Legendary Endurance Stallion Sierra Fadwah+/ Scores Big in AERC National Championship 100

His descendants finish first and third in the 100 mile Championship

by Merri Melde-Endurance.net
November 15 2019

The legend that is endurance stallion Sierra Fadwah+/ carried on at the 2019 AERC 100-mile National Championship in Ridgecrest, California, on November 2.

Winner of the 100 miler in a ride time of 10:51 was 12-year-old RTR Rimfires Etta, a granddaughter of Sierra Fadwah; and third place, by 14 minutes, was 11-year-old RTR Thunders Nusabre, a grandson of Sierra Fadwah and half brother to Etta.

Sierra Fadwah+/ was bred by Bob and Lorry Wagner of Sierra Dawn Arabians in 1973, and purchased by Jim and Jackie Bumgardner of Ridgecrest as a 7-year-old in 1980. By Fadjur out of Judhi - a full sister to another endurance legend and sire Bezatal - the Bumgardners started Fadwah in endurance, where he proved to be exceptional.

He completed his final ride at age 21 in 1994. Over his 15-season career he carried more than 30 different riders in 87 starts to earn a record of 7280 endurance miles with zero pulls. He earned the Jim Jones Stallion award in 1983, the Legion of Honor award in 1984, and was elected to the AERC Hall of Fame in 1992. (Sierra Fadwah's son Sierra Fadrazal+/ and Jackie were given the AERC Pard'ners Award in 1998; "Ross" garnered 8500 AERC miles over more than 20 endurance seasons, including 4 consecutive Tevis finishes).

Sierra Fadwah died in 2004 at age 31, but his get continue to tear up the endurance trail. The gelding Fire Mt Malabar (Sierra Fadwah X Malabar Dawn, by Malabar Amir) continues to compete for Lee Pearce and Naomi Preston of Oregon at age 20 with over 8100 miles. Fire Mt Zoom+/ (Sierra Fadwah X Rushcreek La Hand, by Cougar Rock), 2016 AHA Distance Horse of the Year, continues to compete for Marci Cunningham of California at age 18 with over 5600 miles.

RTR Rimfires Etta is owned by Dublin "Tinker" Hart and her mother Kay Matthews of Nevada. The mare was ridden by regular partner Jeremy Reynolds of Dunnellon, Florida. Etta's sire is RTR Rimfire, a son of Sierra Fadwah, owned by Tinker. She bred and raised and trained Rimfire, and contributed 275 of his endurance miles during his 7 seasons of endurance, where he earned 1610 miles and completed 31 of 36 starts. He continues to stand at stud at Tinker's Running Thunder Ranch in Wellington, Nevada.

Tinker purchased the mare PS Sierra Sage from LAS Racing Arabians in Fernley, Nevada, and bred her to Rimfire, resulting in the bay mare RTR Rimfires Etta. Tinker foaled and raised her and advanced her through her FEI qualifications in endurance. Jeremy took over riding her in 2019, adding three 50-mile wins, and a second place in Tevis, to her record this season before winning the AERC National Championship 100. Her current AERC record stands at 30 completions in 34 starts, and 1565 miles.

14-year-old Caroline de Bourbon, of San Leandro, California, rode RTR Thunders Nusabre (RTR Rimfire X PS Donnas Star, by LAS Seykret Agent) to a third place finish, in Caroline's first 100-mile ride as an emancipated Junior. It was their third ride together; their previous partnership resulted in a 14th place finish in the Tevis Cup this year. Nusabre is owned by Bill Whitlock, also of San Leandro.

Countless other grandsons and granddaughters of Sierra Fadwah+/ are still active on the endurance trails.

Sierra Fadwah's Hall of Fame plaque sums up this great horse:

"Many of the stars we see in the night sky died millions of year ago, and yet we see their light. So it will be with Sierra Fadwah+/ . His greatness will shine on for future generations of equestrians through the memories of those who loved him and the continuing performance of his offspring. Sierra Fadwah+/ is truly a star in the constellation of endurance performance."



More photos and stories on the AERC National Championship are at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2019AERCNC/

Who You Callin' Old: 19-year-old Endurance Horse Fire Mt Malabar is Still On Fire

At 19, Fire Mt Malabar has over 7000 miles, 16 first places, and 47 Best Conditions (3rd on the all-time BC list). And he's not done yet.

December 3 2018
by Merri Melde-Endurance.net

The 16-hand, slight bay gelding with a star and thin strip and 4 white socks is a familiar sight going down the Northwest and Mountain region endurance trails. But you might do a double take at his rider.

Lee Pearce of Baker City, Oregon, was Fire Mt Malabar's (almost) exclusive Heavyweight rider since 2006: a partnership of over 5300 miles, 43 Best Condition awards, and a 2011 National Best Condition award.

(You can read about Lee's earlier adventures with Malabar here.)

Lee on Malabar hitting 5000 miles

In 2015 Malabar and Lee headed to the Big Horn 100; they started the ride, and passed the first vet check, but then Lee stopped with him out on the trail because something wasn't right. Turned out Malabar had contracted salmonella, most likely at an overnight stopover in Dubois on the way; he became so ill that they nearly lost him at the vet clinic. He went on to recover, and Lee and Malabar came back firing on all pistons in 2016, with a 10 for 10 record, though Lee rode him more conservatively.

Now it's Lee's wife Naomi Preston who has the esteemed seat in Malabar's saddle. How she got there was a process of talking Lee out of him, since he had another nice and talented horse to ride (JAC Winterhawk), and since Naomi didn't really have a main endurance horse. "Maybe it was pity that he gave me Malabar," Naomi laughs.


Naomi had ridden Malabar on only one previous 50 mile ride in June of 2011 at the Owyhee Cheap Thrills No Frills in Idaho. "It was a magical ride. Sue Hedgecock and I rode together the whole day. [Sue rode LZP Julioslastchance, her eventual Haggin Cup winner.] It was pretty, there were wildflowers, blue sky; the two of us just had a ball. And we decided to tie for the win, because the horses were even. It was really fun." Naomi had never ridden Malabar before, and the gelding was perfect that day, since Lee had gotten the 'kinks' out of him in winning the previous day's 50.


Naomi and Malabar at City of Rocks
Fast forward 6 years to Idaho's City of Rocks Pioneer ride in June of 2017, where Naomi swung a leg aboard Malabar in a new partnership. Usually riding with Lee aboard Hawk, Naomi and Malabar finished 16 of 16 rides (810 miles) in 2017 (and don't forget the 2 rides and 100 miles with Lee before Naomi took the reins), and 18 of 19 rides in 2018 (940 miles). Their only stumbling block in 2018 was Tevis, and that was a Rider Option pull, when Naomi's metabolics went awry. "Malabar was fine," Naomi said. "I was the weak link!" (Lee and Hawk went on to finish Tevis.)

"Malabar's showing no signs of slowing down," Naomi says. "It's almost like he's got a second career. We got 4 wins and 4 Best Conditions this year.
We tied for the win of the 3-day Strawberry Fields Pioneer with Lee and Hawk - only 3 pairs did all 3 days. Very tough ride. And Malabar reached 7000 miles in September.


"We weren't pushing or anything - Malabar's just kind of on fire. He's just going so well, and his recoveries are great."

On one of those wins this fall, Naomi and Malabar tied with Christoph Schork and GE Pistol Annie at the Outlaw and the Virgin Pioneer ride in Utah. Christoph is AERC's winningest rider, and you can usually expect Christoph to be setting a smart pace at the start of rides and finishing in front. And GE Pistol Annie is no slouch, with 48 completions in 49 starts, 33 of those first places (all with Christoph), and 21 Best Conditions.

Naomi says, "We came into the lunch vet check, and I thought, well, if Malabar doesn't pulse down right away, this will be a sign he's going too fast. And they both pulsed down at the same time; Malabar of course drops to 40. Christoph and I rode together the whole day, and we had a ball."

Naomi recalled that Lee and Malabar had ridden with Christoph and Pistol Annie many years earlier. One can easily imagine the two experienced, talented endurance horses eyeballing each other in mutual recognition down the trail.


Known in his 'younger years' for some antics - spooking, bucking, going too fast - Malabar tried his tricks on Naomi just once, on her first ride with him in 2017 at City of Rocks. "We were going down a long road, and something spooked Malabar, and the wind was blowing a million miles an hour, and he took off at a gallop. So not only did he spook, but he bolted, too. Lee was thinking I was going to be roadkill, but I stayed on, and got him stopped.

"That's the only time he's really ever done anything kind of crazy with me. I was really fit and strong then. I wasn't getting off that horse. Luckily he just ran straight. But it did scare me!


"He's really settled down. I love riding him. It's just fun. We're in that zone. He reminds me a lot of riding Mustang Lady in several ways, just because he's a veteran, he knows to eat and drink, he carries a steady pace - he knows all that stuff. You know how nice it is riding a horse that's experienced."

(Naomi's phenomenal Mustang Lady entered the AERC Hall of Fame in 2001 - read about her here).


Experienced and, still, on fire. Malabar probably is getting a 'second wind' with a Lightweight rider, but it could just be that he's that good. He comes from some of the best old-time, proven bloodlines you can find in the endurance sport: Fire Mt Malabar is by Jim and Jackie Bumgardner's legendary endurance stallion and sire Sierra Fadwah (AERC Hall of Fame 1992) out of Malabar Dawn, by Malabar Amir.

While the gelding is (mostly) all business on the trail now (mostly, unless Naomi tries a side pull on him after a lunch vet check at a ride, which he does not like), he can throw in a little crow hop on training rides. "It's not anything that you'd fall off," Naomi says, "but a crop hop that says, 'I'm feeling good!'"


Generally kind of aloof to people, Malabar still knows he's quite special, coming to the pasture gate when Lee or Naomi are around, to get let out for his "special" meals. He thinks any hay on the ground is his bed. He has a bit of a sense of humor, too, taking advantage of Naomi when she's trying to put his bridle on. He puts his head in the sky because he knows that he's tall and Naomi is short and can't reach him when he does that. The only horse in the herd he can't push around is his brother Fire Mt Legacy.


Malabar knows how good he is. And he's not done yet. Lee and Naomi are planning on more multi-day rides next year, which Malabar excels at. "Lee and I really love multi-days. And we really love the Duck rides (Dave Nicholson's multi-day XP rides). The trails are beautiful, we get to see different scenery, and the camaraderie is great.

"Malabar's just that special quality of a horse that knows their job, and has fun doing it and you don't have to worry about them. It's just the ultimate.

"It's a blessing - really a blessing."


photos by Lee and Naomi, and a few by Crockett Dumas