Norco Riverdance

["Becky" <bechack@sierratel.com>]

Or, how we "Kicked it up a notch"

Again I had wanted to leave early, but just hadn't gotten around to packing
up Thursday.  Oh well.   Problem was it put me into LA on a holiday weekend
on Friday afternoon!  Ugh!   Made it without incident anyway, but it
probably took and extra 45 minutes....Oh well, we are still in good time.

We get to basecamp and I racing down the dirt road, I am so excited to be
here.  We moved 6 months ago, and I haven't seen most of my endurance
buddies since last year...It's old home week!   Pull right in, park and set
up.   No problem...Go to vet in and Heather's mare doesn't pass.   This time
it is more than a little.   It is right rear.  There is a little bit of
swelling in RR fetlock.  No heat.  Not tender to touch.  Look up the legs
and lo and behold, the right leg muscling is smaller than the left.  This
has been going on a long time.   Poor Heather.  She is upset.  Doesn't get
to ride.  We all had such a good time here last year, she really wanted to
do this ride.   Checking around camp, no one has an extra horse.  Oh well,
that is how it goes some days.

Marc on the other hand vets in with all A's, stood still for the vet, trots
out with the leadrope hung over my shoulder!  I am not even using my hands!
He is becoming such a trooper.  The vet laughs and gives him A for attitude!

Visiting with friends all afternoon....had such a good time.   Warned all of
my friends about how dark the bamboo tunnels are in the morning.!!!

I slept like a rock.  Don't know if it was the borrowed camper, or the
camping spot, but it was nice a quiet where we were.  O-Dark-30 still comes
early.  Got up took care of Marc, gave him his carbo load of grain (OK, hand
full of Omolene with probiotics!)  Tacked up, drank my coffee, had time left
over....we gots this down!  Marc isn't eating, but he is just standing there
quietly.  No dance-prance wind himself up on the trailer....such a good boy.
I Mount up, he stands.  We walk about, spot friends.  Was going to try to
ride with some of them, HA !!

This was a controlled start, just to make sure we were on the right trail!
There are so many of them leaving camp!  Marc walks so fast out of camp, we
find ourselves up front as they let us go!   So we are off.   Trotting and
cantering along.   The morning is lightening up, I can't say dawning since
it is overcast (yea!)  and after a little while we enter the now famous
tunnels.   Now, these are single track for the most part, weaving and
winding in out up and down the riverbed.   For the most part, some light
filters it's way in.  Sometimes it doesn't and the volunteers have put out
glo-bars for the start!!!!

We hit some of those tunnels and they were pitch black!   Marc never once
hesitated!   Just blasting down the trail.   I don't know how long we can
keep this up, but it sure is fun.   Left, Right, Duck!  "Kneenockers"
someone says.....left, right, left, smack right  waterbottle, misses knee,
loose balance, Marc jumps away from the thing hanging from his left side
(ME!)  I'm falling in slow motion...there are trees and short stumps
everywhere.....THERE!....sand with nothing....I land on nothing important
(Lt side of butt!)   Amazingly, I still have my horse by the reins!   He is
standing there, fidgeting a  little, but right there!   Up I jump....and off
we go!   Back to Turbo trot and just flying.....My Right knee is wet.   Look
down and my brand new water bottle is missing it's cap.....The impact with
the tree must have popped it off!  Thank goodness it wasn't my knee!   Pour
out the water....shove bottle back in to holder.

All of a sudden, we are all turning around?????But there was just a
ribbon...There is now a group of 25-30 of the leaders STANDING THERE looking
for the trail markers.   Maps are pulled out.....Someone yells out "I found
one"   so the hunt is on!   Everyone is taking off.   We are out of the
tunnels now....We have crossed the river 3-4 times now, I have lost
count....Marc is as good as gold.  The trail is going up a hill now, across
open space, you can see trail a long way off, just one or two horses at a
time.   We are still doing turbo trot mixed with some cantering.  This is
the same canter we found at Bridgeport!   Wow, what a rush....Zooming.....

Road crossing......zip across, then to the THE only hill of the ride.   Marc
just marches right up.  Ankle biter rocks to dodge at the top, Marc doesn't
even slow down for them.....up over and around....then flash....jump to the
right....Oh it's only Bobby Leiberman with her camera....HA.....Gotta have
something new at a ride!   Marc decides it was just a people, off we
go.....Down the steep hill, Oh hey, they moved the vet check to the bottom
here.   Cool.....I get off and walk in (or was that ski) down the hill.
Marc takes a big drink.  I look at my watch, it is 7:07!   I asked
again...How far did we just ride?   14.8 miles!!!!    You must be
kidding.....14 MPH....that is incredible....What a rush......  I sponge Marc
down.....I am hot.   I usually am at this point....didn't think too much of
it until Marc had a little trouble coming down.   Uh-oh.  What is this?
Sponge more, sponge more, try again...then someone says how humid it
is....Oh yea, that's it!!!    sponge more.   Pulse finally down....13
minutes....Will definitely sponge more better from here on out.....Vets
through just fine.   Bright eyed, looking for food.   The leaders are just
leaving...that means they are no more than 10 or 15 minutes ahead.   My poor
management of the high humidity cost us about 10 minutes....That's ok,
lesson learned.

Off we go, by ourselves again, but only for a couple of minutes....Up a
small hill, then it's just a cruise in around the fairgrounds, up a small
hill, then down a steep one.   I get off once again and jog down.   Hop on
at the bottom.  Off we go at a flying trot again...Catch up with Friend
Teresa Bitondo and Crystal.   We ride by a housing development with dogs,
horses, chickens, goats just a few feet away from the trail.  At a walk this
would have been no problem.  At a flying trot, things are appearing out of
the corner of the eyes quickly.....Get past this section, and we are back to
the tunnels for a short while, then out into the open, and there is
camp....ALREADY!!!   This is the lunch stop....It's 8:43!!!!    Pulse down
this time in 3 minutes!    Proper sponging Angie would be proud of!    Marc
vets through without a problem....best scores ever for him....and we must be
traveling twice as fast as normal!

Back to the trailer.   Loops back to camp are my favorite.   I am used to
being crewless.... this way I can pick or drop off stuff as needed.   I look
down at my normally clean shirt and I am a walking mud puddle.   No use
changing now, got another 25 to do.   I eat a tuna sandwich for lunch...did
I mention it is only 9am!    Eat, have my Guava juice, water.   Give Marc
more Omolene and probiotics.   He is not terribly hungry, but resting well.
Drank well when we came in.   Gut sounds were good, guess I shouldn't worry.
I can never seem to sit still at lunch....up down, up down....20 minutes to
go.  The leaders are just leaving....There is a lot of confusion as to where
the out timer is located.   She is back at the vet check, not  at the out
gate.  Then they are all off like lightning....galloping after each
other....This after 25 miles.....

10 minutes to go, I saddle up.   All is ready, walk back to the out timer,
then head out on trail....Marc didn't want to leave Annie....(Heather's
horse at our trailer)  but saw the other horses out on trail and was fine.
We pick up a trot and off we go....We are joined by Teresa B... Our horses
have trained some together before I moved North, and the adrenaline has worn
off, so they are cooking along just like a training ride....very comfortable
with each other.....We are yacking it up having a great time....I am having
such a great time...

..Now we are at the water trench...That is the only way to describe this
section.   It is not a crossing.   The trees and bushes and bamboo are high
overhead.  This is more like a CTR obstacle than something one finds on the
average endurance ride.   There is a trench about 6 feet wide and about 4
1/2 feet deep, and zigs and zags like the rest of the trail.   The end of
the trench is not visible from the entrance.  It is probably 100 feet long.
Well, Marc doesn't really want to go in, but does with encouragement, but
steps off to the right of where I was pointing him.   He immediately DROPS 4
feet and really surprises himself.   He didn't panic, bless his little
heart.....backs up a step, and moves over to the left where I originally
wanted him to go.   Not much better, but I know the footing is better than
the brambles he was in!   He snorts once, and moves forward.   What a good
boy....He just marches through.   I had tried to keep my feet above the
water, but about the time it got deeper by another 6", I got cramps in my
hips, oh what the heck....I needed new 1/2 chaps and shoes anyway!!!

Out  we come, the two riders behind me just follow us without a problem....I
flip over my stirrups and put wet squishy shoes down on the stirrups...oh
ish......  Oh well, it is getting warmer.   The sun is coming out a little.
I still don't have my sunglasses on and I am not missing them either.   Back
to the tunnels for a while, then in to Vet 3.   Sponge and he's down....3
minutes or so....good boy.   Most of the time at vet 3, Marc's trot out is a
bit sluggish.   Not today.   I am not sure if it was the carbos, the
adrenaline, or the lack of hills, but he bounces off for his trot out.   All
A's from the vet....We trot off down trail with Teresa, making great time.
Boy oh boy this is fun....

Vet check 4 before we know it.....this is just a pulse down and 15 minute
hold....We had walked in a short distance, loosened cinch, sponge, pulse was
12!!!   What a good boy....I am really loving this little guy....It's what 3
or 4 miles in to the finish....Marc and Crystal are just trottin' fools down
the trail.....I am having a great time, Marc has ears up and tail up, what a
rush....Up the hill to base camp....and the finish....It isn't even 1 yet.
!

I find out we are something like 17th place!   This was also an IAHA
championship ride, so there was lots of really good teams there...This was
by far our best ride.   Great vet scores, happy horse.   He looked better
than after some of our slower rides.   He was even perky at the final trot
out!  I settle Marc at the trailer with a smorgasbord of goodies.   Now it's
my turn.  I set up a solar shower in the horse trailer.   Boy this feels
good.   Finally get the sand and dirt out of places I didn't even know had
gotten dirty.!

Now it's time to lay down for a nap....oh did I forget to mention...Max the
CAT....our black bob tail cat from home stowed away in the camper!   Now the
two of us take a nap together.  Heather was out at vet 3 working as out
timer.....She is such a good sport......

Awards dinner   GREAT FOOD!!!!    Awards...the best.....Lynne still had a
sense of humor....I am not sure how...found out the trail had been sabotaged
and that they had it fixed within 10 minutes of finding out about it!   What
a network of trail workers this group was.    With markers in place, there
was no way to get lost....Arrows, flags chalk on the ground, LIVE MARKERS,
the local cowboys sitting there, most on horseback, just to point us on our
way.....always with a smile.   I tried to thank every one of them....Come to
find out the local saddle club is something like 500 strong....what a bunch
of troopers....they were already working on things to make next year better
before I left for home.....Will I be back!!  You betcha!   This was not only
a well run ride, the trail was fun, footing was great, the weather gods were
smiling as well.

Once again a giant THANK YOU  to Lynne and Pat (trail boss) and to each and
everyone of the volunteers at this ride.

Becky Hackworth
Coarsegold, CA

and TezMarc...750 miles and counting.....


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