My first 50!

[Cheryl Newbanks <horsetrails@inficad.com>]

Well we did it!  This weekend we went to Cinder Lakes/Flagstaff and did our
first 50.  What an experience<VBG>!  The weather was great, there were 36
horses in our field.  Tracy Stampke, Lancette Koerner (she did her first 50
too) and Joette rode with me.  We decided to start at the back of the pack
so Tracy's hot headed boy wouldn't blow a gasket.  I think we were the
second to last group to leave.  Our plan was to keep an even 7 to 8 mph
pace and finish in the back of the pack.  Joette said that if you keep that
pace we would start passing horses around the 40 mile marker.  We did too!

Blue was great, he vetted in super and vetted good through the whole ride
great, never got below a B on anything.  This was our first ride in
easyboots.  I finally pulled the front shoes and said heck with it I'll
ride with easyboots and foam.  BOY AM I SOLD ON EASYBOOTS!  It was like
having shock absorbers on, plus he had barely any fill at all the next day!
 The foam was pretty easy too, no problems.  Anyway Blue drank real good, I
didn't over electrolyte him this time and it was much better.  He ate at
all his stops too.  We stayed late on all our vc's and I think for the 45
minute hold we were 45 minutes late leaving.  Anyway Blue did better then I
did.  My knees started screaming in agony about mile 30 and never quit, I
lowered my stirrups and that helped for a while but they started back up
again. Really bad and I've never had bad knees.  I think I need to change
my stirrups I use the stock Big Horn Endurance one, regular western type.
So I'll be stirrup shopping this month, guess I'd better go read the posts
this week on stirrups!  Blue got a little tired the last 4 miles but not so
much that he didn't want to race with the group across the finish line.  It
would of been a great picture if I had remembered to ask hubby to bring the
camera!  Hind sight is 20/20 right!?  We finished better then we planned
coming in 17, 18, and 19th place.  Right in the middle of the pack.  All in
all we stayed over at least 1 hour longer in all our holds combined, so we
may of done rather well if we didn't stay that long.  But that is ok.  We
wanted to be careful with our buddies for our first 50.  

My body wasn't hurting as much as I thought it would the next day, but it
still hurts on day 2 after the ride!!!!  I have hurts in places I never
thought I'd had places in!  Tracy Stampke my dear buddy, had the flu the
whole ride and puked at ever stop!  After the ride she passed out walking
down the rode and her husband helped her!  Boy is she tough, I don't know
how she did it, she had a fever that evening too.  We'd say Tracy how you
doing, "oh I'm alright"!  Never complained about it, geez I'd of been
crying and moaning the whole ride!!!!  I guess it is true about how tough
we endurance women truely are!  

Blue recovered super, is home eating, no fill in his legs, didn't stay off
his feed for days like he usually does and the trailer ride didn't knock
him off his feed either.  WE DID IT!  YEAH!

   
                                 Cheryl Newbanks 
                ~~ ^ ^       Just In Time Ranch
~~~\   _  ~~/ /\ /       Buckeye, AZ
       ( )__     ) ' '        horsetrails@inficad.com
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