Tevis

["Roberta Harms" <equiphile@hotmail.com>]

  I'm still behind trying to catch up on everything on ride camp about 
Tevis.  I lost 2 weeks driving there and home again. I do have some thoughts 
on my own experiences there to add:  I also was way in the back .  I got 
caught 20 deep at Pac Slab Mine in the vet check line, too.  I have no way 
to judge if the distance was longer than usual to the next stops as I have 
never done this ride before.  I am very experienced at 100s and did have to 
hustle to stay ahead of my times. At Deadwood we heard the cutoff was 
extende a 1/2 hour, but I was ahead of that. I got to Michigan Bluff at the 
exact time of the original cutoff and was told no one else would make it.  
Then they changed their minds and granted the extension there.  I was also 
told no more extensions and I therefore left that stop in a flat out run!  I 
made Foresthill with plenty of time, again ahead of the original cutoff.  I 
think they granted the ectension at this stop, too. I never had any more 
trouble with times.  I finished at 4:21.
  My criteria all day on time was to look around.  I saw Julie Suhr there at 
evryone of my stops just a little ahead of me.  I figured no one knew how to 
judge it any better. I finished ahead of her only because we chose not to 
stay long at the last stop.
  The volunteers were wonderful all day.  They even had blankets for the 
horses at the last 2 stops.  I was impressed! There were fewer of them 
later, but still enough for one to run around and help my friend and me.  I 
never experienced no hay.  I had to scrounge for alfafa, but there was grass 
hay.  By later in the day my horse decided California grass was OK.  
Basically he hated it, it must taste very different than our midwest grass.  
There was always also food for people.
  Management was probably overwhelmed.  It was a logistic nightmare for our 
2 crew people for 2 horses.  I can imagine that management found it 
unbelievably hard, too.  I would suggest that management go to some other 
rides and see if they can get any different ideas on how to run things.  The 
vets were also wonderful  and had to put up with my horse that Ray Randall 
labelled as "O" for attitude OBNOXIOUS at the first stop and continued all 
day.
Roberta Harms
#90 in Tevis 2000

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