skipped a heat cycle in September since the reproductive specialist gave her a shot of Estrumate in mid-August, thereby kick-starting her estrus cycles.

A video of Limerick

2009-09-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a video of Limerick at walk/trot/canter in the round pen. She's been feeling a little "short" at the canter lately, although she doesn't complain when I ask her to canter, and holds it on her own just fine. In fact, she often shakes her head around or throws a mini-buck and otherwise acts like a clown when I first ask, and it's in a "Whee!" way, not a cranky-mare way.

You can see a little of that in the video. But what do you think--do you see anything here? Being ever-paranoid about her left fore foot, my brain always automatically blames that foot for every misstep she takes.

It's most likely something in her hind end, however. I suspect that thanks to the Lucky Charms-smelling SmartCalm Ultra, she hasn't been eating all of her supplements as she should. Besides the SmartCalm, she's also on Smartflex Senior for her arthritis and SmartHoof for hooves, skin, and joint health.

Hopefully taking her off that stuff, which I don't think works anyway, will help.

Limerick on YouTube

Pining for a trail ride.

2009-09-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

I really want to get back on the trails with Lim before winter settles in. She was just okay (I’d give her a B-) during our one trail jaunt this year. I give her props for not exploding at the sight of a deer, a golf umbrella, a toddler being carried on the shoulders of an adult, absent-minded teenage girls chatting on bicycles, and a terrifying young tree menacingly tied to the ground from all angles (Lim disliked this creature the most). But she could have been far better, and I’d like to end the year on a good note with trail riding.

My typical trail ride pre-plan is to ride her for 30-60 minutes prior to leaving the property. Last time, there was an unusual July chill in the air, the sky was overcast with ominous clouds , and Lim kept shaking her head and acting goofy while I rode in the outdoor arena before hitting the trail. And the usually-calm horse we were with was spooking more than Lim. Not good signs.

I think next time I’ll ride her both days prior to the trail ride, then again for an hour before the trail ride. And I am going out with a couple horses that ride the trails multiples a week and are pretty much unfazed by anything…except maybe cougars.

Supposedly there’s a cougar loose in the Danada forest preserve area now. And why am I planning a trail ride? Well, I’m guessing the cat—if it is positively, actually there—will have moved on by then. Actually, this cougar is disrupting my running more than my riding!

No shows this year, obviously.

2009-09-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day that although I was so sure I would show Lim this year, it never happened. I was either not riding because she was being insane, or I was too busy mourning the death of my marathon plans, or this, or that.

I never got serious about it!

It's a shame but not a big deal. Limerick is physically and mentally younger than her 18 years. Her fitness doesn't spring back instantly as it once did but at the same time, I am confident that she could win just about any Green As Grass class at any time, providing she behaves.

She's a push-button horse to ride. She collects automatically, many times on her own accord. She quickly remembers leg yields and circles and serpentines. In short, there's always next year or the year after that.

By the end of 2008, after first seeing her rebound from arthritis and pedal osteitis, then thinking I was going to lose her--first as a companion, then as a riding horse--I was in a hurry to show her. I thought there was no better way to celebrate our return to riding than by riding in a show. But in the end, it wasn't necessary.

On the swollen udder/pseudopregnancy front, I am still awaiting Lim's return to estrus. The first, or worst, of the signs will probably peak just as my in-laws are visiting her this weekend.

"Is Limerick always so talkative and excitable? And my, she has a weak bladder!"

"Oh, uh, heh heh..."