[RC] re:"Rude Riders"? At Jo Tate Memorial Ride - Paul Sidio
I was at the ride this weekend and in fact the two
young women in question were camped next to me. There is more than
one issue here that got people upset. First... Did they cheat? Nobody has
any proof they cheated in the 100. They had incredibly fast times,
especially considering one of the horses was doing his first 100, and they
had only had him for 3 days. This ride historically has had winning times
for 50 milers in the 6 hour plus range. 100 milers have had a completion rate of
about 50% with times in the 19 hour range, although one rider did finish in a
bit over 12 hours a few years ago. I believe both riders did the 100 in 10 hours
and change. On this same day, I finished 2nd in the 35 mile ride with about a
41/2 hour ride time. My understanding is that they did a 16.8 mile
loop with significant hills and lots of single tracking in slightly over one
hour. This seems unlikely, but since there was no proof to the contrary,
the RM had no choice but to accept their ride as legitimate. The riders and
horses looked remarkably fresh considering the terrain and the speed in which it
was covered. Maybe a pre ride meal of convienance store salad and a 12 pack of
Bud Lite could help me too?
On Sunday, I did see them go off trail twice on the
first loop of the 50 mile ride, but they did return to the trail when they
saw me. It may seem odd for two riders who had done this loop twice the day
before to miss a very well marked turn, and in one instance on a single track
where it was flag to flag, but it could happen. It does raise questions of
how many turns they missed doing the 100 and did not return on trail.
But again without proof the results should stand.
The other issue is were they rude? There are several factors that have not been mentioned here
that did not help these two young women from the start. First, appararently they
showed up in camp on Wednesday, tied up their dogs and penned up horses and
disapeared until late Thursday night. This caused concern to some people
as to possible neglect. They also had a stallion that was tied on a short
lead to their trailer when I arrived mid day Friday,and I never did see him
taken off it. By Sunday evening, he had dug a good sized muddy
hole.
Secondly, ...Well the best way to describe it
would be to say their behavior would not be considered lady like, in most areas
of the world and especially in the Missouri Ozarks, home of the World Wide
Headquarters of the Assembly Of God . Sports bra halter top, lots of bright
tattos, piercings, bare mid-drif , very low riding tights, and lots of beer
don't go over well in a family environment. But we don't get to judge their lack
of taste or class when it comes to being able to enter rides. When we
outlaw tackyness at endurance rides, we may all find ourselves a little
vulnurable. There was also some residual anger at these young women for
their behavior towards the ride manager at the cancelled Sunflower Classic ride
three weeks before.
They also would leave camp after holds screaming
like they were starting a barrel race and roaring out at a dead run. This
had a bad effect on people near the vet check pulsing down, or in their way. To
me that was not acceptable, and raised safety concerns. I assumed Ride
Management would address this.
We have spent a lot of time discussing the
negatives that happened , but for the majority of riders there, the two
young womens questionable behavior was not noticed. What was noticed
was the friendly fun and relaxed feeling generated by the RM, Vets and all
the volunteers. By far, most of the riders were very courteous and helpful. When
I was doing my trot out for completion, a horse being treated collapsed and
had a seizure. Everybody dropped what they were doing to assist this horse
(He recovered fine). During the 20-30 minutes that both vets were occupied
with this urgent task, the vet check area filled up with 35 milers
completing and 50 milers coming in for their second loop. Not one
rider complained about the wait and the effect it might have on their hold time,
or that their completed horse might stiffen up. Every single rider
patiently waited untill the horse under care was
stabilized.
Simularly the next day when a mule threw its rider
in camp right in the trot out area, nobody raised any fuss and patiently waited
until the ambulance arrived to take the rider away. On trail, every rider that
passed me or that I passed were very courteous about asking for the trail
or yielding the trail. When I was tailing up a hill or resting at
the top, every single rider that passed me made sure that I and my horse were
doing ok. ( My respiration and pulse rates were much higher than my horse, it
must have scared them)..
In short, we had a very enjoyable ride, through a
beautifull part of the country , on a nice weekend, assisted in this by friendly
and able Ride Management, Vets, and Volunteers. I would encourage other
riders to come try the 100. See for yourself if it a 10 hour or a 16 hour type
of trail. Either way, you will get a warm down home style Ozarks welcome,
great food, and meet some friendly folks
