NOVEMBER 2001

President:                  DianeEnderle

Vice President:         MikeMaul

Secretary:                  Jackie Davidson

Treasurer:                  TrilbyPederson

Board Member:         JanJeffers

Board Member:         CathyKauer

Board Member:         JudithOgus

Published by the QuicksilverEndurance Riders, Inc.

P.O. Box 71

New Almaden, CA 95042

Kathy Mayeda, Editor (650) 967-2050,

e-mail: qser-quips@att.net

Kay Allison, Distribution Coordinator

Mike Maul, Chief Mover and Shaker

Diane Enderlewas out of town – so we’ll give her a break this month!

Word from theEditor

Iwish to thank Julie Suhr for all her past dedication as Editor of theQuicksilver Quips. I have always looked forward to receiving thenewsletter.  There was always thatlittle extra touch of clip art or a keen personal observation by Julie thatmade the Quips so special.  She will bea hard act to follow in many ways.

Itold Mike Maul that I was afraid that I would say yes to being to being theeditor.  Like everyone else, I alwaysfeel that I don’t have enough time to do everything that I want to do in mylife.  But then again, if I have enoughtime to participate in internet flame wars on Ridecamp, editing the QuicksilverQuips may keep me out of trouble and on to more positive pursuits, huh?

I will be the“blabber-mouth” of the Quips, but behind the scenes, Mike Maul is providingquiet leadership and Kay Allison will be doing the mailing, so putting on thenewsletter together is a group effort. (It is taking several of us to takeJulie’s place!) Be patient with me, my graphics will improve as I figure outhow to do clip art as well as Julie! We’re trying produce the newsletter electronically.  I was in hysterics trying to scan the logoat my sister’s house!  (Can’t believehow silly the scan software is.)  Partof the group effort is your contributions of ride stories and your “lifeupdates”. so keep bringing on those stories! E-mail to qser-quips@att.net.  FYI, I am using Microsoft Word 97 for themoment.  Call me if you don’t haveaccess to e-mail and want to submit something, and I’ll give you otheralternatives.

QSER clubmembers have been featured in the new magazine, Endurance World, edited by Jennifer Nice out of UAE.  Feature articles included Dr. Nancy Elliott,Dom Freeman, Heather Bergantz and Robert Ribley..  I was not able to get permission to copy the articles into theQuips, but you can contact Jennifer Nice by e-mail: jenn-nice@hotmail.com orcall the number in UAE – 971-2-4455120, or write Jazzy Publications, P.O. Box5882, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The magazine provides a fascinating peak into other countries endurancecompetitors and organizations. They will mail complimentary issues.

So be well andride a lot.  See ya on the trails!     K.

October 10, 2001

TIMEIN: 6:52 PM

TIMEOUT: 7:32 PM

CALL TO ORDER:

PRESENT:Mike Maul, Jackie Davidson, Judith Ogus, Jan Jeffers and Trilby Pedersen.

MINUTESOF LAST MEETING: Read andapproved.

SECRETARY'SREPORT: None given.

PRESIDENT'SREPORT: None given.

CORRESPONDENCE:

SanMartin Horsemen's Newsletter and Redwoods Park letter were circulated forreview.

TREASURER'S REPORT:

We discussed possiblyconsolidating the accounts or moving them to another bank, since Bank ofAmerica charges a service fee of $10 per account, per month. Trilby suggestedthat next year the new treasurer could change the accounts as suggested. Actionitems: Jan, Judith and Jackie to check on fees at different banks. Jan willcheck Bank of the West, Judith will check Alliance Credit Union, and Jackiewill check Washington Mutual (note, as of this writing, Washington Mutualoffers free checking with no minimum balance - JD 10/12/01).

General Account: $356.54

Ride Account:       2522.35

Junior Account:       753.71

Trails Account:        834.54

COMMITTEEREPORTS:

·        MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE:None given. (It was noted, however, that we still have members - the Allison'shad a full house!).

·        PROGRAM COMMITTEE:Our Fall ride is on October 20th. The November meeting will be at Trilby's, andwill be a business meeting. Voting for new Officers and Board Members will takeplace (see General Meeting notes, below, for the nominations), and the ridewill be critiqued. The December meeting will be our Christmas Party. Thelocation is to be determined. Kay Allison is going to check on rates at theSanta Clara Horsemen's, since she is a member, and may receive a reduced rentalrate.

·        GOODWILL COMMITTEE:None given.

·        TRAILS COMMITTEE:Maryben attended the County Parks and Recreation Meeting on Saturday, 9/8/2001.This meeting was called to help the Steering Committee come up with a strategicplan for parks and trails. The meeting was widely attended by many specialinterest groups, including horse people, cyclists, hang glider pilots, dogowners, radio controlled car enthusiasts, etc. An additional meeting wasplanned, however Maryben was unable to attend it. As an additional note, theparking area at Hicks Road will supposedly be completed this year.

·        RIDE COMMITTEE:Deferred to the 7:30 PM General Meeting.

·        AWARDS COMMITTEE:Awards for the ride have been purchased. Julie Suhr is providing the 11th placeaward. NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE: Welcome to Kathy Mayeda as our new QuicksilverQuips editor, and to Kay Allison, our Quips Distribution Coordinator (Kay hasgraciously offered to take care of the labeling, stamping, and mailing of theQuips). We still need a volunteer who wants to take care of having thenewsletter photocopied. Action item was assigned to Jan Jeffers to find costsof newsletter reproduction through Office Depot.

OLD BUSINESS: None given.

NEW BUSINESS:

·        Insurance: Trilbytold us that our ride insurance is up on October 20th (however we are coveredfor the ride). She suggested that we use the AERC ride insurance for next year.It is $45 per ride for any and all endurance rides (versus $800+ per ride forour current insurance). We need to check to see if we must belong to IIHA andAERC to get this benefit. Maryben mentioned that she thought that the AERCinsurance was being discontinued. Mike Mail will call AERC to check on this,and we will discuss it further at the November meeting.

·        The Spring Ride willbe on May 18, 2002. Trilby will manage the ride (unless we decide to switch andhave her manage the October ride - we will discuss this at the Novembermeeting), and Nancy Elliot will be the Head Vet. We may need to find analternate base camp. The Horsemen's charges $630 per day. To cover the ride,we'd need 3 days (Friday, Saturday, and possibly Sunday so that people whodrove long distances have a place to stay on Saturday night), which makes theride very expensive. Kay Allison will find out if she can get the facility at areduced rate since she is a member of the Horsemen's. If the cost isprohibitive, we will have to research other sites for the base camp. Maryben'smay not be a possibility, since having the base camp there in May could destroyher pasture, limiting forage for her horses. Trilby will hand make all of theawards for the ride. Completion awards will be horseshoe dream catchers;horse-print fleece blankets (for people) will be given to 1st, Fastest, andBest Condition; and horse pillowcases will be given to the Top 10. The ridewill take place in Quicksilver unless we decide to have a ride at Henry Coe inthe spring (in which case, we'll switch Trilby's Quicksilver ride to the Falldate).

·        October, 2002 datesare pretty limited. Trilby suggested that we try to re-sanction our datesearlier in the year. We cannot use the 2nd weekend in October, per the AlmadenHistorical Society, so Mike Maul will check on alternate dates and let us knowwhat is available.

·        A Poker Ride would benice to have in 2002, but since we are sponsoring 2 endurance rides, it isunlikely that we will have a Poker Ride.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Judy Etheridge isparticipating in the Muir Heritage Land Trust ride, and will donate her expensemoney from the Horse Summit (she attended on QSER's behalf in May) on behalf ofQSER. Thank you, Judy! A motion to adjourn was called and seconded. The Boardmeeting adjourned at 7:32 PM. GENERAL

GENERAL MEETING:

OCTOBER 10, 2001 TIMEIN: 7:55 PM

Nominations forOfficers and Board Members, and ride planning for the October 20th Ride. Aftera delicious dinner made by Kay and Connell (thank you, Kay and Connell, for thefood and hospitality!), we kicked off a rather spirited General Meeting.

Mike Maul started theGeneral Meeting by calling for nominations for next year's officers. I wouldlike to take this opportunity to thank all of you for electing me Secretary in2001. I have really enjoyed being able to serve the club. I turned down thenomination for 2002, however, as I am expecting a baby early next year, andfigure that I'll have my hands full! Additionally, Trilby cannot run forTreasurer or Board, since she has served 3 years in a row. Many thanks toTrilby for all of her hard work!

The club made thefollowing nominations:

President: Mike Maul

Vice President: JudyEtheridge

Secretary: LindaCowles

Treasurer: CathyMiller

Board Nominees:Marilyn Orlando, Scott Sampson, Peggy Bullock, Steve Lenheim, Pat McKendry

Voting will takeplace at the November meeting, which will be held at Trilby's on Wednesday,November 14th. After the nominations, the floor was turned over to Steve, whodiscussed logistics for the ride on October 20th, as far as locations ofvolunteers, vets, etc. We'll discuss how the ride went in the November meeting.

Respectfullysubmitted,

Jackie Davidson, Secretary

September 27, 2001

AERC National Office

11960 Heritage OakPlace

Suite 9

Auburn,CA 95603-2401

Subject:  Nomination BOD West Region

Thisletter is to nominate Jan Jeffers,AERC #1974, for the position of Director – West Region.

Ihave been involved in distance riding since 1972 as a rider, volunteer andtrails advocate. In my distance riding career, I have completed five TevisCups,  the 2001 Ft. Schellbournemulti-day ride, many regular endurance rides, and several limited distance rides.  I have had horses all my life and beeninvolved in training, showing, three-day eventing, CTR, trail trials andpleasure riding. I am also an equestrian park patrol volunteer for County andState.  My experience as a member of theBoard of Directors for a distance riding organization for eight years, chairingsuch committees as publicity, newsletter advisory, management, judging, andcorporate sponsorships has given me insight in setting and achieving goals thatare in the best interests of the membership. 

Someof the issues I would be involved in as a regional board member for the AERCare:

Education– This subject has been discussed a lot recently on various Internetlists.  I believe that an educationalprogram can be developed for new people coming into the sport that will givethe new member first-hand knowledge of what our sport is about, how to care fortheir horse during a ride, how to prepare them for regular endurance, and whatour basic principle “To Finish is to Win” means.  I envision a program that would encompass hands-on seminars puton at the national as well as the regional level and clinics at various rides.

LD – Limited Distance is a growing partof some of our members’ goals.  Peopleride LD for a variety of reasons; from bringing along a new horse to they enjoyseeing new trails and spending time with family and friends to preparingthemselves and their horses for regular endurance rides.  I will support the work in progress inmaking LD a rewarding experience for this part of our membership.

Trails– Without trails - none of the distance riders would have a place to ride.  We are all very fortunate to have ridemanagers putting on rides that are on private land; however, that is becoming aluxury in most areas.  A good number ofrides in the West Region are staged in regional, state or national parks.  I will take part in our AERC trailspreservation efforts and develop a network of members in all regions to takepart in local trail days.

International– International competition and FEI are issues that are also important to partof our membership.  While I am not anexpert on this – I would learn more about it on the Board and from ourmembers.  I do feel that the AERC has tobe a part of determining the direction it takes worldwide.

Enduranceriding is a great sport, and I feel it is time to give back something to anactivity that has given me great pleasure over the years.  I will be an active representative of theWest region membership and use my many years of experience to keep us all awarethat the welfare of our equine partners and the principle of “To Finish is toWin” are our first goals.

Feelfree to contact me regarding my views on the issues that are facing the AERC atthis time.  I can be reached at 408779-4722 or at sleeeker@garlic.com.

 Sincerely,

Jan Jeffers

BarbaraMcCrary

            With this letter, I submit mynomination for re-election to the AERC board as a West Region director.

            Thereis much to be done for our sport and our organization, and I hope to continueto be a part of it.  We have trails issues, issues relating to ourparticipation in international events, and the problem of a shortage of vets tomonitor our rides.  The last is aproblem of which ride managers are particularly aware.

            Muchhas been learned from research during the past few years to educate us aboutthe physiology of horses under stressful workload.  More has been learned from endurance research than from any othersport, a fact of which we can all be justly proud.

PresentlyI serve the membership as a regional sanctioning director and as sanctioningdirector of all special events, as well as being chair of the RulesCommittee.  I’ve been involved in allaspects of AERC…..as ride manager, as rider, as board member, as BOD officer,even as an international competitor, albeit in the very early stages of ourinvolvement.  This spring, I completed arevision of the Ride Managers’ Handbook, which is available on request oron-line from AERC.

I've beena director for twenty years, and I'm still fascinated by the workings of AERCthrough the BOD.  I’m always available to discuss issues with members,always willing to look at all sides of an issue, and always attempt to work outa date for ride managers that is satisfactory. I'll probably continue to nominate for the BOD for as long as the Westregion members believe I'm doing

MARYBENALSO SPEAKS ON THE INTERNET:

I am once again running for West Region director. I willcontinue to try to do what the majority of the membership lets me know theywant. I have ridden LD, 50's, 100's and multiday rides with about 8,000 milesin 27 years. I have probably sponsored juniors for 7,000 or more of thosemiles.  At one ride I rode with 6juniors at one time. I also go to a lot of rides that I don't actually ride, aminvolved in management and feel that I do know what is happening in thetrenches, so to speak. I am not politically correct and probably never will bebut I care about our sport and its continuation. I have some very strongopinions on some of the more controversial subjects but try to vote the way themajority of the members let me know they would like for me to vote. I am alwaysavailable to any member, regardless of region, by phone, mail, email or at aride.

Maryben Stover

Dawn Perrine

Howdy folks,just want to let you know where I am and what I'm doing.  Mikey and I are now located at High MeadowRanch in Solvang CA.  Here's the link http://ariel.syv.com/sporthorse/. At this wonderfullocation I can offer a wide variety facilities to better care for yourhorses.  The ranch where Mikey and Ilive has large green pastures; we offer boarding arrangements from high endlarge box stalls, to large hilly grassy pastures. 

Instead ofyour horses standing around in little muddy paddocks all winter, you can boardthem here at the horse heath spa and they can be natural happy horses in deepgreen grass. We offer foaling with around the clock watch and foaling stallswith monitors.  The pastures are sownwith 17 varieties of grasses, irrigated and rotated to insure year round freshgreen grass.  Hay, grain, supplementsare given as the owner wants, Very individualized care to rejuvenate yourhorse. There are wonderful sandy trails (no mud) to condition even duringthewet season. High Meadow Ranch has a great dressage arena, jumps.  All training is gentle and"natural" Equis spoken here.

If you need amore medical facility for post injury or surgery High Sky Horse Rehabilitationcenter is a world class facility nearby offering boarding for rehabilitationsituations.  The facility has everythingfrom alternative therapies, modalities, and conventional veterinariantreatment,  it has an equine swimmingpool, to condition horses without stressing the lower limbs, Stalls, largepaddocks, including a full size race track. I will be training and practicing physiotherapy at High Sky and will beable to board, train and condition horses there or haul over from my place forweekly, bi weekly swims,  The services Inow offer are enhanced by these wonderful facilities.  Hauling can be arraigned to and from the Quicksilver area, I'vegot a new truck!

Youcan reach me at 800-760-3296 or

805-688-9357            http://equinecare.net

DawnPerrine             dawn@equinecare.net

HighMeadow Ranch

POBox 1587             equinecare@prodigy.net

SolvangCA 93463         

Seeyou on the trails, Dawn

Kathy Webster

P.O.Box 813

Pescadero,CA 94060

Same Phone No.–Just moved to Pescadero!

Jennifer Laymen

Hello from Park City,Utah!!  Goose and I are getting allsettled in our new home in and both enjoying it very much.  Since we had our first real frost thismorning Goose is watching the barn go up with much anticipation.  I have done a bit of riding, but since Gooseis just coming back from his supensory injury it has been minimal. 

The trails that Ihave seen thus far are beautiful. Single track rolling through groves of Aspen that are bright yellowright now.  We have had our first Mooseencounter... much scarier then a Mountain Lion (in my book anyway).  Fortunately, they were napping on theopposite side of a large pond from us. I am going to have to read up on what to do while riding in Mooseterritory.  

I have hooked up withendurance riders Beverly Gray, Mary Url, and Louise Mahoney... but not yet toride.  Louise has too many horses andmost ready to go, so I should get the opportunity to see more spectacular trailwith a great guide before the snow comes.  What I have seen from the top of my mountain bike has proven to bechallenging and technical.  It is nowonder several Park City residents top tenned at Tevis this year. 

If any of you need astay over in Park City with horses or the need to escape horses and ski, Iinvite you all to come visit.  I missedendurance and our club a great deal this summer as Goose healed and I spent agreat deal of time traveling back and forth. I look forward to seeing you all on the endurance trail again.

Best, JenniferLayman, Goose, and new pup Hogan.

JenniferLayman

7655N. Whileaway Rd

ParkCity, UT 84098 435-940-1424

jenn_layman@yahoo.com

PS Big thanks to club members Jill and Michael Newburn for lettingme stay with them for my last couple weeks in the Bay Area while I washomeless.  I second huge thanks to Jillfor traveling out here with Goose and I to keep me company and calm onroad.  Miss you guys! 

by Kathy Mayeda

I had planned mywhole ride schedule this fall around a margarita party promised by the organizersof the Ride and Tie Championships in Euer Valley near Truckee.  I was not disappointed, even though I neverdrank a single margarita the whole weekend!

The event was well organized by eventorganizer Laura Christofk. The 50 mile ride that I was on was the only event tostart at 6:00.  The other events, a 35mile and a 15 mile Ride and Tie, a 35 mile trail run and a 25 mile AERC LD ridestarted after 8:00 a.m. 

All vetting was done in onelocation.  Judy Holman was there on aloudspeaker leading the cheer section on and providing excellent commentary oneach RAT team.  There was a lot ofadrenaline happening and it behooved us to get out of the 1^st vetcheck fast before we were overcome by the RAT start!  Did not feel like going through a second “shotgun” start.

The vet gate was run FEI style, withour AERC prez, Dr. Barney Fleming, as head vet for AERC rides.  Drs. Greg Fellers and Bob Morgan from LoomisBasin Vet Clinic was there with Dr. Fellers being head vet for the RATevents.  (Bob Morgan was the one whogelded Beau Joust many years ago – good thing Beau doesn’t remember him!)

Eric Thompson rode their 4 y.o.stallion Bobby in the 25 mile distance – there is some dispute as to whether ornot he was in first place when the placings were announced at the banquet.  Kathy Thompson was at the out timer at thevet check all day.  But Bobby did welland they were proud of him.

Robert and Melissa Ribley werecompeting at the RAT but ran into a mishap and DNF. Cheryl Domnitch wascompeting on the RAT with Mocha again, but eliminated because of a errant rockwhere it shouldn’t be (stuck in the shoe). Judy Etheridge also ran into bad luck on the 50 miler where Orionclipped his heel bulb.  Steve andMichele Shaw were there.

Lightfoot Stables was well represented.  Skip Lightfoot and partner Tom Johnson camein a “disappointing” second.  I believethey were riding Saamson. Heather Bergantz and friend Jeremy were lending ahand at the crew area.  Curt Ripple washaving bad luck  1) Corky got cut on thefetlock; 2) his RAT partner could not get a flight in time due to thedisasters, 3) and second horse found somehow did not work.  Of course I was there along with our friendNina Cooke, bringing up the rear in the 50 AERC competition!

The course was actually prettytough.  The first finishers came in witha ride time of about 8 hours.  Nina andI vowed that we would pull our horses if we were going to miss the margaritaparty.  Nina was riding a very sensible50 mile ride because this was her first 50 miler for her and her mare.  I was riding a not-so-sensible 50 milerbecause I let Beau race the first 3 loops and felt it necessary to take extralong at lunch vet checks.  We ended upriding the finish together ½ an hour after the margarita party started.   I guess we both kinda got a littledetermined to just finish the ride! After taking our horses back to camp, feeding, watering them, cleaningourselves up, we just looked at each other and celebrated our finish with a bighug and cheer!  I am sure that you willsee Nina joining QSER someday – she’s a natural at endurance and a kick to hangout with.

We were facing a long uphill walk up tothe banquet at the Equestrian Center, but was lucky enough to have Kathy andKatelyn Thompson come by to give us a lift back home.  On the way back after the banquet, we stuffed ourselves into aSUV along with the Ribleys.  Melissa’schinese pug has the most amusing snore, and that is why Robert says it’s“Melissa’s” dog.

The food was cold by the time I satdown to eat, but the people were warm. There was a raffle of neat prizes – Supracor Pad, multiple copies of LewHollanders’ Book and CD, a Skyhook Tether. . Potato Richardson was running theraffle, and boy – he’s kinda goofy. There was a silent auction – one of the items auctioned was a portraitof LS Zane Grey, which luckily Kathy Thompson was the high bidder.  Copies of Endurance World were given to Top10 finishers, along with an identified bag of horse feed.

The only thought about the WTC andPentagon tragedies were at the ride meeting where the RAT founder BUD JOHNS(thanks for correcting me folks) said that they decided that the event must goon because people need to be with their families in a time like this and theRAT community is family.  Curt Rippleled a moment of silence at the awards ceremony. I was running on lack of sleepfor several days in a row before, during and after the weekend.  The dam finally broke yesterday and I criedtears of grief for the tragedy and slept for 14 hours last night. But it isgood to know that life is still good when we can share incredible events likethe RAT Championship.

See ya at the next ride!

Kathy Mayeda and Beau Joust

byMike Maul

The Del Valle Vulture Venture washeld Oct. 6 with a lot of QSER participation. The ride is local for us - nearLivermore in the Del Valle Regional Park and the weatherwas great - mildtemperatures. There was a 25 and 50.

Thestatistics first:

50miles - 37 starting - 33 finishing

1st- Ed Meyer - not QSER

2nd- Cheryl Davidison - not QSER

3rd- Barry Waitte - not QSER

4th- Judy Etheridge/Orion ***BC***

11th- Jill Kilty Newburn

13th- Mike Tracy

14th- Robert Ribley/Muir The Blur

20th- Jeff Luternauer/Phoenix

24th- Lori Oleson

31st- Judith Ogus

32nd- Mike Maul/Roc

33rd- Trilby/Beau - Last

Marybensjunior Katie Alton finished her first 50 on Jake - Marybens pinto - withJudith. It was Jakes first 50 as well. Katies parents were on hand as well asher grandparents from England.  Katielooks like she is hooked now - perhaps another Heather in the making.

PulledMike Sofen/Nick - Lame and Maryben on Bandit - Rider Option

25miles - 45 starting and 38 finishing

SteveShaw 5th or so

BarbaraWhite, Julie Shur, and Bob Suhr in the last few places.

TomStutzman Pulled

Working the ride were MelissaRibley - Head Vet, Michele Shaw and Judy Reens assisting. Volunteers on theride had Mike and Kirsten Bernsten, Brian and Val , Eric Thompson(Mr. ATV),Mike Newburn.  Becky Glaser worked theride after deciding not to start.

The ride was put on for the firsttime this year - the ride manager Jane Cloud and Ride Secretary Linda Rogersdid an excellent job.  Lunch was servedat the away Lunch Vet Check(Grilled cheese sandwiches and BBQ hot-dogs) andthere was an excellent meal at the awards.

There were lots of awards - highvet score, horse of excellence instead of BC in the LD, best rider care oftheir horse in the LD (Steve Shaw), last place awards in both - Bob Suhr(LD)and Trilby(50).  The awards ceremony waswell done with lots of fun - a song written for the event and sung by two ofthe volunteers,all the awards, good food, and a great place to hold it. Nicecompletion sweatshirts for everyone starting.

The ride was challenging - lotsof hills with reasonable climbs.  Lotsof loops where you saw riders passing in opposite directions and sharing of the25 and 50 trails.  Marking was excellent- done all the afternoon before by Mr. ATV – Eric Thompson - because therangers would not allow it before then. Lots of water.

Parking was tight but manageable- the park only allowed 75 to enter but with trailer sharing - the number ofentries snuck up to a total of 83. 

The views of the lake werebeautiful from up on the ridges - lots of small boats with fishermen - a fewsailboats - and waves.  The wind wasblowing hard and one time when we tried to get our horses to drink from thelake - the 3 inch waves kept coming in and the horses would have none of this -Arabians of course... Some of the trails followed the lake fingers and youcould almost see the bottom in the blue green water.

We had a hold at 15 miles back incamp - then a lunch check at 34 miles – then a check a few miles out of thefinish where you just had to meet criteria. 

Observation on the ride:

 A comment on the worries of ride managers - until just the weekbefore – not many riders had signed up - lots showed up in the last week. Betthere was a big sigh of relief..

Something I had forgotten aboutlakes - if you catch the sun just right – it looks like thousands of littlediamonds flashing from the surface. In the morning -the clouds hung around thepeaks rising out of the fog. As you go thru the day - you see the quality ofthe light change on the peaks and know why photographers like dawn and sunset.

Some of the little thing you doas a ride manager - suckers in the ride packets.  Some of the smart things you do - I heard an ATV start up at 3:50AM that I believe went out for a last minute check of the markings.

Others use the parks too - therewere lots of Boy Scouts there - camping and cleaning up the park.  Something to remember and be careful of -it's a "shared" resource.  Wesaw hikers - dog walkers - bikers - we all need to be courteous to each other.

Vets do more than watch ourhorses - I saw a vet send out a volunteer after a rider leaving the lunch checksaying the rider looked really tired and could the volunteer talk him intostaying a while longer.

Riders can be out there just tohave fun - on the LD a new horse was causing it's rider a lot of problems andother riders pitched in to help get it thru. All very experienced riders using LD as a way of starting new horses.

Mules are different - we watchedRoberts mule Muir The Blur - paw, buck, shake his head for 3 hours while tiedto a trailer.  All without harminghimself even with a tether tied to one foot. Horses would last about 2 minutes. Mules look like they are smarter andtougher than horses but a whole lot more stubborn...

There are things to say aboutriding slowly.  My guy Roc is recoveringfrom a respiratory infection followed by a cough that wouldn't seem to goaway.  I wanted to make sure I didn'tget carried away by how the horse was feeling and ride too fast. So I paired upwith Trilby and rode together for the whole ride.   It was quite a different perspective than I normally get - andwell worthwhile.  Trilby has a lot ofstories to tell.

There was a write up on vulturesin the ride packet - but I must have missed the connection with the nameVulture Venture in the ride meeting. Even with the name - it was a great ride -Jane and Linda - and hopefully the start of a regular new ride in the Bay area.

Mike

by MarvinSnowbarger………….

First, let me say that this new QQEditor is tough on the contributors. Not only is she threatening my pay, butshe is a bear for more productivity. I thought I had it tough with Julie, butKathy has started out by suggesting that in these hard times I should considerworking for less. On top of that, I got 24 hour notice for this submission. (Ed.Note:  Yeah, right, Marvin,J….) I know that it's not supposed tohurt, because she's smiling at me.

Aftermy Western States completion(June 23), my running quickly wound-down. There wasrecuperation and vacation. But along about August, I had to begin thinkingabout the Sierra-Nevada Double Marathon which was scheduled in mid-September.With 3 consecutive completions behind me, this year would be number 4 -- just 1completion shy of the 5 needed to qualify for a buckle. What I won't do for abuckle!

The Sierra-Nevada Run is tough. Westart in Sacramento and go(via the American River Trail) to the turnaround atNo-Hands Bridge in Auburn. Then, we re-trace our steps back to the start inSacramento. The weather this year was hot, the course is always difficult, andI had no conditioning. Needless to say, I suffered. At 14 hours and 41 minutes,I crossed the finish line -- in the dark, and 19 minutes ahead of the cutoff.The effort was worthwhile, however: I got my finisher's award(sweatshirt),number 4 completion in the bank, plus an awareness that not all of my WesternStates conditioning was gone. I was pleased, thankful, and amazed that my 5months training earlier in the year had left me with a substantial base that Iwas able to draw upon. I was hoping that it would hang around for another monthbecause I had two remaining runs scheduled for October.

Saturday, October 6, was a cool,overcast morning, and those of us who entered the Quicksilver Half-Marathonwere very appreciative. The course begins at the McAbee end of QuicksilverPark, goes up to the water-trough, down Mine-Hill to Randol, and then back toMcAbee. I had little additional conditioning subsequent to Sierra-Nevada, butfelt that I could easily handle the relatively short run. Everything went fineand I finished in 2:28. However, I was apprehensive about the next run on myschedule, the Dick Collins Firetrails 50 Miler in the East Bay.

I've always found the Collins Runto be very difficult. It starts at the Lake Chabot Marina and goes out 26miles, and back 24 to the Marina. There are a series of steep ups and downs andthe hot weather can be a problem. I had a pretty good run, though, finishing inthe dark(again) with a time of 13:11. My running was reasonably strong andconsistent all day and I was pleased that my Western States conditioning basewas still hanging around. But it won't be around for long.

I'm taking the next 4 months offfrom running. Maybe I'll do some short stuff with Pat McDonald and KendraMumford on Saturday mornings, but no more 50's and no more events. By themiddle of November, I'll have to make a decision about next year's WesternStates 100 Mile Run. Who knows, I may repeat this year's effort.

Strange, but there is anaddiction, here. My awareness of additional physical strength has never beenhigher. The consistent, long miles of trail running have delivered to me an endurancethat is intoxicating. I don't want to let it go. I'm grateful to the good Lordfor the health that makes it all possible.

What I need, now, is a sound,strong horse that can run with me. Then, I would shoot for theendurance-double: The Western States 100 Mile Run, and The Tevis Cup 100 MileEndurance Ride -- both in the same year. Buckles? Number 2 for Western Statesand Number 6 for Tevis. That would be neat!

By Peggy Bullock

Chamberlain Creek was a very well organized and funride.  It was a long distance to drive,but well worth the time and effort! Parking was a bit small and tight - you need to get there as early aspossible - we were late and had trouble finding a spot for Ken's rig, but thepark ranger was very helpful and we were able to find our own private spot on aroped off road....Bing and Jennifer came at 1am or thereabouts and parkedbehind us...

The trail was extremely wellmarked. I don't think you could have gotten lost if you wanted to!

It was Rocky's first 50 afterbeing laid off for year, so we were taking it easy.  There were 2 other Foxtrotters there - one that looked like Luckyand turned out to have nearly identical bloodlines....the first ride I've beento where I wasn't the only "different" breed...

The trail was challenging withsome good climbs, but overall it was a moderate ride.  The scenery was drop dead gorgeous....fantastic views of redwoodforest and an added bonus of seeing old train trestles winding through thetrees...  The footing was good- most ofthe trail was forestry roads (gravel/dirt) or jeep trails).  It can be a very hot ride, but we werefortunate as it was cool this year....

Dinner was the best dinner I haveever had at an endurance ride so far! Luscious tri-tip, beans....salad....chocolate cake...yum, yum, yum.  The ride was put on by Calamity Paul andMarianne Gerssing who both did an excellent job.  We would highly recommend this ride - it's worth the drive! 

Lake Sonoma was a hot one!  It got up to 96 degrees at one point!  The first loop was 13 miles and the pace wasfast and furious for me!  I backed offat the first vet check and gave Ken the green light to leave me and myFoxtrotter behind!  Rocky was in topform and wanting to go! 

I then paired up with KirstenBernsten and rode a more conservative pace. We were joined by Nancy Elliott for a while until our pace got too slowfor her.  Got some good advice fromKirsten...."trot the sun and walk the shade" - very necessary as thetemperatures peaked and there wasn't much of a breeze at all, if any!  There was plenty of shade, thankgoodness!  The majority of the ride wasthrough Oak forest.  The trail mostlyhugged the edge of the lake so we could see the boaters and skiers below -cooling themselves as we and our horses sweated buckets above....  It was my first experience riding in highheat, but my Foxtrotter handled it well - another experience to chalk uptogether!  Ken and I had trace clippedRocky the night before, and I decided to raise Lucky's existing trace clip whichwas a good thing.

Kirsten's mare was eager to boogiedown the trail, so we parted ways about 10 miles or so from the finish.  I continued the ride on my own - enjoyingthe views and the quiet, but remembering to "trot the sun and walk theshade" as Kirsten had recommended. I must say that good water was lacking....there were some ponds andstreams, but water quality was yucky - my horse wouldn't drink it.  We came to a row of buckets of fresh waterall lined up next to each other - probably about 5 miles or so from the finish,and Lucky proceeded to suck one nearly completely empty.

At the finish I learned that Kenhad finished 2nd on Rocky!  Prettyadmirable for his 2nd ride back!  To addto his debut, he won B.C.!!!

Other ride highlights....at onenumber's check, we were greeted by Halloween costumed drag riders who handed usmasks and candy and carrots for our horses! 

It was interesting to have to betrailered back to the start!  It wasvery well organized in this department - lots of cheery smiling volunteers.Speaking of water quality, there was 1 horse (a mare with more discerning

taste) whose name and rider Ican't remember, who performed a serious stretching feat by reaching up to anupper ledge on a stream to get the fresher stuff above - I wasn't personallythere to see it but those that were wished that they'd had a camera!

The trail was all single track -parts of it quite narrow with lots of windy bits and rocky ditches totraverse.  There weren't any significantclimbs or changes of elevation...it was the sudden changes of direction and"whoop dee doos" (rocky ditches) that made it challenging!

Food was good again.....hugeplates of homemade lasagna (both for meat lovers and vegetarians...).  In all, it was another good ride that I'llplan to attend next year!

Peggy B.

QUICKSILVERFALL CLASSIC by Mike Maul

Wehad a lovely day for the Fall Quicksilver Classic ride this last weekend inHenry Coe Park south of San Jose. The park is huge - some 84,000 plus acres andwe used just a quarter of it for the 30/50 put on by first time ride managerSteve Lenheim. The weather was moderate and the views were spectacular. Theride was challenging - winning time of 5:48 - without being extremelydifficult. There were very few pulls with people riding their horsesconservatively.First the statistics:

Startingin the 30 were 18 with one Junior and 16 finishing. Club members in the LDincluded Eric Thompson riding in "drag" - he even shaved his beardand used makeup with eye shadow for his costume. Tom Stutzman was pulled.

Startingin the 50 were 30 riders with 28 finishing - 1 Junior.

Placingin the 50
1 Leisa Belser 5:48 ride time
2 Dennis Vaca 5:48:01 ******** BC**********
3 Rick Gomez 6:00 QSER Member
4 Mike Black 6:00:01
5 Pat McAndrews 6:21 QSER
6 Nina Bomar
7 Hugh Vanderford QSER
8 Alex North
9 C. Pokorny
10 Robert Ribley QSER

12 Dawn Perrine QSER
13 Heather Bergantz QSER
16 Jan Jeffers QSER
17 Mike Maul QSER
18 Becky Hart QSER
19 Julie Suhr QSER
20 Barbara White QSER
23 Marilyn Orlando QSER
28 Trilby Pederson 10:15 QSER

Most of the club either rode or worked.Volunteers or equipment contributors included Maryben, Connell & KayAllison, Hillorie Bachman, Stephanie Beebe, Ken Cook, Linda Cowles, JackieDavidson, Joyce Gomez, Diane Enderle, Judy and Ken Etheridge, Cathy Kauer,Kathy Mayeda, Pat McKendry, Bill and Sandie Parker, Jeff Luternauer, MelissaRibley(Head Vet), Marvin Snowbarger, Nancy Twight, Georgina Wallbridge, MicheleShaw(Vet), Bing Voight, Bob Suhr, Lori Oleson, Jill Kilty Newburn, FrankOrlando, Richard Vargas(6 bales of hay), Browns Ranch, Jan Jeffers, PeggyBullock, Scott Sansome, and Gloria Vanderford.

BCwas won by Dennis Vaca/Royal who called up at the last moment to enter. MelissaRibley said he seemed a little unfamiliar with endurance rides at the Wild Westride in Sept. but he won BC at that ride and this ride. His last endurance ridewas Tevis in 1978. Apparently you don't forget how to do endurance...

TheBC award was a lovely framed, numbered, and signed artwork by Judith Ogus thathad been previously used as the cover of our yearly calendar. Julie Suhrdonated some very nice shipping boots as an 11th place finish award - thebridesmaid prize. She also donated a $50 gift certificate to the winner of the"2nd Commandment of Endurance" Contest from the last Quips that wasMike Maul. The LD "Horse of Excellence" award was another artworkfrom Judith.

Theridecamp was spread out over several meadows with lots of room. There werethree dry creeks to get thru and the big rigs had to be careful not to bottomout.

Thestart was pretty laid back. We got to the start about 3 minutes before 7 AM andonly 4 riders were there. We thought we had missed the start and everyone wasgone. Steve honked the truck horn to let everyone know the ride had started anda few more riders appeared. The LD and the 50 both started at the same time.

Theride goes out for about 3 miles level for a warm-up and then starts somereasonable hills up to Wilson Camp for the trot by check. There was lots ofwater(2000 gallons) on the trail brought in by truck. The views werespectacular - there was some haze so we couldn't see the Sierras but almost.There were a number of ups and downs with the toughest hill coming right afterthe lunch stop at Coyote camp.

Wesaw deer, lots of turkeys, pigs, hikers, bikers, and other horse people. It'sreally a great park for a ride. In the spring - the wild flowers areincredible.

Someobservations on the ride:

I'mturning into a morning person for rides. The light on the hills slowly creepsdown as the sun rises. The horses are alive and very alert. As we trot out inthe three mile flat area - I can feel his trot gradually starting to extend ashe really warms up. There's fog out in the distant valleys - as we climb thefirst hill - I can see horses down below on the flat getting ready for theirfirst climb. Above and to the side - I see a pair of riders and horses keepingperfectly in stride as they go up the hill to come for us. The sun is golden asit comes up over the hills. We pass through areas where it's cold - then 15degrees warmer in the next 100 feet - then back to cool again. Mornings likethese are something to remember about our rides - we don't get out there justto ride - we are out there to experience something we don't see in our citiesand towns.

Youcatch up with a friend - you talk about horses you have both ridden -Zayantefor one in our case - horses and rides where you will ride together again inthe future.

Youcome up over a hill and see all of Monterey Bay spread out before you hidden inthe fog. You wonder what this park looked like 100 years ago. Much like it doesnow probably but without the pigs and turkeys. You wonder what Wilson camplooked like in the sunset when it was in use.

Onthe west side of the hills - you see mostly oaks. We go over the hill and itall turns to pines with these huge cones on the ground. Interesting how thetrees change this fast in such a small distance. We look down and see the vetstop at Coit Lake to come. You can see everything from up in the hills.

Youdon't appreciate what horses can do compared to cars until you try to marktrails by car. On Friday - we went out in my little 4 WD Subaru to mark a partof the trail. The dry creeks with the rocks are tough. The turn and then steepup are more than my 4 WD can handle. I smell clutch burning as I carefully backdown. The next day on my horse - it's easy. We don't even think about the rocksor the uphill. A 4 WD truck with low gears could probably do it. I end up withtwo flats and a real appreciation of where horses are king...

Atthe ride meeting - Steve Lenheim - a Vietnam vet - has his American flag outfor the ride. He says it's the first time in 30 years that he has put this flagup from that time. Sept. 11 has had its effect on us all and will continue todo so.

We'refollowing three riders in the afternoon. The riders in front of us have moreworld championships, more Tevis buckles, and more miles between them than itwould seem possible to find in any one place in the world. We catch up at thewater - then quickly lose them again as they go on. Becky, Barbara, andJulie...

At the very nice awards dinner - some of theoutside world comes back. You talk about layoffs in the Internet world. Whatwill happen next in the tech world. Maryben has a problem with the computerprogram used for BC and scoring. We are in the flight path for San Jose. Stillit's good to see them flying again after what happened. We live in a mix of theold and the new - mostly new here but for the weekend - we escaped back to theold for a while. This was a very nice first ride for Coe Park.

Theclub knows things about the trails and times so the next ride can be evenbetter. Whenever we do it in the spring - the yellow wildflowers paving theroads will make it look the yellow brick road in "The Wizard of Oz".

Agreat ride and hopefully the first of many as we explore the rest of the park.

Mike

november 2001

11/3/01           lAKE OROVILLE VISTA 30/50, OROVILLE,CA

Cathleen Papa (530) 589-4624

****COSO JUNCTION JAMCANCELLED****

11/10/01         NEDA25/50, SILVER SPRINGS, NV

                        Kathy Lewis 775-577-9693

11/11/01         BLACKJACK50, SILVER SPRINGS, NV

                        Kathy Lewis 775-577-9693

11/14/01         QSERMEETING 7:30@ Trilby’s

11/17/01         SUNLANDRIDE 25/50, SUNLAND, CA

                        RoxanneGreene 818-352-7363

11/23/01         SILVERSTATE POINT TO POINT 50, JEAN, NV

11/24/01         SILVERSTATE POINT TO POINT 50, JEAN, NV

11/25/01         SILVERSTATE POINT TO POINT 50, BLUE DIAMOND, NV

QuicksilverEndurance Riders, Inc.

P.O. Box71

NewAlmaden, CA 95042