VAN GILDER ARABIANS, LLC

 This picture was taken at last year's "Coolest Run and Ride and Tie" held in Cool, California.  Fred Emigh and friend Laura were the riders.  This is, by far, one of the most striking photos of Cam and I did not realize how good it was until we added it to our computer files.  Cam is proudly owned and loved by Charles and Heidi Caldwell.

KILAUEA FASHION & Kathleen

Photo Credit - Ted & Joyce Brown

KILAUEA FASHION at Vet check

Kathleen & Fashion and Kim & Smooth

 

Tara and I made the trek to Minnesota to see Ona and Dale in Sept.  2008.  The weather was a "bit" rainy, but we did have one good day so we had to play at being "Children of the Corn" 

We also got to go for a nice ride around the countryside of their neighborhood.

Ona and her daughter, Jessica, did a ride together this year.  Ona is on CR Mackies Finn and Jessica is on Exselsjors Image aka Loki.

10 Things I Learned at Sunriver

As you all know, I have been waiting months to learn what a “Sunriver” is.  Kathleen and Kim starting talking about the “Sunriver 100” last winter when they returned from the PNER convention.  Well I am proud to tell you I have been to the “Sunriver 100” and I have completed and I learned several new things!

1.   A “Sunriver” is when you do the whole ride without coming back to camp and then when you do come back to camp you get to rest and eat for an hour and then you go out and do the whole ride AGAIN!  Can you believe that?  I was quite surprised!  It was fun though because Smooth and I knew where we were going and I wasn’t so hyped up so we got to go faster at the start of the second time around the ride.  (On a side note, Kathleen still hasn’t figured out that I am tricking her into going faster by acting calm…I just have to figure out how to act calm enough at the start to trick her!).  And, by the way, I think a “Sunriver” is a type of cult because everyone was listening to a song about the “Mind of a 100 miler” and all the people were intense and laughing and crying…I think they got religion! read more...

FASHIONS PASHION (Going Steady AH x MV Fashionette by Muhuli) who was originally purchased to be a race horse, was recently sold to Jane Smith to begin her trail/endurance career.  FASHIONS PASHION did have one win on the track and did earn her owner some money but needed to sell her.  Her current owner wrote me this nice note. 

Where oh where was our 3rd Bad Girl on Saturday????   Layne, Tara (BG in Training) and I had a great day.   TS was very small, only 25 starts and really laid back. They did have 3 good vets and plenty of help so no lines or hassles!   The weather co-operated and the predicted rain held off until 5:35pm, at which time we were loaded and high tailing it for the Murray's Bed & Breakfast in Vale....no complaints on the weather.   It was incredibly dry.  We saw DUST...oh my god...we have not had dust in Portland for so long I forgot about it!    Right off the bat Tara noted that sucking dust was a baaaad idea.  We made every effort to avoid sucking any dust all day!  

Steph put together some new trail and probably some off Triangle road we did years ago on the halloween ride.   Pat, people there still remember our Bat Man and Super Man outfits!   And of course they remember Bat Man flying across the desert...bad landing, but great flight!   They are always a little skimpy on the ribbons there...glad to have some young eyes to help me scout out the way!   We only missed one major turn.   Once Mu had the way figured out he was not going to miss any turns for home!    We were able to keep a steady pace except walking (plodding) thru the deep deep sand in the washes.   Pretty sure the miles were short, but I would be the last to complain about that!   Our time will look pretty hot, but really I think we averaged about 9 mph and that was the goal.  

Finn seemed a little less exhuberant on the last trip across the top of the ridge and I thought, Finally, I wore him down.  Ha.   We turned into the wind and he came alive.  Even challenged Mu for the lead!   Carol Giles dumped her hubby and Charlene and caught us on the last downhill about a mile out of camp.   I told Tara earlier if one of the wild knotheads catches us NO RACING IN!  Never worth it....fortunately Carol was ok with no racing and was ok with Tara and Mu going on in.  Mu had led that bad boy Finn all day and I thought, just one more hook and I have Tara hooked for life!   Baaaad...but it worked!  

Layne and Taz came in looking super.   Taz is going to be a great horse!   All in all a very fun ride.  I missed seeing all of you, but did run into some people I have not seen in years, so did some socializing.  Tara's friend Ashley came along for entertainment.   Between the two of them I was laughing most of the weekend.  

So...everyone up for Prineville????   Mt. Adams??? 

Ona

 

 

Here Amos Pishion on MV RICARDO, holding Linda's mare MUHULIS DAWN, riding with their friend MayDawn, on MV CAPELLA.  All three horses are VAN GILDER ARABIANS.

The riding looks like it is fantastic, beautiful trails!  I hope to get to the area to ride this year. (2007)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                           "A quick update on Omni.  We rode in the East Bay 50 this past weekend, completing it in 3rd place and winning BC. 

This was the first ride we let him have some fun, and he obviously did very well. 

The best part was the final loop may have been his strongest."

Barry Waitte

 

GOOD JOB, BARRY AND OMNI!!

 

Ona Lawerence on CR Mackies Finn at Klickitat Trek on June 3, 2006.   She had a great ride and Finn has fantastic recoveries. 

She came in 7th in the 50.  Finn looks FANTASTIC! 

Photo Credit:  Ted & Joyce Brown

Kathleen Ferguson riding KILAUEA FASHION on the Klickitat Trek 50 miler on June 3, 2006 

To read Kathleen and Fashions story "click here".

Photo Credit: Ted & Joyce Brown

 

 

 

Dee & Vals Star Trek riding the 50 at Klickitat Trek, June 3, 2006. Pictured on the right, are Siri on Bright Starry Night (Bright doing her first 50) and Siri's  eight year old son, Zach, doing his very first endurance ride! Zach learned a lot and his Appy, Quest, did a fantastic job taking care of his rider.  

We had a great time, but it was a long day, taking us close to eleven hours to finish, but well worth every moment!

Photo Credit: Ted & Joyce Brown

 

 

 

 

 

On June 11,2006, some of us went for a ride down the Deschutes River trail (old rail road).  I have been down this road many times but never really "saw" this fantastic rock formation.  The trail is open for horses from March 1 - June 30.  You can ride 11 miles up river and is a very scenic ride and fun to watch the rafters come down the river!

 

 

 

 

 

Ona Lawerence on her Mackies Image son CR Mackies Finn and Sharon Westergard on "Elmo" at the 2005 Santiam ride. 

(If that is the wrong ride, let me know!)

 

Congratulations to Cindy Crook & MV Malcar for their outstanding achievements in 2005, coming in 3rd in the AERC PS Region for Lightweight  and 3rd in the AERC National Pioneer Lightweight standings.  Congratulations, also,  to Rick Leonard & Jasmine Splash for  their outstanding achievements in 2005, coming in 2nd in  the AERC PS Region for Middleweight and 4th in the AERC National Pioneer Middleweight standings. 

 “We love our Van Gilder Arabians” -Cindy Crook,CA