[RC] The Black Hills Rides; Ride Report - DVeritas
THE BLACK HILLS RIDES, 24 and 25 MAY 2003: A ride with spectacular vistas.
1. The basecamp was very nice
2. The ride management was very cooperative and helpful
3. The volunteers were very good
4. The vets were good
5. The food was good (GREAT, actually!)
6. The weather dialed in was perfect (loved the breeze and partial cloudiness)
7. The water availability was wonderful.
8. The pulse criteria was "right on"...
9. The Ride Management's poodle was beautiful.
10. The TRAIL was really nice...a rider got it all. Good footing, a little climb here and there, a little prairie here and there, looming woodlands, turtles in the river (swam right under my horses nose as he drank...he cared more about the water than the turtle), four river crossings, and (for me, the most important part) it was the perfect trail for a horse's first fifty, in that it contained just about every facet of a trail a horse might encounter at a ride in a very "doable" fashion. When you couple that last statement with ride management accessibility to almost any part of the trail, it sure was safe for riders and horses, especially the "new" ones. PASCHAL & DEBBY KARL ensured that everything that could be done to ensure a pleasurable "endurance experience" was factored in and provided.
I highly recommend this ride to all levels of riders.
...and the wolves howling in the quieting dusk, said "Hey, come into the hills, and when the sun rose that first morning, we did. And, in the trying, found peace.
---Frank
