Trace Tribute Web Site Released

The Trace Tribute ride management and team are proud to announce the all new 2007 web site.

The newly designed site now includes a Meet the Team section so you can get to know those behind the scenes. We also feature our sponsors, a photo gallery, directions from all surrounding major cities (just contact us if you need different directions!), and a online entry form! And, of course, you can find out all about the ride, the trail, the vet checks and the rules.

Please visit our site! Be sure and use the Contact Us form to provide us feedback on our ride and our web site and above all, use that online entry form and we'll see you April 7, 2007!!

http://www.tracetribute.com

Winner!

I am happy to be the winner of the Canadian Trail House Christmas Contest! I won a rump rug for myself and a rump rug for my favorite ride, the Trace Tribute Endurance Ride!

Paddi will embroider the ride name on the rump rug and we will use this for the 55 mile Turtle award! I can't wait to get these awesome rugs!

Thankgiving

Daniel and I went to visit my parents for a few days over Thanksgiving. As we were to be gone for almost 6 days, we had to put out lots of hay for the boys.

We did not take off the hay string to keep the bales together for as long as possible. We tied the hay string to the trees to keep the horses from inadvertently eating the hay string. This method works quite well.

When we returned on Sunday, the horses still had a bale left to eat. We usually keep them off the grassy pasture during the winter, but had allowed them to go into the grass while we were gone to make sure they had plenty to keep them busy and content.

Barefoot Again

My farrier, Tony, came out to the house yesterday to remove Tanna's shoes and trim both horses. This is a picture of Tanna's left rear hoof, the one that had a chunk break off back in July. The hoof wall is growing out nicely and should be back to normal by Christmas.

Tanna will not be idle while barefoot. We will be doing some training and some trail riding. We still have some work days out at the Trace Tribute trail system. And we're going to be focusing on some hill work this winter. So Tanna will be working.

Which means I will likely be playing with Easyboots again. I have not had the best luck with Easyboots in the past. Boots flying off, gaiters rubbing no matter what I do.

The best experience I had was using duct tape, not flattening down the teeth and no gaiters. But that was only for 3 days in the pasture on one hoof while waiting for my farrier to come out.

But I have a full set of Easyboots (4) all the same size. 3 of them are Epics and the other is just an older version I picked up on a sale rack. But still a full set. So I will probably be playing around with those.

Electroylyte Syringes

During the course of an endurance ride, I give Tanna electrolytes. I used to make up my own syringes with applesauce and Endura Max, but decided that using LyteNow was much easier since I had to give much less volume to get the same effect.

However, I also give Tanna a Fastrack/Neigh-Lox mix that I mix up myself before each endurance ride. These I give to him via a 60 cc syringe. Endurance vendors sell these syringes for $2-3 each. I tend to break mine and lose them, so $2-3 per syringe tends to add up during a season.

I found Mfasco Health as a source for my syringes that, when bought in bulk (over 10), reduces my cost per syringe to $1. (Click the picture to go to the web site.)




They are very smooth and work awesome. The caps even stay on! A little bit of oil or cooking spray on the rubber plunger helps keep them from sticking after a few uses.

I tend to still lose the caps, so I buy red wire connectors and screw those onto the syringe tips after I lose a cap. These are great for taking on trail as there is no leaking!

305 vs 301 Reception

Comparison screenshot of the satellite reception of the Garmin Forerunner 305 and the Forerunner 301.

This is a portion of a windy, wooded out and back trail. The red lines are the out and back tracks for the 305. The blue lines are the tracks for the 301.

Obviously, the 305 has a much better reception than the 301 in the same conditions. I wore the 305 on my left wrist and the 301 on my right wrist.