renegade route

["Outlaw Trail" <otdumas@laplaza.org>]

Thank you John for the kind regard!  However.... being such a happy girl had
a great deal to do with just seeing that 285th mile!

We missed riding the first Renegade, and the year I lost my great O.T. Kid
Curry, but I have had the good fortune to complete 9 of the 11 Renegade's.
That I tribute to Kid who is in fact holds quite the outstanding performance
record overall to date.... I won't clutter this message with details as I
couldn't type for the tears!  My message is about preservation of trails!

First, kudos to one of the best vet's ever Dr. Nancy Crider!  This lady has
class and the ability to judge endurance horses beyond question.  She has
the horse in her heart and uses her professional wisdom to make sure he is
in the best of care.  Few Vet's have the ability to pull a horse and have
the rider feel like they just won first place....   As for Barney, well he
is adorable.... only because he has a Lovely wife Linda who has total
endurance and control over this "grizzly" teddy bear!  My respect and great
admiration for their dedication and superior care/concern on this ride
especially.

Second,  the Eiland family..... thanks for enduring.  Bailey Rose and Cody
promised to call me if their Dad neglects them or the "Queen" of ride
spouses, Carol Dee.  Sorry, "Queen" comes from a few Renegades ago when "CD"
was crowned at the Paloma dinner party in Mexico..... you had to be there!

My message.  Here we are, desperate to preserve our historic trail in the
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.  Although "we" are the land
owner, the land managers... in this case the BLM are mandating a 12
heartbeat limit of use.  Crockett Dumas was the very person who basically
found and routed the GREAT WESTERN TRAIL of which has become the "trails" of
our historic ride as well as for the nation.  Now, "they" are saying....
thanks for the trails and too bad you can't use them anymore.... we have
tour buses of Germans who want to walk 3 inches of them, French who want to
visit the slickrock water tanks to dip their feet in.... and .... well you
get the point!  WE AMERICANS the land "owners" (ie) EQUESTRIANS do not fit
into the mold!  Somehow "they" have forgotten that the entire GSENM was
discovered on horseback!  These same land managers have come to Crockett and
asked him where a certain trail is.... they have taken on the role of Magnum
PI to watch over our event and promptly gotten lost trying to find their way
home!  They have waited to see how the impact of our horses DESTROY the
environment.... only to have missed the entire band of OUTLAWS passing
through... not even capable of following their track home!

Our Outlaw Trail route is exceptional and at this time, critical to future
such Draft Management Plans (DMP) that will determine many endurance ride
trails all across the nation.  Should a mandatory "12 HEARTBEATS" succeed,
then rides such as the Renegade which day 2's route passes through a
wilderness study are, will suffer this same mandate.  Even with the rocks,
day 2's route is one of the greatest trails of the entire week!  Another
example..... just think about it the next time you ride 30 or 40 miles along
side the highway instead that beautiful cross country you can see would have
made a really fun ride!

Eiland's are facing more an more development .... the boarder HIGHWAY going
in on the once 2 track way.  Ranchers selling their property and our route
being re-routed to the side of a major highway where no one drives less than
80 miles an hour!  These are just a couple of examples..... but folks
everyone of us needs to get on the trail preservation band wagon!  Every one
who just likes to ride their horse somewhere other than an round corral or
the side of a highway better stand up in support and better take the time to
know your state congressmen address to send letters to.

We have been in earnest since 1978 protecting our Outlaw Trail TRAIL.....
non-stop, every year, letters, phone calls, meeting with the BLM and FS....
where would we be if not for 21 years of dedication!  Here in New Mexico the
access to the National Forest, a county lane was overnight fenced in a five
strand barbed wire lock out!  It took us over a year and "all else" to
reclaim this public land access.  We, the LAND OWNER, had to prove this 100
year old way was public use access just because one individual thought he
could "claim" ownership.

Bottom line..... support trails in any way you can.  Whether it is time
going to a county meeting, attending a trails seminar or sending in a
donation to the AERC Trail Preservation Alliance.... just do it!

Thanks for your time... if you read all this then thank you.... you really
do support trails!
Our Outlaw Best, Sharon


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=