Mountain bikers, equestrians try to play nice on trails

Auburnjournal.com - Full Article

5/29/12

With a growing community of mountain bike riders, equestrians are trying to hold onto their trails

By Justin A. Lawson Journal Staff Writer

The scenic and challenging trails in the Auburn area have become a favorite for hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians. With the pleasant weather and the American River as a backdrop to many of the trails it’s easy to see why, but the swelling numbers of mountain bikers have forced a competition for trail time with equestrians.

“The mountain bike community is just growing and growing and they’re just riding out there on some of the horse trails and we encounter a lot of that,” said Joe Larkin, president of the Gold Country Endurance Riders.

On a busy weekend you can find a number of cars parked along the Foresthill Divide Loop with bike racks on the roof. While the trail is designated a multi-use trail, mountain bikers have basically taken over the trail, which was rated one of the top 5 rides in Northern California by Yahoo!.

The trails on the loop are narrow with several blind corners that are challenging for mountain bikers to avoid collisions and can easily spook unsuspecting horses...

Read more here:
Auburnjournal.com

9 weeks till Tevis 2012

5/30/2012

With just over 9 weeks left till the August 4th Tevis Cup, 119 riders from 4 countries have pre-registered.

See the current rider list here:
http://teviscup.org/tevis-2012/the-2012-tevis-cup/current-rider-list

Sign up by July 14 to avoid late fees. To be seeded in Pen 1, you must supply your record on the entered horse for the period of January 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012.

For more information and entry form see
http://teviscup.org/

And in Forty-Seventh Place…

Seattlepi.com - Horsebytes Blog

by Monica Bretherton

“Who’s that?” I asked, as a nearly white horse came speeding towards the start line with another in hot pursuit.

It was at the Mt. Adams endurance ride in 2010, and I was waiting for two friends to finish their fifty-mile ride.

At my fourth endurance ride, I didn’t really know many of the other riders. My new best friend, a ride volunteer, answered as my shutter clicked as they flashed past us, “Dennis Summers… and Rosie.”

I might not have remembered that moment, except that I was to see Dennis Summers repeatedly at future rides, usually at the awards meeting, when he had to get up twice, first on behalf of his win and then to collect the cooler for Best Condition.

Sometimes he and his wife, Sue Summers, have to toss a coin to see who will be given the first place after crossing the finish line together.

They are one of the power couples in West Coast endurance. They ride to win, and now they are sharing some of their methodology in a book called 4th Gear: Power up Your Endurance Horse, available on Amazon as an e-book.

I read it before going to Mt. Adams this year. Although I knew the book was not primarily directed to riders like myself, for whom a limited distance ride is enough of a challenge, I read a lot faster than I ride and thought I could get through it without wearing myself out.

Thanks to the snappy, conversational style and personal tone, I breezed right through it.

Afterwards, I felt like a super-lean distance runner who routinely top-tens at Tevis. For about fifteen minutes anyway. But that’s all you get even for your real achievements, at least according to Andy Warhol.

Time well spent

The highest value to me turned out to be reinforcing the importance of the Strategic Planning Department. That’s where I like to hang out anyway.

If, like me, you aren’t a super-athlete, making informed choices — whether in chosing your competitive horse, your conditioning methodology, your care regiment or your ride plan — is especially critical. Plus strategic thinking it is the aspect of endurance riding that sucked me in, besides going fast in gorgeous country and good company. It’s not a trail ride, its conditioning with a purpose...

Read more here:
http://blog.seattlepi.com/horsebytes/2012/05/29/and-in-forty-seventh-place/

Injured horse Amigo still going strong; fund helps other animals

WBIR.com - Full article & Video

May 23 2012

Written by
Jim Matheny

At the top of the hierarchy for world's most famous race horse, you'll find names like Secretariat, Seabiscuit, and Man O' War.

A couple of years ago, no equestrian name was more famous in East Tennessee than "Amigo." The Arabian endurance race horse obtained champion-level celebrity status without winning a single competition. However, Amigo victoriously triumphed over an obstacle arguably more challenging than any triple crown.

Amigo's Injury

In January 2010, owner Gary Sanderson found Amigo at his barn after the endurance racehorse somehow stabbed himself through the chest with a limb measuring three feet in length. Doctors at the University of Tennessee's Large Animal Clinic initially gave Amigo a two percent chance of survival...

"I've seen some pretty bad things, but he [Amigo] was definitely the worst traumatic injury I've ever seen," said Carla Sommardahl, large animal specialist at the UT Vet School. "The amount of infection from that kind of internal injury was just devastating. But every day that he kept going, we started feeling like maybe we're going to save this one.""

Read more here:
http://www.wbir.com/news/article/220552/2/Injured-horse-Amigo-still-going-strong-fund-helps-other-animals

Toklat Saddle Pads Become "The Official Saddle Pad of the United States Equestrian Federation"

USEFnetwork.com

RELEASE: May 17, 2012
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department

Lexington, KY - On April 20th 2012, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and Toklat Originals signed an agreement designating Toklat saddle pads as "The Official Saddle Pad of the United States Equestrian Federation." The agreement continues through November, 2013 and for that 18 month period Toklat will provide saddle pads for athletes representing the United States in high performance equestrian disciplines.

At their factory in Lake Oswego, Oregon Toklat Originals designs and manufactures a variety of quality equine products, such as Matrix Saddle Pads and the Classic III series of quilted pads, that have been tested and endorsed by top equestrian athletes. The rigorous quality control enforced by Toklat ensures that high performance riders and horses will be outfitted with premium saddle pads whenever they represent the United States.

About the agreement Judy Auble, Sales Manager at Toklat, says "we're very excited to join with USEF to bring our best quality products to our top athletes."

To learn about the history of the name Toklat (it's an interesting one that's got a little to do with a river in Alaska and a little to do with a bear), and to shop for Toklat products, visit their website www.toklat.com.

For more information about USEF Sponsorship, please contact Scott Carling at scarling@usef.org

Mackey Hwy 89

Heraldextra.com - Full Article

May 17, 2012

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the Hell's Kitchen Horseback Endurance Ride held annually in Sanpete County. Sponsored by the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the Hell's Kitchen ride is one of the most popular events of its kind in Utah.

This year's Endurance Ride will be held Saturday, May 19, and will begin with a meeting Friday night just north of the Gunnison Cemetery with the base camp at the "old rodeo grounds." Like most events that last, there's a story behind the story.

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Reed Syndergaard, Manti, about the ride's early years before it was an actual AERC approved event. He said back in the 1970s and early 80s every town in the area had at least one riding club,and some had two or more, with more than 4,500 members statewide.

"I don't know of one in the county today," he observed. Syndergaard said the clubs were involved in promoting equine events, many of which had long been associated with rodeo. The groups were affiliated with a state-wide riding club association. He became involved at nearly every level of the organization's leadership, including at the state and district levels.

Syndergaard said he and Arlene Christensen, Mt. Pleasant, got together with a number of other people involved with area riding clubs to create an endurance ride as a fundraiser. They began to focus on the area south of the rugged country long known as Hell's Kitchen...

Read more here:
http://www.heraldextra.com/sanpete-county/commentary/mackey-hwy/article_54972d7d-9f11-5cf8-944d-04ce30d358f8.html

Pritzlaff bloodlines in Distance Horse of the Year

Modern Arabian Horse - Full Article

by Marcha Hayes
Issue 2/2012

Shunning horse shows, Egyptian breeder Richard Pritzlaff nurtured his horses on thousands of acres of northern New Mexico terrain. Endurance rider Crockett Dumas continue this breeding legacy.

She's young, beautiful and has a four-year old at home. She's OT Sara Moniet RSI and AHA's Distance Horse of 2011. Like most working moms in American today, OT Sara Moniet RSI (Sara) has a complex background, life and support system. Bred, fed, trained, shod, and ridden by owner Crockett Dumas of Escalante, Utah, Sara accomplished amazing things in 2011. She completed 31 out of 31 AERC rides, totaling 1,675 miles. Sara finished top ten in all rides except the 2011 100 Mile Tevis Cup, and was declared Best Conditioned at nine events. And although only seven years old at the time, she accomplished these feats carrying a rider/tack combination of around 225 pounds...

Read more here:
http://www.pagegangster.com/p/gDZnf/#/page/83

Canadians Endurance Riders Clean Up in North Carolina

Horse-canada.com

HORSE SPORT MAY 9, 2012
BY: EQUINE CANADA

At the FEI/FEI-JYR 100, 75, 50 Biltmore Challenge held at the Biltmore Equestrian Center, Ashville, NC, on May 5th, Misha Green and Vagas won first place in the 50 Mile FEI* and FEI Best Condition. In the 75 Mile FEI** Young Rider division, Lee Hutten and Parker AES also won first place. Third place went to Emma Webb and CwmFellen Zillary.

More information about the Biltmore Challenge may be found at http://www.biltmoreendurance.com/.

Endurance Rider Holly Corcoran Has Her Eye on WEG 2014

Pennsylvaniaequestrian.com - Full Article

May 2012 - Marcella Peyre-Ferry

It is a long hard road to the top of any sport, but Holly Corcoran of Stroudsburg PA has gotten there in 50 and 100 mile stretches. Corcoran is actively competing and winning in FEI level endurance rides with an eye toward the WEG in 2014 and more.

Corcoran is a CPA and entrepreneur by profession, yet she is passionate about the sport of endurance riding. Originally from New Jersey, she has always loved trail riding. She grew up with horses, riding since she was six months old when her father first put her on one of the family Morgan horses.

After a fifteen-year hiatus, she returned to riding as an adult, entering the western show ring, and teaching her children to ride. They were involved in 4H, and Corcoran was a club leader for 10 years while the family took part in showing Arabians. “It kind of started off pretty tame. As I was going along, I was finding I was really looking for something different,” she said.

Daughter Kelly is now 21 and nearing graduation from Penn State and has applied to vet school for the fall. That leaves Corcoran time to pursue her love of endurance riding.

Not for Everyone

Endurance riding is not a sport for every horse and rider combination. It involves a timed race over 50 to 100 miles in one day over a marked course, monitored by veterinarians at intermittent checkpoints. Winning requires the horse and rider team to turn in the best time within the maximum time limits of 12 hours for a 50 and 24 hours for a 100 mile ride, plus the horse must be deemed “fit to continue” at the end of the trek...

read more here:
http://www.pennsylvaniaequestrian.com/news2012/may/Endurance-Rider-Holly-Corcoran-Has-Her-Eye-on-WEG-2014.php

Biltmore Challenge

Biltmore Challenge

The Biltmore Challenge Endurance Ride took place on May 5 2012 at the Biltmore Equestrian Center in Asheville, North Carolina, with an open AERC, AHA Local 50 and 75 miles, Region 12 Championship 100 mile, FEI/FEI-JYR 100, 75, 50, SERA sanctioned and SEDRA sanctioned. 

Eone Willemse won a close race to the finish of the 100 miles, riding Valerie Kanavy's My Wild Irish Gold over Jeremy Reynolds.

The following is a partial (unofficial) list of completors.

100 miles

26 starters

1. Eone Willemse on My Wild Irish Gold

2. Jeremy Reynolds

3. Becky Bunnel (first AHA)

4. Amy Wallace Whelan

5. Gina Hagis

6. Steve Rojek

6. Lisa Green

8. Don Meuten and Fury

9. Sudi Lenhart

10. Patricia Clark and Sierra Bey Wind

11. Karen Bell

11. Stephen Faryadi (Jr)

also finished

Cat Carter, Debbie Schultz, Jennifer Sapira, Denis Susan Franklin

75 miles

47 starters, 37 finishers

1. Ceci Butler-Stasiuk and Diesel 8:08

2. Leigh Ann Pauley and Steeleman (Best Condition)

3. Lee Hutten (YR)

4. Mary Farris

5. Diane Hawthorne

6. Christina Kimery (YR)

7. TJ Vore and Shadowfax

8. Emma Webb

9. Wendy Benns

10. Mary Kathryn Clark (YR)

50 miles

89 starters, 72 finishers

1. Jesse Jarrett on Smoke Deuce in 4:20