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[RC] Shame on me...part 2 - long) - FASTGraphic

    My crew went to work with me sponging her down.  Solitaire buried her 
face in the water and drank well - then ate up every piece of food in sight.  
To 
my surprise, her heart monitor was sending out its beep within 10 minutes - 
she was pulsed down.  Now I know that may be a long time for you Ah-rab riders, 
but that is her perfectly normal pulse down time after a hard ride!  I was 
pleasantly shocked and surprised as it continued down into the lower fifties as 
the P&R folks declared her down and we got time called.  We walked her into 
the shade as the temps were really climbing now - into the 90's with little or 
no breeze to be felt.  She contentedly ate hay and carrots as we waited our 
turn to see the Vets.  It was incredible...STRAIGHT A's!!!!  Watching the Vets 
look her over, I couldn't help to think how incredible she looked.  Her skin 
snapped back into place like a rubber band.  Her gut was rumbling away.  Her 
gums 
were pink and flush.  Her heart (which often elevates with the excitement of 
all this attention) was beating strongly still in the 50's.  At that moment, I 
made my first mistake.  I trusted her gut instead of my own.  Despite the 
feeling I'd had just half an hour before, despite the knowledge that her hind 
quarters were tiring of pushing my butt up hill after hill, despite all my 
intentions to pull, I decided to go on.  Eight more miles to base camp and 
lunch.  
So what if the first four of those miles were "extreme" hills.  We can do it!  
First of all, I can ground walk her on a lot of them and besides - look at my 
girl!  She pulsed down in her normal time!  She got straight A's from the 
Vets!  They know more than I do!  Wow!  She's Supergirl!  In the excitement I 
made 
my second mistake by deciding to stick to my original plan.  I would wait and 
e-lyte her again at the lunch stop.  Out of the VC we went and I confidently 
started marching her up the first hill.  Oh man it was steep.  My legs started 
to burn.  Oh man, it was hot.  The sweat ran into my eyes and stung.  At one 
point I could see down the mountain as the swarm of little ants swirled around 
the little toy cars at the Vet check.  Jesus!  How much higher can we 
climb????

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