Old Dominion 25

Dodie Sable

OLD DOMINION 25 [June 14, 2008] Beautiful weather! high 84, overcast, breezy

also known as: 25 miles is for weenies, let's do 31 instead

Old Dominion Endurance Ride is 34 years old and they moved the trails this year. The story goes they've gotten too big for where they used to hold it and the 4H center couldn't accommodate them any more. I can tell you that's truth! Last year, we were packed like sardines and there was no room to walk between rigs.

I was terribly excited to try out the new trails. First because I love new trails and second because I wondered if they were going to be as tough as the old trails.

Okay....We set up an OD team of riders. New Promise Farms Trail Trash (grin). T-shirts were donated by Dan's Tees of Allentown, PA. They read New Promise Farms, Proud to be..TRAIL TRASH. Cindy made us hats that says RACK ON (gaited riders really have the rack, ya know.) Teams are made up of four riders. Our team was to be:

Dodie on TWH "Flaming Lucy"
Cindy on UST "gods, I forgot his name already"
Cheryl on SSH "Cosmo"
Jen on AHA "Luke"

Unfortunately, Cheryl emailed me earlier this week and bailed on the ride because she was afraid it was going to be too hot, and she saw that last year hardly anyone completed the LD (due to the heat). She didn't want to subject Cosmo, a young horse on his first year of rides, to that kind of ride so early in his career. She should be commended for thinking of her horse first and foremost. That killed the team, though I felt I could find someone at the ride who didn't know who I was, and didn't know they'd be in a story for the whole world to read, then I could charm that person into joining us keeping the foursome together.

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