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MARY:
CREW EXTRAORDINAIRE

    I read the most amazing story on my way home from Texas.

 

    Karen Ellis and myself found ourselves in the Silver Dollar in Bandera, TX . We were taking a short holiday after the riggers of the AERC convention where I set up a booth for  my business Canadian Trail House.

 

    We had the pleasure of meeting Mary Schenk and Hoot Gibson. (They are not a couple but that is only because Hoot is to blind to realize Mary is the perfect woman for him) Most of you may not know that they made an incredible journey riding 2500 miles from Bandera Texas to Calgary Alberta in time for the opening of the Calgary Stampede.

 

    This is a great story by any stretch of the imagination but as an endurance rider I think I appreciated it in a different way then most readers. It is the story of Hoot Gibson's dream and the success but below the surface it is the story of Mary “Crew Extraordinaire!

 

    Like the shirts my company has that simply state

“CREW” 

The true victim

Of endurance

 

    Mary was the behind the scene STAR of this story. As endurance riders we all know that riding is the easy part.:-) Crewing is the work part.

 

    Mary is the hero in my opinion , with her patience, organizational skills and her odd fits of temper.

 

    I don’t mean in any way to belittle the magnitude of what Hoot and Mark accomplished for that in itself is amazing. They rode every inch of those miles ( and they wore jeans!) and did more work then seems humanely possible.

 

    This group of adventurers endured and overcame.

 

    I enjoyed our short visit in Bandera , the book Mary wrote has left me wanting to read more.

 

    Like we say in endurance

To Finish Is To Win!

They finished !  On time! All equines sound and healthy.

 

 

    I encourage everyone to check out their web page and order this book. You will enjoy the read!

 

Riders on The Storm

The True Story of

The Eye Reckon Freedom Ride

by Mary Allyce (Schenk)

 

www.eyereckonhootgibson.com/index.htm

 

Paddi Sprecher
www.CanadianTrailHouse.com

1-866-987-4816