From Canada to Fort Howes

[Tara and Paul <birtwhistle@home.com>]

   What an incredible ride, what incredible people.!! We were so well
taken care of....we drove all the way to Montana from Winnipeg MB. We
were needlessly surpised at the mountains we drove up to as we were told
the ride was rolling. I guess coming from the prairies rolling means
something else. But the view was spectacular.
   Everything started off so nicely with the pre-ride dinner and the
traditional rainstorm, however the rain turned to hail and everyone en
masse jumped from their tables to calm their horses. We ran to get our
horses but upon turning the corner saw our little prairie horses running
for the hills. Somehow I grabbed a lead rope and miraculously three
pick-ups appeared and went barreling down the field to catch our little
houdinis. To make a long story short with the help of many people from
the ride we caught them safe and sound within twenty minutes. Thank you
to all the wonderful people who helped catch our posse of spooked ARABS.
  Once the adrenaline from our little run up the mountain settled, we
were asleep ( if you call tossing and turning, looking out the camper
windows every two seconds sleeping, then that was what we were )
  Three thirty in the am comes pretty fast and my good friend Rusty Toth
was up getting ready for his and his Arab's(Wyatt) first 100 miles. We
were stoked.
  Off he went and shortly after Kevin Myers on Betta and me on River
were off. Our first loop kept going higher, the footing was rockier than
the sand we train on (tee hee) We thought we would never finish the
ride. We did a lot of climbing off the horses. We kept saying Rusty and
Wyatt probably won't finish then we realized that we were half way
through the ride and we had less than half the time. We won't finish!
Well we picked up the speed doing a super trot on the flat areas and
getting off the horses to run up hills ( instead of sightseeing, as we
were doing before ). Always making sure the horses were fine although
River was dragging me up most of the time. Well as they say " to finish
is to win..." And so Kevin and I finished on our prairie horses. With
only twenty minutes on the clock!! Kevin's horse, Betta, having the
lowest heart rate all day finishing with 32/32.
  Now we wait for Rusty and Wyatt and we wait and we wait trying to get
an update on how he was doing. Well, Wyatt being the little engine that
could and Rusty a natural horseman they rolled in at 3 am. Getting in
the top ten, making the nationals. Can you believe it from a prairie
horse and his first 100! 
  I just wanted to say that Fort Howes is a brilliant ride. What a
wonderful sport this is and a wonderful community of people. I just
started riding in October and I am hooked on the sport. 
  I am proud of us for finishing what all three of us set out to do.
Kudos to everyone at the ride.
       See on the Trail,
        Taramb