Re: Far OUTTTTT Forest with the Kid: Part One

["Denise Wagner" <dwagner@twcf.rr.com>]

I saw you and your girl - she and I made a funny face at something you were
saying.  Then you two rode off.  She's a doll.

I was just hanging out watching, I didn't know anybody.  But now I'm
hooked - I want to play, too.

Denise
Apopka, FL

----- Original Message -----
From: <Howard4567@aol.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2000 12:13 PM
Subject: RC: Far OUTTTTT Forest with the Kid: Part One


> The kid and I were raring to go.  Jennifer hasn't shut up about THE RIDE
> since ten days to takeoff and I was getting kinda edgy myself.  Even
though
> we have never come close to placing in the top ten at any of these
endurance
> rides, we always think we have to potential to do so.  Some egos never
die,
> and my kid's idea of competing kinda keeps feeding mine.
>
> Course I just hope to complete, cause when you ride a 17 H Saddlebred, you
> don't always get to finish.  I had returned my other Saddlebred
(Skeletor),
> that I was leasing, to his owner cause I was having serious weight
problems
> with the horse and knew he and I were not a match.  Even though he was one
of
> the craziest horses I've ever ridden (you'd think that would be a match
right
> there) I just could not keep weight on him no matter what I did.  For the
Far
> Out Forest, I was putting all my chips on Dance Line, the tallest horse at
> Ridecamp, no matter where I go, who has had some leg problems in the past.
> My pull rate at these endurance rides, with Skeletor or Dance Line, is
almost
> 50 percent; Jennifer, riding her Arab, has never been pulled at a ride.
>
> The big day finally comes.  I think one of the reason's Jennifer loves
these
> rides is that I usually pull her out of school a day or two so we can get
to
> camp early.  FOF is the closest endurance ride to my house, a 55 mile
trip,
> if you can believe that.  If only they were all like that I'd be in
endurance
> heaven.
>
> We get up early, wife is hanging around watching me pack up (actually I
> started packing two weeks ago), just laughing her butt off at me because
of
> my nutty way of doing things.  When I bought out the duck tape to seal the
> cooler (and, yes, I did put the food in first) she had to hit the bathroom
> she was laughing so hard.  One of these days she's going with us and I
can't
> wait till she sees me cook with an alcohol burner that is so old it has a
> born on date of 1944.  I lit it on one trip and 8 foot flames started
coming
> out of this tiny burner filled with alcohol (did I buy the right stuff?),
> igniting a tree that I had put it under (duh) and melting my tea kettle
and
> the cooler I had been using as a table underneath the burner.  If you camp
> close to me you must carry a fireman's ax, fireproof blankets, and a water
> hose.
>
> I finish packing everything I can think of loading and do the last thing
that
> I hate doing.  Loading the horses.  Now Jen's horse, Rebel (yea, I know
his
> name is Politically Incorrect), loads real easy.  Walks right in.
Skeletor
> was a pain in the butt and Dance Line is not much easier. Dance is
sooooooooo
> tall and his neck is sooooooo long he has to put his head down quite a bit
to
> get in my rather tall trailer.  And his body requires two spaces in my
three
> horse slant load.   But I have learned a trick or two and I'd tell y'all
what
> I do, but some of you might try it without me, and if I'm not there to
show
> you how to do it,  you might injure your horse a bit.  So it will be my
> little secret.  I get Dance Line in using my "method," hook him up and
notice
> his back legs are still on the ramp.  This guy is so long I have to
special
> order any blanket to get it close to covering his butt.
>
> I figure I'll just get behind him and push him in, but as I go to exit the
> trailer, Dance starts freaking out and pulling hard on the trailer tie.  I
> "exit stage left" as quick as my little legs can move, watch Dance pull
back
> so hard the rubber mat slides from his back legs to his front and down
goes
> Dance's body, all except the head, still attached to the tie.  The break
away
> didn't break; and I'm actually kind of glad.  Maybe he learned something
> there.  Dance stands up quivering, I yell at him to get his body
completely
> in (he does), raise the ramp, close the top and know I'm off with a couple
of
> first class nags and an 11 year old who is gonna talk my ear off the next
55
> miles.
>
> HEY, Gotta go to work but I'll finish it (sometime), promise.
>
> cya,
> Howard
>
>
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