Washoe 50, 2000

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

Or rather, Why didn't I do the 100? :+)

It all started a couple of weeks before the ride.  The horses got their 
spring vaccinations.  You know how you try to do everything right for your 
horses, and end up screwing up? Well, that's what I did.  The horses got 
their 3-way and flu, then a week later the nasal strangles.  Rocky was fine 
throughout, but Weaver reacted from the start, and then the nasal strangles 
really messed him up. He ended up with hives, a hugely swollen sheath and 
basically was so sore all over you couldn't hardly touch him anywhere. 
:((  He would lie down constantly and not even get up or move for 
food......we tried bute for a couple of days and all that did was lower his 
temp 2 degrees but didn't help with the edema.  Tried some antihistamine 
and that helped, but now he's still got some edema although he is bright 
and alert and his normal self.  So in the meantime I need to keep him 
exercised. Though somehow I didn't think doing an endurance ride would be 
prudent.  <sigh>  (it also kept me from going to American River---awwwww)

So I ended up taking Rocky on the 50.  I really should have done the 100 on 
him, but for a whole bunch of reasons I just didn't.  He's too tall.  I'm 
too short.  He was due for shoes.  I was due for shoes :).  I have another 
ride in 2 weeks.....(excuses, excuses)  Of course, it didn't help that 
everybody that saw me just assumed I was doing it, asking me if I'd be on a 
team with them, or some other 100 miler talk that made me feel like I had 
great big WUS on my shirt!!!  Gee, thanx guys!  :+)

I got to the ride early enough so that I could take Weaver out on one of 
the loops.  He must have thought he was already entered in the ride, cuz he 
sure wanted to go down the trail.  Unfortunately, it didn't take the edema 
away so I guess he's going to be swollen for awhile.   I saved spots in 
camp for a couple of friends, one close and one far away.  When Sharon 
Westergard arrived her horse needed to have a shoe re-set (thanx Brian!), 
and then we went to pre-ride the start.  Brian said he'd reset Rocky's 
shoes for me if I'd do the 100.  ha!

How could I have missed the 100 mile start?  Both of my horses were outside 
pawing and rolling.  They just knew I was oversleeping!!  I tried, but no 
go.  I think I would have slept more if I had done the dang 100 instead of 
thinking all night long why wasn't I doing the 100?  Sheeeesh!

So I got up and got ready to start.  We begin up a nice long hill so the 
horses are usually easy to control.  My goal was to go a little slower on 
this ride and use it as a good conditioning ride.  I was feeling guilty 
about letting him go fast on his first six rides of the season and figure 
it doesn't hurt anything to make him go slow. Well, just my arms and 
shoulders <G>.  I almost gave in a few times but decided that I wasn't 
going to let him have his way, so I pulled him back and made him walk while 
several horses passed us and the others up front got far enough ahead that 
we couldn't see them any longer.  Rocky learned a new gait. The Skip.  I'm 
sure it looks just lovely too.  ;^0

We made it thru the first number check and spent some time there sponging 
and eating cookies :), then headed off to do the SOB's.  They really aren't 
so bad, and sure are a lot easier when you aren't doing them at mile 90. 
<G>  I did get off on the one steep one, and otherwise I rode the horse and 
let him trot up all of them.  Dr. Carlson has the misfortune of vetting us 
at the 25 mile point (uhhhh, sorry about that).....my two horses were 
calling to each other and I could hardly get Rocky to stand still long 
enough to get a pulse taken.  Though he did recover to 44, and I got asked 
how I taught him to toss his head like that when he trots out <sigh>.  The 
hour hold was spent eating and rubbing on his buddy (gawddd), then we 
headed out on the yellow loop - 20 more miles.  He still felt good and 
strong and I didn't have to hold him back as much.  I did let him trot up 
the steeper hills, and walk downhill thru the deepest sand.  We spent extra 
time at the number check on top so the horse could eat - he seems to get a 
strong desire to eat at about 35 miles.  Then we were off and cruised down 
Jumbo grade and back thru the nice windy trail and back into camp.

Now we had a 15 minute hold and back out for another loop of 4-5 miles 
along the beach. The timer was really nice though, and gave me an hour hold 
:).  He must have figured that I needed a break.  LOL.  so I wasn't really 
paying attention to my out time.  Let the horse eat and then went back over 
to the out timer.  They did let me go, even though I was late getting out I 
convinced them that I really was due out.  One of the riders that I came in 
with was already long gone, and the other person that I had come in with 
was still waiting for her horse to recover.  So we set off on our own, and 
I soon found myself struggling to slow the horse down again.  The wind was 
coming up, and waves were crashing on shore.  He really wanted to go fast 
thru the deep sand, and I just wouldn't let him.  I walked him into the 
finish line too, and they asked me if I was a 25.  Nope, a 50 (oh sure, no 
"are you a 100?")  ;^) The guy says, well you couldn't have been going that 
slow all day or you wouldn't be so far up in the front.  I wasn't that far 
up in the front though.  21 out of 90 or something like that.  I guess I 
should have tried harder. Maybe I did need an hour hold back there.......<G>

The vet at the finish said that they had a bonus loop I could do for extra 
credit.  Hey, if they'd have let me keep going another 50 miles I think I 
would have!  But later, it really broke my heart when the wind came up, it 
got cold and started raining <NOT>.  I hope everybody made it in off of the 
100 okay, without being too miserable!  (I was home in my hot tub, see 
there were some benefits of not doing the 100.....)

Awards were mugs.  Dinner was BBQ'd steaks or chicken, tons of food.  Great 
cakes too, for dessert!  They had a raffle afterwards with all the 
remaining people and I won a nice horse artwork thing (sorry, I don't know 
how best to describe it!).  I was on a team that also finished - myself, 
Jackie Bumgardner, Dominique Freeman, and Sharon Truax.  We got buckets for 
that :).  The trail was very well marked, plenty of water on the trail, RM 
did a really great job!!  pix are up, just click on the link below and then 
go to the Washoe Ride.

I think there were around 170+ horses.  The winning time on the 100 was 
11:19, and on the 50 5:01.   Kim Christlieb was first on the 50, and 
Jennifer Nice first on the 100. Jazon Wonders was 2nd, followed by Sharon 
Westergard.   Trilby thought she was last (on the 50), but she 
wasn't!  She's getting closer to 50K!!!  That's all I know, and for all I 
know I'm not even right about that!

Happy Trails,

Karen
in NV
& Rocky, 2,565 miles
& Weaver, 3,255 miles
http://members.xoom.com/ridephotos/