Friday, June 11, 2010

The River's Edge Ride-a-thon

Sierra and I took part in the River's Edge Bible Camp ride-a-thon this year. I planned to do it with her for her 9th birthday. You'd think end of May would provide us with a beautiful warm spring day...hmmmm, not quite, we saw the weather forecast a few days before the event and it didn't look good. But we kept praying it'd change. It didn't. We got up Saturday morning at about 4:30 to get ready for our possible 2 hour drive (it only took us 1 hour 40 minutes) and we were NOT speeding. It was snowing, slushy and below freezing driving conditions so most the time we were under the speed limit. Apparantly we left the house before the call from the ride leader asking us if we wanted to cancel till mid June. I'm glad though cause I think this ride, with its weather and such has given us better experiences adn memories then the perfect weather day we had originally hoped for.

WE BUNDLED!!
Sierra was not happy being so bundled and refused to wear her snowpants (her wise mother--buffered by her own 6 layers however insisted on bringing them and tied them onto my horse 'just in case') After all our fundraising (when I say 'our' it was mostly Sierra) and the weather report came in. Sierra didn't think it was going to be much fun. SNOW, RAIN, 1 degree weather. I told her we needed to think positively and have a good time no matter what.






Don't I look happy?? I was pretty excited to go, though a bit of nervousness as I am pregnant and it was cold and snowy and we weren't stopping back in at camp for lunch but would be out on the cold trail for the full 6 hours if no one wimped out. Yikes...what about bathrooms??












Out on the trail at last. We first had to stand in ankle deep mud in the arena while everyone had their tack checked and were helped up on their horses. Get this...I got the short one and Sierra got the biggest! My guy (freckles...ugly but sweet and easy to ride with a comfy trot and bumpy lope) was sturdy though so that was good. And the two of them got along so we got to ride together.









We met Leanne Van...nope not that name anymore, ummm, Symes, it is, out at the ride. She knew the people heading it up. Unlucky for her they clotheslined her off her mighty steed halfway through which made the rest of the ride a pain 'literal' in the body for her, but she did the whole thing! She and I vied for best position in the line, here she got ahead of me and Sierra was on her own up front with the leader.
By the way, Sierra was by far the youngest rider out there but held her own very well. Once her horse jumped a fallen log and Sierra was almost a goner, but held on and righted herself quickly. The leader was impressed. He told her at the end that she was a 'good little rider'. And she really is!

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