Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Joan hustled off to feed Magic at 4:30 AM while I got dressed and sorted out
my tack. It was a beautiful night with stars everywhere and a few black
clouds drifting across the mountains to the west.  Met Becky and "Miles"
over in the arena to warm up at 5:30 AM.  Decided it would be best to let
Becky lead for the first loop, since Miles was an experienced horse. That
would give Magic time to settle down a little.  He's always responsive, but
very "enthusiastic" at the start.  We fell in kinda at the "back of the
middle" and headed up the mountain. As the day begins to lighten, the sky is
gray and overcast.

Things went pretty well and Miles held a good pace.  Eventually I suggested
Becky get off and give Miles a break on a long downhill.  I dismounted, took
the lead and trotted down the hill, switched over to tailing on the fly at
the bottom and headed up the next hill. When I reached the top amd looked
back,  no Becky in sight.  Hmmm....seems going UP hills is a little harder
than going down! Right, Becky? <grin>

Becky is still leading about 4-5 miles out of camp.  I'm keeping Magic off
Miles' butt, but staying close enough behind that we can talk.  However, at
the top of a little hill, Miles did an abrupt stop and Magic stepped on his
left rear shoe, yanking it off.  Becky didn't have an easyboot, but since
the ground was soft we thought he would be OK till we reached camp.  He
showed no signs of being off.  We did the first loop in 2 hrs and 41
minutes....just about perfect.  In camp, both horses were down immediately,
but in the trot-out, Miles was off on the right front! Was it because of the
lost shoe on the left rear?  Too fast on the downhills?  Things like this
happen....they have happened to ME...but it doesn't make you feel any
better.  I would have gladly given up my completion to have Becky finish!
<sigh>  Dr. Marcella looked at it and it appeared to be something below the
pastern...strange...next morning he trotted out just fine. Disappointed for
Becky, Magic and I headed up the mountain alone on the tough 2nd loop.
Trying to save Magic for the last loop, I was running most of the downhills
and tailing the long climbs.  Magic is tired, but hanging in there and very
willing.  He's drinking at every opportunity and I'm giving him Perform 'n
Win in his slurry and small half doses of Lite Now every hour. Out almost 4
hours. Heat is building and the sun is out now.  I don't think there is more
than 30 feet of flat ground in the entire loop. All A's in the Vet
Check....CRI 60/64...looking good.

Out on the final  loop in last place, with about 3 1/2 hours to finish it.
Caught up with Tim Worden and rode with him for a few minutes.  His horse
was behaving a little strange, and Tim decided to call it quits.  A
Leatherwood drag rider was right there to show him a shortcut back to camp
and his horse was fine.  Caught up with Mike Bostic with about 8 miles to go
and we rode together the rest of the ride, on the ground as much as
possible.  Mike is the perernnial "Turtle" for Leatherwood.  However, as we
were trotting down the pavement toward the finish line, his horse spooked at
the bridge and ran me off the road, so this year I got the Turtle award.
Joan, Becky, Becky's sister Nancy, and a nice crowd at the finish line
cheering for us "tailenders"....I needed that!  About 11 1/2 hours ride
time.  63 started the 50 mile ride, 50 finished.  Mostly lameness, and one
mild metabolic problem.  Considering the trail, great job by the riders and
the Vets. Don't have results....I was out so long I was in the shower during
the ride meeting! I always let my crew shower first!  :)  I think Becky
Knight won the 50....I'm sure Abbie will post results.

Afterwards, Joan finally got HER award.....her favorite baby back ribs!
<grin>

Magic had one B all day and at the final vet check, you could here his gut
rumbling without a stethoscope. He was mostly just TIRED.  Joan, worried
about the little guy, got up at 2:00 AM to feed him again and take him for a
walk.  He's coming along....his new saddle was comfortable for me and his
back was perfect!  Yee Haw!

At this ride we started something new.  SERA has the scales at just about
every ride.  We now write the weight in an unused spot on the Vet Card at
each vet check to see what is happening as the ride progresses.  At this
ride, Magic's starting weight was 912. At the first check it was 838.  He
LOST 74 lbs.  At the second check, it was 842....he had picked up 4 pounds.
At the finish, it was 852, a gain of 10 lbs.  Total loss during the ride was
60 lbs.  Hopefully, this will give us another "indicator" of his condition
during a ride.

On our way to breakfast Sunday morning, we noticed that a trailer was backed
up to the side of the hill near the restaurant and a rider was trying to
load his horse...obviously he had been at it for some time, considering the
condition of the ground around the rear of the trailer. :) The rider, Dr.
Stith Gower had driven all the way from Madison, Wisconsin to attend the
ride. I offered to help and  he gladly accepted....he was pretty frustrated
at this point.  I took the horse a few feet from the trailer and spent 10
minutes teaching him to "go forward" with a dressage whip tap on the butt.
A few minutes later he was walking calmly onto the trailer with a single tap
on the butt. He gave it up pretty easy.....the look on Dr. Gower's face when
his horse stepped on the first time was worth every minute! <grin>

After a great leisurely breakfast, we let Magic graze a few minutes, said
our good bye's and headed for home with a Leatherwood T-shirt for Joan and a
Leatherwood Buckle for me.  If only Becky could have finished, the ride
would have been perfect!  :(

Thanks to Phil, Abbie, and the Residents of Leatherwood for another
fantastic ride! Howard, you missed a good 'un!

Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic




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One of the great joys of being a pompous idiot is that you can do and think
whatever you want. 
~  Homer Safferwiffle

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