Don't assume that if your horse (and a few others) get loose on Sat. nite
after the ride and there is much screaming and commotion that you will
necessarily hear it even tho you are sleeping in your truck less than 50
feet from the party.
If you are even remotely thinking about padding and the ride entry says
some rocks - put them on because trail descriptions are subjective and
probably done by someone used to the terrain....
You don't have time to eat anywhere near what you packed during a 30 minute hold
No one believes you when you say "he normally doesn't act like this" at the
vet-in...
Pack up tarps and tents Sat. evening when staying in a dusty field -
packing in the morning with a heavy dew makes for some very nasty equipment
to load up
Always be prepared to come home with *less* buckets and sponges than you
packed - those seem to be very expendable items....
If your charger is not grounded properly, you *will* get the living
daylights shocked out of you when you touch your charger box :->
Your horse always wants to eat someone else's hay at a check
Running around the block in your neighborhood is *very* different than
jogging down a rocky hill with a camelbak, fanny pack, and hat on and a
horse in tow.
Always bring some electrode gel to the check with you - sweat or spit
doesn't always work....
Pack as much of your stuff for the check from home - getting it together
once you're there is too time consuming and requires more brain power than
you may have after getting up at 3:30 a.m. and driving several hours by
yourself...
Your fly sprayer *will* croak just as your horse is under attack from an
army of small helicopter sized horse flies.
Don't worry about having trouble setting up tarps and such if you have to
go to a ride alone - chances are someone camped next you is more than
willing to help out.
Nothing beats hanging out under an awning with other riders on a nice
summer evening and sharing a special concoction after a ride!
===========
This was a great ride - challenging trail, very well marked, great footing,
very rocky. Weather was nice - course it was pretty warm, but not what it
could have been and even clouded up for part of the day. Due to an apparent
miscommunication or general confusion or something on someone's part, the
camp owner didn't realize that general operating procedures for alot of
riders is to ride on Sat., crash that night, and then pack up and leave on
*Sunday* -- when I arrived I was told (like everyone before me) oh, by the
way, we would like for you to be out of that field by 6 or so on Sat. -
that's where their (the camp's) horses were turned out. You can well
imagine my reaction -with an 8 hour drive- as well as the reaction of
several others - some with longer drives than me. I didn't bother to tell
him what I was thinking - "look buddy - I could still be on the trail at *6
p.m.* - whaddya mean I gotta be packed, loaded, and out of that field by
then???" :-> .
No harm done - camp owner was very accomodating and he and Connie worked it
out so we could stay put till Sunday morning. Whew! The thought of having
to pack up and move or <worse yet> drive home on Sat. evening after a tough
ride was enough to make you sick!!
This camp is wonderful - pool, showers, real toilets, ice machine, phone -
definitely one to keep on the calendar!
There was one accident - a rider's horse slipped and fell on her on the
trail and last I heard she had a broken leg *and* arm - I think - someone
else please jump in with the rest of the story if this is not right. I went
by not too long after it happened and there were 3 or 4 riders that were
stopped with her, had her lying down, and help was on the way. Believe it
or not, one the riders that stopped with her went on to top 10 (I think -
or close to it) the 25 miler - talk about making up some time!!
Again, great ride!!
Tina and the crew
hickst@nichols.com
Huntsville, AL