Dragging at OD

["Snodgrass, Bonnie" <snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil>]

Title: Dragging at OD

Yes, most everyone was dragging tail at the OD this weekend! I was drag riding on the 50 miler. It was very hot and humid all the way, lot's of panting horses. The panting scared a lot of riders who rode slower and slower, stopping often for rests. I rode from McCoys Ford (VC1 for the 50's), up Massanutten Mt, southward down the ridge top, down to Fitchett's Meadow (VC 2) then turned north up the valley, climbed up the mountain again along Little Crease, dropped over the top to the climb down the eastern side and back into McCoys ford (VC3). There was additional water after McCoys Ford on the way out provided by land owners in large stock tanks and further down the valley buckets were provided along the road just before the dry climb up and over the mountain. Will Hoosier of Delaplane VA, rode and hiked all the 25 miles with me. We had a really great and mature 4-H kid, Kelly, join us for the ride from VC1 to VC2. We hiked up the mountain on the rockiest part. Riders in front of us were so slow that walking seemed a good option. Wow! No wonder those horses were panting! I don't know that standing still in the full sun and no wind really did the horses any good. I also hiked the top sections of Little Crease which is just really, really rocky. I threw/kicked loose rocks off the trail. Those are the rules ya know. Get off and move a few rocks!  I carried Perform N' Win electrolytes with me and used them every hour as long as I knew I'd be coming to water fairly soon. River did fine with her hydration although she didn't drink well prior to the ride as normal.

Bob Walsh's horse Houdini was pulled at 95 miles. Big disapointment for his owner/rider and crew. Seemed to muscle cramp while standing around at the Liberty Hall VC.

Oh, there was a Virginia Tech group there doing a study involving endurance horses. Sorry, not sure what it was all about. They had a scale that they made available to all. Most of the horses were in the 900 lb + range prior to the ride and lost 50-70 lb ? during the ride. River weighed in at 1028 before but couldn't get back to it afterwards. She's built like her Mom, short and stocky. Yeah, right!

Bonnie Snodgrass