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[RC] AERC 100 mile horse recogition program - stephanie teeter


On Aug 25, 2009, at 7:58 AM, Truman Prevatt wrote:>>


What I wanted was not to have to come back into and out of basecamp 5 or 6 times repeating trails three or four times. I wanted at least a 50 mile loop for a 100. A big loop ( like the OD out of Front Royal) was even better.  Point to point would have worked for me but it's a killer on crews. I'm going to be starting a new horse in a year or so - she might have a 100 in her. However, with the way the rides have evolved - I have little interest. I like out checks. I like to go places. I like the feeling of moving on down the trail. The 100 is about addressing a challenge worth do and meeting that challenge. That is probably why a lot of riders only do one or two 100's.  They met the challenge, slew some demon, etc. and that's enough for them.>












Truman - I am with you on this! And this is one of the primary reasons I'm not doing FEI rides any more.  It's a lot of work doing big loop rides, dealing with water sets, moving staff and vets and gear to various vetchecks, and hauling lame horses back into camp. And to add the additional work and hassle and frustration and expense of dealing with FEI, as well as the need for speed, makes it prohibitive to do a 'real' ride. 

We have TONS of country here in the Owyhee's - trails and roads and endless places to ride, and I've been wanting to do a big loop 100 again for a while. When I hosted the National Championship I had a 55 mile loop into the mountains, and then a 45 mile loop into the Snake River desert area. It was fun to put the ride together, and I saw some amazing horsemanship. (unfortunately I also saw a lot of 'pull happy' vets, which is part of my issue with FEI - for some reason ordinary people get together and put on FEI hats and get really uptight and lose the spirit of the sport ). 

I'm going to put together a 'real' 100 next spring for the Fandango. I've scoped a lot of country in a new direction and I think I can hook it together with some of the trail I already know. It's awesome country - big and untouched. And there is some fantastic scenery out there. (not quite Bighorn or Tevis, but pretty impressive).  I too like to feel that I'm 'going somewhere' rather than just clocking the miles.  I've made some changes in this years Canyonlands ride to that purpose as well. The LD's present a bit of a challenge in designing big loop 50's, but I think I've got it worked out so that everybody gets out and covers some new country every day, and only comes back to camp when the day is done. 

It really is about moving on down that trail.

Steph