[RC] Tha passing of Sierra Fadwah and Rio- part 2 of 2 - Nick Warhol
Becky rode through the gate, and still mounted, they walked
across the parking lot towards the water trough.As they approached, Becky gracefully slipped
down off the horse, unclipping the breast collar as she dismounted.Eight steps from the water, she reaches down
and unbuckles the girth, and her crew person whisks the saddle off his back and
splashes him with a bucket of water just before they arrive at the trough.Rio sticks
his head in the water and is drinking; no-one moves an inch while he drinks.He finishes; Becky puts her hand under his
arm and checks the pulse; she smiles and says “P&R,
Please!”The guy puts the scope
on Rio and 15 seconds later says: “Fifty two, Time on Rio!”
Rio is led off to
eat, Becky gets her vet card marked, and smiling, thanks the workers very much,
then turns and follows her horse to her crew area.Totally professional,
perfectly executed, and completely polite and graceful.What a class act.
But the kicker is in poor Shirley’s face.Shirley’s a wonderful person and a
great rider as well, but on this day she feels the frustration many other
riders have felt behind Becky and Rio.She watches as Rio
gets his pulse, then just rolls her eyes and says to no-one in particular:“How in the world am I supposed to
compete with that?”Desty comes down about two minutes later, but that was all Rio needed.He and
Becky left the check in first place and never looked back.I saw them next at the water stop a few
miles later down the trail.They come
scooting in, Rio is drinking, and Becky is
talking to the ride workers:“Thank you so very much.We
couldn’t do this without you guys out here.”Rio finishes
drinking, and that’s what I’ll always remember.He was licking his lips, Becky was picking up
the reigns, but Rio had his head turned,
looking down the road he was about to dash off on.The look in his eye was unbelievable.It was a look of such determination and
desire; it was a look of power and energy, of complete concentration.He could not wait to get going down that
road, because that’s what he did better than any other endurance horse
has ever done, and probably ever will. Godspeed,
Fadwah and Rio.
