Rockbridge Hunt 25/50

["Snodgrass, Bonnie" <snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil>]

Just wanted to tell everyone what a great job the Bairds and the Rockbridge
hunt gang did with this really great ride. The terrain was challenging and
beautiful. Seems if you weren't on you way up, you were on you way down.
Almost all the ride was on privately owned land that Rockbridge hunts thru.
The landowners generously let us ride their land and opened gates to their
cattle fields. What I can't figure out is why several of the fields with
open gates had cattle still in them? In spite of the drought we've been
having back here there was more than sufficient water and the river at the
base camp was utilized for cooling horses, kids and dogs. This was River's
fouth 25 mile ride and the first one since we did the OD LD in June. I must
say we were both more beat after this one. Both rides got off to exciting
starts with several rider/horse combos taking spills. The ground was hard
baked with long grass and dew on it. I think Valerie Kanavy fell in the 50
and Sheri Devouassoux and her really fine gelding took a hard fall in the
first 1/2 mile of the 25. Sheri split her helmet open and her horse got a
puncture cut to his hip so they retired. Just behind them and right under
River's nose a young rider on a horse wearing easy boots went down too.
Sheri has a synthetic/rubber type shoe on her horse too. Looks like they
were just too slippery on the wet grass. Pete Wilson of Front Royal started
up front in the 25 and finished second. River and I couldn't keep up with
those big trotting Arabs and we eventually fell in with Phil Taylor of Great
Falls, Va.  I rode with both Phil and Sheri for a ways at the OD. Phil rides
his daughter's 16 yr old App that he has inherited. We just kept chugging
along, Phil and me, thru the first loop (oh my aching arms!) and thru the
hotter and slower second loop. I really appreciate Phil waiting for us to
clear the hold and start the second loop. We rode a long way on the second
loop without seeing anyone else. I was beginning to wonder where we were in
the scheme of things. I did have a tired horse for the last couple of miles
so we just putzed along. Phil's horse pulled a shoe about 1 mile from the
finish so he had to boot up to come on in. Anyway, River came in 13th out of
52 starters, 39 completions, Phil was right there too. Learned some more
things, gotta get up to the hills some more, gotta get fitter myself. My
shins were burning for most of the second loop, I think from all the riding
up out of the saddle on all the ups and downs. Actually had sore thighs and
gluteals for a couple of days. Will be back next year.

Bonnie Snodgrass