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Heather, Katie (daughters) and I went to Geo Bun Buster ready to try our
hand at our first 50. I have 500 miles LD, Heather (age 10) has 300 and
Katie (12) has 165. Katie's new horse just didn't have it in him that day,
and we pulled at 42 miles. Katie made some errors, and now she maybe knows
that Mom did know what she was talking about after all. ( like more
conditioning at home )
We lleft home Friday morning about 8:15 for a 6 hour drive. This is about
the longest drive we do for a ride. No problems on the trip up. Truck is
running great, horses are traveling well. Road comditions are good. We
get to base camp and get a great spot. The horses are taken care of, so I
go to visit with friends. The Vets are not here yet, so 3 of us adults go
for a amble down the trail. When we get back, the kids have their horses
all Veted in, and all is ok. Now there is a line for the Vet. While
waiting in line, 2 flocks of Canadian geese fly over in formation. In the
glimering sun of late afternoon, they were almost irridecent. It was
beautiful.
All goes well for me and Gina in the vet in. Camp settles into the usual
routine, and we go for out ride meeting. No surprises, we rode the LD here
last year. But this year we get to go back out after lunch (gulp).
I need'nt have set the alarm, I don't think I got any sleep last night, I
am out of bed before it can go off. good, all of the horses have eaten and
had water during the night. Even picky Gina. It is still dark, no luxury
of starting at 8:00 this morning! It is still dark out. I look up again,
and this time I see the comet in the eastern sky through the crystal clear
high desert night air. Another sight those city people will miss. I wonder
how many other riders saw it last Saturday, someone else already said they
saw it too, and they were in SE region!!!
Our starting plans work out just fine. We walk out to the number takers,
and calmly walk down the trail, the actual start was 5 minutes ago. No
standing needed at all, this is good, we have two green horses.
The lunch stop is at 30 miles, and I want to be back on trail by noon after
the 1 hour hold. At each of the checks we are right on target. Pacing is
just where I want it.
Heather is becoming a pro at this. We get to a vet check and she finds a
P&R person before I can, and her little mare is down, and Heather is looking
for the vet line while Mom is still looking for her vet card.
The horses are doing well, the green ones are getting all A's, Gina is the
old gal, and her scores are not as good, but are good for her, and she's got
more to lug around! Her attitude is great!
Now we start out after lunch, and my right stirrup feels longer all of a
sudden. Then at a canter, it falls off, but I am able to hang on and stop.
Heather the spry one, pops off and retrieves the stirrup. I look it over,
nothing is wrong with it, but the hanger (bar on the saddle ) is pointing
south! With a shove, it is horizontal again, but I can put no weight on it
or off it comes again. I take off the "D" saver hooked to the breast
collar and hook it behind the stirrup leather to try to hold it on. Down
the trail another 15 yards, and again the stirrup is getting longer.
Heather says she has a leadrope in her bag ( a nice little 1/2" job ) Well,
I hook the buckle to the top of the stirrup leather and lash it to the "D
saver" on the left side, then try to run the rope somewhere I won't have to
sit on or rub on for the next 20 miles.
Now we are less than a mile from base camp, and it never occurred to me to
turn back to try to find somehting to fix it with (DIMR)
After loosing 20+ minutes on this little game, it finally seems to be it
the right spot at the right length, and off down the trail we go. All
seemed fine for the next 11 miles. Then with the last vet check in sight,
that nasty right stirrup again comes off at a canter. At least this time I
knew what was happening and was almost stopped when it went off. Thought of
walkin the rest of the way to the vet check, but managed to get on and tied
the rope together ( this time the buckle had come off of the rope )
Heather and I Vet just fine, but this is where Katie and Sticky pull. After
getting all A's all day 'till now, Sticky's pulse just would not come down
all the way. Thanks again to Jim Bumgardner for helping try to get him to
come down, and then in seeing that Katie and Sticky got a ride back to camp,
while Mom and Sis got on down the trail. But we lost another 15+ minutes.
Exhaustion is creeping in. Muscle fatigue is nearing (ME) the horses feel
great. They walk with less encouragement than they needed this morning, but
move out with the least of encouragement.
So at 3:47 and 3:48 Heather and I cross the finish line. We were laughing
the last few yards, racing in at a walk. Well Gina has a much faster walk
than Annie, Heather just can't stand it and at the finish line, she reaches
down and grabs Gina's reins and "forges" ahead by a nose. We both were
laughing and just about fell off the horses. I did get off and walked back
to the trailers.
I have never seriously considered Gina as a longer distance possibility,
because she doesn't eat and drink well. Well, I may have to reconsider.
Same old thing on the first 30, didn't drink until 20 miles out, then
submerges her nose to the eyes and drinks heartily. When we get in for
lunch, she just rests, doesn't eat much ( as is her usual after a LD ride)
I always worry about her. Well we go out after lunch, she drink at EVERY
water we come to. GOOD HORSE.
She got back to camp, and she ate and drank until morning! We stayed the
extra night, alowing the horses and me more time to recover from the ride.
Katie and Stricky were just fine. No tying up as feared, just exhausted.
Eating drinking peeing and pooping just fine after he rested an hour or so.
All in all a great first 50, and yes I will try it again. I think we are
going to Lakeside Classic in April.
I wasn't sore except for my inner thighs, and I think that was because of
the stirrup troubles, not lack of shape on my part. Even my back and
shoulders were fine. I think the swimming I have been doing has helped
greatly there.
Well thanks to all for all of the encouragement too all of us race wanabees.
Becky Hackworth
Alpine Ca
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