Well as you know Loosi is a known runaway that had had issues just a month prior to us heading back to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, just south of Cleveland OH.

Now that the bolting issue had hopefully been solved and the fact that I had come down and ridden the National trail on a CTR in July, I was hoping and planning to ride to win!

We arrived at camp on Thursday and met up with fellow Arab/Appy rider who was hosting the Appaloosa rider dinner. I had gathered up sponsors for the ride and made goody bags for all entrants. By the time we got everything done settled and grocery shopping completed it was too dark to ride, so I just trotted Loosi in hand up and down the fields (I'm a non-runner by choice so it was interesting).

The next morning as I was tacking up to head out anothe Appaloosa rider asked if she could come along to get to know the trail. So we hacked out at a slow trot and mainly a walk, covering about 7-8 miles in 2 hours. Early afternoon, knowing that a slow walk wasn't good enough for Loosi, we headed out again much to my fellow Appaloosa competitors' surprise. I decided to take marked trail for the Novice riders and putter around on trail we didn't know as it joins back up with the main trail. We covered close to 10 miles in 1 1/2 hrs. Loosi and I much happier now that we had the edge off her energy.

We vetted in fine, went to the Appaloosa dinner - yummy! And goody bags handed out, raffle tickets drawn 13 riders in total starting the next morning. Ride talk for the open ride was brief. 50 horses starting the Open 50 miler. I was tripple dipping in awards - Open ride, Appaloosa National ride, and Arabian Region 14 Championships, only one other horse triple dipping, my friend from Ohio.

The next morning we started at 7am in dense fog, controlled start behind my friend from Ohio. Well due to a slight mix up in following the control rider I went from 25th place to 12th place in a matter of seconds. Coming fast into the meadow where the out check was to be held, my pit crew (mom and husband of Loosi's previous owner who is a END vet) gave us electrolyte and noted that horses were miss marked for identification. Heading on trail, there was a group milling around lost in the back meadow but knowing trail from July, I knew where the real opening was. Picking up the other Ontario rider we zipped out on trail into the lead. Within a few miles the Apploosa that had walked with me the previous day slipped in front.

Coming into the vet check at mile 16, 1 was in 3rd place. The other Appy was slow to pulse down, but the next one was breathing on my tail starting 6 minutes behind me. We came back through this meadow after an 8 mile loop with me just a few minutes behind the Appy. Back to base camp where I left 4 minutes behind the Appy and a pack of 4 riders. An Arab was 30 seconds behind me. We stopped for water at the base of one of the climbs and then caught the pack and passed them at a canter about 5 miles out. The Appy and I raced for 1/2 mile when we had to turn into trees. I said what are we doing, we're racing too fast. Let's slow down and battle it out at the finish. She agreed and even agreed to riding in together and flipping a coin - the race could go either way.

So we slowed down a bit but stayed ahead of the other 5 riders. Then we hit a section of trail that wasn't well marked. Almost got directed wrongly once by a volunteer checking off numbers, then made a slight wrong turn, got extra water and figured out that we needed to still be on trail. The pack was now ahead of us but only travelling at 8 mph whereas we were at 9.5 mph.

We caught them passed them and picked up the other Half-Arabian. We continued peacefully until 1.5 miles for home and then the Half-Arab moved on causing the other Appy to give chase - well I'm not about to let either one win without working for it, so off we go. We race across a field, cross a road, up and hill and then while they contnued to canter down a steep, slippery grassy hill, I slowed to a trot. WELL Loosi ahd other plans and stumbled coming up galloping and within strides was a runaway. I hollered at the other riders that I had a runaway, not knowing if I was going to go blasting through them or not. Just about spinning out on a corner, I managed to regain control. As we burst out into the meadow at base camp the others were a few strides ahead going full guns, I decided to do a controlled gallop so I didn't run over workers, spectators and trailer, etc.

Winning times was 4:46:00 with the Appy just edging the Half-Arab, I came in 2 strides later with a tme of 4:46:02. No regrets, I rode the best that we could have done and we gave it everything we had and more.

My placings were as follows: 3rd in the Cracked OAATS Crunch/AERC Open, Reserve Champion in the 4th Appaloosa National Championship Endurance Ride, Reserve Champion Half-Arabian AHA Region 14 and Top Lightweight Rider.