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Re: [RC] Washoe Valley 50/25 Results - TypeF \(Jackie Floyd\)I'm telling you ... these ladies are THE most organized RMs I've ever seen! The ride package they handed out was like an encyclopedia of sponsors, prices and time schedules. Kudos to this great management team for getting all the team prizes (what a great plus) and just generally working like crazy. And a BIG thanks to all the sponsors for the wonderful team prizes!! I've been so dad-blasted busy with my magazine deadline, which has a new owner and a new designer, both of which are driving me CRAZY, that I haven't had a chance to say anything or get my pictures up. It was a wonderful ride, the weather was spectacular and although it wasn't my best ride, I had a good time. I say it wasn't my best ride becaues I worried about my horse a tad. I decided before I went in that since I didn't have another ride scheduled until the end of the month at Wild West that I would see what Tank had "in the tank," so to speak and disgress from my usual slow pace and try to step it up a little. And Tank has a pretty good base on him already this year having done 305 miles. The idea was to ride with my faster friends for the first loop and see how he did. Nothing too terribly ambitious like Top Ten or anything! If he got too tired, I'd walk the entire second loop. We did the first loop in 3:15 minutes. Tank kept up with The Big Boys honorably and just about did me in, blister-wise, trying to hold him back. He was happy and full of it. However, he didn't really eat his lunch. Dead giveaway for me that I let him go too fast. Going out on the second loop he kept turning his head back at me, peeking at me out of the corner of his eyes, asking "Do we REALLY have to be doing this? I think we went far enough!" At the 5-mile water tank, I told Abe and Sharon we were parting ways and they should go on alone. Tank didn't even care that they left. But then he never does care who leaves, who comes, who passes. I kinda like that in a horse. :) So up the hill we went at a walk ... Tank stopping every once in awhile, looking wistfully back at camp. He got over that a couple of miles later and took off at a nice little jog trot. We alternated between that and a walk for the majority of loop two. We spent lots of time at the water stop with those WONDERFUL volunteers who greeted us like we were royalty when we arrived, with ice tea, lemonade, cookies and cheese-its, telling how thrilled they were that we chose to come to their water stop. They couldn't have been more accommodating if they'd had a white napkin folded over their forearm. The last 15-minute stop before our final 5-mile (or whatever) loop out on the beach found Tank with not the best CRI results. Dr. Susan said Tank's tank was out of gas and I agreed. She suggested I stick around for another 30 minutes past my hold time and then head out. It was what I'd decided anyway. I still had eons of time after that fast first loop. Off we went for our final walk on the beach. Talk about looking wistfully back at camp. Tank was starting to make me really feel bad. Then Carol Stiles came along on Beau and Tank turned on the power walk all the way back to camp. A half hour after we completed I took him back for his final check and he finished 48/48 with an overall B+. He ate everything he could get his teeth on and I didn't feel so bad anymore. But I did learn something from my test. I already knew my horse's capabilities. And they're just fine and dandy by me. Tank's previous owner's famous quote "Can't take pictures when you're riding that fast, even with hi-speed film," is absolutely true. Besides which, I'm still pretty out of shape and I was trashed at the lunch break and not having very much fun. But it was a good experience for me. I've always wanted to see how fast Abe and Sharon ride to finish in the 20's. I'm going back to picture-taking speed! :) Jackie and Tank ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ridecamp Guest" <guest-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 8:30 AM Subject: [RC] Washoe Valley 50/25 Results Please Reply to: Gina Hall NVhorseldy@xxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== ============================================================ There are few places where the horse does not fit in; at least in my world, as delusional as that one may be. ~ Howard Bramhall ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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