I discovered at the first check that I was getting wet
underneath my daughter's coat and thought perhaps it was seeping in when the
hood had blown off from my helmet and from the neck when I had finally unzipped
it slightly to regulate my body temperature. This trail took some concentration
and WORK! We usually have to worry about it being deep and dry in the sand and
Jay and Becke usually put out water troughs. Not this time, no sir!
There was water everywhere!!!
Our hold at the first check was 30 minutes. Jenny and I
were basically numb from the cold but the horses warmed themselves up under a
blanket and with some munchies in their slurry. They were quite happy to trot
off for the next loop, which sure helped us be upbeat about going back into the
storm!
Again, I was blind but it couldn't be helped. The glasses
were even worse. We made it back to camp with water-logged shoes and literally
peeled our clothes off back in the warm, dry trailer. We asked each other if we
wanted to quit but neither one did. I discovered a couple of things back at
camp. Carrie had not waterproofed her coat after washing it several times. I had
to peel that off before I could peel off the rest of the layers of clothing. And
I discovered that my tights with the suede knee patches had accumulated dirt and
sand to the point that they rubbed the dye right off of my stirrup fenders and
the skin right off of the inside of my knee to boot. OUCH! I had been so cold
and numb that I hadn't realized it. Fortunately, I had some dry tights and
before we could finish dressing, Nelson showed up to inform us that the check
had been changed from a 50-minute hold to a 30-minute hold. We had ten minutes
to head out! BUT, there was good news. While we had been changing, the rain had
STOPPED! Hallelujah, praise the Lord!!!
Back on the trail we went and this time, I was able to
SEE it! I noticed the poor little starflowers had shrunk themselves up as tight
as they could. The marsh marigolds behind the ride camp were under water. The
muddy spot we usually pass over was now a flowing stream and flowing pretty
fast. Back to the road and then on to the trail again farther down and the
horses were now really enjoying themselves immensely! While it was still gray,
the sky was lightening up and the air was becoming warmer. Our 3rd vet check was
40 minutes and things were smoothing out for most of the volunteers though there
was some confusion about vet cards and time outs and such. Nothing major and
still lots of laughter to go around. Jenny and I left the check with happy and
refreshed horses, strong and willing and we both agreed that in spite of the
earlier weather, this was the best ride we had shared in a looooong time. Our
horses took turns leading on the trail and kept each other motivated. When they
wanted a breather, they would walk and in 4 or 5 minutes they would voluntarily
pick up a trot again. They started drinking deeply finally on this last loop.
Though not drinking well before, they never showed any outward signs of
dehydration. They did decide that the water on the trail was the most delicious
they had ever tasted, especially the dirtiest and brownest stuff. There was some
tough going where the trail is usually firm, as it had been churned up into a
muddy mess by the time we passed through. We slowed down in those parts and let
the horses have a little gallop where it was clear and easygoing. They had fun
"competing" with each other. We passed a few comp horses here and there. The 50
comp riders were doing the trail backwards and Max and Malik looked after them
as they continued on after sharing a drink in the same puddle as if wondering
what was wrong with them...they were going the WRONG way.
