first LD (long and maybe boring to real endurance riders)

["Leo Schmidt" <leosch@minot.com>]

I have also been lurking for the last year, and I have decided to emerge
long enaugh to share my first ride story.
After training for the last 2 years and participating in a couple of novice
rides, I decided we were ready to try our first LD.
Last friday my friend DeAnne and I took off to the Fort Howes Ride in
Ashland , Montana. We arrived at the ridecamp about 6:00 pm, it took us a
little longer than planned because we took quite a few reststops along the
way. The horses tolerated the long haul very well and vetted in fine.
Brownstone  my 9 year old Arab gelding was sooo excited! All those horses,
this surely must be a special event!
After we set up camp and took care of the horses we had time to look
around. What a sight! It is so beautiful there. The ride took place in the
Custer National Forest and camp was on the Jan and Bill Stevens Ranch. It
started raining really hard when the ride meeting started, but within a
couple of hours it quit raining and everybody was feeling much better.
When we woke up it was cold and foggy, so we bundled up and got our horses
ready. Start was at 6:00 am. There were 18 horses at the start and I had
made up my mind to ride very conservative and for completion only. Criteria
was 64. So off we went at the back of the pack. My friend DeAnne
whose horse is well seasoned was somewhere in the front and I lost sight of
her soon after the start. I was paying close attention to my HR monitor
climbing up the foothills, since we had not a whole lot of hills in our
training ( North Dakota is pretty flat). Brownstone had no problem at all
with the hills and settled in nicely. When we got to the top of the first
hill, I looked back and I couldn't believe the magnificent view! The fog
was laying low in the valley, we could hear wild turkeys calling
and the sun was shining, truly a Kodak moment!
When we got to the vet check I got off, glanced at my monitor - 53- called
for P&R and started my hold. Brownstone drank really good along the trail
and at the vet check and was eating grass now
like he's been starving for a week. We trotted out fine and off we went
again. Some of the people I was riding with were still on their hold so we
left by ourself, and he wasn't very excited about that idea at first but as
soon as the other horses were out of sight, he settled right in again.
Some other riders caught up with me and we rode the rest of the way
together and we rode into the finish together. Brownstone was down to 52
right away. After our vet check (all A's except one B for gut sounds) the
vet's assistant told me to come back within the hour to present for best
condition. I was sure I heard wrong and asked again. No mistake, I was to
come back. 
Apperently 4 horses were pulled at the vet check and a couple more at the
finish. At the second exam all A's again except B for gut sounds. Our ride
time was 3:44 including 30min hold.
I am not sure where I ended up, I am guessing somewhere between 7th and
10th, placings weren't anounced, just top 10. Nevertheless I got a "TOP
TEN" T-shirt, and I don't think I'll ever take it off again! I am so proud
of my guy! He did a great job and I know HE had fun too.
Many Thanks go to Jan and Bill Stevens for putting on such a great ride! We
will be back next year. 
I would also like to thank my friends DeAnne Knapp (and Bill Baily) and my
friend Mary Eaton
for sharing all their knowledge and for going out of their way to help a
newbie like myself.
And Thanks to RIDECAMP! I have learned so much from this forum.

Jutta Schmidt 
and Brownstone ("when can we do this again?")

PS: please excuse mistakes with grammar or spelling, english is my second
language