The importance of pre-planning

An important part of being a successful endurance team is reconnaissance. So prior to last week's Golden Horseshoe H and I traipsed all over Exmoor looking for suitable places to crew Rooster in his 80 kilometre ride. The first thing that struck me was that Exmoor could do with a motorway through the middle of it as the "roads" are so narrow and windy not to mention seriously steep. Anyway we did a few miles upping and downing whilst we thought Rooster was saving his energy.

                                        "Yup, I'll be with you Tuesday, No problem"

Come Tuesday, 5 degrees and a howling gale, good old May, he ambled around the first 40 k in his normal Roosterish way until we reached the vetting point at halfway. He then threw in a sickie, he stumbled up the trot up four or five times before we agreed with the vets that it was a good idea not to let him do the remaining 40k and retire from the event. Disappointed but happy that Rooster was not too badly hurt H went back to where the ride was being held to retrieve the trailer to return him to the farm on which we were staying. Eventually all the other competitors left the lush meadow where we were being held. I let him off his rope and he trotted off with his head in the air and a perfect action.

                                         "Sussing the route out is all"

Clearly on Sunday while we thought that he was lazing with his hooves up he had worked out that if he got to halfway then he could get a good hour or so's grazing on the lush Somerset sward and have a lift home at the end of it.

He is still showing no ill effects, thankfully and he was happy to return home to the consternation of the rest of the herd who'd rather hoped that he was gone for good.

Next time, cheese that is so wrong and local characters in pubs.