March 9, 2017
The 2017 ride season should be in full swing, but out here in the west someone forgot to tell Mother Nature. In March we have close to a record snowpack in the Sierra Mountains which keeps trail repair crews off the trails as well as the equestrians from training on the trail in these early days of the season. There are trees down on the trail in the canyons that will not be removed until April. On the positive side that keeps the erosion to a minimum from horse traffic on wet trails.
I expect the snow pack to melt in time to allow us to use the historic trail on the August 5 ride date. If the snow pack makes it impossible to use the trail through the Granite Chief Wilderness area, an alternate trail would be used. This would most likely pick up the historic trail in the area of Robinson Flat and follow the traditional trail to Auburn. **It is too early in the season to speculate what the conditions will be in August.**
Tevis has had a great relationship with Calstar air flight rescue company. Calstar has been sold and is now part of the AirMedCare network. This company has greatly increased the geographic service area for members, and a yearly subscription is available at the group rate of $55 to each rider, crew member and volunteer involved with Tevis. Past Tevis group members will get their renewal letters in the mail and new members can subscribe by calling 800-793 0010 or visiting their website at membership@airmedcarenetwork.com. Please remember to mention Tevis to receive the Tevis group rate of $55.
We are delighted to get the ride chart results out for the AERC conference. Last year’s Tevis riders will get their copies mailed to them directly next week. A great deal of information can be gained from studying these charts whether you are riding to win or riding to finish. The WSTF Board of Governors would like to give a big Thank You to Kathie Perry and Phil Gardner for all the hard work and dedication they put into pulling the data together to create this ride chart for riders to use in planning their future ride pacing. If you know someone who needs a copy, please call the WSTF office.
Tevis is offering a free entry to the winning essay from a sixty-year-old or older first-time rider who would like to ride in 2017. Please refer to the Tevis website for more details of the contest. This contest is a result of the inspirational 2016 Tevis experience of 75-year-old Jessie Caswell. Jessie's story of his ride to a top ten finish (as well as all other top ten riders) is covered in the Tevis article in the September 2016 Arabian Horse World as well as in the 2017 Tevis Forum which will be out in June.
I hope to see you out on the trails and at the rides.
Enjoy the journey,
Chuck Stalley
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