Well, we went from high winter (snowed all last week, windchills in the
10's, etc) to high summer (mid-80's, high humidity). We had clipped Mr T
on the neck, chest & shoulder, a little on the loins....not anywhere near
enough. Put a whole new set of Slypner baseplates & inserts on last
Monday--knew this was a tough course & wanted to be ready.
Kevin started out well in the middle of the pack--came in the first vet
check after about 15 miles (still "cool"), top 15, moving pretty fast
to beat the heat, walked right in for P&R's, 30 minute hold & out.
Clockwork...looking REAL GOOD. No banquet yet--nobody's hungry at 8:30
AM. Mr T gobbled down a nice bran mash with his favorite goodies, a
little hay...not drinking (typical for him, he won't drink until 25 miles
out...period). Two electrolyte "charges"...Kevin is carrying at least 4
oz worth on board.
I settle in for what I think will be a nice 1.5-2 hour nap. This next
section of trial is really ugly--very steep climb, very rocky. Riders
were warned to take it easy here. And the heat was building fast. Debi
Gordon on Redman was smoking the field with another rider alongside
(can't think of her name right now). Rest of the top runners about 15-20
minutes behind. Kevin comes in unexpectedly in 8th position! I had to
scurry like crazy. Kevin shouts to get the shoes...he lost 2 inserts and
didn't realize it until he hit the hard road coming into the vet check.
Two minutes, then into the P&R's, 48...great! Shoes are trashed in
front, maybe one is OK, go with it. Ran to get the spare base plate.
Inserts behind are ribbons. Went for trot-out..."stiff behind",
especially on the right but trotted out of it, I saw grade 2 on the right
front but vet not real concerned about that (that's the foot with the
bare baseplate). CRI not good, went from 48 to 56--come back in 10
minutes. Realize we have to replace 2-3 shoes, not just one & I don't
have enough with me so get in the truck to race back to camp. Kevin
comes up & hands me the vet card...what did I think? A's & B's on most,
C's for gut sounds, dehydrating, bad CRI. Getting hotter by the minute &
Kevin is flushed & a little dizzy too. Enough is enough.
Did the 10 minute return thing & the CRI now jumps from 48 to 64.
Definitely out. Mr T still was not drinking and now wasn't even chowing
down his bran mash. This wasn't his day.
Took Mr T over to the farrier who had a huge stack of Slypners that he
pulled and replaced with steel plates. Nancy Senn said she could have
opened a store with all the inserts she saw on the trail. He tacked on
one shoe for us while Mr T was being a real pig....wanting to leave every
time he saw a horse head out! He wasn't done for the day, thank you very
much, Kevin what's your problem? Kevin just about passed out at that
point. Took them both back to the truck & poured electrolytes into both
of them, ice for Mr T's legs and mouth washes with plain water to
stimulate some kind of drinking response. He did finally take a few sips
& started to eat grass when he realized we were quite serious about
stopping. Rested for a 1/2 hour, then had Kevin sit on the back of the
truck while we trotted Mr T back to camp (a mile or so). That stinker
started to race the truck! I'm doing about 10 and ding-bat's switched
into his racing trot and passing me on the right! And no lameness!!
Fluid movement...beautiful...just no brains.
Well, we pack up & get ready to leave. have to go through two gates,
fairly narrow (when you're a dually) with the last one requiring a pretty
tight turn. Can you guess what happened? Remember I'm still learning
where my edges are on the GN. Just caught a protruding fence pole on the
right side--took down a section of fence and gouged out the camper door.
Could have been worse--the door frame hooked the pole, took it down &
saved the rest of the side of the trialer. So we'll need to replace the
door.
The I decide to take 675 back to Front Royal--it's narrow, twisty, no
berm but I wasn't sure about negotiating Edinburgh Gap, especially with
that hairpin now on the downslope. So I opt to do a road I've been on
before....but didn't know it was under construction. Half the road had
been resurfaced, leaving it uneven for several miles. Lots of places
weren't 8 ft wide, and suddenly it looked like rush hour with oncoming
traffic! No berm, steep drop-offs on my right. My hands are still
curled as if on the wheel, red & bruised from gripping so tight. But we
made it, going maybe 20 mph. Seemed to take forever to get out of that
valley.
At our first potty-stop we found that the electrical wire had fallen onto
the road and had been worn through--a green wire was completely exposed.
Still had lights, brakes, etc. Taped it up with electrical tape that we
always carry for emergencies. I'm beginning to wonder if we'll get home
in one piece. I just want to teleport home, NOW.
I81 was a nightmare from the stateline until you get above
Chambersburg--miles of washboard. When we got home, Mr T jumped off the
trailer like a horse demented. He'd had quite enough. We had stuff
everywhere from the jostling.
Mr T was spitting fire...really pissed off that we had pulled him (they
know, they REALLY DO), hungry and looking good. I poulticed and wrapped
legs. The next morning he was fine--no soreness in the back, no
lameness, barely perceptible stiffness behind. Didn't look tucked up either.
So that's our weekend--not the best start to our season. Kevin felt
really down about it...he hasn't had good luck with the OD trail.
But I learned a lot about the rig--just wish the learning curve wasn't so
steep and expensive. We have the camping gear, tack, etc. pretty much
how we want it. Mr T hauls beautifully with the center divider out--and
he hopped on & off with no more silliness. Kevin pulled at just the
right time. We can't control the weather but we can sure control what we
do in it!
Lots of people had CRI troubles, lots just pulled because they weren't
having fun anymore. Smart riders, smart riding.... That heat & humidity
in VA is awesome & not to be fooled with. The trail is wicked too.
Major disappointment with the Slypners. They simply are not up to this
particular kind of footing. We wore out the inserts in less than 30
miles! And the two baseplates were completely ruined. Once that happens
(and it didn't take much at all to trash them), it doesn't matter how
many inserts you carry with you. We'll have to rethink our strategy
again. You can't be changing shoes every other week and we surely aren't
going to be riding in Jersey for the rest of our lives!
I'm curious to hear how other folks make out with these shoes in rocky,
tough terrain--may go with easy boots over top of regular shoes instead.
Better days are coming....came home to 40 deg (and it "almost" felt good!).
Diane @ Safe Haven
Allentown, PA