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Heard about the ride for the last 15 years but have never been before.

The seed was planted last year while I was riding my mare at Grand
Canyon XP. We rode 4 days together and she was just awesome, getting
better everyday. I remember exactly where I was when I thought, "Rosie
could do Tevis" Now, let me remind you, I didn't think "I" could do
Tevis...just my horse. Difficult trail is not my forte. Well, I went
home and told my husband that 2009 would be a great year for him to do
Tevis and both our mares were doing really good. He has always wanted
a buckle ;-) Yes, he did it for the buckle!

I found a friend to ride my mare and the plans were on for my husband
Allan and my friend, Lynn Rigney to ride Tevis. I was going to be the
crew. Both said that riding the Educational ride was a key asset to
their completion.

It was all of ours first Tevis and it was a fantastic, fun experience.
I never had a better time at a ride before. The energy was really
positive and flowing freely. Everybody was so nice and there was lots
of support from friends, riders, and volunteers. We saw so many
friends and met so many more people from all over. Knowing in the back
of your head only 50% of riders will make it, everyone was truly
wishing everyone else the best of luck and hope for a completion.

I crewed and boy, that was a hard job. Saturday went by so fast, yet
it seemed to last such a long time, especially since I was up all
night . I lucked out in getting certain camp spots and relied on a
Blackberry to keep up with news on the riders. The webcast seemed to
stay current on the top riders but everyone else's time and check
points seemed to be hours behind. It was anxious not knowing if your
riders reached certain checkpoints along the way or if they got
pulled. I do remember a certain 10 minutes that really bummed me out.
It was 4 in the morning and I'm at the finish line checking the
webcast every 5 minutes for a current update that never seemed to
come. Finally, I see that Allan made it in to the Quarry. I quickly
punch in Lynn's number to see if she too made it in and I see that she
was pulled. PULLED!! I was deflated and I had wished so hard that my
Rosie would make it. I knew that the odds were mostly against
finishing and I had friends that were good riders with good horses
pulled earlier, but I was still so disappointed. It was 94 miles...so
close. I slumped my shoulders and pouted and consoled with my friends
at the finish line. Ten minuted later I looked at my blackberry again
and looked at the pull time. I then realized I had punched in the
wrong rider number! I punched in the correct number and realized that
Lynn and Rosie were still on the trail!!! I was so happy.

I was there at the finish line when Allan and Sassha and Lynn and
Rosie crossed. It was such a happy moment for all of us. It was Lynn
and Sassha;s first 100 and all of theirs first Tevis. For you hoof
fanatics......Sassha wore Equithotics shoes and Rosie wore Glue On's.
One glue on did come off at 50 miles (I was totally shocked) but the
new Glove saved the day and she wore that the rest of the ride. Thanks
Garrett!

I'm still up in the air if I will ever attempt Tevis, but I'm leaning
toward NO. Having my two horses finish is a reward enough for me.  I
loved being there and crewing and just being part of the experience.
Hats off to everyone who even attempts the trail. It really is an
accomplishment as it really is a tough, hard trail for both horse and
rider.

Lauren

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