My Tevis story--long

[Samm C Bartee <bartesc@mail.auburn.edu>]

Hey guys!!  Where to begin? 

I heard about endurance first late in 90.  And about Tevis!!!  I bought a
horse a month later and began training for my first LD ride.  In March of
;91, I did the War Eagle 25.  I cried all the way through the first loop
thinking I was killing my mare and too afraid to stop.  vetted through
great and finished up in fine shape. I was hooked!  
I started thinking then of the Tevis and my "one day" dream.  
This year, Jan of 98, I won an entry to the Tevis.  No way could I do it.
My Appy gelding is 18, semi retired and has arthritis. My young mare was
only 4 at the time and not nearly enough conditioning to even consider.  
My great friend Nina Gibson offered me her wonderful Arabian gelding
Coujur to ride.  I couldn't believe someone would offer me their horse?
their baby?  I took her up on it.  Have I mentioned that I am terrified of
heights?  Well, I am.  terrified.  The type of terror that grips you deep
down in the bottom of your stomache and makes you see black.  Some heights
are ok, some are not.  The mountains would be a special "test" for me.  I
had to be ready.  Also, for the past year, I had been powerlifting.
Being in shape is not hard for me, but cardiovascular shape?  hahaha..We
powerlifters do not do cardio work, unless it's lifting heavy weights as
fast as we can lift!  HA!  So, I gave up powerlifting.  Trained for a
mini-triathlon and completed that.   
So began the 6 months of me, a heavyweight rider, conditioning a wonderful
horse that has carried a FW his whole life!  YIKES!  
We had some ups and some downs.  He won a BC with me, we were pulled at
the finish line at OD50 for a cramp.  highs and lows.  But always forward.
I kept waiting for the shoe to fall and the trip to be cancelled. 
Have I mentioned my fear of heights?  I will.
I'm not rich, not even well off.  Hell, I can't afford to pay all my
bills, but I started a savings account and tried very hard to save at
least 1000.00 for this trip.  I also raise and train American Pit Bull
Terriers, very seldom sell them, and I sold a prized female pup to a very
lucky friend in Canada(hopefully she will be shown to the full extent of
her beauty and brains), and that money helped fund this trip. 
Another very good friend, Ivey Daughteridge from NC heard about me winning
the entry. She came forward and offered to crew for me! WOW!  Then, via
this forum, I met up with Cathy Adair.  She also offered to go crew, then
whined enough that another friend of hers offered her a horse to ride, so
now I had a crew and someone to split expenses and driving with!!  I am so
lucky!  I have many good friends and I am very appreciative of them all.
My husband was not at all happy about me being gone for 3 weeks, and my
father was extremely upset at his little (33 yo) daughter going off to, 
horrors, CA, so I got to hear how I was going to be killed
and how I better be careful and watch my back!  OK daddy.  sigh.  Two guns
and my best bulldog later, I was ready to leave.  
I have too many people to thank for me to even begin trying.  I found out
that my best bud Kathy Bauer was able to go as head of the group to try to
keep me in line while I was trying to do this thing.  Being from the SE is
the greatest place to be from. I had so much encouragement and help just
to even get this far.  I couldn't have done it without the whole SE group.  

The trip was uneventful and beautiful.  Have I mentioned that I am
terrified of heights?  Well I am.   We depended on the good graces of
internet friends to put us up while on the long haul out.  After picking
Cathy Adair up in MO, we went on to Wendy Millners place. She lives on a
mountain and when she tells you it's steep and scarey to
drive....BELIEVE HER!!!  I thought I was going to die!!  I spent the rest
of the night dreaming about slipping off mountain tops!  UGH...
Next morning and onward.  The trip into NV was great, beautiful driving
and easy driving.  We stayed with Nikki Reynolds, another ridecamper
gracious enough to put up with three wayward women and a friendly pitbull.
Two days there gave the horses time to graze in her big pasture and get
the travel kinks out.  She tried to kill us by taking us hiking up Sand
Mountain!!  Her son Shannon kept us all amused with computer antics and
movies to watch!!  I got to play slot machines for the first time in my
life. Lost a whole $5.00--last of the big spenders huh? 

July 30....Auburn CA.  5 days and 2701 miles later, we were
THERE!!!
I couldn't believe it.  Found the stalls, got the horses seen about, got
us seen about...sleep.  The next few days were a dizzying array of
sightseeing and some preriding. Met a lot of people.  Most were extremely
nice and hospitable. I couldn't have asked for more encouragement from
everyone! 
I have to say here that Larry S. was so great about answering all my
questions. And I had plenty.  I figured he would tell me one day to just
shut up and come on out...but it's not easy to figure what things are like
from across the country and he was very understanding of all my silliness.
 Larry and Corky were just awesome and this whole thing was
looking up, up, up!!  I can't believe how many people I met along the way. 
Cathy, Rebel, Coujur, and I all had our pics taken all week by the Net
bunch, Lucy, Lynn, Katee, Donna, Becky, who did I miss?  I know I missed
someone..that's why I hate thanking individuals when there are sooo many I
would like to thank!!  ANyway, all the net gals did a great job and my
family and friends were happy to be able to keep up with our progress that
way!!   Mike Sofen kept us all laughing. He's as funny in person as he is
on the net!!
On Thursday Aug. 6th, we moved up to Truckee. I met up  with Nick Warhol
and Judy Long. I was supposed to ride with Nick.  He was there when I won
my entry and  he offered to help "sponser" me through this thing!  Coolio.
Friday was a day from hell.  I love the preride vet in normally, but this
was nerve wracking!  When Coujur and  I  trotted for the vet we had to do
circles. When we got back to him, and he pronounced us looking good, I
thought I would pass out from holding my breath for so long!:-)
Well, nothing now but the little old ride!HA
Saturday morning came too early.  I slept, not well, but I slept. Kissed
my dog bye and saddled up for the start.  I had heard about all the dust,
so I had a bandana and  was prepared.
The start was not as bad as I thought it would be.  I stuck to Nick like a
tick to a dog!  Here in the SE, we start in a sea of fog. OUt there, it
looked just like home, but it was DUST! Yuck.  They were not kidding when
they told us about the dust.  Oxygen mask anyone?
The first part was pretty and  uneventful.  I was grateful.  I knew the
rough stuff was ahead.  Squaw Valley, I was overawed.  The climb was long
and slow and easy if I didn't look back and down.  Over the top and  past
Watson's Monument. I got  a huge lump in my throat looking at that.  Just
knowing what a strong bunch of people it took to make that sort of trek
was extremely humbling.  
The Granite Chief Wilderness was lovely. I held my breath a few times over
some of the rocks. Nick was great and kept up a good conversation so I
didn't crack under the stress. I met some more great people out on the
trail, whos names I can't remember. It was good having Brian and Karen
there, someone else to chat with!
The first trot through went great, Coujur finally started sucking down the
water and I felt better!  So far, he was having no trouble picking up and
putting down his feet. The next stop for water he drank even more!  This
is looking good.  
HEre is the ROCK! Cougar Rock. Everyone said how No Hands Bridge was not
as bad as it seems and on preriding , they were right.  Cougar Rock. Just
saying the name still elicits a fear in my soul, deep down.  I had to go
over it. I just had to.  I looked, Nick said "time to choose" and  I stood
there looking. There was noone in front of me going over. That was not
good. I could see the arrows. I got tunnel vision, very  focused.  I
started crying. I cried all the way up it. No telling what the pics will
look like.  I remember the arrows, I remember a man with a red shirt at
the top.  I KNOW I trusted my horse and he didn't take a wrong step.  I
was shaking so bad at the top I could barely  talk. I remember saying "we
did it!"  I may have shouted it, I don't know.  I just know I  was shaking
and poor Coujur must have had some  very mixed signals from my legs cause
I couldn't keep them still. 
Cougar Rock is one of the biggest things I have ever done in my life.  
Robinsons Flat is just ahead and the vet check was like
organized pandemonium .  I finally got in the right lines and things went
smoothly from there on.  
Nick and I got out on time and we were feeling good. The horses were
feeling great!  It was cooler than everyone thought and that was a good
thing.  No humidity!!  WOW.   At Dusty Corners, Coujur and  Shatta looked
great trotting out. No problems.  On to Deadwood.  
I didn't realize that there was going to be something like Cavenaugh
Ridge.  That was scarey!!  We were going along fairly well, and  suddenly
it seemed I was out in space.  I had to keep up with Nick, now I had to
walk.  I pulled Coujur into a  walk and he didn't like that Shatta seemed
to be leaving him, so he tried to trot and stumbled. I remember thinking
that if I came off him, my head would hit the mountain.  I had on my
helmet.  I refused to think about the other option, the drop off the side
of the ledge..I could hear rocks and stuff tumbling off and  not landing
anywhere.  YIKES!
He recovered and we were heading down into the first canyon. I  got off
and hand walked the  whole thing. It was too much to jog, I sure knew he
needed the  break and  it felt good to walk.  Finally, the river, Coujur
drank the bottom out of it!  We crossed the swinging bridge.  It was sort
of fun.  Not so high up that I was too scared, but it felt ok crossing it.
Now for the climb!  I fancy myself in decent shape. I can walk forever, I
can jog 2 miles. Not there!  The altitude got me.  I rode him up as long
as his HR was under 125, then I got off and tailed up til I couldn't
breath anymore.  Then I got on and rode up again til the HR hit 125, then
off and tailing.  Then I saw it...Devil's thumb!  It was awesome and I
didn't realize that meant the top. Next thing I knew we were at a water
stop!  Coujur drank and  drank and drank...and I got my breath back.  
2 miles to DeadWood.  I felt Coujur take an off step and  then nothing. I
had no idea he was off.  At this vet check, the volunteers were
everywhere!!  they were everywhere at the others too, but really were
here!  I got the news that Coujur was out and  that was that. I  was
disappointed, but of all the pull places I heard of, except maybe
Foresthills, this was the best to be!  A really nice man trailerd me and
another lady out and that was a quiet ride. If she had finished there, it
would have been her 10th buckle. I felt bad for her. 
We made it back to Foresthills, got my trailer and loaded Coujur up and
headed home. I found out that Cathy Adair had pulled at RF, sigh. that
made us 0-2 . 
Got back to Auburn, took care of Coujur, took a shower, and crashed!!  I
heard riders come in all night.  I kept listening for people I knew. Many
I was rooting for didn't finish, but Nick, Karen, and Judy did finish and
that was good!!  
I keep asking if I am going back and when?  well, I don't know that I will
go back anytime soon. It's a long haul and takes not just money but a  lot
of planning for me and my family.  I would like to one day go back!! Yes,
I know...I'm crazy, but that's what keeps us all riding right???


That's all from me now.  


Samm C. Bartee
SE region
#9432