Paradise teen completes 100-mile, 24-hour horse ride

Orovillemr.com - Full Article

By Eli Stillman, Paradise Post
POSTED: 08/11/17

The 100-mile race known as the Tevis Cup provides horsemen with some of the toughest terrain to traverse and only 24 hours to do it.

Jakob Gregory, a 15-year-old Paradise resident, has been competing in endurance races like these since he was young, but this was the first year he was complete the course which is known as one of the toughest in the world.

Sponsored by Echo Valley Ranch, a feed store in Auburn, Gregory and his crew traveled to Tahoe in anticipation of the 5 a.m. start time on Aug. 5.

Beginning at Squaw Valley, the riders embark on the Western States Trail that leads them across tall peaks and through hot valleys until they arrive at the finish line Auburn.

Along the way there are checkpoints and rest stops for the riders and their horses. Known as vet stations, the stops examine the horses’ health by taking their pulses, checking muscle soreness and levels of hydration. If a horse’s wellness is below the acceptable level in any of the criteria, it is pulled from the race.

Each year, nearly half of the horses and their riders drop out.

For Gregory, an incoming sophomore at Paradise High School, the endurance races provide a different kind of challenge than the three sports he plays a year...

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