Pan Am Ride

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

Great story...no one of us can know it all and it is nice to hear from those
that rode what it was really like.

I have again upgraded the website..hopefully to make it easier to view.  More to
come when I get my disk with the opening ceremonies.

http://runningbear.com/ETZ/Panam99-cover.html

Happier Trails in the future.

Teddy

Jerry & Mary Fields wrote:

> Here is a Pan Am story from a Texas novice doing my first FEI ride:
>
>  We left Canada at 8:00 Monday morning last week and arrived here at 1:30
> Tuesday afternoon. I had to start teaching Wednesday morning with a new
> class of 3rd graders. I haven't finished unpacking or writing thank-you
> notes yet.
>     The drive was up and down the Great Plains, aka "Tornado Alley". It is
> virtually the same scenery all the way, as well as across Manitoba to Spruce
> Woods Park. There were huge farms and ranches with corn, wheat, canola,
> alfalfa, potatoes, and crops that we did not recognize. In Manitoba, every
> little village had a huge silo in town and every little farm had small ones.
>      It was cold enough in Manitoba for me to sleep in long underwear and
> wear a fleece jacket in the morning, but warm enough for a T-shirt and
> shorts in the afternoon. The Canadians wore shorts in the mornings! They
> couldn't believe me in my fleece jacket. It is that Southern blood! The camp
> and ride area were amidst big fields interspersed with groves of aspen and
> spruce, with the Assiniboin River meandering through it all.
>     The week before the ride was a busy time with our chef d'equipe calling
> meetings every day to keep the squad informed of the rules and the plans. We
> trotted out for our team vets twice before the real vet check. Our vets
> examined our horses daily and gave them all Legend shots a couple of days
> prior to the ride. We rode some every day, trying to become familiar with
> the trails and to get the horses ready. Rebecca and Kelly, my crew,  took a
> day to explore Winnipeg. They  made daily trips to the little village nearby
> to get ice for our four chests.
>     On Thursday we had a big opening ceremony, with all the horses, grooms,
> and riders parading down to the grandstands full of officials. The parade
> was led by a Scottish bagpiper. There were Ojibwa Indians in the parade. We
> were lined up in our squads. We held our breath as the piper played and the
> Indians danced to their drums, wondering if some horse would spook and start
> kicking or rearing. Thankfully, none did.
>     That night there was a banquet and a "dance" in the huge tent. It was
> fun watching Brazilians, Australians, Americans, Canadians, and others all
> dancing in the same huge tent. Everyone was friendly. If you look through
> the photos on Teddy's website, you can see that there were three tents. The
> two large ones were for the food and the vendors. The smaller one was where
> the vets and other officials held meetings every day.
>     On Friday at the official vet-in, all 12 of our squad vetted through.
> Some of the other squads had horses pulled at that time. I believe that 90
> horses vetted through out of some 110. Friday evening our chef d'equipe
> named the team of four and the individuals who would ride. I would ride as
> an individual. The team of four was made up of three riders with several
> international rides behind them and one of our Texas riders with a very fast
> horse. It was a great team. The teams were judged by the combined times of
> the fastest three riders finishing. Three of our team finished. They got the
> bronze medal! We were so proud of them. It was a tough course.
>     It began to rain Friday night, lasting into Saturday morning. We started
> the ride in rain at 5:30. The first loop, through rolling hills and woods,
> through big fields and along the river, went very fast. I started out near
> the back of the pack, but by the time we finished and Pippy had settled into
> his big trot, we had passed all but about 11 horses, coming in at 7:28 from
> the first 24 miles. The second loop, which contained the infamous 2.5 miles
> of sand dunes, went fast also. We walked through the dunes. I felt as if I
> was crossing some Arabian desert. After that we rode with several other
> squad members, going at a fast trot and canter where there was no sand.
>     After the second loop, Pippy began to suck up his mash, eat hay, and
> drink a lot. There was no water on the trail except the P-stops set up by
> the crews. There, volunteers sponged the horses down and offered them
> whatever we had sent out there to eat. Each time we finished a loop, our
> crew met us in the crewing area for Central (see photos). Pippy was
> surrounded with people sponging, feeding him mash, taking his pulse, pulling
> his tack and putting on his blanket. He was amazed, as he usually has only
> me. Rebecca and Kelly had food and drink for me ready, and I was to sit in a
> chair or visit the restroom while they took care of the horse. They were
> wonderful.
>     On the third and fourth loops, I was surprised to find MORE sand dunes.
> Pippy was getting tired of struggling up and down steep hills in the deep
> sand. He was slowing to a walk a lot. I began to wish I had held him to a
> slower pace during the first two loops. We finished the fourth loop and I
> gave him to Rebecca to vet through while I went off to the restroom. When I
> returned, he had been pulled. The vets had detected a Grade I lameness, very
> slight. They had discussed with our team vet whether or not to pull Pippy.
> Our vet knew me and knew that I would have pulled him myself if I thought he
> was in pain. It was disappointing to be pulled 10 miles from the finish, but
> I would not have asked Pippy to go ten more miles, one and a half of them
> over the steepest dunes of all. It turned out to be pulled pectoral muscles,
> and he is fine now. I can ride him again soon. Had I gone on, it would have
> been at risk of more serious injury.
>     I went down to thank the vet who had pulled him, even though we had been
> told not to talk to FEI vets unless they asked us a question. I thanked him
> for taking care of my horse and let him know that I agreed with his decision
> to pull. Later, the wife of one of the FEI vets came to meet me and to tell
> me how much my attitude had meant to all of them. I was glad I had taken the
> time to tell them how I felt. They had a tough job to do.
>     Being there, meeting and riding with top riders and horses from so many
> countries, was a wonderful experience. Louise Reidel and Maggy Price, both
> in their late 70's, were there as officials. What an inspiration to meet
> ladies that age who still ride endurance!  Dr. Ridegeway, the vet who
> invented the CRI, now used at many rides, vetted Pippy in at the preride
> check.
>     More hill training at home, difficult in Texas, and less speed on the
> first two loops might have given us a finish. I'm not sure. But my ride
> strategy will be different at my next 100 on September 4. We learn and we
> grow. I am proud of my great horse and his big heart. He tried so hard to
> finish. I will take better care of him next time.
>     Grace Ramsey, our chef d'equipe, was wonderfully supportive of all of
> us. She kept us updated on all information from the officials. She worked as
> hard as any crew member on ride day. It was a privilege to learn from her.
>     Glad to be home with Jerry and our two new Anatolian/Akbash puppies,
> learning from the big one how to guard our livestock!
> Mary Fields
>
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=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=