40th Annual Ride & Tie World Championship

NWHorsesource.com - Full Article
Mar 22, 2010

Mount Adams, Washington selected for June 19th 2010 race

March 22, 2010 - Premier endurance event of 2010, the 40th Annual Ride & Tie World Championship, is to take place in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southern Washington. The race is to stage at the foot of glacier-topped Mount Adams, notably the site of the 2003 Pan-American Endurance ride. Camp and course open to athletes and their crews one week prior to the event which takes place Saturday, June 19th 2010.

"We wanted to do something really special for our fortieth running of the sport's signature race,” explains Don Betts, president of the Ride and Tie Association, "and there's nothing our athletes like better than a well-run event at a world-class facility." The course starts at a base of twenty-five hundred feet and will see runners and horses climb more than a thousand feet multiple times during the three loops of the thirty-five mile race.

Veteran ride and tie competitors will be arriving by truck and horse-trailer from all over the western states, with more distant athletes flying in, some from overseas. "This will be the first time in the history of the sport that our Championship race is held in Washington," said Betts. "And aside from the great venue, our biggest reason for coming here is to entice local runners and local riders to attempt the sport. We call it our World Championship, but it's open to anyone who is game to try it. We welcome newcomers with open arms."

In addition to open arms, in the coming months the Association also welcomes newcomers with local practices, a wealth of assistance including help finding team mates, and shorter pre-Championship races in mid-May so new competitors can work out their "big race" strategy on parts of the Championship race course. The Ride & Tie World Championship race features over five-thousand dollars in cash prizes, belt buckles for all who complete, a Specialized brand saddle for the Best of Condition horse, followed by a catered salmon dinner and live music.

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http://www.nwhorsesource.com/news/2010/03/40th-annual-ride-tie-world-championship.html