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[RC] Got a Monkey on my Back - rides2farI keep thinking of bits of the weekend that I have not adequately reported and this is one of them. I've got a monkey on my back. It was put there by Stagg Newman. (thanks Stagg). He said (before he announced *who* was the proud recipient) that the person who received it had to discuss it in written form and in public speaking engagements for the next year, so here goes. I am not at all sure that I have the history of the monkey straight. I *think* the story went that one fellow had completed the OD 9 times. but when he started his quest for the tenth things started going wrong and he had several non-completion years...he had the monkey on his back. People started to kid him about it and it was a hard time, but *finally* he finished. When he did (geez, wish I had Stagg here to correct my errors) he gave Maggie Price (who had not completed that year) a hug, and when he turned loose he had slipped this "necklace" consisting of a bit of nylon rope, a safety pin and a plastic gorilla, around her neck with the "Monkey on *her* back". Maggie and Stagg are the only two time recipients of "the monkey". To get rid of the monkey, you have to complete OD. You can only bestow it on someone who did not complete that year. So after winning OD in 2004, Stagg didn't complete in 05 and received the monkey. He didn't do the ride in 06, so for 2 years he had been the not so proud owner of the "Monkey on the Back". He was so determined to get rid of it at the pre-ride meeting that I thought he meant to be conservative this year, but he managed to tie for first *and* get the monkey off his back. So...enter me. The person who has compete in endurance for 20 years now, within 9 hours of the OD trail and had resisted all urging to go attempt it on my own horses. Finally, someone else (Jody Buttram) offers their mount up and I figure, "I'll go have a look at it ONCE". Then Stagg bestows me with their Blessed Monkey of the Long Tradition" that HAS to come back...and can only come back to them when *I* successfully complete the trail! UGH! I'm cursed! Can I just put the weekend behind me? No. I am already trying to figure out where I can come up with a horse that will finish OD. My horse Gunner, who attempted his first 100 at Biltmore and was doing wonderfully until he got a vague mystery lameness after 70 miles of fetlock deep mud is still "vaguely mysteriously lame" :-((((( I bought a ticket on the Asgard Arabian...but it will be *years* before I could compete him there and I turned 47 TODAY! I've always been goal oriented, but I can tell you right now this monkey's got something special about him that is really making this thing seem urgent. I HAVE to it back to Virginia...no matter what. Send all leads on extremely affordable 100 mile horses for sell or loan to: rides2far@xxxxxxxx! Angie McGhee http://www.lightersideofendurance.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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