4 weeks to go!
Today I cover a few topics:
Tack and gear, shots for me and the horse, visiting an endurance horse racing event, the charity auction, getting my new saddle, getting camp ready.
Tack and gear:
I got almost a all of my gear and tack ready and set. It’s a major relief.
Cooking -check.
Sleeping -check.
Clothing -check.
First aid -check.
Water purification -check.
Saddle -just doing some pre trip saddle pad shaving for perfect fit.
Tack -check.
Packs and bags -check.
Documents – still in the works.
Power supply and electronics- almost, just need someone to donate a galaxy s5!!!
I will post a detailed tack and pack post right before or after I leave, then every 1000 miles.
Vet and clinic:
Near the end of July I got a tetanus shot and…my shoulders were sore for a couple days. Two days later my vet Dr Lynwood Fisher gave roxy a 6 in 1 shot and did the coggins.
He’ll be back at end of august for boosters and a 30 day vet inspection clearance, which I will then forward to CFIA vet Dr James Byrne who will sign off on it. This document and the coggins clearance will be given to usda vet dr Theresa taraska at the border. Then I will see a New York State vet to sign off on a 6 month eiep interstate passport, which will be valid in all states I will be travelling thru, save Penns, Arkansas and Texas. Dr Taraska is also working with usda border vets at the Mexican border for advance recon. I will be in touch with long rider Felipe leite about crossing into Mexico. Because of the volatility of northern Mexico, I may rent a truck and trailer to drive me 100-200 miles south of the border once I cross. As it stands, I will need to hire a truck and trailer to cross into the states as the bridge crossing doesn’t allow me to walk or ride roxy across.
OCTRA event:
A couple of weekends ago I went to volunteer at a 3 day endurance horse racing event in Foymount.
I met a lot of cool people and horses. Mostly Arabs and Arab crosses. It reminded me of being at a sled dog race. I’m glad I don’t race any more- he he. Here are some pics from the event. By the way the winner of the 3 day 150 mile event is 75 years young. He won each day and destroyed the other competitors on the 3rd day. Way to go Earl Baxter.
It just goes to show you’re never old to be active and healthy…
Charity auction:
The charity auction is 4 days away. I’m basically selling everything as I may end up staying in Guatemala after the conclusion of the trip.
Please support our costs in running our trip and the Maya pedal horse ride fundraiser and buy a quality item at a reasonable price!
New saddle:
I decided to upgrade from my English saddle. I wanted something that had a bigger load bearing area, as well as just being more suitable for adding gear and bags.
Here’s what I found!
I’ll shortly post more about my saddle search and past saddles in another post.
Camp set ups:
I’ve been sleeping in the Hennessy hammock since the end of May. I love.
Now it’s time to set up and take down camp here at the homestead then in my neighbourhood. I’ve started cooking with the 4 Dog Bushcooker II. I will start purifying water with the msr trail shot mini purifier.
Hobbling has begun with Roxy. I’ve been tying her out daily as well. I use a modified collar method where the collar is the lead line, tied into a bowline. When riding I can route the lead line thru breakaway ties on my halter bridle. This means if she ever pulls back, she can’t break the halter and there’s no way she can break the rope.
Big flies have replaced the small bugs and the horse flies are biting hard this year.
Chris MacLuckies’ professional career began with a decade-long stint as an organic vegetable grower in Ontario Canada. His career is prolific in breadth and scope. He has farmed organics commercially, volunteered in Guatemala, ran a gardening business, raised and raced sled dogs, tended his livestock, and ridden his horse on a multi-country expedition.
Chris is a certified TEFL ESL English Teacher, author of seven books, freelance content creator, and outdoor travel gear designer.
Nice post. And great to hear Earl Baxter is still going strong. I met him at the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Sweden (first world champs where 6 equestrian events were held all together). I was grooming for a rider on the Canadian 3 day event team, and he was riding on Canada’s Endurance Team. Great to hear he’s still wooping the pant off the competition 🙂
He was awesome Tania. His posting technique is one of a kind. I should edit the video of him winning/ finishing the third day…The whole event was a little overwhelming, it really brought back memories of my time dog mushing when better performance meant EVERYTHING. I’m so glad I let that go, I’m much more relaxed about my current training and preparation for my trip. To win this one, I’m going to emulate a turtle…