The USFS has been working on a long range management plan for the trail system in the northern half of the Cumberland District of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky for going on five years.
On August 31 they revealed their alternatives and began a 30 day comment period. This may be our last chance to influence the final outcome. This is the USFS and comments may be submitted. by ANY US Citizen.
Currently, this area has over 110 miles of trails and gravel roads open to horse use and at least 80% of trail users in the area are equestrians. The AERC National Championship has been held on these trails twice in the last ten years.
Details may be viewed on the FS web site:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/dbnf/landmanagement/projects
Once you get the FS web page: look on the left side and find "Land & Resource Management". Go down and Click on "Projects". A list will appear. Go down to the sub-heading "Under Analysis". Click on "Cave Run Non-motorized Trails Initiative". There is a ton of stuff here but what you need is under "Analysis". There you should find 7 maps and some narratives about the project.
The FS "Alternatives" range from No Change (very unlikely) to reducing equine use to 19 miles (2 of the 5 alternatives) in the winter (months not specified but possibly six months of the year) and reducing equine trails by one third or more during the dryer months. The trails taken from equine users would be given to the approximately 15% of users who ride mountain bikes. Although the claim is made that the seasonal closures are to protect trails from excessive wear in wet weather, no science was applied to choosing which trails to close and no flexibility is provided.
Any reduction in trails available for equine use will result in greater impacts on the remaining trails, as well as a dramatically different experience.
Issues ignored or summarily dismissed by the USFS in the process (though brought up by equestrians) include; the Congressional mandate to the FS to foster local economic development, the fact that the vast majority of trail users are equestrians, the historical and cultural significance of local equine use, the fact that equine use is the ONLY predominately female activity in the forest while mountain bikers are the same 20 to 40 year old male group that makes up the majority of user groups in all other forest activities, equestrians also are older than any other user group, horse riding is the best means of access to back country for people with physical limitations, a reduction in bicycle use in the area since the only mountain bike shop in the area closed last year and Equestrians have a long history of cooperation and working with the USFS to improve trails while Mountain Bikers have openly flaunted regulations and even assaulted other users in an attempt to intimidate them into abandoning the trails.
There is room for compromise and we are not insisting on no changes, but the final plan must be reasonable!
Please send Comments calling for NO reduction in the total miles of equine trails. These Comments will play a role in the selection of the preferred alternative. Comments MUST be received by Friday September 28.
Written comments, or comments provided in person, must be submitted to Frank Beum, Forest Supervisor, 1700 Bypass Road, Winchester, KY 40391. Comments can be sent by facsimile to 859-737-3867. Electronic comments should be in a common digital format and sent to comments-southern-daniel-boone@fs.fed.us. The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Oral comments via telephone must be provided during normal business hours to Becky Riegle, Project Leader at 989-724-9381.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
2013 AERC SCHOLARSHIP!
9/15/12
Click below for the AERC Scholarship Application which is due to AERC VP Jan Stevens by 1/1/13. AERC members from high school seniors through age 21 (must be younger than 22 on 1/1/13) are eligible to apply. Please see application info sheet for other requirements. The winner of the $1000 scholarship will be announced at the 2013 convention's national awards banquet.
http://www.aerc.org/Temp/2013ScholarshipApp.pdf
Click below for the AERC Scholarship Application which is due to AERC VP Jan Stevens by 1/1/13. AERC members from high school seniors through age 21 (must be younger than 22 on 1/1/13) are eligible to apply. Please see application info sheet for other requirements. The winner of the $1000 scholarship will be announced at the 2013 convention's national awards banquet.
http://www.aerc.org/Temp/2013ScholarshipApp.pdf
National Public Lands Day
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. In 2012, NPLD will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation's largest, single-day volunteer event for public lands. In 2012, NPLD will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012.
NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and NPLD became a yearly tradition, typically held on the last Saturday in September. Since the first NPLD, the event has grown by leaps and bounds.
In 2011, more than 170,000 volunteers worked at 2,067 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories. NPLD volunteers:
Collected an estimated 23,000 pounds of invasive plants
Built and maintained an estimated 1,500 miles of trails
Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants
Removed an estimated 500 tons of trash from trails and other places
Contributed an estimated $17 million through volunteer services to improve public lands across the country
Eight federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and state, regional and local governments participate in the annual day of caring for public lands.
National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-1942 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage.
Why is National Public Lands Day Important?
NPLD educates Americans about the environment and natural resources, and the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands;
NPLD builds partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America's public lands; and
NPLD improves public lands for outdoor recreation, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.
Interested in National Public Lands Day?
For more information, see http://www.publiclandsday.org/
To volunteer, view our Find a Site map here.
NPLD began in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers. It proved to be a huge success and NPLD became a yearly tradition, typically held on the last Saturday in September. Since the first NPLD, the event has grown by leaps and bounds.
In 2011, more than 170,000 volunteers worked at 2,067 sites in every state, the District of Columbia and in many U.S. territories. NPLD volunteers:
Collected an estimated 23,000 pounds of invasive plants
Built and maintained an estimated 1,500 miles of trails
Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants
Removed an estimated 500 tons of trash from trails and other places
Contributed an estimated $17 million through volunteer services to improve public lands across the country
Eight federal agencies as well as nonprofit organizations and state, regional and local governments participate in the annual day of caring for public lands.
National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-1942 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage.
Why is National Public Lands Day Important?
NPLD educates Americans about the environment and natural resources, and the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands;
NPLD builds partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America's public lands; and
NPLD improves public lands for outdoor recreation, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.
Interested in National Public Lands Day?
For more information, see http://www.publiclandsday.org/
To volunteer, view our Find a Site map here.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
‘To finish is to win’
Dylan Brown photo-Independent Record Helenair.com - Full Story
By DYLAN BROWN Independent Record
September 12 2012
Long before the sun breaks the horizon, Helenan Julie Muscutt is up feeding her horse a high protein mash with electrolytes. She fills a water bowl and heads back to bed. Muscutt says, “Just like marathon runners, horses need to hydrate.”
Her alarm buzzes and she’s back outside in the dark, strapping on a saddle. The horizon is burning red and her horse snorts in anticipation for the ride to come. She’s preparing for the seventh annual Pioneer Cabin Endurance Race, which is a two-day event on the Dagnell Ranch off Lincoln Road. She is one of several locals competing in the endurance race, which draws people from around the state and as far away as Calgary.
On Saturday, 12 racers competed in the 50-mile endurance race, 16 in the 25-mile limited race and two in the fun ride. On Sunday, three competed in the 50-mile endurance race and seven competed in the 30-mile limited distance race — this is the race Muscutt was preparing for.
As the sun beams across the wide Canyon Creek valley, the 50-mile riders let their reins down and head off across the dry landscape, kicking up dust streaked by rays of light. The 50-mile course is composed of two 15-mile laps, one 12-mile lap and one 8-mile lap. After each lap, the riders and their horses take a 45-minute break while veterinarians check the horses’ vitals, such as cardiovascular, skin tenting and gut sounds.
Muscutt says it’s all about the horse. “It’s really fun; it’s a thrill,” she says. “There isn’t a dress code, no political hype, none of that. Come be friendly and take care of your horse. If you don’t take care of your horse, you’ll get a bad rap really quick. If you don’t take care of your horse you won’t get along with these people...”
Read more here:
http://helenair.com/lifestyles/recreation/to-finish-is-to-win/article_9801f2f4-fd66-11e1-8a57-001a4bcf887a.html?comment_form=true
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Maynesboro Stud Memorial Ride Draws the Horse World's Attention to Berlin
Berlindailysun.com - Full article
Written by Barbara Tetreault
BERLIN – The Maynesboro Stud Memorial Ride will draw over 50 horses and riders to Berlin this weekend for an event that has captured the attention of the Arabian horse world.
The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Maynesboro Stud by William Robinson Brown. Brown, a member of the family that founded and operated the Brown Company paper mill, is considered the most important breeder of Arabian horses in the United States between 1912 and 1933.
An article about the event in the current issue of Modern Arabian Horse Magazine said Brown “once boasted the largest, finest and most influential herd of Arabian horses in the Western Hemisphere. W.R. Brown’s breeding program has such a positive and pervasive effect upon the breed in the United States, that the descendants of his many excellent stallions and mares are now omnipresent in modern bloodlines.”
Attending the festivities will be about a dozen Brown descendants including his daughter and son, Nancy Lee Snow and Fielding Brown, according to Walter Nadeau of the Berlin and Coos County Historical Society. The society has been working for over a year to plan and organize the event.
The highlight of the event is the 50-mile endurance race on Saturday. The race will start and finish at the Brown Company barns on the East Milan Road where Brown raised his horses. There will also be a 25-mile limited distance race and a 13-mile recreational ride.
Nadeau said riders are coming from across New England as well as New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina to compete here.
"This is a big deal in the Arabian horse world,” he said...
Read more here:
http://www.berlindailysun.com/
Written by Barbara Tetreault
BERLIN – The Maynesboro Stud Memorial Ride will draw over 50 horses and riders to Berlin this weekend for an event that has captured the attention of the Arabian horse world.
The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Maynesboro Stud by William Robinson Brown. Brown, a member of the family that founded and operated the Brown Company paper mill, is considered the most important breeder of Arabian horses in the United States between 1912 and 1933.
An article about the event in the current issue of Modern Arabian Horse Magazine said Brown “once boasted the largest, finest and most influential herd of Arabian horses in the Western Hemisphere. W.R. Brown’s breeding program has such a positive and pervasive effect upon the breed in the United States, that the descendants of his many excellent stallions and mares are now omnipresent in modern bloodlines.”
Attending the festivities will be about a dozen Brown descendants including his daughter and son, Nancy Lee Snow and Fielding Brown, according to Walter Nadeau of the Berlin and Coos County Historical Society. The society has been working for over a year to plan and organize the event.
The highlight of the event is the 50-mile endurance race on Saturday. The race will start and finish at the Brown Company barns on the East Milan Road where Brown raised his horses. There will also be a 25-mile limited distance race and a 13-mile recreational ride.
Nadeau said riders are coming from across New England as well as New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina to compete here.
"This is a big deal in the Arabian horse world,” he said...
Read more here:
http://www.berlindailysun.com/
Friday, September 07, 2012
Horses and wine blend among the vines on Tamber Bey estate in Yountville
Napavalleyregister.com - Full ArticleL. PIERCE CARSON
For a substantial chunk of his business career, Barry Waitte “played with the big boys” in the worlds of high technology and venture capital.
When he wasn’t moving money around or investigating a tech breakthrough, Waitte and his fianceé — now wife — Jennifer, spent days on the backs of Arabian horses, taking part in single day endurance races that stretched for either 50 or 100 miles.
But the lure of the grapevine got to Waitte, and he decided he’d rather grow grapes than pound stakes in high finance.
Not only was he familiar with Napa Valley but he felt Napa was the best place to make the type of wine he likes to drink.
“My parents used to vacation in St. Helena ... I’ve been coming here since I was 2 years old,” he recalled over a glass of a lush merlot enjoyed on the veranda of his Yountville wine estate.
“I love wine,” Waitte said, “and I looked into all aspects of the business before I chose the role of a grower.”
Just about a dozen years ago, Waitte purchased a choice 60-acre vineyard at the northern end of the Yountville appellation, containing cabernet sauvignon, merlot and smaller tracts of red Bordeaux varieties. When he brought a couple of horses to the property, he named the property Deux Chevaux...
Read more here:
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/wine/horses-and-wine-blend-among-the-vines-on-tamber-bey/article_546eeb62-f881-11e1-98a5-001a4bcf887a.html
$100 Psychotic, Wild, Hell-Horse Wins The Tevis Cup
Easycareinc.com Blog
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 by Garrett Ford
"He was going to shoot the horse!"
We all hear horror stories about horses that get into the wrong situation, with the wrong owners or are asked to compete in the wrong discipline. Many times these horses are one connection or one circumstance away from excellence and a chance to thrive in life. It's a common story in the life of a horse and many times they don't end well. But when the stars align and a horse finds his place magic can happen.
The Fury changed hands as a three year old for $100.00 and the sale possibly saved him from a bullet. The $100.00 purchase not only changed his life but started a chain of events that would give him the opportunity to win the most prestigious 100 mile horse event in the world.
In late 2009 I started looking for a new endurance horse. I had taken several years away from the from the sport of long distance racing and was looking for the right horse to help introduce several exciting EasyCare hoof boots. I wanted a horse with presence, with attitude, a horse that loved his job and a horse that people would remember. The horse in many ways would end up being associated with the barefoot movement, the Easyboot Glove and Easyboots in general.
After a bunch of searching I responded to a classified ad placed on www.endurance.net. I contacted Deena MacDonald from New Hampshire and started the process. Fury was described as a teenage boy that needed a job, he was powerful, forward and a bit of a handful. Sounded like my kind of horse. I had a him vetted and the vet quickly knew the horse. "He's the horse that dumped his rider on the hood of the car before the last competitive trail ride and ran off"...
Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news/100-psychotic-wild-hell-horse-wins-the-tevis-cup
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 by Garrett Ford
"He was going to shoot the horse!"
We all hear horror stories about horses that get into the wrong situation, with the wrong owners or are asked to compete in the wrong discipline. Many times these horses are one connection or one circumstance away from excellence and a chance to thrive in life. It's a common story in the life of a horse and many times they don't end well. But when the stars align and a horse finds his place magic can happen.
The Fury changed hands as a three year old for $100.00 and the sale possibly saved him from a bullet. The $100.00 purchase not only changed his life but started a chain of events that would give him the opportunity to win the most prestigious 100 mile horse event in the world.
In late 2009 I started looking for a new endurance horse. I had taken several years away from the from the sport of long distance racing and was looking for the right horse to help introduce several exciting EasyCare hoof boots. I wanted a horse with presence, with attitude, a horse that loved his job and a horse that people would remember. The horse in many ways would end up being associated with the barefoot movement, the Easyboot Glove and Easyboots in general.
After a bunch of searching I responded to a classified ad placed on www.endurance.net. I contacted Deena MacDonald from New Hampshire and started the process. Fury was described as a teenage boy that needed a job, he was powerful, forward and a bit of a handful. Sounded like my kind of horse. I had a him vetted and the vet quickly knew the horse. "He's the horse that dumped his rider on the hood of the car before the last competitive trail ride and ran off"...
Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news/100-psychotic-wild-hell-horse-wins-the-tevis-cup
Thursday, September 06, 2012
Ben Fogle, The Adventurer: the world on horseback
Telegraph.co.uk - Full StoryBy Ben Fogle
11:36AM BST 06 Sep 2012
Last month, I became John Wayne for the day. Or that’s how I felt. Dressed in double denim, with spurs on my cowboy boots and leather chaps slung over my jeans, I was clutching a hand-stitched saddle on a horse called Hamburger. Vast, weather-beaten plains stretched out in front of me.
I was in Big Bend National Park in Texas, riding and filming with real-life cowboys – and yes, we were wearing Stetsons – as they herded cattle across the desert.
Creature comforts were sparse. When our horses began to gallop, sand lifted in great clouds. It felt like being in a hairdryer – not surprising when it was 110F (43C) in the shade. And then there were the rattlesnakes. Knowing that they could spook the horses at any moment as we wended our way through some of the wildest, most isolated country in the Lone Star State was just a little bit scary.
Welcome to the life of a proper cowboy; men who work the land all year – rounding up longhorn cattle, often for days at a time.
Despite the risks and discomfort, I can’t tell you how thrilling it was to see this barren, remote corner of the world by horseback. For me, travelling this way is one of the best adventures you can have. You feel incredibly connected to the landscape, working in harmony with these beautiful animals. There are few better ways of seeing the world...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/activityandadventure/9524903/Ben-Fogle-The-Adventurer-the-world-on-horseback.html
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Injured rider returns home to family, friends, horses and dogs
Auburnjournal.com - Full ArticleCosta hopes to eventually ride again
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
After a long stay in a San Francisco rehabilitation center, Crystal Costa, a downed horse rider, has made it home.
Last Saturday, Costa, 50, came in through the decorated gates of her ranch in Cool. Handmade banners by Costa's son and neighbor reading "Welcome Home, Crystal" still hang a week later.
Costa is now a paraplegic after she suffered a broken back after an equestrian accident in June.
"Even though I know how sad it is I can't let it do that to me. I have to make the most of it and make it work," Costa said.
The accident happened while Costa, who has ridden horses for 40 years, was training to ride in the Tevis Cup near Francisco's checkpoint. The Tahoe-Sierra 100-Mile Mountain Bike Race was happening at the time, but Costa didn't know that.
"Always find out if there is a bike race on the narrow trails and on trails where you'd never think there would be bike," Costa said. "Riding horses, riding bikes, hiking out on the multiuse trails, it's a gamble."
Jon Hyatt, of Granite Bay, was around mile 85 into the Tahoe-Sierra 100 when he noticed three horseback riders ahead, one of them being Costa. Hyatt, who was in fifth place at the time, acknowledged the three riders and proceeded to go around a green gate and past them.
As Hyatt maneuvered around the gate, his bike tire slid in loose gravel and one of his shoes came unclipped from his bike peddle. The racket from the loose gravel and the unclipped shoe startled Costa's horse, along with one of its protective boots coming undone.
For the first time in her 40 years of riding, Costa knew she had to bail, and unfortunately when she did she landed on rocks, which broke her back, specifically the T10, T11 and T12 vertebrae...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/216588.html?fb_comment_id=fbc_10151057364222462_24066870_10151071125347462#f3a8e68be
Sunday, September 02, 2012
2012 Tevis: 42 Legacy Buckles Awarded
September 2 2012
Instituted in 2012, the Tevis Legacy Buckle Program allows first time finishers to receive, at no charge, a buckle donated by a previous Tevis Cup Ride finisher. The buckles collected by the program this year were from rides as early as the 1960's and from rides as recent as 2011, thanks to the generosity of many donors. At the awards banquet on August 5th, 42 Legacy Buckles were awarded to first time finishers. The photo shows donor Julie Suhr with first time finishers John Donley, a junior rider, and Miriam Rezine. Plans are in place to award Legacy Buckles in 2013. Anyone who would like to donate past buckles is encouraged to do so. Please contact the WSTF office for additional information.
wstf@teviscup.org
Saturday, September 01, 2012
Local horse, rider never quit
SYVNews.com - Full Article
REMY AND PETER CLAYDON FINISH 24-HOUR ENDURANCE RIDE
August 30, 2012 12:00 am • Staff report
A 15-year-old gelding with a history of overcoming debilitating injuries chalked up his latest comeback this month as he and his 67-year-old local rider completed a grueling, 24-hour endurance ride through the Sierra Nevada.
KHnight to Remember (Remy for short) and Dr. Peter Claydon placed 14th in the 100-mile Tevis Cup trail ride, which was finished by only 98 of the 204 horse and rider teams that began it Aug. 4.
“Remy is an amazing horse, and I am grateful to have such a wonderful partner,” Claydon said.
The ride starts at 5:15 a.m. at Robie Park, near Lake Tahoe, and takes 24 hours to complete the 100 miles on unlit, switchback trails, climbing to nearly 9,000 feet at Watson Monument, with sheer drops on one side, over a swinging bridge and down into river beds before it ends in Auburn, Calif.
The Tevis Cup, which has been held annually since 1955, is widely considered the most difficult equestrian endurance ride in the country.
Remy was born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley and came to Claydon from Ryding Hy Arabians as a totally untrained 5-year-old.
They began their endurance-racing careers together and have finished in the top 10 more than 40 times, including 11 wins.
However, in late 2008 Remy suffered a serious injury to his right hind leg and was out of endurance competition for a year while he was treated by Dr. Ben Bramsen of Oak Leaf Veterinary in Los Olivos...
Read more here:
http://syvnews.com/lifestyles/local-horse-rider-never-quit/article_d9088112-f16a-11e1-80ff-0019bb2963f4.html
REMY AND PETER CLAYDON FINISH 24-HOUR ENDURANCE RIDE
August 30, 2012 12:00 am • Staff report
A 15-year-old gelding with a history of overcoming debilitating injuries chalked up his latest comeback this month as he and his 67-year-old local rider completed a grueling, 24-hour endurance ride through the Sierra Nevada.
KHnight to Remember (Remy for short) and Dr. Peter Claydon placed 14th in the 100-mile Tevis Cup trail ride, which was finished by only 98 of the 204 horse and rider teams that began it Aug. 4.
“Remy is an amazing horse, and I am grateful to have such a wonderful partner,” Claydon said.
The ride starts at 5:15 a.m. at Robie Park, near Lake Tahoe, and takes 24 hours to complete the 100 miles on unlit, switchback trails, climbing to nearly 9,000 feet at Watson Monument, with sheer drops on one side, over a swinging bridge and down into river beds before it ends in Auburn, Calif.
The Tevis Cup, which has been held annually since 1955, is widely considered the most difficult equestrian endurance ride in the country.
Remy was born and raised in the Santa Ynez Valley and came to Claydon from Ryding Hy Arabians as a totally untrained 5-year-old.
They began their endurance-racing careers together and have finished in the top 10 more than 40 times, including 11 wins.
However, in late 2008 Remy suffered a serious injury to his right hind leg and was out of endurance competition for a year while he was treated by Dr. Ben Bramsen of Oak Leaf Veterinary in Los Olivos...
Read more here:
http://syvnews.com/lifestyles/local-horse-rider-never-quit/article_d9088112-f16a-11e1-80ff-0019bb2963f4.html
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
9 Questions for KER-Sponsored Endurance Rider Kelsey Kimbler
KER.com - Full Article August 22, 2012
What's it like to train for and ride in endurance races? How can an interested rider get started in this discipline? Kelsey Kimbler, an endurance rider sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, shared some information about her favorite sport.
When did you start riding, and how did you become involved in endurance riding?
My sister Kirsten, the oldest of us four girls, got Winnie, our first Arabian. Winnie was five years old and Kirsten was ten. She started showing at local Arabian horse shows and decided she wanted to show at the regional and national level. We started adding horses, and I began showing in walk-trot when I was eight. In 2004 I was the Canadian National Hunter Pleasure Walk-Trot Champion with my horse SR Diamond Lakota. Kirsten and my dad started endurance in 2003 after reading an article in the Arabian Horse Magazine about the Tevis Cup. That article ignited a spark that led us down this endurance path. After a few years of dividing our time between endurance and showing, we decided to focus on endurance! We love riding together as a family and spend our entire summers traveling to endurance rides.
Who are your influences in the sport?
We were very fortunate to cross paths with our family's mentor, Canadian rider Myna Cryderman, in our earliest days of endurance. She lives relatively close to us, about six hours straight north. She is still a great friend and mentor but somewhat retired from competitive endurance, choosing to go at a more leisurely pace now with her granddaughter Lyric, who is just getting started in the sport. I was also truly blessed last summer to get to train with John Crandell who won Tevis the two times I was there. I learned so much from him during that time, and I was able to ride his horse Motyf at the North American Junior Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) last year. When I applied for the World Championship, I asked if he would consider coming to groom for me and my horse Cody and was so grateful when he agreed.
What is the most exciting part of endurance competition?...
Read more here:
http://www.ker.com/news/2012/08/9-questions-for-ker-sponsored.html
What's it like to train for and ride in endurance races? How can an interested rider get started in this discipline? Kelsey Kimbler, an endurance rider sponsored by Kentucky Equine Research, shared some information about her favorite sport.
When did you start riding, and how did you become involved in endurance riding?
My sister Kirsten, the oldest of us four girls, got Winnie, our first Arabian. Winnie was five years old and Kirsten was ten. She started showing at local Arabian horse shows and decided she wanted to show at the regional and national level. We started adding horses, and I began showing in walk-trot when I was eight. In 2004 I was the Canadian National Hunter Pleasure Walk-Trot Champion with my horse SR Diamond Lakota. Kirsten and my dad started endurance in 2003 after reading an article in the Arabian Horse Magazine about the Tevis Cup. That article ignited a spark that led us down this endurance path. After a few years of dividing our time between endurance and showing, we decided to focus on endurance! We love riding together as a family and spend our entire summers traveling to endurance rides.
Who are your influences in the sport?
We were very fortunate to cross paths with our family's mentor, Canadian rider Myna Cryderman, in our earliest days of endurance. She lives relatively close to us, about six hours straight north. She is still a great friend and mentor but somewhat retired from competitive endurance, choosing to go at a more leisurely pace now with her granddaughter Lyric, who is just getting started in the sport. I was also truly blessed last summer to get to train with John Crandell who won Tevis the two times I was there. I learned so much from him during that time, and I was able to ride his horse Motyf at the North American Junior Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) last year. When I applied for the World Championship, I asked if he would consider coming to groom for me and my horse Cody and was so grateful when he agreed.
What is the most exciting part of endurance competition?...
Read more here:
http://www.ker.com/news/2012/08/9-questions-for-ker-sponsored.html
Hunterdon rider is highest placed American at World Endurance Championship
NJ.com - Full Article
August 27 2012
By Lillian Shupe/Hunterdon County Democrat
NEWMARKET, UNITED KINGDOM — Margaret “Meg” Sleeper, who was a last-minute substitution, was the highest placed American at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championship on Saturday, Aug. 25.
The day started out pleasant at Euston Park, but throughout the day the weather deteriorated into heavy downpours and severe thunderstorms. Due to the extreme weather, officials had to call the race off for the safety of the horses and riders. In an unusual finish to an endurance race, several riders were placed based on the position they were in at the time that the race was called, but the majority of the riders finished the sixth and final loop.
Sleeper finished 11th but since she was riding as an individual, her score did not count toward the team score. The team finished fourth.
Sleeper and Syrocco Reveille had a ride time of 07:49:11, averaging 20.46 kph...
Read more here:
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2012/08/hunterdon_rider_is_highest_pla.html
August 27 2012
By Lillian Shupe/Hunterdon County Democrat
NEWMARKET, UNITED KINGDOM — Margaret “Meg” Sleeper, who was a last-minute substitution, was the highest placed American at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championship on Saturday, Aug. 25.
The day started out pleasant at Euston Park, but throughout the day the weather deteriorated into heavy downpours and severe thunderstorms. Due to the extreme weather, officials had to call the race off for the safety of the horses and riders. In an unusual finish to an endurance race, several riders were placed based on the position they were in at the time that the race was called, but the majority of the riders finished the sixth and final loop.
Sleeper finished 11th but since she was riding as an individual, her score did not count toward the team score. The team finished fourth.
Sleeper and Syrocco Reveille had a ride time of 07:49:11, averaging 20.46 kph...
Read more here:
http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-democrat/index.ssf/2012/08/hunterdon_rider_is_highest_pla.html
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Oregon 100 Hosts 50-mile Appy Nat'l Championship
8/19/2012
The Oregon 100 on September 15 near Brothers, Oregon, is also hosting the 50 mile Appaloosa National Championship Endurance Ride (ANCER) running consecutively with the 50 mile ride start. If you have a Registered Appaloosa and your horse is enrolled in the ApHC Distance Program and you have at least 100 distance miles accredited to your horse, then you are AUTOMATICALLY qualified to enter this championship ride.
You can find the ANCER entry form here: http://www.appaloosa.com/trail/national-champ.htm
You must enter BOTH the Oregon 100 ride and the ApHC's ANCER independently. Let's get those Appaloosas on the championship ride and let them SHINE! =) .
The Oregon 100 on September 15 near Brothers, Oregon, is also hosting the 50 mile Appaloosa National Championship Endurance Ride (ANCER) running consecutively with the 50 mile ride start. If you have a Registered Appaloosa and your horse is enrolled in the ApHC Distance Program and you have at least 100 distance miles accredited to your horse, then you are AUTOMATICALLY qualified to enter this championship ride.
You can find the ANCER entry form here: http://www.appaloosa.com/trail/national-champ.htm
You must enter BOTH the Oregon 100 ride and the ApHC's ANCER independently. Let's get those Appaloosas on the championship ride and let them SHINE! =) .
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Downed rider’s home receives upgrade
Auburnjournal.com - Full Article8/15/12
Cool woman adjusting to wheelchair
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Friends and family of an injured horseback rider from Cool have come together to bring her ranch up to snuff before she comes home this weekend.
Crystal Costa's ranch has been alive with activity the last few days as neighbors, friends and family work to make her home handicap accessible.
Costa, 50, of Cool, was thrown from her horse while she was training in July for the Tevis Cup near the Francisco's checkpoint. Her horse was startled when a passing mountain biker's wheel slid out in loose gravel.
The fall broke two vertebrae in Costa's back, her eye socket and her nose. The mountain bike rider, Jon Hyatt, of Granite Bay, was in fifth place in the Tahoe-Sierra 100 at the time, but he stayed with Costa until help arrived and has visited her in the hospital since then.
Costa has been in recovery at a San Francisco rehabilitation center since her fall, but has not regained her ability to walk, according to her friend and neighbor, Dan Schafer. He said she will be home from the center by Saturday.
"Her attitude is as aggressive as ever to get back on a horse," Schafer said.
Schafer said that despite having a positive attitude and working hard at the rehabilitation center, his friend he trained with for the Tevis Cup for so long will be bound to a wheelchair...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/215467.html?content_source=&category_id=&search_filter=crystal&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Back Country Horsemen of America Double Diamond Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2012
Contact: Peg Greiwe, BCHA
1-888-893-5161
Back Country Horsemen of America Double Diamond Award
By Sarah Wynne Jackson
As the United States’ leading organization defending our right to ride horses on public lands, Back Country Horsemen of America are people who pursue excellence in all they do, from clearing trails and repairing bridges to promoting horse-friendly legislation. Appropriately, they go out of their way to recognize those who go above and beyond with the Double Diamond Award.
Recognizing Excellence
Established in 2003 by the National Board of Directors, the Double Diamond Award honors special projects and programs that best exemplify collaborative spirit, community awareness, and devotion to the mission and purpose of BCHA. Eligible projects and programs include, but are not limited to, trail maintenance, trail construction, trailhead construction, educational programs and youth programs.
Applications are judged on the scope and purpose of the project; the ways that the project improved access or benefited the general public or public lands; what was involved in organizing the project; and how the project was accomplished from conception to completion. Applicants may include letters from agencies or private parties that worked with them on the project. Winners are announced at the Back Country Horsemen of America National Board Meeting annual banquet.
Last year, there were six nominations for the Double Diamond Award. As is true every year, all the nominations are outstanding. They demonstrate the broad spectrum of work, dedication to the job at hand, and love of the back country that typifies Back Country Horsemen of America.
Winner of the 2011 Double Diamond Award: John Burns of Salmon River Chapter of BCH Idaho
Demonstrating great initiative, John organized the first annual Heritage Days, a successful two-day event giving participants a taste of back country living, held at Sacajawea Center in Salmon, Idaho. Programs covered many BCH interests such as Leave No Trace, navigating the Rockies without GPS, and packing demonstrations, to illustrate life in the Salmon River area before it was settled.
All Back Country Horsemen activities were held in a camp-like atmosphere, called Camp Discovery. The chapter provided all tents, equipment, handouts, brochures, and maps for the event. The winner of this year’s Double Diamond Award covered all points of the BCHA mission statement: it involved the public (especially youth), was informative to the public, and everyone, volunteer and visitor alike had a fun.
Selway-Pintler Wilderness Chapter of BCH of Montana
The chapter submitted for consideration several projects they worked on this past year, including their Back Country Youth Day. Partnering with Future Farmers of America and 4-H students, this program gave local youth a glimpse into the “back country” lifestyle, such as packing and Dutch oven cooking.
This BCH chapter also provided labor and pack support to Forest Service employees for restoration of the May Creek Cabin on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in western Montana. These hardworking folks used horses and mules to haul 43 loads of shingles, cement, tar paper and native rock, weighing over three tons, a total of 172 miles from the trail head to the cabin site.
John McGray and Annette Howell of Los Padres Chapter of BCH California
Although the Gifford Tank Project required the effort of many volunteers, it was John McGray and Annette Howell’s leadership, very typical of BCH members, that made it happen. John realized that the water tank above the old Gifford Ranch house was seriously dilapidated. Located east of Santa Maria on California Department of Fish and Game land and surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest, it provides water to a system of troughs used by livestock and wildlife.
Annette secured financial assistance from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a new tank was purchased in 2010. The Forest Service supplied a helicopter to fly the new tank in to the location and fly the old tank out. This project is another great example of how Back Country Horsemen of America folks work with other groups to accomplish a common goal.
Everett Lewis of Traildusters Chapter of BCH Washington
Exhibiting the “can-do” attitude seen in many BCH members, Everett Lewis expanded on a previously produced poster titled “What a Horse Sees,” which educates hikers and cyclists about what to do when they encounter a horse on the trail.
Everett gives many presentations on this topic at cycle shops but did not have visuals, which he felt would explain the message with more clarity. After many hours of preparation and filming, Everett has produced a short video he shows to the public, which is also posted on YouTube. In addition, he created a website and a Facebook page. His efforts have helped make the trails safer for all user groups when coming upon horses on the trail.
BCH of Central Arizona
This nomination is a glowing example of how Back Country Horsemen of America members seek to share trails and solve conflicts amicably rather than exclude other trail users. An unfortunate incident between equestrians and mountain bikers on a trail brought attention to the issue of riders and cyclists using the same trails. Some riders believed that horses had priority over cyclists, as equestrians had created, built and maintained these trails.
Jim and Gayle Higgs and other chapter members along with the Prescott Trail Safety Coalition, an organization formed by bikers and hikers, came together to work out solutions regarding trail use amenable to all parties. The two groups were able to resolve the situation and horses remain on the trails.
Bud Bailey of Priest River Chapter of BCH Idaho
This project at Trail Creek Trail, part of the trail system of the northern Cabinet Mountains of Idaho, took three years to complete. The trail head had no amenities, inadequate parking, and horse use was limited due to the lack of a turn-around for rigs and poor connector trail access to the rest of the trail system.
Under the leadership of Bud Bailey, the chapter and members of the community volunteered their time, labor and materials to construct horse corrals, highlines, hitch rails, tent pads, ample parking, and a modern vault toilet. They also refurbished the connector trails. The result is a modern, user-friendly trail head for all trail users to enjoy.
About Back Country Horsemen of America
BCHA is a non-profit corporation made up of state organizations, affiliates, and at large members. Their efforts have brought about positive changes in regards to the use of horses and stock in the wilderness and public lands.
If you want to know more about Back Country Horsemen of America or become a member, visit their website: www.backcountryhorse.com, call 888-893-5161, or write PO Box 1367, Graham, WA 98338-1367. The future of horse use on public lands is in our hands!
August 14, 2012
Contact: Peg Greiwe, BCHA
1-888-893-5161
Back Country Horsemen of America Double Diamond Award
By Sarah Wynne Jackson
As the United States’ leading organization defending our right to ride horses on public lands, Back Country Horsemen of America are people who pursue excellence in all they do, from clearing trails and repairing bridges to promoting horse-friendly legislation. Appropriately, they go out of their way to recognize those who go above and beyond with the Double Diamond Award.
Recognizing Excellence
Established in 2003 by the National Board of Directors, the Double Diamond Award honors special projects and programs that best exemplify collaborative spirit, community awareness, and devotion to the mission and purpose of BCHA. Eligible projects and programs include, but are not limited to, trail maintenance, trail construction, trailhead construction, educational programs and youth programs.
Applications are judged on the scope and purpose of the project; the ways that the project improved access or benefited the general public or public lands; what was involved in organizing the project; and how the project was accomplished from conception to completion. Applicants may include letters from agencies or private parties that worked with them on the project. Winners are announced at the Back Country Horsemen of America National Board Meeting annual banquet.
Last year, there were six nominations for the Double Diamond Award. As is true every year, all the nominations are outstanding. They demonstrate the broad spectrum of work, dedication to the job at hand, and love of the back country that typifies Back Country Horsemen of America.
Winner of the 2011 Double Diamond Award: John Burns of Salmon River Chapter of BCH Idaho
Demonstrating great initiative, John organized the first annual Heritage Days, a successful two-day event giving participants a taste of back country living, held at Sacajawea Center in Salmon, Idaho. Programs covered many BCH interests such as Leave No Trace, navigating the Rockies without GPS, and packing demonstrations, to illustrate life in the Salmon River area before it was settled.
All Back Country Horsemen activities were held in a camp-like atmosphere, called Camp Discovery. The chapter provided all tents, equipment, handouts, brochures, and maps for the event. The winner of this year’s Double Diamond Award covered all points of the BCHA mission statement: it involved the public (especially youth), was informative to the public, and everyone, volunteer and visitor alike had a fun.
Selway-Pintler Wilderness Chapter of BCH of Montana
The chapter submitted for consideration several projects they worked on this past year, including their Back Country Youth Day. Partnering with Future Farmers of America and 4-H students, this program gave local youth a glimpse into the “back country” lifestyle, such as packing and Dutch oven cooking.
This BCH chapter also provided labor and pack support to Forest Service employees for restoration of the May Creek Cabin on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail in western Montana. These hardworking folks used horses and mules to haul 43 loads of shingles, cement, tar paper and native rock, weighing over three tons, a total of 172 miles from the trail head to the cabin site.
John McGray and Annette Howell of Los Padres Chapter of BCH California
Although the Gifford Tank Project required the effort of many volunteers, it was John McGray and Annette Howell’s leadership, very typical of BCH members, that made it happen. John realized that the water tank above the old Gifford Ranch house was seriously dilapidated. Located east of Santa Maria on California Department of Fish and Game land and surrounded by the Los Padres National Forest, it provides water to a system of troughs used by livestock and wildlife.
Annette secured financial assistance from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and a new tank was purchased in 2010. The Forest Service supplied a helicopter to fly the new tank in to the location and fly the old tank out. This project is another great example of how Back Country Horsemen of America folks work with other groups to accomplish a common goal.
Everett Lewis of Traildusters Chapter of BCH Washington
Exhibiting the “can-do” attitude seen in many BCH members, Everett Lewis expanded on a previously produced poster titled “What a Horse Sees,” which educates hikers and cyclists about what to do when they encounter a horse on the trail.
Everett gives many presentations on this topic at cycle shops but did not have visuals, which he felt would explain the message with more clarity. After many hours of preparation and filming, Everett has produced a short video he shows to the public, which is also posted on YouTube. In addition, he created a website and a Facebook page. His efforts have helped make the trails safer for all user groups when coming upon horses on the trail.
BCH of Central Arizona
This nomination is a glowing example of how Back Country Horsemen of America members seek to share trails and solve conflicts amicably rather than exclude other trail users. An unfortunate incident between equestrians and mountain bikers on a trail brought attention to the issue of riders and cyclists using the same trails. Some riders believed that horses had priority over cyclists, as equestrians had created, built and maintained these trails.
Jim and Gayle Higgs and other chapter members along with the Prescott Trail Safety Coalition, an organization formed by bikers and hikers, came together to work out solutions regarding trail use amenable to all parties. The two groups were able to resolve the situation and horses remain on the trails.
Bud Bailey of Priest River Chapter of BCH Idaho
This project at Trail Creek Trail, part of the trail system of the northern Cabinet Mountains of Idaho, took three years to complete. The trail head had no amenities, inadequate parking, and horse use was limited due to the lack of a turn-around for rigs and poor connector trail access to the rest of the trail system.
Under the leadership of Bud Bailey, the chapter and members of the community volunteered their time, labor and materials to construct horse corrals, highlines, hitch rails, tent pads, ample parking, and a modern vault toilet. They also refurbished the connector trails. The result is a modern, user-friendly trail head for all trail users to enjoy.
About Back Country Horsemen of America
BCHA is a non-profit corporation made up of state organizations, affiliates, and at large members. Their efforts have brought about positive changes in regards to the use of horses and stock in the wilderness and public lands.
If you want to know more about Back Country Horsemen of America or become a member, visit their website: www.backcountryhorse.com, call 888-893-5161, or write PO Box 1367, Graham, WA 98338-1367. The future of horse use on public lands is in our hands!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
WEC Bound - Heather Reynolds
ReynoldsRacing.usby Heather Reynolds
Monday, 13 August 2012
Picture above is of the actual container the 3 horses are loaded into before being put on the plane. That is disinfectant in the pic as well.
After Tevis, on Sunday morning just after the Haggin Cup judging, Jeremy and I loaded up Cleo and Stirgess and headed back to Lake Tahoe. We drove 2+ hours East, unloaded and cared for Stirgess and Cleo and then loaded up Kutt, Marvel and Kingley and headed West.
6 hours of heading West later, around 8 pm we arrived in San Jose at our pasture. Kingley got to go out but Kutt and Marvel were offered a drink and saddled up. We couldn't afford to not ride them as we had an 18 mile beach ride scheduled for 7:30 am Monday morning (low tide) and we did not want a tie up. As we cantered along in the dark, I smiled and laughed as I told Jeremy that I bet no one else who rode Tevis the day before was galloping in the dark on Sunday night!
The beach ride went really well on Monday and Wed. Becky and Pete joined us too. Friday we rode once more and then all throughout the week our amazing body worker, Dixie Snyder worked on us and the horses multiple times. Very awesome.
The horses were scheduled to fly on Tuesday. On Friday we were told that it would be a few days delayed! After a lot of back and forth, the horses needed to be at the airport earlier than the original plan. They needed to be at Jetpets at LAX at 3 pm on Sunday. We carpooled and had all three horses in Becky and Judith's rig by 8 am and we were headed South...
Read more here:
http://www.reynoldsracing.us/heathers_blog/view/405/wec_bound
The “Easy Team” Takes Top Four Places in the Western States 100-Mile Trail Ride
Arabianhorseworld.com - Full Article
August 13 2012
by Genie Stewart-Spears
Of the 206 competitors that left the starting line on August 4, 2012, in the 57th Annual 100-Mile Western States Trail Ride (aka Tevis Cup), only 98 would cross the finish line within the 24-hour timeline and receive their well-deserved belt buckle. For most, that was the only quest — to earn the prestigious belt buckle. But for a few, the goal was to win or top ten the event that traverses the rugged and sometimes dangerous and unforgiving Sierra Nevada mountains and canyons.
Past Tevis winners and current U.S. World Championship team members going to Great Britain this month (on different horses), Jeremy and Heather Reynolds were strong contenders but were unable to complete. Jeremy was out within 4 miles of the start when his horse went off the trail and plunged 25-30 feet down a cliff. Reynolds was battered but okay, and his mare Cleopatrah (*Calin De Louve x SRF Calera) required sutures from the fall. His wife Heather was going strong on Stirgess (*Virgule Al Maury x Star Path) with the leaders until 85 miles, when a sudden lameness took her from the competition. Although disappointed, Heather said, “We got rid of any bad luck so London should really be awesome!...”
Read more here:
http://www.arabianhorseworld.com/live/breaking_news/2012/08/tevis-cup/
August 13 2012
by Genie Stewart-Spears
Of the 206 competitors that left the starting line on August 4, 2012, in the 57th Annual 100-Mile Western States Trail Ride (aka Tevis Cup), only 98 would cross the finish line within the 24-hour timeline and receive their well-deserved belt buckle. For most, that was the only quest — to earn the prestigious belt buckle. But for a few, the goal was to win or top ten the event that traverses the rugged and sometimes dangerous and unforgiving Sierra Nevada mountains and canyons.
Past Tevis winners and current U.S. World Championship team members going to Great Britain this month (on different horses), Jeremy and Heather Reynolds were strong contenders but were unable to complete. Jeremy was out within 4 miles of the start when his horse went off the trail and plunged 25-30 feet down a cliff. Reynolds was battered but okay, and his mare Cleopatrah (*Calin De Louve x SRF Calera) required sutures from the fall. His wife Heather was going strong on Stirgess (*Virgule Al Maury x Star Path) with the leaders until 85 miles, when a sudden lameness took her from the competition. Although disappointed, Heather said, “We got rid of any bad luck so London should really be awesome!...”
Read more here:
http://www.arabianhorseworld.com/live/breaking_news/2012/08/tevis-cup/
Friday, August 10, 2012
Crook County hosts world championship ride and tie
Libby Volk photo
Centraloregonian.com - Full Article
July 21 2012
by Lon Austin
Endurance athletes from around the world descend on Ochoco Mountains for event
Eleven-year-old Spencer Wilde held his hat high in the air.
As Wilde swung his hat toward the ground, 35 pairs of runners and horseback riders started out across an open meadow, beginning the 42nd annual Ride and Tie World Championship.
Dust swirled in the air as runners and riders hit a dusty trail starting the 33-mile endurance race high in the Ochoco Mountains.
“I thought it went pretty well,” said Ben Volk, Ride and Tie Association President, and part of the race’s winning team. “It was a good course. We like to have the winning team finish in between four and four and a half hours and we were about 4:20, so that’s about right.”
Teammates took turns running along marked trails, or riding on horseback as racers struggled with the heat along the trails near Bandit Springs.
Volk, 47, and his teammate, Dennis Summers, 53, along with their horse OMR Tsunami, surged to the lead midway through the race, and held on to win in a time of 4:22. Defending race champions Jim (57) and Sarah Howard (20), riding Magic Scirocco, came in second in a time of 4:32, while Mary Tiscornia (67) , and Mark Richtman (57) on Nero finished close behind in third place with a time of 4:36.
At the other end of the spectrum, Jennifer Nunoz (33), and Karen Perkins, (46), riding L.P. were the final team to finish with a time of 10:20. Perkins struggled the entire race, getting lost several times and even breaking a finger in the first mile of the race. She ended up covering an estimated 40 miles over...
Read more here:
http://www.centraloregonian.com/PCOSports7.shtml
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Toth secures Haggin Cup
Auburnjournal.com - Full Article
8/7/12
Photos by Michael Kirby here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214561.html
Fourth-place finisher gets high marks for horse health
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Rusty Toth, of Durango, Colo., was awarded the Haggin Cup after last weekend's Tevis Cup.
Toth rode Farrabba, otherwise known as Stoner, an 11-year-old Arabian, to a fourth-place finish Saturday night. After the 100-mile ride, Farrabba was not only deemed able to go on by veterinarians at the finish, he was also determined to be in the best condition, securing the Haggin Cup.
The Haggin Cup is reserved for the one horse in the best condition out of the top 10 finishers of the Tevis Cup, which is an annual endurance ride that draws competitors from around the world.
Kathie Perry, president of the Western States Trail Foundation, said vets look at how the horse has recovered throughout the race and evaluate if it would be able to continue riding.
"The key thing is the horse's soundness, if you could get back on that horse and go another 50 miles," Perry said.
During this year's Tevis Cup, 98 of the 205 riders that started the ride crossed the finish line and 40 of those finishers received their first ever completion buckles, according to the Tevis Cup website.
Garrett Ford, also of Durango, Colo., finished first this year with his wife, Lisa, in close pursuit. Kevin Myers, also of Durango, finished in third place with Toth right behind him.
Shannon Constanti, of Auburn, came in at fifth place a little more than an hour after Toth. This was Constanti's fifth Tevis Cup and has placed in the top 10 three times.
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214735.html?content_source=&category_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=
8/7/12
Photos by Michael Kirby here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214561.html
Fourth-place finisher gets high marks for horse health
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Rusty Toth, of Durango, Colo., was awarded the Haggin Cup after last weekend's Tevis Cup.
Toth rode Farrabba, otherwise known as Stoner, an 11-year-old Arabian, to a fourth-place finish Saturday night. After the 100-mile ride, Farrabba was not only deemed able to go on by veterinarians at the finish, he was also determined to be in the best condition, securing the Haggin Cup.
The Haggin Cup is reserved for the one horse in the best condition out of the top 10 finishers of the Tevis Cup, which is an annual endurance ride that draws competitors from around the world.
Kathie Perry, president of the Western States Trail Foundation, said vets look at how the horse has recovered throughout the race and evaluate if it would be able to continue riding.
"The key thing is the horse's soundness, if you could get back on that horse and go another 50 miles," Perry said.
During this year's Tevis Cup, 98 of the 205 riders that started the ride crossed the finish line and 40 of those finishers received their first ever completion buckles, according to the Tevis Cup website.
Garrett Ford, also of Durango, Colo., finished first this year with his wife, Lisa, in close pursuit. Kevin Myers, also of Durango, finished in third place with Toth right behind him.
Shannon Constanti, of Auburn, came in at fifth place a little more than an hour after Toth. This was Constanti's fifth Tevis Cup and has placed in the top 10 three times.
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214735.html?content_source=&category_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=
Friday, August 03, 2012
SOS - Sweep Riders of the Sierra's
SOS.wstrail.orgAugust 3 2012
Sweep Riders Of the Sierra’s (SOS), is an all-volunteer riding group established to provide safety and on-trail communications for endurance events on the Western States Trail and other Northern California locations.

Our responsibility during these events is to "sweep the trail," that is, to follow the last few runners or riders and assure that no one is lost or injured.
Each sweep team is comprised of 2 to 3 riders, sweeping one section of the trail from 7 to 20 miles in length before being relieved by a fresh team. Over some parts of the course, we also deploy a second mounted team in the middle of "the pack" to provide added coverage.
SOS Team Leaders are experienced riders who are also licensed amateur radio operators. Using hand-held HAM equipment, they keep contact with the central Event Control station while traversing the sometimes remote and otherwise inaccessible trail. GPS equipment is also carried so as to provide accurate location information to emergency rescue units, such as MedEvac helicopters.
Team Members each carry a full pack of survival and first aid supplies. In the event of an incident on the trail, involving injuries or otherwise, teams also gather informationfor review by Event management, Comm management and SOS itself.
SOS riders will participate in the Tevis Cup on August 4.
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Volunteers help hold together Tevis Cup
Auburnjournal.com - Full Article
8/1/12
Some have been involved for more than 20 years
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Judy Suter knows that the Tevis Cup isn't just about the horses and riders; it's about the army of volunteers that help make the whole event happen.
Suter is the head volunteer coordinator for the Western States Trail Foundation and oversees the 800 volunteers it takes to make the 100-mile race happen every year.
Of those 800 volunteers there are 40 head volunteers stationed throughout the various checkpoints throughout the race.
Horses have to be checked by a veterinarian at each stop to ensure they can continue on. If they can't, the horse and rider are pulled from the race.
Each checkpoint has around 30 volunteers and usually four veterinarians. Some of the busier checkpoints can have up to 70 volunteers, according to Suter.
Volunteers are responsible for giving riders their timecards so they can know when they were in and out of the checkpoint and at some stops giving weary horses and riders food and water.
Suter, who has two Tevis buckles of her own, knows how exhausting the ride can be and how important the stops are.
"I may ride again someday, but I was doing so many endurance rides at one time I ended up deciding to help with the ride instead," Suter said...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214296.html
8/1/12
Some have been involved for more than 20 years
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Judy Suter knows that the Tevis Cup isn't just about the horses and riders; it's about the army of volunteers that help make the whole event happen.
Suter is the head volunteer coordinator for the Western States Trail Foundation and oversees the 800 volunteers it takes to make the 100-mile race happen every year.
Of those 800 volunteers there are 40 head volunteers stationed throughout the various checkpoints throughout the race.
Horses have to be checked by a veterinarian at each stop to ensure they can continue on. If they can't, the horse and rider are pulled from the race.
Each checkpoint has around 30 volunteers and usually four veterinarians. Some of the busier checkpoints can have up to 70 volunteers, according to Suter.
Volunteers are responsible for giving riders their timecards so they can know when they were in and out of the checkpoint and at some stops giving weary horses and riders food and water.
Suter, who has two Tevis buckles of her own, knows how exhausting the ride can be and how important the stops are.
"I may ride again someday, but I was doing so many endurance rides at one time I ended up deciding to help with the ride instead," Suter said...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214296.html
Enroll in AMHA's Newest Program and Win Prizes!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Christina Koliander
chris@morganhorse.com
(802) 985-4944 ext. 402
SHELBURNE, VT—Do you compete with a half Morgan? Are you beating others in the open arena? If your answer is yes, consider enrolling in AMHA's newest competition recognition program dedicated solely to half Morgans!
Patterned after AMHA's Open Competition Program, the Half Morgan Competition Program (HCMP) is divided into five distinct divisions: Open Show, Dressage, Carriage/CDE, Eventing, and Endurance/Competitive Trail. Horses are accepted in the program with an initial enrollment fee, with nominal renewal fees annually thereafter.
As part of enrollment, the sire or dam of the half Morgan must be registered with AMHA and the name must be known and will be verified. Full-blooded Morgans are ineligible for this program. All horses, owners, and those who compete with the horse must be AMHA members. Points are accumulated following each competition and submitted for year-end awards in each division.
"The Half Morgan Recognition Program was established in the fall of 2011 because AMHA perceived a need to honor horses with Morgan breed crossings," said AMHA Executive Director, Julie Broadway. "We wanted to recognize the beauty and fine traits that the Morgan horse passes on to its offspring, regardless of the cross. Half Morgans frequently have characteristics similar to their Morgan parent--big hearts, strong work ethics, intelligence, and versatility."
For more information on this exciting new program, visit www.morganhorse.com/competitions/hmcp or contact Taylor Royals at (802) 985-4944 ext. 401, email taylor@morganhorse.com.
Founded in 1909, the American Morgan Horse Association is a non-profit organization serving more than 50,000 Morgan horse owners, breeders, exhibitors, and enthusiasts throughout the United States. AMHA serves as a parent organization to more than 90 recognized Morgan horse clubs and national service organizations.
For more information on America’s original horse breed, contact the American Morgan Horse Association, Inc., 4066 Shelburne Road, Suite 5, Shelburne, Vermont 05482; (802) 985-4944; www.morganhorse.com.
Contact: Christina Koliander
chris@morganhorse.com
(802) 985-4944 ext. 402
SHELBURNE, VT—Do you compete with a half Morgan? Are you beating others in the open arena? If your answer is yes, consider enrolling in AMHA's newest competition recognition program dedicated solely to half Morgans!
Patterned after AMHA's Open Competition Program, the Half Morgan Competition Program (HCMP) is divided into five distinct divisions: Open Show, Dressage, Carriage/CDE, Eventing, and Endurance/Competitive Trail. Horses are accepted in the program with an initial enrollment fee, with nominal renewal fees annually thereafter.
As part of enrollment, the sire or dam of the half Morgan must be registered with AMHA and the name must be known and will be verified. Full-blooded Morgans are ineligible for this program. All horses, owners, and those who compete with the horse must be AMHA members. Points are accumulated following each competition and submitted for year-end awards in each division.
"The Half Morgan Recognition Program was established in the fall of 2011 because AMHA perceived a need to honor horses with Morgan breed crossings," said AMHA Executive Director, Julie Broadway. "We wanted to recognize the beauty and fine traits that the Morgan horse passes on to its offspring, regardless of the cross. Half Morgans frequently have characteristics similar to their Morgan parent--big hearts, strong work ethics, intelligence, and versatility."
For more information on this exciting new program, visit www.morganhorse.com/competitions/hmcp or contact Taylor Royals at (802) 985-4944 ext. 401, email taylor@morganhorse.com.
Founded in 1909, the American Morgan Horse Association is a non-profit organization serving more than 50,000 Morgan horse owners, breeders, exhibitors, and enthusiasts throughout the United States. AMHA serves as a parent organization to more than 90 recognized Morgan horse clubs and national service organizations.
For more information on America’s original horse breed, contact the American Morgan Horse Association, Inc., 4066 Shelburne Road, Suite 5, Shelburne, Vermont 05482; (802) 985-4944; www.morganhorse.com.
FOSH Gaited Distance Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2012
Contact Person: Teresa Bippen
Tbippen1957@yahoo.com
Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) is pleased to announce the first distance recognition program for gaited horses beginning in 2013. The Gaited Distance Program promotes FOSH Sound Principles by recording mileage of the gaited distance horses competing in veterinarian sanctioned endurance, limited distance or competitive trail events and recognizes, honors and rewards the work of that horse. Each year’s program will run from January 1 through December 31.
The FOSH Gaited Distance Program (GDP) includes Competitive Trail Riding and Endurance Riding, Year-End High Mileage Awards, 1,000 Mile Awards, and the FOSH Commemorative Award Program. Winners will be announced in the FOSH Sound Advocate magazine, on the FOSH website and in press releases.
Many gaited horse breeds have provided smooth comfortable rides for their riders while successfully competing in distance riding programs. Some of these breeds include the Tennessee Walking Horse, Spotted Saddle Horse, Missouri Fox Trotting Horse, Racking Horse, Paso Fino, Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses, Rocky Mountain Horse and more.
The FOSH Gaited Horse Distance program rules and forms are currently available at the website for individuals wishing to register their horses for 2013 competition. The website is open in advance of the January 1, 2013 start date to allow visitors to view the site and offer comments.
The FOSH Gaited Distance Program (GDP) is the first division under the FOSH Gaited Sport Horse initiative with the other divisions under development being Gaited Dressage and Gaited Equine Agility. As awards, eligibility and rules are developed for these divisions, they will be posted at www.foshgaitedsporthorse.com.
FOSH is a national leader in the promotion of natural, sound gaited horses and in the fight against abuse and soring of Tennessee Walking Horses. For more information about FOSH or to become a member, please visit www.fosh.info or e-mail data@fosh.info .
July 31, 2012
Contact Person: Teresa Bippen
Tbippen1957@yahoo.com
Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) is pleased to announce the first distance recognition program for gaited horses beginning in 2013. The Gaited Distance Program promotes FOSH Sound Principles by recording mileage of the gaited distance horses competing in veterinarian sanctioned endurance, limited distance or competitive trail events and recognizes, honors and rewards the work of that horse. Each year’s program will run from January 1 through December 31.
The FOSH Gaited Distance Program (GDP) includes Competitive Trail Riding and Endurance Riding, Year-End High Mileage Awards, 1,000 Mile Awards, and the FOSH Commemorative Award Program. Winners will be announced in the FOSH Sound Advocate magazine, on the FOSH website and in press releases.
Many gaited horse breeds have provided smooth comfortable rides for their riders while successfully competing in distance riding programs. Some of these breeds include the Tennessee Walking Horse, Spotted Saddle Horse, Missouri Fox Trotting Horse, Racking Horse, Paso Fino, Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horses, Rocky Mountain Horse and more.
The FOSH Gaited Horse Distance program rules and forms are currently available at the website for individuals wishing to register their horses for 2013 competition. The website is open in advance of the January 1, 2013 start date to allow visitors to view the site and offer comments.
The FOSH Gaited Distance Program (GDP) is the first division under the FOSH Gaited Sport Horse initiative with the other divisions under development being Gaited Dressage and Gaited Equine Agility. As awards, eligibility and rules are developed for these divisions, they will be posted at www.foshgaitedsporthorse.com.
FOSH is a national leader in the promotion of natural, sound gaited horses and in the fight against abuse and soring of Tennessee Walking Horses. For more information about FOSH or to become a member, please visit www.fosh.info or e-mail data@fosh.info .
Horse Health Research Abounds at 2012 Tevis Cup
Thehorse.com - Full Article
by: Marsha Hayes
July 31 2012, Article # 20407
When the 2012 Tevis Cup begins at dawn Aug. 4, more than 200 horses will leave Robie Park near Lake Tahoe, Calif., and proceed toward a finish line 100 miles away in Auburn, Calif. For some competitors it is a race for the cup; for others it's a personal challenge to simply complete the ride in the allotted 24 hours. But for the 15 ride veterinarians and two treating veterinarians, this year's renewal of the Tevis Cup offers a fertile research opportunity.
Head treating veterinarian Langdon Fielding, DVM, Dipl. ACVECC, of Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center, in Loomis, Calif., will lead a study during the ride titled "Creation of a Metabolic Score Based on Basic Laboratory Parameters." In Fielding's letter to ride participants he explained his objective was "to create a metabolic score using basic blood electrolyte and hydration parameters that can be used to identify endurance horses that are metabolically compromised." Tevis treating veterinarian Gary Magdesian, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, ACVCP, associate professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, and head ride veterinarian Greg Fellers, DVM, have partnered with Fielding for the project.
For each horse that reaches the 36-mile check point, veterinarians will collect a small (1-3 milliliter) sample of blood into a heparinized syringe and analyze it on site. They will do this immediately after the horse has reached the required heart rate of 60 beats per minute or less and before starting the mandatory one-hour hold, or rest period. Anticipated collection time will be approximately five to 10 seconds per horse so as not to delay horses at the check point...
Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=20407
by: Marsha Hayes
July 31 2012, Article # 20407
When the 2012 Tevis Cup begins at dawn Aug. 4, more than 200 horses will leave Robie Park near Lake Tahoe, Calif., and proceed toward a finish line 100 miles away in Auburn, Calif. For some competitors it is a race for the cup; for others it's a personal challenge to simply complete the ride in the allotted 24 hours. But for the 15 ride veterinarians and two treating veterinarians, this year's renewal of the Tevis Cup offers a fertile research opportunity.
Head treating veterinarian Langdon Fielding, DVM, Dipl. ACVECC, of Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center, in Loomis, Calif., will lead a study during the ride titled "Creation of a Metabolic Score Based on Basic Laboratory Parameters." In Fielding's letter to ride participants he explained his objective was "to create a metabolic score using basic blood electrolyte and hydration parameters that can be used to identify endurance horses that are metabolically compromised." Tevis treating veterinarian Gary Magdesian, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, ACVCP, associate professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, and head ride veterinarian Greg Fellers, DVM, have partnered with Fielding for the project.
For each horse that reaches the 36-mile check point, veterinarians will collect a small (1-3 milliliter) sample of blood into a heparinized syringe and analyze it on site. They will do this immediately after the horse has reached the required heart rate of 60 beats per minute or less and before starting the mandatory one-hour hold, or rest period. Anticipated collection time will be approximately five to 10 seconds per horse so as not to delay horses at the check point...
Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=20407
Going the distance with endurance riding
Bill Gore Photo
SFGate.com - Full Article
Stephanie M. Lee
Published 06:19 p.m., Tuesday, July 31, 2012
As the saying goes, Nick Warhol knows how to ride a horse into the sunset - for 50 or 100 miles at a time. An endurance horseback rider, Warhol has raced 10,400 miles over two decades' worth of competitions. He couldn't do it, of course, without his trusty steed Donnie, who has 4,300 miles under his metaphorical belt. (Vets check the animals' health periodically during races.) For more information, check out the American Endurance Ride Conference at www.aerc.org.
Name: Nick Warhol
Age: 55
Residence: Hayward
Occupation: Vice president of operations at Vigilent Corp. in El Cerrito
Obsession: Endurance riding
How you got started: I was never a horse person and did not ride a horse until I was 33 years old. I got my wife a horse for a college graduation present in 1990, thinking it would give her a real hobby of her own, since I had so many. I had no idea what a horse really was, or that they were individuals. My plan backfired, and I got sucked in. I got my first horse in 1991, and the rest is history.
Essential equipment: You need a horse (preferably an Arabian), a saddle, a truck, trailer, camper and more horse tack and supplies than you could ever imagine. Having a 10-acre ranch also really helps...
Read more here:
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Going-the-distance-with-endurance-riding-3751775.php
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Information About the Upcoming Tevis Cup Ride
Renegadehorseboot.com - Full Article
JULY 26, 2012 BY NEWS EDITOR
It is just over one week away from the “Western States Trail Ride,” most commonly referred to as the “Tevis Cup Ride,” or simply, “the Tevis.” The Tevis is the world’s oldest modern endurance ride, first held in 1955, and is also considered “the world’s best-known and most difficult equestrian endurance ride.” The Tevis is officially sanctioned by the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference.)
Riders have 24 hours to travel the 100-mile course: from the starting point near the shores of Lake Tahoe, just outside of Truckee, CA, across the rugged Sierra Nevadas, to the finishing point in Auburn, CA. Riders must finish with a horse that is deemed “fit to continue” by a team of veterinarians.
Horses must also pass a number of thorough vet-checks held at multiple locations along the trail, some of which also include mandatory rest periods, before being allowed to continue. They are checked for their pulse and respiration, metabolics including hydration and gut function, and a trot-out to evaluate attitude, way of going, and to check for any unsoundness.
The trail can take its toll: historically, only about 50% of those who start the ride will cross the finish line. Horses and riders both have to contend with the mountain trail that is both physically and mentally demanding. The trail itself is rugged, traversing the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountain range. The footing is often extremely rocky, with parts of the trail going through sections of granite rock wilderness. Other parts of the trail travel along hard-packed forest service roads, and even on paved streets through the small towns of Michigan Bluff and Foresthill.
In the last number of years, anywhere from 175-200 horses have started the ride each year: both horse and rider have to be able to contend with the excitement and chaos of that many horses at the start. The ride is held in July or August, as close to the full moon as possible. Summer temperatures soar as the ride descends towards lower elevations, and it is not uncommon for temperatures to reach triple digits within the canyons in the middle of the day.
Riders who cross the finish line with a horse that is deemed “fit to continue” (just as it sounds: the horse should be metabolically and physically sound and able to continue on; a horse who is lame at the finish or is presenting a metabolic issue will not be awarded a completion) are awarded one of the coveted silver completion buckles.
In addition, several other awards are presented:
The Tevis Cup is awarded to the first-place finisher who finished with the fastest time and a horse still “fit to continue.”
The Haggin Cup is the “Best Condition” awarded to the horse finishing in the Top Ten placings who is judged by a team of veterinarians to be “in the most superior physical condition.”
The Josephine Stedem Scripps Foundation Cup recognizes all of the junior riders who complete each year...
Read more here:
http://www.renegadehorseboot.com/information-about-the-upcoming-tevis-cup-ride/
JULY 26, 2012 BY NEWS EDITOR
It is just over one week away from the “Western States Trail Ride,” most commonly referred to as the “Tevis Cup Ride,” or simply, “the Tevis.” The Tevis is the world’s oldest modern endurance ride, first held in 1955, and is also considered “the world’s best-known and most difficult equestrian endurance ride.” The Tevis is officially sanctioned by the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference.)
Riders have 24 hours to travel the 100-mile course: from the starting point near the shores of Lake Tahoe, just outside of Truckee, CA, across the rugged Sierra Nevadas, to the finishing point in Auburn, CA. Riders must finish with a horse that is deemed “fit to continue” by a team of veterinarians.
Horses must also pass a number of thorough vet-checks held at multiple locations along the trail, some of which also include mandatory rest periods, before being allowed to continue. They are checked for their pulse and respiration, metabolics including hydration and gut function, and a trot-out to evaluate attitude, way of going, and to check for any unsoundness.
The trail can take its toll: historically, only about 50% of those who start the ride will cross the finish line. Horses and riders both have to contend with the mountain trail that is both physically and mentally demanding. The trail itself is rugged, traversing the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountain range. The footing is often extremely rocky, with parts of the trail going through sections of granite rock wilderness. Other parts of the trail travel along hard-packed forest service roads, and even on paved streets through the small towns of Michigan Bluff and Foresthill.
In the last number of years, anywhere from 175-200 horses have started the ride each year: both horse and rider have to be able to contend with the excitement and chaos of that many horses at the start. The ride is held in July or August, as close to the full moon as possible. Summer temperatures soar as the ride descends towards lower elevations, and it is not uncommon for temperatures to reach triple digits within the canyons in the middle of the day.
Riders who cross the finish line with a horse that is deemed “fit to continue” (just as it sounds: the horse should be metabolically and physically sound and able to continue on; a horse who is lame at the finish or is presenting a metabolic issue will not be awarded a completion) are awarded one of the coveted silver completion buckles.
In addition, several other awards are presented:
The Tevis Cup is awarded to the first-place finisher who finished with the fastest time and a horse still “fit to continue.”
The Haggin Cup is the “Best Condition” awarded to the horse finishing in the Top Ten placings who is judged by a team of veterinarians to be “in the most superior physical condition.”
The Josephine Stedem Scripps Foundation Cup recognizes all of the junior riders who complete each year...
Read more here:
http://www.renegadehorseboot.com/information-about-the-upcoming-tevis-cup-ride/
Auburn woman to ride 30th Tevis Cup
Auburnjournal.com - Full Article
July 29 2012
Perry has completed race 21 times
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Kathie Perry has seen her fair share of the trail over the years, but fear has never ridden with her.
Perry, of Auburn, will ride in her 30th Tevis Cup next week. She has 21 completions under her belt, one first-place finish in 1978 and has been pulled from the race eight times. She is also the president of the Western States Trail Foundation.
Since she began endurance riding and competing in the Tevis Cup in 1975, Perry has dealt with the challenges of the trail and taken everything that comes with it in stride, including three broken ribs last year.
But when it comes to the day of the ride, she knows no fear.
"Once it starts you're out there but a week after I'll go out and ride the trails again and pull down ribbons and say ‘wow, I did this in the dark or at a trot,'" Perry said. "It all comes back to you and you realize the thing that you've conquered."
Perry started endurance riding around 40 years ago, but she's been around horses her entire life. Originally a Kansas girl, Perry grew up on a farm surrounded by horses.
Her father decided that California would be a better place to raise his children, so they moved to the Bay Area. Eventually, a love of endurance riding would bring Perry and her husband, Ernie Perry, to Auburn. The Perrys rode quarter horses early on in their marriage but switched to Arabians when they became involved in endurance rides.
As a matter of fact, the sole reason Perry wanted to move here was the Tevis Cup...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214086.html
July 29 2012
Perry has completed race 21 times
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
Kathie Perry has seen her fair share of the trail over the years, but fear has never ridden with her.
Perry, of Auburn, will ride in her 30th Tevis Cup next week. She has 21 completions under her belt, one first-place finish in 1978 and has been pulled from the race eight times. She is also the president of the Western States Trail Foundation.
Since she began endurance riding and competing in the Tevis Cup in 1975, Perry has dealt with the challenges of the trail and taken everything that comes with it in stride, including three broken ribs last year.
But when it comes to the day of the ride, she knows no fear.
"Once it starts you're out there but a week after I'll go out and ride the trails again and pull down ribbons and say ‘wow, I did this in the dark or at a trot,'" Perry said. "It all comes back to you and you realize the thing that you've conquered."
Perry started endurance riding around 40 years ago, but she's been around horses her entire life. Originally a Kansas girl, Perry grew up on a farm surrounded by horses.
Her father decided that California would be a better place to raise his children, so they moved to the Bay Area. Eventually, a love of endurance riding would bring Perry and her husband, Ernie Perry, to Auburn. The Perrys rode quarter horses early on in their marriage but switched to Arabians when they became involved in endurance rides.
As a matter of fact, the sole reason Perry wanted to move here was the Tevis Cup...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/214086.html
Monday, July 30, 2012
Horsin' around: A dude rides the trails of Rock County
Gazettextra.com - Full Article
JANESVILLE — Before last week, I hadn't ridden a horse in earnest since I was 11 years old.
Back then, I'd put on boots and jeans and saddle up old Patch, my Shetland pony, and we'd ride for hours along the fringes of my folks' northern Illinois farm. We'd swish through tall grass, scout fencerows for pheasants and dawdle in the stream that wound through the back yard.
That was years ago. I'm no longer a cowboy. I'm now a guy in his 30s who types for a living. Truth is, I can't remember exactly how to hold a horse's reins, and I couldn't tell a trot from a canter.
So how did I find myself on horseback at Gibbs Lake County Park in rural Janesville, neck deep in of one of Rock County's scattered public equine trails?
Well, I was told by riders, by trail maintenance volunteers and by county parks officials that the county's parks, though limited in size, foster a number of horseback riding trails that serve a growing number of riders.
The idea was to learn about the trails from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
As usually is the case when I get a bright idea for a story, I got in over my head, fast. I agreed to do a ride with bunch of competitive endurance trail riders—a few of them from Australia. All I could do was try to keep up.
"Hey, dude. The trail's this way," said Steve Clibborn, one of the Aussies, from atop his mustang...
Read more here:
http://gazettextra.com/news/2012/jul/29/horsin-around-dude-rides-trails-rock-county/
JANESVILLE — Before last week, I hadn't ridden a horse in earnest since I was 11 years old.
Back then, I'd put on boots and jeans and saddle up old Patch, my Shetland pony, and we'd ride for hours along the fringes of my folks' northern Illinois farm. We'd swish through tall grass, scout fencerows for pheasants and dawdle in the stream that wound through the back yard.
That was years ago. I'm no longer a cowboy. I'm now a guy in his 30s who types for a living. Truth is, I can't remember exactly how to hold a horse's reins, and I couldn't tell a trot from a canter.
So how did I find myself on horseback at Gibbs Lake County Park in rural Janesville, neck deep in of one of Rock County's scattered public equine trails?
Well, I was told by riders, by trail maintenance volunteers and by county parks officials that the county's parks, though limited in size, foster a number of horseback riding trails that serve a growing number of riders.
The idea was to learn about the trails from the horse's mouth, so to speak.
As usually is the case when I get a bright idea for a story, I got in over my head, fast. I agreed to do a ride with bunch of competitive endurance trail riders—a few of them from Australia. All I could do was try to keep up.
"Hey, dude. The trail's this way," said Steve Clibborn, one of the Aussies, from atop his mustang...
Read more here:
http://gazettextra.com/news/2012/jul/29/horsin-around-dude-rides-trails-rock-county/
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Tevis Cup: Dedicated Mile
Sue Walz, Tevis buckle winner in 2004 & 2006, would like to invite all of her father, Bob's friends to participate in the adoption of a mile of trail in Bob's honor. Sue is facing some health challenges of her own and it is her wish that the plaque to commemorate this mile could be presented at the Awards Banquet following this year's ride, August 5, 2012.
Bob's mile, the "Bob Walz Easy Ride Mile", will be mile 76 of the trail, a beautiful stretch of the California Street Loop where can be found a clear spring which fills a trough donated by Julie Suhr. There are many of us who ride Easy Ride Stirrups, now brought to us by our friends at Easy Care.
Bob finished the Tevis in 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, & 1987.
Donations can be sent care of the Bob Walz Mile, Western States Trail Endowment, 150 Gum Lane, Suite 103, Auburn, CA 95603."
Friday, July 27, 2012
Aberdeen rider, horses shine through endurance
Aberdeennews.com - Full Article
BY JOHN PAPENDICK, jpapendick@aberdeennews.com
3:05 a.m. CDT, July 27, 2012
An Aberdeen endurance horse-riding athlete is continuing to add to her world-class resume.
Kelsey Kimbler won the silver medal aboard her family's purebred Arabian horse Fringant at last week's Federation Equestre Internationale 4-Star Championship 75-mile Endurance Race in Kentucky. Plus, Fringant earned the best-conditioned horse award.
Kimbler and Fringant's time was 6 hours, 11 minutes.
Kimbler is a 19-year-old, 2011 Aberdeen Central graduate who will be a sophomore this fall at Northern State.
On Aug. 4, Kimbler and her Arabian horse Cody Canuck - trained by her older sister Kirsten - will tackle the 57th annual Tevis Cup “100 Miles One Day” Ride in California. The American Profile magazine in Monday's American News called the test “the nation's most grueling equine endurance ride.”..
Read more here:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/sports/aan-2b.07-27-12.spts.jpcol-20120727,0,6609742.story
BY JOHN PAPENDICK, jpapendick@aberdeennews.com
3:05 a.m. CDT, July 27, 2012
An Aberdeen endurance horse-riding athlete is continuing to add to her world-class resume.
Kelsey Kimbler won the silver medal aboard her family's purebred Arabian horse Fringant at last week's Federation Equestre Internationale 4-Star Championship 75-mile Endurance Race in Kentucky. Plus, Fringant earned the best-conditioned horse award.
Kimbler and Fringant's time was 6 hours, 11 minutes.
Kimbler is a 19-year-old, 2011 Aberdeen Central graduate who will be a sophomore this fall at Northern State.
On Aug. 4, Kimbler and her Arabian horse Cody Canuck - trained by her older sister Kirsten - will tackle the 57th annual Tevis Cup “100 Miles One Day” Ride in California. The American Profile magazine in Monday's American News called the test “the nation's most grueling equine endurance ride.”..
Read more here:
http://www.aberdeennews.com/sports/aan-2b.07-27-12.spts.jpcol-20120727,0,6609742.story
Previously injured Tevis rider to compete again with son
7/27/12
Thomas was thrown from horse in 2008, broke pelvis, crushed bladder
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer
It's been four years since Luanne Thomas was thrown from a horse in San Francisco, but she still gets nervous when she's in the saddle and things get a little shifty.
Even after completing last year's Tevis Cup, Thomas, of Cool, is still unsure when she's on a trail she isn't comfortable with.
"I still have little panic attacks if my horse stumbles. It takes everything I have to get through some of these narrow trails, even though the accident didn't happen on the trail," Thomas said. "I'm just nervous about waking up in the hospital again."
Thomas will ride in this year's Tevis Cup, but she won't do it alone. This will be the first time her son, Dillon, 13, has ridden the 100-mile endurance race, but he said he's ready, especially after placing first in the junior level of the American Endurance Ride Conference's west region.
"It's just the thrill of it, really. It's just the thrill of Tevis," Dillon said.
Thomas finished the race last year, a big accomplishment for her after taking a few years off from riding.
She did not finish her first attempt at the race and was eager to give it another go in 2008. Thomas was a member of the Sacramento Police Mounted Association for 16 years and decided to attend a training session being held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
That's when Thomas's life was uprooted...
Read more here:
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/213995.html?content_source=&category_id=2&search_filter=&user_id=&event_mode=&event_ts_from=&event_ts_to=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=
Thursday, July 26, 2012
A Look at the Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew
Tevis Trail Maintenance Report
Watson Monument through the Granite Chief Wilderness Area vicinity of Tevis Milepost 14.5 to 19 — Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Tahoe National Forest
by Robert H. Sydnor, Engineering Geologist
AERC Trail Master & Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew
The Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew carpooled from Auburn, assembled in Squaw Valley, then began work at the historic Watson Monument.
Introduction
The six-person Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew included: Michael Shackelford (Trail Crew Boss), Phyllis Keller (deputy leader), Austin Violette, Rob Habel, Zachary Brankline, and Robert H. Sydnor. The team included two AERC Trail Masters.
Phyllis Keller (M-AERC), resides with her husband Bryce Keller (retired CDF Battalion Chief) in Truckee, and is a highly-experienced rider in the Robie Park — Squaw Valley — Truckee area. Her knowledge was valuable for cleverly navigating the complicated network of unmarked jeep roads used in the summertime for ski-lift repair and installation of new ski-lifts. Phyllis Keller has faithfully and diligently served for many years on the Tevis Trail Crew, particularly in the eastern 36 mile-segment from Robie Park to Robinson Flat.
We were able to adroitly ascend on steep gravel roads in a 4-wheel drive truck to a ski-lift terminal that is above High Camp, and only one-half mile from the summit of Emigrant Pass. We parked the truck at about elevation 8,400 feet, and quickly hiked to the Watson Monument at elevation 8,675 feet. During our trail work, we would drop more than 1,100 feet, then return and hike back out over Emigrant Pass.
It was about 68°F with a brisk steady wind at 10 to 15 m.p.h., with bright sunshine and intermittent cumulus clouds; alpine visibility about 40 miles. We used sunblock for ultraviolet protection at high altitude.
The six-person Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew carried three long-handled loppers, hand-held hedge- trimmers, a bow-rake, a machete for chopping brush, and hand-held cross-cut saws.
Hand-Held Trail Tools for the Granite Chief Wilderness Area
Gas-powered engines are not allowed in the wilderness area, so that precluded weed-eaters, high- reach pole-saws, and chainsaws for fallen trees.
U.S. Forest Service officer Mary Sullivan of the American River Ranger District (in Foresthill), Tahoe National Forest, generously lent us a cross-cut saw.
The focus of our work was to improve lateral and vertical clearance for our horses, and to ascertain that there were no newly-fallen trees across the Tevis Trail. Minimal work was performed on the trail-bed.
We carried our daypacks with ample water and lunches, plus an AERC Trail Master carried a "wilderness" First-Aid Kit (that is considerably larger and more specialized than a "standard" First-Aid Kit).
The Tevis Trail Crew paused briefly at the summit of Emigrant Pass to pay homage to the pioneer sheriff Robert Montgomery Watson, who marked this historic route in September 1931...
Read more here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012Tevis/WatsonMonumenttoGranite Chief_TevisTrail.pdf
Watson Monument through the Granite Chief Wilderness Area vicinity of Tevis Milepost 14.5 to 19 — Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Tahoe National Forest
by Robert H. Sydnor, Engineering Geologist
AERC Trail Master & Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew
The Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew carpooled from Auburn, assembled in Squaw Valley, then began work at the historic Watson Monument.
Introduction
The six-person Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew included: Michael Shackelford (Trail Crew Boss), Phyllis Keller (deputy leader), Austin Violette, Rob Habel, Zachary Brankline, and Robert H. Sydnor. The team included two AERC Trail Masters.
Phyllis Keller (M-AERC), resides with her husband Bryce Keller (retired CDF Battalion Chief) in Truckee, and is a highly-experienced rider in the Robie Park — Squaw Valley — Truckee area. Her knowledge was valuable for cleverly navigating the complicated network of unmarked jeep roads used in the summertime for ski-lift repair and installation of new ski-lifts. Phyllis Keller has faithfully and diligently served for many years on the Tevis Trail Crew, particularly in the eastern 36 mile-segment from Robie Park to Robinson Flat.
We were able to adroitly ascend on steep gravel roads in a 4-wheel drive truck to a ski-lift terminal that is above High Camp, and only one-half mile from the summit of Emigrant Pass. We parked the truck at about elevation 8,400 feet, and quickly hiked to the Watson Monument at elevation 8,675 feet. During our trail work, we would drop more than 1,100 feet, then return and hike back out over Emigrant Pass.
It was about 68°F with a brisk steady wind at 10 to 15 m.p.h., with bright sunshine and intermittent cumulus clouds; alpine visibility about 40 miles. We used sunblock for ultraviolet protection at high altitude.
The six-person Tevis Trail Maintenance Crew carried three long-handled loppers, hand-held hedge- trimmers, a bow-rake, a machete for chopping brush, and hand-held cross-cut saws.
Hand-Held Trail Tools for the Granite Chief Wilderness Area
Gas-powered engines are not allowed in the wilderness area, so that precluded weed-eaters, high- reach pole-saws, and chainsaws for fallen trees.
U.S. Forest Service officer Mary Sullivan of the American River Ranger District (in Foresthill), Tahoe National Forest, generously lent us a cross-cut saw.
The focus of our work was to improve lateral and vertical clearance for our horses, and to ascertain that there were no newly-fallen trees across the Tevis Trail. Minimal work was performed on the trail-bed.
We carried our daypacks with ample water and lunches, plus an AERC Trail Master carried a "wilderness" First-Aid Kit (that is considerably larger and more specialized than a "standard" First-Aid Kit).
The Tevis Trail Crew paused briefly at the summit of Emigrant Pass to pay homage to the pioneer sheriff Robert Montgomery Watson, who marked this historic route in September 1931...
Read more here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2012Tevis/WatsonMonumenttoGranite Chief_TevisTrail.pdf
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Endurance riding at Parrie Haynes Ranch
Austin360.com - Full ArticleBy Pam LeBlanc | Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Toodles and I teamed up for a long-distance ride at the Parrie Haynes Ranch northwest of Florence this weekend.
Toodles, you may recall, is a sturdy, sure-footed mare with a velvety nose and a trot that feels sort of like sitting in a gently swaying Barcalounger. She belongs to my friend Elaine Swiss, an all-around awesome gal who competes in distance riding and competitive trail riding events.
Elaine let me ride Toodles in a competitive trail ride a few months ago. We chugged through a course spiced up with obstacles like loading and unloading a trailer, side stepping a log, and opening a gate while mounted.
Now Elaine is preparing Toodles and one of her other horses, a gray mare named Roulette, for a distance ride, where horse and rider teams trot cross-country, racing to see who can cover a marked route in the shortest amount of time.
Rest periods are planned into the course, and veterinarians periodically check the horses along the way to make sure they’re sound and healthy. (The humans, however, are on their own!)
Elaine plans to ride Roulette at the Arabian Horse Association Distance National in September, held on the grounds of the swanky and historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C. Her sister will ride Toodles in the two-day event, which consists of a 50-mile and 100-mile endurance ride.
I’m Toodles’ backup rider. If I get the last-minute call, I will swoop in and ride Toodles through the cool, misty hills of George Vanderbilt’s old stomping ground...
Read more here:
http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/fitcity/entries/2012/07/24/endurance_riding_at_parrie_hay.html?cxntfid=blogs_fit_city
Squaw Valley Construction
Teviscup.org
July 24 2012
From now until Ride Day on August 4th, there will be no riding allowed on the Squaw Valley portions of the trail for safety reasons. There is construction going on, which includes large, noisy trucks traveling down the roads. WSTF will receive special permission to use this property on Ride Day.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
NAJYRC’s First FEI 4* Endurance Race Is a Great Success
Horseinthesouth.com
The endurance team gold medal went to Canada this year with three teammates riding purebred Arabians. In a great show of team unity, all three members crossed the finish line together. In official times, Lee Hutton and Parker AES finished in seven hours and 33 seconds, Emma Webb and Serloki in seven hours and 34 seconds, and Jessica Yavis and Jahlad in seven hours and 35 seconds. Chef d’Equipe Maura Leahy noted that the overcast weather helped the team by providing a better environment for racing.
Emma Webb (18 Flesherton, ON, CAN), borrowed her horse from American endurance rider Jan Worthington. “My horse felt really good all day,” she said. “There are not very many of us (on the team), so it’s hard to get a team together and get all of us to finish.”
Jessica Yavis (16, Winfield, AB, CAN) rode her own horse and despite a slip where they almost fell on Loop 3, she finished strong. “It scared me pretty bad, so I went to check with the team vet,” she explained. “I decided to back off after that. He’s fine now; it’s just a little scrape. I’ve been riding my horse for eight years, so I know him pretty well. I keep in check with him all the time. I take the vet’s advice and go from there.”
Yavis added, “I’m so glad that we finished as a team yesterday.”
Hutton echoed the team sentiments, “It was awesome crossing the finish line together. We talked about it before. We decided if we met out on the trail, we’d stick together. We kept our pace and rode it smart to complete everybody. We would not have any of the speeds or completion rates if we had no crew. They’re amazing and don’t get nearly enough credit. There should be enough medals for everybody.” The 20-year-old from Chesterville, Ontario, Canada showed here last year and won the silver medal at the 2009 NAJYRC when endurance was a USEF rated competition.
In the Individual Endurance championships, it was 20-year-old Katherine Gardner of Coventry, RI, who rode AF Big Bucks owned by Pam Wydell to victory. The pair was able to complete the 120 km race in 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 48 seconds.
“My ride went really well. I went into it mostly because I wanted a completion, to do well but get across the finish line making sure my horse is okay. Along the way, we still had a lot of horse left and he was doing really well,” Gardener explained of her race performance.
AF Big Bucks is an experienced endurance horse who has set record times in shorter races. Gardener rode him in a 120 km race a few months ago, but this is only their second big competition together. “He knows how to race and do well,” she described. “When he comes into the hold, he knows to chill and relax and conserve energy. His pulse is down within seconds. That’s his biggest strength, is pulsing down.”
Since the endurance race at NAJYRC is an FEI four-star rated competition (for the first time in NAJYRC history), it will dramatically help the young riders that finished the race. By having this four-star qualification, they will be able to compete in more international competitions.
Also competing at the NAJYRC this week were three members from the American team that traveled to Abu Dhabi to ride in the Young Rider World Endurance Championship this past December. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Emmett Ross, they posted amazing results by placing fourth out of 29 teams from all over the world.
Joining Mary Kathryn Clark and Kelsey Russell in Abu Dhabi last year was NAJYRC silver medalist Kelsey Kimbler (19, Aberdeen, SD). Here at the NAJYRC, Kimbler rode Fringant and finished in six hours, 11 minutes, and 49 seconds.
Fringant was also named the “Best Conditioned Horse” of the event. “I think conformationally he is very correct, which has helped him stay sound in the races. He has a very big heart,” Kimbler said.
Kimbler has ridden Fringant since he was three years old. “He’s the first horse that we’ve had since he was a baby and we’ve been able to bring him up and do our own training. It’s been very rewarding. I know he has a lot of potential; this was his personal best and my personal best.”
The bronze medal went to 15-year-old Cassandra Roberts of Bronson, FL. Roberts and C A Classy Marina (a three-quarters Arabian, one-quarter Saddlebred horse) have been together for three years. “We had a good plan,” Roberts said. “The weather didn’t change the plan. She went how she normally goes and I let her do her own thing.”
With the three NAJYRC medalists and the two riders that competed in Abu Dhabi, the American endurance team’s future is very strong. Ross said, “All of these young ladies are the future of our sport. I expect to have at least one of them on the World Equestrian Games team two years from now.”
For full results or to learn more about the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, please visit www.youngriders.org.
The endurance team gold medal went to Canada this year with three teammates riding purebred Arabians. In a great show of team unity, all three members crossed the finish line together. In official times, Lee Hutton and Parker AES finished in seven hours and 33 seconds, Emma Webb and Serloki in seven hours and 34 seconds, and Jessica Yavis and Jahlad in seven hours and 35 seconds. Chef d’Equipe Maura Leahy noted that the overcast weather helped the team by providing a better environment for racing.
Emma Webb (18 Flesherton, ON, CAN), borrowed her horse from American endurance rider Jan Worthington. “My horse felt really good all day,” she said. “There are not very many of us (on the team), so it’s hard to get a team together and get all of us to finish.”
Jessica Yavis (16, Winfield, AB, CAN) rode her own horse and despite a slip where they almost fell on Loop 3, she finished strong. “It scared me pretty bad, so I went to check with the team vet,” she explained. “I decided to back off after that. He’s fine now; it’s just a little scrape. I’ve been riding my horse for eight years, so I know him pretty well. I keep in check with him all the time. I take the vet’s advice and go from there.”
Yavis added, “I’m so glad that we finished as a team yesterday.”
Hutton echoed the team sentiments, “It was awesome crossing the finish line together. We talked about it before. We decided if we met out on the trail, we’d stick together. We kept our pace and rode it smart to complete everybody. We would not have any of the speeds or completion rates if we had no crew. They’re amazing and don’t get nearly enough credit. There should be enough medals for everybody.” The 20-year-old from Chesterville, Ontario, Canada showed here last year and won the silver medal at the 2009 NAJYRC when endurance was a USEF rated competition.
In the Individual Endurance championships, it was 20-year-old Katherine Gardner of Coventry, RI, who rode AF Big Bucks owned by Pam Wydell to victory. The pair was able to complete the 120 km race in 6 hours, 11 minutes, and 48 seconds.
“My ride went really well. I went into it mostly because I wanted a completion, to do well but get across the finish line making sure my horse is okay. Along the way, we still had a lot of horse left and he was doing really well,” Gardener explained of her race performance.
AF Big Bucks is an experienced endurance horse who has set record times in shorter races. Gardener rode him in a 120 km race a few months ago, but this is only their second big competition together. “He knows how to race and do well,” she described. “When he comes into the hold, he knows to chill and relax and conserve energy. His pulse is down within seconds. That’s his biggest strength, is pulsing down.”
Since the endurance race at NAJYRC is an FEI four-star rated competition (for the first time in NAJYRC history), it will dramatically help the young riders that finished the race. By having this four-star qualification, they will be able to compete in more international competitions.
Also competing at the NAJYRC this week were three members from the American team that traveled to Abu Dhabi to ride in the Young Rider World Endurance Championship this past December. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Emmett Ross, they posted amazing results by placing fourth out of 29 teams from all over the world.
Joining Mary Kathryn Clark and Kelsey Russell in Abu Dhabi last year was NAJYRC silver medalist Kelsey Kimbler (19, Aberdeen, SD). Here at the NAJYRC, Kimbler rode Fringant and finished in six hours, 11 minutes, and 49 seconds.
Fringant was also named the “Best Conditioned Horse” of the event. “I think conformationally he is very correct, which has helped him stay sound in the races. He has a very big heart,” Kimbler said.
Kimbler has ridden Fringant since he was three years old. “He’s the first horse that we’ve had since he was a baby and we’ve been able to bring him up and do our own training. It’s been very rewarding. I know he has a lot of potential; this was his personal best and my personal best.”
The bronze medal went to 15-year-old Cassandra Roberts of Bronson, FL. Roberts and C A Classy Marina (a three-quarters Arabian, one-quarter Saddlebred horse) have been together for three years. “We had a good plan,” Roberts said. “The weather didn’t change the plan. She went how she normally goes and I let her do her own thing.”
With the three NAJYRC medalists and the two riders that competed in Abu Dhabi, the American endurance team’s future is very strong. Ross said, “All of these young ladies are the future of our sport. I expect to have at least one of them on the World Equestrian Games team two years from now.”
For full results or to learn more about the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, please visit www.youngriders.org.
Monday, July 23, 2012
New AERC Store!
July 20 2012
NEW AERC STORE!
Just underway is the AERC STORE with short- and long-sleeve T-shirts, hoodies, caps, etc. We'll be adding more items as we can. A portion of every sale goes to AERC. If you have any suggestions for items you'd like to order through the AERC store, please write to the Publications Desk. Thanks!
Events conclude at the 2012 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships
Horsechannel.com - Full Article
Top youth riders from five equestrian sports take home medals and the experience of international competition.
July 22, 2012
After a week of challenging weather and top competition, The FEI/Adequan North American Junior Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) concluded this weekend with the final medals awarded in eventing, freestyle dressage, individual reining and show jumping. Additionally, the endurance winners received their awards in a special presentation in the Alltech Arena on Saturday.
The United States had a sweep of the individual medals in endurance with a trio of seasoned young riders. Gold went to Katherine Gardner, 20, riding AF Big Bucks for the U.S.A. combined regional team. Gardner finished the 75-mile race in just six hours, 11 minutes and 48 seconds. Kelsey Kimbler, 19, of the U.S. Central team finished just one second behind to earn silver with Fringant. Fingant also received the coveted “Best Conditioned” award, which is based on the horse’s condition at the final vet check at the end of the race. Taking home the bronze was Cassandra Roberts, 16, of the U.S. Southeast team riding her Arabian/Saddlebred mare, CA Classy Marina.
The three riders from Canada were confirmed as the gold medalists in the team competition. Lee Hutten and Parker AES, Jessica Yavis and Jahlad, and Emma Webb and Serloki finished together and were the only team to have three riders complete the race. When the three Arabian horses had passed the final vet check, Canada’s gold-medal status was confirmed.
The team, individual and best-conditioned medals were awarded the day after the race in the Alltech Arena where the riders took a well-deserved victory lap.
Top youth riders from five equestrian sports take home medals and the experience of international competition.
July 22, 2012
After a week of challenging weather and top competition, The FEI/Adequan North American Junior Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) concluded this weekend with the final medals awarded in eventing, freestyle dressage, individual reining and show jumping. Additionally, the endurance winners received their awards in a special presentation in the Alltech Arena on Saturday.
The United States had a sweep of the individual medals in endurance with a trio of seasoned young riders. Gold went to Katherine Gardner, 20, riding AF Big Bucks for the U.S.A. combined regional team. Gardner finished the 75-mile race in just six hours, 11 minutes and 48 seconds. Kelsey Kimbler, 19, of the U.S. Central team finished just one second behind to earn silver with Fringant. Fingant also received the coveted “Best Conditioned” award, which is based on the horse’s condition at the final vet check at the end of the race. Taking home the bronze was Cassandra Roberts, 16, of the U.S. Southeast team riding her Arabian/Saddlebred mare, CA Classy Marina.
The three riders from Canada were confirmed as the gold medalists in the team competition. Lee Hutten and Parker AES, Jessica Yavis and Jahlad, and Emma Webb and Serloki finished together and were the only team to have three riders complete the race. When the three Arabian horses had passed the final vet check, Canada’s gold-medal status was confirmed.
The team, individual and best-conditioned medals were awarded the day after the race in the Alltech Arena where the riders took a well-deserved victory lap.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Canada Wins Team Gold at NAJYRC
Endurance headlines the third day of North American Junior Young Rider Championship competition in Kentucky
July 21, 2012
At 6:30 on Friday morning, a set of intrepid horses and riders set off on a 75-mile ride from base camp at the Kentucky Horse Park. The day started cloudy and cool, favorable conditions for the race, which is made up of five loops through the park and surrounding farms.
Although it is one of the most popular equestrian sports worldwide, endurance is still growing in North America. But with the group of seasoned young equestrians participating in this year’s competition, the future of the sport here is bright.
Four teams started the day, plus two individual riders for a total of 17 competitors. Riders represented three U.S. regions: Southeast, Central, and a combined team comprised of riders from other regions. Canada sent a single team of three riders. Mexico and Guatemala sent one rider each.
In order to qualify for a team medal, three riders must complete the race and have their horses pass the final vet check. This put the team from Canada at a disadvantage as they only had three riders instead of the four that each U.S. regional team had. However, by the end of the day, Canada was the only team to still have three riders in contention. The team cantered to the finish line together victoriously, with only the final check standing between them and team gold.
On the individual side, Katherine Gardner came through the finish line first and headed to the vet check. When her horse, AF Big Bucks, passed the final inspection, cheers erupted from Garnder’s U.S. combined teammates. USEF Youth Equestrian of the Year Kelsey Kimbler rode Fringant to a silver medal finish.
The medal ceremony for the endurance riders will be held on Saturday.
Partial, unofficial order of finish:
1. Katherine Gardner - Big Bucks (owner Pam Weidel)
2. Kelsey Kimbler - Fringant
3. Sondra Roberts (Southeast) - CA Classy Marina
4. Mallory Capps
5. Emma Webb (Ontario)
6. Lee Hutton (Ontario)
7. Jessica Yavis (Alberta)
CANADA - Team Gold
Friday, July 20, 2012
EasyCare announces the EasyCare Let's Go! Contest
Easycareinc Blog
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
by Kevin Myers
Where did your Easyboots take you this summer?
Today marks the launch of the EasyCare Let's Go! contest on the Easyboot Facebook page. We're giving away one pair of Easyboots every Friday for six weeks.
But that's not all: on Friday, August 31, 2012, we will have a drawing for the grand prize: a three-day get-away for two people at a Meadow Home at The Resort at Paws Up near Missoula, Montana.
Entering is easy: all you have to do is to submit a photo of where your Easyboots took you this summer. Go to the Easyboot Facebook page, then click on the Easyboot Let's Go! tab.
Once you're on the contest page within Facebook, click on the 'Enter Now' button and follow the instructions to upload your photo.
You can only enter the contest once, but you can increase your chances of winning by inviting your friends to participate. That's it - there is nothing else to do but sit back and wait to see if you win - and what. Due to US gaming laws, this contest is open only to residents of the United States.
So Let's Go! Together we'll go far.
Lost Arabian Endurance Horse in Oregon
July 18 2012
(Has full tack on… saddle, bridle, tie down, chest collar, pack)
He is a Chestnut colored horse with a flaxen mane/tail with white blaze on his forehead. His name is Baron. He is 15.3 hands tall, one white sock on front leg and one white sock on the back leg.
He was lost at the Bandit Springs Endurance Ride on Saturday, July 14, 2012 around 8:00 a.am @ Corral Flat in the Ochocos. The GPS coordinates are 44-27-59.74N and 120-22-21.96W.
Please contact Charlene Carlson-Norman at (541)385-1084 or Jeff Norman at (541) 848-1842.
(Has full tack on… saddle, bridle, tie down, chest collar, pack)
He is a Chestnut colored horse with a flaxen mane/tail with white blaze on his forehead. His name is Baron. He is 15.3 hands tall, one white sock on front leg and one white sock on the back leg.
He was lost at the Bandit Springs Endurance Ride on Saturday, July 14, 2012 around 8:00 a.am @ Corral Flat in the Ochocos. The GPS coordinates are 44-27-59.74N and 120-22-21.96W.
Please contact Charlene Carlson-Norman at (541)385-1084 or Jeff Norman at (541) 848-1842.
Carla Stroh Places Well in the Shamrock Endurance Ride...
Luskherald.com - Full Article
Posted: Thursday, Jul 19th, 2012
Phyllis Hahn/Contributing Writer
Carla Stroh rides on her horse Spook during the Shamrock Endurance Ride. Courtesy Photo
On July 6, Carla Stroh hauled her husband Harold’s Arabian horse, Spook, to the Shamrock Endurance Race, which began west of Wheatland. This was the first race she has participated in for over a year since the Equine Herpes threat last year caused Stroh to decide not to risk Spook contracting the virus. The thought of doing an easy 30 mile race was very inviting since the last race she’d ridden in was the grueling Big Horn 100 mile.
On Saturday morning, Stroh’s crew joined her in a second cup of coffee as they watched the 50 milers start out. At 7:45 a.m. Spook was saddled and Stroh was ready for roll call. The first loop of the race was approximately 22 miles long with a vet check back at base camp. The pace started out brisk and they were trotting about 12 miles an hour. The weather was cool and misty as it had rained all night so keeping the pace in the cool weather and the soft ground was not a problem. Riders usually end up riding in groups of 3 or 4 where the horses are of a similar fitness level. According to Stroh, “Spook must have had someone read him the tale of ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’, because when it came his turn to take the lead he would jump sideways or slam on the brakes at every horse eating rock or tree branch he thought looked suspicious.” (Could this be the source of his name?) When another horse took the lead he would keep pace with them because perhaps he thought that if anything were to eat a horse it would eat the lead horse first and give him time to run away. Needless to say, Spook did not take the lead often. The riders ran into a herd of cows but that didn’t present a problem, except Spook is accustomed to being used for ranch work and must have thought he was there for a roundup. Stroh had to convince him to leave the cows there and get back on the trail! They got back to the base camp earlier than expected because of their blazing pace. Stroh’s crew was just coming into the cool down area to wait for her, but she was already there. She had ridden 22 miles in just under 2 hours. Spook was the first horse in the group to pulse down before submitting to the vet check. There are a series of tests done on each horse to make sure he is fit to continue and to avoid any problems. Spook walked away with straight “A’s”...
Read more here:
http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=2274&page=77
Posted: Thursday, Jul 19th, 2012
Phyllis Hahn/Contributing Writer
Carla Stroh rides on her horse Spook during the Shamrock Endurance Ride. Courtesy Photo
On July 6, Carla Stroh hauled her husband Harold’s Arabian horse, Spook, to the Shamrock Endurance Race, which began west of Wheatland. This was the first race she has participated in for over a year since the Equine Herpes threat last year caused Stroh to decide not to risk Spook contracting the virus. The thought of doing an easy 30 mile race was very inviting since the last race she’d ridden in was the grueling Big Horn 100 mile.
On Saturday morning, Stroh’s crew joined her in a second cup of coffee as they watched the 50 milers start out. At 7:45 a.m. Spook was saddled and Stroh was ready for roll call. The first loop of the race was approximately 22 miles long with a vet check back at base camp. The pace started out brisk and they were trotting about 12 miles an hour. The weather was cool and misty as it had rained all night so keeping the pace in the cool weather and the soft ground was not a problem. Riders usually end up riding in groups of 3 or 4 where the horses are of a similar fitness level. According to Stroh, “Spook must have had someone read him the tale of ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’, because when it came his turn to take the lead he would jump sideways or slam on the brakes at every horse eating rock or tree branch he thought looked suspicious.” (Could this be the source of his name?) When another horse took the lead he would keep pace with them because perhaps he thought that if anything were to eat a horse it would eat the lead horse first and give him time to run away. Needless to say, Spook did not take the lead often. The riders ran into a herd of cows but that didn’t present a problem, except Spook is accustomed to being used for ranch work and must have thought he was there for a roundup. Stroh had to convince him to leave the cows there and get back on the trail! They got back to the base camp earlier than expected because of their blazing pace. Stroh’s crew was just coming into the cool down area to wait for her, but she was already there. She had ridden 22 miles in just under 2 hours. Spook was the first horse in the group to pulse down before submitting to the vet check. There are a series of tests done on each horse to make sure he is fit to continue and to avoid any problems. Spook walked away with straight “A’s”...
Read more here:
http://www.luskherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=2274&page=77
Thursday, July 19, 2012
America’s Toughest Ride: The Tevis Cup
Americanprofile.com - Full Article
by Sherry Phillips
July 17, 2012
Barbara White, 64, rides her 11-year-old mare across No Hands Bridge east of Auburn, Calif. (pop. 13,330), trotting through early morning fog in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
White grins and waves to her mother, Julie Suhr, 88, who stands at the end of the bridge alongside other well-wishers cheering for competitors in the Tevis Cup, the nation’s most grueling equine endurance ride.
“I know the nervousness and excitement they’re all feeling,” says Suhr, a former competitor who 22 times completed the one-day, 100-mile ride on the Western States Trail.
Last October, 177 horsemen and women from around the world, ranging in age from 12 to 69, began the ride, and 123 finished within the required 24 hours to earn a coveted sterling silver belt buckle emblazoned with a Pony Express rider. White received her 31st buckle, more than any other entrant.
“For me the challenge has always been the trail, not the other riders,” says White, a retired schoolteacher who lives in Scotts Valley, Calif. (pop. 11,580). “We cheer for each other, and there’s no shame in not finishing. The slogan of endurance riding is ‘to finish is to win...’”
Read more here:
http://www.americanprofile.com/articles/tevis-cup-endurance-horseback-ride/#ixzz214xZPsK1
by Sherry Phillips
July 17, 2012
Barbara White, 64, rides her 11-year-old mare across No Hands Bridge east of Auburn, Calif. (pop. 13,330), trotting through early morning fog in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
White grins and waves to her mother, Julie Suhr, 88, who stands at the end of the bridge alongside other well-wishers cheering for competitors in the Tevis Cup, the nation’s most grueling equine endurance ride.
“I know the nervousness and excitement they’re all feeling,” says Suhr, a former competitor who 22 times completed the one-day, 100-mile ride on the Western States Trail.
Last October, 177 horsemen and women from around the world, ranging in age from 12 to 69, began the ride, and 123 finished within the required 24 hours to earn a coveted sterling silver belt buckle emblazoned with a Pony Express rider. White received her 31st buckle, more than any other entrant.
“For me the challenge has always been the trail, not the other riders,” says White, a retired schoolteacher who lives in Scotts Valley, Calif. (pop. 11,580). “We cheer for each other, and there’s no shame in not finishing. The slogan of endurance riding is ‘to finish is to win...’”
Read more here:
http://www.americanprofile.com/articles/tevis-cup-endurance-horseback-ride/#ixzz214xZPsK1
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
The 2012 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North Welcomes 261 Athletes in Five Disciplines
USEFNetwork.com
RELEASE: July 17, 2012
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Jennifer Wood for USEF
Lexington, KY - The 2012 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) is proud to welcome all of the 261 young athletes that will compete in five disciplines over the next five days. The NAJYRC is held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Today, the NAJYRC hosted the athletes, trainers, friends, and family at the Opening Ceremonies.
Five disciplines (a total of 9 championships for juniors and young riders) will take part in the only FEI Championship to be held annually in North America. The NAJYRC is the premier equestrian competition in North America for junior and young riders, ages 14-21. This year, young equestrians have come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala to vie for team and individual FEI medals in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage, eventing and the FEI World Equestrian Games disciplines of reining and endurance.
The competition is run under rules of the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale), the international governing body for equestrian sport. Many of North America's best equestrians who now regularly represent their country on Olympic, World Championship and Nations Cup teams got their first taste of International experience at NAJYRC. These include show jumpers Greg Best, Chris Kappler and McLain Ward, five-time Olympian and three-day eventer Karen O'Connor, and dressage rider Todd Flettrich.
The NAJYRC began in 1974 as an eventing challenge between the United States and Canada. A dressage championship was added in 1981, and show jumping was added in 1982. The first complete Young Riders championship was held in British Columbia, Canada, in 1982. The Championships were expanded to officially include a championship division for juniors in 2006. The discipline of reining was added to the official schedule in 2008; endurance joined the championship for the first time in 2011. Vaulting competition is held at the NAJYRC, but is not officially part of the championship.
The opening ceremonies featured all of the teams from the six disciplines in a parade to honor the members and their Chefs d'Equipe. The teams posed for photos before leaving on a golf cart parade to sponsor Spy Coast Farm for an exhibitor barbeque. The golf cart parade featured many brightly decorated carts all vying for the win as "Best Dressed."
Held at the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), the NAJYRC brings together a multitude of disciplines similar to the WEG. Show jumping and dressage had their jogs today, where horses were tested for soundness before the officials and veterinarians. This is a key part of FEI level competition, and the junior and young riders of all disciplines here at NAJYRC are learning valuable information about international rules and regulations that will serve them well when they go to represent their country at senior-level events.
Dressage kicks off the competition tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. with the junior and young rider team tests. There are 80 dressage riders slated to ride at the NAJYRC this year. In the afternoon, medals will be awarded to the junior and young rider dressage teams, with the winning team honored with their national anthem. On Friday, the individual tests are held, and riders return on Saturday for their freestyle tests. Both days' competition will award medals to the top three finishers.
Show jumping will hold their first individual qualifiers on Wednesday afternoon with 58 starters and will return on Thursday morning to compete in their team finals. Medals will be awarded for the junior teams, followed by the young rider teams. The individual finals will be held on Saturday.
Three-Day Eventing starts on Thursday with dressage tests for both the CCI 2* and CCI 1* riders (which total 59 in all), and the always exciting cross country will take place on Saturday. The eventers wrap up their competition on Sunday morning with the stadium jumping phase and receive their individual and team medals.
Reining composes 20 riders, and they will start with a welcome competition on Wednesday afternoon in the Alltech Arena. Their team championship is held on Thursday where they will receive medals in a podium presentation, while individual medals will be contested on Saturday.
Seventeen Endurance riders will travel on a 120 kilometer course around the Kentucky Horse Park bright and early on Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. Awards for the Best Conditioned Horse and the team and individual medals will be awarded on Saturday morning.
Vaulting competition will be featured in the Mary Murphy Ring on Thursday morning. The 26 vaulters will return on Friday morning for their final competition.
More exciting news and results will be forthcoming as the week progresses. To learn more about the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, please visit www.youngriders.org.
NAJYRC showcases the best young rider and junior horse/rider combinations in dressage, eventing, jumping, reining, and endurance. Young equestrians from across the continent will descend on the Kentucky Horse Park to vie for FEI medals at these Championships.
RELEASE: July 17, 2012
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Jennifer Wood for USEF
Lexington, KY - The 2012 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) is proud to welcome all of the 261 young athletes that will compete in five disciplines over the next five days. The NAJYRC is held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Today, the NAJYRC hosted the athletes, trainers, friends, and family at the Opening Ceremonies.
Five disciplines (a total of 9 championships for juniors and young riders) will take part in the only FEI Championship to be held annually in North America. The NAJYRC is the premier equestrian competition in North America for junior and young riders, ages 14-21. This year, young equestrians have come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala to vie for team and individual FEI medals in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage, eventing and the FEI World Equestrian Games disciplines of reining and endurance.
The competition is run under rules of the FEI (Federation Equestre Internationale), the international governing body for equestrian sport. Many of North America's best equestrians who now regularly represent their country on Olympic, World Championship and Nations Cup teams got their first taste of International experience at NAJYRC. These include show jumpers Greg Best, Chris Kappler and McLain Ward, five-time Olympian and three-day eventer Karen O'Connor, and dressage rider Todd Flettrich.
The NAJYRC began in 1974 as an eventing challenge between the United States and Canada. A dressage championship was added in 1981, and show jumping was added in 1982. The first complete Young Riders championship was held in British Columbia, Canada, in 1982. The Championships were expanded to officially include a championship division for juniors in 2006. The discipline of reining was added to the official schedule in 2008; endurance joined the championship for the first time in 2011. Vaulting competition is held at the NAJYRC, but is not officially part of the championship.
The opening ceremonies featured all of the teams from the six disciplines in a parade to honor the members and their Chefs d'Equipe. The teams posed for photos before leaving on a golf cart parade to sponsor Spy Coast Farm for an exhibitor barbeque. The golf cart parade featured many brightly decorated carts all vying for the win as "Best Dressed."
Held at the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), the NAJYRC brings together a multitude of disciplines similar to the WEG. Show jumping and dressage had their jogs today, where horses were tested for soundness before the officials and veterinarians. This is a key part of FEI level competition, and the junior and young riders of all disciplines here at NAJYRC are learning valuable information about international rules and regulations that will serve them well when they go to represent their country at senior-level events.
Dressage kicks off the competition tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. with the junior and young rider team tests. There are 80 dressage riders slated to ride at the NAJYRC this year. In the afternoon, medals will be awarded to the junior and young rider dressage teams, with the winning team honored with their national anthem. On Friday, the individual tests are held, and riders return on Saturday for their freestyle tests. Both days' competition will award medals to the top three finishers.
Show jumping will hold their first individual qualifiers on Wednesday afternoon with 58 starters and will return on Thursday morning to compete in their team finals. Medals will be awarded for the junior teams, followed by the young rider teams. The individual finals will be held on Saturday.
Three-Day Eventing starts on Thursday with dressage tests for both the CCI 2* and CCI 1* riders (which total 59 in all), and the always exciting cross country will take place on Saturday. The eventers wrap up their competition on Sunday morning with the stadium jumping phase and receive their individual and team medals.
Reining composes 20 riders, and they will start with a welcome competition on Wednesday afternoon in the Alltech Arena. Their team championship is held on Thursday where they will receive medals in a podium presentation, while individual medals will be contested on Saturday.
Seventeen Endurance riders will travel on a 120 kilometer course around the Kentucky Horse Park bright and early on Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. Awards for the Best Conditioned Horse and the team and individual medals will be awarded on Saturday morning.
Vaulting competition will be featured in the Mary Murphy Ring on Thursday morning. The 26 vaulters will return on Friday morning for their final competition.
More exciting news and results will be forthcoming as the week progresses. To learn more about the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, please visit www.youngriders.org.
NAJYRC showcases the best young rider and junior horse/rider combinations in dressage, eventing, jumping, reining, and endurance. Young equestrians from across the continent will descend on the Kentucky Horse Park to vie for FEI medals at these Championships.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
57th Tevis Cup: Just Over 2 Weeks Away!
July 17 2012
The 209 riders from 4 countries are currently registered for the 57th annual Tevis Cup.
Current rider list:
http://teviscup.org/tevis-2012/the-2012-tevis-cup/current-rider-list
The ride agenda has been posted here:
http://teviscup.org/images/docs/2012_ride_week_agenda.pdf
The 2012 Checkpoint information has been posted:
http://teviscup.org/images/docs/2012_ride_week_agenda.pdf
For more information on the ride, see
http://teviscup.org/
The 209 riders from 4 countries are currently registered for the 57th annual Tevis Cup.
Current rider list:
http://teviscup.org/tevis-2012/the-2012-tevis-cup/current-rider-list
The ride agenda has been posted here:
http://teviscup.org/images/docs/2012_ride_week_agenda.pdf
The 2012 Checkpoint information has been posted:
http://teviscup.org/images/docs/2012_ride_week_agenda.pdf
For more information on the ride, see
http://teviscup.org/
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Endurance riding ‘To finish is to win’
Lagrandeobserver.com - Full Article
Written by By Dick Mason The Observer July 06, 2012
ELGIN — This Elgin equestrian is more concerned with the pace of her horses’s pulse than the speed of his gait.
Meet Vicki Nickels, an Elgin endurance rider with more than 25 25-to-50 mile endurance rides to her credit and a record which is gaining sparkle.
Nickels recently placed fifth in the first day competition at the Eagle (Idaho) Spring Fling 50-mile endurance ride. She also received a coveted complement — Ruger, her Morgan-Arabian mix, was rated by the ride’s veterinarian as the best in terms of physical condition of any of the nine horses ridden at the Eagle Spring Fling.
“To me that was more important than coming in first,’’ Nickels said.
Endurance ride participants must have their horses checked by veterinarians five times in the course of a 50-mile event — at the start and finish and three times during the ride. The horses’ heart rates, hydration levels, leg condition and much more are closely checked by veterinarians. When veterinarians determine that a horse is not fit to continue, riders are asked to pull their horse from the competition.
“It is all about the animal,’’ Nickels said. “There is no shame in pulling out...’’
Read more here:
http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/Features/Outdoor/Recreation/Endurance-riding-To-finish-is-to-win
Written by By Dick Mason The Observer July 06, 2012
ELGIN — This Elgin equestrian is more concerned with the pace of her horses’s pulse than the speed of his gait.
Meet Vicki Nickels, an Elgin endurance rider with more than 25 25-to-50 mile endurance rides to her credit and a record which is gaining sparkle.
Nickels recently placed fifth in the first day competition at the Eagle (Idaho) Spring Fling 50-mile endurance ride. She also received a coveted complement — Ruger, her Morgan-Arabian mix, was rated by the ride’s veterinarian as the best in terms of physical condition of any of the nine horses ridden at the Eagle Spring Fling.
“To me that was more important than coming in first,’’ Nickels said.
Endurance ride participants must have their horses checked by veterinarians five times in the course of a 50-mile event — at the start and finish and three times during the ride. The horses’ heart rates, hydration levels, leg condition and much more are closely checked by veterinarians. When veterinarians determine that a horse is not fit to continue, riders are asked to pull their horse from the competition.
“It is all about the animal,’’ Nickels said. “There is no shame in pulling out...’’
Read more here:
http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/Features/Outdoor/Recreation/Endurance-riding-To-finish-is-to-win
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