Haiku Farm

What the heck, why not sign up for the 75-miler?

Especially since, this year, I have a goal:  I want Fiddle to win the United States Trotting Association "Endurance Standardbred of the Year" award.  I know all about this award, mostly because I was the person who proposed it to the USTA several years ago.  
It's not like the competition is enormous.  There are 139 Standardbreds and 17 half-Standies currently registered with the American Endurance Ride Conference.  8 of them competed last year, and four of those are in my region.  One of them is Fiddle's brother Hector! 

But since the award was started, I've had (in series): a young horse, a low budget, and a broken body.  For the last two years, my friend Heather and her horse Bunny have won it.  And now Susan Garlinghouse has a new Standie filly that she will be bringing along as her good fellow John Henry starts to wind down a bit.  
The competition is heating up.  I'd better get busy!
To prepare, I figured …

Fiddle and I finished her first 75 miler on Saturday. (It's been almost 8 years since I rode further than 50 miles in a day)

Here's the iPhone photo from the finish line:


Details and pretty photos coming soon.

Must. Sleep. Now.

EDIT: this just showed up on Facebook, Laura Bond took the picture. Judging from my gear, this is probably entering the vet check after the second loop at 35 miles. We are drenched but not overly dim yet.



Now, really. Must. Sleep.

First stop for me this morning:

Doctor Welly has been treating endurance riders at our end of the county for decades.

He knows exactly what we need and how we break...and how to fix us.


The second stop:


Errr, the real reason for the stop:


Craig starts out by checking mobility and flexibility, and looking for "stuck or twitchy bits."

Fee was "out" on the left side, directly under the spots where my previously-broken pieces connect with her.





There was a lot of activity in the barn aisle during her adjustment, but Fiddle was quiet and cooperative for the entire thing.



Back home after the appointment:
I didn't forget to share Doctor Welly's life hack.
Ready?

One of the hardest parts of our sport is "truck disease," which occurs when you take a normally very-active person, and strap that person into a truck for 2 or 3 or 4 or 8 or 10 hours...each dire