Jac and I were having a great day the 2^nd of July. Endless Valley was a beautiful new ranch with trails and hills that seemed to go on forever. Actually Jac thought the place should be named Endless Hills. This was a big day for me – the TEST as Jac was telling Wes who had parked his trailer close to us. Could I behave while we were hitching? Could I complete my first 20 mile drive? Little did Jac know he was going to be tested as well.

Jac was up way too early that Saturday, probably close to 4 AM, with all the commotion of the endurance riders around us. Not much sleep (he’d stayed up late at the Rudstrom campfire) and with all that coffee he was buzzing. But things had gone well. He was pleased with how I handled harnessing and hitching, especially compared to the last time. We had finished our first 10-mile loop, rested a bit at the 40 minute hold and were nearing the end of the second 10-mile loop when things started falling apart. The worst of the steep trails were behind us but we still had a long downhill stretch with some hairpin turns. Somehow he missed the 2-mile marker so he became worried about the time and distance. After being passed by three riders, he let me trot on and I’m feeling like the end is in sight.

Then it happened. Jac directs me to swing wide around this tight bend to avoid the tree and over we go. The weight of Jac and the cart just pull me over and as luck would have it, I’m laying on top of a large pile of cut up firewood stacked along the trail. Jac seems all right and I’m fine except I’m still harnessed to the cart and my feet can’t touch the ground. Jac is not sure about what to do. I tried to tell him, "I’ve fallen on a woodpile and I can’t get up!"

Thank goodness for the return of those three women riders to give Jac some support and help. With a knife from the spare’s kit, Jac cuts a hold back strap and frees me from the cart. Then they start moving logs away until I could finally touch the ground with my feet and stand up. All this time I had been lying there being quiet and patient. While their examination revealed no scrapes or scratches, the women advised Jac to walk me back to camp. It was a very short distance and I know I could have pulled the cart and passed the vet check.

Anyhow, I definitely think I passed Jac’s TEST. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.