Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Oh Steph!  I'm glad you're OK!

I feel bad for giggling my way thru this recount... but geez girl this is 
the makings on an "I Love Lucy" on horseback episode!

Here we are talking about Bin Laden's son and world peace thru endurance 
riding... and poor Steph is abducted by a terrorist mare mowing down ride 
stewards!

No one can say your adventures aren't an exciting read!

Seriously though, it could have been worse, so much worse... all lived to 
tell the tale and have learned something from it to share with the rest of 
us... that's all we can ask for sometimes.

Can't wait for the next update, but be careful today!
Jen


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steph Teeter" <steph@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Ridecamp camp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "Johnt Teeter" <johnt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 2:08 PM
Subject: [RC] Rider Fall Down


> This was my pull code. Really and truly. (I think AERC needs to be a 
> little more creative minded in their pull codes. Just think of the 
> possibilities.)
>
> Actually it was a little more complicated than falling down. This was  my 
> first honest runaway, and it was a doozie :)  I rode the mare 2  days ago, 
> just around the paddock area. Several guys had to hold her  while I got on 
> (and off) but once I was on she didn't seem too bad.  Definitely hot, but 
> I felt like there was some steering and brakes  there. Yesterday I took 
> her out on the training track, with one of  the trainers and another 
> rider. They held her while I mounted (seems  that is normal for this 
> mare). She was pretty reasonable going out -  we walked, trotted and then 
> galloped for a few miles . She sort of  flipped out as soon as I turned 
> back towards the stable, danced  around some, but eventually we galloped 
> back in w/o any real crisis,  and I attributed it to her being on her 
> 'home training ground'.  (found out later they'd only had her for a couple 
> weeks, so home is  relative!). I really thought I could manage her - I 
> sort of like a  hot horse and she didn't feel like she had any buck or bad 
> spook in  her. She'll settle down when we get on the trail...
>
> The clues started piling up, but for some reason I remained clueless. 
> Perhaps all of the rides I've had on horses I didn't know that worked  out 
> ok - gave me an oblivion to the possibilities. We arrived at the  ride 
> venue for vetting, and more clues - she was pretty wigged out  for the 
> vet. Jim Bryant was vetting and she kept dancing around and  trying to 
> kick him. I think he gave me a look... but I was most  likely smiling and 
> nodding my head, still clueless.
>
> This morning, the clues were raining down upon me, and kicking me in  the 
> butt.. and still I figured no problem, she'll settle down on the  trail. 
> 45 minutes before start time the grooms were to ride the  horses some and 
> get the warmed it. It took a good 5 minutes before  Saud was able to get 
> on Suzi (3 guys trying to hold her) and then she  did another good dancing 
> session before he got her straightened into  a trot/jig forward sort of 
> thing. She'll be fine once he rides her  some. Then it was my turn to get 
> on - it's still dark - 15 minutes to  start time. Saud need the guys to 
> hold her while he got off. (another  clue??). Madiya had mounted Cindy and 
> Grace asked her to bring her  over stand next to Suzi while I got on 
> (assumedly the horses had  bonded on the trailer ride over and Cindy would 
> offer some comfort to  wide eyed Suzi). The guys couldn't quite get her 
> settled enough for  me to get on (did I say clueless?) and then Cowboy 
> came over and  managed to get her still enough long enough for me to get 
> on. So I  did, and realized immediately that the girth was  a little 
> loose, the  stirrups a little long, but was too busy trying to bring her 
> back to  earth to think twice about it. She rammed into Madiya, slammed 
> her  pretty hard while throwing her head around - it was kinda tense and 
> Madiya's shoulder took a blow - but again, she settled eventually, I  was 
> still on. I was able to sit deep and the stirrups were long, but  not 
> impossible, and I'd forgotten about the girth.  We'd be fine, not  to 
> worry, just need to get her going down the trail. We walked/ trotted 
> around the crewing area some - ok - we're ok. then headed out  the gate 
> into the staging area (in the dark still) - she almost wiped  out the 
> stewards going through the gate, but I found Madiya again and  figured 
> she'd settle once we got going. She did one serious wig out  while 
> circling and I called out to Madiya - I think I'd better go  back, this 
> might not work - but she settled again, sort of, and I  thought 'what a 
> whimp - I can ride this horse. (clueless still).
>
> We started at the front and it wasn't too bad - very strong - at a  good 
> fast canter - but I think she'll settle down. The horses were  all pretty 
> excited, and there was quite a bit of acting up - but  we're going 
> straight. And then after a few kilometers other horses  started passing 
> us. we were doing at least 30k/hr at this point - a  gallop I'd call it - 
> she'd gather speed and I could pretty much bring  her back, but she was a 
> liability - keep veering into Madiya when I  tried to rate her. I was 
> really afraid I'd mess up Madiya's ride - I  think dear Suzi was making 
> her horse more nervous, so I decided go on  ahead (pulling back was not an 
> option) and leave Madiya alone. There  were quite a few horse out in front 
> of us by now - and the sky was  starting to lighten - I'd just catch up 
> with the next group and she'd  settle a little again. Well, that was that. 
> As soon as I give her  even a little rein she took off.  Gradually working 
> into a full  gallop. We passed a few, and by now I had absolutely no 
> brakes. Her  neck was straight up with her chin pressed flat against it. I 
> couldn't really turn her, and had no leverage with her ears in my  face. 
> We had a couple turns to make, and did manage to stay on the  track, more 
> or less, and then we came to a sharp 90degree left turn  where the trail 
> turned to follow the fenceline.
>
> There was a truck parked in the road, and a steward standing next to  it 
> to guide horses to the turn and keep them from going straight  through the 
> gate (which was a different color loop). This mare was in  full bolt, and 
> she wasn't thinking of turning. In the few seconds  there I tried hard to 
> turn her, but we were then headed sideways into  the truck - and the 
> steward - he saw us coming and started running  for the truck - I realized 
> the left turn was not an option, broadside  to truck was a worse option, 
> and gave her back her head hoping she'd  straighten out and miss the 
> truck. She did, just barely, but we  clipped the steward and threw him 
> against the truck. She had slowed  somewhat to miss the truck and I 
> figured maybe I could turn her now  and circle her to stop. I got her 
> turned back towards the fence and  took her right up to it. she had to 
> stop, but then made a quick turn  back up the fenceline and I felt myself 
> slipping (if the girth had  been tightened I might still be out there 
> galloping...) - my right  shoulder was against the fence at that point and 
> she was starting to  run again and I didn't think I could straighten up 
> enough to get back  on her back, so I let myself slide against the fence. 
> I came down  pretty hard on my head and shoulder, but that's one nice 
> thing about  sand...  By now the saddle had slipped sideways and she took 
> off,  away from the fence and truck and steward and other people and 
> straight out into the desert. My last glimpse of her was bolting away  as 
> the saddle started sliding under her belly. Damn - poor mare was  totally 
> berserk by now.
>
> I got up and went back to the gate - the steward had a cloth held to  his 
> head, he was bleeding badly and there was blood all over the  tailgate. 
> When the mare bumped him she had knocked him headfirst into  the bumper. I 
> hope to find this man again later and apologize all  over again. The other 
> stewards were scrambling around, radio calls -  accident at 9km point on 
> yellow loop - rider off, horse loose,  steward injured... etc etc. The 
> injured man (Mohamed I think) waited  a bit and finally decided to drive 
> himself back in - we piled in (a  photographer, a few others) and headed 
> back. We were met part way in  and they took him off to the hospital - he 
> would need stitches. The  rest of us went back into camp. In time to see 
> gray horse come  galloping into camp with no rider - and I heard later 
> that when this  horse dumped it's rider, another spooked and took off 
> running  straight back to the barn. It was pretty wild out there....
>
> I really can't blame the folks that gave me the horse - I had tested  her 
> and thought I could handle her. She was much worse at the race  than at 
> the paddock - and given her behaviour before the start the  right thing to 
> do would have been to scratch the ride. I found out  they hadn't had the 
> horse very long, but had been assured that it was  a good horse, just a 
> little nervous, and had carried a junior rider  to a 4th place finish a 
> month earlier. Could be... maybe this day,  this ride, this very fast 
> start on a wide open track was just too  much - maybe I should have had a 
> stronger bit, maybe maybe maybe....   But it was what it was. I felt (and 
> still feel) ashamed to have had  an out of control horse out there - to 
> the point of causing injury to  one of the officials.  There goes my 
> reputation!  Rider Fall Down.
>
> But I suppose it could have been worse. I actually never felt afraid  - 
> just trying best to figure out how I was going to manage this run- away. 
> Plenty of desert out there, but soft uneven footing - would be  pretty 
> easy to trip and tumble. I was still trying to come up with my  game plan 
> for stopping this horse when the gate and truck and steward  appeared, and 
> that was that.
>
> I'm off to bed now, up again in few hours - tomorrow is another ride  out 
> at Al Wathba - and Madiya is riding again on a different horse.  I'll have 
> her story next-
>
> Steph
>
> (whew!)
>
>
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