Thursday, September 7, 2006

The Best Laid Plans...

Thursday September 7 2006

… for endurance riding have become all bungled up this summer.

With our ultimate goal being the 100-mile Virginia City ride in September, as part of Raffiq’s and Spice’s training we wanted to do a 2-day ride in June, but wimped out because of too-hot weather. The 75-mile ride we wanted to do in July was cancelled. Then Spice got a cough and the snots. But then she got over it, and seemed fine for the 50-mile Eastern High Sierra Classic and the next week’s 50 mile Tour De Washooo in August. But she colicked during the EHSC – first time ever – so we skipped the TDW and abandoned our quest for the Virginia City.

So the new plan was, if Spice seemed okay, we’d try the 2-day Patriot’s Day ride in September (the week before Virginia City), figuring a 1 or 2-day ride would be easier than the 100. Spice appeared to be fine… until she started coughing and snotting again. So that ride is out for Spice.

One of our favorite rides coming up is the 5-day Owyhee Canyonlands ride in Idaho… but this year it’s in September and I have to work.

That puts us into October, and we’d been entertaining the thought of the 5-day Grand Canyon ride… but I may or may not still be around here in October. If I am around here, I’ll be working, and I can’t do the ride anyway. There’s a 1-day ride and a 2-day ride in October as other alternatives… but since planning doesn’t seem to work this year, I guess we’ll just play it by ear.

What this all really boils down to is, I have only done ONE endurance ride this summer. Definitely not what I’d had in mind!

Now, at least, we’re borrowing a horse from Jackie and taking Raffiq to do the Patriot’s Day ride this weekend.

If I’m lucky, my raven and I will get 100 more miles under our girth!

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