Maumee Valley PI Ride

Maumee Valley Pioneer Ride, 2010




The Daniel Boone Distance Riders decided last year to change the location of our ride, to a more northern location with better facilities than in years past so as to avoid the hot humidity of KY and with electric sites for those that can’t stand the heat… Well, the hot and humid followed us north. It is summer after all…but gosh you would think three years of H & H would be enough already!

Those dedicated to endurance did show up and rode anyway. Management could not have been better, the trails were well marked, and the hospitality was the best!

Management were RM veterans, Sue Keith, Lois McAfee, and Amy Whelen with Connie Caudill, Vickie Crance, Bill Wilson, and much of the DBDR members pitching in where needed. We are so lucky to have a club with so many willing hands.



Food!! Gosh on Friday evening we had potluck with fried chicken, then Saturday we had delicious Lasagna with salad and homemade cakes and pies…we were swaying with the weight of it all…

Trails ~ they were beautiful! I rode the first day on the 55 and got to see most of it. The first loop, was an out and back and the longest of the three loops. Nice shady trail with little mud and not even much in the way of elevation change. Just here and there to keep it interesting. With plenty of water on trail, plus some extra water tubs near the end of the half way point that was put out by management.

My boy, Noways was a good boy the whole loop and we eventually got into a nice pocket that always gives me a nice ride. But then rider error caused us to go maybe a mile out of our way, but we soon got back right and finished that loop with a group of MW riders who usually run up front. I wasn’t racing, but did want to finish in the top ten just because he is capable. But in this region it can be a hard task, as there are lots of riders wanting to win or to finish top ten also. Noways was showing some cramping in one buttock and a slight off in his right front…so I thought I was out. But on reexamine he was sound. Massage works I guess… Weather wasn’t as humid as it had been, so we felt good.

Went out for the second loop of about 15 – 16 miles. It felt longer than the first! Maybe because of there being more mud to deal with and we went slower. Again I got into a pocket, and then eventually caught up with Steve Cummings and we finished this loop together. Noways trotted out sound as could be this time. It is so handy to have a granddaughter to do that trot out!! Usually he gets low gut sounds after the first loop so I was surprised he got a C, as he had eaten well after the first loop and drank well during the second. So I made sure he had plenty to eat and did the usual applesauce and elytes before going out for the last loop, the short one of around 11 miles. Again, it seemed really long.

This time Noways was not eager to go out and called for his buddy back in camp for a good ¼ mile going up the first hill. We were by ourselves again, so he was doing his dog trot. Going, but not eager at all. So we cantered a bit to get his enthusiasm up and that worked. He must have smelled the horses ahead, because he picked up his speed and was once again his usual forward self. I kept hearing someone coming up behind me, but not catching up, so figured they were biding their time…and she was. I caught up with Karen, Deb and jr. rider Austin and just tucked in behind them as they were going at a moderate pace that suited me fine. Then Diane, who had been behind me caught up with us at a creek and all changed… Diane plunged ahead picking up the pace and Karen made sure she didn’t pull away. The rest of us whipped in behind them like a snake’s tail zipping through the woods. It was cool to watch the horses flying by the trees, jumping limbs and skipping over rocks ahead of me. Noways was in no mood to slow down, and he felt good, so we just hung behind them for a few miles. Then we came to the gravel road that is just before the turn off to camp which is about a mile and half of narrow trail. But the finish was an off shoot of wider trail for those that wanted to race off for the finish. By the time we got to the gravel road we were all cantering. I guess Noways little brain snapped back to his racing days and he powered ahead. Before I knew it we were in front of the pack and I had no control!! NOT GOOD. I guess Karen thought I was going for the front, but truly I was not. So she hung in there on my right while I was trying my best to slow Noways down and get some control. Not working. He was even crowding Karen and Karen was on the edge of the road. I was seeing a big wreck ahead if I didn’t get slowed and off of her. Images of the wreck Noways gave me about three years ago was looming large and nausea was about to get the best of me when finally I was able to saw him down to a controlled gallop and tuck his head in behind Karen’s horse…God I was sick. And Noways was MAD …

When we got to the turn off, I went on passed it so I could get Noways back under control and let everyone else have the trail. I followed Diane and her mare up the trail to the finish. Noways was still in high gear but at least he was once again aware that I was the captain of the ship. Whew… We came in 8th, but moved up to 7th when one of the riders was pulled. What a bummer to finish the ride then get pulled.

Noways was giving me the evil eye as I led him back to the Vet area a couple of hundred feet down the road. Fortunately, he forgives easily and was back to himself by the time we got to the cooling buckets.

Noways looked great and I should have stood for BC, but I was just too shook, and not happy with my boy. But he did look good, and I now regret that I didn’t go ahead and show him. Oh well, maybe next time.

Lois finished first and also got BC!

Great ride!!

I had planned to ride on the same day as Paige, but changed my mind when the weather was going to be hotter and hotter as the days progressed. And I wasn’t sure how her new horse Poppy would handle my leaving ahead of her. (My doing the 50 and she doing the LD) So I rode the 55 the first day, and I had the benefit of lots of crewing. Wow, what a treat! Mary Lynn slugged that saddle here and there, and she and Paige helped cool Noways, and Paige trotted him out for me. Thank you, thank you!

The next day was Paige, Brenda, Mary Lynn and Greg’s day to ride. Poppy (Paige’s borrowed horse) made us all smile as he didn’t turn a hair at leaving his buddy to go with Paige’s sponsor for the day, Brenda and Elite.

Since there weren’t a lot of riders, and the 50s and 25s split on different loops after the first mile and half, they all left together up the hill.

It was much warmer this day and the humidity was building. We workers and waiters kept moving our chairs back to the retreating shade. Today was my work day, but I’m afraid I didn’t do much. Thankfully, there were plenty of workers to fill in so it wasn’t much of a problem. Lois was always there to pick up my slack when Paige came in. Thank You, Lois!

Amy Whelen was riding the horse she had ridden in the 55 the day before and sponsoring her daughter, Annie and also Connie’s g. niece McKeiligh on her new horse Mack. McKeiligh had also ridden with Connie the day before on the 55...Tough little gal!

Love to see those Jr.s riding!

I was surprised to see Paige and Brenda come in to the VC first. Both horses pulsed down quickly, vetted through, and went to the trailers to get 50 minutes of rest and food. Poppy had low gut sounds so I had to trick him a bit to get him eating. But he ate well and drank well, so we loaded him up with elytes and out they went again. Paige and Brenda were really having fun, laughing and teasing each other as they went out for the final loop.

However, Ron Brown, Mary Lynn and Gregg were missing! When they finally came in they had missed a turn and Ron had done a loop the wrong way so turned around and did it again the right way…gosh it was way to hot to do that…But, they all eventually got finished. Ron in the nick of time, with near heat exhaustion, and ML and Greg just going out again to get their completion.

Brenda and Paige came in together at the finish and rushed to pulse down. Poppy recovers great, but so does Elite, so it was a bit of tense competition between friends, but Poppy got the call first! Ye Haw!!

Poppy looked good, so Paige showed him for BC, shining him up and braiding his mane neatly, making him look his best. And he showed well too, nice and bright and Paige’s 4H training looked good too. Course, I am a bit ‘granddaughter blind’…

It all paid off, and she did get her first Best Condition! Her head would not fit back in her helmet…and she smiled all the way home. She called Poppy’s owner, Peggy Angel to let her know how well he did. How cool is that?

We had a surprise storm during the night, most of the night with a light show to make Forth of July whimper…with driving rain that leaked into many of our trailers. My bed was soaked! I kept getting up to shine the flash light on the horses to be sure they had not swept away in the running stream right behind them. It was still raining lightly the next morning with water standing everywhere. After a night like that, most canceled their plans to ride. However two riders were saddled up and ready to depart on the 25 mile trail…no 50 milers wanted to venture out in that mud. There was one that decided to drop down to the 25 so she would have someone to ride with. I left before they got in, but hope they had a good ride and finished despite the yuck. We drove through lots of standing and flowing water over the roads until we got back to the interstate.

Don’t miss this ride next year. There is no way we will have that weather again. We had it all this year and the trails were just the best!

Janice & Noways

Photo 1 ~ Connie Caudill and Lois McAfee doing the paper work
Photo 2 ~ Paige and Poppy getting the once over with Dr. Jim Baldwin
Photo 3 ~ Annie Whelen showing Melixa for BC
Photo 4 ~ McKeiligh showing Mack for BC