FW: XP Weekend #3

["John Teeter" <johnt@endurance.net>]

new email address from karen...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Karen [mailto:karen@storallnv.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 25, 2001 5:43 PM
> To: ridecamp
> Subject: XP Weekend #3
>
>
> Hi!  I've got power here at the fairgrounds and a really good cell phone
> signal.  I'm sitting at a nice table inside a large covered arena
> where my
> horses are.  It's really hot here, so it's sure nice to have them in the
> shade.  The fairgrounds where we are at this weekend are really
> nice, there
> are quite a few very large trees for shade, bathrooms everywhere
> (with real
> soap and paper towels!), electrical plugs and horse corrals, arenas,
> etc.  We're also not far from things like grocery, laundry and
> restaurants.
>
> I tried uploading the rest of my saved up photo sets this
> morning, but was
> having trouble with the server at the other end so they didn't go.  I
> emailed them so they may or may not go up this coming week.  I probably
> won't get another land-line connection until next weekend and then I'll
> have quite a few more to upload.  We've been putting all of the
> photos onto
> a CD so they are backed up, in case anything happens.  I've been
> trying to
> get photos of everybody and think I did this last week.  If anybody has a
> chance, can you look up the XP photos and tell me what days from
> last week
> are missing?  Thanx!   www.endurohorse.com
>
> Wayne and Elaine are leaving to go home tomorrow.  Darnit!  Wayne
> got hurt
> early in the ride, so things haven't worked out real well for
> them.  I wish
> they were staying.  It did work out well for Dorothy Sue, who
> bought one of
> their horses.  I got some photos earlier of Elaine riding Aboo, now I can
> get some of Dorothy riding him.  :+)   Louise Mahoney and Sue Hedgecock
> both left but are coming back.  Clark P. left, and so did Janet
> Fredrickson, the lady with the 5 kids.  I know Kat left and then
> came back,
> but all of her horses are out, or were, so maybe she's waiting it
> out......most everybody else is staying even if they aren't riding a
> lot.  Karen N. said she has completed 2 days out of 7 starts.   A lot of
> other riders have been injured too, and are hanging in there.  Susan Dyke
> has a fractured pelvis, and Trilby's horse Clay went thru a barbed wire
> fence.......mostly horses have rope burns, though other horses have had
> some corral panel incidents too.....there is no safe way to
> confine a horse
> for this length of time, especially this many of them.  I was
> really lucky
> that Rocky didn't end up with a bad rope burn.  They are doing
> well on the
> trailer ties, but they have been used to much that they aren't tight
> anymore and everytime the horses move all night you here this eeeek
> eeeeeeek eeeeeeek sound, it's *really* annoying.  So believe me
> when I say
> how great it is to have them in a corral somewhere safe on our days
> off.  Sleep, at last!  Just the sound of those lovely trains, turkeys,
> roosters and so on.
>
> The wind is kicking up and dark clouds are looming overhead, looks like a
> thunderstorm brewing.  Weaver is slobbering on my keyboard and Rocky is
> sniffing my computer screen.  They want to help! <G>  I think they are
> doing okay with his mentally, Weaver is doing the best with it in that
> regard.   I did just weigh them, and Weaver is at the same exact weight
> that he started the ride at three weeks ago, and Rocky is down 40 pounds,
> which puts him at his normal/regular ride weight.  No ribs are
> showing but
> they might be in another week.  He is eating well, but he really
> better get
> with it soon!  If you guys look at some of the photos I've taken around
> camp you'll see that most of the horses look really good.  Lots of them
> aren't going as often as mine have been though, so it's hard to compare.
> Rocky has done 7 1/2 of the last 15 days.
>
> As far as how the ride is going on a daily basis, in case anybody is
> wondering.....it's just amazing at how well organized and managed
> everything seems to be.  Maybe it's all an illusion :>), but in all
> seriousness it's obvious how much work was put into planning this
> event.  It's just incredible to be here and experience it.
> Moving camp day
> after day is sure a challenge just for us riding, or crewing, I can only
> imagine how little sleep ride management has been getting and how many
> details they are having to contend with just so we can ride our horses
> point to point for forty days.
>
> As hard as it has been for me to get up day after day, and ride in the
> heat, humidity, bugs, and rain.....I think that it's been just as
> much of a
> challenge for my crew.  He's been doing a great job, some days he gets
> pretty wore out chasing water down, hauling pulled horses and trying to
> crew for me and take care of all the zillion things that crop up.
>
> We went to the Purina dealer here in town today and asked for
> some Complete
> Advantage and they said "we only carry Purina
> products".  Arrrrrggghhhhhh!!!!  Criminy.....so.....we came back
> with three
> bags of Equine Senior.  They have already eaten one bag of equine senior
> earlier in the ride.  That should last us until next weekend when we get
> into Casper, since I had one bag of Complete Advantage left.  Louise, if
> you are out there when you come to Casper can you please bring me
> 5 bags of
> Complete Advantage with you?
>
> I've gone thru 150 pounds of beet pulp in the last three weeks, and have
> enough to last until next weekend (I think).  Two bags of oats, 1 bag of
> Omolene, part of a bag of bran, and about 15 bags of Complete Advantage
> (some of that was crewing for other horses, or it got wet in the
> rain)......I've lost track of the hay we've fed so far.  A lady
> drove into
> the fairgrounds yesterday with a big load of nice big alfalfa
> bales for $3
> each so I bought two of those and will mix it in with the other hay I've
> got.  The horses seem to be eating nearly everything I've given them so
> far.  Their main hay has only changed twice since the start of the trip,
> and it's been mixed so they haven't had a lot of feed changes.
> So I guess
> after being on the road for over a month, we're doing okay.  The
> horses are
> both sound, I just want Rocky to eat a little more but it could be worse.
>
> Left their glued on easyboots on over the weekend.  I hope I can do that
> for two week stretches at a time.  It's sure a lot easier then
> taking them
> on and off every day.  It worked good the first two weeks on Rocky, so
> we'll see how it goes.  I did have somebody tell me that it wouldn't work
> <G>.  Well, it has only worked for 3 weeks so far, maybe it takes 4 or 5
> for their feet to fully rot off?  (ha ha ha)
>
> Got the GPS ready for tonights waypoints for the coming week.  This works
> out so well.  After we get them, I download them into my map software on
> the laptop, and then Dave has them all week to navigate to the vet checks
> and finish, I go in and mark lunch and stuff for him, and also tell him
> where I want water.  If he finds out where the other three water troughs
> are he'll try and fill them up too.  Cindy Brown has been the one to
> arrange that, and it's been great just in case you get to riding
> inbetween
> crews.  Most of the crews are really terrific, offering water for the
> horses (and people) and sponging.  I usually have Dave meet me at
> the lunch
> stop, and then after that every 5 miles with water but that hasn't worked
> out most days because somebody gets pulled and he has to haul them to the
> finish and back again, so sometimes I've only seen him once just 5 miles
> from the finish, then he ends up being one of the last or second to last
> rigs getting into camp each night which is difficult because then
> my other
> horse has been tied to another trailer all day.  At least he
> wasn't hauled
> all around everyday in the heat.  This week we may have to try something
> different because I don't think this is working all that great for
> Rocky.  It's okay for Weaver because everytime you look he has
> his head in
> the bucket or feed bag eating.
>
> Allrighty....enough rambling, I need to go get more electrolytes mixed,
> water filled and my tack ready for tomorrow.  Then go to the ride meeting
> and hopefully sleep.  It will be a very long day tomorrow.  We start at
> 5:00 a.m., but have to haul 40 miles to the start.  It's going to be hot
> again.
>
> Happy XP Trails,
>
> Karen
> in Mitchell, Nebraska
> & Rocky
> & Weaver, XP horses ready for week 4!!!  :-))))
>