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Re: [RC] [RC] A Gator Run Story - sharp penny

I guess it's all in what your horse is used to. Most of
our trails here are pretty flat with lots of places that
are wide open. Reno is more relaxed with the wide open
spaces as he can see the other horses. Horses can race past
him and it dosn't bother him. It's a different story when
we get in the woods with lots of twists and turns, he
litterally panicks when the horse in front of him
dissapears. The last 50 we did started in the woods with
lots of tricky ups and downs and hairpin turns. Reno went
nuts and I had to get him off to the side as soon as space
permitted to work on getting his mind right again. Just
like you, everyone that passed us ask if we were alright. I
guess we looked completely out of control. Reno was foaming
at the mouth and throwing a little temper tantrum. When he
realized that we weren't going anywhere until he listened
to me, everyone was long gone and the LD's were
passing....lol  He was good as gold the rest of the day and
we completed middle of the pack. 

Regards,
Penny

Regards,
Penny

--- Laurie Durgin <ladurgin@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Funny how the

OPEN seems to 
affect them. I was taken by surprise, I think that is the
mental part. 







From: "Laura Hayes" <mark@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [RC]   A Gator Run Story
Date: Mon, 20 Jan 2003 16:52:30 -0500

We just got home to find it 11 degrees and 2+ feet of

snow - that is

depressing!  We did have a great week at Gator Run in

Lake City, Florida.

My husband Mark McConnon vetted the three days and

friend Libby Llop and I

rode (well, I rode one day, more on that later!)

We drove two ten hour days to get to the ride - the trip

seemed endless, 

but
the ride grounds were great- pines and palmettos with

lots of firm sandy

ground.  We had brought an extra truck with a canoe on

top and a six horse

trailer with five horses and as much hay as Libby could

pack into the extra

stall.  We looked like a cross between the Beverly

Hillbillies and the

circus!

I rode my mare Equal Terms, who had just come off a win

and BC at Fort

Valley two day 100, where she was well mannered and

workman-like.

Weellllll, she much have had a change of heart

somewhere, because she saw

that long flat road and it blew her little horsey mind. 

She was hopping 

and
leaping and cantering sideways, so I actually GOT OFF

and led her for over

an hour!!!  People were coming by and asking if I was

OK, (thank you!) and 

I
was EMBARRASSED!!  Good Grief- I looked like someone's

grandma afraid of 

the
family pony!  It occurred to me that I could just let

her go and go to the

front - she is 12, not a baby, and fit as a fiddle, but

you know what?  I

couldn't do it.  This is going to be my hundred mile

horse - she is going 

to
last me years, and by gosh, I am NOT going to risk

letting her ruin THAT!!

I don't have international aspirations, but I would like

to do well on some

of the bigger 100s in this country.  I will not let her

run wild just

because she WANTS to.  Ok, call me chicken - I can take

it.


Val Kanavy was schooling her beautiful Shadon, and

walked with me for a

while.  She could actually stay on the horse and do this

- my horse was

still dancing around me.  Val trotted on, and dead last

in the ride, I

finally mounted.  I decided right then, if E did this to

me on the next two

days, I would just turn her loose in the swamp and drive

back to NY.


We passed Becky Siler who was taking pictures and

trotted in relative

control down the road when another horse came into view.

 Suddenly, E shied

violently and DUMPED me!  This was truly out of

character for her, and as I

sat on the ground trying to remove the half chap and

sneaker that was 

ripped
half off my leg, I ALMOST cried.  My hip hurt, my pride

was wounded and boy

was I mad!  E trotted about 1/8 of a mile toward the

other rider, who never

saw me, and stopped.  I was glad in retrospect, that I

own no

firearms.....She stood sideways in the road and watched

the other rider

disappear around a corner, and then the most amazing

thing happened.  She

turned slowly and trotted straight back to me. OK, she

can stay another few

months....

We went on to finish somewhere around 40th, passing 10

riders in the

remaining two legs.  I was really sore from the fall and

glad to be done.


More later.

Laura Hayes AERC#2741





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Replies
Re: [RC] [RC] A Gator Run Story, Laurie Durgin