Detours

My road to the Derby took a detour to Wyoming for two months. I finally got to quit the boring desk job, get my backpack out again and head back out west. Unlike the past few summers, I wasn't going to be a wrangler. The plan was to join the groups for some stuff but mostly go on long rides and work with young horses. I figured Horseworks would be the best place to ride lots of different horses and get lots of time in the saddle. Nothing could go wrong with that plan right?

Unfortunately it was exceptionally rainy for the time of year, with roads being washed away all over the place. Of course I wasn't going to let a bit of rain stop me, this was Mongol Derby training after all! I got to test my rain jacket (very waterproof thankfully) and realized an extra pair of gloves is not unnecessary. Wyoming is the state with the most sunny days but it didn't seem like it in May. With all the rain, it got really slippery everywhere. Eventually I had to give in and spend a few days inside, or in the Hotsprings.

The good thing about the soil out there is that it dries op quickly so, when it finally cleared up, I was able to go out again pretty quickly. June was actually really nice, it was still cool but that was great for the long rides I wanted to go on. In the mornings, I filled my bag with snacks and set out to explore new trails. I found a lot of new places to ride, including a beautiful 'new' route to cowcamp and some amazing viewpoints. Some days I went riding with the group, some days I was out by myself. Those rides gave me way too much time to think, but were also great for wildlife viewing. I saw loads of pronghorn, deer, elk, birds of prey and foxes but the highlight were the four coyote pups. I watched them play and run around for half an hour and they weren't scared of me and my horse at all.

Besides going on long rides at Horseworks, I also got the opportunity to work with Duaine Hagen, a horse trainer who lives nearby. I spend a few days a week at his place to learn more about colt training and to work with his horses. He had an indoor arena which was perfect on the rainy days. I really enjoyed the horses I got to train there and learned so much. He takes his time teaching his horses from a young age. Because of that and the fact that he divides the lessons into a lot of small steps, the horses learn really quick and it's not too hard, boring or stressfull for them. He does a lot of groundwork to prepare the youngsters really well for the work they're going to do later on. I helped back two youngsters and it was so great to see their progress. We also worked with yearlings and I got to ride a lot of the older horses, all of them very well behaved and great rides. I even got to rope from horseback, so much fun!

It was another few months of beautiful rides, amazing views, great horses and lovely people. I got to reunite with old friends and meet a lot of new ones. My favorite thing about this place is still all the wonderful people that come here and their stories. We went on some great trips, from a Buck Brannaman clinic in Sheridan to hiking in Montana for my birthday. I have learned so much in Wyoming over the years and this year was no different. I feel a lot more confident about the Derby and about myself. I will forever be grateful for all the opportunities I got here. Now it's almost time for my next adventure...









Hunter could probably do the whole 1000 km by himself, in half the time. He is so fast and never stops, he was a great training partner!












Wrangling cows for a few hours, fun and useful Derby training!








The first time I got on the two-year olds, it was bareback. I hadn't heard of this method before but it worked really well. They were so relaxed. Of course they were well prepared and used to being touched everywhere. We took small steps and started with jumping up and down next to them, hanging over them, laying on their backs to sitting up with a leg on each side. When I tacked them up and got on with the saddle on, they weren't spooked by me being on their backs.

Road to the Mongol Derby part 2

I had an entirely different blog written and ready to post, but then I realized it wasn't the story I wanted to tell. Yesterday, I was talking to someone about how I've never felt pressured by the perfect lives people show on social media, until I entered the Mongol Derby. Suddenly my timeline was filled with messages from fellow competitors about all the crazy workouts they were doing. I felt, and still feel, like I am not doing enough, not training hard enough and won't be good enough to make it through the first day, let alone finish this race. But after another training session, I opened my Facebook again and saw posts from different friends about the stories behind all the perfect pictures and the different struggles everyone is facing. A fellow rider voiced the exact same thoughts I was having and it made me realize it is okay to have doubts, that I am not the only one and that this race is not about being better than others but about improving myself and to keep going when things get rough.

That's also the reason I haven't written a blog in a while. I felt like the training I was doing wasn't enough and I didn't want others to read it and wonder why on earth I would even attempt this race when I am not fit enough. So this is me, trying to listen to the people around me and staying positive. Because I have gotten a lot fitter, I lost weight, gained muscle and can now run a 6k, something I never thought possible. I remember in high school, when we had to do those running tests and I couldn't even run for a minute at a time. I hated PE and as much as I enjoyed riding and dancing, I never thought I would go to a gym for fun. It feels good though, to be more active. I actually look forward to my training now, after a long day at work doing the most boring job ever.

It's been six months since my arm healed enough for me to start riding again. And in those months I rode less than ever... But I have been training, almost every day. You can't fully prepare for the Derby since there are so many different aspects to it. But I figured I would do as many types of training as I can, to improve my general fitness and get stronger. It was hard at first, I had lost a lot of strength in my arm after my injury and it frustrated me so much that I couldn't even lift a water bucket for my horse. Now I can do pushups again and lift weights. Dancing is still one of the highlights of my week. My group is actually preparing to do a show in June and we're working hard on our dance which is a mix of modern and hiphop. I also run, swim and occasionally try something new, like self defense classes. On the rare moments that I don't have work I ride my own horse or the Icelandic horse I am working with. The owner asked me to take him on trails as he was a little insecure and kept trying to run home or turn around. The first time I rode him, he kept jumping and pawing like a proper Mongolian pony, which made for good practice, but he is actually doing really well now and is a very smooth ride.

There is other stuff I have to focus on now though, like my kit. Since I am only allowed 5kgs of 'luggage' on the horse, I immersed myself in the world of ultra-lightweight hiking gear. The weight limit forces you to only bring essentials. While travelling I have realized that there is not much you really need, so I am interested in seeing how I will feel during the Derby, with less stuff than ever. There are so many different things that go into preparing for this Derby. From visa (which I still have to organize) to navigation skills. I don't have the best sense of direction so I am kind off worried about that part. One of the 'to do' things on my list is taking a GPS course, either that or bribing some of my friends to help me with this. Since I would like to finish the race and not have to pull out because of broken bones, I also want to do some sort of course for that. More on that later, so stay tuned! 

Surrounded by lions

After having had to postpone this trip for almost six months because of my surgery I was beyond excited to finally go to Kenya last week. And it didn't disappoint! It is true that once you've been to Africa, it never truly leaves you. It had been a year since I left South Africa and I couldn't wait to get back to the bush. So there I was, on a plane barely bigger than a car and able to feel every bump of turbulence. They told me to get off at the second stop (I guess this is what they use in lieu of buses..) where Gordie was waiting for us. Sue, Ellen (my fellow travellers) and I loaded into the jeep and he drove us to the first camp. The drive gave us a good idea of what this week would be like: there were animals everywhere. I have been on safari's and seen some amazing stuff so I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. The sheer amount of animals was breathtaking. Herds of hundreds of zebra, impala and wildebeest all walking among hyena and elephant as far as you could see. On our first ride that afternoon we saw two mating lions after only 5 minutes on horseback.

One of the highlights of the trip was definitely all the baby animals we saw. At the last camp, we were staying on the banks of a river filled with Hippo. In the morning one of the crew members pointed something out to me: a hippo had had her baby that night and was resting in the water right across from my tent. The afterbirth was still on the shore being devoured by baboons and crocodiles while the new mom protected her adorable baby. We saw lions with cubs, young giraffe playing and baby elephants trying to figure out what to do with their trunk. Young zebra and topi were running around and the hyena's were showing their cubs the best way to eat the hippo they had caught. But like I said before, the number of animals was just incredible. On the ride to and from our second camp we saw over fifty elephants. On another ride we saw a group of about twenty lions jumping out of the bushes. In total I think I've seen over thirty lions (and heard even more, as they were roaring all around our tents at night).

The horses were amazing. Mine loved a good run and was a great jumper so I got the chance to jump some fallen trees. The horses were very calm with all the wildlife. I felt really safe on my steed, even when we were standing about 20 metres from a pair of lions. Depending on the day we went on a morning and afternoon ride or a day-ride to the next camp. The afternoon rides were my favorite as by then it had cooled down a bit and the animals were more active. But I also loved the picnic lunches on the day-rides. Both times we did that, we first had to chase elephants away before we could set up our things for lunch. At the second lunch spot, the elephant came back and as Gordie tried to shoo him away, a lioness jumped from the bush as well. It's an amazing feeling to be surrounded by animals like that. And the best thing: there were hardly any other people around.

We stayed at three different camps. Everytime we left, everything would get packed up and nothing would be left, safe from the ashes from the fire. The crew would bring everything to the new spot so we could relax in our comfortable tents after the ride. Every campsite was special in it's own way, they were all secluded and remote. At the first one we were surrounded by lions and hyena at night, the second one had a beautiful view over the Mara and the third was along a river filled with hippo. It was an amazing experience to really be in the bush like that, with animals all around you. The Mara is definitely one of the best wildlife destinations and I will surely be back! 

Road to the Mongol Derby part 1

Training has officially started! After two frustrating months of not even being able to dress myself, let alone do any sports, I'm finally back in the game. Most of you know I can't sit still and hate feeling useless so those two months of recovery were really hard. Thankfully I felt good enough to get back on a horse after five weeks (although I couldn't ride my own pony yet) and after six weeks I started running again. And since a few weeks I also took up dancing again and I work with a personal trainer twice a week to improve my (shoulder) muscles and get stronger. My arm is still weak but it's slowly getting better.


I told MaeCile that if I would end up needing surgery, I would cancel the Derby. That was in the first week after my fall, after that it got a lot worse and I actually had to have surgery. So I lied, I wasn't really able to quit. The more I thought and read about the race, the more excited I got. And I still am. Some moments it feels really scary to enter this thing, especially after my fall. My doctor told me that if I end up falling on my shoulder again, the collarbone might break again. Not because the break hasn't  healed but because of the screws in the bone. They weaken the bone and it could easily snap in those spots. So I try really hard to tell myself I could break something either way, even without this pre-existing injury.

Other times I want to quit because training is just so hard. Running doesn't come easily to me so at times I feel like I'll never get there. My goal is to be able to run 10K before the Derby starts. Today I ran a 5K for the first time though and it felt great! It's so hard to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go for a run but I am improving and that makes it worth it. The personal training has once again reaffirmed for me how much I hate the gym. I can hardly force myself to walk in there for the warm-up, let alone the entire training. I'm so self conscious and always feel like everyone else is better than me. We have to decided to train outside instead, which is a lot nicer anyway since I already spend all day inside at work. Even if I fall off on the first day of the Derby, I will be fitter than ever before!


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Barrels and broken bones

I know, this one is long overdue. The summer just flew by and despite a bit of bad luck, the last month was great! Being back home is extra hard this year, I had to have surgery for my collar bone fracture. I had hoped it would have healed enough by now that I could still go to Kenya. Instead it has to heal all over again and I can't do anything other than watch tv and read, believe me, it gets boring fast. It does make me more determined to go back to Horseworks soon, as I didn´t get to do everything I wanted. I will ride in a rodeo! ;)

The best thing about this summer, I got to ride Missy! I started training her last year when she was two, we did a lot of ground work, which I continued doing this year. I was able to put my foot in the stirrup and lean over the saddle but I felt like if she would take a step, she would explode. I had tried a lot of different things and didn't really know what else to do. MaeCile took her and me to a local trainer. He worked with her from his horse and really focussed on getting her to move her feet. I was super nervous when I first got on but after her initial confusion she was so good! I rode her three times and the second time we were already trotting around the arena, I was very proud. The next step was going to be a trail ride but unfortunately we didn't get to do that due to my fall.

I really thought I would be fine after Tina did an unplanned sliding stop while I had lost my stirrups. I even got back on and did the barrel pattern again, even though I didn't have any strength in my left arm. But after cooling my shoulder for hours it still didn't get any better. We were planning on going into Cody anyway so I decided to stop by the clinic. The doctor didn't even need X-rays to see my collar bone was broken. The X-rays showed the elbow was fractured too. I had the best people to help me though, I am so grateful to everyone who was there but especially to Alissa who helped me with everything that seems so normal but is impossible with one arm, like doing my hair, to Caitlin and Janet for leading the trails like pro's and Janet being my left hand in every imaginable way my last week. I tried to make myself useful by doing lots of riding lessons, with one arm in a sling and a lunge whip in the other.

On the weekends, MaeCile's husband Jim joined us at the ranch to make life easier for us by making gates and fixing pumps. He also taught us to shoot his guns, I was so proud I managed to hit a moving target! (Don't worry, I'm not going into hunting, still a vegetarian). Another highlight was the camping trip we did in the Bighorn mountains. We found the most beautiful camping spot and went on a gorgeous hike through the woods to a crystal clear lake. The last two groups of this summer were great, both quite diverse but it worked out well and everyone fit in at the ranch. We had so much fun, from putting electrical wire up to eartagging calves and from cowcamp to cook-outs by the lake. The best thing about the ranch is always the people, they make Horseworks feel like home.

I can't wait to see my ranch family again next year!








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New friends, frustration and fireworks

When I was younger, I loved the tv-show 'McLeod's daughters'. It was about a group of woman who were running a cattle ranch in the outback of Australia. That show is pretty much the reason I wanted to come to Wyoming the first time, to do that myself! This week I was reminded of my ranch dreams. Hector and Ned, two photographers from Kentucky, came to stay at the ranch. They told us they were very impressed and inspired by how we followed our passion and dreams to work with horses and how we handled the ranch work together, with a group of women. 

When you live something, you start to take things for granted so it was a good reminder of how things you daydream about can actually become a reality. Even though they are not always as romantic and idyllic as you'd pictured... I love fixing fences, it's very satisfying and it makes me feel pretty badass to be able to do it but this week we almost got beat by a fencepost. We had to replace a broken post but it was almost impossible to get it out of the ground. We tried all the tools in the garage and came up with some pretty creative ways. It was great teambuilding and I lauged so much and guess what, we got it done! Girlpower!

Of course it wasn't all work, like proper Americans, we celebrated the 4th of July last week! We did a cook-out in the park, listened to live music and of course we watched the fireworks. I'm not a big fan of fireworks but I must say it was pretty impressive! We also got some smaller fireworks for the ranch. Vanessa and I went to get it in Cody, both of us had never bought fireworks before so we were overwhelmed by all the options. The store clerks must have been laughing at us browsing the kids section for ages. We got a nice selection though. The funniest things was everyone's reactions when we set off the fireworks. One of them kind of moved in our direction and we all ran away screaming... 

We had a week off between sessions so we had time to do some more training. A few of our horses had been out of the string for years due to injuries or other causes. We wanted to see which of them we could use for the guests, which we can sell and how much training they needed. Between the three of us, Linda, Vanessa and I managed to get on five horses that hadn't been ridden in years. Two of them  are a bit older but they turned out to be really nice and relaxed trail horses. Another one has a small injury but will be a nice pasture buddy for someone. The other two we want to work with a bit more. The big grey in the photo, Fern, is a really sweet horse but she's still a bit insecure and prefers to follow another horse instead of walking by herself. Hopefully we can build her confidence and eventually use her for our own guests. Vanessa has been working with Speck, a big Appaloosa who is a bit skittish but with a bit of work he will hopefully be a great riding horse. It was great to have a week to fully focus on those horses. During a session there is always so much going on and so many things to worry about that we don't really have the time.

And a lot of mud...

Yesterday, we wrapped up another session. It was an interesting session, a bit different from what we've been doing the past few years. Usually, our guests are young women on gap year breaks but this time we had two moms with their kids and two other ladies travelling alone. We had some struggles but we also had a lot of fun and I learned a lot from it. I think everyone challenged themselves and did a lot of new stuff. It was fun to see how people changed over the course of a week (or two). Unfortunately the weather in the first week wasn't too great, it rained a lot and the corrals turned into mudpools that rivalled the ones in Yellowstone. We still managed to do a lot though and planned our activities around the weather. One morning we were doing lessons in the arena when a terrible hailstorm almost washed us down the hill. It's crazy how quickly streams can appear where previously the ground had been as dry as a desert. We decided to spend the afternoon at the Hotsprings to warm up and had a lovely cook-out in the park, one of my favorite places. Heleen and I spotted some baby turtles in the river and we went to see the nearby herd of bison, riding in the bed of Paul's truck. Those bison looked huge when we were driving right next to them, without car windows to protect us! 

Unfortunately Heleen left at the end of that week, her four weeks at Horseworks have flown by! We had a lot of fun adventures. My favorite was the dayride we went on together, exploring a path through the hills I had never been on before. It was a beautiful route with amazing views and I felt so relaxed after it (that lasted for about five minutes). It was just very nice to spend some time together. Paul also left that day, he had been here for a week to help me out with the group. Before he drove back to Washington, he tried to teach me poker in a sushi restaurant, even the waitress joined in the game! I couldn't stop laughing when he told the cook his Japanese was wrong and the sushi wasn't prepared in the proper Japanese way. 

In the second week, the weather cleared up and it dried up enough to go to Cowcamp! It's always one of the highlights of the session so I was glad we could go. This time I actually slept outside, next to the campfire, all night. No rain and nobody screaming 'snake' in the middle of the night (looking at you Kaylyn :P). There was also a beautiful full moon that night. 

We did a lot of work with the cows this week as well. One of the calves hadn't been nursing so we had to milk the cow a few times a day to get the milk going and help him drink. I brought another cow in all by myself on one of our recently retrained horses Curly. Laura started riding her again this spring and I've been taking her on short rides to get some miles on her. She is doing great, still a bit insecure but very calm, and she did great with the cow. The cow certainly didn't make it easy so I'm really proud we managed to get her and the calve to the ranch by ourselves (with a little help of Alissa who opened the gates). Both moms and babies are doing well now! 

I've also been working with Missy a lot, with the help of Heleen and Stephanie. Remember I started training her last year? She has made so much progress. Last year I had to keep her in a corral with a long rope on her halter to be able to catch her, now she comes up to me when they are all out on the property. She is a lot calmer and really good with most of the groundwork we do. At the moment we are working on putting weight on her back while she is walking. She is perfectly fine when I lean over her back while she is standing still but when I try to make her walk like that she freaks out. It's certainly a challenge to back her but she is a quick study and I'm convinced we'll get there. She definitely teaches me a lot about training!