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Please Reply to: Deb Ambrose mkkgs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Hello again!
 Fingers crossed for good weather, Lippy and I headed the
93 miles south to JD's ride on Friday.  That day was cold,
clear and beautiful, with a perfect sunset and full moon that
gave promise of a chilly night.  This was our first 30 two
years ago, and now would be our eighth endurance ride.  I'm
not a fan of the cold, as my setup is a cot in the back of a
borrowed trailer, or like this weekend, folding my 5'8" into
the cab of a pickup truck.  Kids, don't try this at home.
  Our buddy Sue Jackson and her steady Sedgewick had opted 
to do the 100, so Lippy and I set off without our security
blanket at the reasonable hour of 8AM.  He was surprisingly
calm, and we trotted out skirting a lake and around a soybean
field.  Then some folks came past us, including a gentleman on
an amazing Standardbred--big, dark, and just steaming along at
a trot.  Lippy and I had some issues about pacing, and I 
regretted getting into his mouth so much.  We had a lot of head 
tossing in the first loop, and few calm moments.  The trail was
familiar to him, and as we turned towards camp, he let me know
he had his compass working.
 Next loop was shorter, about 12 miles, and it went by nicely.
We teamed on and off with some 30 and 100 milers, and had a
smoother trip.  The weather was cool, and the sun soon faded.
We heard hunters firing and dogs baying in the near distance; 
kind of spooky to trot between an empty deer stand and a pile
of corn on the powerline.  JD had removed really all the road
miles from the 50 miler, and the footing was largely great.
  Third loop went by as well, Lippy vetting through well, and 
friendly volonteers getting us through the P/R area quickly.
It was interesting riding on my own for the first time in a 
while; Lippy is not normally enthusiastic on a 4-loop ride, but
he swung along at a comfortable pace, and let other horses pass
without protest.  Rain started to fall at the end of loop 3, and
we vetted through in the covered arena of this Arabian farm.
I put him back in his pen with a rain sheet, and waited out the
hold standing in the back of the trailer.  He ate his hay and
eyed me with a steely gaze as the rain came down.
  Time for the final push!  We got to the out timer, and Lippy
tried all options other than leaving down the driveway.  We 
hooked up with Steve Boles and Lyle Capps, and those kind souls
waited until we got our act together and set off.  I rode the 
first loop of my first LD with Steve here 2 years ago, and it 
was great to trot along with them.  I called us the North
Carolina Posse!  I recalled to Lyle that on that first loop back
in 2002 Lippy had spooked at everthing imaginable.  Steve told
me in the calmest voice, "If you keep doing these rides, your
horse will pay less attention to things like that."  I told him
that advice had come true earlier in the day, when I dropped 
the reins at a trot, and unfolded my crinkly white map to make
sure where we were.  This was a horse that would react when you
unzipped a pocket a couple of years ago.
 Around we went, and back into the familiar homestretch.  All
these steeds knew where they were, and swung into a nice canter
along the woodline, hustled into the woods and out, end timer
in sight.  It started to sprinkle again.
  We finished with all A's, and I was humbled at my energetic
pony being bright all day.  This was faster than our usual pace,
but I'll take it for what it was worth:  just a good ride that day. This is my 
one and only horse, and we're still learning.
Still, there we were in the bottom 1/4 of the ride.  Wow, some
horses are fast!
  It got dark in a hurry, and the rain fell. I settled Lippy 
in, and my thoughts turned to those 100 milers out there.
As the evening wore on, a crowd gathered to attend the awards
ceremony, and the 100 milers vetted in the arena.  My hat is 
off to every one.  It rained nearly constantly, the temperature
fell, and every so often the rain would BEAT down.  I can say
that everyone in that nice covered arena, 30 or 50 miler, 
turned their face skyward and sighed, thinking of those teams 
still moving along the trail in that weather.  My ride pales
in comparison.
  As usual, I can't give any reliable ride results, my buddy
Sue pulled at 82 miles due to a vague lameness.  She and 
Sedgie were both upbeat next morning, justifiably proud of 
their effort, looking forward to Goethe in Florida.  We came
home to clear, sunny skies on Sunday morning.  Go figure.
  Happy 2005 ride season!

Deb Ambrose & Lippy, Arab-Appy
Aberdeen, NC -- 415 miles 


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