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I had a blast doing the NC 50! Showed up on
Wednesday
and got to watch some of the 100 mile finishers.
Weather
was darn hot and humid. My horse, Sawyer, was
barefoot
and had been for 1+ year. Took a look at the trail
and had
him shod with those Equiflex shoes Thursday
morning.
Started the ride and Sawyer
seemed sluggish. Didn't
seem to want to go despite the other 90 (?) horses
going.
After a little while he picked up like he suddenly
realized
what we were doing. Then Skip Kemerer passed us on
his
big T'bred Ice Joy. Had met Skip briefly Thursday
for the first
time. First
heavyweight I had seen that morning. I would
be
following Skip all day. There were several times
when he would
ride off that I thought were the last times I would
see him.
Sawyer was going really well in
his fancy plastic shoes.
Some other HW's would come along and it seemed at
one point
there were about 5 of us in a group. Felt good to
not be the last
HW and that we were holding our own. I had thought
most were
way out in front.
A few minutes
before getting to the last VC Sharon Becker (HW)
was riding out of it. I didn't know her but she saw
Skip and I and
told us we were #2 & 3 HW's. She was really
going and her horse
looked really good. She was better than 30
minutes ahead of us.
At this last VC Sawyer
pulsed down a minute before Ice Joy but I
knew it wouldn't be long out of the VC before Skip
would catch up.
They did and Sawyer and I had all we could do to
keep up. At
one point they kept going and Sawyer felt like he
was getting spent
so we dropped back. Thought that was the last we
would see of them
until after the finish. Later turned a corner and
there they were. Then to
the finish area. It was a big U shape in a pasture
and we started to run.
The final turn was sharp and the grass was wet and
slippery. Sawyer was
right on Ice Joys butt on the turn and then it was
all out! Too bad Ice Joy
was a great big T'bred. We might of had a
chance but that big ol' animal
pulled away and there was just no way we were
going to catch them.
It was great fun and an all day race!
I am very proud of my good
ol' brown grade horse! He gave me all he had
that day and is looking good today. I had a
ball!
Ed
Roley & Sawyer the brown
horse(Endurance Grade?)
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