TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1045316
Rolling into station 10, my third stop on day three, I jumped off a little gray bullet that had given me the ride of a lifetime, nearly galloping the 30-kilometer leg nonstop. What a high. Oh wait, not so fast. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, along came that fist right to the face. I picked the most spirited-looking horse on the line, ready to race to the next station and have my best day yet. The horse was full of steam, broncing out of the station and flying full tilt for five kilometers be- fore promptly putting on the brakes. His rodeo antics had exhausted him, and when we got to station 11, he was dehydrated and his heart rate failed to recover in time. I was slapped with a two-hour vet penalty. I was disappointed with the penalty, but devastated that I had failed a horse under my care. Thanks to the excel- lent vet team, he was soon back in good spirits, so I headed into the ger to set up camp with the four other women staying the night. Still feeling horribly guilty, I snuggled into my sleeping bag, large hunks of bloody meat dangling from the ceiling above me, but I perked up considerably when a medic and a translator tapped on our door. It was one of the rider's birthdays, and they had chocolate and whiskey for us all. As the sev- en of us, from five different countries, munched choc- olate, sipped whiskey, and swapped stories by head- lamp-light, I couldn't help but feel like a stumbling block had turned into a blessing.