Football and horses

I just got home from my first football game ever - Edmonton Eskimos vs BC Lions. I have to say that I was at a loss over who to cheer for. Paris Jackson is a wide receiver for the Lions and I went to highschool with him in North Van at Carson Graham when I was there for grade 11, so I wanted to cheer for the Lions. But... I was in a private box with 19 Eskimos fans, so I figured I better cheer for the home team.

Just before half time it rained and delayed the game. It started out as a black sky, then a sprinkle, then a downpour, and then it was as if the entire Pacific Ocean had evaporated, travelled over the Rockies in one massive floating puddle, and dumped itself on the stadium. It was raining so hard that I couldn't see the other side of the stadium! Within seconds the entire field and the track surrounding it were under water. I was thanking my lucky stars that I had a box seat! But of course I had to laugh about the people who had front row seats and got stuck in the lineup to get inside out of the rain and ended up looking like they were half drowned.

It cleared up eventually, the game resumed, and the Eskimos won 27 - 20. It was a good first football game. Tickets for students are only $10, so I think I'll be going to more home games. It's a very affordable means of entertainment.

And horses... of course! On June 10th I competed in a 50 mile competitive trail race in the Red Deer River Valley. In competitive trail you're given a time in which you have to complete the race (in endurance it's a race against the clock). If you finish under or over your time (you have a grace period though) you lose points. After that, your entire score is based on your horse's performance. I rode Hailey (have competed on her in every race I've entered) and she placed 2nd in our division (Open heavyweight = 50 miles and rider and tack weigh 190 lbs or more). I got a medal, a ribbon, and a really nice clock with horses on it.

The best part about Hailey placing second was that after lunch I had to stop for about 15-20 minutes. At lunch I ate too much, then overheated when the sun came out right after we got back underway. That and the food, combined with a fast pace and sloshing stomach contents, gave me what Dad calls the Gurgledy Pops! My stomach was going gurgledy... gurgledy... pop! Not cool! I was minutes away from throwing up and passing out, so I had to take a rest break. Since I took time to rest I had to make that time up, or lose points for coming in past my time limit. That meant that Hailey had to work harder to make up that time. And she still got 2nd place! She missed 1st by 4 points. She scored 290 out of a max of 300. Not bad for a skinny little arab carrying a heavy load!


Hailey, the evening after the race, enjoying a grass break and the setting sun.

The next race is next weekend in Long Island. It's a 100 mile endurance race and I'll be riding Hailey again. Might take us 10-11 hours of riding time to complete it (doesn't include vet checks or the lunch break). I predict that I won't be able to walk straight the next day...

The last 100 mile race I did was two years ago in Drayton Valley on Hailey and we were the absolute LAST pair to cross the finish line that day. But we finished, and the endurance motto is: to finish is to win!