1st Post:

Does an Endurance Rider Pee in the Woods?

I've decided to start telling my collection of stories from 4000 Miles of endurance riding, beginning in the late 70's,  Some are pretty funny.  I'd like to focus mainly on those, but there will be lessons taught too.   Below is a shot from my 10th Tevis ride on Shatir, also ridden mostly bridleless in a Linda Tellington Jones neck ring.

So here goes:

'94 Tevis Cup

Tenth Tevis, Backwards 

So, some of you might know that I've done many Tevis Cup rides.  I've been one of the lucky ones and have only been pulled twice.  So they racked up and I got my 1000 mile buckle without going too broke in the process.  So I start out this one, my tenth, my 1000 mile buckle ride, with minimal crew, meeting me only at Foresthill.  I plan for this and have all I need for the Robinson Flat stop, except of course the ride provided hay, on my saddle,.  

As has been my habit over the years, and not being a morning person, I get into my whole riding outfit the night before.  In fact I do as much as possible, setting things up the night before so I can do as little as possible as a walking zombie in the morning.  Every single thing is packed on my saddle, water, everything, my morning protein smoothie is waiting in the cooler, its set up for like, as if a blind person had to get mounted and get to the starting line on time. 

So all goes well, I get to the stating line, set out with the 200 horse herd for Squaw Valley, go over Emigrant Peak, wave at Cowman at Watson's monument, and get halfway to Robinson Flat at 36 miles before finally looking down and realizing with horror in the dawn light, that my tights are on backwards and the seat padding is now fully visible to all in the front of my pants.  

Presently, long time rider, Gloria Vanderford catches up beside me, and I relate to her what I'd done.  She said, "that's nothing, I once got changed in the small change room in the horse trailer, put on my running shoes, got in the saddle and took off, only to look down miles later and find that the "funny feeling" I had in my feet was because my shoes were on the wrong feet!  I just thought my orthotics were in wrong, but noooo!  Better believe I got off at the first opportunity and switched them, but fast! So now I didn't feel so bad!  But I got to Robinson, smiled a lot at the time card givers, P&R people, etc. hoping they wouldn't notice my backwards pants, or just looking like I didn't care if they did, until finally ducking into an outhouse to turn them around!  So I crossed the finish line with my padding in the right place and got my 1000 Mile Buckle!   

Now that I think of it, I bet there's lots of stories out there about riding outfits gone wrong, wardrobe failure, even.  Some of you in the Pacific Northwest may have read one rider's account of severe outfit failure if you read "The Prineville Wreck".  One of the funniest ride stories ever.  No one got seriously hurt, mostly annoyed and embarrassed.  Anyone remember who wrote it?  Amber something?  Let me know if this rings a bell.  Its a good one.