Better to cancel a ride because of weather and high water than
permit a ride to go on, have horses and riders swimming in flooded creeks, and
then cancelling mid ride . None of us show a hell of alot of sense
when competing. Not only did 4 of us plunge into the roiling, boiling
creek that was over horses and riders' heads, but when we were all out safely on
the same side that we started, 2 more riders came along and proceeded upstream
to see if they could get across. Dumb and dumber comes to mind. The
ride was cancelled right then and there, the DNR was at fault as they opened the
flood gates and did not tell the endurance ride folks and managers what they had
done. Their response? 'we told the campers to go home and we thought
that you guys did too!' It would be easy to put all the blame on the DNR
but we riders have to take blame too, although the creek crossings got higher
and higher, we persisted. Good experience that happened to me in the 80s,
I do think a little better about what I am doing on trail now.
Jeanie
