Am I sorry I went to Hopkins Creek this year? Hell no. I had a BALL. I got to
know Julie and Amy, met Deanna and her very lady like mare. (What slut????) I
won't rub salt in the wounds about her misfortunes....she still thinks I'm a
nice person as far as I know. :) Had a chance to see Jinn and Robert again and
meet her friend, Kellie. Dear friend Shannon Weston showed up to do comp on her
mare, Scarlett and we enjoyed what little time we had to visit with her as we
really do NOT get to see her often enough!!! I also met Jerry Fruth and had some
interesting conversation with him about the sport. It was a great ride even
though we didn't get a completion. That happens sometimes. I don't regret it at
all. If we don't take chances, how will we ever achieve anything??? I'm talking
about calculated risks here, too, not reckless, bat out of hell and don't care
if I hurt my horse kind of chances. Basically, we are taking a chance every time
we simply LOAD our horses to attend a ride!!! Before we ever even get out on the
trail.
I would like to say thank you to the Hopkins Creek team (management and
volunteers and vets!). I think Pam did a great job managing for her first time.
Like me at the Wolverine, she had some great help, support and encouragement
from mentors and experienced ride managers. Yeah, there were some snafus but
those bugs get worked out. There is absolutely NO reason for rudeness
EVER...those who would like to complain and be jerks should just TRY to manage a
ride sometime and see if THEY can do better. Usually those who want to make the
loudest noises about what they consider incompetence are the ones who have never
or very seldom bothered to volunteer at a ride and see what actually goes on
behind the scenes to make it all run smoothly. A mistake in scoring or judging
(the math not the vet's opinion that you might think is a mistake) is exactly
WHY we give out the cards ahead of time so riders can help us catch potential
mistakes. What purpose does rudeness serve in pointing out a mistake? It serves
to make you unwelcome and unwanted at rides not only by ride managers, but by
riders as well. We are human and usually sleep deprived X 10 by Saturday evening
awards and even with help, innocent mistakes can be made. THE RIDE IS THE PRIZE!
And if all you care about is 1st or 2nd or 3rd or whatever, then you are missing
the big picture. Pam had some great fun awards and we had fun with the twins and
Deanna. She and the HC team (Steve and Jeanie and Larry, et al.)worked their
butts off to make sure everyone had fun and pulled through SAFELY. It WAS a
great ride. I'm going again next year but I am VOLUNTEERING on Saturday and
RIDING 25 on Sunday!!! :) Got that, Pam???
