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[RC] Scioto Run and Pampering for Ride Weary Legs - RISTREEJust a quick note to thank Mollie and the entire OAATS gang that put on the Scioto Run ride this weekend. Mother Nature figured the trail wasn't challenging enough without a couple of additional inches of rain on Friday evening, and some sweltering, muggy heat for Saturday. :-( As Mary Coleman likes to say, it was NOT Morgan riding weather.That said, the trails were marked great, and a nice mix of technical, hilly, wooded trails, and dirt/gravel roads, also mostly shaded. Some lovely vista views, a snapping turtle sighting, and at least three whole breezes in the afternoon added to the pleasantness of the ride. It would have been a much shorter day riding a gray Arab rather than a 16h big bodied Trakehner cross, but we had fun regardless. It was the slowest 50 I've ever done, and I'm embarrassed to guess how much water was slogged around by my hub, Patty Simcox, and impromptu crewer and LD winner/BCer, Amie Shaffer. There is NO possible way we would have gotten through this hot ride without crew, and I was almost as humbled by them as I was by my horse. It wasn't so much that the trail was difficult (although it was no cakewalk), it was that no air was moving in the woods, and the water coming off the mud in that heat created a real sauna atmosphere. It just seemed like there wasn't enough air for the horses to breathe sometimes. We spent a LOT of time in the creeks spongeing at this ride! Everyone was incredibly cheerful, despite what must have been a hellishly long day for the vets and volunteers. I think the fire crews providing water were sure that all these middle aged women were delirious with heat when we saw them, and their lovely huge tub of water, after a three mile trot up the road. One offered to take my blood pressure, bless him! This was the first time I felt queasy after a ride. The horse looked far better than me, to be sure. We were so focused on getting the horses through that while we thought we were doing okay, we slowed down on the people eating and drinking, methinks. Two other quick things ... I have really, truly, sincerely LOVED the discussion about the 100 milers the last week or so. Thank you! THAT is the type of discussion that makes Ridecamp so addictive. Please keep it coming, as amongst my circle of lunatics, I mean endurance friends, there are at least a handful of us contemplating our first 100 in the near future. We need all the information and shared experiences we can get. Even the hallucination stories. Also, what do y'all use to pamper road weary legs? Some of the poundier rides occasionally leave my big boy with mild heat and swelling in the lower legs. Nothing specific, structurally (i.e. it's not suspensory, it's not check ligament, etc.), he's sound and happy, it appears to be just an inflammatory reaction. I use ice boots and cold hose, and usually try to poultice (and I swear I do it the right way so it dries slowly under a standing wrap) and sometimes that seems to leave the leg even warmer and puffier. Ideas, please!? Thanks again for all the recent wonderful discussions, and again, thanks to everyone at Scioto. So disappointed we were able to get out of ridecamp without mechanical assist! <chuckle> --Patti Stedman (NY)
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