Biltmore

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

Just back from Biltmore. HAD A GREAT RIDE!!!!

Like Steph already described, there were acres and acres of big aluminum
trailers, then one little gray and primer  2 horse, then a zillion more
aluminum rigs.  My gosh, I finally get a 3/4 ton truck and everybody else
has to get a semi!  But, I had the last laugh, came in after all the
great spaces were gone (pretty early Friday) but there was a slot that
ONLY A 2 HORSE could fit in just about 100 feet from the vet check
(compared to some up to 1/2 mile away). For those of you who kid me about
being lucky....well, there were no trees available for my picket line,
but "no problem" my next door neighbor Debra LaCommette's husband offered
me their "spare" metal corral. :-D

 As Samm Bartee said to me, "I see you're slumming it this weekend". 
Actually, I was "traveling light".  After taking my brother's big rig,
and the whole family, plus Bekki Crippen to the last ride, I thought it
would be nice to just travel REALLY light.  In other words, me, Kaboot,
the 2 horse, and 4 sandwiches. >g<I slept in the truck seat (ahh it's
nice to be 5' tall) and life was oh so simple.

For those who've bothered to follow my soap opera...Kaboot had been grade
1 after several rides and I was pulling my hair out.  We made some Jaye
Perry induced shoeing changes, x-rayed joints (looked good) decided to
give joint supplement anyway and hoped for the best. 

There were 136 horses entered in the 50.  125 started, 86 finished.  We
were 14th and didn't have so much as a "minus" on any of our straight
A's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Talk about a happy occasion!  Had another vet step
away from the horse she was vetting while Kaboot did his completion trot
out and shout to me, "You've got a LOT of horse left" :-D  Can you tell I
was smiling a lot? :-D :-D :-D   I know my extreme sunburn is going to
look really weird with those white streaks once I quit smiling. Kaboot
was as loose as could be last night, trotting on the end of the lead when
I took him for a walk.  No puffiness, such nice tight legs.  LOVE that
horse!

Now about the ride.  It got pretty hot.  About the norm for Biltmore. 
There were lots of metabolic pulls.  I passed 2 horses that were tying up
on the first 19.8 mile loop.  I had the sponge out almost from the
beginning and Kaboot never seemed hot until about 2:30 when it got bad
for awhile on the last loop, which is the steepest.  I had decided not to
even think about placement, so I never asked what place I was in.  I was
really surprised to be 14th.  There were lots of riders who got sick. 
Apparently barfing off your horse was the norm and Teddy should come up
with some sort of splash guard for the poor horses.  Since I was
traveling so "light" I hadn't even gone to the store for this ride, so
rather than my usual Gatorade, I had put in a carton of Tropicana Orange
Juice "plus Calcium".  I was a little careful about how much I drank at
the first check, but once I saw it didn't bother me, I drank almost an
entire quart during the ride.  I felt great, that might have been a good
thing to learn about.  One rider had problems with his own heartbeat
becoming eratic from lack of electrolytes.  Not something to fool around
with.

One thing I did see...that was that the vets made VERY SURE that the
ACCURATE reason for pull was recorded.  Absolutely no doubt in my mind
that they were determined to get good data.  They insisted that every
horse be  vetted thru (even rider option) and I heard them discuss the
rider options...as in, "yes she really did have a good reason"  Duane
Barnett emphasized at the ride meeting that "There is no shame in not
finishing one of these rides", that they were just trying to supply
accurate data.

Nina and Goat looked great.  She went prancing by my trailer with a grin
and I said, "How much longer do you have to go" and she said, "I'm
through!"  Heck, we were still waiting for one of my friends to finish
the 50!  Goat looked great.  In the BC scores for the 100, the top three
horses were seperated by ONLY 2.5 POINTS!!!!

Ken Marcellas DVM was the one who treated horses.  He said the vetting on
the flat this year, rather than having the horses climb the big hill to
the vet check seemed to help get rid of the "Biltmore Syndrom" cramping
horses.  They were running profiles on some of the horses who needed
fluids and they were really low on Potassium, even though they were
giving electrolytes.  I've done the 100 at Biltmore 2 times, and the 50 4
or 5...(Spring and Fall every time except the first one when I was
injured).  I've only had one pull and that was when I used some
electrolytes that I'd won at another ride and he thumped. (you know, the
dumb "any sport" kind)  Anyway, I used home made, and gave them every
hour.  That means I had to stop on the trail 1/2 way through the first 2
loops.  I think that's a mistake lots of people make on this ride is
getting behind because the loops are so long.  Kaboot was great, even
though....for the first time ever I forgot to dose him at the last check.
:-P  He'd already had about 4 doses, and rather than turn back I just let
him eat a lot on that loop.  That's why I was so shocked to be 14th.  

Great awards, They gave top 20 awards!  Thankyou ABC for the donation of
a bucket of stuff.   Also got a bottle of saddle oil for 3rd lightweight.
  2nd place, Joan Rash got BC in the 50, Joy Mayler won, Kathy Moyers Tow
3rd, Debra LaCommette 4th, don't know the rest except Suzanne Solis tied
with me for 14th. 

Steph seemed to do well, of the nominated horses she was 2nd or third I
think...I'll let her tell that.

Drove up at home to see my 10 year old trot down to meet me on her pony. 
What a great weekend! 

Angie (can you tell I'm in a good mood?)

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