Re: RC: Great American Horserace

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>Just going through the rider list, I see only one name that leaps out
>at me >of anyone on Ridecamp that was entered - Tom Sites.  He finished
28th.>>What an adventure it was.

At the AERC convention this year, after the awards were handed out...late
that Saturday night, Tom had a slide show of slides that had never been
shown in public, taken by the official photographer of the Great American
Horse Race.  I'd have given anything to have a video camera going,
because several players were in the room and offered up some interesting
anecdotes.  It reminded me of one of those Gaither Homecoming videos.

Tom said that the photographer insisted on black & white photos in the
book, and absolutely no words, the photos had to tell the tale.  Well,
that may have worked for those who were there, but I found the *stories*
to be fantastic... for instance there was the "Florida Cracker" who rode
an App that he'd bought as it went down the chute to be fed to the lions
at the zoo... and his parents sent him money every week to support
him..money that his pit bull had won for him fighting that week.  The
same guy years later was killed when he ran out of the stolen grenades
he'd been using to hunt gaters with and tried to make dynomite in his
kitchen...

And there was the story of the traveling porto-potty that was kept on a
trailer behind a truck and parked at their stops.  One rider tied up her
horse to a tree, went inside and the driver drove 15 mile or so before
she was able to get him to stop and take her back...

They described being a "traveling city" or camp of gypsies.  They hunted
antelope and skinned them out and fed the crowd..and then the Cracker
either stole or bought some chickens which he put in the traveling
porto-john.

And then there was the sherriff out west who wasn't going to let them go
through his town because he didn't have street sweepers...he ended up
coming out that evening for the music (they had a bluegrass band in the
race) and got so drunk that they drove him back to town in his own car,
with the siren on, and left him parked in front of his station with the
lights still flashing...  They described love affairs...fights...
lawsuits (one lady tried to serve a subpoena claiming the original
contract was breeched and have the race halted...while she was up front) 
As it turned out the guy couldn't serve it because NOBODY was "the person
in charge".  The promoters had folded before it ever got started, but
since everyone was already there, they just went on anyway.

There was PLENTY there for a real book of just stories.  The photos were
great, but without the background, they just looked like some people who
really needed baths. >g<

Angie

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