Fwd: Swanton--All I wanted to do, was finish!

["Kathy Myers" <kathy@nvolve.com>]

I'm forwarding this to ridecamp from Kathy Ruiz.
'Nuff said.

:)  :)  :) - Kat Myers
in San Mateo, CA with Magnum the TB ex-racer
and Mr Maajistic... resident endurance Arab

***************************** From Kathy Ruiz ***********************
>Hi All,
>
>Well, this was our second Swanton ride. I was really looking forward
>to it this year, as I felt Alaarm (Fire Alaarm) was really strong. Plus,
>I train on some of these trails. And not to mention, Barbara and Lud
>McCrary go above and beyond to put on the most organized ride with some
>of the best volunteers.
>
>Anyway, I will try not to make this too long. At about 22 miles, we were
>trotting at a pretty good clip and all of a sudden a car comes around the
>corner (this is a nice wide dirt trail where you definately don't expect
>to see a vehicle) and Alaarm just came to a perfect halt. Well, my body
>was sti-ll in forward motion, and my right hand went against his neck to
>stop. I didn't come off, but my hand kind of snapped. (Alaarm is very
>used to cars, so I just don't think he was ready for it, who knows).
>Well, we kept going and I noticed it hurt to use my right rein. At this
>pont he was incredibly strong. He knew where he was. Not too far from
>home. So I just rode with my left hand. I looked down at my right hand
>and thought that I just dislocated my pinky nuckle as the pinky and ring
>finger were collapsed looking. So, I tried to snap it in place, but
>that just hurt like hell! I came in to my waiting crew (Bill Milliot,
>Therese Kollerer, and Lynn Jackson) at the 1st vet check (34 miles).
>Alaarm's pulse was at 42 so we p&r'ed and let him eat. I took my glove
>off and Bill said your hand is broken. I found Barbara McCrary and she
>found me a nurse. The nurse said she didn't think I should go on.
>I asked Barbara what she thought. I said Alaarm feels so strong, I
>hate to drop out now. I kept thinking if I drop out now I can just
>walk him home (the vet check is only a half mile from my house). But
>I didn't want to drop out. So, another nurse came over and grabbed
>the vet Roger (don't know his last name) and they made a nice splint
>out of artificial insemenation tubing and wrapped it up good and then
>put a nice ice pack on it and wrapped that on with purple vet wrap.
>I took several Advils, my crew vetted the horse in and fed me and I was
>off. I decided to try to get to the airstrip (the 2nd vet check) and
>see how I felt. I knew there would be a trailer there, so if I needed
>to drop out I could.
>
>Well, I made it in (I think 50 miles at that check). Dr. Roger was there
> and changed my ice pack. Steve and Janet Webb and their two neices
>took care of my horse. I vetted him through, took more advil and we
>were off again. Came into Cascade (mile 69 vet check) and was starting
>to feel a bit sluggish. Barbara Sanchez told me I should rest and let
>my crew take care of the horse, and so I did. They changed my socks and
>put a nice clean saddle pad on Alaarm. He ate well and took a nap. I
>popped more advil and was off. I hooked up with 16 year old, Julie Caprino
>and our horses along with Gertie Walker on Izzy were doing a nice clip
>on the chalk ridges. Well, around 75 miles, my stirrup snapped and
>came completely off. There was no way to repair it, so I left it there
> and Julie helped me lower my stirrup leather and I rode that way until
>the 4th vet check (84 miles). Well, somewhere around 79 miles we crossed
>the slippery falls. And are they ever slippery. Alaarm was last of
>the three to cross and he slipped and I rolled right off into the creek.
>Julie grabbed Alaarm and I hopped back on (well, kind of drug my
>soaking body on) and off we went. This is a nice flat section so we
>went at a pretty good clip. I started to get a bit cold. We came in
>to the 4th vet check and my crew wasn't there. They got the times
>mixed up and thought I was coming in at 8:30 instead of 7:45 p.m. Well,
>one of the P&R people, Michelle from Santa Cruz took my horse, and
>P&Red him then took him to some people that I didn't know, but who
>took very good care of my horse (they put a cooler on him, fed him
>and vetted him through. Some of the volunteers (the Monterey Equestrians)
>gave me dry cloths, took me to their camper to change, then sat me
>in front of the propane heater, gave me hot chocolate and coffee, tried
>to feed me and really took care of me. Then Dr. Roger came over and
>brought me a fresh ice pack. Michelle loaned me her stirrups and then
>I was off again with Julie. She kept an eye on me, as I was feeling a
>tad bit quesy at this point. Our horses were still strong and it was
>getting a bit dark. We made it into the 5th and last vet check (mile
>94) pat about 9:50 p.m. My crew was waiting for me and again took care
>of me and the horse. Dr. Melissa Ribly said Alaarm looked much better
>than I did.
>
>So, they sent us off to do the last 6 miles. Julie said we were in
>11th and 12th place. I said, well you can have 11th, since you stayed
>with me. Alaarm led the way up Powerhouse Grade. He felt great and
>used his incredible power walk and just boogied up it. Then I let
>Julie lead the rest of the way to the finish. Both horses knew
>they were almost done when we reached the field. Alaarm wanted to
>canter so bad. I let him for a little bit, but kept picturing this
>big trip and me flying over his shoulders right before the finish,
>so I checked him back to the trot. We finished at 11:45 p.m. and
>in 12th place.
>
>When I vetted him in at the finish, head vet Jim Steere and Dr. Roger
>gave me a big hug. It felt so good to finish. Jim said that if
>I didn't have all these mishaps, that Alaarm could have easily top
>tenned and BC'd. Oh well. I was just pleased to finish with a horse
>that still had an A on impulsion. The next morning, I took him for
>a walk and he was dragging me all over.
>
>I want to thank everyone at the ride for the words of encouragement.
>If it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't have made it. Mike Maul and
>Linda Cowles would give me updates on the folks that asked how I
>was doing. Mike your summary of the ride was great! And especially
>thanks to my wonderful horse, Fire Alaarm!
>
>To finish is to win!
>
>Kathy Ruiz and Fire Alaarm
>
>P.S. Sorry about any typos. It isn't easy to type with a cast on. I
>ended up going to emergency yesterday and have broken my 4th and 5th
>metacarpals. They said Dr. Roger made a great splint. If any one can
>give me his address and last name, I would like to send him a thank
>you note.
>