Episode 21 - Big Horn 100 Endurance Horse Podcast

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July 28 2019

Welcome to The Big Horn 100 episode of Endurance Horse Podcast

Created July 27/28th 2019 (yes I pulled an all nighter again Daryl Owen)

Hello and Welcome to episode 21 of Endurance Horse Podcast!

I’m Christina Hyke, an equine photographer based in Southern Wisconsin

Today is July 27th, 2019.

When I learned that both Bridget and Dante were headed to the Big Horn 100 it inspired me to dedicate this episode of Endurance Horse Podcast to the Big Horn 100. The Big Horn 100 predates the creation of the AERC, American Endurance Ride Conference, that is an impressively long running ride! If you have been doing endurance very long, chances are you have heard of the Big Horn 100.

Shell, Wyoming is the base camp of the legendary Big Horn 100 mile, 1 day ride. Twice this ride has been host to the Race of Champions, and a champion you must be to ride from the elevation of 4,000 feet rising to the climb of 10,000 feet elevation. The Big Horn is a single loop of some of the most challenging, rugged and beautiful trail that America has to offer. It has been told to me by more than one rider that the difficulty of this trail rivals that of the Tevis Cup. I, personally, cannot say, as I have not ridden either trail, though I feel honored to share the stories from this trail with you, and maybe some of you are hearing about this ride for the first time and will hear the call of the Big Horn Mountains and take up the challenge to ride through climbing mountains, wild flowers and wild weather. Can you hear it? The Big Horn is calling you.

This year Big Horn 100 was managed by Cindy Collins. Cindy loves this ride and from all the good feedback I have seen online and in the files that have been sent to the podcast, the riders truly love Cindy and the Big Horn- the descriptions given have surely made the Big Horn a ride to aspire to and one to never forget. I am thankful to each of the riders who took the time to share their audio from Big Horn 2019. One of my favorite audios is from a rider traveled all the way from Maryland to see the Big Horn, one of her bucket list rides, get checked off of her list. Peggy Thompson has been riding endurance longer than the current AERC website has been keeping records. Peggy will share her journey on the 50 mile endurance ride at the Big Horn 2019, though before she does, here is a short history of the Big Horn.

Greybull, Wyoming, 1970 was the setting for a meeting of the Canyon Cavaliers Saddle Club. It was during this meeting that local rider, Dale Perkins mentioned an article he had read about a 100 mile, 1 day ride that traversed over the Sierra Mountains in California. The beloved Big Horn mountain was right in the backyard of the Canyon Cavaliers Saddle Club and Dale said that there was no reason why there couldn’t be a ride like one that hosted here, over the club’s much loved Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.

The idea was well received by the club, though they needed help to create such a ride. They sought out advice from a Laramie veterinarian who they had heard had actually ridden in the Western States 100 Mile One Day ride, also known as the Tevis Cup. The young veterinarian Dr. David Nicholson agreed to travel to Greybull and share his insight into what it would take to manage a 100 mile, 1 day endurance ride in the Big Horn Mountains. And, thus, with a good idea, much homework and planning, the Big Horn 100 Mile, Inc. was formed, Tom Van Gelder was elected first president and created The Big Horn 100, Inc into a 501 c3 non-profit. So there you have it, in the fall of 1970 the concept of the Big Horn 100 began and the organization of the 501 c3 called the Big Horn 100, Inc. was established in 1971. The AERC, American Endurance Ride Conference was established in 1972.

See photos and listen at:
https://endurancehorsepodcast.podbean.com/e/episode-21-big-horn-100-endurance-horse-podcast/