Shine and Shine Only

I am a little late in giving you all the play by play on our multi-day ride in Gilroy, but it is worth it!

Dixie and I headed up Friday May 17th to the Shine and Shine Only ride (put on by Becky Hart). Now that we have been to a few rides, it was fun to recognize people and horses. Although I have to admit, I am much better at remembering horses names than people!

Since Dixie was given a little more time off than normal from my last adventure with Sweet Pea and the Extreme Mustang Makeover, I thought doing 2 LD's (25 miles) in a row would be a nice way to get us back on track. 

As usual, Dixie camped like a pro...

In fact, I would say that I was pretty pro-like with my tent setting up skills too! Truth be told, I spent the first night with a few friends in a bus (Thanks Jennifer and Barry!) but did set up my tent all by myself for the next night. 

The weather couldn't have been more perfect if it was ordered. Dixie was more than ready to go and as the start of the ride began, I knew I had a hot little mustang underneath me! We immediately found a riding buddy that was similar in pace and enjoyed the whole ride talking and sharing horse stories.  

At each vet check, we passed with ALL A's and at completion she got only 1 B in gut sounds. I expected this because Dixie didn't eat very much during the ride, she was too busy thinking about crossing the finish line! We finished along side our friend and took 3rd place overall. Now, in limited distance endurance, the place does not really matter BUT what does matter is getting the Best Condition Award. Well, I am proud to say we DID NOT get that award, but it was not Dixie's fault... it was mine! There are a lot of things you base the award on and rider weight is one of them. Since Dixie had the highest vet scores of ALL 10 riders she was the natural choice but my weight was the lightest, so in combination we lost. I guess that is a pretty ok reason to lose if you ask me! Don't forget, I still have a wedding dress to fit into! 

As for the second day, Dixie was fresh as day 1. I was expecting her to be slower but the heart rate monitor guided our ride and she showed she was fine to ride at a nice clip that day too! We rode with a new buddy and I think Dixie made a boyfriend! They were so cute, my favorite part was when her buddy would canter and Dixie would go into the extended trot. The rider said "Do you know you horse can trot at 12 miles per hour?!" I was so proud of her and when people asked "What kind of horse is that??" I proudly told them she was my American Mustang! 

We are headed to our next adventure this weekend and I hope to update you soon... stay tuned! 

Thanks for reading :)

xo Alyssa & Dancing Dixie