Package Stores in Virginia

[TddWil@aol.com]

...or Old Dominion on the Rocks

Well, the 2 horses we had entered in the OD 25 managed not to self destruct 
the week before the ride, but I went lame. Woke up Tuesday and thought my 
right hip was going to explode. Doctor said I had bursitis (I am too young 
for this crap) and when I told him I was riding Saturday he gave me one of 
those really nasty looks. I told him I would look for someone else to ride 
Shadow, but c'mon, who was I kidding. It may just be a 25, but I wasn't about 
to miss it. 

So, Friday morning we pack up and go to pick up Jim and his horse. So of 
course one of my husband's customers calls on the cell phone and has to have 
something done right now. So the horses take a little side trip to Ocean City 
and then we finally hit the road. No major traffic problems (we have to go 
around the DC beltway).

So we get there in one piece and get the horses setttled in. Mine is in the 
corral and Jim rented a stall. He gets a stall next to a corner room (old 
tack room?) so he puts his tent in the room. The place is filled with Barn 
Swallows and he has one nesting above his tent. The horses vet in fine - 
Shadow seems to have slow gut sounds at times, I keep listening to him to get 
an idea of what is normal for him. We entered for the raffle horse (don't 
know who won him) and got some OD tee shirts. Got to see some Reactor Panel 
saddles (nice, but out of my price range - maybe they'll do a cheaper 
synthetic version). 

I met the Flemmers from WV and their gelding Razz who was also entered in the 
25. A friend of Jim's that used to board at the same farm also showed up to 
help crew. And of course most of the regulars were there. 

The pre ride briefing had a little comic relief. The head vet said "be 
careful out there - you're on a big animal with a small brain" and he pulls 
an orange sized ball out of his pocket - then he says "oh, sorry, most of you 
are riding Arabs" and pulls a MUCH smaller ball out. 

Next day, wake up about 4 and head down to get the best donut selection. Hint 
for newbies - get up with the 100 milers and go eat because they will snork 
up all the chocolate covered donuts. I watched the 100s and 50s leave and 
then went to tack up. Jim's horse had his normal minor explosion when he 
mounted up. Shadow is normally very sedate, but was doing alot of head 
shaking and some rearing. I ran back to get the martingale while Ellen Tully 
held the little knothead, but I didn't bring the breastplate to attach it to. 
She thought the bit was causing him to fight. I'm going to go back to a 
snaffle and running martingale. We started 1 or 2 minutes after the pack. The 
first half mile is blacktop. This is the LAST time I ride without borium or 
something similar. Mr. A-rab spooked at the first trail marker and his legs 
went out from under him. He layed down on my left knee (which made me forget 
all about my bursitis in my hip). I just knew he had to have pulled 
something. So I walked him off the blacktop, got on, and trotted down the 
trail. Perfectly sound. Well at least one of us is. We motored right along at 
our own pace and passed quite a few horses. The first 12 1/2 miles are alost 
all downhill to the river. In no time we were at the Shenandoah River - Jim 
said "it didn't look this big from up on that mountain" (we saw it last fall 
from a distance on another ride). That river crossing always makes me dizzy 
for some reason if I forget to look out ahead of me. The horses were already 
down when we got across to the vet check. As usual time flies and it was time 
to turn around and retrace our steps back to base camp - mostly uphill now. 

We made it back across the river without falling in a hole and met some 
people still on their way out. Shadow sulked a little because obviously we 
were going the wrong way. We stopped to drink a number of times because they 
were too hyped to drink on the way out. Six Gun (Jim's horse) drank very 
well. Shadow sipped a bit. I was a little worried. We got back to the base of 
the climb up to Skyline drive. We stopped to sponge and drink and Jim's 
sponge went awol. I got off to get it - I've been wanting to soak my feet in 
one of these nice cool streams for a few years now, and it felt GOOD. (all we 
have at home are stagnant, snake infested ditches - probably leaches too and 
I'm not gonna be the one to find out. )

Six Gun has plenty of go left but Shadow wants to walk up the hill - that is 
until he sees a couple horses come up behind him. Then he trots along, 
pulling on me. Over the top and down hill to the finish. We walk in past a 
group of people climbing a wall with little hand holds on it. And I thought i 
was nuts. 

We finish and they are already down. P and R for the 25 is at the finish 
area. Then we walk down to the vetting area. They both vet out fine, Shadow 
is not dehydrated and his gut sounds are good. He trots out a little slow, 
but I can only limp along so fast and he's just following me.  We settle the 
horses in and my husband and Jim go to get some medicinal liquid (silver 
bullets). They ask at a local store "where's the nearest package store?". The 
lady gives them directions and they drive off. They get to the "package 
store". UPS. Remember this, Howard, or bring your own supply. So they see a 
young guy leaning up against the building - he looks like the type that has 
the occasional brewsky. So they ask him "the question". He points to the UPS 
place. OK, maybe they don't understand "Delawarese". Then my husband uses the 
universal language - "where can we buy BEER?" The guy points to the 7 Eleven. 
They probably already passed  every 7 Eleven in town on the way to the UPS 
place. Oh, well, live and learn.

Thats about it - we rested the horses for a while and then packed up and 
left. Next year its the 50!

                            Shelly in DE - land of package stores, mosqitoes 
and rednecks without full dentition