Four days and 1800 miles traveling with three
mares, two dogs, and a very patient man, found us in Shell,
Wyoming three days before the Big Horn 100. It had been 18 years
and thousands of miles on horseback since I was in Shell. Over
all these years I had held fast to the assertion that this was
the most beautiful ride in the country. I was hoping that I hadn't been
misleading myself and would be disappointed in the end, or worse yet, not finish
and have to subject my husband to driving all the way home with a moping and
heartbroken woman!
My mare, Equal Terms, was fit as a fiddle and
fairly bursting out of her skin. In fact, she managed to dump me when
she fell backwards after shying during a little jog up the trail two days
before the ride. ET and I have frequently seen things differently- I see a
log, she sees a cougar; I see hikers, she sees bay mare eating
volaci-raptors. Sometimes I see a place to trot out nice and steady and
she sees a long flat stretch suitable for running like a wild and crazy
woman...(sigh)...But really, we have gotten pretty attached to each other in the
last couple thousand miles, and have come to enjoy our little sparring
game. I even let her win sometimes just to keep things interesting. She,
on the other hand, probably says that about me.
The start was at 4 AM. We came up to the line
late and started off by ourselves. It would seem logical to have ridden
your horse in the dark at least once before going to a ride like this where you
will surely start, and most likely finish, in the dark. I, on the other
hand, never got around to that one little detail of our training, but off we
went into the darkness. I was surprised to find the usually racy and wild
ET was being careful and deliberate - BONUS!
Eighteen years ago my little mare, Rushcreek Noel
slipped on the slick rock near the start and cut her knee - though finished
fine. Not to be outdone, ET slid with her back feet under her, sat down
like a dog, and I slid off her butt to land on my feet. Both of us were
embarrassed and glad no one saw. I mounted up and we continued. With this
little incident out of the way early, I am glad to report, we did manage to stay
upright for the rest of the ride.
I will not detail the trail for you- I have decided
I can not describe it, and that everyone should do this trail for
themselves. Both Cindy Collins and Tom Noll wrote wonderful essays about
the trail, and I could never come close to their eloquence. I can say that
seeing this country from the back of a good and willing horse, is as close to
Nirvana as I can imagine. Coming into one check point so emotionally high,
I did say that this was as much fun as you could ever have with your clothes
on--I have to amend that--this was as wonderful as life gets. Riding the
ridges and meadows filled will flowers, seeing the peaks and valleys in the
distance, seeing a trio of bull moose in a clearing, the sparkling streams and
incredible canyons....
We as endurance riders must never lose this
trail. My normally "I-am-not-riding-that-animal-that-far" husband is eager
to do it next year, and we are dedicated to doing what we can to preserve this
ride - it is truly a gem to the endurance world.
ET and I finished in 19 hours in fourth place, so
far behind the top three that we did not stand for BC, but I was thrilled to see
her trot out like a million bucks at the finish. She had gone through each
check immediately with a pulse no higher than 60, and as low as 48, and
was given NO electrolytes for the ride. Not only had we finished,
but we had beat the 100 mile curse that had hounded me for a couple
years.
If you really want to feel like an endurance rider,
a pioneer, an Indian guide, and a strong capable rider, try the challenges of
the Big Horn. You will get no mollycoddling from the management - one of
the best non riding moments of the event was when Cindy Collins said "No. we
don't have a wake up call, we figure you are all big enough to get yourselves
out of bed!" There is no fanfare and log winded speeches - just good tough
trail and hearty riders.
Thank you to those who made this possible - you
will see the McConnon/Hayes family again.
Laura Hayes Vine Cliff Farms Brocton,
NY AERC# 2741
