Ridin', Reinin' and Writin'

Show season is upon me, but I have yet to compete this year. As May draws to a close, I think of the Cardston South Country Derby, which will happen next weekend. In the past (before there were several reining shows in BC) I competed there almost every year. One particular trip stands out in my memory - the 2002 edition of the Derby.

I was living in Armstrong then and had entered Wildwood Whisperin, my 5 year old mare in the show. My husband was not travelling with me and, so that I would have lots of time for the long drive, I rose at 4:00 AM to get on the road. In the truck with me was my Samoyed dog, Kirby.

As I approached Revelstoke, I saw trucks lined up along the highway and I knew immediately that Roger's Pass must be closed.

"Need to get breakfast anyway," I thought and pulled into an A & W. As I picked the order up, I saw trucks moving.

"Great," I said to myself, and slid behind the wheel to continue my drive . . . for about an hour. Then I was stopped again - for an avalanche - for three hours! My early start now eaten up by highway delays, I could only be thankful that I had started so early!

In Banff I ran into a little snow on the road, but nothing to worry about. Whisper, a seasoned traveller, rode like the pro she was and Kirby slept on the floor of the truck, only popping up if I stopped. I would be in Cardston before midnight.

At Claresholme, I stopped for gas. Daylight was fading and there was still some snow on the road, but I was anxious to pull into the grounds at Cardston, settle Whisper for the night and get some sleep myself.

"I hear the roads are not good south," the station attendent said.

That would be an understatement! A few kilometers from Claresholme, I knew what he meant. Two driving lanes had been reduced to an icy track on the extreme left shoulder and so rough, the truck and trailer shook and rattled. I reduced speed to a crawl. There was almost no traffic except for a semi in front of me. Every once in a while, I saw a vehicle stuck in the snow on the road or in the ditch.

"I'll be okay if I just go slow," I thought and that's what I did, so slow I could video as I drove. This is the video I took on May 22-23 from Claresholme to Cardston Alberta:

That's right - I didn't make it to Cardston that night. I spent the night along the highway in Fort MacLeod! The next day I followed the snowplow down the highway. It seemed more like January than May! When I got to the grounds, I unloaded Whisper on the road since no one could drive in. Snowdrifts covered some parts of the barn and horse trailers that had been parked when the storm hit. There was a certain amount of chaos with competitors digging themselves and their horses out and management trying to find plows to move the snow.

The show did go on. It will be remembered forever, especially by the show secretary! I, too will remember especially the haul to get there. I don't remember much about my runs, except we had 7 minutes before each class to warm up in the pen! The horses may all have been thankful for the blizzard that hit Cardston Derby 2002 - they were not ridden as much as usual!