Diane,
I want to hear about the MD 30 - I haven't been to that ride. Do
they offer any longer distances?
The Bilmore is a gorgeous place, even tho parking was a little tight
for 150 riders! We arrived Thursday evening to find camp about 1/2
full. We set up after a 9 hr drive (a little tired), and met a few
folks from the net. (Hi Samm, Tina, Nina, Gwen, & the rest!)
Friday, we toured the Biltmore house (unbelieveable!), then arrived
back in camp just in time to walk up to the hille to vet in during
the down pour. At least we were in a covered arena! Rocket was
awful - we spun, reared, screamed! (horse's 1st 50, never in an arena
before) He was looking at so many people/ horses/ strange arena. The
vet was kind & worked w/ his anxiety (and said better you than me tomorrow!).
We then heard that the hill top was closed for P&R's and vetting because
the rain had made the road to the top too slippery - everything moved 0.3
miles down the road to base camp. It worked out ok - everyone got pulled
out up top - even the 4 wheel drives were stuck in places.
The 100 was a controlled start. Our 50 left later at 7:30 - very
nice start! No one raced or was uncontrolled. Rocket thought he
should beat everyone NOW, but he rated w/ a lot of encouragement and
the sight of his buddy being good. The first 16 mile loop went
really fast w/ fair footing due to rain on Friday. Rocket came in
ready to vet thru, but Major was hot - 15 minutes to cool out this
black QH. We vetted thru OK - cautions to make Major drink more.
Lots of carrot mush & electrolytes later, we tacked to go out on the
20+ mile loop.
Shortly after we went out, the heavens opened up & poured! The
footing went from wet to deep pulling mud. We were soaked despite
rain gear! On the plus side, it cooled things off 10 degrees. Mike
(my husband) was wet & grumpy! He started to race to finish ASAP &
just be done. He came around a corner & saw a wooden bridge, but no
time to pull the horse down to a walk. They slipped on the bridge &
went down! Major was spradled in all directions, one back shoe
cutting his front elbow! The breast collar broke! Unbelievably,
everyone got up OK, and Major was willing to trot out after a few
hesitant steps. We came in to a GREAT crew who fed us, watered us
and cheered us up between working on the horses. The vets thought
both horses looked GREAT. We went out again in much better spirits.
Rocket & Major were SURE there was a mistake! We were leaving camp
AGAIN after 36 miles! They had never done further than 35 miles!
They were willing to trot & gallop where the footing was good, but
insisted on walking when the mud was too deep, or the up/down hill
was too slippery. We bowed to their good sense & did the last loop
much more slowly than we had planned. At the finish, Rocket realized
where he was! He decided to race to pass a 50 mile horse in the
field ahead, & raced past his buddy as well! (This is the horse who
wouldn't be first to save his life 6 months ago!) We have a
wonderful picture of him looking regal & perky at 52 miles crossing
the finish!
Observations:
1) My new 2" Biothane stirrup leathers rub & bruise my shins! Need
pads!
2) LytesNow REALLY work, and the horses found them much more
palatable than the usual stuff. (see ad in new Endurance news, near
the back.)
3) Rocket has more spirit than I thought he did.
4) Mike gets grumpy when he is tired, wet, hungry, and dehydrated!
(No surprise - I was too.)
5) I drink a lot more w/ the CamelBak than w/ a sports bottle.
6) Sports botlles were lost on the trail - CamelBaks weren't.
7) Good pit crews are worth their weight in gold. They made the
difference in Major finishing & being pulled.
8) Rain gear only helps so much when it REALLY pours.
8) You forget how tired & sore you were VERY quickly.
I hope to see some of the folks from the Biltmore at the Old Dominion
in June!
Linda Flemmer
ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point ("Major")
Blue Wolf Equestrian Supplies/ Blue Wolf Ranch
Chesapeake, VA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"