In retrospect with the truck breaking down and all, Saturday’s 50 was the most wonderful, peaceful day of my whole trip.
I told Mary I’d take Ned out on my own since she’d found a nice partner to ride with (Sue from SE) and I didn’t want to screw up the pair by being a third wheel of sorts.
We tried like crazy to keep Hawk and Ned separated at the start but I ended up having to tap-tap Ned past and away from Hawk at the start. He was agreeable about it, and we were up with the top ten or so riders at the start. Highly unusual for us.
Once Ned got loose and warmed up he was a machine, asking to canter, looking for horses ahead, always asking to go a little bit faster than I was willing to let him.
Still, my goal was to ride him solo, and for him, the ideal (and me too, I confess) was to be able to see the horses in front of him but not able to hear the chatty riders.
We did the entire loop this way, occasionally catching other riders and being caught, but managing to be mostly alone.
This was a long loop, 22.5 miles, and while Ned drank well in the first 5 miles or so, he quit drinking when he was getting “racey” and I was a little concerned, as he’s usually a pretty regular and deep drinker. He got his lytes at 1 hour 10 minutes out, and when we hit a puddle in the last few miles before camp, I swear he drained it.
Just over 2 hours for this loop. Ned is hot. Louise and Jim and another couple, Louise and Dennis are there to help cool him down. We are so enthusiastic that we have him down to 50 by the time I first check his pulse (you’re only required to be down to 64, oopsie). He vets with all As, dangling his penis in the usual Ned fashion, and he alternates between pining for Hawk and eating for the whole hold.
Mary arrives after about 30 minutes of our hold, so I let him stay a few extra minutes to chow down before we head out.
Next loop, 17.5 miles, and this was accurately measured or a little long (making up for the 22.5 mile loop which I’m sure is at least a mile or so short — we weren’t going THAT fast ). We follow our same game plan, keeping the horses in front of us in sight, and end up riding with a couple of NE riders for a while.
I’m in the treed Solstice saddle and really trying to vary my riding position — left diagonal, right diagonal, two point, canter left, canter right. Ned’s willing to do all this and seems comfortable so far.
I ditched my helmet for this loop.
On both rides the photographer caught us on the first loop, so there is no photographic evidence of my failure to wear my helmet. A couple of friends/volunteers scold me, but as it is I am finding myself munching Gatorade jellybeans and finding a headache, and with zero acclimation to the FL weather, I know heat exhaustion is a real risk for me. Luckily Ned is not saintly but sane and I don’t have any near misses. A head injury would ruin my whole day.
About 2 hours for this loop as well.
Louise and I discover a polyp on Ned’s hanging willy at this vet check, so Otis checks it out, pronounces it “absolutely benign” and we all thank Ned for his exhibitionism so I can have the thing lopped off safely at my convenience. All As.
One loop to go, this one 10 miles, and I head out ahead of the group I’ve been tracking all day. Ned is not impressed. He trots out, but not with the same “let’s get ‘em” enthusiasm he had when chasing them, so I let them pass and we all ride together for the majority of the 10 miles, laughing and sharing gossip (“what’s said on the trail stays on the trail!”) and a couple of “that’s you!?” discoveries when they realize I wrote the series of articles for EN last year. And taking our time. 1.5 hours or so.
Much fun.
They insisted we all tie when we cross the finish line tho I was happy to follow them in. Tied for 12th, all five of us, in just a bit over 6 hours. Blistering pace for Ned and me!
Ned vets through uneventfully. He’s given up on Hawk and starts eating like a machine, and I wait around knowing a shower is silly if I’m going to crew Hawk. I finally give up and they arrive while I am IN the shower, and have to borrow Ned to get Hawk to leave for the vetting area.
Mary made it through all three days with Hawk. Amazing. He got stronger every day. He’s a remarkable endurance machine, that one.
The freezer is less than cheerful so I tell everyone I am cooking my now thawed hot dogs and hamburgers and feed a group of about six or seven folks. We sit around laughing and telling tales about the ride. And having a cocktail or two, turning in at the crazy hour of 9 p.m. or so after taking the horses for a walk in the dark, cleaning up leftover peanut hay (never saw this stuff before but the horses love it) from other horses, and getting a stretch.
My favorite story is one from our friend Sue, with whom Mary rode, hitting the woods for a tinkle in the wee hours of the morn that a.m. I’d let Truly the Dog out for a similar mission, when Truly came upon Sue, and was startled, then growled. Sue growled back and said “this is MY spot!” sending my poor Truly off crying with her tail between her legs to do her business elsewhere.
Have told hubby we’ll need to arm wrestle for the Solstice saddle now.
Very proud of my boy, who made two days in the sand and heat look easy.