This post is the story of our week at the Pinetree Endurance ride this year. The post was delayed by life happenings and the lack of photos (we didn’t take that many and the ride photographer was also busy with life and didn’t post the last day until this past weekend).

We traveled up to Fryeburg Maine on Sunday August 3. Quinn was the ride secretary again and needed to be there early to get set up to register people as they come into camp. We brought the 3 horses that currently reside in our barn: Mojo, JJ and Fiona. Upon arrival we set up pens for them in the back field.

Ken and Liz showed up in camp within an hour or so of our arrival, and stayed throughout the week, helping volunteer for the ride and kept us fed. They brought their travel trailer, and Alex and Amanda stayed with them in the air conditioning for the week. We sold our travel trailer and extra truck last year and we will rough it with tent/car/horse trailer camping until we eventually buy a large living quarters and a new dualie truck. Rob and I shared a tent for the week and Quinn pitched a tent of her own in the building behind the ride office.

The trails for this year’s Pine tree rides were all new to us. Last year, due to trail access problems, and difficulty and dangerous conditions crossing the Saco river and Route 5, it was decided that new trail had to be found for the ride to continue. Jessie Dowling agreed to scout out the surrounding areas, in particular the snowmobile trails that lead into the Brownfield Wildlife Management area from the Fryeburg fairgrounds. She was able to piece together a trail with fairly nice footing, but also including some more technical trail and a small section of gravel road. We had to ride across, but not along some of the roads, but there were crossing guards. Mid day Monday we went out for a tack ride and Rob went to help clean brush off some of the 50’s trail. We vetted in the horses for our first ride on Tuesday. We were all riding the 50 miler! Amanda and I had never ridden a 50, so it was a first for us and our horses. Anna (me) on Fiona, Amanda on JJ and Alex was riding Mojo.

We started out at 6 am. It was slightly chilly, and the dew and fog was still out when we left. Fiona felt a little on edge under me and I tried to keep her on somebody’s tail for the first few miles of the ride. During the previous endurance ride in July she had developed a swelling under my saddle, and I had to start riding her in our OLD Big horn until we find a better solution. It solves the problem but it is less than ideal for me. The first loop(red and black) was between 15 and 16 miles. The first part of the trail was a mile or two of “getting out of town”, riding through neighborhoods, criss crossing streets interspersed with some snow mobile tracks. Then gravel roads, snow mobile track and also some pretty technical trail with elevation. It was going well until about the 9-10 mile mark.

Unfortunately, Mojo stumbled into a big stump trotting through one of the fields and was slightly off from then on and lame at the first vet check. We got off and walked down the steep hill into the vet check to spare Mojo any discomfort. We had had an incident a few weeks prior on a trail ride where Mojo’s right rear got hung up going down a steep downhill, but it had resolved. Whether the stump or the prior incident was the cause, Mojo got to take a trailer ride back to camp and got the rest of the week off. All the horses were well down to pulse parameter and Fiona and JJ both vetted through fine. JJ still had not taken a good drink, but she had been a late drinker at our earlier ride in July and was digging into her wet mash and grass during our first 50 minute hold, so we electrolyted and Amanda and I headed out on our next loop (blue).

The second loop was 19 plus miles of well, not so easy, trail. I was glad the horses both had front rim pads on. The first part of trail looped back around and repeated some of the technical trail with elevation that we had ridden coming into the first vet check. After that we rode a few connecting trails, including one with rip rap and finished on the same trail the limited distance riders had ridden back to camp. Mostly snow mobile tracks and gravel roads and then weaving back through town to get back to the fairgrounds for our second vet check and hold.

The horses looked great and vetted through fine at the second check and appeared a lot more chipper than I was about being ready to leave to go out on a third loop. The Big Horn saddle is hell on my knees, but I put on my knee braces and took some ibuprofen. Rob made us some egg sandwiches, and we sat down for a few minutes, while the horses rested in their paddocks and ate up some mash and hay. There was a second mandatory 50 minute hold. JJ had started drinking on the second loop so all was well on that front. Fiona was guzzling water at every water stop. We electrolyted and headed out on our third (pink) loop. I’ve been using Foxden electrolytes for the horses at endurance rides and I have been very happy with the results. Foxden has some sugar in it and a good combo of sodium and potassium and isn’t quite as “caustic” as Enduramax. I find it seems to be better tolerated especially by the horses with sensitive stomachs.

We left the fairgrounds and weaved through town again to the snow mobile trails, and the pink loop was basically a straight shot down to the Brownfield Wildlife Area, a little loop, and back again for a pretty quick 15 miles. Steve and Uma who were also riding the 50, caught up with us and had passed us on the second loop, but every now and then we would catch a glimpse of them just ahead of us. Coming back on the gravel road, Amanda and I did some cantering, because my knees were now screaming at me after mostly trotting posting up and down for 8 hours. I told Amanda “we can walk or canter, WE ARE NOT TROTTING!”. We still slow trotted through town, me doing my best impression of a hover to avoid posting. Luckily Fiona has more of a daisy cutter trot. I was thankful she doesn’t have a road trot like Mojo, that’s for sure.

Coming back on the road, Fiona felt like she was fine, and could probably do more than just finish. I didn’t have to ask her to go. It was a very different feeling from riding Amira, where I always felt like she was done after two LD loops. We had a little bit of a dog encounter coming back, riding through the neighborhoods as more people were home from work, and dogs were out loose in their yards. Fiona was not thrilled and danced off into a yard full of kid toys. She is still quite green in her approach to “scary things”. Amanda took charge and piloted JJ forward keeping us going all the way into camp. On the little loop through the fairgrounds we met up with Steve and Uma as they were letting their horses have some water, and we all finished together. A 4-way tie. Pretty good ending to a pretty epic day. Amanda was elated to have finished her first 50. I was happy to be done and looking forward to some ice for my knees. Proud of Fiona, the feeling of riding a horse that we have trained from the start up to finishing her first 50, and mine, is a good one.

I do have to give credit to my husband, who met us at every possible crew spot after that first vet check, with snacks and water for us and our horses. I am sure I wasn’t very nice at times as I was growing increasingly sore and tired, but he kept showing up and taking my abuse. I do appreciate all that he does for me and our family.

The horses vetted for their completions, and Uma, Amanda and I stood for BC. JJ looked like a million bucks on her trot out. Her pulse drops like a rock. 44/44 finish CRI. 44 recovery pulse. Perfect vet score. Fiona paddles up front and had a slightly higher CRI at 44/48. Still good.

At the award ceremony, we found out Amanda won BC and high vet score. It was a good day.

The next two days we rested the horses and helped volunteer. Quinn and Rob added water person to their job list. We went swimming in the Saco river and ate pizza and Thursday was Lobster dinner night for the whole camp. Lobster, corn on the cob, butter, bread and salad. And of course, cake.

Friday morning we sent Alex and Amanda out riding the LD. I had chosen not to wrap or poultice the horses legs to see how they would handle the ride, and there was no evidence of swelling and soreness. Mojo looked sound, but we felt there was no need to aggravate a potential injury. I felt the mares could handle completing the LD. Alex rode JJ and Amanda rode Fiona. While Alex has ridden Fiona, JJ is more his style, and Amanda handles Fiona’s quirks a bit better. Besides, Fiona likes Amanda’s Barefoot saddle better than the Big Horn. They headed out at the back of the pack, with orders to ride for a completion. The mare’s shoes were slick and worn from the 50 and I told them to be “careful on the asphalt” as they were heading out the gate. Typical mom, I guess.

Mojo was highly unhappy about the mares leaving without him, and Rob and I stuck around camp to make sure he was going to settle a little before heading out to the hold. We checked on one of the water stops on the way and arrived at the hold just before everyone got there. Alex and Amanda showed up mid pack and pulsed and vetted through quickly.

The kids left the hold after 45 minutes headed back to camp and we helped clean up and take water troughs and buckets back to camp. Friday was the last day of rides, and we were headed back home on Saturday. Alex and Amanda finished the 30 in 4 hours and 46 minutes. And again, at the finish JJ looked amazing. Alex had been spending time riding her this summer while Amanda was at camp and I think it helped her conditioning wise. They ended up winning BC. even though they came in tied for 6th. Two BC wins in one week. Woohoo!

Friday night as camp emptied of people going home, we got Chinese food and Ken and Liz got the bubbles out. It’s a tradition. There was even a rainbow!

We had a good week. Pine tree is not just a ride for us, it’s a vacation and a break from the everyday chores we typically do. Fryeburg is a wonderful place to visit and if you like to trail ride you should join us for an intro distance ride or Limited Distance ride next year. There’s a Dollar General and Walmart down the road, hot showers, and food options for pick up close by. While the ride is “a race”, it is not really a competitive environment. You can ride just to finish and no one will judge you. There was an 80 plus rider at the ride completing three LDs, No excuses! Pine tree is a multi day ride, and you get a chance to actually hang out and socialize and meet people. To finish is to win.

Thank you to Ken and Liz for making the trip to spend time with us. Thank you to Sue Niedoroda, for co-managing the ride this year. You handled everything with grace. Thank you to Jessie Dowling for finding trails for us to ride on. Thank you to the ride vets Art King and Joan Hiltz. Your are amazing! Thank you to the ride photographer Anastasia Paradis. Some of the photos in this post were ride photos and purchased by us for use. I believe one of the finish line photos was taken by the famous Mary Coleman, who volunteered making breakfast, scribing and taking pulses all week. If I forgot to credit anyone, let me know.