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[RC] The O D 50 ...Top 10 finish with highest vet score!!! - Judie Ricci
I had to drop from the 100 to the 50 due to knee problems 2 weeks ago at Micheaux, so I arrived at the 4 H center Wed A.M. so I could get a nice parking place, I was still not sure which ride I would do, the 75 or the 50, , there were designated parking for all the rides , 25, 50, and the 100 &75 shared the top parking area. I found a spot , and then had to find a spot big enough for Joe and Tamaras Big second home in the 50 mile area . I wasn't sure about saving places, if it was allowed this year, Nancy Smart said "yes you can save a place" ( I love her) so I saved two that were beside Pete and I. one for Sarah too.
It was extremely hot and humid, ( it is worse up here than in the So. East ) trailers started to arrive Thursday, and the lots filled up. The day of the ride it is 98%H. and 66 deg. at 5 am. I was starting with a man from Ca. that we met Wed. Chuck Dent, ( they don't have humidity) and Dr. Kathy E. so that Kathy's lovely horse Dare would have a buddy and a body block when needed, he is still young and impulsive ( she doesn't call him that , she says **&%**!!!! ) so off we go at the back of the pack , and we go nice and easy to the first hold. 20 min, just a trot out past Dr. Nick who is laid back in a lounge chair at the entrance to the trail out!! The river was like bath water, the hold only 20 min. California has lost a shoe and has to give Kathy her easy boot back ( he had lost his) so Kathy and I go on with out him as he is late leaving after getting a shoe on. I gave Chief his enduraMax e lights
with power aid punch and he loved it, We get separated on the down hill , Dare goes faster than Chief, and I had all those climbs ahead, so I go into the second vet check with California Chuck as he had caught up with me on the way. Pete is crewing for me , and Chief is down as soon as I pulled tack, Chucks horse Joey, is not pulsing down so Pete goes to his rescue and leaves me on my own, I go vet in and find that Ca.Chuck has lost another shoe, Chief is eating, peeing, doing great, I am told he had the lowest heart rate that the P&R person had taken so far, he was at 52 5 min. after arriving and walking to the pulse station, we vet in and he eats, and drinks, and it is time to go, I gave him his endura max with applesauce a double dose, and a hand full of strategy , and I go out of the hold alone, I am tailing up a hill following the voices of some other riders&
nbsp;, they were 75 milers and they had to go right up the hill, the 50"s didn't Chief went right, then I hear a voice say , " there is a left turn here, come back " it is Joe Schoech, so I turn Chief around and go down the right way, Thank you Joe! Joe and I tail every hill and lead down every hill, it is constant sweaty , bug eating weather, steam is coming out my ears , the rocks are multiplying, the jungle is thick with mosquitoes, briars,poison ivy and more rocks,I am carrying my helmet so my head can cool, my shoes got soaked at the river crossing hours ago and my feet are hot, Chief just walks on pulling me up with him. Electrolight with lyte now double dose, There is some guy that catches up with us says he is "Country Boy" and wants to take our picture at the summit, Joe and I stop and put our arms on each others shoulders, so he could take a picture, I could have leaned on Joe for 10 min.!! I was so h
ot and tired from the climbs all day, but off we go down the hill into the the 3 vet check, " McCoys " I got ahead of Joe and Bogie and Chief trotted in, Pete was there waiting for us , we pulsed down quickly and vetted in and left Joe and Bogie , Tamarra was in the river with Bogie for some R&R and Chief had to cross the river by himself!! This is a BIG river, with scary jugs floating twords him!! it took some doing to get him to go, I told Chief "lets go", we caught up with some other riders and got into the Liberty Vet check ( last one before the finish) Chief pulsed down and vetted it great, gave the endura max with applesauce, and power aid, more hand fulls of strategy and off we went alone to finish, had a race after the Skyline drive road, fast trotting down the last hill of rocks, careful down the paved road into the last trail, galloped with Chief having a blast, we passed more rider
s with the two girls on our tail chasing us, then into the field at a gallop where the finish is Chiefs tail high in the air , and passed two more riders and finished 10!! Pete the Marvelous was waiting at the finish, told me we were 10 to un tack and weigh in, It was still hot and humid and some nice ladies were handing out that fizzy apple juice that looks like Champaign, to the top ten riders, it turns out that two got pulled at completion, so we were 8th!! Chief had a great CRI and vet scores. Dr. Art K said to come back for BC as we were 59 min behind the first place person, we did , I was exhausted!! Chief presented very nice, head and tail up, big floaty trot, I stumbled along , and then sent him out into a circle on my 12 ft. rope, no way I could jog another step, he was beautiful. I rode the way Stagg had told me, ride it like a train
ing ride the first half and an endurance ride the second half.( that was his 100 mile advice ). On Sunday at the awards my horse got the HIGH VET SCORE !!!!! I did not get B.C . I was an hour behind the first place rider and didn't weigh as much. But my horse did it. He had fun, and finished healthy! Yeah.
On the most difficult sweaty ride , my wonderful horse ISR PRINCE SHAVAL aka Chief showed he can and will do it for me. my husband was a great Crew! It was a good weekend and the ride manager Vickie was outstanding! and to listen to Mathew Mc Kay Smith talk about where endurance is heading and from where it came from and watch him get so emotional over his beloved sport, to see Stag have to put the monkey on his back. and to see all the Asgard horses prove the hard work that Tom and Holly Sayvetz have put into their breeding program , and to give us all a chance to win one of these athletes for 5 bucks!! and to share trail time ,and sweat with so many veterans of this sport was truly awesome. Chief is great, he only lost 5 pounds the day of the ride, I still cant believe the extreme weather we all rode in,. to finish really is to win. I love my horse , and am lucky to have Pete and the trails, Amen.
Judie Ricci
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