HORSE TA ES
How Do You 'Hunter Pace?'
by Candice C. Dunnigan

"I ride with a map in my head." C. Dunnigan

Mackinac's wooded trails are many, winding, rocky, bordered by mosses. Vistas and vantage points of other islands and lake-scapes. At times dark swampy routes give way to wide two-lane roads shaded by birch and beech. I ride with a map in my head. The Mackinac mental routes get especially worked and re-worked this time of year because of an event called the Hunter Pace.

Over the last four years a number of people have asked me, "What is a Hunter Pace?" I reply it is a timed horseback ride that covers varied terrain on the Island. Participants do not ride alone, but may ride in groups up to four, or with another rider, making it a pair. An "ideal" time has been preset. Riders try to figure out what that time is by following the same pre-marked routes. The pace has its roots in the

sport of fox hunting, and it's a great way to ride or compete (if one has the inclination) without having to be in a ring or a horse show.

This year many people have asked me a new question, "How do you do a Hunter Pace?"

"With organization and a great helper," I reply. To begin with, my initial ideas for setting a pace on Mackinac came from my association with fox hunting and the Waterloo Hunt in Jackson County. Waterloo has been running two paces (one in May, the other in October) for several decades. The credit really goes to them. I have merely adapted the form to make it homogenous with Mackinac Island, its terrain, the horses here, and the ability of their riders. I've also tried to make it something that a competent child as young as eight could enjoy, as well as a seasoned rider. My husband has been a chief architect in this endeavor, as well as constructive critic and pace master par excellence. English or Western, no one cares, but hard hats and protective footwear are tantamount to doing it right.

Brian Dunnigan displays ribbons for this year's Hunter Pace.

Actually I start to think about reasonable rides and times, usually when we're driving up to Mackinac on Memorial Day weekend. Figuring out trails, endings, and loops help pass the time in the car. Once the cottage is opened and our horses are here, I'm "back in the saddle." The map in my head starts to churn. I've been known to ride with friends and miss out on conversations. I'll go left instead of right, because secretly I'm in "pace mode." Usually by the end of July, I actually prefer to ride alone some days, whereas I want to see if that trail or this trail would make up a good segment. I become "offish." Also, Candi starts to horde white plastic garbage bags in the cottage pantry.

By the beginning of August I take my husband on my route. If he likes it, then we go back to our legitimate Mackinac Island trail map and write it down. Of course, with his corrections. Next, we go to work with paper plates and markers on the kitchen table. Arrows point left, or right, up or down, signs are made indicating when to start, finish, or make the required check-in. I try to remember to call the State Park and Carriage Tours with the date and hours involved with riders.

Mackinac's Hunter Pace has been held on a Saturday, with beginning, ending, and awards at Turtle Park. Sometimes, during the days leading up to the event, my husband, myself, or a rider not participating travel the route. They're timed at the Park with a start and finish just like the participants. Then I take those times and get the "secret score." This annoys our children more than trying to find out where I've hidden their Christmas presents.

Saturday of the Hunter Pace, the alarm rings at 4:30 a.m. at Easterly. Armed with those plastic bags, the paper plates, thumbtacks, and big thermos bottles of coffee, my husband and I set out for Turtle Park on our bikes. After a last savor of brew, we head off on foot. The bags are slipped around trees or posts for the route. We take care not to mark major roads, or be obtrusive. It's a good fiveto six-mile hike. Back at Turtle Park we finish the coffee and bike back to Easterly (a good three miles away).

By 10 a.m. I've biked back to Turtle Park with my trusty helpmate, Brian. We go over last-minute crises, and there always are some. One year the Boy Scouts took down markers because they thought they were doing good deeds in maintaining the trails. Riders arrive and Brian bikes off with cookies and water for the checkpoint.

The pace begins, and ends. On average there are 18 participants and some of them love this. The ribbons are handed out. No matter if a rider is first or last, everyone goes home with something. At that point Brian and I usually polish off the cookies and retrace our steps again by

foot, taking down the markers that we had set up some 10 hours before, and then cycle home. Sometimes participants help to take down some of the bags, which makes things go a lot faster. We've done this process on foot, bike, and yes, even by horse. Yet, we've found being unmounted to be the most efficient. It's a great deal of work but very satisfying.

Usually by evening my feet start to hurt. But we realize we didn't get to ride that Saturday. So we saddle the horses up and go out for a relaxing ride. This time, just us, for our fun of it. The kids have threatened to take us for counseling.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Island Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.

In Mackinac Island Yacht Club Bridge League games for the week ending Wednesday, August 2, Kay Berke placed first, Howard Burdett placed second, and Nancy Keogh placed third.