Edgemont - The Novice

[Janice Taylor <JANUSTUDIO@compuserve.com>]

Hi all,

It had been at least 8 years since I had competed in distance riding and my
new partner is only a four year old Paint gelding, so I decided to put us
in the Novice division for our first endeavor as a team on this wonderful
sport of CTR.  Why I picked Edgemont as our first outing is beyond me. 
Even my riding partner (human) rolled her eyes a bit, but was more than
willing - so off we went. (Should have noticed that strange little smile on
her face.)
I had done this ride several years ago with my stallion in Open and the
memories of it have stayed with me all these years. It was a real bonding
experience.  But when my riding partner told me how tough 'the hill' was I
just assumed it was long, after all she was riding Novice at the time and I
thought it couldn't possibly be 'that' tough, Novice being easier to
accomadate the young horses, the inexperienced, the newbies, etc.  HUH!!!
Rider (the Paint) has proven he is a good camper, so I wasn't worried about
that part of it. He drinks and eats like it's his last meal no matter were
we are.  Even the long haul didn't seem to bother him.  His new friend,
Clark (the Arab) Mary Lynn's fine steed is a little more finicky, but we
all settled in nicely at the camp site.  It was hot, it was muggy, it
rained at the worst of times. But,  it was as I remembered it.  It was
really great to see old friends, and all the new, bigger and better rigs of
times past.  Got some great ideas as well.
The really heavy rain held off until the Open riders came in and checked
through, then just as Mike Bridges began the ride meeting, down it came in
sheets. Couldn't hear much above the druming on our umbrellas, but did note
his emphasis on -" stay in the rut, or else you will slide into the rut. 
The first two miles is a hard climb."  I learned from my last ride there,
that Mike doesn't have that much to say, but you'd better take note of what
he does say.  Then when one of the other riders got a little green when he
told us where we would start up the mountain, I was beginning to have those
little quivery thingies in my tummy.  Uh oh.
Then the rain really came down...  
As I climbed into bed, I was not a happy camper. I've always hated to ride
in the rain, and now that I'm older, I really detest it.  So, I annouced
that 'I' would not ride tomorrow if it was still coming down this hard in
the morning. Mary Lynn sighed.
The sun didn't actually shine, but the air was much clearer, just some fog
and some dripping going on, so we saddled up, and warmed up as the Open
riders went out. No one seemed to be able to decide weather to start out
with their rain coats on and over heat, or just  shiver a bit in the damp. 
I figured I'd do without that blasted rain coat, but I did tie it on. I was
really pleased with Rider's cool demeanor.  What a change from the Arabian
mind.<g>
So off we went at last, after an eight year break, with a new, young horse,
on one of the toughest trails I've ever tackled.  After a short jog over a
bridge and up the road, we turned into the gully and up the muddy bank,
with all judges looking on.  Had my mind set on going forward and guess it
went on down into Rider's legs, for he climbed and climbed and climbed. 
The rut was deep, sometimes as high as our horses shoulders, and rocky, and
very, very steep. It was hard going and sometimes tricky.  Rider had to
stop to catch his breath several times,  each time glanceing back to see if
I trully meant we were to continue on up and up.  It took an hour to make
the first two miles.  Sweat was dripping and I was worried about tye up,
this is not an Arab after all, Paints are not bred for this sort of going,
he's only four years old, maybe I haven't conditioned enough, my mind was
chruning out all the possibilities.  All negative.
The six & 1/2 mile PR came quicker than I anticapted, thank goodness, and
we were pacing well it seemed.  Rider was all eyes with the goings on, but
my cool drinking water on him, and fanning the pulse card had his heart
back down to 40 bpm.(10) Some of my tension vanished. Now all I had to
worry about was mantaining our pace, hoping he will drink (has yet to drink
on the trail) and getting over the next unknown terrian, before starting
down that trecherous mountian, on the same trail we came up.  The loop
around the ridge, was beautiful, the Rodadenderons(sp) were just luscious,
the roaring streams, magnificient.  North Carolina has some of the
prettiest trails in the country.  At one time when the fog was heavy and
the leaves dripping quitely in the green light, it was easy to imagine
ourselves moving through a medieval forest of times past.  I was actully
able to smile then.
The obstacle was fairly simple, stop and back three steps up a muddy bank..
Not so simple when your buddy has done it, then was asked to trot by the
Vet Judge while your on the bank.  But, training paid off, and Rider did it
well - at least I thought so, just got a 'fair' on my score card though.
Clark and Rider were being really p!ssy with one another, now that the
terrian didn't demand all their attention, so it finally came to a head
when Rider actully got his teeth on Clark's behind.  Clark kicked with both
hind feet and Rider swung out away and almost over a steep bank.  Not fun
at all, but at last they decided to cut it out.  Had some more good climbs
and a good watering hole.  Clark drank in the deep, Rider held to the edge
and sniffed suspiciously.  He was clinching his tail so hard, my plastic
extender for my crupper snapped.  We used the time to give them some wet
beet pulp I'd carried while I replaced the extender.  Wished later I'd used
two or even three.
Got back to the PR in good time, though Clark and Mary Lynn were chaffing
at the bit.  They're used to a much faster pace, and had to stay behind me
more than I'm sure was pleasant, because I begged her to.  That buddying
thing can be benificial, but also annoying. Thanks, Mary Lynn.  Again Clark
and Rider's PR were good, 44(11) each and no points off there.  Things are
looking good.
Then came the down hill home.  Yikes.
If it was hard and tricky going up, it was double scary so going down.
Rider is very careful, some of it being the Trail Horse (show) training and
the natural QH mind I guess, but I was very thankful for it here.  At last
he questioned me where he had to step down a steep slick rock into the rut.
He stoped, then stepped up on one of the sides.  Not good. I turned him,
squeezed. He didn't want to. Squeezed some more.  Mary Lynn is urging as
well.  "Kick that horse!"  (Mary Lynn never falls to cursing.) These Arab
people just have no patience though.<g> Finally he complied and slid down
on all fours at once. Pop, something snaped, he jumped a little, no room
for more, his head went up and he scrambled, I naturally thought the worse
-'he's broken a leg'. Got control and tried to maintain calm. "Your crupper
broke," came the answer from behind.
 Whew! Not good, but not as bad as I'd conjured.  "Can you reach it?" I ask
Mary Lynn.  "No." 
 So I stretch myself back until I can get my fingers on it.  Rider was
clentching it tightly. Got it off, looped it around my arm and proceeded
with the saddle riding up on his shoulders.  Poor guy, how can it get any
worse?
Of coarse it did get worse.  It began to rain in earnest.  Slip, slide,
scramble, slide, hold steady, go, go, go, down, down, down.
I hear this voice from behind.  "Can we stop so I can put my rain coat on?"
I try my best not to curse either. So kept it low before answering. "No!"
At last we're down, down the muddy slide, out of the gully and onto the
short road home.  I'm feeling real relaxed now, pat Rider's neck for the
uptenth time for a job well done.  Then, he refuses to cross the final mud
puddle into camp and timer. Guess he'd had enough. So up the bank we go and
finally in to get our time.  Made it.
Yes, it rained again at the awards, so could hardly hear who did what, and
it is darn hard to recognize people without hard hats and horses.  But -
Clark took 1st in CP!  Mary Lynn was all smiles.  And Rider took 2nd in
Novice. Yeah! Even I got a 5th in Horsemanship.
It was a challenge, not really, IMHO, a ride for novices, horse or rider,
but hey, once you've got Edgmont under your belt/girth, everything else is
a piece of cake!

Jan & Rider,  KY


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