2016 AERC Award Nominations due August 1

July 11 2016

AERC Members: It's time to make your nomination for Hall of Fame Person, Hall of Fame Equine, Pard'ners Award, Volunteer Service Award, or the Ann Parr Trails Preservation Award. Nominations are due by August 1, 2016.

The nomination form is here:
https://aerc.org/2016Nomination

Technology Meets the Tevis

NEW for 2016!

Online LIVE GPS TRACKING OF THE RIDE

• GPS tracking available for every rider
• Satellite map of the trail populated by dots - one for each tracked rider -will move along it in real time
• Crew will know location of horse and rider to be ready at checks
• Users can hover over dots to identify riders and click in for specific information
• Friends and family can track the ride remotely and see exactly how riders are doing
• Better information and better safety for a better ride!
 
The map is up and ready to go - check it out here;
http://trackleaders.com/teviscup16f.php
 
SIGN UP NOW!
$40 fee per rider
 
http://trackleaders.com/tevis-signup
 
Additional questions?  
Please contact Jenni Smith at pr@teviscup.org.

Meet a horsewoman with a talent for writing - Ronnie Eden

Recordcourier.com - Full Article

July 10 2016
by Ron Walker

I met Ronnie Eden at a book signing. She’s published a children’s book, which she both wrote and illustrated.

She joins Orllyene and me, in our home, for a glass of iced tea. An attractive blond woman, I’m filled with a high degree of expectancy, at the thought of meeting a real, live published author. When she comes through the front door she says, “Oh, this is so beautiful,” and is very complimentary to Orllyene, who designed our home. We sit down to a glass of iced tea, adorned with a sprig of mint. I salvo my first question. “Ronnie, what’s your passion?” thinking she will reply, “being an author,” or possibly an “artist.” “Horses. Without a doubt, horses are my absolute passion. I’m an endurance-rider. It’s a sport you know. I have an endurance horse (Kip), and I take all the 24 hours they allow you, in the Endurance Ride from Squaw Valley to Auburn. Some of the ‘hot shoes’ do it in 12 hours. Also, I ride 10-15 miles, three times a week,” she says...

Read more here:
http://www.recordcourier.com/news/22850091-113/meet-a-horsewoman-with-a-talent-for-writing#

Women to tackle America’s toughest equine endurance ride

NUJournal.com - Full Article

Route covers 100 miles on Western States Trail

July 10, 2016
By Fritz Busch - Staff Writer , The Journal

FAIRFAX - A rural Fairfax woman who owns a horse stables just north of Fort Ridgely State Park will lead a group of six women including teenagers to compete in America's most grueling equine endurance ride on a 100-mile trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains set for July 23.

Fort Ridgely Equestrian Center owner Sarah Maass, her daughter Dana Gasner, and their friends Grace Steffl, Sleepy Eye; Cassidy Wiethoff, Gibbon; Emma Christopherson, Mitchell, S.D., formerly of Nicollet; and Alexis Unangst of Michigan, will compete in The Tevis Cup.

Maass and her daughter have competed in The Tevis Cup twice and finished once, which is close to the overall average completion rate of about 54 percent...

Read more here:
http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/583478/Women-to--tackle-America-s-toughest-equine-endurance-ride.html?nav=5009

25,000 Miles for Ann Kratochvil

July 5 2016
by Karen Bruhn Balch

Longtime American Endurance Ride Conference rider Ann Kratochvil from Ridgecrest, California, rode into the AERC History books having ridden 25,000 miles - eclipsing the Earth’s circumference at 24,901 miles. Or another way to put it, Ann has ridden 99 miles further than the Earth's reported circumference at 24,901 miles!

Ann’s virtually unimaginable accomplishment was aboard a variety of magnificent, beloved equines including: GF Brazils Envy (10,150 miles), Azh Nadoor Roonie (6,000 miles), Dano aka Red (5,000 miles), Pandoras Pixy (700 miles).

In October 2015 Ann joined the elite AERC “Perfect Ten” as the eighth person to have ridden 10,000 miles on the same horse, GF Brazils Envy, an Arab mare, for 10 years, winning 10 First Place Endurance Rides, and 10 Best Conditions.

The final leg of Ann’s astounding 25,000 mile achievement was accomplished riding Girls Gone Wild aka “Gypsy” at Dennis and Linda Tribby’s five-day Oregon Outback Pioneer Endurance Ride on Tuesday, July 5.


Olin Balch and Karen Bruhn Balch photos

Young rider fights through storm to finish 50-mile race

Morningsun.net - Full Story

Jul. 7, 2016
Pittsburg, Kan.

It was a ride that reminded them of what cowboys must have faced during cattle drives when they had no choice. Southeast Junior High School 8th grader Skylar Zortz, her mentor and their horses finished a 50-mile race this past weekend despite thunder, lightning and flash flooding.

“The last part of it was kind of crazy,” Zortz said when looking back on the ride.

At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday July 2, 12 riders started the 50-mile Owl Hoot Trail Endurance Race held northwest of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Being under 14 years of age, Zortz rides with a mentor — neighbor Wendy Justice.

"I think some of the appeal for endurance riding is that people of all ages can do it," Justice said. "It is an Olympic sport. If you really like to ride you get to spend hours riding and you get to see parts of the country through parks and conservation areas that a lot of people may never see. We get to see up close and in the middle of national forests or red-dirt canyons like out at Kanopolis State Park..."

Read more here:
http://www.morningsun.net/sports/20160707/young-rider-fights-through-storm-to-finish-50-mile-race

The Three Hundred Win Man

July 6 2016
by Merri Melde-Endurance.net

Many of you probably know Christoph Schork as a long-time endurance rider. Or you might know him as a runner or biker or a ski coach or an all-around "outdoors guy." Maybe earlier on you might have known him as a rock climber or mountaineer, kayaker or sailplane flyer.

After this weekend in Colorado at the new Doubloon 50 mile endurance ride, you can refer to him as the Three Hundred Win Man. When he crossed the finish line in first place on Sunday, July 3, 2016, Schork set an AERC record that is unlikely to ever be equaled. Win number 300 put Schork far ahead of the sport's next two winningest riders, Linda Hamrick with 163 wins, and Darolyn Butler with 162 wins.

Riding the 8-year-old mare GE Pistol Annie, Schork tied for first place with Kerry Redente, riding TM Burning Bridges (owned by ride manager Tennessee Lane), in a ride time of 7:06.

"I'm so proud of Christoph and happy he was able to reach 300 wins here," Lane said. "Christoph and Dian are like family to me."

The 300th win was a little spot of brightness during a time of great sadness for Schork and the endurance community at large. Close friend to many, endurance rider Kevin Myers died suddenly 4 days earlier, and he was close in the thoughts of many riders over the weekend.

"Everything is a little dampened by the tragedy that had happened," Schork said, "but it was nice to have something that pulled us out of the doldrums. It felt really uplifting and positive, to reach a goal, a landmark number nobody in the world has reached.

"I know it's just a number, and it's just 1 more than 299, but still, as humans we are all number oriented. I raised the bar, and accomplished my goal, and I felt really happy about it."

Besides the record 300 wins, Schork, 63, originally from Germany and now from Moab, Utah, has amassed an impressive 30,500 AERC endurance miles over his 29-year career, (11th on the all-time mileage list) with 549 completions out of 593 starts - an incredible 92.5% completion rate. He has finished 42 out of 59 100-mile rides (including 5 Tevis Cup finishes), and his horses have won 128 Best Condition awards. Schork also won Australia's 2007 Tom Quilty Gold Cup - the equivalent of USA's Tevis Cup - aboard Arovo Mini Harvest, tying with Anton Reid (who supplied Schork with the horse) aboard Endurowest Kumari.

Schork and Anton Reid tie for first place in Australia's 100-mile Tom Quilty, September 2007

It was Dian Woodward, Schork's life partner and business partner in Global Endurance Training Center, who first noticed GE Pistol Annie at a breeder's farm in eastern Idaho when Annie was 3. "She had a nice disposition, nice conformation, and breeding was nice. Everything seemed to fit, so I went and picked her up," Schork said. "We just took our time training her, conditioning her. Now she is doing very well."

"Very well" means that Annie, a half Arabian (by Sulte) half Quarter horse, currently has a perfect 25 start-25 finish record in 1400 miles over 3 seasons, with 15 wins and 9 Best Condition awards.

Another mare that did very well for Schork is GE Stars Aflame. The 14-year-old mare by Flaming Tigre out of Samoa Star, by Samstar, has a record of 2940 miles over 8 seasons, with 54 completions in 57 starts, 12 Best Condition awards, and an astounding 38 first place finishes - the second most wins of Schork's record.

Along the way, this pair garnered numerous AERC awards, including 2010 War Mare award (the most points accrued by the same mare/rider team during the season), 2011 National Middleweight 100 mile Champions, and 2013 National Middleweight 50 mile Champions. And it was Stars Aflame that Schork was riding when he won his 200th ride (also an AERC record) on September 18, 2010, at the Las Cienegas 100-mile ride.

Schork and GE Stars Aflame win the 50-mile AERC National Championship in a thrilling race-off with Dennis Summers and Hey Soulsister, September 2013

Schork and Woodward got Stars Aflame, aka "Dapple," sight unseen, in a package deal of 6 racehorses from Florida 8 years ago. "We liked her dam and sire. Looking at her, she's a little small, but it doesn't bother her!"

Her nickname "Dapple" came from the fact that Schork didn't immediately know any of the horses' names, and referred to her as "the dapple" in choosing to keep her. "The nickname is totally not applicable anymore. There are no more dapples; she's just flea-bitten. But the name stuck."

Schork's most wins (41) came aboard GE Double Zell. By Brusally Orlen out of Little Sisterzell, by Brusally Orlen, the 2001 chestnut gelding completed all 58 of his starts, covering 3150 miles over 8 seasons (another win came with Carla Lakenbrink in 2013). He completed all 6 of his 100 mile starts, including 4 Tevis Cup finishes (1 with Schork; 3 with other riders).

Double Zell came from Scott Powell's Arabian herd in Salt Lake City. "He had tons of horses and they were all running loose. We went there and looked at some of them, and that guy [Double Zell] just followed us around and stood right next to me as if he belonged to me. Everything else fit, so that's why we got him."

Schork and Double Zell win the Owyhee Fandango 100, May 2010

Schork has also had great success riding a number of horses bred by Robert Bouttier's Drinkers of the Wind Arabians in Bellevue, Idaho. Bouttier was one of the first breeders that Schork met when he first got into endurance riding in 1988.

DWA Sabku +// was the first Drinkers of the Wind Arabians horse Schork rode. By *Sabson out of Saranade, by El Camino Samir, Schork had 13 wins aboard DWA Sabku over six seasons together. The gelding ultimately earned 4370 miles over his 15-season career, with 78 completions in 85 starts, with 11 100-mile completions in 14 starts, and 18 Best Condition awards. Schork leased DWA Sabku to UAE rider Ali Khalfan Abdullah Hamdan Al Jahouri for the 2004 Tevis Cup; the pair finished fifth, though they were on track for a possible win before Al Jahouri went off trail near the finish.

DWA Powerball was another horse that played a large role in Schork's win record.
Schork rode the gelding to 31 wins in 8 seasons (Woodward also rode him to 3 wins). The 1997 gelding by *Sabson out of WMA Lotto, by Cacko, went on to earn 3720 career miles with 72 completions in 75 starts.

Schork and DWA Powerball finish 2nd in the 50-mile Resolution Ride, December 2010

"It is an honor to have Drinkers of the Wind Arabians horses, owned and campaigned by Christoph Schork, contribute to 67 of his 300 wins," Bouttier said.

Riding so many good horses to so many wins, Schork is diplomatic when it comes to choosing his most favorite horse. "You know, to be honest, I get along with just about all of the horses," Schork says. "Do I have really a favorite? Let's put it this way. I have a lot of favorite horses. And what makes them my favorite horses is they work with me, if I want to get off and run, if they tail, if they are eager to compete, if they are high spirited, if they love the sport. That's what makes them my favorite."

It's this relationship with horses that is one reasons why Schork enjoys endurance riding so much, and one of the reasons he's been so successful.

"It's why I like endurance rather then jumping or dressage, because you are with the horse for so many, many, many hours at a stretch. You get to know each other. You can develop that partnership much more in depth as compared to fast, short timed equestrian events."

Schork and GE Starlit Way finish 7th in the 100-mile AERC National Championships, September 2013

Schork also enjoys the basic endurance aspect of the sport. "I always did long distance sports myself. And I like to cover ground. I like to be in the wilderness. I like to be out there where there is nobody, so to speak, and really cover ground. Even as a kid, I liked to cover a lot of ground."

Besides taking from on 1 to 5 horses out on conditioning rides every day that he's not at an endurance event, Schork conditions himself as diligently as he does his horses. "In the summer I do mostly running and mountain and road biking, and I do some swimming. I go to the gym where I do some weights as a cross training to kind of stay balanced muscularly within my body. I always try to do some yoga, as well - a little more in the winter. It's just to stay limber and to stay stretched and balanced out. I think yoga and balance are probably more important than strength and conditioning."

Schork credits long-time and early endurance riders Bob and Arlene Morris, from Idaho, as being his earliest mentors whom he looked up to and learned from. Schork got one of his first endurance horses from the Morrises, Dahn Hallany, and began his AERC career on a winning note (the duo won their very first AERC ride, and overall placed first 4 times and second 6 times). "I was new to endurance," Schork recalls, "and I also didn't know much about what you looked for in an endurance horse. I went strictly by conformation then. And kind of a little bit by how I felt about him - a little instinct."

His instinct and feeling naturally grew into knowledge over the years as his success at winning grew. Factors that Schork considers that helped him achieve such success he can put into 3 succinct points. "First is having the goal - being goal driven. Second is to have a plan. And third is attention to the detail. Always attention to the detail."

Schork and Double Zell finish 12th in the 100-mile Tevis Cup, July 2010

It sounds simple, but there is so much that goes into details of bringing along and successfully racing an endurance horse with the objective - besides winning - of having a sound, healthy horse at the finish.

Schork elaborates, "I'm talking everything, from breeding, selection of the horse, training, conditioning, proper schedules, saddle fit, hoof care, to all these things that make up a successful ride. It's watching the horses, studying the horses, knowing when they can do it, and also understanding and knowing when they cannot do it. It's knowing when something is missing, just really being in tune with the horse, being in touch with it, feeling it, working in partnership with the horse."

Fellow endurance rider and competitor and friend Dennis Summers compliments Schork, "I say this about very few people. As well as being fearless, Christoph is a true horseman. It is not dumb luck that got him 300 wins. He has many tools in his toolbox, from selecting great athletes and preparing them well, to great race strategy. He is a great competitor, a great sportsman, a great friend. My hat is off to him."

As if all the horse riding and personal conditioning didn't keep Schork busy, he still finds time, at Global Endurance in Moab, to train and teach other endurance riders, and to host endurance workshops and hoof clinics. And at multi-day endurance rides, if Woodward isn't along, as if Schork didn't have enough to do with 3 or 4 horses to care for and ride (and possibly a few dogs to keep an eye on), he still has time to help other riders with tack, or advice, or gluing on hoof boots, or giving a clinic. The man never stops moving and working.

Schork giving a hoof clinic at the AERC National Championships, September 2013

Another endurance rider Kevin Waters also compliments his friend, "On the trail Christoph shows up with horses conditioned and ready to go. Tack, boots, feed… all correct. While accumulating all these firsts he has done it uniquely by keeping a string of ten or so horses in race condition (along with partner Dian Woodward.)

"To learn and compete on that many horse personalities to the success he's had is an astronomical achievement of hard work and horse understanding! He's a great person on and off the trail."

Despite his record-breaking achievement, Schork has some fairly modest goals. "I want, of course, to keep on riding, and keep on placing well and doing well. And I would like to win more national awards."

It's a pretty safe bet that the Three Hundred Win Man will accomplish that.

Top photo: Schork and GE Stars Aflame win the 50-mile AERC National Championship in a thrilling race-off with Dennis Summers and Hey Soulsister, September 2013

They ride with him in world’s longest horse race

Kansas.com - Full Article

July 3 2016

Tim Finley to compete in Mongol Derby, an endurance horse race

Iraq veteran riding in honor of vets who have committed suicide

BY MADELINE FOX
mfox@wichitaeagle.com

Stretching 621 miles, the Mongol Derby bills itself as the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

It’s common for riders who enter the 10-day competition to drop out before the finish line.

That doesn’t faze Air Force Capt. Tim Finley.

Finley, 36, has trained for the 2016 derby throughout the past year, working out seven days a week and traveling around the country riding “everyone’s horses under the sun” to prepare for the many different horses he will ride during the derby.

The derby is modeled after the legendary Genghis Khan’s relay postal system and provides riders with semi-wild Mongolian horses switched out every 40 kilometers. It brings about 40 riders each year to the steppes of Mongolia, a country nestled between China to the south and Russia to the north. The 2016 race will be run Aug. 1-14.

For Finley, completing the race is not only a personal goal but part of a larger mission: He’s competing in honor of veterans who commit suicide – 22 on average each day – a cause with which he has personal experience...

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/local/article87506962.html#storylink=cpy

Christoph Schork Earns 300th AERC Endurance Ride Win

July 3 2016

Riding GE Pistol Annie, Christoph Schork, from Moab, Utah won his 300th AERC endurance ride in the new Doubloon ride near La Veta, Colorado on Sunday, July 3. Schork tied for first place with Kerry Redente, riding ride manager Tennessee Lane's T M Burning Bridges. They finished in a ride time of 7:06 for the 50 miles.

Schork, who has ridden more than 30,000 endurance miles over a 29-year endurance career, has an admirable 92.5% completion rate. His 200th win (also an AERC record) came on September 18, 2010, at the Las Cienega 100 mile ride in Arizona.

GE Pistol Annie is an 8-year-old half Arabian, half Quarter horse mare with a perfect record of 23 finishes in 23 starts with 15 wins. She has 1265 miles over 3 seasons, including 3 100-mile completions and 9 Best Condition awards.

Gold Country Endurance Ride Cancelled Due to Trailhead Fire

July 2 2016

The July 9th Gold Country endurance ride near Georgetown, California, has been cancelled due to the active Trailhead fire near Foresthill. Dru Barner Equestrian campground is closed.

The Trailhead fire is currently at 3218 acres and is 12% contained.

See http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4825/
and
http://yubanet.com/Fires/trailhead/
for updates on the fire.

Trailhead Fire near Foresthill grows to over 2000 Acres

July 1 2016

The Trailhead wildfire in Placer County near Foresthill, California, has grown to 2,151 acres with 12% containment as of noon on July 1.

The Trailhead Fire is currently burning on the Western States Trail in the area of Cal 2 and Cal 3, which are approximately 74 to 80 miles into the Tevis trail ride course, between Foresthill and Francisco's Vet Checks. Once the area is deemed safe by Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, Tevis ride management will examine the area for safety and usability.
Should they find the trail to be too damaged for safe passage, ride management is looking at other trail options in that area for the July 23 Tevis Cup ride. There are optional routes at this time, but they will not be able to decide on which course adjustments will be needed until the fire is out. Cal Fire has a projected containment date of July 3rd. They will know more about the potential status of the trail at that time.

Map and more information at:
http://yubanet.com/Fires/trailhead/

and
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4825/

Kevin Myers 1966-2016

The endurance family was devastated by the passing of Kevin Myers of Durango, Colorado on June 29.

The world lost a bright light in this warm, compassionate, clever, generous man. He was a mentor and close friend to many and will be missed by all.

Condolences from around the world are being shared among his friends and family.

A Celebration of Life will take place in Durango on Friday July 8th.

Farewell, dear friend. Happy trails.

Wildfire near Foresthill threatens 400 structures

KCRA.com

Crews battle 300-acre fire outside Todd Valley

By KCRA Staff
UPDATED 12:24 AM PDT Jun 29, 2016

FORESTHILL, Calif. (KCRA) — A 300-acre wildfire near Foresthill in threatening 400 structures in Placer and El Dorado counties, Cal Fire said Tuesday night.

At least 100 homes in Placer County were evacuated Tuesday due to the steep and inaccessible terrain.
"This fire wasn’t immediately threatening the homes," Cal Fire spokesperson Daniel Berlant said. "But, because this community is a one way in, one way out, we want to make sure the residents, especially on the southern end of this subdivision, are evacuated."

Mandatory evacuations are in place for:
-Oakwood Court

-Vinewood Court

-Trail Head Court

-Green Pine Court

Voluntary evacuations are in place for:
-White Tail Court

- Alton Trail

- Gray Court

- Tevis Court

Cal Fire closed Nugget Drive and Oakwood Lane.

More...
http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sierra/fire-crews-battle-wild-land-fire-near-foresthill-auburn/40266598

Do you want to volunteer for Tevis?

Teviscup.org

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Tevis Cup Ride. About 800 people participate each year on Ride Day – more than four per rider!

If you know what you'd like to do, or if you just want to help wherever needed, fill out our Volunteer Signup form. Our Volunteer Coordinator will respond and try to place you appropriately according to the needs of the Ride and to your needs and skills.
Please Note:

As you might imagine, the Ride is a huge effort that relies completely on volunteers. There are Head Volunteers who provide the leadership for each of the many vet checks, as well as other areas of Ride activity. These "HV's" necessarily operate with a good deal of independence, but under the overall guidance and coordination of the Ride Director and the Core Ride Committee. The need for volunteers in some areas may not be known until late in the weeks leading up to Ride Day.

Tevis Ride Director's Message: June 2016

Teviscup.org

4 weeks till Tevis:

Message from the Ride Director Chuck Stalley

We have several new policies for 2016, and I will present them in this Eblast so that you may properly prepare.



IF NOT YOU, WHO? The first policy relates to cleaning up after the riders as they proceed through the ride.  Many riders spend a few days in Auburn at the Gold Country Fairgrounds and then go up to Robie to start the ride. The fairgrounds need to be cleared of trash and manure before you leave.  Many times that is done by the rider and has not been a big issue. The same attention to cleanup needs to be done when leaving the fairgrounds for the last time-- whenever that is.  Tools and dumpsters are provided by the ride for you to use.  It is the responsibility of the rider to leave a clean stall when finished.  If you delegate that chore to a crew person, please double check that it has been done. Fees and fines assessed against Tevis are becoming a significant item in the ride budget. We want to avoid increasing costs wherever we can; avoiding the payment of fines is an easy way to do that.


Our thirty-six mile vet check at Robinson Flat is a pristine high-mountain camp ground 364 days of the year.  WSTF is required by our USFS contract to remove all hay and debris from the grounds before we leave the area. We are requiring riders to leave the area clean by placing all manure and leftover hay in the bins provided. Vet Check management will be there to remind crews to take an extra few minutes sanitizing their crew area of debris and will expect cooperation. Volunteers are vital to the success of this event and have many responsibilities. Asking them to clean up after 180 horses and their support crews should not be one of them. This is how we lose these vital people from year to year. If you haul it in; haul it out. 

At Robie Equestrian Park, the protocol is to pick up or spread hay and manure. We understand that riders may station crews in advance of the ride, ie, you are at Robie Equestrian Park, but your crew members meet you for the first time at Robinson Flat or Foresthill. You must make sure your crew knows what is expected at each vet check even if those people cannot be at the preride briefing at Robie Park. Again, it is the rider's responsibility to inform their crews of the policies of the ride at each stop.

It is also a ride policy that riders and crew shall not save spaces ahead of time at Robie Equestrian Park or Foresthill.  Parking and crewing locations are strictly first come, first served. One of the reasons for this is that it is unfair for locals to have the advantage of setting up in advance. The Robie Foundation Board feels so strongly about this that they have written possible significant fines into our agreement to use the park. As a result, Tevis management has no room for negotiation on these issues with nonconforming riders.

Drop your vehicle on Thursday after 10 am at Foresthill Mill Site or Fridaybut do not set up your pop up shades until you arrive to crew at the site. 

If you need to leave you vehicle in Auburn in the Sacramento Street parking lot, you need to leave it at the far South end of the lot. Doing so allows the public to use the North end of the lot as they need to come and go more often.  Just a reminder that no horses are allowed in the Sacramento Street lot. Please unload them on the dirt through the participant's gate at the South end of the lot.



Now to shift gears somewhat. The blood draw at Robinson Flat will be only for research purposes this year. It is a blind study; you will get your results after the ride. This will allow the research veterinarians to continue their study and will only take a couple of minutes to draw your horse's blood, while waiting in line to see the control judge at Robinson Flat.



Pen Seeding System


The Pen 1 and Pen 2 seeding system will be used again this year. The selections for pen one are made a few weeks before the ride based on the horse's ride record. The horse's record is the basis for the seeding-- not the horse and rider's record.  If you think your horse might qualify for Pen 1, please apply by the deadline. In most years, horses need to average a 20 to 25% placing to be allowed to start in Pen 1.  It is very challenging to meet the mathematical requirements to qualify.



Occasionally a rider will stop to help an injured rider or horse during the ride. This might cause the rider to fall behind the cutoff time at the next few stops. The ride committee is implementing a procedure that would allow the rider to make a request from a Head Volunteer or Cup Committee member for an allowance to exceed the cut off times at the next stop(s).  The HV or Cup Committee member needs to radio in to Net Control with details of the request. The Ride Director and the Head of the Cup Committee are the only people authorized to grant the request.



The Cup Committee member or HV who initiated the request will flag and sign the rider's card with the approval of a time extension.



The 5:15 AM finishing time will not be extended under any foreseeable circumstances. This year the cutoff time at Chicken Hawk/Piper Junction has been eliminated entirely.



This information is vital to the success of your Tevis experience as well as management's need to fulfill many agreements and restrictions communicated to us in our permits and contracts to conduct the event. We will continue to publish this information in multiple settings to be sure everyone gets the word. Please read your rider epacket, the rule book, the EBlasts, the Forum and the website for ways to share information with your support crews-the unsung heroes of your ride.



The Tevis ride is a rugged, historical adventure conducted in a 21 st century world. We look forward to seeing your earn your buckle and wish you all the best in your remaining weeks of training.
 
Happy Trails!
Chuck Stalley
Ride Director

For entry forms, and more information on the 2016 Tevis Cup, see
http://teviscup.org/

2016 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Endurance Championships Cancelled

USEFNetwork.com

RELEASE: June 9, 2016
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: NAJYRC

Parker, Co. - The Organizing Committee of the 2016 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) has announced that due to insufficient international entries, the Individual and Team Endurance Championships will not be held this year.

Following the close of the Entry in Principle, the FEI requirement of at least two National Federations represented with teams was not met in order to run the endurance division as a Continental Championship. After exploring options available to host a different level of FEI competition, endurance will not be held due to lack of interest.

The NAJYRC will be held July 26-31 at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Co.

For more information on the event, please visit youngriders.org.

Backup plans help Tiki navigate wildfires

DCourier.com - Full Article

By Sue Tone
June 20, 2016

Wildfires in northern Arizona kept Tiki, an Arabian horse, and her rider, Carol Fontana, from the Arizona Trail near Flagstaff and Pine. While flames never put them in danger, the heavy smoke was unhealthy for humans and horses, said John Hughes, Fontana’s husband. They elected to leapfrog the area, hit the Arizona-Utah border and work back south to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

“The road and trail closures made the decision to leave very simple. We always have backup plans,” Hughes said. “As Tiki is fond of saying, ‘It is essential to have a plan. It is more essential to be ready to change your plan.’”

The three wildfires are not supposed to pose any particular challenges, he added. If all goes according to the new plan, Tiki, Carol, and the newcomer, Dude, will finish all but the Grand Canyon before month’s end.

Dude joined the crew after Bella, the mule, returned to her friends in Utah. Dude, 14, is a professional endurance horse that has completed 100-mile courses. Dude and Tiki alternate days along the Arizona Trail. Hughes said Dude and Tiki evidently are soul mates...

Read more here:
http://www.dcourier.com/news/2016/jun/20/backup-plans-help-tiki-navigate-wildfires/

75-year-old taking on 100-mile endurance ride

Redding.com - Full Article

By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight

For the past 50 years Jesse Caswell has dreamed of completing The Tevis Cup endurance ride.

The race tests the stamina of horses and riders who attempt the 100 miles of steep, rugged mountainous terrain from Lake Tahoe to Auburn. Each year, nearly 200 competitors attempt the grueling course, but only about half of them finish.

In 2012 Caswell nearly completed the course, but he had to drop out because his horse could no longer go on. But this year may be Caswell's best chance at conquering the course, one of the oldest and most prestigious endurance rides.

The 75-year-old Redding man has a new horse and he and his horse appear to be in top shape, friends and supporters say.

"Jesse is one to watch, and he will do better than people expect," said Chuck Stalley, Tevis Cup race director. "He takes to it like a duck to water..."

Read more here:
http://www.redding.com/news/local/75-year-old-taking-on-100-mile-endurance-ride-3553d44d-7c51-3cf0-e053-0100007f3c14--383572181.html

Marsha Hayes' Profile of Rusty Toth Wins Top Prize at the AHP Conference

June 20 2016

"All the World's His Stage," a profile of endurance rider Rusty Toth which appeared in Chronicle of the Horse Untacked magazine, won top prize in the annual American Horse Publications contest over the weekend in Florida. Freelance writer Marsha Hayes spent time with Toth last year, exploring the role that art plays in equine competition. Her article touches on the spiritual connection found between human and horse.

Toth is a retired ballet dancer and avid endurance rider. He won the Tevis Cup in 2013, and the Haggin Cup in 2012.

The article placed first out of 18 entries in its category. Judges commented, "This article approaches the very high quality that has been a hallmark of National Magazine Award-winning profiles in Sports Illustrated magazine."

Congratulations Marsha!

Canada: Memorial endurance ride set for this weekend

Devondispatch.ca - Full Article

June 16 2016
Alex Boates
devondispatch.news@sunmedia.ca

A special endurance ride will be taking place locally this weekend, in honour of a husband and father who loved the sport.

Ron Janzen passed away from cancer in 2008. The following year saw the inaugural Ron Janzen Memorial Ride, an endurance ride that has taken place every year since and will continue the tradition this Saturday.

“Ron and I years ago, we used to put rides on here all the time,” explained Christy Janzen, Ron’s wife. “When Ron died in 2008, the next year some friends wanted to put a ride on in his honour.”

Janzen said the ride is one of the largest in the province, not surprising when one considers Ron’s standing in the community of endurance riders.

“He was very well-known in the endurance world,” Janzen commented. After his passing, Equine Canada introduced an award in his honour. The Ron Janzen Memorial Award recognizes a person who displays the same goals, vision and ethics as Ron did...

Read more here:
http://www.devondispatch.ca/2016/06/16/memorial-endurance-ride-set-for-this-weekend

Jack Evers Elected to Green River High School 2016 Hall of Fame Class

Sweetwaternow.com - Full Article

June 10, 2016

GREEN RIVER – Green River continues to celebrate past successes and accomplishments as they recently announced the 2016 Green River Hall-of-Fame Class.

The class includes a three-time state championship cross county team, a former BYU National Invitational Tournament basketball champion and a RMFAC Football champion. This year’s banquet will take place Sept. 10 at the Green River High School.

“I speak for the entire HOF Selection Committee when I say that it is an honor to take part in this process,” Green River Athletic Director Tony Beardsley said.

Jack Evers:

• Graduated High School in Green River in – 1956
• Student Council President and Member of the Horseback Search & Rescue while in High School
• Received a Football Scholarship to attend and play at Colorado School of Mines
• Member of Colorado School of Mines RMFAC Football Championship and Hall-of-Fame Team (1958)
• Also competed in Boxing, Wrestling, and Rodeo in College
• Engineer for Atlantic Company, later ARCO, in both Texas and Oklahoma
• Petroleum Engineer for Mountain Fuel Supply Company in Rock Springs, Wyoming
• Professor and Department Head of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Wyoming
• Endurance Horse Racing – At age 72, earned his 3rd Completion in the Western States 100 (the Tevis Cup), considered the toughest 100-mile horse race in the world by Outside Magazine… other races in this list include the Tour de France
• Currently: Rancher outside of Laramie, Wyoming

June's Endurance Day on Horses in the Morning with Karen Chaton

Horsesinthemorning.com - Listen

Horses in the Morning for 06-14-2016 by the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) – Old Dominion, Nevada Discovery Ride, We’re All Nuts

On today's AERC Endurance Episode Karen catches us up on her latest riding adventures, Claire Godwin, DVM covers the historic Old Dominion Endurance Rides, Inc. and Samantha Szesciorka tells us about the Nevada Discovery Ride with her Mustang. Listen in...

http://www.horsesinthemorning.com/06-14-2016-by-the-aerc-old-dominion-nevada-discovery-ride-were-all-nuts/

Mandolynn Hill Farm to Host Arabian Racing Forum

An Arabian Racing Forum will be held at Mandolynn Hill Farm in Pilot Point, Texas, on June 21st at 6 PM.

Hosted by Evie Tubbs Sweeney and Claudia Spears, attendees will get a complete overview of the sport of Arabian racing: "the horses, the thrill, the purse money, the lifestyle, and the incredible opportunity emerging worldwide."

Mandolynn Hill is one of the top Arabian racing farms and stallion stations in the United States. Numerous Mandolynn Hill-bred Arabians have also gone on to great success on the endurance trails.

For more information, contact Evie at evie@EvieInc.net

In which AERC has made a mistake, and voices are needed

Haikufarm Blog - Full Article

by Aarene Storms
June 9 2016

All y'all, I saw a notice on Facebook this morning that shocked me:

Dennis Summers was handed a 1-year suspension for "unsportsmanlike conduct" by
the AERC Protest and Grievance Committee.

What?

I mean, WHAT???!!!

I'm not going to pretend to be neutral and unbiased. I know too many fine things about the Summers to be impartial, and I feel much too strongly to remain silent.

In fact, I am going to post my entire open letter to the AERC Board (it's down below).

This is a timely issue, with only 30 days for an appeal to be submitted, so rather than wait for the next issue of Endurance News to be mailed, I will post the entire text of the findings of the Protest and Grievance committee on this blog in the next few days. Please stay tuned...

Read more here:
http://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2016/06/in-which-aerc-has-made-mistake-and.html?spref=fb

Ride and Tie World Championships 2016 Coming to California

Mary Tiscornia (riding Nero) and Sean Pont winning the 2015 World Championship Ride & Tie near Klamath Falls, OR. Mary has competed in all 45 Championship events and is 70 years young. Photo: Brian Dorsey
Adventuresportsjournal.com - Full Article

The coolest sport you’ve never heard of
By Luke Yates

Ride and tie may just be the coolest sport you’ve never heard of, and you can get involved right here in California.

This year, the Ride and Tie World Championships will be held at the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in Southern California, on July 2.
The sport is a mix of endurance horse riding and trail running. Teams comprise two runners and a horse, and races are complete when all three team members cross the finish line.

“You need to be a fairly good rider. This is definitely not riding around an arena. This is out in the wild.” says Ben Volk, media secretary for the Ride and Tie Association.

The human athletes alternate running and riding the horse, switching every few miles. At the start, the horse pulls ahead of the runner. After a while, the rider ties the horse to a tree and sets off running. Eventually, the second runner catches up and gets on the horse. They ride until they overtake their teammate and go ahead. The runners and riders repeat this sequence, leapfrogging each other to the finish...

Read more here:
http://adventuresportsjournal.com/ride-and-tie-world-championships-2016-coming-to-california/

Canada: Endurance rider searches for good Samaritan

Kelownacapnews.com - Full Article

Jun 4, 2016

After competing in an endurance riding event in Utah this spring, Elroy Karius and his horse, Jolly Holiday, were on their way home when the unexpected happened.

While travelling northbound on Highway 97 near West Kelowna, Jolly Holiday, inside the horse trailer, became entangled with a sliding metal latch and was in danger of being fatally injured.

Karius stopped the truck and tried to free his horse but, on his own with no assistance, the prospects didn't look good.

That's when a stranger stopped to lend a lifesaving hand to Karius and Jolly Holiday...

Read more here:
http://www.kelownacapnews.com/sports/381709771.html

It Started With a Parade, and a Girl’s Endurance Riding Dreams Have Come True

May 31, 2016
by Riley McHenry

I fell in love with horses when I was 7. I went to a three-day horse camp over Labor Day weekend near our home in Carson City, Nevada, and I was hooked. I learned to ride (on an English saddle), tack, and muck out stalls. Kim Chappell, the trainer, was a wonderful teacher. I’m dyslexic and get my lefts and rights mixed up so she would use different terms like “inside ring” and “outside ring” to help me understand the direction.

That was the beginning of my obsession about horses. Now I love anything “horsey” including movies, books, and my model collection.

As usual, in June of 2015 my family went to the Carson Valley Days Parade, and we talked to the AERC parade group. They were at the parade as part of their training for the 2016 Rose Parade. I got really excited and wanted to join the riders. My dad had lots of questions about endurance riding, and after the parade called the American Endurance Ride Conference office and asked if they knew of a sponsor for a 10-year old girl. They gave him the name of Karen Chaton from Gardnerville, Nevada.
I began going on rides with Karen on her horse Pro Bono D, a 19-year old Arabian gelding that has been an endurance horse for 10 years. Bo is a great horse with so much power and spirit. I have learned many things from Karen. She taught me that the horse always comes first.

When we do an endurance ride, I must first make sure Bo is fed and well hydrated before I feed myself. She also taught me how to put on hoof boots and do a proper vet check with Bo. The vet check is a big deal. I have to be able to communicate with the vet on Bo’s condition at the beginning, middle, and end of each ride.  
    
My first ride was 30 miles at the Red Rock Rumble in October. And of course it had to rain; it never rains in Nevada. We had trouble in one small section following the ribbons so we got off trail but soon got back on. This is when Karen gave me the job of being co-navigator. Now it was my job to always look for the ribbons and to make sure we didn’t miss them, or miss any turns.
Karen felt I was ready for a 50-mile ride in the High Desert Ride. There was a storm of all storms, windy and raining. We rode through two Nevada state parks, Lake Lahontan and Fort Churchill, and through a forest of golden cottonwoods along a dry riverbed.

My next 50 was Gold Rush Shuffle. The night before the ride, on our way there, my dad and I got lost, and since he does not have a cell phone, we were wandering around in the outskirts of Auburn in the dark. Finally, after hours of looking, we found the camp. The next day, it was freezing at the start, but it warmed up throughout the day and it was a very pretty ride.

At the Twenty Mule Team ride in Ridgecrest, California, it was very hot, and I made a mistake and didn’t eat enough or stay hydrated so I was exhausted after the ride. A big snake rattled at Karen’s horse Chief, but he let Bo and me walk right by without any problem. It scared Karen and me more than the horses.

Rides of March was my next 50 mile ride. That ride was a different story. I had learned my lesson and drank and ate plenty. We saw the strangest thing in the middle of the desert—a rusted old submarine.

At the Nevada Derby in early April, I rode Bo on Sunday. There were a lot of hills. I had to dismount to walk Bo down the steep, rocky hills. We rode to Duck Hill and then to Carson City. At the vet check, I got a compliment from the vet who said I had a good “trot-out” which made me happy with myself.

In addition to our endurance rides, I helped to get Bo ready for the Rose Parade in January. We rode in two parades: the Nevada Day Parade (I was dressed up in Arabian garb) and the Veterans’ Day Parade in Virginia City. We also practiced for many weeks in the large arenas at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, with the rest of our parade group.

My family has been very supportive of my new sport. They drive me to my rides, stay at camp during the long days while I’m on the trail, and cheer me on. They are very proud of me. I have ridden 250 miles in less than a year and I am fifth in the point standings for the juniors. My next goal is to complete a 100-mile ride.

I have had some exciting adventures riding Bo. I love endurance riding, and I hope to continue to ride with Karen for many more rides.
 
More information on endurance riding is available by visiting www.aerc.org or by calling the AERC office at 866-271-2372. By request, the office will send out a free copy of the 16-page Discover Endurance Riding booklet to prospective members.


Contact: Troy Smith
American Endurance Ride Conference
www.aerc.org
endurancenews@aerc.org
866-271-2372, 530-823-2260

Discover a New Sport for You and Your Horse

May 31 2016
 
The time spent with your horse is precious. For those who compete in equestrian sports, those few minutes in the ring may not satisfy your craving to spend more hours in the saddle. If you’ve been longing to hit the trails and really ride, it’s time to discover endurance riding.
 
With introductory, fun rides of 10-15 miles, and then the competitive distances of 25-35 miles (limited distance) or 50-100 miles (endurance distance), there is no doubt this sport will bring you and your horse closer in partnership.
 
The nonprofit American Endurance Ride Conference, now in its 43rd year, welcomes riders of all ages and equines of all breeds. Most people with a reasonably conditioned horse or mule will be able to complete a 25-mile ride within the allowed six-hour time frame. “And they’ll have a fun time, discovering great trails and meeting other endurance riders and their horses,” said AERC Executive Director Kathleen Henkel.
 
AERC rules require that a prize be given to each finisher — it can be anything from a photo taken during the ride to a T-shirt or certificate or handcrafted item. Often there are prizes for winners in varying weight divisions and for the horse deemed best condition in each competition of 25 or more miles.
 
Sound intriguing? AERC has reissued their 16-page Discover Endurance Riding booklet, which is available free upon request at 866-271-2372 or www.aerc.org/AERC_InfoRequest.
 
Just a few of the AERC rides across the U.S. and Canada this summer include:
 
Shamrock Pioneer – run on the historic trails of southeastern Wyoming, where Native Americans, pioneers and outlaws once roamed the West. This picturesque and challenging ride has a 30-mile and 55-mile option each day, July 1-3.
 
Bandit Springs – Held in the Ochoco National Forest in Oregon on July 9 and 10, this ride offers distances ranging from 25-75 miles.
 
Vermont 100 – One of only a few rides where equestrians share the trails with ultrarunners, this long-time ride is held in West Windsor on July 16. Besides the 100-mile ride, there are 50- and 75-mile options.
 
Pine Tree – This Maine ride has five days of riding, with distances of 25-55 miles,August 9-13. Trails run along and across the Saco River, near Fryeburg.
 
And, of course, the ride that started it all and remains THE ride that draws more people to the sport of endurance riding than any other: The Tevis Cup (real name: Western States Trail Ride 100). Begun on a dare in 1955, the riders and horses traverse the Sierra from Squaw Valley to Auburn in a true test of horsemanship and stamina.
 
Taking the first step towards entering the Tevis—or a 25 mile LD ride—is the easy part. AERC has extensive educational materials (including its own YouTube channel) and a mentoring program that can match up new riders to experienced veterans of the sport.
 
And the rider’s partner? While Arabians and part-Arabians are numerous, the sport is seeing a rise in the number of gaited horses, Paso Finos, and other breeds. All equine breeds are welcome, and it’s typical to see Mustangs, Appaloosas, Quarter Horses and even Icelandic ponies at AERC rides.
 
All competitions are run by a ride manager and overseen by veterinarians, known as control judges, who check over the equine athletes before, during and after the ride to be sure each one is “fit to continue” as they make their way along the course.
 
Hundreds of endurance rides are held annually around the U.S. and Canada, with everything from small, low-key rides to ultra-competitive races. The nation’s top riders are gearing up for the national championship ride to be held September 8 and 10 in Utah’s Antelope Island State Park.
 
The organization’s national office tracks miles and points for all members and their horses, and confers annual awards in both regional and national competitions, including a family award and an award given to the rider 65 or older who completes the most miles each year.
 
AERC’s monthly publication, Endurance News, includes an extensive ride calendar and awards standings each month as well as education articles and features.
 
New members can join AERC at www.aerc.org/NewMbrReg or by phoning the AERC office, located in “the endurance capital of the world” — Auburn, California—at 866-271-2371.

Contact: Troy Smith
American Endurance Ride Conference
www.aerc.org
endurancenews@aerc.org
866-271-2372, 530-823-2260

Know Your Neighbor: Mary, Mary, proves to be extraordinary

Gazettetimes.com - Full Article

STEFANIE NOONAN For the Philomath Express
June 1 2016

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, this article is not. Meet Mary, Mary, extraordinary, your neighbor, Mary Kautz.

It’s fun to discover how people land in Philomath. Truth is most of us mispronounced the name of our town the first time we came over the hill into city limits. For that matter, who dares voice texting the word, Philomath? My Bluetooth freaks if I so much as mention the word. Which I’ve learned to outsmart by simply saying, “Where home is,” instead of “Philomath” when texting.

Mary’s not so unlike yourself. She didn’t set out for Philomath and yet it has tattooed itself upon her heart. She’s here for good having recently purchased her forever home right here in, you know — where home is.

Mary graduated high school in Ohio and began like most 18-year-olds exploring the world where mom and dad are not. She headed west to Idaho, accepting a working student position in a horse training and breeding facility. The following summer she moved to California taking a similar position.

Fast forward to Mary meeting Scott, who planned to attend Oregon State. The NW began its tug on Mary when they came to check out the area.

“I really enjoyed the West. I just decided that I belong in the West, I don’t belong in Ohio. There are no mountains in Ohio,” said Mary.

After renting in Philomath for two months Mary just knew…

“I knew I’d like to stay around here. I fell in love with the area. I liked the recreational opportunities, the public hiking and horseback riding areas like Bald Hill, and McDonald and Starker forests. They’re both so friendly to recreational users. Where I come from, there’s nothing like that.”

Mary also likes the culture here.

“The culture here is hard to describe,” she said. “Maybe it’s in part because Corvallis is a college town, but there are lots of free events here. I went to the master gardener seminar and a health fair a couple weeks ago. I really enjoyed that.”

But ask Mary what she enjoys above all else and she will answer…

“HORSES!” She will say with a beautiful grin as her large brown eyes sparkle.

Mary eats, sleeps and breathes horses. As a child, Mary had a collection of “My Little Ponies.” By age 8, she became obsessed with the real thing. She wondered if she might have a career as a professional athlete, or a riding athlete, but Mary decided that being a jockey wasn’t for her.

She worked with professional horse trainers who taught her about basic training and breeding. She learned how to handle stallions and foals and organize events. Soon she was introduced to one of the great highlights of her life — endurance riding...

Read more here:
http://www.gazettetimes.com/philomathexpress/opinion/know-your-neighbor-mary-mary-proves-to-be-extraordinary/article_959d959e-63e0-5b3a-ac40-6892abc05e56.html

Belesemo Arabians: Beautiful and Enduring

by Merri Melde-Endurance.net

Call it a fluke, or divine intervention, but the chestnut yearling that 15-year-old Kim Frerichs Johnson picked for his beauty in 1973 at Idaho's War Eagle Arabians was destined to become the foundation sire for a successful line of purebred Arabians and the dream of a lifetime. Her parents presented her with this colt, Belesemo Trad, as a surprise for her 16th birthday.

I met with Kim at her Belesemo Arabians ranch, in Caldwell, Idaho, on a May afternoon. Lulls in activity are rare during and after foaling season, but she took a break from her non-stop work to talk with me.


"Trad was never picked because of his outstanding conformation, because of his outstanding pedigree, or any of that," she told me. "It was a total fluke. It was not something that was planned. Actually, I don't call it a fluke. It was a blessing."

"Belesemo Trad was simply a fantasy, larger than life," Kim wrote about the flashy chestnut in 1985. "He was the culmination of all my dreams after reading stories such as King of the Wind and the Island Stallion. He was perfection personified."

"Belesemo" is Italian for "beautiful," and Belesemo Trad (Las Trad X Alla Mem, by Alla Kas) was certainly that, with his 4 perfect stockings and perfect blaze. Kim and Trad had a successful show career in high school and college back in the late '70s and early '80s when the class A show ring was huge. "He was very, very versatile," Kim said. "He won 5 different divisions, and neither one of us knew what we were doing. We had no professional training. We just watched all the videos and went to all the clinics we could. He was the true all-around Arabian."

Trad was left a stallion, simply because Kim and her parents never gelded him. "There wasn't a person in the horse industry who didn't tell my folks he should be gelded, because I was a young girl with a stallion. And I totally understand why they all thought that. It was just kind of assumed he would be gelded, because he was supposed to be my show horse in the future. But we never got around to it."

He was not an easy horse to handle. "He was a very tough horse from the aspect of he had a mind of his own. He wasn't mean; there wasn't a mean bone in his body. But he was tough, which I think is the reason it stood him in good stead in his offspring, their toughness on the trail later."


After Belesemo Trad started winning in the show ring, people became interested in breeding to him, even though Kim and her family had no place to stand him at stud. He was 9 when his first foals hit the ground. Endurance riding was nowhere on Kim's radar at the time, but those genes for natural endurance talent would still find their way to the surface in many of his offspring.

One of Trad's first foals was out of his full sister, Krija Beden. "That's not even something I could consider now! But she was one of the only purebred mares I could find at the time," Kim said.

The resulting filly from this cross, Belesema Flirtasia, became an outstanding endurance horse. Ridden her first 2 full seasons by Bob and Arlene Morris, she was then bought by Dean and MJ Jackson, of Idaho. Dean took Belesema Flirtasia on to over 4100 AERC miles, and several national titles including National AERC Mileage Champion, and National AERC Best Condition Champion, in addition to numerous Regional awards.

Belesema Flirtasia was the first horse of Trad's that did well, but by the time she started showing her best stuff, she was 9 and 10 years old, which made Belesemo Trad 19 and 20 before he started getting discovered as an endurance sire.

"Trad came to that late in life, simply because breeding for endurance was not something people did at that time, unless you were Rushcreek, or HCC [Hyannis Cattle Company]. We didn't really know anything about endurance until his offspring started doing really well."


A number of endurance horses sired by Belesemo Trad during his late demand as an endurance stallion garnered impressive records and awards throughout their careers.

Belesemo Tradition (out of Velvet Dawn), owned by Dean and MJ Jackson, earned over 5300 AERC miles, and titles of National AERC Mileage Champion, National AERC Husband/Wife Team Champion, 18 Best Condition awards, and an 8th place Tevis Cup finish. Belesemo Bolero has over 3500 miles. Belizair, Belesemo Legacy, and Kismet Flashdance have crossed the 2000 mile mark; and a number of offspring have reached over 1000 AERC miles.

Belesemo Trad also sired numerous successful offspring in the show ring, with Belesemo Epic+++/ topping the list, receiving many National Sport Horse awards, and going on to become a successful sire himself.

Tragically, Kim's foundation stallion died in 1997. "When I lost Trad, that was extremely tough," she said. "I lost him the day before he turned 25, and I lost him before I got any mares bred to him that spring. So I had the last foal crop coming from him, and that was all that drug me back out to the barn, because I just couldn't go out there and see his stall empty."

Belesemo Magic (by Belesemo Trad out of Zimara, by Gazi) stood at stud at the ranch beside his sire until his death in 2014 at the age of 33. Despite standing in the shadow of his sire for many years, Belesemo Magic also became a successful sire of sport horses and endurance horses, with several AERC National Champions to his credit. "Magic represented the best of the Belesemo Arabians breeding program. He added the quiet, gentle spirit that Belesemo Arabians have become known for from his wonderful line-bred Abu Farwa dam, Zimara."

Kim still has 2 of Belesemo Trad's sons standing at her ranch, carrying on his legacy. Belesmo Image is 25. He's out of Farweyna, one of 5 Abu Farwa granddaughters that Dirk and Kim obtained in the early 1980's to breed to Trad. "Nobody wanted the mares anymore because they were over 20 years old. Belesemo Image is the last foal out of those old foundation mares." Image carries old line CMK/Davenport pedigree that features close-up breeding. His foals inherit his size and substance and are finding success on the endurance trails and in the show ring.


The other son of Belesemo Trad standing at the ranch is 19-year-old Belesemo Ibn Trad (out of Velvet Dawn). He's a full brother to Belesemo Tradition, mentioned above. Ibn Trad's offspring are on the way to success on the endurance trails and in the show ring, but, Kim said, "at 19, he is really just now getting a chance to produce some bigger foal crops.

"It takes SO LONG," Kim said. "People don't understand, when you're trying to prove a stallion in endurance, they're only 5 when they start competing, and they may not get good till they're 10. And most stallions are not bred when they're out running on the trail, because you don't know how good they are. So usually they don't even get a chance to start siring endurance horses till their mid-teens. And by that time it takes another 5 to 6 years before their offspring are doing well, so consequently these horses are 20-some years old before they become established endurance sires.

"Breeding is a waiting game. It's a lifetime commitment, and unless you have a passion for it, you don't get into it."

Kim currently stands two other stallions at Belesemo Arabians.

BR Gold Sovereign (*Seffer x PR Silvern Dream), a winning National Sport Horse, is an almost 100% pure Crabbet Arabian stallion from Sojourn Arabians in Pulaski, Tennessee. The 15.1 hand stallion provides a great outcross for the continuation of the performance and sport horse halter blood lines sought by Belesemo Arabians. He is also a Breeders Sweepstakes Nominated Stallion.

Belesemo Obsidian (RD Arizon x Velvet Dawn) is a Class A Reserve Grand Champion Futurity Stallion and the Idaho Breeder's Champion Futurity Stallion at halter. He is a paternal sibling to National Champion endurance stallion BA Fantizon, and out of the same dam as AERC National Champion Belesemo Tradition, making him both a maternal and paternal sibling to AERC champions. He has already sired halter, pleasure driving, and trail winners.

Belesemo Arabians produces a few select foals from proven matings every year, and the ranch primarily deals in selling young stock.

Kim points out that the Arabian breeding industry is going through a metamorphosis. "When I was getting into this in the 1980s we were breeding 35,000 purebred Arabians a year. Every decade that is halved. In 1990 it went to 17,500. In 2000 it went to 8500. In 2010 it went to 4500. But now, 2015, it was just over 3000 in the whole United States."


If one can assume two-thirds of those 3000 Arabians were bred for the show ring and likely don't have the bone or feet or mind or conformation for work, that probably eliminates a good number for the endurance trails. And with several major breeding programs now gone (Hyannis Cattle Company, Rushcreek, Suzie Creek Arabians), and the recent deaths of major players in the breeding industry (Al Marah's Bazy Tankersly, Varian Arabian's Sheila Varian, Om El Arab International's Sigi Constanti), the numbers of purebred Arabians available with long-established, proven bloodlines diminishes. Belesemo Arabians strives to continue Belesemo Trad's validated lines.

It keeps Kim busy, with around 50 head of horses at all times on the ranch. "You just can't leave. Horses are horses. Invariably they colic, they get upside down cast, they get out - it's just the nature of the beast."

Kim could not run the ranch, weather the storms, and enjoy the successes without her husband Dirk. "By nature he is not a horse lover. He's a farmer. He just doesn't have that empathy with the horse type thing that all the rest of us do. He just does it for me.

"He has been my literal absolute mainstay. He takes care of all the facilities, he irrigates all the pastures, he catches all the gophers, he changes all the hands lines, he hauls all the hay. He's given wings to my dream as far as it being a breeding program.

"I could only do so much of that on my own. I can't do the breeding program, I can't take care of the horses, I can't handle the horses, I can't foal the mares, I can't breed the mares, I can't daily handle the babies. I can't do all that - a full time job - and take care of the place. So I'm very sensitive to his ability to keep me going all the time as well. It's a pretty big undertaking.

"The day he says 'I'm done,' then I'm done."


But they'll still be around for the foreseeable future, breeding and raising excellent purebred Arabian endurance and sport horses, continuing the lines of her foundation stallion beautiful Belesemo Trad.

"Trad was something that we didn't set out and search for a foundation stallion for a breeding program. But it was obviously the Lord's plan. Just because of the unique individual he was, he became very dominant as a sire of that type of horse.

"I have been so blessed, and there have been so many neat people that I've met in the sport that ride our horses. We've made some life-long friends through it."

For more information on Belesemo Arabians, see:
http://belesemo.com/

Application Extended for AERC Ann Ayala Junior Scholarship

aerc.org

May 23 2016

AERC Juniors and Young Riders in good standing from their high school senior year through age 21 (must be younger than 22 as of 1/1/2016) are invited to apply for the 2016 Anne Ayala Junior Scholarship. The deadline has been extended to June 1.

Applicants must have a minimum of 500 AERC lifetime miles and an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0. Applications will be reviewed by the AERC Hall of Fame Committee.

One scholarship of $1000 will be awarded, and the recipient will be announced at the AERC Annual Convention in 2017

Get your applications in by June 1!

Application is here:
https://aerc.org/Static/Temp/2016Scholarship.pdf

Support Juniors at NAJRYC

NAJYRC Fundraising

With your support, AERC young riders will compete at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships this July at the Colorado Horse Park. Please consider making a donation. Check out the YoungRiders.org Flyer.

The Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) is the premier equestrian competition in North American for junior and young riders, age 14-21. Young equestrians vie for team and individual medals in the 3 Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage, venting, the Para-Olympic discipline of para-dressage and the FEI Equestrian Games disciplines of reining and endurance.

New AERC Decade Team - Karen Bumgarner & Z Summer Thunder

Karenshorsetales Blog - Full Story

May 19 2016
by Karen Bumgarner

The Owyhee River Challenge endurance ride marked Thunder's and my tenth year of completing AERC rides. Thunder is my second AERC decade horse. Zapped+/ was my first.

Back when Karen Chaton interviewed us about Zap and our Decade award, a question asked was "In choosing my next horse what would I look for?" I replied that I already had him. Thunder was two yrs old then, I'd owned his mother, Rushcreek Hollie, and his sire, Z Mufaurwa. He was born with that attitude that you knew would make him a good tough horse...

Read more here:
http://karenshorsetales.blogspot.com/2016/05/new-aerc-decade-team.html

Volunteer at the 2016 Tevis!

Teviscup.org

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Tevis Cup Ride. About 800 people participate each year on Ride Day – more than four per rider! The Ride is a huge effort that relies completely on volunteers. There are Head Volunteers who provide the leadership for each of the many vet checks, as well as other areas of Ride activity. These "HV's" necessarily operate with a good deal of independence, but under the overall guidance and coordination of the Ride Director and the Core Ride Committee. The need for volunteers in some areas may not be known until late in the weeks leading up to Ride Day.

There are many jobs available for the 800 volunteers who help out each year, everything from mixing mash and holding horses, to directing vehicles or helping the vets. This event would not happen each year without AWESOME volunteers like you! 

Sign up at
http://www.teviscup.org/how-to-help/volunteering-for-tevis

2016 Tevis Sweep Riders Sign Up

Would you like to be a sweep rider for Tevis? 
Did you know that you have to qualify? 

Go to the website for Sweep Riders of the Sierra at http://www.sweepriders.org . They are always in need of good riders on good horses and it is a good way to see different sections of the Western States Trail, on the day of the ride! There is helpful information on their website and calendar dates are listed for meetings, training, and qualifying. 

Applications Available for 2016 USEF Youth Sportsman's Award

USEFNetwork.com - Full Article

RELEASE: May 11, 2016
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department

Lexington, Ky. - The search is underway for 2016 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Sportsman's Award nominees. The award recognizes young equestrians who exhibit exceptional leadership potential, serve as positive role models for peers, demonstrate an ongoing commitment and dedication to the promotion of equestrian sport, exhibit substantial community involvement, and exemplify positive sportsmanship principles.

The overall winner of the 2016 USEF Youth Sportsman's Award will receive a $1,000 grant payable to the educational program of his/her choice and a commemorative trophy. The winner will also be nominated for the USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year Award. The reserve winner will receive a $500 grant payable to the educational program of choice.

Applications are available online at usef.org or through any USEF Recognized National Affiliate Association or International Discipline Association. Required materials should be submitted directly to the applicant's respective USEF Recognized National Affiliate Association or International Discipline Association and received by the respective office on or before September 1, 2016. Each USEF Recognized Affiliate may select a National Winner, who will be considered for the overall award.

To be considered for the 2016 USEF Youth Sportsman's Award, applicants must:

· Have a current membership in good standing with the USEF
· Have a current membership in good standing with a USEF Recognized Association or International Discipline Association
· Be 17 years of age or under, as of December 1, 2015
· Demonstrate an ongoing commitment and dedication to the promotion of equestrian sport
· Serve as a positive role model for peers
· Participate at any level of competition, including local, regional, or national events
· Exemplify community invovlement
· Exhibit characteristics that exemplify positive sportsmanship principles

For more information regarding the USEF Youth Sportsman's Award, please contact Natalie Norwood, Director, National Breed/Discipline Affiliates, via email at nnorwood@usef.org or call (859) 225-6951.

May's Endurance Day on Horses in the Morning with Karen Chaton

Horsesinthemorning.com - Listen in

May 10 1026

On today's AERC Endurance Episode Endurance Episode Karen's hair raising road trip prompts a discussion about cameras with Distance Depot's Kristen, Mike from Redmond Equine talks about bentonite clay, Dr. Mero updates us on the AERC's drug policy and horse heroes Devan Horn and Justin Nelzen tell us about anew ride in Africa. Listen in...

Listen here:
http://www.horsesinthemorning.com/hitm-for-05-10-2016-by-the-aerc-slickest-mud-ever-happy-feet-aerc-drug-testing-update-new-adventure-in-africa/

Best of the Best 100 Competition

BEST OF THE BEST 100.

A new AERC ride has just been sanctioned for 2019. You must have 5 - 100 mile rides SAME HORSE AND RIDER. One of those must be a top ten finish/completion. 2 of the completions may be Pioneer rides with all days completed, but may not count as the top ten completion. Lifetime records will count!

Our hope is that it will move around the country and will be held every 2-3 years. This will save from volunteer burnout and hope to get riders excited about setting goals and meeting them.

The US fielded the best teams when the old Race Of Champions was held, and it is our belief that it was because there were more 100 mile riders out there to choose from. We want to see that happen again.

The first Best of the Best 100 will be held in Ridgecrest, California on October 12 by ride manager Cindy Simcox. For more information contact Cindy at quadequine@wyoming.com or Becky Hackworth at bechack@yahoo.com.

2016 AERC Specialized Saddles Rookie Award

All new AERC members are invited to apply for the first-ever Specialized Saddles Rookie Award -- for riders who have not entered any AERC rides of 25 miles or more before 12/1/15. Great prizes for the top 3 in both LD and endurance divisions.

Sign up by May 31, 2016 to be eligible for this High Mileage Award for Rookie AERC members. The award is based on one rider and one or two equines. Equines must be a minimum of 6 years old at the start of the first sanctioned ride. In the event of a tie, the higher number of completions will break the tie. Second tie-breaker will be the higher number of longer ride completions (55 miles and up). Riders with a completion rate of less than 80% at the end of the season will be ineligible for the Rookie Award.

For more information and to register, see
https://aerc.org/Static/RookieAward.pdf

Western States Trail to be Captured by "Street-View" Imagery

Trailrunner.com - Full Article

The American Trail Running Association is partnering with the Google Maps team to capture 360 degree panoramic “street-view” imagery of the entire Western States Trail using the Street View Trekker backpack.

Our expedition will take place the week before the 2016 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run on June 25. Led by our Director of Online Marketing, Richard Bolt, and supported by several prominent ATRA corporate members, the expedition will be documented by iRunFar and experienced trail running race photographer Mike Hermsmeyer. iRunFar will be publishing exclusive stories about the Western States Trail as a companion to the Street View images.

Once the street-view imagery has been processed, it will be embedded into this webpage as well as onto selected sponsor websites. Stay tuned for a Go-LIVE announcement online & from our booth at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah, August 3-6.

Follow us on social media feeds & subscribe to our Trail News blog to get updates from the team as they traverse 100 miles of rugged Sierra Nevada mountain trails from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California.

See more at:
http://trailrunner.com/western-states-trekker/#.VxZ6im2m0p8.facebook

Greear takes long, long racing route Story

BHPioneer.com - Full Article

April 21, 2016 11:30 am
By Jason Gross Black Hills Pioneer

SPEARFISH — “Horse racing” conjures up images of a flat, oval track where the sprinting action ends in about 2 minutes. Spearfish physician Kerry Greear specializes in 25- to 250-mile horse races across all types of terrain; times are measured in hours, and the pace is considerably slower.

Greear sought a challenge in 2003 because she was going to turn 50, and her youngest child was set to graduate from high school two years later.

While in Steamboat Springs, Colo., she saw a book called “The Tevis Cup.” One of the photos in this book about a 100-mile horse race featured a horse-bound woman going practically straight up a rock.

This intrigued Greear, who read the entire book. “This is what I’m going to challenge myself to do,” she recalled.

Greear entered her first event in June 2004 in Montana. She placed eighth in the 50-mile ride...

Read more here:
http://www.bhpioneer.com/local_sports/article_71b0fae6-07d5-11e6-92a5-f3f37bb2e8e4.html

The 2016 Houston Flood Story - Darolyn Butler

April 19 2016 FLOOD STORY

Endurance Friends & Family,  (written by Russell Betts as told to him on the phone)

As many of you have heard there was a catastrophic flood in the Houston area. After 42 years of living on Cypress Creek, one feels you sort of know it. The weather had predicted 4 to possibly 9 inches per day, possibly for 3 days. Darolyn always watches the weather carefully as our rainy weather hampers the daily trail ride business. She was aware that Monday and Tuesday could be wet She knows when to initially prepare, tying lawn furniture down, picking up loose buckets, water troughs, etc. Get all vehicles off property and up on higher frontage road. Next get halters on horses, next move horses to high South side of the property. If the water keeps coming up, they even know when they have about 30 min. to get the last vehicle out, before the low spot in the road prevents going out. 45 Trillion gallons of water fell from the sky that nite. Almost all of it 10, to 40 miles west of us on the Cypress Creek Watershed. We only had 10 inches here, which we could normally handle, but couple that with the 15-17 inches back west, and the Flood gates being conservatively open on downstream rivers…. What happened is the fastest rising flood water that Harris County has ever experienced. Thus the 8 human deaths and probably more when all the water goes down. They are still boating in to CT after 4 days. Below is a fairly succinct outline of April 18.

Cypress Trails does have plans for the evacuation of horses. In 2015 there were 2 evacuations which took place, which in the end were not required after all. Evac is discussed with staff on a regular basis.
Mon 18th April.

12 am to 2am -  Darolyn had been regularly checking the internet flood gauges and rainfall sites from midnight onwards. Up until 2am everything was still ok with the levels the river was at about 55'. 12 ft. Over normal.

3am - 4" of rain fell here, the river incredibly rose to about 62' at this point, I had to make a quick decision if I was going to move horses or vehicles. I chose horses
3:30 AM The horses were moved out of the Arena Paddock to stalls in the House/Barn, & North pasture closest to the creek, to House/Barn (higher ground). Horses had just been through this terrific storm, and skittish. So Darolyn saddled up and rode into N. pasture to collect the horses. They followed her into the barn like lambs, but when they were being collected with halters, the horses spooked and broke out of the barn.  Running into the flood water on the south side, the strong current scattered the herd. Several horses ran into the Arena, got tangled in the cable fencing as the current pushed them into it.

Realize we had walked easily around this arena about 20 min. before catching the horses that lived there. Now it was a struggle to walk in it.  These are some of the horses later seen on the TV.  Darolyn and an employee, Hoku, swam to the Arena to rescue horses, but they were only just able to swim there. Hoku, sitting on a fence, held the horse, Amber's head above water until the water got a foot higher and she was able to disentangle herself from the fencing she had gotten in. She is fine.  Neither of us could buck the current to get back to the Barn/House. They had on T-shirts and gym shorts… 2.5 hours sitting in cold flood water that, as it grew higher was trying to tug our cloths off. Talk about DijaVu. This was almost exactly the same place Darolyn was back in 2001 when she swam in to save a couple of horses left at the house when they were at the TETRA convention.

5 am – to the west, upon the Cypress Creek watershed, 13 to 17"s had fallen.   Another 4"s fell , the river now at 65' (nearly 2' above the river bank). My house which is on pilings, was ok, but water was rising in the stalls and tack rooms. The law enforcement arrived with rescue boats, their priority was to rescue people and not horses. Darolyn and Hoku were rescued from the Arena about 8 am, where they had been stuck after swimming there 2.5 hours earlier. The TV pictures of horses stuck in the floods now came from around this time. No horses were tied to any fences or poles but some horses were entangled in cable fences now underwater.  (All but one got out.) There was no barbwire as stated in some account.

7 AM  There were no horses in the single story barn which can be seen with just its roof above the water in the news coverage. All these horses had evacuated themselves early on.  Confusion on this occurred because there is what is call a "barn" under Darolyn's house,

11am -  the river now 6' above its banks, volunteers now start to help rescue horses from the south pastures (which was the high ground) of the flooded Cypress Trails.  Justin Nelzen, Devan Horn, Mark Jensen and many others contributed to heroic rescues throughout the day as they snagged horses out of the currents and got them to safety. Still a fairly large herd on the edge of the South pasture. Fairly restless, and testing the current they moved around quite a bit.

2: PM  Kelly, Matt, and Cody in chest deep water, and Darolyn in a boat, pushed the horses to the west off the property, where Corrie Patrick, Tracy Taylor, and Krista Mohn picked up the 20 plus horses and pushed them through nearby woods to the neighbors. Unfortunately a groupe of 6 or 7 horses broke away from being almost contained at the neighbors ranch and returned to the farm.  When they reached their home trails and made their way to the house/barn, two split off for the evacuation area on the frontage road and were caught, two headed toward the barn, and two ended up getting swept into the creek.  Almost to safety, Jolly Roger, one of the barn direction horses failed to go in the barn and, he too, was swept in the creek when he got too near the edge. Devan Horn ended up seeing him caught in bank brush and went in the creek and guided him to safety.  The other two are two of the missing ones. Btw air boats are barely strong enough to negotiate the worst current. The motor boast had to stay well clear of the current between the arena and the house.

4 PM  Later in the day the final 12-14 horses in the house/barn were swum to safety with the aid of a power boat and rider for guiding.  All horses were guided to the South pasture edge where the water was shallow enough for them to walk, and then to the access road and a waiting trailer.

 The massive amounts of rain in the west water shed (12"-17") contributed to the rapid rise in the river level, as well as water released from the Conroe dam prior to this event, There have only been 2 horses lost to flooding at Cypress Trails back in 2001, 15 yrs ago.   No horses were tied up and left in the flood water to drown.  This reporting was probably due to the sight of horses tangled in fencing and unable to move.

 As of posting there is 1 27 yr old mare that is known to have died, having got trapped in the cable fencing, and 4 other horses are currently being actively searched for.  The remainder of the horses were moved to evacuation pastures near the George Bush Airport on Tuesday, and onto friend’s ranches after a brief respite at my neighbor’s ranch.

The dramatic videos of horses lurching in the water was them hitting fence lines that an observer could not see.  Brave people were bucking law enforcement to make these rescues.  Darolyn was threatened with arrest at least 20 times for any participation in the water. Everything would have gone much smoother, and quicker if the sheriffs had just backed off a bit.

6 PM Apr 18 The river level is still at about 5’ above the banks and access to the ranch house is by boat only.  AND there are two ponies on the upper deck of Darolyn's house being fed regularly, along with 5 dogs of Darolyn’s and 3 of friends.

All horses are in safe and comfortable facilities.  Any horses requiring doctoring or meds are either at the vets, or in a facility next door to the vet for observation. One horse was hospitalized due to a pastern puncture.

April 20 5 AM  The creek went back up another foot and hopefully this will be the end to the crest as at this time, we had only lost one small employee car, and one old farm truck, But no… at around 1 PM the Creek went up to 70 feet, and all the vehicles and 5 trailers drown including the L.Q.

Darolyn wishes to thank everyone for all their help and support, if you watch any of the videos you will understand why. There was a huge crowd of friends and strangers.

 Russell Betts for  Cypress Trails.

Btw... Will avoid another long story here, but there are really nasty people that are spreading incredible lies and exaggerations... Like “Darolyn was eating doughnuts while her horses drown”, in actuality, she had one as she came off the boat from being rescued from the 2.5 hour sit in the water. That was her meal for the day. They are launching a petition to take her down, based on many falsehoods of the day. If you care too, read the nice stuff on her FB… oh but wait, the “Haters” have even commandeered the FB. They have created 3-4 other FBs in my Cypress Trails name and are plastering the negative stuff. So not even sure you can get up on the right one. Hopefully you have as much information as you need. Call or e me other questions if you like. Thanks in advance for your support, and thanks to everyone that helped on the rescue operation.

Darolyn Butler

More Than 100 Horses Rescued from Houston Floods

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Pat Raia
Apr 20, 2016

More than 100 horses were rescued from rising water and another five remain missing after flash floods swept through Harris County Texas.

On April 18, heavy rain began falling causing flash flooding in Harris County, including in Houston. The following day, another 12 inches of rain fell causing evacuations throughout the area. In all 20 inches of rain fell leaving five people dead and 101 horses in need of rescue, including 75 endurance horses from the Cypress Trails Equestrian Center in Humble.

Owner Darolyn Butler said the animals were located around the farm when flooding began. Before long a nearby creek rose 30-feet, she said.

“I actually have a two-page flood plan, but we thought we were going to be okay, so I didn't evacuate the horses,” Butler said. “But the water rose so fast we didn't have time to get the horses out.”

Butler said some of the horses located in the barn beneath her home were standing in belly-deep water when the waters rose. A barn located elsewhere on the same property was empty, but horses caught outdoors when the flooding began had to be rescued by Butler's friends, students, and employees after they became tangled in cable fencing around the arena. Others were swept into the river nearby or into the flooded woods...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/37451/more-than-100-horses-rescued-from-houston-floods