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Sue
18-02-2006, 07:56 PM
Congratulations Tom

What a fab day, course was v long (4 miles), deep going, quite a few nice fences - but definetly great fun.
Despite Em and I walking completly the wrong course in pitch black on Fri eve we managed to negotiate a good path, and a couple of placings, tho had not intended to lead - but didnt have any breaks until about 2.5 miles in - think Emma been feeding Blue on rocket fuel. Plenty of Gin (had to bribe small child with a bag of lollies to hold it for us !) in the collecting ring provided a much improved Habits performance then the previous weekend.

Course commentry

Hunting Horn to start from MFH - provided full cavelry charge to the first - with two very out of control Habbits in the lead. Em & Tom took the hedge at No 2, I took the gate - all miraculously managing to negotiate a sharp 90 degree right turn into post and rails no 3 - this was fine - bar one poor terrified woman and two dogs stood right in the path of landing - had to sprint like the devil not to get charged over.
Can't think who broke next rails - but it sounded a good one - then Habbits decided to followed Tom - not having walked this bit of the course - it wasnt on our sat nav on Fri eve ! Got a bit worried when rest of field went in opposite direction to Tom - apparently thier fence was much smaller - nearly got hedged by Friday- but all survived. Complete brake failure followed - on the twisty part of the course, road crossing - nearly lost my back end and nearly took Tom into a pile of rubble - Sorry again Tom.
Em took the lead up the top straight - got side swiped into the seed (on purpose !!) by a certain woman on a grey who thought I was a stranger trying to overtake her - then spent the next few minutes trying to untangle my spur from hers.
The next few 90 degree - sharp turns were somewhat chaotic - think stock car racing and you might get the picture. Tom decided to make his move at the far side of the wood - typical man - up to no good in the bushes :-)
Pace picked up again amid a few more sharp turns and pile-ups - not good when brakes failing for the corners again.
Friday did a fantastic Bambi on Ice impression when turning onto the road - (who the hell decided to take the route up the road ??) Last two fields and hedge was a free for all - but the luck favoured the brave and Tom kicked on over the last to come home first - closly followed by pro Jockey - can't remember his name ??? and local land owner - then three Bad Habbits in a row !! Told you we hunt in packs !!

Absolutly brill fun - or at least the bits when I had my eyes open were !
Great hospitality and what a frienly pack - definetly one to recommend for those criminally insane on this site.

Emma 1
18-02-2006, 09:05 PM
Well done, Tom! Was enjoying having you lot in my slipstream but lost the petrol comming into the last couple and cruised Friday home, wryly regarding my other horse's backside....really enjoyed the ride, great day, lovely people, keep a space free on that trophy as intend to win it off you next year!

PS well done, Sue, rode my baby beautifully, sorry i bumped you off into the seed but i didn't want anyone overtaking me on that long stretch, thought it was, ahem, Tom. Well all's fair.....! Anyway, George got me back for cutting up his line by keel hauling me against the hedge on that double bend. What fun!!!! Bit like teamchasing but with 15 in the team instead of 4. Scarily addictive, even if i've ended up with John Wayne disease (a slow descent into permanent bow-leggedness - no known cure) and am now on the NHS list for a lung transplant so can safely carry on the Marlborough Light habit after a 4 mile point - without the attractive wheezing (and you thought the roaring was down to the horse..)

tom
20-02-2006, 09:19 AM
Was definatly an interesting start with 4 people all wanting to run in second but not lead round:confused:So at the fouth I decided that I probably should, only to be overtaken at the fifth by the two Bad Habits (who by now had obviously managed to get their sat nav working:p) and apart from a minor brown trouser moment involving Sue and 20 tons of rubble I spent the next two miles staring at Sue and Ems bums (which is an interesting way of spending a saterday morning;)) and watching Emma slowly knock out any competitors who came within 6 feet of her,:rolleyes Until eventually she did leave a Tom sized gap which I managed to sneak through hotly persued by George Duffield who like me must have thought that the Habits had brought Chianti with them and so we were off to the finnish like the hounds of hell were chasing us!

All in all a very good ride, let the Bad Habits do all the hard work and then just sneak in front at the end and steal all the glory:D

Emma 1
20-02-2006, 10:20 PM
:D Wait til next year: could feel you breathing down my neck - rather peeved you passed and i had no accelerator pedal left but horses WILL be fitter next race and will give you an even better run for your money. Really enjoyed it, wish there were more, see you at the Badsworth though shame you are not running an open team, we have rather a good line up this year and aim to be competitive.

PS bring some more of that red stuff - and i mean not just a couple of inches in a bottle, barely wet my lips. :rolleyes: