Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Take one driver and a drive that was extended from 7 hours to 9 1/2 hours by
a traffic jam near Ann Arbor thus ensuring arrival at dusk instead of
daylight. Add trail markers near the road that consisted of large arrows on
flourescent paper plates (excellent trail markers!) -- much larger than the
arrows on the wooden posts that pointed to the campground. Mix in a very
literal interpretation of directions that included the words "follow the
arrows" and some deep sand. Result: one stuck truck and trailer at 9:30 at
night.

What to do? Call everyone whose number is on the ride flyer, find out where
exactly I went wrong, pull a horse out of the trailer that had been in there
since noon, saddle up, grab a flashlight and ride 2 miles to camp! Never
have I been so happy to see the glow of a camp lantern and the barking of
four Corgi's.

So I was the Ride Manager's nightmare. I've now earned any RM headache that
comes my way. Got the RM and her husband out of bed along with some crazy
lady named Jeannie, handed them my truck keys, and they took off in the 4 x
4 to try and get me out. I followed them back on horseback in the dark. My
usually spazzy mare was a rock, although she taught me in one quick lesson
that I couldn't use the flashlight. (Did I mention that I've never ridden in
the dark?) I've concluded that we have but one brain between us and that we
both can't have it at the same time. This weekend it belonged to her.

Got the truck out first, great! Hitched up the 4 x 4 to my trailer got that
out, great. I headed back to camp with my horse and they headed to camp with
the truck and trailer. Got back to camp, RM waiting up for me, mangled
trailer tire, not so great. Hmmmmm, tire looks bent. (Bent?) Really not
great. Well, can't do anything now. Might as well try and get some sleep.

Long story short, the front trailer axle got bent, probably when it was
being pulled out.

I was a mess, called my husband Friday, told him that Jeannie said I had to
ride in the competition anyway (by that time I didn't want to) and he said,
"well, yeah!!" (he's a very cool guy). Jeannie's husband Larry, who was up
'til 2 a.m. worrying about me, helped me find a repair shop. A nice guy from
Evansville, Indiand by way of Ohio ;-) kindly let me use his phone in his
rig since my battery on my phone was getting very low for some unknown
reason.

So, I rode my horse 50 miles in about 8 1/2 hours on Saturday. Horse looks
great; could've gone faster with a different rider. Who is this horse that
is eating and drinking like a champ and where is my fretfull, impatient
horse? But are there better words to here from a vet judge than "gee, if you
woulda finished about 4 hours ago, your horse would be in contention for
BC"? She truly looked great, sound as can be, always willing to pick up a
trot or canter on request, it was me who couldn't go any faster! 50 miles
mellowed her out, but she still had plenty of gas in the tank. That's the
way I want to finish. I think that's OK for a first 50. Besides, I didn't
want to hand off a sore or "off" horse or a metabolic problem to Jeannie.

(Rider is very sore and very tired! 50 in one day is more than twice 25 and
more than a two-day 60! Maybe it was slogging through the sand? The sand did
seem to make her gaits more vertical than usual. I'll be keeping the pain
reliever people in business for a while!)

So my horse and trailer stayed in western Michigan. Jeannie and her husband
Larry took me under their wings and took care of me, immediately offering to
keep my horse while my trailer is being fixed; it should take a week. My
horse is happy as can be in a pasture with a cute Arabian chestnut boy named
Rowdy and 4 other horses to touch noses with over a fence. She's in good
hands although I miss her terribly. She was a very good girl this weekend.
Parked right across from Jerry Fruth and she didn't even notice his new boy,
I even rode with them for a short bit on trail. Batted her eyelashes at
Maggie Mieske's Malik, but that was it. (BTW, both boys are model citizens
-- I'll share a camp with them any time.)

To finish is to win. I finished with a sound, happy horse, therefore I won,
even if it was a personal victory. The rest of it? Well, it's called
endurance for a reason, right?

Endurance riders are the greatest people in the world! All the people who
helped me, I never met before this weekend. Helluva way to introduce myself.

Deanna


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