Re: Oregon Dunes Weather

[Lucy Chaplin Trumbull <elsie@calweb.com>]

Darlene M. Anderson wrote:
> 
> ...There were lots of sore horse's rears on this ride. 
> The horses really had to work out on that sand.
> ...
> The hardest part of the whole thing was, of course, the sand. 
> Mostly wet and soft. The single best part of this ride for me 
> was the 10 miles of ocean front beach riding!! With the wind! 
> It was so awesome...you could really move out if you rode right 
> where the waves washed up.

This sounds like heaven (except, of course, for the rain). I know
someone said that RM Tony is going to try and move this ride to a bit
earlier next year (which of course, will make *all* the difference
to the rain. Not.), and from the reports that are coming back, it 
sounds like this is a ride to be added to the list for next year.

But one question - if you don't have a chance to train in sand
(except for a patch about 100 m long, not much of that where we
train), is doing this ride a real no-no?

I know you need to train in whatever you're planning to ride on,
but if you can't do that, is your horse really going to hate you
if you ask him to slog along for 50 miles in this stuff?

I'm not talking about racing, just going for a completion...?

> Donnie Scott ... said that his horse, Ed, actually wanted to lay down! 

Agh. I'd forgotten about that. There's a part of the Western States
Trail -
maybe three miles after the Poverty Bar river crossing, when you're
riding 
on the south side of the American river before you get to the Quarry -
where
the trail turns to lovely fine sand. 

We were riding there last summer, and my friend's horse just collapsed 
out from under her - having made that split-second decision that he
really 
*needed* to roll (seldom have I seen something more amusing on a horse
<g>). 

More fool me. Next time we were going along the same stretch, Provo 
suddenly went all weak kneed on me. It's one of the only times I've
really 
booted him one in the ribs with my heels.

I'm guessing that fine sand must look just like a hot tub to horses -
they
just can't resist it...

Hmmm. Maybe I should rethink wanting to do the Oregon Dunes ride? 
50 miles of trying to keep the horse on his feet, may not be so much 
fun afterall. <g>


-- 
**************************************************************
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull - elsie@calweb.com
Repotted english person in Sacramento, CA 
http://www.calweb.com/~elsie

with Mouse and Provo
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