Geeze I go and spend about the longest 6 hours in recorded history to
come home and find out that Heidi said I said "nothing we can do about
it," so we should just stop doing endurance in SE (ignoring an almost
50% growth over the past 8 years). Then I read on to find out Howard
is defending me. Now I'm going to get shot if I go out to the Shamrock.
Then I find Frank is complementing Jackie Baker. Frank please don't do
that, she's hard enought to live with as it is;-). And Ed is trying to
throw the South out of the Union - actually not a bid idea our economy
is doing quite well.
Makes we want to get back in my car and drive back down to McDill.
Clearly we must have a problem down here that haven't surfaced in other
places. We have people that want to race - oh my there is that four
letter word again. Jeeze by the reaction of some, you'd think Howard
Stern had spoken it. We have people that want to race and do it safely
and expect the RM will provide them with that option (if at all
possible). I'd better stop saying that four letter word or else the FCC
is going to fine Steph.
On pubilc land we have other people out there. Must be because we
Southerners love to be out doors and we have the weather to do it.
These people think they have the same rights as we endurance riders (
how dare they to think that even though they do ) and wouldn't cotton
to somebody walzing up to them saying, "I'm the ride manager of the Bo
Diddly Memorial 25/50/100 mile endurance ride (oh no another faux pas -
implying a 25 is endurance or that anyone that rides 25 should is even
worthy of being considered to be in the company of real endurance
riders) and I order out to move your truck off this forest service
road.
After the hunter stops laughing, he'd probably look down spit a big wad
of chawing tobacco on the RM's shoes and proceed to tell him/her of his
rights and if they think they are big enough to make him more - have at
it. Most likely the hunter is hunting buddies with the local ranger so
now the RM is in big trouble.
Now the way a good 'ol boy southerner (and for those who are not a
southerner that term is not gender specific) RM would go up to the
hunter and say something like.
The conversation would go:
RM: Having any luck.
Hunter: Haven't seen a damn thing.
RM: The horses bothering you.
Hunter: Naw
RM: That good. We only do this once a year and being a hunter my self
I'd sure hate that we were screwing it up for you.
Hunter: What's going on anyway.
RM: This is an "endurance ride" which is actually a long distance horse
race (on now not that dirty word again).
Hunter: How fer they going.
RM: Some 25, some 50 and some a 100.
Hunter: Riding a horse a 100 miles, these people crazy.
RM: I takes a lot of work and training. The only reason they are crazy
is they are riding Arabians for the most part instead of good old easy
going walking horses. (Hunter nods in agreement).
Hunter: I guess so.
RM: BTW the finish is about where you parked you truck. These being
Arabs, I sure hope it doesn't spook any of the horses that come back at
a full gallop and cause them to run into your nice truck and scratch
it.
Hunter: Think I ottamoveit.
RM: Wouldn't hurt just to be one the save side. These endurance rideres
are pretty cheap and you might have a hard time getting to pay for
fixing the custom paint job you have on that truck.
Hunter: Yep, I think I'll move it.
RM: Hey, that would be a great ideal. Move it on down by mine - I've
good some beer in there and we'll watch 'em come in.
Hunter: Got a deal.
Next year same ride, old Billy Bob the hunter is out there doing his
first 25.
That's how we handle it down in God's country. We all learn to respect
each other and get along.
Truman
-- We imitate our masters only because we are not yet masters
ourselves,
and only
We
imitate our masters
only because we are not yet masters ourselves, and only
because
in doing so we
learn the truth about what cannot be imitated.
