It is already November - no wait , it is December - and the Lara-Ke team is well into the 2009/2010 training season. We have some new faces on the team this year and said good-bye to a few in a post season trade. Foxy, Natalie, Doc, PD, Barker, and Cody are on loan from friends, Russ and Jill Bybee; all have finished the Iditarod and many of them run lead thus adding a lot of depth to our team. In addition, we have two year olds Hermione, Merlin, and Hooch added to the pool; they are stunning pups out of our Wilma and Lance's Zorro. Pepsi and Sadie moved on to Tamara Rose's Iditarod team providing her with a few more able bodied adults in her first quest to finish the Iditarod. We also loaned Tamara three of the Zorro two year olds - Muggles, Weasley, and Wizard, hoping they would get an opportunity to travel with her down the trail.
Another new face is Reto Burrie from Bern, Switzerland. He is the number one (and only) handler for the season, taking care of the dogs during the week while Devan and I provide "sponsorship" for the team. Reto worked for Deedee Jonrowe last winter learning the basics of mushing. Now he is helping us train the main Iditarod team, learning a lot along the way.
Our race plans are a bit in flux as we accommodate work demands, training conditions, and the general progress of the team. Our first race is supposed to be the Sheep Mountain 150, December 12th with both Reto and me entered. Due to low snow fall that race may be cancelled so our next option would be the Solstice 100, held here in Two Rivers Dec 19th. Then we need to decide among a variety of 200 and 300 mile races in January and February. I am limited to one race in January due to my work commitments so I will rely on Devan, Russ and Reto to help get the team race ready for Iditarod held the first week in March.
I would like to highlight a fund raising effort based in my hometown of Hopkinton NH. Shared Gifts is an organization which supports a Therapeutic Riding progarm utilizing rescued or retired horses. Marcia Evans, a life-long instructor and horse lover, is the driving force behind the program. My sister and I were both fortunate to "grow up" at Marcia's Dawn-Mar Ranch, learning the ropes of animal husbandry and many other life lessons. This year in order to raise funds for the program, Shared Gifts is sponsoring a raffle for a trip (for two) to the Iditarod start in Anchorage, Alaska. I encourage anyone interested in joining me at the start of the Last Great Race to buy a ticket! I promise a wonderful experience.
Happy Trails. judy
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