Montana accident--long story

["John J Lykes" <SEEINGSPOTS@prodigy.net>]

My husband witnessed the accident at the Posse Ride and says he had never
seen anything as violent.   Also, these were two experienced 50 mile riders,
not wild eyed LDers bent on mayhem.  My riding buddy Marsha and I finished
about 5 minutes or less behind them and the doctor was still laying on the
ground with people around him.  What I gather from alot being said about
this on ridecamp, is many people do not realize how this camp is laid out.
There is one entrance...period.  On the left is a steep bank and some
benches, on the right are trailers, corrals,etc and further up this narrow
slot are the vet checks , the finish line and more trailers, all on the very
edges of the entrance road.   In essence, the riders were coming up a narrow
slot.  This is not meant to malign the Posse.  This was a  well run ride,
and given the terrain and what they had to work with it worked pretty good.

Probably a quarter mile or less from the finish Marsha and I stopped our
horses and got off to loosen thier cinches and walk them in.  Perhaps that
is where the notion that the riders were  LDers, since we were riding the
the 25.  However, blazing saddles we are NOT.  While we were loosening
cinches a small red pickup went sloooowly by and turned onto the road into
camp.  About then three riders passed us and hit the main trail/road at a
run.   The third rider pulled up and didn't join the race in  The good
doctor's trailer was parked at the edge of the vetting area, and he was
sitting in a chair along side the road.  My hub was walking up the road to
the finish line when he heard the commotion behind him and jumped out of the
way, as did two of our friends who were walking behind him.  The red pickup
hadn't gotten to where the doctor was sitting, but was approaching slooowly.
When he heard the commotion , he jumped out of his chair and turned toward
the riders.  Unfortunately, they swerved to go around the pickup at just
this time and horse and man met chest to chest, throwing hima good distance.
Even more frightening was seeing the horse's hoof push off his chest, not
missing a stride.  Whether the riders tried to pull up before or after is
probably something only the riders know.  I would like to think that they
did.

Marsh and I showed up minutes later, a little miffed that our cheerleaders
weren't there to greet us and tell us how wonderful we were, but got over
that real quick when we realized there had been a serious accident.  Neither
my hub nor our friends are really horse people and just came along to humor
Marsh and I and in thier eyes the riders appeared to be totally uncaring,
and concerned only with finishing since they were standing at the water
trough pouring water over their horses.  While I'm sure that one may have
come back, hub and friends did not see that and that just reinforced their
feelings that the riders were only concerned about winning.  I hate to admit
that I bought into that as well and voiced that opinion.  I don't feel that
way now.  I think they used poor judgement, but it was caused by
overenthusiasm, not malice. At the awards they --at least one of the
riders ---was presented with a completion, and was neither cheered nor
applauded.  Angie talks about censure by shunning, and this certainly the
case here.   I hope I never have to be in thier places.

Gay and little Buddy





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