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[RC] More kudos for USA East Cranberry (NE) - RISTREE

Another enthusiastic set of thumbs-up for Patti Pizzo and the army of folks that make the USA East Cranberry Ride possible.  As most folks realize, this ride benefits the Old Dominion Rides, and virtually everyone donates their time, stuff, awards, and efforts to make it happen.

This year's trail was re-routed due to the dry conditions in the NJ Pine Barrens to best utilize the natural water on course.  Usually we're dodging, trudging thru and occasionally disappearing into the puddles on trail, but this year they were few and far between.

Add some extremely unusual warm temps (Bermuda, anyone?), and it made for a weekend that could have gone seriously wrong.

But because of the work of lots of concerned folks it didn't.

I rode a young horse very slowly through his first 50 on Friday, with a couple of friends also riding 50 mile virgins.   On the first loop, my stirrup leather came loose from the bar (check the latch next time, moron!) during a very boingy two point canter and I took a hard fall onto the back of my head (luckily, an expendable part).   My scared young horse took off, and thankfully, the arranged drag riders were able to ride ahead and catch up with him, unscathed, further up the trail.   (Thank you, thank you, thank you!)

The P&R folks and the vets were extremely patient with my greenie, who while trying his hardest to be on his best behavior, was so wound up about being separated from his best buddy that he managed to piaffe his way through three vet checks. 

Thanks to Sandy Terp and Nick Kohut for teasing us at the end, we silly turtles, that we still had another hour before maximum time -- why did we rush?  It was a quiet finish for us -- most folks were happy houring or tending to the horses they'd finished on hours earlier or prepping for the next morning's start.

But hey, I don't do it for the applause at the end, or the awards, or for any acknowledgment from anyone other than my horse (and a vet to confirm what I already know) that we came through it okay.

To finish is to win.

--Patti Stedman (former DQ who can't believe she's trying to UNTEACH a horse to piaffe)