GF Brazils Envy is 2014 AHA Distance Horse of the Year

The Purebred Arabian mare GF Brazils Envy is the 2014 Arabian Horse Association Distance Horse of the Year. She is owned by Ann Kratochvil of California, and was bred by Jim and Cindy Gromelski of Colorado. GF Brazils Envy has competed in Endurance since 2006 and has 8625 lifetime miles.

Congratulations Ann!

Western States Trail Foundation Holiday Party

Join us for the annual Western States Trail Foundation Holiday Party!

Saturday, December 13th
5:30-11:30 pm
Elks Lodge, 195 Pine St. 
Auburn, CA

Full Bar--Dinner Buffet--Dessert
$40 per person

Dress in your best Western Wear
Raffle Prizes: 2015 Ride Entries, including Tevis
Music and Dancing
 
Please RSVP by sending a check and number of guests to the WSTF Office:

150 A Gum Lane, #103
Auburn, CA 95603

See Teviscup.org for more information.

After 12/10, please RSVP by phone: 530-823-7282.

AERC Reaffirms Open Endurance Records

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
AERC RECORDS TO REMAIN OPEN
Date: November 2014

Membership in the American Endurance Ride Conference has always meant more to its members than just riding in long distance competitions. The organization supports trail building and maintenance, horse welfare through veterinary research and education, as well as tracking rider and equine mileage and points for its 700 endurance competitions held annually across the U.S. and Canada.
The nonprofit organization, and its 26-member board of directors, recently learned how much free access to rider and equine history meant to the organization’s nearly 5,000 riders, and a generation of past endurance riders. This fall, AERC’s board passed a proposal to make rider and horse endurance ride history available only to current members, via a computer log-in at the organization’s website, www.aerc.org.

Non-members have always been able to participate in AERC rides by paying a $15 day member fee for each ride, and their ride records had been accessible online.

But once the records became member-only, the outcry from endurance riders, past and present, as well as breeders of endurance horses, was immediate and vocal, and the board unanimously voted just recently to rescind their earlier decision.

Open access allows the public to check out records of some amazing endurance riders, like Dave Rabe of Nevada, who recently became AERC’s highest-mileage rider, with more than 60,500 miles in competitions of 50 miles or longer – that amount of miles is the equivalent of two and a half trips around the world!

AERC’s 2015 ride season begins on December 1, 2014, and the organization welcomes interested riders to contact the office, 866-271-2372, for a free informational packet about endurance riding.

AERC projects currently underway designed to encourage growth and stability for AERC include: hiring a marketing contractor to increase AERC's brand awareness; a mentor program for new endurance riders; educational clinics for new and intermediate riders; more educational videos available on AERC's YouTube channel; an updated website; and a program to recruit new ride managers.

Contact: Troy Smith
American Endurance Ride Conference
www.aerc.org
endurancenews@foothill.net
866-271-2372, 530-823-2260

2015 AERC Rule Changes

AERC.org

The following changes, effective 12/1/14, have been adopted by vote of the AERC Board of Directors.

• Equines must be 6 years of age (72 mo.) to start a one-day 100 mile ride. (Rule 3.1)

• Equines must have a body condition score between 3 and 8 to start an AERC ride. (3.4)

• All AERC rides, both limited distance and endurance, must have at least one check- point and hold. (2.1.7)

• Please carefully read over rule 2.1.6.2 and 6.2.1-6.2.1.1, detailing changes to the time to meet criteria.

• An initial triage and treatment plan must be in place for all AERC rides. (Sanction Form)

• Recovery pulse rate at the finish is lowered from 68 bpm to 64 bpm (although that may be raised in documented extreme weather conditions). (6.2.1.2)

• Low-dose omeprazole (at the preventive dosage of 1 mg/kg/day) will be allowable. It is still prohibited to use omeprazole at the full 4 mg/kg/day “treatment” dose at any time during competition. (Drug Rule Appendices)

For more information see:
AERC.org

McCamey Kimbler Wins 2014 USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award

John Nation Photo
USEFNetwork.com

RELEASE: November 17, 2014
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department

Lexington, Ky. – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce McCamey Kimbler as the winner of the 2014 USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award. The USEF Youth Sportsman's Award is designed to identify potential future leaders in the equine industry and provides an opportunity for the USEF to recognize outstanding youth members for their achievements. An international endurance rider from Aberdeen, S.D., Kimbler was nominated by the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC).

The 18-year-old high school senior grew up with horses and has been competing in endurance for several years, training her horses herself. Within the last few years, she has been ranked in the top five in the USEF Endurance Junior/Young Rider Standings and the top ten in the FEI Young Riders World Endurance Ranking. In 2012, she was awarded the Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy and received a USEF High School Equestrian Athlete Program grant. Kimbler was the youngest rider named to the USEF Long List for the 2012 Longines FEI World Endurance Championships. The following year, she competed in the Tom Quilty Gold Cup race in Australia and the Pan American Endurance Championship in Uruguay. In 2014, she finished the Tevis Cup, a challenging 100 mille one-day trail ride.

Outside of her competitive success, Kimbler has been involved with many equestrian programs. She has held leadership roles in the equestrian industry, including liaising between the USEF and AERC and serving as Regional Youth Director and Vice President for the Arabian Horse Youth Association. Additionally, Kimbler is involved with her local 4-H group and was a member of the winning team at the 2012 Horse Quiz Bowl State Championship.

A student of Central High School, Kimbler is the President of the Student Senate and the State Student Council Secretary. The National Honor Society member also participates in Freshman Orientation, the debate team, and the cross country team, while maintaining a 3.837 GPA on a weighted scale. Kimbler plans to attend college and dental school.

Kimbler will receive a commemorative trophy, a $1,000 grant to the educational program of her choice, and a lifetime membership to USEF, valued at $2,500.

The reserve overall winner of the USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award is Elizabeth Traband (Centre Hall, Pa.), nominated by the United States Hunter Jumper Association. She will receive a $500 grant.

The other national nominees were:
Madeline Backus, Larkspur, Colo. (United States Eventing Association)
Sydney Collier, Ann Arbor, Mich. (United States Para-Equestrian Association)
Jessica Fan, Lake Jackson, Texas (United States Dressage Federation)
Connor Farley, Waverly, W.Va. (Western Dressage Association of America)
Malu Foley, Cedar Crest, N.M. (American Vaulting Association)
Rachel Frieman, Los Angeles, Calif. (International Andalusian Lusitano Horse Association)
Micah Furr, Salisbury, N.C. (Paso Fino Horse Association)
Reggie Glover, Weimar, Texas (American Driving Society)
Margo Goldfarb, Franklin, Tenn. (American Connemara Pony Society)
Melissa Heres, Aragon, Ga. (American Saddlebred Horse Association)
Emma Lemke, Franklin, Tenn. (Welsh Pony and Cob Society of America)
Ryan Melendez, Temecula, Calif. (Arabian Horse Association)
Anaiah Richter, Murrieta, Calif. (International Friesian Show Horse Association)

For more information on the USEF Youth Sportsman's Award, please contact Jennifer Mellenkamp, Director, National Breed/Discipline Affiliates, at jmellenkamp@usef.org or (859) 225-6955.

Endurance.net's Book of the Month: Riding the Milky Way

ww.endurance.net/market/bookstore/

by Babette Gallard, October 2006

On the warm spring day when Babette Gallard and Paul Chinn decided to ride 1600 kilometres along the St James Way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, he had never ridden before, she had only ever ridden under duress, their horses had yet to be found and the dog was a passing whim they were trying to forget. "Riding the Milky Way" tells the story of their journey. The humans were broke, burnt-out and vaguely hoping that early retirement would save their health and sanity. The horses were plucked off the equine scrap heap in France and still grappling with their new roles as something between mount and mountain goat. The dog was doing his best to understand why he was there. This inspiring, amusing and informative book sweeps the reader along with each member as he or she, horse or dog, progresses step by step towards a goal that has become more than just Santiago. The author not only explains how to avoid the pitfalls they encountered but also tells the reader what is expected of riders making this ancient pilgrimage. Packed with sketches and photographs, this book will inspire even the most timid traveller, while also giving practical guidance for someone wanting to do a similar journey. Finally, it is much more than just a good read. It is an excellent, if sometimes irreverent, guide to the legendary St James Way.

Endurance Rider Donates Kidney

November 12 2014

by Deb Moe

A truly selfless and courageous act of generosity and faith is happening today. Cathe Cheesebrow is receiving a life-saving kidney transplant, donated from her friend Janet Hedding Sarver. I have received word that the surgeries have gone well.

Most of you won't know these ladies. They met, as most of us have, through a love of riding distance horses. Their friendship grew even closer last year when both decided to ride 50's together. Cathe and her pistol of a mare, LB, even went on to win a top 5 AERC award.

Last fall, Cathe's health began to decline and she was diagnosed with kidney disease. I don't know the specifics, but I do know that the doctors told her it was likely she'd be on dialysis within a year. I don't need to remind anyone what that means.

Early this summer, Cathe got the news she was on the waiting list for a kidney transplant and although that was good news, the wait times can be several years. Cathe's positive attitude was inspiring.

Once Cathe announced she was on the wait list, Janet secretly began her own journey, as she calls it. She took the questionnaires and passed. She took preliminary screenings and passed. She came to realize she might actually be a match and decided then and there she would do this for her friend. She said on her FB page "From the very first blood test to the CT scan to the wonderful team at the U of M Donor program it has all been a bit of a whirlwind. So many times I had to give up all control to God and rest my mind from the unknown details."

One can only imagine the tears that were shed when Cathe learned Janet was the closest to being a match over everyone else that had tried.

In late October, they learned that Janet was in fact a very good match. The surgeries were scheduled asap because (God Dammit!) they were going to be back on horses in the spring!

As another friend said, this a friendship, developed from the love of horses, that turned into a gift of life.
I know they wouldn't want the attention, but this story is too uplifting to not share. It exemplifies just how wonderful this endurance family is.

Be well Cathe and Janet. Ride on.

*Nov 14 Update - Both Cathe and Janet are doing well!*

Modern Mustangs and Mustangers Do the Distance

Frankhopkins.com - Full Article

Compiled by Beverley J. Davis

It might seem like the accomplishments of Hidalgo and his kind are now a part of the past, something we only find in books and movies. But modern Mustangs and Mustangers are carrying on the old traditions and proving their mettle in this age of mechanized transportation and supersonic speeds. And in this world of flash and glamour, where the motto is bigger is better, the small Indian ponies of old, who carried the US mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, who followed the war trails with Quanah Parker and Chief Joseph, and taught the US cavalry that size had nothing to do with stamina and heart, are still hitting the trails and going the distance.

Finding a starting place for this journey is not an easy one, but since we must start somewhere, I’ll jump in with the tale Mal de Ojo and Indio Blanco. In the early 1970s, two young adventurers named Nathan and Elly Foote started out of Argentina with the intention of riding across North and South America on their Argentine Criollos, a breed closely related to the Spanish mustang. Unfortunately at the Texas border two of their horses died in quarantine due to a faulty drug administered by the USDA. It might have been the end of the journey, but Gilbert Jones, a Spanish mustang breeder from Oklahoma stepped up and offer them two of his horses, Mal de Ojo and Indio Blanco. Right away the mustangs proved themselves to be as tough and loyal as the horses that they had lost, carrying their new owners from the Rio Grande all the way to Alaska. Elly Foote said that these tough adventurers spent their last years in the green pastures of Burns Lake, British Columbia, Canada. No doubt a well-earned reward.

In the world of competitive trail riding, there are two prominent organizations, The AERC, American Endurance Ride Conference, and the NATRC, North American Trail Ride Conference, both of which has regional rides and accumulates points accordingly.

In 1989, Chief Yellow Fox, owned by Kim Kingsley and a descendent of SMR 3 Yellow Fox, one of the foundation sires of the Spanish Mustang Registry and Horse of Americas, competed in the AERC and won the Jim Jones Award for the most miles, 1450 in the 1989 season. The previous year he had gone 800 miles in 17 rides...

Read more here:
http://www.frankhopkins.com/endurance.html

Endurance Day on Horses in the Morning with Dianna Chapek and Tim Worden

Horses in the Morning - Listen!

November 11 2014

Endurance Day with Karen Chaton opens with a great app for dog lovers and how to respond to the alarm universal to all equestrians; "loose horse"! Guests Dianna Chapek and Tim Worden chat about the future of the AERC. Listen in...

Horses in the Morning Radio show

How Many Trips To The Well? Insights From A Sleep-Deprived Ride Manager

EnduranceInstrospection Blog - Full Story

by Patti Stedman
October 5 2014

Being an AERC Ride Manager has its challenges.

Chiropractors from all over will soon be summoned as those who have taken it on nod in near-violent agreement.

There are so many reasons we throw in the towel, permanently or temporarily, or contemplate doing so.

Perhaps writing about it all after a weekend of only a smattering of sleep is unwise. I recognize that I’m exhausted, and on an emotional tidal wave, teary and touched with joy and gratitude, then frustrated by the “why do we do this?” moments that every Ride Manager knows all too well.

Ride management means worrying. Over the course of the last ten days I’ve worried over the following: Too many entries (since we have a limited camp size), too few entries (since a horrible forecast and the usual attrition meant they were dropping like flies in the seventy-two hours before the ride), the weather (which I’ve learned I can do nothing about but fret over nonetheless), my newbie riders, having enough food and lodging for all of my volunteers and riders and the others who pop by for a free meal (I didn’t, but a last minute grocery run fixed that), the interstate construction near our ride camp, whether the trail markings would stay up (many didn’t), the last minute porta-potty charge from the Park, and the condition of our trails (which like most, are not made better by a deluge of rain)...

Read more here:
http://enduranceintrospection.com/how-many-trips-to-the-well-insights-from-a-sleep-deprived-ride-manager/

AERC Juniors Can Apply for Anne Ayala Scholarship

November 4 2014

AERC Juniors and Young Riders in good standing from their high school senior year through age 21 are invited to apply for the 2015 Anne Ayala Junior Scholarship. Applicants must have a minimum of 500 AERC lifetime miles, and an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0.

One scholarship of $1000 will be awarded, paid directly to the school and credited to your tuition.

Applicants will, in 1000 words total, write an essay answering specific questions about endurance riding and their personal experiences.

Applications must be received by January 7, 2015, and the recipient will be announced at the AERC convention in Reno, Nevada March 6-7, 2015.

For an application, see
http://aerc.org/Temp/2015Scholarship.pdf

National horse endurance race here

Dailytribune.net - Full Article

October 30 2014
By ANNETTE WHITE Tribune Staff Writer

The American Endurance Ride Conference kicked off its national championship event yesterday at the Priefert sales hangar.

The endurance race, which features the top riders and horses from across the nation, began Thursday at 6 a.m. with a 100-mile race and will wrap up Saturday with a 50-mile circuit.

“The 100-mile circuit is tough,” Michael Campbell, president of AERC, said. “They not only have to go that distance, but they have to complete it within 24 hours.”

Campbell said riders and horses train extensively for these races.

“This isn’t necessarily about who necessarily comes out first, but who finishes,” Campbell said. “The AERC motto says it all, to finish is to win.”

Racers from each circuit can expect to take home prizes for completing the race, while the winner will claim the national champion trophy...

Read more here:
http://www.dailytribune.net/news/national-horse-endurance-race-here/article_dc111442-6098-11e4-b703-d7651d29bf9a.html

2014 AERC National Championships

http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2014AERCNC/
100 Mile Champion: Lisa Green and Amana Tabi
50 Mile Champion: Windsor Mundy and Kharismas Grace

Lisa Green and Amana Tabi won the AERC 100 mile National Championship on October 30 at the Priefert Ranch in Mt Pleasant, Texas. Amana Tabi also won the Best Condition award.

Windsor Mundy and Kharismas Grace won the AERC 50 mile National Championship on November 1. "Grace" received High Vet Score, and 7th place finishers, Gunnar Frank and Trinity won Best Condition. The following are partial unofficial finishers:

AERC 100 Miles
1st - Lisa Green and Amana Tabi
2nd - Vicki Roden and Jolly Juice
3rd - Gunnar Frank and Ansata
4th - Alanna Frank and Ramses Mr Midnight

AERC 50 miles
1 Windsor Mundy and Kharismas Grace - High Vet Score
2 Cameron Holtzer and Kong
3 Alisija Granger and Dixieland Dude
4 Megan Dunn and Mandys Gold
5 Verena Stock and King Tiki
6 Charlotte Baca and TFR Rafa Ibn Soheir
7 Gunnar Frank and Trinity - Best Condition
8 Marcelle Himanka and Oliver Swift
9 Claude Brewer and Hal Bents Miracl

More will be posted when available at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2014AERCNC/