Events
Groups
Rider Directory
Market
RideCamp
Stuff
-------------------
Dear Steve
So, there I was, three days before the biggest trek I'm putting on all
season, two weeks before the biggest event I've ever produced, the week
after the wedding on horseback complete with rodeo that we pulled off
without a hitch, except for Matt and I getting kicked, him in the side,
me
in the thigh, with twenty thousand or so things that needed to be
accomplished before Monday, and my truck in the shop.
Should I go to a fifty mile endurance race a mere 4 1/2 hour drive away
in
Napa, sure to be 100 degrees in the shade?
Of course! So, the truck got out of the shop by 4PM Friday, the folks
at
the ranch told me they had things under control and helped me throw some
hay, a potacorral and my horse in the trailer (I actually started out
the
driveway and hit the brakes, rolled down the window, and yelled out to
Matt....."Hey, did anyone put Avante in the trailer?????)
Had a wonderful drive there, singing along with Roy Rogers on my
favorite
tape (guess what you're getting for Christmas?) Was the last horse
allowed
to vet in that night, just as dusk turned to dark. Was highly
embarrassed
when the vet who checked us in pointed out that Avante's shoes, which he
had
done a 100 mile race in a month ago, were about to fall off. Got a
farrier
to tighten the clinches and spread the heels.
Missed the start.... was talking to some friends about the fact that I'd
(again) forgot to pack a bra....might be riding with one arm firmly
across
my chest all day.
Picked up time, left each vet check in first place, but got lost at
least a
dozen times, including leaving both of the vet checks out on the trail.
Did
at least two extra miles, all told, searching for ribbons. (Everyone
else
was getting lost also....you've never heard such bitching and moaning!)
Folks caught and passed me on the trail, because it was god-awful rocky,
and
I wouldn't risk my absolutely fabulous Avante on such treacherous
terrain.
Lost a shoe. Found a farrier to put one of my spares (first time I've
ever
needed to use one) back on at the 25 mile point. Had no crew, had
forgotten
to pack grain, bran, ice boots, leg wraps, etc.
Left the last vet check with a five minute lead, pursued by David
Jenson,
who'd been bragging all day he was going to win this race, as he had
three
others this spring. Kathy Devito and I had ridden with him earlier, and
watched him over-and-under his poor horse, while kicking regularly with
every labored stride the critter put in hauling himself up the
mountains.
He came into each vet check about 5 minutes before me, but Avante's
pulse
always came down minutes before his horse's, and I always left ahead of
him.
However, with 10 miles to go from the last vet check to home, I thought
there was a good chance he'd catch us on the trail before the
finish....where he'd have an hour to pass the final vet check.
Hahhhhh.......I hadn't counted on Avante's will to win. I swear, that
horse
knew exactly where we were on the trail, and what was happening! He
left at
a gallop, and never stopped surging forward until we WON the race! What
a
horse!~~~ He's the best endurance horse I've ever had the privilege to
ride. He actually follows ribbons, making every turn, .....he ducks to
the
side to protect MY head from low hanging branches, not just his own.....
I
just turn my eyes in the direction I want him to fade on the trail to
avoid
rocks, ruts, or holes, and he glides over. His one hour CRI was 52/48.
He
is fabulous!
I drove home through the Anderson Valley in time to catch the setting
sunshine on the giant Redwood trees, and rounded the curve to watch the
sun
set over the Albion Harbor. Truly a special day in the life of.
Lari
Events
Groups
Rider Directory
Market
RideCamp
Stuff