ridecamp@endurance.net: services for hire

services for hire

Tina Hicks (hickst@puzzler.nichols.com)
Sun, 27 Apr 1997 08:11:06 -0500

Tina,

I have enjoyed your recent comments, quite obviously rendered with a <VBG>!

Now, at Biltmore, (where this year we HOPE FERVENTLY that we do not qualify
for MUDABILITY credits for ONCE) we've refined the art of marking, using
permanent plastic markers, and I'm afraid we would not be able to consider
your services unless your horses will let you STAPLE the markers into the
trees while you are IN the saddle. You ARE expected to STAY in the saddle
after the SOUND of the staple gun -- what does that 30-30 sound like all of
you carpal and tarsal adjusters???? Have any of you heard a staple gun at
close range recently?

(The staple gun we use is quite interesting, and, until I learned point the
right end at the tree I was thankful that my trail marking companions had
the sense to stay safely behind me!)

One way of reducing the on the trail labor of tying ribbons if they are the
preferred marking medium, is to pre-tie the ribbons to clothes pins. I
fasten a dozen or so to my horse's mane and several riders can "leap frog"
(helps the horses tolerate being left -- more sophisticated riders might
call it a "pull up" exercise). The clothes pins make unmarking a trail a
LOT easier!

If you HAVE to deal with rolls of tape and, perchance carry a riding crop,
fasten the crop to the saddle and put the roll over the crop handle (not
forgetting to secure the end of the tape before you ride off or you WILL be
easy to follow and will be wondering why your horse is suddenly doing a
HAUNCHES AWAY down the trail -- I'm working to get this movement approved by
FEI for the Grand Prix Dressage Test)

Have you mastered "glow sticks"? My horses have all quickly learned to spot
the sticks and seem to enjoy the glowing result when I light them. This is
very useful at dusk when the sticks (still wrapped in the foil to prevent
degradation by sunlight) aren't easy to spot.

Perhaps we should conduct a trail marking clinic and develop Continuing
Education Credits for mounted support riders at Endurance Events ----

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