Re: RC: Old Dominion 50-we did it!

[Coujurs1@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/15/99 10:13:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
hikryrdg@evansville.net writes:

<< Angie, Well try this.   The night before the band on hte hill kept us awake
 until after 11pm.  Up  at 3 to feed.  Thats 4 hours of sleep to do a 100
 miler.  So I think most of us just ran on nerve. 

And that was the worst band I have ever heard.  God knows they need the 
practice.  Someone finally went up and asked them quietly to shut up.  

 Say what you want about
 Duane, but he is one tough guy.  We rode at least one half of the ride with
 each other.  His mare has no tail, so he cannot tail up a hill. Now get
 this, at the bottom of Shermans gap, Duane gets of Sassy and begins to lead
 her up hill.  He climed that hill, in FRONT of that mare.  We reached the
 top of Shermans Gap, just as someone turned out the lights.  So I took the
 lead going down hill.  All the way down, Duane was behing me calling out
 for some guy named RALPH. 

Duane had never heard the term RALPH before, on the trip home I had to 
explain it.

Out of Shermans GAp, you ride into the River
 Crossing vet check.  I wasn't too sure he was going to get back on his
 horse at that one.  But this crew had a serious discussion with him and off
 we went.  So here we are at about the 85 mile mark and Jabask Knight(Irene)
 my stallion does a big shy at a milk jug lantern in the river.  

Isn't that thrilling!  When you are about wore slap out (southern term) and 
they jump out of their skin at something.  Irene is the most beautiful thing. 
 Duane almost had a free breeding to him, Sassy was in heat (what mare isn't 
at a ride) and Jerry was off, and Irene decided to go visiting. 


Thought I
 was in for a bath, but we stayed with it and on we went.  Duane continues
 to look for this guy Ralph  as we do some serious rode riding. No Ralph to
 be found.  Pull into Liberty Hall, he is worse for the ware. 4.8 miles
 left, can he make it?  More serious discussion from this crew.  

 He had made statements prior to the ride, that he didn't want to be out 
there all night.  I told him, forget that he would be.  

Back in the
 saddle, off we go for the last pull, up one more big hill.  By  the results
 you can see he finished.  Don't think there was much left of him by the
 time we crossed the finish line.  He is one tough cookie.  Now for the hard
 pack.  It was hard.  Just as hard as is gets.  The river crossing was not
 much in my opinion.  The water was real warm! Yech! Plenty of water on the
 trail, you just had to find it sometimes. Saw lots of pads, a few easy
 boots, a few ladies riding in sports bras, lots of tired crew folks
 standing around in the middle of the night

Hey we weren't tired!  We were just getting started.  You missed the tail 
gate party! 

, tons, and tons and tons of
 rocks, teriffic views, a few deer, no snakes and no bears.  I'm glad Irene
 took me across the finish line and we are home safe and sound. However,
 this is the last time Kevin Beard beats me across the finish line.  Power
 to the Heavyweights..... Jerry Fruth
 Standing JABASK KNIGHT >>

Irene and Sassy looked way better than the Duane and Jerry.  Sassy went 14/12 
on her CRI at the finish, after walking straight down from the finish line.  
She looked great!  Tough little cookie she is.
  The one thing I don't like about the OD is the pulse penalty.  Especially 
as Jerry says, when you have a stallion, and someone walks in and lets their 
mare put her butt in his face.  This will drive a pulse up.  And that isn't 
fair.  It could happen to anyone, some horses get agitated by things going 
on, I would like to think that they would pay attention and realize what is 
going on.  I think you do have the right to ask a vet to do the pulse if you 
think the pulse person is in error.  If fact, at Liberty Hall, I checked 
Sassy's pulse and she was down.  The pulse person checked her and said he 
heard a triple beat.  This almost got Duane out of the chair.  Dane Frazier 
came over and checked her said she is 52, trot her out!  You are hearing her 
gut sounds.

Nina (crew for Duane and Sassy) 


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