Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Well those other horses came into the
last vet check just 4 minutes
behind Charlie and I.   I overheard
Stagg discussing with Sue what
the plan was.  Sue said she had
to make sure Charlie finished
as she was riding Charlie for Maggie
Price, Charlie's owner.
And Maggie had come to the OD to see
Charlie as well as
her human friends.   Charlie said
Sue was concerned about the shoe
Charlie had lost as was Charlie.  They
did not want to race in with an easy boot.
And there was no farrier at the vet
check.  So Charlie and Sue agreed
that Charlie would just "tractor
on in".

Aside:  Maggie is a dear friend
of both Sue and Stagg.  My best
buddy Drubin was bred and raised by
Maggie who sold him to
Stagg.  Drubin said Stagg claims
Maggie taught him much of
what he learned about endurance riding
but Drubin says he is
really the one who trained Stagg.  And
Maggie, who is fighting
cancer, had loaned Charlie to Sue.  Sue
rode Charlie to a successful
finish at the Pan Ams last summer.  
Charlie told me Sue was 
riding the OD for Maggie.

I could feel the excitement in Stagg
as we left the check point.
Charlie and I remained together for
a short ways.  Then it was time to 
move.  Now all that practice of
trotting and galloping up that
2000 foot climb at home paid off.  We
made good time to
the first creek crossing.  There
I took a good long drink as
Stagg had put more of the nasty electrolyte
in my mouth
at the vet check.  Yecch!  Twelve
times in one ride.  Too much.
The applesause only helps so much.

Then it was on to the top of the mountain.
 We
got to the top before Stagg realized
and would have tripped over
the chain across the trail as the way
around the chain was not marked by
glow sticks and there was a glow stick
lined up on the other
side that Stagg was focused on.  However
I was alert
and avoided the chain.   Now downhill
to the Finish.

Stagg hopped off as we crossed the Skyline
Drive to 
run down Hickerson Hollow.  I actually
could have gotten
him down faster in the dark with hin
on my back but he
likes to think he is helping so I humor
him.  But he can't
see worth a damn in the dark.  He
was trying to use
the light from the glowsticks on my
breast collar so
he would not affect my night vision.
 Great for me but
not so bright for him.  The glow
sticks marking the trail 
were sometimes on the right and sometimes
on the left.
I could tell but he couldn't.  So
he headed to the left of a
glow stick on the left and went straight
into a ditch.  I would
have given a horse laugh if I wasn't
so concerned for him.
At any rate we did make it down the
Hickerson Hollow
with lots of stumbling by Stagg but
none by me as I can
dance down the trail in the dark.  
Stagg really is a lousy dancer, 
just ask Cheryl.

Stagg got on me just before the gravel
road past Pete Wilson's
and I did my big trot on down the lane.
 Had to be a bit
careful on the paved road but did not
hear or see any horse behind.
We made the final right turn onto the
dirt road, the left turn by the 
big tree and thru the woods onto the
big field.  Then I trotted
proundly across the field to the finish
line that Henry had all
lit up.  I appreciated all of those
folks cheering at 8 minutes
before midnite.

Charlie came in about 15 mintues later.
 Maggie was at the
finish line to see both Charlie and
I finish!  Those other buddies
that had come into Liberty Hall were
15 mintues behind Charlie.
So we had saved our fastest riding for
the last 5 miles in the dark,
not knowing of course that the other
guys were not chasing us.

As soon as Stagg weighed, we went down
to the quadrangle
where my vet friend Dr. Art King was.
I  did my  trot out for completion.
Then I  proudly could say I was
the first horse to win the OD three times.
I could tell Stagg was pleased.

A bit later Charlie did his trot out
for completion.  He told me he
was a bit sore where he had lost the
shoe but determined to
complete for Sue and Maggie which he
did.  Charlie is one tough
horse and the only horse that I have
ridden with that matched me
at every hold on recoveries.  I
like Charlie and hope to ride
with him again.

The last piece of business that nite
was the Best Condition trot
out at one hour.  I felt good and
so did a nice big trot as Art likes that.
Stagg told me later that I there is
a nice silver bowl on his mantle
for OD high vet score to go with my
Best Condition blanket.
I am still waiting for him to serve
me dinner in the bowl.

That's it.  Am now on summer vacation!
  
To my equine buddies hope to see you
after the summer.

So long and happy trails,

Jayel Super.