Oops, I did it again.

So last year we went up to State College to do sweep for the 4H Competitive Ride, which happens in the fall. It's a horse function wherein you ride about thirty miles give or take. There's a maximum time and a minimum time for completion (you can't go too fast or too slow). The thing is judged on the fitness of your critter and the relative degradation of your critter over the course of the ride.

I've done this event before (2007, 2009, 2011, 2017) and ridden sweep (to clean up the trail markings after the kids have gone through) in 2008 and 2022 and when Bird was 4, so... 2015 or so? Last year, Bethany (she runs and organizes the thing) wanted to have more adult riders on the trail. Adult riders on the trail help kids do better at pacing and following the trail and not being lost (it is very well-marked, but... kids) and stuff. So, this year I signed up as an adult rider. You have to have a sponsoring kidlet, which I have one of (I could not pick this child out of a police lineup, but you do not have to KNOW your sponsoring kidlet, there just has to be one and the club I rode with when I was a kid has a spare kid, so...).

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