Tevis Musings

After coming to the conclusion that I am a sad, obsessive person, I accepted that fact, then went back to organizing my new "Tevis Notebook."

I am officially 364 days away from my goal now. Which means every opportunity to train must be taken advantage of. Not that it wasn't before...like I said, I train a lot more than I actually compete. We've probably been ready for 50s for the last couple years, but I tend to be a bit on the cautious side, and that in this partnership, I'm the one likely to be categorized as "The Weakest Link." And I don't even like that show!

I started putting together a list of things I need before The Big Day. A few little things, here and there, that I'd need anyway, but my 3 big purchases: sheepskin cover for the saddle, crew cart, and DryBack Skito pad. Well, ideally, a new truck as well... *grin* aren't we the optimist...then I can berate Dad to drive carefully with "my" rig...;) Kidding, Dad, if you're reading this! *big grin* He's the better driver than me, anyway, so likely the roles would be reversed...

Is it sad that I already have a travel plan in place? And am scouting out hotels? I'm trying to figure out how much time I want to give myself beforethe ride. I've come to the conclusion that, as much as I would like to go up for the Educational Ride, if they repeat that next year, I think I'd just be pushing it. It's just a little too close to the ride for my comfort, especially with the distance involved in travel. I think my preriding will be limited to the week before the ride, and I'll probably just ride past No Hands and back. Maybe to the Quarry, but even that's pushing it further than I want to do right before the ride.

I'm going into the ride at a disadvantage - Mimi may be the Go Pony, but she's a little small (don't tell her that - she thinks she's 16 hands...proof that maybe half of it is just in your mental perspective) and has small feet. I don't know. I haven't even gotten to a 50 yet, so all of this might be for naught, and I could be counting my chickens before they hatch, but I need a goal to works towards. Besides, you never know until you try, right?

The odds are against me finishing. But the odds are against anyone finishing. I'm not sure that I'm any further behind in that regard than anyone else is - taken from the same perspective, that being a first time rider that doesn't have regular access to the trail, or a horse that is a natural competitor. Well, take that last part back - Mimi is a natural competitor, at least mentally. But she requires more management, physically, than a standard Arab that can be pulled out of the pasture, conditioned for several months, then taken to an LD. We've definitely had more than the recommended 2 years of LSD training - closer to 5, truth be told!

So, the countdown towards my "moment of truth" begins...do we have what it takes to become a Tevis Team?