At the last minute I dropped my originally nominated horse and replaced him with my mount from 2003, Tyto Ivan a chestnut 12 year old part arab gelding sired by Baram Boy from a part bred mare, Winslow Lorene. Ivan had had 5 starts at Shahzada with 3 successes previously.

The trip down the NSW coast to St Albans was pretty uneventful. We caught up with Linda Meredith and her stallion, Alnotarj Kaleem at the Kirra Tick gate and travelled in convoy to reach "Ned's Bed" - halfway house. It was soon apparent that Kaleem was pretty much feeling the spring season coming and it was safer to keep him camped away from our two geldings.

Awakened in the early morning by the local resident possum in the roof, we hit the road early to arrive at Campsite A by mid afternoon, Thursday. Not long before the convoy from Woodstock, my sister, Karen and hubby Ray (later to be written into Shahzada Idol history as "Rough & Rocky Rhodes" winners of the main event) followed closely by our barefoot riders, Gail with hubby John Pound and Marlene Harrigan both from Coleambally NSW.

Once camp was sorted out (the usual domestics associated with tired drivers, keen riders and more than keen horses) we found poor Linda was isolated a bit further up from our camp, a site which provided Kaleem with a bit of space he needed due to his excitement. Luke Steele called in to say "hello" as he and his mare Nikita were already set up around the corner.

Ray got his BIG** chainsaw out of the box and cut some firewood, dinner was served and it was off to the Settlers Arms for the Thursday night darts comp. We found that we were to be disappointed as Karen & I were not asked to join the locals in the comp this year, perhaps something to do with the fact that we hadn't had a practice since the previous Shahzada? Steve was having a great old time relaying his fire fighting saga of the previous week when he first got to wear his new "Stanmore Rural Fire Brigade" uniform so that he could torch our lantana ridden block (what can I say - give a man a uniform!) with the local "Deputy Dog" firey from the St Albans brigade.

It was interesting to hear that the NSW volunteers actually get "trained" before attending a fire, our "Dad's Army Brigade at Stanmore" had had little training before the Mt Barlow blaze the previous week, when they not only lost control and burnt 50 square metres of Qld Parks precious lantana infested jungle, ran out of water at the height of the burn off and had to call in the neighbouring brigade, but knocked the flashing lights of the truck trying to drive under a fallen tree branch then finished up by burning the fire hose into the bargain!

Friday morning my sister started the Shahzada Trail Tour Club, with her hubby, Ray, Gail and Marlene setting off on the first circuit of the valley returning to report that the mighty Macdonald River had dried up upstream at Joe's Crossing! Once Steve had finished shoeing Maakan in his natural balance shoes, we set off to check it out. Wow, no water anywhere, it seems that the 5 inches of rain which had fallen on Sydney the night before, hadn't reached the Macdonald Valley!

Karen had her usual tribe of family visitors come to stay, and we were appreciative of the use of their shower (at the Settlers) as there was apparently some trouble with the Shahzada showers which were non operational. Fortunately on Sunday, Rodney (Karen's plumber son) who had arrived for a lunch time BBQ discovered a wasp nest blocking the gas hose!

That night a huge discussion ensued around the camp fire regarding bare foot trimming, Luke's thorough flex shoes, our natural balance shoes and conventional shoeing methods. I thought this is going to be a truly interesting week, with so many devoted riders and many different shoeing ideas floating around.

Saturday we were joined by Leanne LeClaire and Scott O'Brien from Scone and the biggest decisions we had to face by Sunday was "which dessert to choose off the menu at the Settlers" (and aren't they delicious) and who would be in our "Family Affair" team for 2004. The previous three years, Leanne had joined us, Steve had previously been involved in 2000, 2001 and 2002, but Ray was also a member from year to year. Decisions, Decisions, Karen and I took the easy way - chose the husbands, it was sure to be more pleasant for us! Leanne very kindly accepted the decision and soon formed her own team "Barefoot and NOT pregnant" - Gail, Marlene, Linda and herself.

Pre ride vetting was pretty easy this year, no thunderstorm in the middle to break the monotony, however the helicopter taking Pub Jaunts landed twice in the sand on the river bed next to Kaleem's yard upset him a little on and off that day.

The vetting team was set, Robyn Mather (Head), Rochelle Joyce (Assisting) and Kym Hagon - later to be known as Shahzada Mole!

Monday dawned cool and dry (still) so off we set. 64 riders and horses tackling Johnnie's Hill, the Transmission Line Road and then Wrights Creek Road before returning to base. My mount Ivan felt keen to go, so we set a good pace and came in about 7 from the leaders, with Steve tailing along on Maakan saying "You're going too fast". His decision to keep up, not mine!

Everybody in our camp vetted through, that was the "easy leg" says Shahzada Tour Leader, Karen, now for the nitty gritty - Mckechnie’s Hill. Poor Gail and Marlene were wide mouthed and bushy tailed, wondering what lay in store! No problem! Up they went and down they came, everyone still going well, except for poor Ray - Dream was on a represent with gait. Unfortunately she did not join the Tuesday trail ride!

I think that Gail and Marlene were lying in bed imagining what the dreaded Prestons was like all night from all the descriptions that they had heard, but off we all went. Linda in the lead, chatting away to Ruth Green (thinking that she was Leanne) behind her, Leanne, Steve and I tailing along a bit more slowly this leg as we all knew what lay ahead. We had been warned to watch out for the animals on track - well I saw a rabbit in a tree, a monkey in a stump and lion (native of South Africa) hanging by it's neck from a gate post on the way out to Prestons. Figured that it was dead, wasn't a good angle! Prestons came and went and we have come to the conclusion that the descent is much worse than the ascent. Soon we heard that we had lost Luke and Nikita this leg due to an injury sustained during a bad fall on McKechnies previously - so the test on the thorough flex shoes was not completed. Luke had decided to withdraw her.

The vets were a little concerned with Gail's horse, Miss Nook. I must add at this point that Miss Nook had previously been diagnosed with navicular disease in her earlier life prior to her bare foot treatment and this needed to be taken into account. Unfortunately Gail was not permitted to continue.

However Marlene continued on with us onto the Tuesday afternoon leg, a variation from the old one, which included a trip down "Short Wellums". I recall Steve asking me (as he had not ridden in 2003) - "is this a walk down track?" To which I replied - "No, a slide down one", and I wasn't wrong.

After reaching the bottom and shaking all the dirt out of our riding boots, we returned to base to find that Marlene's paint "Dodge" was put out of contention by the vets. Ivan is put on represent for gait and I am on tender hooks as well. I could see what Kym had seen at the trot out and was very concerned - my first ever "represent" at Shahzada in 8 years! So I decide, hang the expense, I will hire a masseur for Ivan and see if we can help him. I hired Maurie Thomson, whom I did not know, and whom I had heard nothing about before arriving at St Albans. Maurie is a practitioner from Shepparton in Victoria and is a big happy man, who says not to worry that he will see what he can find. I might add that this was his first attendance at an endurance event. Two treatments later and Ivan seems much freer, and we trot him up before presenting him to Kym in the morning light. He looks and feels great!

Wednesday is an unusual ride, much more of the concussive road work, then a trip up the Shepherds Gully track - Kill Bill (alias Bill McMillan - Track Manager) had told us that he recalls when this road used to be graded and that he had driven his two wheel drive car up there. Well that was a long time ago - I reckon. The erosion in the sandstone rocks is really bad and there are many deep crevices to avoid in the dark. We reach the top to emerge onto the newly renovated "Old Great North Road" which was convict built, however the renovations only last for the first 2 kms then back onto the rocky stuff - so much for the NSW 3 X 3 fuel levy - no money has been put into this road! We have been told not to take a right turn, that unfortunately the NSW Parks will not let the committee put markers on this piece of track, so keep going left. I think that the track descriptions were a bit confusing to anyone who has not attended this ride before, we certainly "spoil" our riders in Qld with "over marking" tracks.

Everybody vets through okay, although Steve is somewhat concerned about Maakan who got through vetting but is looking very tired. Off we go onto the new leg which replaced the second ascent of Prestons last year. It is a nice track up the back of Word of Life, easy to tail, or ride up it you like. However we had realised from our previous ride on this leg it takes a good bit longer than expected, so we allow plenty of time. Once Leanne & I emerged onto Jacks track (Steve had dropped back and decided to join the Shahzada Trail Club with leader Karen) we found poor Linda and Kaleem in quite a state. They had left early (as we had warned) but Linda thought that she must have been on the wrong track as nobody had gone past her and there were no markers to reassure her! Anyway, she was pretty glad to see us and the three of us continued to lead the field around this leg and back into camp. Some riders had not allowed enough time and had to race back into camp to make the 5 pm cut off time.

Unfortunately for Steve, Maakan failed the trot out and joined the ranks of the other "Shahzada Trail Club" members, leaving Karen to carry the torch. Ivan got two trot outs again, and I am getting very nervous, - "Help Maurie! I will withdraw him rather than cause him to get worse, we have nothing to prove!" But Maurie says, "He can do it, I find him really soft and not sore, just tired". With all the worry, I miss the presentation to my sister of her 10th Buckle award, a solid wall plaque with buckles to put the 10 names of her successful horses on. 6 of these buckles will bear the name of her best horse, Karrana Kelly, a hardy little pony/arab mare who first completed the ride at the age of 5 years.

Once I am finished with looking after Ivan, we all head off to the Fickle Wombat for the inaugural "Shahzada Idol" competition. Well what can you say, the talent! The juniors put on two acts, we had a musical number, two poets, including Kym (the vet) who has untapped showbiz potential and who also rendered his version of the song which goes something like this "Why me, it isn't fair", with lyrics written by himself, describing the rider who arrives at the TPR gate and believes that the vetting area is unjust to them. Whilst Kym performs with no music accompaniment, we are all thinking, it will be his turn to sing this when he enters the vetting area at the 2005 Shahzada, when he is intending to have his first attempt at the 400 km ride.

The final act brought the house down, "Rough and Rocky Rhodes fresh from the Woodstock Country Music Festival" miming a tune which they had heard at the Tamworth C & W Festival earlier this year, performed by Casey Chambers and ? Well the judging panel which included Halifax Hayes (patron saint of Shahzada), Peter McKechnie (Mayor of St Albans) and Robyn Mather (Head Vet) had consumed a very good Chardonnay by this point! Would you believe that when Robyn awarded the Shahzada Idol award to Karen & Ray, that she had not even known who they were! I will have a photo developed soon for those who have not seen the "getups".

Thursday, back to serious riding business, aha! The Steps! With Steve gone, Karen joins forces with Bernice King another Shahzada veteran (nobody else wanted to join the Shahzada Trail Riding Tour Club - the survival rate wasn't good), Linda decides to take the kilometres and run with Kaleem, she has greater bridges to cross with him in the near future and is not happy with one or two things, so Leanne and I venture out first.

At the Steps there are photographers on EVERY rock, Ivan is perplexed, he stands at the top looking down, ears pricked and eyes wide open. But being the experienced trouper that he now is, down we go and off onto the road.

It is sadly at this point we realise something is amiss with Leanne's horse - Licketty Splitt or as I like to call him "Blondie" (for anybody who has never seen him, he is a beautiful palomino gelding standing 16 hh - looks every bit the Barbie Horse). Something terrible has happened on his descent of the steps and he is lame at the walk. Poor Leanne, she is so upset to see him so! And so are we! But he couldn't be in better hands and Leanne, once back in camp, following her vet out, is able to offer some medical relief.

Gosh, what now! Ivan is feeling better with every treatment that Maurie gives him, cantering happily off either lead, moving fluidly, yet tired. I must add at this point, I ride into camp to find a team of strappers to help us. Gail washes him, Steve feeds him, Gail trots him out, Maurie massages him, Elaine prepares his leg wraps - I do nothing! This is the kind of camaraderie that is typical of Shahzada. Riders who has not been fortunate to make the distance, do not pack up and go home, they stay and help their remaining mates survive! Thanks to all of them.

Friday morning dawns and guess whom I am riding with? Yes the Shahzada Trail Club Tour Leader. Just the two of us left. Oh, Bernice is still riding, but prefers to take her horse separately at it's own pace. After being told by Chief Steward Graeme that a change of Friday morning's leg is not possible this year (after our request that a leg with less road work and concussive bitumen maybe found - even a repeat of an earlier leg) we head off along the edge (when we could find it) of the newly laid bitumen towards Webbs Creek - 14 kms of road work. This should really fix the last 18 of us up! Sadly Donna Weissman (only other Qlder remaining) has decided to withdraw and take the kilometres and Alison Khihinicki has joined her.

We pass little Allix Jones who is one of the remaining 4 juniors (from 9 starters) on her own on the road, she has been told to ride more slowly and let the other girls go. We catch up with Chris Walker at the top of the Webbs Creek Hill and ride along for a bit with him and also Ruth Green and Kevin Sayer. Back to town and Junior, Amanda MacDonald is vetted lame, along with Kevin who's stallion has very sore arm pits. Later the remaining stallion in the ride, Ron Malone's arab Equipoise Park Kakoda, ridden by Catherine Chapman is also vetted lame and also Sarah Hetherington is vetted not fit to continue.

14 riders remain. Karen and Shadow get two trot outs, Karen gets extremely nervous, vows not to give up, but to go even slower..! Help! But as I understood her position (Ivan and I had been in the same place the previous year) we head off for the final ascent of the Steps. Karen says, "I'm not going to make it in this heat", I say "We'll go really steady". I think we are both feeling our years, tailing up the rocks in your fifties at the horses speed is not on. So I give Ivan a long line and decide to lead him up, this enables lots of "heart attack stops". We make it, but Karen is still not getting on Shadow, she is in paranoia land! However we end up finishing the leg with Ruth Green in the same time as the previous year.

Ivan gives his best trot out for the week for the finale and Shadow his best for Friday, we're through - "We have survived!"

Straight A's - the best way to finish the Ultimate Test!

Thanks again to everyone who helped and the organising committee, including the new Director of Recreational Entertainment Activities - Dr Kym Hagon.