City Slicker Ride - My first in 6 years (long)

[EAMULE@aol.com]

HI!

I finally did it.  I scraped up enough courage and did my first ride in six 
years and had a great time.  My last ride was at Natchez Trace in '93.

In no small way did Ridecamp help me do it.  Several months ago I posed a 
question to the list about fear.  I got a lot of encouragement and empathy.  
I began not to feel so alone with my fear.  Thanks again.

Last fall I started taking riding lessons.  With a very understanding 
instructor and good school horses I started jumping.  At the end of January I 
had an opportunity to buy back my mare I had sold in '97.  She was my 
endurance horse in '92 & '93.  I was so excited to get her back, but scared 
too.  My instructor got Emily and me working together again.  I even jumped 
with her last Sunday.

Okay, now for the ride.  My plan was to start the 25 miler after everyone 
else was out of site.  Another rider, Dolly Gibson, wanted to do the same.  
(Dolly hauled my mare to the ride.)  We were joined by a Ridecamper from 
Illinois, Carol Wingate.  She wanted to start slow, too, so the three of use 
just eased into the ride without a hiccup.

I expected Emily, my mare, to be overly enthusiastic.  This was the first 
time she had been ridden outside of an enclosed area in over a year. I think 
she had done some eventing, but she had been turned into a hunter/jumper and 
dressage horse in the year and a half away from me.  As it turned out she was 
terrific.  She had lots of impulsion and interest to go, but was totally in 
hand.  I was breathing much easier.

Carol's Appy mare was ready to move on so Carol left us and we didn't see her 
again until the ride was over.  Dolly was on a 5 y.o. Arab gelding who was 
doing his first ride.  Dolly and I just hit a nice steady trot.  

The only bobble I had before the 13 mile vet check was about 2 miles into the 
ride. We were doing a nice posting trot when Emily stopped dead in her 
tracks.  I went over her shoulder.  My slow motion thoughts were I was going 
to hit the ground!  I grabbed her neck and hung there with my left heel 
holding to the seat of the saddle.  I called to Dolly to stop.  Emily stood 
transfixed looking at something in the distance until I clawed my way back 
into the saddle!  I gathered up the reins and we continued on.  

The rest of the ride to the vet check was wonderful.  Just like old times.  
Dolly's gelding wasn't very happy passing some big, noisy farm machinery, but 
we made it through.  

Just to give you an idea about this ride it is in the center of Shelby 
County.  It is the largest county park in the country.  It used to be the 
Penal Farm.  It is a multi-use park with bicyclers, soccer players, BMX 
track, people with loose dogs for Dog Day in the Park, joggers, cross country 
event coarse, wind surfers on a lake, picnickers, ducks and geese on ponds, 
and did I mention bicyclers?  

The only challenging part of the terrain is the terracing on the rolling 
hills put in for erosion control.  They are like speed bumps on a road.  I 
didn't like trotting up to one and not know how "deep" it was on the other 
side.  We just walked over them.

It was at the vet check when Emily started getting a bit fractious.  She 
wouldn't settle down for the PR person.  If she thought her buddy was going 
to leave her the HR readout would shoot to 78.  She really would have passed 
PR fairly quickly because she was hanging at 64, but that particular PR 
person as it turned out was looking for 60.  Criteria for that check was 64.  
That frustrated me a little, but finally Emily was down and we headed for my 
truck we had parked there earlier for hay and water.  

I am glad I had put Emily's cooler in the truck.  It turned really cool at 
the vet check and Dolly's horse was shivering before she could get his cooler 
on him.  Emily passed the check with all A's except for cap. refill and 
membranes.  Her gut sounds got a 'B', also. Being so cool she didn't think 
she needed to drink.  Overall score was A-.  Her pulse for the trot out was 
something like 47 and dropped to 42.  

We had trouble finding the blue ribbons getting out of the vet check, but we 
were finally on our way again.  The surveyor flags took us by the cross 
country jumps.  Somewhere around there Emily started shaking her head.  I 
decided her curb chain was twisted and too tight.  (My parents had met us at 
the vet check and after I got on Emily to leave my mother hooked the chain 
for me.  She doesn't know anything about horses and I didn't think about 
telling her to make sure it was not twisted.)  Anyway, it was the beginning 
of the bad part of the ride!

After a few miles of this Dolly got off her horse to fix the curb chain.  
Emily was really starting to fidget.  She was running backwards, side 
stepping and being a general pain you know where.  It finally dawned on me 
her problem.  We were back on the original part of the trail and she KNEW we 
were heading back.  She was ready to get back to the barns!  

In her agitation I think we either bumped into Dolly or her horse, but the 
result was Durango was loose.  I tried to block his path, but he ducked his 
head and he was flying down the trail without Dolly.  I thought my heart was 
going to stop.  Of course, now Emily was seeing her buddy leaving her and she 
was very unhappy.  It was time for me to get off!  I was in the process of 
swinging my leg over her rump when Dolly hollered I should get off!  No 
encouragement needed!

We both had the thought that when Durango realized he was alone he would come 
back.  Where he was running to was where we rode under a four lane bridge 
over the Wolf River.  IF he went under it by himself with all the traffic 
noise he would then have access to the divided four lane road.  From where we 
were we could see where he would come out if he did go that far.  I was 
scared to death.

We started walking and Emily was a total jerk being led.  Finally after what 
seemed an eternity here came poor Durango hauling freight with stirrups 
flying!  He ran to us then veered out into the field beside us.  Dolly walked 
up to him and she had him.  I started breathing again.

Just an aside about Dolly, outwardly she was pretty calm.  I was apologizing 
like crazy, but she was saying things happen.  

Emily was still prancing and dancing and due to my fatigue and her height I 
couldn't get back on not to mention my confidence was falling fast.  Two 
women rode up about then and offered help.  One got off a Paint as tall as 
Emily and tried to give me a leg up.  Didn't work. I told everyone to go on 
and I would get along. They wouldn't hear of it.

Out of nowhere another woman walked up from a Jeep.  I don't know if she was 
with the ride or a group of runners, but she got me up and the other girl 
asked her for help to get back on her horse!  It was a circus!!   

We were on our way.  For the next 7 miles Emily did a very collected jigging 
trot.  She was under control except for that blasted trot.  I was dying 
needless to say.  Dolly worked her horse in front of us trying to block Emily 
and get her to walk.  I did let her move out a few times to trot and canter 
once, but my ankle by then was mush not to mention Emily was faster than 
Durango and we couldn't leave him.  

Nothing worked until we finally got back in the woods along the river and we 
had to go single file and Emily relaxed and walked.  The blood going back 
into her jaw had to feel as good as the blood going back into my shoulders!  

From there on she walked beautifully even across the last field to the finish 
line.

We got off to walk to the vet check.  Emily and I were walking on a grassy 
median strip on the driveway going to the barns.  All of a sudden I twisted 
my ankle and fell to my knees and Emily bumped me and I went down to my 
hands.  The last insult to injury!  

We vetted out and she got all A's and one B for gut sounds.  I told her she 
made the honor roll!  She practically dragged me on the trot out!

I am ready to go again, but I hope on the next ride the trail doesn't back 
track and Emily doesn't know where she is or how to get to where she wants to 
go!

There were other mishaps to others on the ride.  One girl was thrown and 
broke her collar bone, but was obviously a trooper about it.  There was a 
small wooden foot bridge over a shallow runoff stream that a horse fell 
through.  I am sorry I never heard if the horse was hurt, but I think I would 
have if it had been.

Emily hardly looked like she had done a ride.  She drank well when we got to 
the park barns and after she got to her own barn.  Sunday she was prancing 
and dancing all over the pasture.  She was ready to go again.

As I hobbled to work today with all my sore muscles I am proudly wearing my 
completion T-shirt!!!!  

Ellen and the tireless Emily
Memphis




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