EHSC

[guest@endurance.net]

Kristine Hammond tinka@reno.quik.com
I am the rider who went tumbling down the side of the narrow and steep
side of the hill at EHSC.  Everything was going fine, we were on a very
steep and narrow one track trail, when suddenly my friends horse fell down
in front of us.  I don't know exactly why he fell.........the trail
crumbled under him maybe, he tripped, but he folded up like an accordion.
It all happened in a split second.  Somehow his hindquarters hit my horses
front quarters, and the horse behind hit my horses hindquarters.  Suddenly
I was flying throught the air, the guy (Peter) who was behind me was
cascading down the side of the mountain on his horse, (about a 79 degree
slope) I don't really know what happened then.  I was kissing the
dirt......seeing patches of sky, and looking at my horses belly.  My
horses head was popping up, then all 4 legs, then his butt, then his head,
legs, and butt.  At some point I quit being able to see what was going on.
When I woke up I turned around and crawled back up the trail
(I think), I was very confused.  Upon reaching the trail someone was
screaming at me to get off the trail. As they rode by I remember they were
telling me to pick a safer place to go next time. I was confused, so I
remember trying to get off on the high side, but there were rocks in the
way, so I stepped off the low side of the trail, and went down again.  I
was trying to find my horse........but was seeing double, and my leg hurt,
so I was having trouble walking, and I felt really confused.  I started
calling my horse and somebody said he was coming......to keep calling him.
So I did.  The next thing I remember is trying to climb back on my horse
and Trilby being behind me.......saying "come on, you can do it".  I do
remember "Julie" the EMT on the trail saying "you're horse is right below,
can you walk down to get him?"  I did say no, so she went to get him.
Thank God for Julie........she helped tremendously.  I could not have made
it down and up that trail again.  I believe she went down twice or maybe
three times to help me and Pete.  Pete really did much better than I
did...........I guess he  managed to ride his horse all the way down.
Both of our horses were cut and scratched up.  Pete's horse however was a
little off.......and so they pulled him at the vet check.  I and my horse
did go on to complete the ride.  My left foot was flopping around in the
strirrup, and I was confused, but about half the way through the race
everything perked up.  On Sunday my horse was sore, but by today he is
fine.  He was never off......but his back was sore.  The Troxel helmet
company is replacing my helmut due to a fist sized hole in the top of it.
They are replacing it for $15.00, and a letter substantiating how the hole
occured.  All in all it could have been much worse.  My memory is very
blurry.......my thanks go out to Julie and her father for their help, I
was not doing a good job of coping with the situation, it just hurt a lot.
Add the pain to the confusion I was experiencing and I am really surprised
I managed to ride my horse off that trail.  My thanks also to Trilby for
her support and encouragement, and patience in waiting for me to get back
on my horse to ride him off that mountain.
I don't know how long we held everybody up on that trail, or what happened
after I fell down it the first time.  Until today I really did not know
who was screaming at me to get off the trail, and giving me hell for
putting everybody is such a dangerous position.  Believe me........I
didn't want to be doing what I was doing right then anyway.
Anyway, my thanks to Julie, her father, and Trilby.
Kriss