More amazing sponsors!

4.7.16- Valerie is thrilled to announce that Kerrits Performance Equestrian Apparel will be outfitting Valerie on her trip!

4.4.16- Thank you to GanderLock for providing trailer security!

2nd Makes Thru Starting Gates

PROGRESS!
Mr. Mark Lubin, one of the most foremost barefoot trimmers came to my farm yesterday to trim and measure Solar Express & Tevo for their pending Easy Care Glove boots!  Mark took Peter Friedman under his wing and showed him what to trim for and keeping the balance maintained as he worked on every foot.  Peter felt very confidant from his advice and I believe my boys are going to fare just fine under Peter's care and supervision on the road.  We next learn about the glue on gloves but my thoughts are more toward the removable boots so we can monitor feet on a daily basis and keep them dry.  
Easy Care's Mariah Reeves has rushed appropriate sizes to be delivered on Monday and pictures will be uploaded of our boys in their new slippers!!!!
We also traveled up Highway 50 to get a birds eye view of our first 5 overnight stops in May and talked to the Pollock Pines Ranger station personnel.  It was advised that we truly utilize the Pony Express Trail which goes from above Placerville, CA to near Kansas City, Missouri.  I am pretty confidant we will stay close on that recognized trail and decide weather pending if we stay with Hwy. 50 or veer off to the more northerly SLC portion of the PET.  
I am in the middle of going to pick up my GORE GORGEOUS LQ 2 HORSE STRAIGHT LOAD W/MID TACK TRAILER next Wednesday with my beloved mom and dad ( a gift of my mother's to aid me and my crew across our country ) and bring it back by March 17th.  Then on March 20th I am embarking with 3 of my home bred fillies and one FLEX across our country AGAIN to deliver my babies to Laine in Chesterfield, VA!  Laine will give my babies the attention they will need since mom will be away for a long duration.  
After I drop them off at her beautiful farm I will travel south in tow with the empty trailer lent to me by my RIGHT ARM girlfriend, Deb Zeier and go to see Laine in her 2* at Carolina to see our Calling All Comets, first baby of the 4 I delivered…..romp around the southern pines xc course!!!  I will travel back to CA to rest up, then get back in gear for ROLEX KENTUCKY and the excitement of that 4* event alone will give me the enthusiasm to keep marching forward!!!!  #GoAlGo
I will update again shortly and please note that my PayPal account is up and running and any nominal donation will be GREATLY appreciated and used for my 3500 mile ride!  IT TAKES A VILLAGE.
THANK YOU.

Update from Valerie

February 20, 2016

I packed an overnight bag, collected Stella and Peter and we drove up to Reno to enjoy the wonderful AERC convention at the Grand Sierra Hotel!  It was an amazing eye-opening experience and I met several great riders and very well noted people in the endurance industry!

Peter found some great ideas on saddles for the mighty Solar Express and one of his choices is a BOZ saddle.....so funny because that was my nickname all through my junior and senior high school years due to of my love of Boz Skaggs growing up!

I saw polyurethane bridals that are popular in endurance and several different kinds of pads and breastplates and saddlebags offering water bottles and the necessities for a long days ride.

I was so incredibly fortunate to walk right into the Easy Care Easy Boot booth and there was the owner himself Garrett Ford and his coworkers Kevin and Christopher!  They showed us how to put on glue gloves and the different products Easy Care has offered to donate on my entire ride for both horses!  I felt very honored and gracious to be a part of their team and appreciated how much they cared about the welfare of both my horses feet completing my ride in the same healthy and comfortable manner as I started!  This has been an education for both Peter and I and gluing the shoes and trimming feet for balance and fit has been no exception!

There are still quite a few items that I need one of them being a GPS system and a Go Pro that I could even borrow for the duration of my ride.  I still have to get my 4 horses relocated to daughter Laine's barn before I depart.

I have my PayPal account up and running and I've had some incredible people already donating to my ride!  Those donations are so greatly necessary because they will cover the cost of my team and horses throughout the 4 to 6 month journey!  I believe my mother is putting her eye on a trailer with a living quarters for me and I am bowled over by her generosity in seeing me successfully reaching my goals.  I have purchased pipe paddocks and if I am able to get the Gore trailer,  I need to put on a hayrack, buy a generator and walk-through door from living quarters to horses in order to keep us as safe and comfy along the Hwy. 50 corridor.  All of your donations are GREATLY APPRECIATED and go directly to my crew and horses for daily food and necessities! 

In the next two weeks I will be working on more of a detailed plan of my stops for the first part of my ride and delivering horses on a timeframe between Rolex and my departure date.

I received a lovely invite from Steuart  Pittman of Retired Racehorse Makeover asking both Laine and I to talk on a prestigious panel of Hagyards veterinarians after Saturday's XC at Rolex regarding our OTTBS in Eventing!  What an honor and what a delight especially before I set out of my  gate the week after for my ride!

Lots to do but "2nd Makes Thru Starting Gates" is coming along quite nicely!  Thank you for all of your support!

Valerie

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A message from Valerie:

As many of you know I'm embarking on a nationwide journey this coming May!  I will be riding my OTTBs Primitivo and Solar Express (who will be ridden by my partner Peter Friedman).  I FINALLY recruited a driver, William Gass, who will be following with my rig stocked with supplies the ENTIRE voyage!  Naturally his expenses will need to be covered, in addition to the daily costs of leaving your farm for 6 months.  A few of you have expressed interest in donating to my "2nd Makes Thru Starting Gates" cause and I THANK YOU for your interest and desire to become a part of my ride.  Any donations will be so generously APPRECIATED. 

Please donate via GoFundMe:

https://www.gofundme.com/k4mcw6b8 

2nd Makes Thru Starting Gates NEWS!

As the holidays have come and gone and there is a little calm in between these CA rain storms, I have been able to make a little bit more progress for my ride ahead in less than 3 months!!!

I am proud to announce that Jim Chiapetta of FLAIR STRIPS is sponsoring my ride with Flair Strips adorning them with the TAA logo!  Remember TAA (Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance) so graciously appointed both Laine and myself the AMBASSADORS of their charity!!!!!   He is also trying to set up a fund for me to travel with proceeds benefitting my voyage and TAA.

Peter Friedman is also joining me on my ex eventer OTTB Solar Express to assist Tivo and I and drive my rig if we can't delegate that role to friends or family!!!!!  I was very happy to gain his help and support on my mission for our OTTBS and I believe Tivo will enjoy his pasture buddy accompanying him!  Any positive influence to START with a happy, healthy, sound horse and FINISH in the same identical manner is THE HUGE priority for my ride.

I met for 3 hours one of our country's top Endurance riders Karen Chaton!  She was an ENORMOUS source of help with pre planning this 5 month undertaking and offered advice for conditioning and what items are mandatory in my trailer!  I am so appreciative of her time and support for our TBs!   The accolades of her career exemplify why she is at the pinnacle of her sport as well as her horse Chief being inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

I would like to ask for help on a few very needed items that I have not been able to obtain.

1) DRIVERS!  I will need a driver to travel 20 miles daily and help set camp. Bottle of wine to be shared under shade of trailer every sunset!

2) a LQ trailer to borrow or rent for the duration of my journey

3) portable paddocks for 2 horses 12x12

4) 200 gallons of water tanks maybe 30-50 gallon sizes

5) a GPS navigation system.  Prefer Oregon or Montana models

6) Go Pro to wear on collar harness

I have interest from fellow riders to join me on various segments of my ride!!!  I AM ABSOLUTELY ESTATIC FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMBINE FORCES ON THIS CAUSE AND WELCOME THE FELLOWSHIP OF OTHER RIDERS!  LET'S DO THIS.

The route of choice at the moment is Highway 50 across and I am emphasizing my time on this to find topo maps and logistics of navigating on shoulders and parallel side roads.  I will be kindly requesting for invitations of a night's stay for my beloved horses and crew of 1 or 2 along the way and hope we can enjoy that option as frequently as possible!!!!  

For now it's back to the barn to get Solar & Primitivo out for another conditioning ride using Endomomo and Track My Hack if I can find out how to purchase the Live Tracking part!!!!!!  Great apps for those interested!

Thank you to TAA

Valerie and Laine have been named as ambassadors for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance! In addition, TAA is sponsoring Valerie's cross-country ride!