a lurker here, de-lurking...
i know this has been discussed before, but at that point i had not
gone on a ride yet, and didn't pay any attention...
how the heck do you get the grease paint number off your horse??
(short of shaving it off??? :-) )
i do not just want it to 'wear' off...i hate having my horse look like
an auction horse :-(
someone at the ride (hunter's run in humble, TX...thanks, anita
burson, for a great ride!) told me (after the number was already ON
my horse, of course :-) ) that spraying show sheen on beforehand
would make it easier to get off..
re: our first endurance ride
this was my first endurance ride. i have been doing dressage for
about 10 years but my horse, df muscatyr (8 year-old muscat grandson)
really doesn't like it. he can do well and has won championships in
open (all breed) competition, but i think it's a little tedious for
him. my other horse is much happier doing dressage. so, endurance
was my attempt to find another career for him ... hopefully something
we would both like. i had been training for this since about august.
my plan was just to enjoy the scenery and finish leisurely with a
happy, healthy horse.
i've owned him since he was a weanling; trained him myself
and most of his life has been spent riding alone in an arena (i have
my own place and no one near to ride with).
it has been interesting to note his transformation...now we do
our training rides in the median between a four-lane highway and
cross four lanes of traffic to go from one stretch to another...we
ride in the dark by ourselves down this median...he has discovered
he CAN go fast! (and he likes it!)
before july, he had never even been ridden outside an
arena/pasture/fields adjacent to horse show venues...had never been on
a street or dealt with traffic. i am very very proud of him :-)
and i have discovered he has a very competitive nature!! if he had
had his way, we would have WON the 25-mile ride :-)
60 horses in front, behind and beside him was driving him crazy! if i
could get by myself with no horses in sight, it was great. otherwise,
he was a pistol. and i just couldn't manage to find anyone who rode
at the same speed as we were. finally, after about 8 miles of
fighting (i think we did about 5 extra miles just spinning in circles!
:-) ) we a) came to a meeting of minds and b) hooked up with a rider
who was going our speed, and he settled down (some!) and his heart
rate came back to earth. for a while there he was so wired i had
already decided to pull him at the vet check. (i always err on the
side of caution..i love my boy ;-) ) however, by the time we got to
the vet check he was a happy camper and we sailed right in and met
criteria by the time it was our turn to be checked. he drank and ate
well during the hold, so i decided i would continue. the second loop
went a lot faster (less fighting!!) and was more fun for both of us.
we went out again with our buddy which really helped.
we finished just fine. mission accomplished. i think we did it in
about 4.5 hours, but i forgot (newbie, newbie!) to pick up my card
at the end of the event. i think there were nearly 60 horses in the
25 and 37 (i think) finished. i believe we were near the tail end
at about #30, but i am just glad we finished!
so now i have all winter to decide if i want to go at this again
next spring!
but in the meantime, i'd sure like to get this number off muscatyr's
butt!!
thanks,
cyndi craig farson
df muscatyr