The Pyramid ride at Kentucky Horse Park this year
proved to be a tough one. Mother Nature decided to let it rain the night
before the ride at least several inches.
I had ridden a few miles into both loops both
Thursday and Friday to check out the trail and found no real problems on those
days. Tommy Ticktin the ride manager had warned us the night before at the
ride meeting that the wet grass would be dangerous because two years ago a rider
was killed on the very same steeplechase course after going over a jump and her
horse landing on top of her. Made us all a little nervous. It
started raining right before the ride meeting and did not quit until about 4:30
that morning.
Dave(my horse) and I were in the 50 mile and were
both pretty nervous at the start. About a few 100 feet into the start he
starts bucking because here comes a loose horse running wild, riderless with
saddle under his belly, and parts of tack flying around his feet. Sandy
Thompson advised us all to stop, and we did and she and some nice man on a paint
horse held him until help came to retrieve the horse. All the riders
waited and then we started again which just made everything worse again because
we were all bottle necked together on the steeple chase course.
The polo fields were fast and furious and we were
up front with Sandy and Samantha along with someone on a stallion. I
had never had a stallion that close to me riding and it was pretty scary to me
to have him breathing behind me. Later along the first loop we encountered
what had been the day before a little over ankle deep water. It was now a
moving river! We were the first to cross and Dave went bravely into
it. Then he lost the bottom, we started floating and drifting down stream
and I started praying he could swim because I had not ever swam with him.
Luckily he figured it out and then we hit ground again. Everyone else came
along too and we started the hard part of that 15 mile loop. Tommy had
mentioned we could ride between the corn rows but I thought I would just pick my
way along the edge were hard ground would be. Welllllll there was no edge,
and with all that rain the corn fields were deep and worse than deep sand for
us. This lasted for at least 30 minutes. Finally after the corn we
looped around and started back to camp. 1 and 3/4 times around the
steeplechase and we were into the vet.
All 4 of us were back out on the second loop within
minutes of each other. This loop was fun without corn and went by really
quickly and within 30 plus minutes we were back at camp. Dave had started
to relax. The second time around the steeple chase course the 25 mile
leaders were coming in and I had forgotten about them. Dave saw them
racing and to race with them. It taught me to never relax and have slack
reins on that steeplechase course!!!
On the third loop someone had beaten us out of the
vet by a minute or so but I wanted to ride my own ride so I did not catch
them. Sandy, Samantha and I were without the stallion this time and we
seemed almost all alone for those endless corn fields. The company was
great for me and we sang and talked our way through the loop. Sandy asked
me to sponsor Samantha since I was pulsing down quicker and I agreed.
Unfortunately luck was not on my side. Dave
had a cramp in his right hip and after a second check with Matt Frazier we
pulled. The other girl who was out in front was also pulled for pulse down
issues. There was not another Egyptian in sight so if Samantha could just
make it through the next loop she would win the saddle donated by the king of
Morocco for the first place Egyptian horse. After waiting on her Mom and
getting a quick shoe nailed on Sandy and Samantha went out and finished 1 and
2!
Despite what Mother Nature threw at us we had
fun. Tommy and Maggie Ticktin put on a nice ride and as my daughter says
the horse park is like "Disney World" for horse lovers. The Queens Exhibit
was very interesting and the horse park tour was fun as always and we did enjoy
watching the Egyptian event too. I would recommend this ride to all of
those who love the whole "horse" experience, but I also recommend that you ride
a seasoned horse that can be with 40 to 100 more horses on a grass race track to
start and loop with two or 3 more times with during the ride. It is an
exciting ride!
