This weekend I volunteered at my first every endurance ride. It was in Beautiful Sonoita Arizona. The huge rolling hills were covered in tall yellow grass with a backdrop of mountains all around. It was SO beautiful there!
I was so excited to be there. There were around 50 entrants...30 for the 50 miler and 20 for the 25 miler. (Approximately) When the race started for both rides they quietly trotted off into the sun at 8 and 9am. They started an hour later than planned due to the cold morning air. I went to the vet stop and they showed me how to pulse down the horses as they came in. I asked lots of questions of every rider as they came in and observed the wide variety of saddles, tack and cloths people wore. If I had to pick the most common it would have been the "specialized" saddle, colorful biothane tack, and most riding tights...I was surprised to see a few pair of jeans!
The ride manager did not provide lunch or any extras, and only one person there said they were a part of this newsgroup...maybe I didn't ask enough people. I had to leave right after the first 50 miler crossed the finish line (sorry cant remember his name!)...I had to leave because I made the mistake of brining my non horse boyfriend and two 14 year old girls who do not like the outdoors. So I did not get to stay for the rest of the day or the evening awards. :( But I learned my lesson...NO FAMILY GETS TO COME! I will be doing this with horse people ONLY from now on!
The riders did not look tired as they came into the vet check, they looked energized and happy. Both horse and rider. It was an incredibly exciting day for me as a volunteer and observer and now more than ever I cant wait for my first one. Hopefully it will be in Wickensburg!
