Man vs. Horse: Riders cross finish line together for their animals

DCourier.com - Full Article

10/5/2014 6:02:00 AM
31st Annual Man Against Horse Race
Man vs. Horse: Riders cross finish line together for their animals

Horseback riders Troy Eckard and Dayna Weary were dueling at the front of the pack throughout the Man Against Horse Race on Saturday, but you wouldn't have known it.

Instead of grinding it out until the bitter end, Eckard and Weary decided to trot their horses, OT Rymonigly and Max, respectively, to the finish line together to protect their animals from harm.

They crossed the line in just over 7 hours, becoming the first of about 35 riders in the 50-mile race to do so. Eckard and Weary lost to runner James Bonnett of Phoenix, but earned belt buckle prizes nonetheless.

"We're not ultra runners - it's not all about us and it's not all about the ego," Weary said of she and Eckard's rationale for coming in together. "It's about the relationship with the horse and what these horses give to us..."

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