Re: RC: Awards/Big Horn 100

[DVeritas@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/2/01 12:27:55 PM Mountain Standard Time, 
Marinera@aol.com writes:



> The trophies I collected that day were:
>
> 1. turtle award for last place
> 2. hard luck award because that was the way the day went
> 3. oldest rider award




I apologize for the "me too" nature of this post, however, as the post 
provided by Julie Suhr indicates, there are awards, then there are "awards"...
    It was 1993 and Doctor Bill Munson had an own-son of Garaff (x Raffles) 
who was fifteen years old and had not been ridden for 3 and a half years.  He 
had been roaming the ranch opening gates and allowing horses to run hither 
and yon.  Doc asked me if I would take this particularly gelding and "do 
something with him."  Of course, when he asked me anything, I hooked up the 
trailer and drove four a half hours to pick up the horse.
    Long story short, five weeks later the gelding and fifteen others started 
the Big Horn 100.  We rode most of the day with a rider experienced with the 
BH100 whose knowledge of the trail was invaluable.  Nine finished that 
hundred....he was the nineth...last.  Riding alone in the dark (from the 89 
mile vet check), across terrain he had never seen, he loped the last eleven 
miles and his pulse was 52 within a minute and a half of finishing.  
    The Vet was astonished at his condition, recovered, calm and 
self-assured....we had spent the majority of the day ambling and trotting and 
when we completed our trot out, he smartly moved to the trailer and looked at 
me as if to say, "That's it?  Can you clean me up, feed me, water me and then 
leave me alone for a while?"  I did.
    Kelly was a pistol. Tough a horse as I have ever seen....or might ever 
see again.
    At the awards banquet I was presented an original oil painting of the Big 
Horn Mountains by the widow of Mr. Roy Cheatam, the original Trail Boss who 
"found" and "marked" the 100 miles of Big Horn.  It was the "End of the 
Trail" Award....last to finish.
    I wear the buckle and use the Top Ten Blanket with the Big Horn Ram logo, 
but mostly, I remember the smile and tears of Mrs. Cheatam when she handed me 
the painting in honor of her husband and in respect for what Kelly had done.  
I finished "last" that ride....the horse carried me as if we rode in "first".
    I remember Mrs. Cheatam's grace and demeanor as she handed me the 
painting above everything else.
    Thank you, Cindy and Kelly for that day...it has sustained me through 
some difficult situations since (when I recall that day and night of feeling 
God's breath pushing us down and up the trail.)

     Frank.