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Please Reply to: Sheila Kumar paintmypony@xxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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I would like to thank Nick Warhol and Laura Fend for putting on a wonderful 
ride with awesome food and superbly marked trails. Oh.. and also Barry Waite 
for the wine!!
My ride did not go as well as it could have, but I was not as bummed out as I 
thought I would be, because everything turned out just fine.
Last  minute (the week of the ride)my 13 year old son and riding buddy, Kirin, 
informed me that he HAD to be at a band parade in Newark on Saturday and could 
not ride the Oakland hills ride. He was in fact quite peeved because last year 
he really enjoyed the ride and the food and really wanted to attend the ride!
Again, last minute my friend Cora agreed to ride my mare and try her first 50! 
I was happy I had someone to ride with.
Friday morning, my saddle fitter was scheduled to come out to 'fix' my saddle 
that I did not think needed much 'fixing'.
But he said it was a tipping forward a teeny bit and said he could stuff it 
just a little and correct that. I was sort of reluctant to do anything to the 
saddle just before the ride but he assured me that it would cause no problem. 
So off we went to Oakland with a freshly stuffed saddle!
We found a nice camping spot and got settled in for the night.  To my dismay 
when I went and got my rider packet  I found that I had number 13! I am kinda 
superstitious and thought Oh well.. we'll see what happens.
It was pretty chilly through the night but my trusty heater kept me warm. 
Sleeping in the back of my pick up is begining to get real old! I fell asleep 
dreaming of brand new pickup trucks with gleaming campers with hot water and 
microwaves and thick mattresses!
Thank goodness for the water spigot close by where I had parked, because my 
hose connection on the trailer water tank had come loose on the way over and 
dropped 35 gallons of water into my tackroom!! and been left with an empty 
tank. Had the number 13 anything to do with that?!
We started out bright and early on Saturday and managed to keep our ponies at a 
decent level of neurosis! There was only a little bit of snorting and fire 
breathing from my guy. My mare as usual was calm as a cucumber! Good thing too 
because my slighly crazed(due to pregnancy and childbirth!)friend decided to 
ride her with out a bit! She actually behaved the whole ride until we got to 
the bees!
Aaaahhh! the bees! What can I say. Things went south after that encounter. When 
we came to the corner where the bees were, a couple of riders had gotten off 
the trail and yelled at us to either get off the trail or go really fast 
through where the bees were. With in the few seconds it took for us to 
comprehend what she was saying, a swarm of bees descended upon my mare and 
enveloped her neck. I have never seen her display such talent as a rodeo bronc! 
Poor Cora the brave hung on for dear life(riding the bronc in a halter)!! After 
a while the jumping and twisting and bucking stopped and we were able to get 
the bees off of her. In the excitement, I barely noticed that I had been stung 
on my thigh. When I looked down at what was hurting so bad, I saw the bee 
enjoying a meal on my thigh! I squashed him/her and we turned our attention to 
the trail. Thank goodness we found a connection that bypassed the bees.
Now, I had been pulled for my horse's back soreness at the Fireworks 50. So 
this ride, I had decided I would stay the hell off of his back and two pointed 
almost the whole 40 miles(thats all we went!) Now remember the newly stuffed 
saddle?
I guess the twist was different or something, by mile 35 my inner thighs had 
swellings the size of two small donuts. Posting or even two pointing was 
bringing tears to my eyes. My horse was blissfully unaware of  my misery and 
was doing his death trot all the way. Not only that, the bee sting had swollen 
to another donut size on the outside of my right thigh.
Some how we made it into the last vet check before the last loop. At that point 
I decided to pull. Some one told me it was only another 10 miles more. I could 
not walk let alone ride at that moment.
I got back to my trailer and this awesome volunteer/physician Beverly Kane 
helped my with Neymo. She unsaddled him and checked me out. I removed my shirt 
and tights to find myself covered in hives and itching like a maniac. She gave 
me some Benadryl and some Alleve and assured me that I would live! I had doubts 
at that moment. Thank you so much, Beverly.
Cora  had decided to go ahead and finish the last loop. So she left and 
actually finished the 50 with all A's for Cassy at the end. I am always in awe 
of my Registered paint mare with the humungus butt who keeps up with the AYrabs 
and does her thanng!!!So well!! You go Cassy girl!!She totes around my 7 year 
old daughter on weekdays who kicks to go and pulls to stop!!
Anyway, after Cora came back she convinced me to drive back home instead of 
spending the night in camp. So we packed up and headed home. Two cups of gas 
station coffee, cold air and loud music is the antidote for Benadryl!! I made 
it home without murdering anyone on the highway.
I don't think I want number 13 ever again! But, like I said, it all ended well 
and both the critters are doing well, enjoying their grain with out having to 
work for it for a week.
We will start riding again, getting ready for the Sonoma 50.
Sheila, Neymo and Cassy.





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