Fire Mtn. was windy!
Oldwaggy@aol.com
Wed, 29 Jan 1997 03:03:32 -0500 (EST)
How much does wind affect horses at endurance rides? At the Fire Mtn. Ride
near Ridgecrest, CA., last Saturday, the footing was great out in the desert
and the grades were gradual (just shy of 5,000 ft cumulative uphill). The
weather was awful. We met with a hailstorm in the morning and strong winds
all day. The weather didn't seem to slow down the winner Renee Bowers since
her riding time could not have been more than four and a half hours.
Something sure pooped out my Icelandic pony, Remington, and me, though. He
normally likes cold weather and generally comes into vet checks at criteria.
He didn't have any problems with recoveries at this ride either but did take
3 or 4 min. at the last vet check to meet criteria. He really seemed to
struggle to trot into the headwinds. When he cantered he sometimes got blown
sideways. It took us almost eight hours to finish. It took us half an hour
longer last year but that was our first fifty. I didn't get off and run much
but I'm still really sore. The racket the wind made was exhausting. I'm
curious if high winds bother other horses and their riders.
John Parke
Solvang, CA.