I live far from Michigan, but I was thinking this looked like a really neat ride to do, if I possibly could manage all the travel. Has anyone done it, what is it like? I looked at the AERC ride results and it seems that not many people participate. Is it that there are not many endurance riders in that area or what?
Count on basically destroying your horse. I know that sounds harsh but it is true. BJ won it back in the 80’s and after a year he still hadn’t recovered enough to win anything again. I took him in 25’s after that but he was always iffy??
BJ won in 25 hours running times. That is 5 days straight running 50 miles per day with a 5 hour running time each day.
Again it almost killed him and while I was being pushed to run Strider in it the following year there was no way I was going to destroy him for a stupid race.
Forgive me Shadow14, but BJ’s rider basically destroyed that horse, NOT the trail. Only a complete brainless FOOL would “run” their horse to “win” a pioneer ride day after day after day. I can’t even wrap my mind around the stupidity of someone doing something like this, but can assure you it is great enough to earn my everlasting disgust. If anyone was so ignorant to want to run something into the ground, let them ride motorcycles.
<end rant>
saratoga - I also am interested in doing this ride, have been interested for years. I’ve read up on it as much as possible from blogs of mid-Atlantic endurance riders that have done it, and also in talking to family members who grew up in that state. August isn’t an optimum time in Michigan – it can be just as hot as the mid-Atlantic in August and bone dry …or… the perfect weather, cool with lots of rain. What is ever present is the sand, so you need to be prepared for it. I understand that the ride management requires you to picket your horse or keep it tied to the trailer – pens are not allowed. So a high-tie would be a must for me.
Mary Coleman on her mighty Morgan, Hawk, rode it one hot, dry year, and lived to tell the tale (in many very colorful words). I’ll see if I can find her blog for you. 
I have in-laws in the lower part of the state, so I am thinking of combining a family visit/pioneer ride into one two week vacation. 
Just need the new truck for the trip – don’t quite feel it is fair to ask the dear old 12 year old Ford (bless it’s honest faithful heart) to make the trip from VA to MI and back.
I agree 100%. I rode for that endurance stable and I rode BJ in other races but for that race the owner rode him but really wanted me to run Strider in the race. I said I would not destroy him for a race and I was told that if I counted on giving him a year off after the race he should recover.
It made absolutely no sense to me either to destroy him just to say I won.
BJ did win but again at a tremendous cost.
A great little horse
That’s the ride that Wayne Gastfield manages - he’s a VERY nice man. I met him for the first time at Grand Island last year. And he has a really cool little bay gelding, Lucas. And compared to some of our other rides in the Midwest, the Shore To Shore rides have good turnout. The Midwest isn’t like some of the other regions that have 30 riders per distance. Most of the rides in WI and MI are lucky to get 10 or 12 participants. One day I’d like to do a couple of days of the Shore to Shore but it won’t be this coming year. Maybe in 2010.
For the sand - YES, parts of Wisconsin and Michigan has a LOT of sand and glacial silt. Glacial movement churned up the earth and dumped it all over parts of these two states. We had some deep sand at Grand Island. You definitely have to train in the sand, or deep snow and water to condition your horse for it. Some of our trail rides around here have sand pits we ride through with sand 8" deep. Granted we’ve not in the deep stuff for very long, but our horses hardly notice, but if they’re not used to it, it could be really hard on soft tissue.
[QUOTE=gothedistance;3771786]
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I have in-laws in the lower part of the state, so I am thinking of combining a family visit/pioneer ride into one two week vacation. Just need the new truck for the trip – don’t quite feel it is fair to ask the dear old 12 year old Ford (bless it’s honest faithful heart) to make the trip from VA to MI and back.[/QUOTE]
thats funny! I have inlaws in southern Michigan too! And my truck is getting up there, 9 years old now. But I’d be coming all the way from Arizona.
I train in sand so that wouldnt be a problem and I sure wouldnt run the hell out of my horse LOL
I’d like to read the blogs about it. Its probably just a pipe dream because of the distance, but you never know…
Wow! What a small world! I’ve been talking to DH for about 4 years now about doing the STS ride. He was born in MI and cautions early August can be hot and buggy – not the time I want to be up there unless they are having a cool spell.
I’ve been to central MI several times …so unlike VA in so many respects. Still, I think it would be such fun to do the ride – I have two I could take of mine, or I can borrow for my second horse my endurance buddy’s sweet Asgard mare which is standing in a field doing a fat lot of nothing except gaining girth inches. I would hate to go all that way with one horse …and have something happen to prevent me from riding.
A new truck is certainly in the stars – but right now it isn’t high priority. Also, I’m reluctant to throw away a perfectly good low mileage (albeit aged) truck just because it isn’t quite up there in the horsepower department for worry-free transport in getting me, family, and two horses in a big steel gooseneck LQ trailer to Michigan and back.
I’m still looking for Mary’s story of her STS adventure. Will let you know when I find it.
Edited to add: Here it is!! Michigan on a Morgan.
If the Shore to Shore killed horses then why does JC Quick Quint and the Rawski family win it year after year and day after day. Same for Earle Baxter (aka Ole Leatherbutt) with many day wins on the same horses year after year.
I know it’s a favourite ride of our Ontario riders. One of these days, I might make the venture to do a day or 2 but not the entire 5 days.
Pioneering looks like a fun challenge. You end up looking after your horse extremely well to survive multiple days of the ride. I first witnessed a Pioneer at Big South Fork in 2007 - boy oh boy did that look interesting.
[QUOTE=Dalriada;3773828]
If the Shore to Shore killed horses then why does JC Quick Quint and the Rawski family win it year after year and day after day. Same for Earle Baxter (aka Ole Leatherbutt) with many day wins on the same horses year after year.
.[/QUOTE]
Good point. I rode for the Rawski stable and BJ belongs to them. Yes he won it but was never the same. I rode him after that in endurance but he never had it in him to win again.
Connie rode him to that win with Jim pit crewing.
I know Earle very well and know he had a fantastic horse Ponnie? SP?
I live in their neck of the woods and broke some horses for Connie and rode through her name. I campaigned Wildfire a number of times until he was sold.
I did the Bobcaygen 65 on Wildfire.
So again point out to me how BJ was not hurt winning the Shore to Shore Race??? Please explain???
I bet it takes a certain kind of equine personality to be able to do pioneer rides. For some horses I can see where it would just be mentally way too much. But some horses might thrive under the challenge and new trails every day.
I have wondered about the shore to shore myself, but forgot about it after I realized there wasn’t much ‘shore’ to it~ Had these visions of riding while able to see the lake LOL. I would still like to possibly try it sometime, though hubby doesn’t want to have to constantly move camp, so I have a feeling it will be many years if I ever do that ride, it will be when I have a trailer with a living room & a new truck, “Bessy” is my 92 (wonderful gal) GMC and I just wouldn’t ask her to take me that far, I have to be with in ‘saving’ distance of my wonder truck fixing brother!
~ Blessings to you all~
Christina
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3774238]
I bet it takes a certain kind of equine personality to be able to do pioneer rides. For some horses I can see where it would just be mentally way too much. But some horses might thrive under the challenge and new trails every day.[/QUOTE]
Strider would have thrived on it. I rode him at times for weeks without a single day off and he just seemed to get stronger day after day.
Rio is ending a 2 week stretch tomorrow of running roughly 10 miles per day and today he really felt strong, it doesn’t seem to be taking the toll.
I do know that Connie didn’t want to continue many a morning but Jim wouldn’t let her quit. Jim is a tough rider and so is Earl. Both great distance riders.
I do find that strange trails seem to appeal to horses and I can feel the excitement in my horse whenever I introduce him to a new trail. He wants to get on down it to see where it goes.
Mary Coleman from central PA finished all 5 days on Hawks Neopolitan in 2002. Mary is a HW and Hawk is one of the biggest, stoutest Morgans you have ever seen, often mistaken for a draft cross. They were also the only rider/horse pair to finish all 6 days of the 2005 FITS ride in 2005. Mary gets her money’s worth when she goes to a ride! Here’s a link to an AERC article about them after they won the AERC Partnership Award.
http://www.aerc.org/upload/Pardners2005.pdf
By the way, MY in-laws also live in MI, just west of Lansing. We may move to MI after we retire, looking into areas with lots of state/national forest.
Bonnie S.
Hmm - well I’ve done the S2S, but not competatively. Its a loverly ride of 9 or 14 days - 9 days of ride every day or 14 days with ride 2, rest one. I prefer THAT one myself.
Very interesting posts.
[QUOTE=chicamuxen1;3778416]
Here’s a link to an AERC article about them after they won the AERC Partnership Award.
Bonnie S.[/QUOTE]
They mentioned Art King in the article. I am glad to see he is still active in endurance. I knew him back in the 80’s when he vetted me a number of times and sold me my heart rate monitor.
A really nice man.
Art is a great guy. He works at all the Old Dominion endurance rides in VA, has been for years. He works quite a few rides in the US every year. He’s a very giving person who really cares about the sport and the horses. And he’s just full of jokes!
Bonnie S.
I rode it before Wayne started running it. For my one gelding it was his first ever endurance ride. I did 2 days in a row with him then I switched to a nice little mare who was also doing her first 50’s.
Great multiple day ride and my daughter should be riding all 5 days this year. It looks like I will be the designated driver and crew.
Only a novice or a poor horseman overrides their horse to the point where it is
“basically destroying your horse” !!!
I did my first 50 on the gelding in 5 hours and 20 minutes. We did fine the next day too. That gelding went onto a lot of competitions and CMO rides. He was sound and being used until he died at 39.
Well folks
I actually completed 3 days of the famous Shore to Shore in 2009. I did the Warm-Up and Day 3 on my horse, placing 9th and 5th respectively. I turtled Day 1 catch riding for Farzad, while my mom started the 50 on our horse but had a muscle cramp and had to withdraw.
It’s a tough ride that demands that you ride at a consistent sustainable pace and really look after your horse and yourself. The deep sand does take it’s toll on horses that aren’t used to it.
I had such a blast that I am seriously thinking about going back and doing the later part of the week Thurs through Sat. Then probably in 2011 picking up the Tues which I have yet to attempt as it is the toughest, longest but prettiest day. I only have so many days off work that I can’t give up a whole week to play at S2S.
Many riders were there that had done the miles before - Jim Rawski and JC Quick Quint, Earle Baxter with his 2 current mounts, same with Bill Wilson, …
It was an honour to ride 25 miles with Earle and Bill and watch how they tackled the trail - they were in it for the completion of the entire week not just the day and that is a whole different strategy to riding.
Yes Dr. Art King is still very active in the distance world. I bought my current mount off his wife and Art often gives up his free weekends to come pit crew for me at Championship rides.l
