Crewing Team Chaton: Tevis 2012

Hear about Tevis 2012 from our rider, Karen Chaton, on her blog here: http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/2012/08/tevis-2012-fun/

Tevis 2012 has come and gone! Preparing to prepare to prepare, wait, mad dash, wait, mad dash, wait, mad dash, Finish! Need I say more?

this is my Off to Crew at Tevis face!

First signs! Yahooo

Driving into Robie. I fear my big diesel truck fared better on the bumpy, DUSTY, road than the (no longer) cherry red Corvette that followed me in!  And yes many "did ya buy that orange truck just for the Renegade occasion?" jokes!  Hard to resist

Found team Chaton, flying the flags as usual :-)

Quick trial trot out before vetting Bo in on Friday at Robie

Time to vet in! 

Bo and Karen vetting in at Robie on Friday pm

Trot out

 Bo gets his numbers! We're in!

 I braided Bo's mane for Tevis. I've never hyperventilated while braiding before...Really though crewing for an organized gal like Karen in such a big event, I felt like those braids had to be great!
They all lasted the ride and were still in Sunday morning, fear and awe is good for my braiding skills apparently

We were up at 4 am to get near the front of the line heading into the Robinson Flat vet check. 

Tevis morning

All set up at RF for Karen

Pulsing in at RF, 36 miles in

RF vet check

RF trot out

Booting back up to head out of RF

Now THAT is how a horse leaving a Tevis vet check should look!

Karen's awesome husband, Dave, BBQing for us spoiled crew folk at Foresthill vet check

Dave and crew member L with Bo at Foresthill, 68 miles in

Clouds came in and the jacket, headlamp, and glow tack came out!

Trot out, Foresthill, 68 miles in

I thought I got a sweet tan but then I took my socks off..

McCann Stadium, Auburn: The Finish Line!

Karen came in at 2:32 a.m., ahead of her 2010 completion time with Bo. Bo's pulse was 48, he trotted out great, and proceeded to eat 3 mashes in a row without pausing for breath. This, my friends, is an endurance horse!

Bo on Sunday morning, looking great!

This is 10th place rider Alyssa Stalley showing her gelding for the Haggins Cup on Sunday morning. Her gelding was bright and alert, moved loosely, in fact she had a hard time keeping up with him! Hard to believe this horse just did 100 hard miles, too!

What more is there to say? Well, it was an awesome learning experience! Karen is incredibly organized and had lists with her needs/wants for each check written out for us. It made life pretty easy! It was my first time crewing in this high pressure environment and I won't deny I had a few moments where I wish I was more on top of things, but overall I think we helped out quite a bit and we did our best to make Karen's day easier. I do hope to complete Tevis some day and it was great to see how things can be done efficiently for horse and rider to get through the holds smoothly. I appreciate the chance to gain this knowledge and aid Karen on her journey to her 4th Tevis completion.

Oh, and did I mention it was fun! I saw lots of friends, old and new, from various parts of the country. I glimpsed Funder lurking with her camera a few times and I met and hung out with Go Pony blog author and Renegade rep Ashley. We had some good times waiting deliriously at the finish line into the wee hours of the morning and again checking out the vendors after the Haggins Cup judging. Karen gave us some crew swag and I did some shopping so I ended the weekend with 3 Renegade shirts, a Renegade hat, and a Tevis 2012 shirt. I love getting t-shirts for stuff, it makes my bulging dresser sad when a ride doesn't give completion t-shirts! Anyway, it just so happens that my Tevis shirt is a fine wine color that, when paired with my blue breeches, will take my matchy-matchy to yet another level. Yeah, I said it.

Glad to be home, exhausted, I missed my critters..am going into full gear getting Desire going in the Renegades tomorrow. After this weekend I actually have some clue on what a good Renegade fit really looks and feels like, so I'm going to cling to that confidence and see what I can figure out. There might be big riding plans in the near future....*redheadsscheming*

I'm sure Karen will write up her Tevis experience on her own blog and I'll link it in here when she does. Congratulations to all the Tevis 2012 finishers and for those that didn't finish, I have a sneaking suspicion you'll be back to try again. I know I can't wait to!


postscript:  for any contact lens wearers out there, keeping 'em in for 24 hours in the dusty, hairy madness that is crewing Tevis is not advisable. After Foresthill, take them out and put your glasses on. My dry, sore eyes beg it of you!