Renegade Rendezvous--A ride story (long)

[DESERTRYDR1@aol.com]

Got back LATE last night from our second LD ride of the season, and Fog's 
second ride ever.  It was great!  Couldn't tell you who won any of the 
distances, but I know it wasn't us!  My riding partner, Barb and her mare 
Moonfire, and Fog, my 7yr old Anglo-Arab mare and I were almost last.  

Fog is out of my original Arabian mare, Misty Moon.  Misty Moon is a 
racehorse.  She did a whole bunch of LD's in less than 3 hours, and then 
stood by the trailer so tired that I always swore I would never take her 
again.  My arms grew every time I took her out with other horses, and she had 
five gaits--a fast walk, a jig,  a rough trot, a fast canter, and a trollop 
which is her attempt at galloping while I am asking, begging, ordering, and 
pleading with her to trot.  She was a wonderful trail horse, a real point and 
shoot--she would go anywhere I pointed her, no matter how steep, rough or wet.

I've been bringing Fog along slow, because she is my BABY, and she has some 
issues (back, hock, stifle or something).  This year things have been going 
pretty good.  I sent my Solstice off to have it widened and a little stuffing 
added after riding in Barb's, which was the next size wider.  COMMERCIAL 
ALERT--Steve, the ARABIAN SADDLE COMPANY saddler did a great job, and I had 
my saddle back in 10 days, which includes shipping three days each way.  Fog 
was in great shape, I thought, and I have used some of the info that I found 
on the groups I belong to, like adding plain salt to her grain every day.

We got out of town at a reasonable hour, got to the ride camp about 4:30.  
Fog vetted in okay (I always have to warn the vets that she's a little 
"funny" about her hind feet, but that's about it.  Her gut sounds were down a 
bit, and also other hydration factors at B.  She ate good, and drank some the 
night before the ride.  

We started out almost last, because I didn't want her in the mess at the 
start (and Barb and I have never gotten any place on time in our entire 
friendship!)  Right at the beginning was a short but STEEP hill.  Fog just 
went right up. But Moonfire tried to go sideways and ended up kind of falling 
back down.  I had kept on trotting, then looked back--no Barb!  I called, no 
answer, then called again.  Barb said "Wait up we're having a little 
problem."  In the mean time, someone just ahead of me was asking me about the 
trail because she had lost the markers.  Barb finally came walking up the 
hill leading Moonfire.  Then the three of us went on down the trail. It went 
really slow, we hit water and neither Fog nor Moonfire would go, so our new 
riding friend Michelle went ahead, until she lost the trail again, then she 
decided to stick with us for a while.  Our horses didn't drink much in the 
first loop.  We got into the vet check, and Fog didn't pulse down for about 
10 minutes!  I was pretty worried, as I didn't think I had ridden her that 
hard.  I told myself after the third time the P&R person checked her, that if 
she didn't come down by the next time, I was going to pull her.  But she did. 
 We stood at the water trough and she sucked alfalfa out of the water, ate 
grass and drank.  Came out of the vet check in good shape, but vowing to take 
it easy going back due to the ten-minute pules down.  

At the vet check, a gal, Tammy, got kicked in the thigh by the horse of a 
junior she was sponsoring. She was down on the ground for quite a while, then 
they walked her over to a chair.  She was saying "Vet my horse through, I'm 
going to finish." 
 
We got out on the trail again, and after a bit our horses got a little 
skittish, another rider was behind us.  We slowed down, and it was Tammy!  
She and her horse were up for some year end awards, and no way was she going 
to let a little bruise stop her!   So she rode with us her quite a ways,  til 
we ran into a couple of gals, one leading her horse, which was lame, the 
other, her riding partner, staying with her, at the next water.  Tammy 
decided she needed to go a little slower, so she stayed with the gal walking 
her horse, the other rider took off ahead of us, and we got our horses tanked 
up then left.  We walked in the last 1/2 mile, loosened cinches and took out 
bits. We got in with about 25 minutes to spare.  Immediately the P&R people 
started hovering around, and I kept trying to ward them off, worried about my 
mare coming down so slow.  We went immediately to the water trough, and both 
horses drank good and deep.  After about a minute or two, I let the P&R 
person check my horse, and she was at 56!  I was just so HAPPY!  So we went 
straight to the vet check, got our completions, then settled the horses in.  

Tammy made it in with 2 minutes to spare.  Now that's endurance!  

Ride management puts on a magnificent barbecue every year.  This year they 
had salmon, barbecue ribs, oysters on the half-shell, corn on the cob, and 
garlic bread.  The food was great, even if the ribs were a little slow 
getting done.  They had a raffle after dinner, and Tammy was there.  Every 
time I won something she would tell every one "She's going to give me her 
mare"  and I would tell everyone--NO WAY! 

The overall ride was great.  Although I heard a complaint, I thought the 
trails were pretty well marked.  It was tough ride though.  The vets said at 
the ride meeting, if your horse has any little lameness, this ride will bring 
it out.  A fair amount of rock, hills, and rough logging roads, some gravel 
roads.  But beautiful scenery, great people, good food.  The only complaint 
that I feel was justified somewhat is that there was only one vet at vet 
check 2, which every one had to go through.  When Tammy got kicked, I was in 
line, and things seemed to go really slow for a while. Then another vet came 
in and things started moving.   

I was SO PROUD of Fog.  She performed like a trouper.  She was smooth to 
ride, easy to rate, and went through everything, including TWO separate herds 
of SHEEP.  After the ride, she still had a lot of energy left, and seemed 
really bright, ate and drank good, wasn't even crabby.  I think she will be 
ready for a 50 by the end of the season.  Today her legs look good, a little 
puffy, but no heat, and she doesn't seem very tired.   I think Fog is that 
once in a lifetime horse for me, and I'm so happy to know that I bred her and 
trained her myself.   jeri