Laney and Dino in Wyoming. Photo by Jim Mitchell.
Riders Name: Laney Humphrey
Horses Name: Arrow Dynamic (Dino)
Region: West
Current Rider Lifetime Mileage? 4755
Endurance: 4590
Limited Distance:165
Tell us about your horse. When/how did you come to get him/her?
Dino is a Spanish Mustang – “the horse they rode in on” or “La Primera” if you’re an Ian Tyson fan. Not all that many Spanish Mustangs have competed in endurance but the breed has left it’s mark. I got Dino on a whim, as much to rescue him as anything, when he was 2 ½ years old. I’d spent a summer working for a lady who had a herd of an offshoot type of Spanish Mustang. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for rare breeds (I introduced Tibetan Mastiff dogs to the US years ago) and I really appreciated the uniqueness of these horses. At the time, though, I certainly didn’t need and wasn’t looking for the another horse! I already had a perfectly good Arabian and we were doing well in endurance. But when I saw the ad for Dino, I just had to call. Then I spent months playing phone tag
with his young owner. She didn’t want to sell him (he was her dream horse) but she was in high school and boys and school activities were pulling her away from horses. She knew she should find a home for him where he would be used but she didn’t want to. So we spent months calling back and forth. I finally said I just wanted to come see him to see how he compared to the other Spanish Mustangs I’d known. She said yes. Whew! I went. He was even cuter in person than in the ad picture. As I left, I asked her to call me first if she ever did decide to sell. She said she would. A month later, she did. I grabbed a friend, hooked up my horse trailer and was in her yard in Turlock later that afternoon, afraid she’d change her mind again. We loaded Dino lickety-split and headed home. I paid $750 for him, about the going rate for Spanish Mustangs in the mid 1990s.
What is your horses breeding?
He is out of Pretty Arrow and by Chico de Mayo. He was bred by Mike and Melanie Pittman (http://www.manyponies.com/) in Belle Fouche, SD. They had just started breeding Spanish Mustangs. In fact, I think Dino was their first. As I remember both his sire and dam came from the Cayuse Ranch, Mecca of Spanish Mustangs. Not far away in Wyoming). Dino goes back to some of the early greats of the breed: San Domingo (Marguerite Henry wrote a book about him), Ka-Maw-I, Yellow Fox, Blue Corn, Little Wood Hauler, Sequoyah. Who couldn’t love a breed with such wonderful horse names?! He’s registered in the Spanish Mustang Registry and also as an American Indian Horse.
Sex: gelding
DOB: 5.10.1995
Horse height: 14’1”
Approx. Weight: 900
Color: the horse of many colors. Technically he’s a fully roaned bay sabino but he may also be a pinto since he’s got large black patches along with the bay. His mane is black and white and his tail is what’s called a “skunk” tail with a white stripe down the middle.
Shoe size: Or, hoof boot size: 00.5 fronts, 00s in back
Why did you decide to purchase this horse (or if you didn’t purchase, why did you choose to use this horse in endurance)?
I had no real purpose in mind for Dino when I bought him. But as he matured, he seemed to enjoy trail riding. Since I treat endurance rides as long trail rides, I decided to see if he’d like it. He did. I had also realized that Arabians and I were not the best match. I adore the breed and know very well that there are mellow arabians (owned one) but, in general, I do better with a horse that is a not quite so sensitive as most arabians. This is no criticism of the breed! It’s my personal wiring system that causes the problems, not the horse’s! So, Dino, being a non-arabian, suits me much better. However, Dino’s self preservation instinct is very, very strong so he’s no dead-head. I’ve always said that he and I, make a great team because most of the time he lets me be in charge. But when he fears for his life, I’m only along for the ride. He’ll keep me safe if I can hang on and stay with him. As Karen Chaton knows, he reacts so fast even riders on other horses are off before they know what happened! We were both chasing our horses out in the middle of the Paunsagunt Plateau (Bryce Canyon XP ride) because Dino saw something up ahead on the trail that concerned him. I rarely let Dino be the lead horse on a ride, not because he couldn’t, but because it was safer for everyone if a less suspicious horse was first to deal with whatever came up.
Did you do endurance with any other horses before this horse? Yes
How many different horses have you ridden in this sport? 7
Do you participate in any other horse sports or activities? Trail riding, local saddle club’s cattle nights How many years have you been involved with horses? Since I was 6 – a very long time ago In endurance? 22
What got you interested in endurance riding?
Starting helping a friend keep his 2nd horse in condition. I finally got curious as to what a ride was all about.
What was it that kept you interested? The love of seeing what’s on the other side of the mountain, being with my horse out in the great outdoors, the challenge of training and conditioning, friendships.
How old was your horse when first started? 4 First ride? Deadman 30
How many rides did you do the first 6
Deadman 30 (4/8/2000), Castle Rock 30 (5/28/2000), Oakland Hills 50, 6/24/2000), Bear Valley Springs 50 (6/24/2000), XP Bryce 50 (8/31, 9/2/2000)
second, 11 Lakeside Classic 25 (4/21/2001), XP2001 50 6/13, 6/21, 6/27, 7/16, 7/20, 7/22, 7/28, XP Bryce 50 8/30, 9/1, 9/3 and third ride seasons? 14
Cuyama Oaks XP 50 3/23, 24, Mt. Carmel Pioneer 50 5/11-13, Shore to Shore 50 8/11,12,14,16, Bryce Canyon XP 50, 8/29-9/02
What mileage distance did you start with? (25, 50, etc.) 30
How long till you top tenned or raced? (if you did) Never did either
How much time off do you give between ride seasons? Several months
If you have done 100′s, how much time off do you give after doing one?
Only tried one (Tevis) & pulled because I got sick.
If you have done multidays, how much time off do you give after doing one?
Did the XP and Sunrise Ranch ride series so whatever time was between the rides.
What kind of tack do you use? (saddle, pads, girths, bits, etc.)
Oh my goodness, I don’t think I can remember all the saddles I’ve used. I’m kind of a saddle freak and even wrote a small book about saddles for endurance and distance riding. That gave me an excuse to try lots of different saddles. Fortunately, Dino has a really well shaped back so I’ve never had to contend with saddle fit issues for him. For me, that’s another issue. In fact, it was because my mentor’s Sharon Saare saddle did not fit me that I got interested in the whole saddle fit problem. Without doubt, Dino’s favorite saddle was the SR but the twist was too wide for me. I’ve also used a ReactorPanel Baker which we both liked. Early on I had a Marciante and played around with several others. When I found the Specialized Trailmaster I stuck with that although now I use a Specialized Eurolite because the twist is narrower. I’ve used mostly pure wool pads, but also Supracors. For years I rode Dino in a shanked snaffle but then switched to a Myler correction bit with a short shank. Dino has never liked any form of traditional snaffle. At home he does very well in an S-hack but I’d never start a ride with it! Remember, he’s not an arabian and he probably not exactly like every other Spanish Mustang either.
I’ve found equipment that works for the two of us but there are surely lots of other combos that would work as well. As for girths, I’ve used everything: mohair, smooth neoprene, waffled neoprene. Dino’s haircoat is coarse and thick and he doesn’t have wrinkles behind his elbows so the only time he got a girth gall was with a fleece girth. I hadn’t checked it carefully for stickers and, sure enough, there were several and they rubbed. I’m experimenting with an elastic girth and treeless saddle now. He seems to like them. I count myself fortunate that I’ve never had tack issues with Dino.
What kind of shoes do you use on your horse?
For the first 6 years of our endurance career, Dino was shod and padded. In 2006, I pulled his shoes and he’s been barefoot ever since. His nickname, however, became “The Houdini of Hoofboots.”
Pads? Barefoot? Barefoot and booted? I tried Epics, Bares, Renegades and finally Gloves. Epics & Bares had a chance of staying on if they were foamed. Gloves really were the best and least likely to come off. Recently I’ve also been using Renegades. I cut off the back end of the boot which made a much better fit and eliminated the lip he’d catch his hind hoof on, pulling off the boot.
What kind of problems have you encountered?
Since Dino isn’t an arabian, his hoof shape is a bit different from the molds used by both Easycare and Renegade. He also has very small feet. Until the Gloves came along, keeping boots on him was a real trick. Foaming worked the best but even then boots would come flying off, giving Dave Rabe something to practice his “flying pick up small object from the ground” techniques with. I have never dared count the number of boots I’ve bought. Not because they got worn out but because they got lost!
Actually what really made the biggest difference was finding a trimmer who knew how to trim correctly. Once Dino’s hooves were in good shape, boots stayed on much better.
What was the worst or most severe injury your horse has had?
Knock on wood, Dino has never had anything very serious. He got cellulitis once from a cut; he’s had a couple of rope burns, scratches, probably ulcers at various times.
What was the worst or most severe injury you have ever had relating to horses or endurance riding?
Fractured my skull when I was 11, long before I started doing endurance. Dino & I are either really tough (more likely him, not me) because the worst I’ve had was torn meniscuses in both knees but that didn’t happen riding.
Describe the best ride you ever had on your horse?
In many ways every ride on Dino is the “best” because I just love being with him. Two days are really special for me and they happened 10 years apart. In 2001, Dino and I rode the Pony Express trail. I rode him through South Pass, the pass through the Rockies that the Pony, and Emigrant trails took. As scenery goes, the pass is nothing much but historically, it is so important. And for us, it meant, just as it had for earlier travelers, that we’d made it across the plains, over the mountains and were now on the down slope. That year the weather was beautiful – warm (maybe hot, like so much of that trip) and sunny. Last year, 2011, I was so fortunate to be to be part of the same ride and with Dino! No matter what other days we rode, I really wanted to ride through South Pass on Dino and we did. Only this time it rained, sleeted, hailed, thundered – like so much of the rest of the trip! No matter how wet and scared I was, my heart was bursting with happiness being able to ride my best buddy over such an important piece of ground not once but twice.
Describe the worst day you ever had with your horse?
The days that come to mind are mostly weather related. The most miserable day was at Grand Canyon. It rained and snowed all day long. By the time we got to lunch, I was soaked to the skin because my rain gear had failed, water had run down my back off my helmet and into my boots from my rain pants. The scariest was the Fly Trail Incident at Bryce when 5 horses got loose when 2 horses further along the trail spooked and ran back up the trail. They knocked me and my riding buddy, Patty Gaglioti flat, ran over us, pulled our horses with them and went on up the trail dragging Geronimo’s Warrior (another Spanish Mustang) and Remington with them. Les Carr managed to stay on Tulip and stay pointing the right direction. He rode faster than he’d ever asked Tulip to go up to the lunch stop to get help. Dave Nicholson found our group of bedraggled, worried riders and we spent the rest of the day zooming all over the park looking for the loose horses. Other people fanned out on foot and by truck and motorcycle looking for the horses too. Remington went back along the trail, getting as far as the cattle guard just before camp and the others scattered. The Paunsagunt Plateau covers miles in each direction. We’d pick up hoof prints but who knew if they were our horses or not? One by one they turned up, all in different places but none was hurt and all our tack was still in place! Geronimo’s Warrior was loose all night but turned up the next morning walking a fence with mares on the other side (he was a stud).
What was your most humbling experience?
I am continually humbled by Dino’s willingness to be part of my world, to allow me to sit on his back, to allow me to ride him as many miles as I have, to stand patiently at the trailer in the pelting rain and snow. He’s done this over and over and still comes willingly when I call (as long as it isn’t before he’s had his morning nap!). I’m also humbled by his ability to put me in my place when I need it (asking him to work before he’s finished his nap for example).
What lessons have you learned along the way that you feel are the most important?
To listen to my horse and do nothing that would put his welfare in jeopardy.
Where does your horse live? Full turnout?
He’s always been boarded. He’s now in a ¾ acre paddock with one or 2 other horses. He has never been stalled and has always lived with other horses, sometimes as many as 10.
What kind of environment did your horse spend the first few years of it’s life in? (pasture, w/ a herd, etc.)
His first year & half were on his birth ranch in South Dakota with a herd. He then lived for a year in a small paddock possibly by himself (don’t know anything about that year). I bought him when he was 2½.
What are your horses strengths?
His patience, steadiness, love of going down the trail, his self preservation instinct which keeps him (& me) safe
Weaknesses?
His self preservation instinct which makes him spooky and cautious.
What advice do you have for new riders?
Find a mentor if at all possible. If not, volunteer at a few rides to get familiar with how a ride works and talk with as many people as possible. Start with the horse you have and GO SLOW. Horses know how to go fast, what they don’t know is how to pace themselves. That’s the rider’s job and it takes a long time to learn it. Treat your first 10 rides or so as nothing more than long trail rides. If, after doing that, you and your horse want to go faster, start adding in a bit more speed. Unfortunately not all horses are cut out for endurance so if you are determined to do the sport, you may have to move on to another partner.
Looking back, what would you do differently?
Keeping in mind that hindsight is always 20/20… I would not have fed as much high carbohydrate feed as I did. Dino really only needs good hay with little else. I would have kept him barefoot.
What do you feel you did right?
I didn’t kill or lame Dino but I believe that’s more due to his innate toughness than anything that I did. I’ve always listened to him & when he told me things weren’t right, we stopped whatever we were doing.
What was your highest goal for your horse? Did you achieve it?
For him to become a Decade Horse! Yes, we achieved it.
Describe your horses personality? How is it like or unlike yours?
Dino is very much like me in that he likes to be by himself but with other horses/people around. He’s stoic, self protective, serious with a fantastic work ethic and a “let’s get this job done” attitude. he does have a sense of humor that comes out mostly at water troughs. He’s smart, not demonstrative except when he knows his buddy is out somewhere on the trail & he’s looking for him, doesn’t crave attention and is likely to be on the fringe of the activity. He is not driven by food or treats. That plus his acute sense of time can make catching him almost impossible if I need him before 10 am when he’s still full from breakfast and hasn’t finished his morning sunbath. He’s crafty enough and athletic enough to require 3 people to trap him. It’s all really just a game to him & once he knows he’s trapped, he gives up graciously. He and I are much more alike than we are unlike. I think that’s why we get along so well.
What kinds of rides do you enjoy the most? (multidays, 100′s, 50′s, etc.)
Multidays. The longer the better. I’ve never had a crew so, even tho’ I love pioneer style rides, loop rides out of one camp are much easier for me to manage.
In what ways has endurance riding made a positive influence in your life?
I’m not a particularly brave or athletic person and I didn’t start my endurance “career” until I was over 50. I was struggling to rebuild my personal life too. Endurance gave me a focus, a reason to believe in myself and proof that I could succeed at something that usually stretched me to my physical and mental limits. As time went on, especially when I graduated to horses of my own, endurance and the horsemanship it requires gave me an intellectual challenge as well as introduced me to amazing people, amazing animals and amazing places. I feel privileged beyond measure to have been allowed to
experience what endurance gave me.
Describe your electrolyte protocol.
I give ¼ – ½ dose in the am and pm feedings the day before the ride and all during the ride plus the day after. If we’re traveling 2 days across the desert to get to Arizona or Utah, I also electrolyte during the trip as well as give probiotics. During the ride, I usually don’t give many electrolytes. I mix up ½ dose syringes & give ½ syringe at a time. Dino never eats salt & won’t eat his food if there’s very much salt in it altho’ he doesn’t seem to mind the electrolytes so I’ve always gone easy on electrolytes, preferring small doses given more frequently. Probably because of the electrolytes and soaked beet pulp in his morning feed, he almost never drinks before lunch unless it’s really hot. I’ve learned not to worry about
it since he’s never gotten in trouble. Adding probiotics made a huge difference in his gut sounds though. They went from Cs to As.
Is there anything special about your nutrition program you attribute to your success?
Not particularly. Dino is a very easy keeper.
Are there any major changes you’ve made to your nutrition program (ie, changed from one hay to another, added something special) that you feel made a noticeable improvement or solved a problem?
For years I fed a lot of Equine Senior plus beet pulp and carrots in addition to hay. After I pulled his shoes, his hoof quality improved but it took a long time. Once I stopped feeding the high carbohydrate complete feed and reduced the number of carrots (also really high in sugars), his hooves improved a lot! Early on, he got alfalfa/oat pellets at home. They were easy for the barn help to feed but didn’t give the horses much chew time. As a result, Dino learned to crib. Ideally, he’d be on pasture so he’d have something to nibble on all the time but that’s not possible where I live so grass hay is an acceptable substitute. I’ve used small mesh hay nets which work very well for him
What kind of supplements (if any) do you use? We’ve had the hay fed at the barn where Dino lives. I balance it with 2 scoops of California Trace Minerals plus 4 Costco vitamin e caps, 2 hyaluronic acid caps and 1 cup of ground flax meal. About a cup each of EGM stable mix and grass pellets make the other things yummy enough to eat.
Do you give any kind of joint products? (describe)
The 2 hyaluronic acid caps daily plus Pentosan once a month.
How far do you usually travel to rides?
1 or 2 days from the coast of California to southern California, Utah or Arizona. Twice all the way back to St. Jo, MO for the start of the XP Pony Express Trail ride and once to Michigan for the Shore to Shore ride.
Do you go to many rides outside of your region?
Have rarely gone to a ride in my region since I prefer the XP and Sunrise Ranch rides.
Name three people involved in the sport of endurance that you look up to, and why?
Julie Suhr, Karen Chaton, and Dave Rabe. Only 3? There are so many. Julie, Karen and Dave exemplify what I believe is important about our sport: excellent horsemanship, excellent horsemanship and excellent horsemanship. They have never put winning or even just going fast over what was best for their horse.
Did you have a mentor or first trail partner? Tell us about him/her/them.
Steve Chidester whom I met through his wife, Sally. Steve already had a number of years of endurance under his belt and had 2 horses. He was looking for someone to help keep the 2nd horse in condition. When I mentioned to Sally that I’d ridden as a kid, she asked if I’d like to ride with Steve. Of course!!!!! I was in no position to have a horse of my own at that time so it was a win, win all the way around. And the horse, Rosamna, or Sam, was a horse of a lifetime. Steve never wanted to race, aiming to finish mid-pack. Our conditioning consisted of riding Friday afternoons, all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Steve was definitely in it for the fun, not the competition. The rides were just the
icing on the cake. Steve was a seat-of-the-pants rider so when I wanted to improve my riding skills, I took lessons. Steve taught me how to ride all day, not get lost, and most importantly, to put the welfare of the horse foremost. His horses may not have been the spiffiest, but none were better taken care of. I rode Sam for 4 years until Steve reclaimed him after his other horse pulled a suspensory. By then I was hooked and, luckily, could afford to buy a horse of my own.
Describe the first rig you had and then tell us how it compares to your current rig?
An ancient Miley 2 horse straight load bumper pull behind a Chevy truck with a shell. I slept in the back of the truck on a foam mattress, cooked on a Coleman, kept stuff cold in an ice chest. The last time I did that was at the 2000 Grand Canyon XP ride! Winter in Minnesota was not as cold! I bought a used Sundowner 3 horse gooseneck with a very small living quarters for the 2001 XP Pony Express Trail ride and am still using it. Dino, that rig and I all had the privilege of repeating that trip during the summer of 2011.
In choosing your next horse, what would you look for?
I’d clone Dino but add better hooves and take out some of the wariness/spookiness.
