[RC] Shore To Shore 2009 (the early edition) - Diana Macdonald
Well I returned late Wed after 4 days of experiencing the Shore to Shore Ride (been a zombie for the most part since). All I can say is WOW, what a truely awesome experience and I can't wait to go back and finish the days I didn't have the opportunity to ride!!!
I've ridden some 2 day CTRs and some 50s followed by a 25 LD but never done anything similar to this. Many thanks to those who along the way gave me some advice on how to ride a multi-day ride. I still have a lot to learn but it was fantastic.
We started out on the Warm Up where I finished 9th on my horse Bask N Coins+ (Loosi). Monday I rode Chosen Ballast (Apache) for Farzad Faryadi while my mom rode our horse. Mother ended up Rider Optioning after 28 miles due to a hind end muscle cramp in Loosi (deep sand plus cold wind and rain took it's toll). I continued on with Apache to turtle in 19th spot (yeah my first turtle as well!!).
I opted to sit Tuesday out to allow Loosi some recovery time on that muscle cramp. We came back rocking to finish in 5th spot between Bill Wilson and Earle Baxter.
I wish to thank Farzad for inviting me to ride Chosen Ballast for him. Many, more thanks to Bill Wilson and Earle Baxter for inviting me to ride with them the last (not so well marked) 25 miles of Day 3 - I think I might still be headed for Mackinac without their generosity, especially as I blew past them on the sand track on the way to vet check 2. Loosi much prefers open tracks and road work over twisty turny bush work.
I had some amazing ride times and placings I've never dreamed of against some "famous" riders in the NE. This is a memory that will remain in the forefront of my "great" equine accomplishments.
What an experience moving basecamp every day, riding from the shore of Lake Huron to the shore of Lake Michigan. Thanks to Wayne Gastfield and his crew for putting on a great ride and working hard to ensure the trails stay open.
A side note: Bask N Coins+ and JC Quick Quint were the only 2 horses on the ride that have ridden into Lake Huron on both the east and west shores!
Diana Macdonald Ontario Canada
Email: dimac99@xxxxxxxxxxx Check out our horse photos at http://community.webshots.com/user/dalriadadm
