Notes on Prince Shabar, Razznan and the XP2001, by Pat Verheul          02-04-02

      The XP2001 is history, but the memories live on.  The ride was a wonderful experience from the people we rode with to the people we met along the way and, of course, the individual characters that carried us day after day.  Early in the ride while traveling down a country road in Kansas, Jim Mitchell demonstrated just what the ride was all about.  Three little girls were standing at the bottom of their driveway watching the parade go by.  Jim, who was sponsoring four or five juniors at the time, asked the girls if they would like to pet a “pony express horse?”  Of course they said “yes!”  Soon Jim was giving the little girls a short ride on his horse.  He asked the first one if she knew what kind of horse it was.  She didn’t know so he told her it was a “pony express horse” and that she should remember that. He asked the second little girl the same thing.  She shyly shook her head, so he told her it was a “pony express horse.”  As he led the third little girl around in a circle he asked her also.  She sat up straight and said with a big smile, “I am riding a pony express horse.”

      As the ride continued we met new friends and spent time with old friends along the way.  Our friends in Brule, Nebraska, the Burklands, joined us one evening with a home cooked meal.  They also shared their home on our journey out to Missouri.  Their knowledge of the rich heritage of their part of Nebraska, the pony express trail just across the Platte River from Brule and the Oregon Trail crossing the Platte in that area, made history come alive and quickened our interest in what we were about to undertake. 

      The first weekend on the ride was spent in Oak, Nebraska.  It was hot and humid.  We were camped on the edge of the old school yard with one tree for a little shade.  The Crookshank family lived down the street and around the corner.  Tracy Crookshank adopted us for our two day stay.  We visited, did our laundry, borrowed their showered and shared stories.  When we left town it was with homemade preserves and a special book about the history of the area and new friends.

      Bob also experienced mid-western hospitality.  While crewing for me one hot sunny day in Nebraska, he was waiting by the side of the road to see if we riders or horses would need anything.  A farmer stopped and asked Bob how long he was going to be there.  Bob, thinking he was probably parked where he shouldn’t be, said about an hour.  The farmer told him that he had a field that had never been plowed which contained wagon ruts and an old gravestone from a pioneer.  He invited Bob to hop in his truck and took him to see the marks of history. 

      Some days just seemed to go on forever.  But the people I shared the road or trail with helped pass the time.  Laura Horst shared a story about a pioneer child one hot summer afternoon.  Ann Sands and her horse helped Shabar and I cover the miles as we did the Rail Trail right up the middle of Highway 80.  All the gals from Texas put many a laugh in the miles as we shared the trail with Debbie, Bernice, Paulette and Gillian.  The Dykes shared the trail, their crew, and many  meals.  So many folks helped out along the way.  Especially appreciated was Karen, the “Water Girl” and Terry Wolley’s white pick up.  Until you try it you have no idea how thirsty you can get day after day after day.  Karen Chaton kept ribbing me about the corn field in Nebraska.  There was always someone or something to quicken the mind and therefore, shorten the trail.  Sandy Skinner and I shared many a mile always urging the other on and having so much fun.  And there are the farriers that kept our horses sound.  Jeff Brisco was always telling me not to worry as there was at least another day or two in those shoes, and there always was, but just barely.  One time the shoe was so thin that it looked like a butter knife.  Barney and Linda Fleming were always up beat and encouraging.  Working with a professional like Barney is great.  He always has the horses best interests at heart, but he understands the riders needs also and knows how to get the best out of both riders and horses. 

      There are so many days with special memories.  One day we trotted up to a broken down ice cream truck.  The driver said he wouldn’t have been there but for a flat tire.  Of course, it was a clear, sunny, hot day, somewhere in the 90’s.  We asked him if he could sell us some ice cream.  He opened his freezer and gave us a box of ice cream sandwiches.  We riders stuffed ourselves with two apiece and there was still a lot left over so he just kept handing them out as riders came along.  He wouldn’t take any money for them. 

      At the mention of ice cream, I think of Day 24 which ended in Farson.  This was the day we actually crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass.  Both of my horses were taking a much earned rest so Debbie Allen offered Shamash for me to ride.  He is a beautiful gray gelding who with a heart of gold and a trot to match.  Debbie and I were met at the finish in Farson by our crews, Bob and Bernice, with the biggest ice cream cones you ever did see. 

      The two horse I took on the ride were Prince Shabar and Razznan.  Both are seasoned campaigners.  Both have completed Tevis several times and both have done many multi-day rides.  Shabar is truly a prince of a horse.  He acts like a prince, demanding his food first, and if it is not the good stuff first, then he will let you know until you get it right.  (Needless to say he is an easy keeper and maintained his weight throughout the ride and multiple changes in hay.) He was born in 1987 and has obviously been treated like a favorite son.  (I don’t want to say spoiled rotten, but you can get the picture.)  He expects to be told he is beautiful and expects carrots as often as possible.  In exchange he will go down the trail with a light hearted, willing trot.  He was annoyed by the flies and the humidity early in the ride and did accidentally slip in the Kansas mud.  His purpose was achieved, no more flies, just a lovely coat of mud on himself and me.  Because he is so steady he was my choice for the first day of the ride.  Dave’s instructions, to have your horse saddled and ready to jump out of the trailer, to trot off down the road before the “authorities” got wind of what 70 or so horses were about to do, were enough to make folks of lesser determination than endurance riders snuggle back under the covers.  The weather cooperated in setting the mood also as the sky was ominously dark to the east (the direction we were heading) and flood warnings were in effect for that portion of Kansas. 

      Shabar continued to trot mile after mile the first few weeks.  He alternated with Razznan, but because he is so steady he did some extra days when the going was tricky.  There was one day when we were trotting along by ourselves just clicking off the miles, section by section.  I rode watching my watch.  It took us just under nine minutes to do a mile and when we came to the next cross road or mile marker Shabar knew he had earned a few bites of grass.  Then it was off to the next mile.  He eventually became leg weary and foot sore (should have used more Easyboots like Karen) so earned time off during the middle of the ride. 

      Razznan is technically Bob’s horse.  At least he is registered in Bob’s name and Bob does most of the conditioning.  Bob and I talked it over before we left for the ride and decided that Bob would ride over South Pass and the last day into Virginia City.  The day before South Pass, Day 23, we both rode as it looked like it was going to be a good day.  The trail or dirt two track wound around low hills and gradually climbed to lunch at about 32 miles.  At lunch Bob was told that our truck was broken down on the road.  A trailer was available to haul him to the finish so he could go work on his truck.  We just looked at each other.  This was Bob’s first 50 on the XP2001 and we wanted to finish on our horses (who were fine), not hauled in.  So, after the hour hold we continued down the trail.  When we arrived at the finish we were informed that Alex Higgins and Jeff Brisco had already gone down, found our spare key, checked out the truck and left to buy parts.  By the time Bob reached the truck, they just about had it running.  It was a welcome sight as my husband and rig pulled into camp about 4:30 in the afternoon.  Several of our fellow riders and crews had offered to find a place for myself and the horses if Bob hadn’t been able to make it up the hill into camp.  Bob and the truck limped along for the next few days until he could get the one part he needed to finally fix the truck properly.

      Razznan became my main horse for the latter part of the ride.  Shabar was having a well earned rest.  Razz already had a rest just about half way through the 40 days.  One day at lunch he decided that he really needed more room in the trailer.  He modified the trailer by hooking his halter on the center divider and removing it.  Julie Suhr (who owned Razznan for many years) commented when she heard that Razz only hauled the divider about 20 feet, “Razz does have horse sense after all, he stopped.”

      Razz is a gentleman.  He waits patiently to be fed.  His favorite thing is a gentle scratch behind the ears.  Razz is a strong steady trotter.  He can maintain his trot all day, no matter what the footing, endless gravel country roads, sand, hills, cactus, rain, mud, dust storms, heat, humidity.  Razznan, for the most part, stays focused and gets the job done.  One of my favorite days on Razz was the ride from Dry Creek, Nevada to the finish at Smith Creek Dry Lake.  For some reason I told Bob the night before I wasn’t going to ride that day.  Bob fed the horses early as usual and crawled back into bed for a much deserved sleep in.  At 5:00am I heard everybody leaving and just couldn’t stand not riding.  I started moving around getting dressed. Bob groggily said, “We agreed you are not riding.  Go back to bed.”  As I proceeded to get ready he grumbled extensively but got up and saddled Razz.  We left about half an hour behind everybody else.  It was a beautiful morning as we climbed up the winding trail over the pass and down the other side.  We came into lunch with several other riders.  After lunch we knew we would have to move out if we wanted to finish by cut off so Steph Teeter and I just let our horses trot after crossing the Reese River and Highway 50.  It was so much fun to be on a great horse like Razz.  He just floated over the ground.  Coming down off the pass and through the sage brush we could see the rigs parked across a dry lake which we had to cross to get to the finish.  Razz suddenly was unsure of himself.  He just didn’t know about that glaring dry lake.  He trotted because I asked him to, but just barely.  About half way across the lake he spied the rigs and his buddy waiting for him.  After that he just flew to the finish line.  This was his 15^th 50 mile ride.  He started dead last and finished 10^th.

      Razz is a little high strung and tends to be a spooky horse (not an easy keeper like Shabar.)  He nearly dumped me riding into Granger when a loose horse came up behind him.  I thought he was going to jump right out of his skin.  Another day he had Karen doubled over with laughter as he sidestepped in the road because there was an immense bull standing quietly behind a wire fence.  Yet he was rock steady when faced with a moving sprayer that was six feet off the ground and had side wings that extended 20 feet on either side.  You just never know what to expect from Razz, except that he will get you to the finish.

      As agreed, Bob and I rode the last day into Virginia City together.  It was bitter sweet to finally complete our long journey.  The trail that day contained a little bit of everything, from desert trails to riding on the margin of Highway 50 to climbing the steep hill into Virginia City.  Those two courageous horses carried us up that last hill as if it were their first.  After the parade and brunch in Virginia City on Sunday morning we told our friends good bye for now and headed for home in the redwoods on the cool California coast.  But something happened as we headed over Carson Pass.  We just didn’t want it to end so we pulled over and camped out in the forest for one more night on the road.  The horses were content, they may not have realized we were heading home, but we were all together, it was cool and they had plenty of feed and water in front of them. 

      Our thanks to Dave and Ann for a wonderful trip!  One day I was riding along thinking about how much work it was to put on this ride, deal with all the personalities, changes in venue, etc., and how tired Dave must be of it all.  When there is Dave, checking the horses out after lunch.  He asks us what we think about doing it again in a few years, but going South to North.  He was already planning for next time!

From Anne Sands:  "our horse WK Mistral +/  not only did 450 AERC miles and extra club miles on the XP 2001, but he had also done the 1989 XP from Salt Lake to Dayton (650 miles 13 days in one year) and won Best Condition. I am so proud of him; he just had his 20th birthday!"

Grand Canyon XP

October 13, 14, 15, 2001

by Karen Chaton

The Grand Canyon XP, 3-day, 150 mile Pioneer ride was held in October.  It takes place on the Navajo, Kaibab and Rainbow Rim trails and starts about 15 miles from Fredonia, Arizona.  The ride is a point to point ride the first two days, and then a loop ride back into the same basecamp on the third day. Fifty seven riders started the first day of the ride.  Six of those riders completed the 2-day 100.  Twenty two riders completed the entire ride on the same horse, and 2 of us rode different horses.  

The camps are all new from previous years.  The Forest Service has been very supportive of this ride and has been a tremendous help in developing new trails and camps.  There is now plenty of room for the largest of rigs, in big beautiful mountain meadows, surrounded by trees.  Drivers are available for hire on the days that the rigs need to be moved.  The various camps themselves are about 15 miles apart, so moving is relatively easy. 

The first days trail goes north on Cooper Ridge and joins the Navajo Trail.  From here, you can see the Canyonlands of the Escalante Grand Staircase.  This historic trail was originally used by both Native Americans and Pioneers as they commuted to the settlements in Southern Utah.  The trail itself is mostly single track forest trail, with an occasional stretch of road to connect the trails.  The Forest Service has opened up several old logging roads that replace hard forest roads.  This year a considerable amount of trail was new or changed and it really improved the ride.  Trail markings consist of permanent Forest Service signs, rock cairns and trail flagging tape.  This year, we also had GPS waypoints available to download into our GPS units.  Maps and written directions are also provided.  Next year waypoints will be in route format.  Winner of the first days 50 was Elfta Hilzman on Luna in 5:03 and Best Condition going to Bud Arnold on FH Aziim.

Part of the trail on the first day’s ride is where a rider’s horse crashed her into a tree the year before and she had to be evacuated by a helicopter, which also crashed.  The spot is located as you near the Orderville Canyon on the first day, about a mile or so north of the water trough before lunch.  The helicopter crashed about a 100 yards south of that spot on the trail.  The Duck tells a great story about the incident.  Another rider said that they would not want to ride in a helicopter because they crash, so helicopters are dangerous--to which he replied something along the lines of “well, sure but why did the rider need the helicopter in the first place –because of a HORSE, and since the helicopter crashed and all 3 people in it were injured less badly than the rider whose HORSE had ran her into a tree – he concludes that it is the HORSE that is dangerous, not the helicopter”. 

On the second day, we ride on the Kaibab Trail to the Grand Canyon National Park boundary.  This trail system is part of a single track recreational trail that crosses the entire state of Arizona including the Grand Canyon.  The camp that we leave from is one that the Forest Service allowed the ride to use with only 48 hours notice.  How lucky for us that they are so supportive and that Ride Management has such a great relationship with them. 

This day, the entire ride decided to follow out a fellow rider, who they believed, because he had a GPS, would not lead them astray.  But, lead them astray he did….completely in the wrong direction!  The maps and written directions were quite simple too.  Just go out of camp and make an immediate left turn.  For some reason Jim Mitchell decided we should be going to the right, and not a single person noticed and just followed along like a happy herd of sheep.  Once he actually looked at the GPS he realized the mistake and everybody turned around.  Of course, the trail markings were pretty obvious once we were on the right trail. 

First place on the 2-day 100 was Kim Abbott riding Zionastar in 10:55.  Best Condition went to Rushcreek Quista ridden by Sharon Dickerson.  The second day Kathy Arnold was first in 5:46 on FH Jasur and Best Condition went to Bruce Burnham on Majic Thompson. 

The last day of the ride is one of the most beautiful and loops out to the Rainbow Rim Trail and back to camp.  This year, the weather was absolutely perfect and the autumn colors were stunning.  The panoramic views of the Grand Canyon make the ride an unforgettable experience.  The ride has a lot of rolling hills and gradual climbs, but no real serious elevation gain.  Still, riders slow down because it’s almost impossible to keep from stopping to admire the scenery and take photographs.  The third day resulted in a tie for first between Christopf Schork on BW Triple Divide and Karen Chaton on Rocky in 5:12, with Rocky receiving Best Condition.

Each day you arrive at the lunch stop to find your crewbag waiting along with a lunch  made by the always cheerful Lavone Booth.  Lunch includes sandwiches or BBQ hot dogs, chips, candy bars and drinks.  This makes it very simple and easy.  Vet check criteria is 60, and you are asked to wait a half an hour before vetting.  The riders and horses get into the routine and lunch is generally a very laid back and relaxing time.  We discuss the beauty of the trail and how fortunate we are to be there, riding and having a great time with our horse.

Next year the ride will expand to 4 days long and will start in either Kanab or Fredonia.  The trail will use part of the Father Escalante trail as well as the Honeymoon trail, which was used by the Arizona Mormons who came to the temple in St. George over that trail.  The following year should see the ride add another day, making it a 5-day event. 

Lunches are included each day and dinners are available for an extra charge.  This year, riders were treated to fresh caught Alaskan salmon one night.  Camps are dry and all water has to be hauled in, so it’s best to bring as much of your own supply as possible, although ride management does have 3500 gallons available.  The days are nice enough to ride in t-shirts, but at 7,000’ elevation it gets down to freezing at night.  The coldest night this year was17 degrees.   

Riders completing all three days receive a vest or a long sleeve t-shirt.  On the first day riders receive a t-shirt as a completion award.  Awards after that first day are XP pins.  There are also awards for first and best condition each day, and overall first and best condition awards.  Along with David Nicholson, DVM, Chris Peterson, DVM, of Logandale NV vets this ride.  She previously worked for Wayne Newton and vets several endurance rides a year. 

It is always beneficial to have a sense of humor if you are an endurance rider.  On this ride, we are told in the ride literature, on the section about survival skills:  “You should also have a knife to protect yourself from the vicious Kaibab squirrels and the roving gangs of Mexican Spotted Owls, which are responsible for the graffiti on the canyon walls and numerous drive by hootings”.  We are also informed that it is turkey hunting season, and that we should refrain from acting like a turkey, and we should not allow our horses to gobble or to make any turkey like noises.  You definitely don’t want to ride a horse that looks like a turkey.   Another important piece of advice: “try to control your horses when you hear a motorcycle coming so that you don’t scare the motorcycle riders and ruin their wilderness experience”. 

The mountain region riders are sure lucky to have such beautiful trails and rides in their region.  This ride will only get better each year.  If you have the opportunity to go, don’t pass it up.  You won’t be disappointed!  

A map showing the exact trail the 2001 XP riders followed last summer.