From Hip Tag to Tevis Buckle: Rescue Horse Completes Our Sport's Iconic Event

Just two years after I took my friend Barb’s advice to adopt a scared, starved Arabian gelding with no name from a Pennsylvania rescue, that little horse (renamed "Gryphon" after the mythological half lion/half eagle) has repaid me countless times over. We just completed what is perhaps the world’s most rugged 100-mile endurance competition in the experience of a lifetime!

Officially called the Western States Trail Ride but popularly known as Tevis, this grueling test of horse and rider fitness across the historic trails in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is held on varying dates each summer to coincide with a full moon that helps riders more safely cover trail after darkness falls. This year's event was Aug. 9, a bit later than usual but that may have contributed to daytime high temperatures staying below 100 degrees, a rare occurrence for this ride.

My partner in this adventure was Lisa Green, whose mare Amana had just completed the Old Dominion 100-Mile Endurance Ride in our home state of Virginia. Like many of our East Coast endurance friends, Tevis was on our "bucket list," but it wasn't until late June that we realized our chance would come much sooner than expected, THIS summer!

It's not easy to balance my full-time job with this demanding sport, since both involve a lot of travel. But Lisa's neighbor happens to be John Crandell, a world-famous horseman who has been on the U.S. Endurance team several times and won Tevis twice. John is also a top-notch farrier who was willing to take time away from home to help us make this happen. (For those who may be wondering, his accomplished horse Heraldic, who has a Reactor Panel saddle named for him, is perfectly sound, but John is taking a break from competing at top levels.)

Lisa and I fit in as many long, mountainous training rides as we could on Old Dominion trails near Star Tannery before John left Virginia on July 22 with both horses and his dirtbike, using my F350 truck and Lisa's 3-horse Sundowner to haul nearly 3,000 miles west along the 1-80 corridor.

Lisa flew out on July 26 and John picked her up in Reno before continuing on to the ranch near Auburn, CA where his friends, the Gerhards, had agreed to keep our horses. The horses would get nearly two weeks to recover and also pre-ride the last section of Tevis trail.

In late July, after shoeing both Amana and Gryphon with protective leather pads, John joined Lisa, Andrew, and the Gerhard's client Sophie from Austria on a 10-mile training ride out and back from the finish area at McCann stadium in nearby Auburn. This video shows John working to set Gryphon's head and my little horse certainly benefited from his training during that time.

As a precaution, Lisa had bloodwork done on both horses the week before Tevis. Gryphon's showed high levels of CK and AZT, meaning he'd experienced a mild tie-up (metabolic issue involving the processing of muscle metabolites) on the long trailer ride out. Lisa, who was carefully managing the horses' feedings, added Vitamin E/Selenium and Vitamin B supplements to Gryphon's diet. A second blood test done five days later showed he'd recovered to acceptable levels. Hurray!

Back at home, I'd been running a few miles every morning before work, doing my best to get in shape. After taking photos at one of our member co-op's annual meetings on the evening of Aug 7, I flew out west early the next morning. I was careful to drink as much water as I could during each of the three legs of that journey to offset the triple-whammy of flying, traveling to high altitude and also a much-needed massage the day before.

My brother Peter and his wife Patty picked me up in Reno at noon in their old Toyota Dolphin RV, aka  "Flipper," and we reached Robie Park, located near Lake Tahoe, just after 2 pm. The last six miles was on a steep and winding dirt road up the mountain as we listened to my Tevis theme song, "Estimated Prophet" by the Grateful Dead. With rigs tucked around basecamp's many trees, Robie didn't seem crowded despite nearly 200 horses being entered in the ride.

After introducing everyone (including John's son Yancey and Andrew Gerhardt's friends and family) to each other, Lisa and I walked our horses to the pre-ride veterinary inspection. While jogging Gryphon to warm him up, I first noticed the effect of the 9,000 feet of altitude - simply could not get my breath and could only manage about 30 yards at a time. Then John and I saddled up to pre-ride the first several miles of that end of the trail. By the time we returned, I was getting tired and opted to skip the ride meeting and dinner, instead chowing down some hot lentil soup and a tuna sandwich before tucking myself under Patty's down comforter around 8 pm California time.

Since my normal wake up time in Virginia is 5:30 am, I didn't need an alarm to be up by 3 am giving both horses their pre-ride meal, then dressing in my cool-weather Tevis clothes (long sleeved shirt) and eating a protein-filled breakfast.

Gryphon had the quivers as Peter and John helped me tack in the dark.  Lisa & Amana were eligible to join the 60 fastest horses that had pre-qualified for Pen 1, and the other three horses in our group had also left for the starting area by the time I was ready to mount up, which added to his anxiety.

We couldn't locate my running martingale, but John reassured me that  if Gryphon started bucking or acting up, I could always do a one-rein stop. I focused my breathing to relax as John clipped a leadline and helpfully led my horse to the back of the starting area. I could see faint outlines of the other horses around me. Magically, Gryphon remained calm even when a nearby horse started acting up. We continued walked slowly forward, reaching the starting line just a few minutes after the official start time, and were off! If there was ever a time I came face to face with what "courage" feels like, that morning was IT.

The next three hours were a blur - I tucked in behind big bay mare ridden by a distinguished looking older man whom I later found out was Danny Grant from British Columbia, on his way to earning a 10th Tevis buckle. His experience showed as he slowly but surely began passing slower riders. By the time we reached the Highway 89 crossing at full light, I could tell we'd even passed some of the Pen 1 riders, but didn't realize Lisa was one of them until after I'd arrived at the first three checkpoints just ahead of her.

The trail through Squaw Valley and long, steep grade into the Granite Chief Wilderness gave me a good idea of the gorgeous views that lay ahead. The  single-track trail was very technical and when the line of horses abruptly stopped on a rocky climb interspersed with muddy "bogs," Gryphon ended up on a slippery rock and slid sideways, knocking me off. I was able to quickly remount, and he drank twice on this section, taking his first pee of the day coming into the Hodgson's Cabin checkpoint at 8 am.

Around 9 am and leading a group of three other riders, I saw a 'cowboy' (no helmet and big western saddle on his horse) blocking the trail to Cougar Rock, so decided not to tackle it and took the  much faster go-around instead, with everyone following me. Lisa and our friend Gene from Vermont both had sure-footed, hill-climbing horses to tackle that landmark and have the iconic photos to show for it. Maybe next time!

Gryphon took a few minutes longer than usual to pulse in at Red Star, but we still passed a lot of horses and riders that were having difficulty meeting the 60 heart rate criteria. I enjoyed sharing this part of the trail with Vicki Roden, another "flatlander" from east Texas, as we chatted about the AERC National Championship she was helping host in October.

Coming into Robinson Flat (our first of two hour-long holds) slightly ahead of schedule at 10:29 am, I was delighted when Gryphon vetted through in great shape and also passed the required bloodwork check. My friend Laura Horst had driven over from Cool to crew for me and greeted us with a baggie of carrots & apples that Gryphon devoured on the way to vets, plus a big bowl of soaked mash that he downed afterwards. Meanwhile, I opened Laura's cooler to find all kinds of goodies - gobbled quiche Lorraine, a hard boiled egg, potato chips, fresh plums from the tree in her back yard and some weird but yummy protein drink before turning my attention to packing my saddlebags for the demanding trail ahead. I changed into a short-sleeved quick-dry shirt and swapped my riding boots for sneakers, adding a fanny pack I planned to load with food for Gryphon before we entered the canyons.

The next section was among the fastest of that day. A group of about five of us, including AERC board member Tom Bache, swept through the site of the old gold rush town, "Dusty Corners," descending to about 4,000 feet altitude. Lisa caught up and passed our group just before we reached Pucker Point, with that area looking a bit dark and crispy following last year's devastating fire. I knew Gryphon couldn't keep up with Amana when we got to the canyons, but we hung out together for 10 minutes at Last Chance, making the volunteers laugh when Lisa asked if she had accidentally squirted chocolate almond butter all over her face and I licked it off to help clean her up!

The first canyon went on forever, even though most of the downhill and all of the uphill was in the shade. I steadily fed Gryphon carrot pieces and used up most of my fanny back's contents by the time we finally reached the blessedly cold creek at the bottom. I soaked my shirt before remounting for the long climb, managing to keep up with two French riders on gorgeously turned out horses with red and white ribbons intricately braided into their tales.

Resupplying at Deadwood while Gryphon ate a pan of mash, I was able to go a bit faster on the second canyon, which was not as steep but took even longer to cover.

I only took a few minutes at the next aid station, trotting into Michigan Bluff just before 5 pm, where Peter and Patty surprised me with carrots and lots of help! 

A third canyon prefaced our second hour-long hold at Foresthill, where we arrived at  6:30pm. Even though Gryphon had covered nearly 70 miles, he was fresh enough to be agitated by the commotion at this site, which had many spectators from the nearby town. He even reared slightly when a loudspeaker went off as the poor volunteer was trying to check his pulse. Laura sang "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" to quiet him down. After a much-needed shower and cup of spaghetti O's, I talked with Lisa's mom Susan and Becky Supinger, one of my first endurance pals, before heading out into the fast-approaching darkness.

The 10 blocks of Foresthill were lined with cheering locals as a small group of us trotted by. Will never forget the last yard filled with partying folks calling out good wishes - I felt like a celbrity! The trail now took us through the edge of hills that lined the South Fork of the American River, which glittered like silver below as the golden moon rose brightly to our left. Never have I so enjoyed riding at night - no headlamp or glowsticks needed.

For the first part of this 17 mile section, I rode with Lori Stewart, who'd loaned her horse to my friend Amanda Taylor the previous year. We caught up to a dejected Andrew Gerhard, whose horse had lost a shoe. Lori fortunately had the right size Easy Boot to loan him. Gryphon must have sensed he was getting closer to the end, because he picked up speed, leaving Lori and Andrew behind and we enjoyed several miles alone in the dark before catching back up to Ann Hall, Christoph Schork and several others.

Just before 11 pm, I glimpsed the bright lights of Francisco's twinkling in the distance. It's well trained posse of volunteers did a fantastic job feeding both me and Gryphon to tackle the final 14 miles. Can't say enough good things about those patient, pink shirted follks, whose expertise seemed to increase as we got further into the ride. Gryphon even got a courtesy massage of his hard-working hind end.

When we crossed the American River just after midnight, I had to lift my feet high to keep from getting soaked. After that, the trail was fairly flat and we picked up speed.
Our group had swelled to seven riders whose positions changed frequently, and I tried to stay ahead of a rider whose two glowsticks tied to the BACK of her saddle were making me dizzy. I'm relieved that despite some icky moments in the canyons when I downed some beef jerky to settle my stomach, I never felt sick enough to throw up, always a risk on a demanding 100-mile ride!

None other than 30-time Tevis finisher Barbara White cautioned me not to take to much time at Lower Quarry, which was near the river and quite chilly. We crossed No Hands Bridge together, and recognizing trail he'd been on just the week before, Gryphon enthusiastically covered the last 4 miles, finishing in 33rd place at 2:24 am, the last in a group of 4 horses.

Laura was blessedly there to greet me (I was starting to get overwhelmed by the miracle of finishing that was about to happen) and patiently led me down an asphalt road, across railroad tracks and into McCann Stadium, which was blazing with light. She helped me untack and cover him with a much-needed warm blanket. Laura's personal vet, Larry Goss, happened to be the one who did Gryphon's completion exam and he was so kind during the whole process, gaving my little guy a thumbs up. We did it!!!

Patty heated me some chicken noodle soup, Peter gave me a much-needed back massage and Gryphon munched hay while  we all waited out the rest of the hour before the mandatory second post-ride check. Gryphon continued to be doing just fine.

Lisa and Amana waited with us - they'd completed about a half-hour earlier in 23rd place at 1:58 am. I also learned our friend Gene Limlaw from Vermont and his mare Gracie  had come in 11th - WOW! Libby from New York sadly got pulled for lameness at the first check, and Cat Carter from Maryland rider optioned at the 80 mile mark, but hurray for we five East Coasters!

With Peter and Patty following in Flipper, it was around 4 am when Laura hauled Gryphon to her place down the road in Cool, turning him out into the miracle of a small grass-filled pasture! We later learned that of the record 109 horses who completed (the weather was about 10 degrees cooler than most years), 40 came in during the last hour before the 5:15 am cutoff. I'm so grateful Laura was able to provide a quiet place for Gryphon to rest after his tremendous effort rather than overnighting him in the crowded, hectic atmosphere of McCann Stadium.

The next morning was glorious. I woke up around 9 am and immediately ran outside to take off Gryphon's blanket and make sure he was OK. My wonderful little horse was looking bright-eyed and content! We all took our time getting ready to go back to McCann for the 2 pm awards and ate a leisurely lunch at a Mexican Restaurant before heading to the 2-hour long program. What a memorable experience, especially when the Top Ten horses paraded by, and the Tevis and Haggin cup winners each enjoyed oats out of their silver-plated trophies!

I'm filled with the desire to return as crew next year and help other East Coasters have the great experience I did. I also want to contribute in some way to helping this incredible event stay viable for future generations. There's nothing more reflective of our great nation and Americans' ability to prevail despite formidable obstacles than this historic and amazing trail and all those who work to keep this heritage event running smoothly!

Visiting our Neighbors to the North

After having competed in FEI-sanctioned endurance events since 2000, I've been concerned by the limited number of licensed officials to continue being able to hold these events in the U.S., particularly the role of Technical Delegate (TD). My friend Susan Kasemeyer has "aged out" and can no longer serve as a TD because she's over 70 years old, so after last fall's Sand Hills Stampede, I decided to pursue the convoluted 8-year process of becoming a TD so Southeast ride managers don't have to bear the expense of flying in our nation's few remaining endurance TDs from Vermont, Montana or somewhere else when I'm just $100-$150 bucks in fuel down the road.

USEF doesn't hold the required licensed officials class very often, and this year's single offering was the same weekend as a big conference for my job, so when I heard that Canadian's FEI organization was going to host a class in Ontario in late June in conjunction with the Stormont CEI rides, I immediately followed up. Will spare readers the details of how many emails were involved for USEF to eventually approve my taking this class, and will only briefly mention the work involved to get all our required paperwork to cross the border, but after weeks of preparation, my husband Shan and I, our Collie mix Ginger and my horses Shiloh and Siena all piled into our rig and headed north early on a Wednesday morning, crossing the St. Lawrence River into Canada via Ogdensburg, New York around 7 p.m.

Knowing we would pay high international rates to have cell service or access to GPS navigation, I'd carefully printed maps and detailed directions from that point to basecamp, which was less than 40 miles away. But I keyed in "McMillian Rd" instead of "MacMillan Rd" and we ended up about 8 miles from our proper destination. Fortunately, Shan spied a Canadian smoking a cigarette in his driveway and we were able to figure out my mistake and make it to basecamp at MacMillan Garage with enough light left in the sky to set up camp and cook a quick dinner before bed.

Early the next morning (Thursday June 28), I hitched a ride to the nearby town of Finch with ride manager Colette Hutton and settled in for a full day of licensed official training with four-star FEI veteran Ruth Carlson. There were only 5 of us and I was the only American, but the class was very intense and Ruth minced no words in exhorting us to speak up about any FEI rule violations we saw, taking photos and videos if possible to back up what we saw and being brave enough to file a formal statement even if no other licensed officials were willing to speak up. Instances of horses being trained and ridden too hard and artificial methods being used to lower horses heart rates and make them appear sound was becoming an ever-increasing black eye for FEI-level endurance, and we all deeply considered the difference a new generation of officials had the potential to make. The class resumed Friday morning and wrapped up with a 90 question open-book exam that was surprisingly difficult, as we found out when Ruth reviewed the correct answers. Even if you know the rule that applied, you still had to read some of the questions carefully.

Back at camp, it was time to vet in and set up the crewing area, as horses would not be allowed to return to their trailers in the crewing area. Siena was acting more mareish than usual and the vets ALL watched her trot a second time so that the sashay in her trot would be noted and I'd be less likely to have to represent for gait if they saw that's how she normally moves. Detailed trail maps were handed out at the ride meeting and I slept soundly, waking easily in plenty of time to prepare for the 120 km event's 6:30 a.m. start (since it started getting light around 4:30 each morning). Only three senior rides were entered, and Krista Alderdice and I set off together since Valerie waited 15 minutes for the 6:45 a.m. start time of her junior, Nayar from Veracruz. Despite having a trail map, we got confused near the very end of the first loop and lost about 10 minutes going down various trails to look for the right color ribbon, so all four of us ended up coming in together - probably from the wrong direction but ride management didn't object since the mileage was met. Siena vetted through perfectly at that vet check and the next two. I so enjoyed meeting Roxy Bell, a longtime endurance vet from the West Coast who'd  even worked the Tevis ride. She gave Siena a big thumbs up both times she examined her, which made me very proud and happy.

Leaving out on the fourth (next to last) loop, I was dismayed to learn that Krista's horse had been pulled for a minor lameness, but was able to catch up to Valerie and Nayar, who was hoping to earn a "Certificate of Capability" (COC) for maintaining an overall pace of 14 kilometers per hour. Valerie led, while Nayar and I made sure we stayed on trail - he had eagle eyes for catching missed trail markings, while I checked the trail maps. Despite keeping a near-constant hand gallop on that loop, we all returned to the hold and vetted through with only about 50 minutes before the COC window expired. I decided to take it easy and ride the last loop alone while Valerie and Nayar gave it their best shot. Siena finished about 40 minutes after them, and had great vet scores at the end. We even showed for Best Condition!

 

 

The following morning, Ruth and Colette let me serve as a member of the ground jury (part of the required apprenticeship to move up through the FEI official star system). It was hotter than the day I'd ridden, and the ride volunteers and officials stayed out of the sun as much as possible while not helping examine horses. Around 4 p.m., I drove Shan to the Ottawa airport so he could fly home in time for work the next morning. That evening, with all the horses safely through and none needing treatment, a holiday atmosphere prevailed, with two of the tack vendors playing music and everyone staying up late drinking and talking until the wee hours. Shan had done most of the packing, so after catching a few hours sleep, I just had to strap my metal corral panels to the side of the trailer, load the horses after feeding them breakfast, and hit the road with Ginger on the back seat. The border crossing back into the U.S. went smoothly, and I completely enjoyed the 300 mile drive through the northern edge of New York (so close to Quebec that nearly every radio station played French music), then through the green hills of Vermont and New Hampshire to the Fryeburg, Maine Fairgrounds on the Saco River. Arriving by 1 p.m., I discovered that my rig would fit just outside the horses' stalls and enjoyed a leisurely nap and getting to know my other camping neighbors who were there for the Pine Tree Ride (5 days if you had the horses and/or stamina!) before Art King (who had also come from Ontario!) arrived around 7 p.m. to vet everyone in.

Heather Hoyns from Vermont and I started with Garnet Gallant, who was in the LD and split off from us about 5 miles into the ride. We though we were following the correct ribbons, along with three other riders, but as we approached the Humpback Bridge, I recalled hearing during the ride meeting that this trail wasn't going to be used until later in the week. Fortunately, I had cell service and ride manager Tom Hutchinson answered my call, explained how far we needed to backtrack and meeting us there - where a missing pie plate with a key arrow had been installed. Poor Shiloh and me didn't make it back to camp until nearly 10 a.m. after well over 3 hours on trail, but being the old trooper that he is, despite being all alone in last place, we enjoyed ourselves on the two remaining loops, both of which included pulling off his saddle and letting him enjoy the cool waters of the Saco River.

That afternoon, Sarah Buckley's mom Stephanie asked me to sponsor her daughter on their Welsh Cob mare for the following day's 50 mile. Because of the heat and flies, the start time was moved up to 5:30 a.m. and from the very first miles, that little mare led the way like nothing I'd ever seen! At the last hold, Art said that Siena was trotting out sound and Bryna Stevenson, who had just become the youngest rider to ever win the Old Dominion 100, came over and offered to help massage the sore area (which turned out to be more in her neck than her shoulder). I was ready to pull Shiloh back out on trail as an unentered horse if need be, but Art allowed Siena to continue and I stayed on as Sarah's sponsor. She won and Bryna again helped rub Siena to make sure we earned a completion. PHEW!

Time to return...after a rainy, wonderful ride dinner and awards, I loaded the horses around 1:30 am and began the 17 hour drive south, stopping in PA to drop off Shiloh and pick up Gryphon, then meeting John Crandell near Boyce just after a big thunderstorm came through to hand off Gryphon again, and then finally reaching New Kent around 6:30, with enough energy to do much of the unloading of gear before crashing into bed. A wonderful, successful experience! And many new friends and memories!

A different sort of Biltmore

Gryphon sticking out his tongue while passing a field of canola 

Now in its 25th year, the Biltmore Challenge in Asheville, NC is one of the nation's largest endurance rides and a major ride on the FEI calendar as well. Even endurance rigs enter the thousand-acre estate through a magnificent gatehouse and the 3-mile drive to the Biltmore Equestrian Center winds along landscaped woods, pastures of livestock and fields of canola. Several trails provide stunning views of the Vanderbilt mansion. The overall terrain is hilly and technical, which has made earning a "Certificate of Capability" (COC) under the current 14 kilometer per hour overall speed requirement very difficult to obtain.

The week before the ride, with forecasters predicting heavy rain and potential flooding of the French Broad River that runs besides basecamp, ride management made the difficult decision only host the longer distances (75 and 100 on Saturday and 55 and 75 on Sunday), with no limited distance rides to reduce the number of rigs). I'd entered Gryphon in the Saturday AERC 75 and 21-year-old Jessica diCamillo from New Mexico would be riding Siena in the Saturday 120 km CEI** (same distance).

The area ended up with much less rain than expected, with two full days to dry out before rigs began arriving late Thursday. I drove to Star Tannery after work that night and enjoyed a cookout hosted by Lisa Green before catching a few hours of sleep. John Crandell had agreed to do most of the driving in exchange for a free ride down, and he took the wheel @ 2am, getting us safely there before 10am. Hunter Green, who was going to cheer on his girlfriend Emilynn, spent the trip down sleeping in the gooseneck. We three quickly set up camp before and fetched water before my two traveling companions went on their merry ways.

Siena led the way much of the afternoon

After Dr. Ann Stuart did chiro work on Siena, I sat in on the officials meeting (am hoping to take the FEI judges class as part of my trip to Ontario in late June and wanted insight in what was discussed). I finished setting up my crewing area and enjoyed a much-needed shower courtesy of Holly Corcoran, who was riding Cheryl Van Deusen's Pinot Noir in the CEI*** and offered use of her nearby hotel room. One of my oldest endurance friends, To
m Hutchinson from Maine, was parked just across from me and asked if I'd sponsor his daughter Calla in what would be the first 75 for both she and her horse Sam. I readily agreed, since Jessica's goal and mine were just to complete, not to try for a COC.

Dinner catered by the estate's Deerpark Restaurant was as delicious as always, but the diCamillos hadn't arrived by 7 pm and I was getting worried when they called for help finding their way into the estate. Ride Manager Cheryl Newman talked them through all the way to basecamp, and they quickly set about weighing in (an FEI requirement - rider plus saddle must be at least 165lb for senior division and also young riders wanting to be on the ranking list) and shimming Jessica's saddle to fit Siena's little back. I slept soundly, getting up @ 3am to let the horses graze for about 30 minutes and giving them breakfast before heading back to bed for another hour of rest.

Little Gryphon is such a joy to ride

Gryphon and Siena were their usual steady selves during warmup and we got off to a smooth start, trotting smoothly for several miles before adding in some cantering here and there. Coming into the first hold, Calla's big horse Sam took about 5 minutes longer to pulse than my little guys so they had a few more minutes to eat before we left out on what I like to call the "Sound of Music" loop, which was 20 miles and featured a long, gradual climb that Gryphon eagerly led. We returned to camp about 11:15 am and again had excellent vet scores. The third loop also went great, with the horses getting in to camp @ 2pm. We'd been told the 4th loop would be the hardest even though just over 12 miles, and we took our time, dismounting to lead our horses down the frequent steep downhills and letting them walk up most of the climbs. The weather couldn't have been nicer - it never got really hot. At the final hold, Dr. Ken Marcella held Gryphon's card - said he saw something in the hind end. I brought him back at the end of the hold time and while he moved the same or better as at the beginning of the hold, the three-vet panel voted to pull us. I was glad Jessica could legally take over as Calla's sponsor, and was moving the pen for Gryphon to have access to fresh grass when they trotted by around 5:15 pm at the start of the last 14.9 mile loop. Jessica's mom Karen and I then packed up some horse blankets and supplies to take to the finish, where we waited for the next two hours. Jessica texted her mom that the horses stopped wanting to move out about halfway through the loop and were slowly walking and grazing their way in. We agreed they were doing the right thing, and about 30 minutes after nightfall were relieved to see them come trotting up to the finish line. It was a long mile walk back from the finish line to basecamp and the arena where the completion trot outs were being held, and Jessica did a beautiful job presenting Siena, who looked fresh as a daisy in receiving her first CEI** completion. So proud of Siena and grateful to the diCamillos!

Jessica & Siena at the finish - not a fast ride but they completed

Lots of other enjoyable moments in the weekend: sharing copies the Cooperative Living cover story about Natalie Muzzio with friends and ride officials, seeing other young riders complete well and getting to hang out with old friends. After awards, John, Hunter and I started home around 12 noon and stopped to refuel near Wytheville, Va. around 3 p.m. Watching my shiny, happy, healthy horses much green grass alongside a local man mowing the same area while the boys got fuel for themselves and the truck, all while surrounded by blue mountains with strong spring breezes blowing will stand out in my memories of this weekend.

"The Old Man" Reaches Another Milestone

Three endurance rides have elapsed since I've last had a chance to update my blog! In late March, despite an ominous weather forecast, Theresa McCarty and I loaded Shiloh and Gryphon for the 6-hour trip to the NJ pine barrens. This was my 3rd year in a row at Rabbit Run, hosted by the NJ Trail Ride Association on sandy trails that loop around cranberry bogs. We set up a canopy for the horses and ourselves, then retreated to BBB Hunt Club's cozy cabin with its wood stove.

The wind blew strongly overnight but cold rain held off til mid-way through the first loop. I recall pulling off my wet clothes only to discover just one dry shirt left that needed to be saved for the drive home. I put my favorite wool sweater back on against bare skin, which with a waterproof raincoat  on top kept me comfortable for the last two miserably wet loops. Theresa kept Shiloh to an 8.5 mph pace; Gryphon  gamely kept up with Shiloh's long strides.

We cleared both vet checks and I'd given Teresa some meds to help with her sore ankle (which was still weak after a traumatic fracture last fall), when five miles from the finish we came across Holly Corcoran. Her FEI horse Poete had the misfortune to break through a rusty pipe-lined culvert on trail, scraping his hind leg badly. Holly was hand walking him in and we commiserated for five minutes before continuing on, promising to make sure the horse ambulance was on its way. BBB's hot showers and clothes dryer set us straight for the next leg of our journey, to the Engel's place in Fairfield, PA, where Shiloh would again be spending the summer.

It rained the whole drive there, as well as overnight, which makes you question my sanity the following morning when (before my first cup of coffee) I tried to turn my rig around in the back corner of their pasture rather than backing up the Engel's 150 yards of narrow driveway to the road. Yes, I got stuck. Badly stuck. Four-wheel drive was useless in 10 inches of slop. Dennis tried to help me with his tractor but to no avail. Quick thinking Theresa contacted Excalibur Towing and texted photos of our predicament to an enterprising young driver, who said he could help. God bless that man - 90 minutes and $200 later, he accomplished the impossible and winched us out backwards, then continued to back my rig up to the road as I should have done in the first place.

The remainder of our trip involved dropping Gryphon off at the Green's in Star Tannery, Va, and picking up Theresa's 3-year old gelding Stetson to bring to her home in Virginia Beach. Safely back at my place in New Kent, we emptied, scrubbed and hosed my rig while waiting for her husband Alfonso to come with their rig.

Two weeks later, me and our collie-mix Ginger headed south with an empty rig to Sand Hills State Forest in South Carolina to meet my friends the Bruckers and compete Siena at the Spring Fling ride as a warmup for Biltmore. They'd been keeping Siena on their large pasture all winter, where she'd filled out nicely after a final growth spurt just past the 15h mark. Separating her from buddy Breeze was no picnic, but she was all business on trail the next morning. We soon paired up with Julia Fisher.

While we'd never met before, Julia and I had several endurance friends in common and the miles flew by as she provided entertaining company. The vets held her mare's card at the first hold, but let her continue after representing. We agreed to stay together and slowed our pace a bit to help Julia's mare. As the early afternoon temperatures climbed to nearly 80, Siena confidently led the way the entire last loop, pulsing quickly at the end with good vet scores. With Siena in tow (this was her first endurance ride and she LOVED it!) Ginger and I headed home, arriving before 9 p.m. Early the next morning she was back in the trailer for a reunion with Gryphon on the green hills of Star Tannery.

The following week, I received a call from old friend Amy Cieri who was looking for a horse to borrow for Bonnie Hutton, the executive director of a TB rescue near Valley Forge who is entered in the Mongol Derby and wants a few endurance rides under her belt to prepare. After discussing some options, I mentioned that Shiloh was fit and sound but needed shoes and careful riding, especially on the first loop, to stay sound. Having known Shiloh for more than a decade, Amy leapt at the chance and planned to pick Shiloh up on her way to the ride and get him shod before the vet in.

Arriving just before dark on the Friday of No Frills weekend, I found where Shiloh was tied to Amy's rig and strapped on a halter for a short bareback reunion ride while everyone was at the ride meeting. BLISS! When I met Bonnie, she was younger than I expected and seemed to be taking everything in stride. The next morning, I had time to carefully groom Gryphon and Siena (who were still shedding) before 12-year old Nina and I tacked up to ride the first loop over to the away hold. We arrived just as Amy and Bonnie were heading out on their second loop, and Shiloh looked just fine! I reminded them to feed him plenty of carrots, before Nina and I headed back to basecamp to reorganize my trailer and then volunteer with the vets and pulse timers at the finish.


The first dozen limited distance riders had completed when Daryl Downs on Skip Kemerer's mare Princess showed up first to finish in the 55. Amy and Bonnie were just 6 minutes behind! Amy's mare sadly got pulled at the completion trot our for lameness, but 22-year old Shiloh completed just fine. I helped Bonnie go through the process of weighing and trotting Shiloh out for consideration in the Best Condition award.  Daryl and Princess easily won BC, but I'm super proud of how well "The Old Man" did. No Frills was his first AERC
completion in 1999. Not many horses are still competing 15 years later, and this year's No Frills was his 100th start of a AERC ride of 50 miles or more, with Bonnie being the 17th rider to compete on him.

Mid-Winter Endurance at Broxton Bridge

 

Early in my endurance career, the season ended with JD's on Thanksgiving weekend and didn't resume until late March or April. Two years ago, USA Southeast Endurance began holding a mid-winter fundraiser ride about an hour northwest of Charleston, SC at Broxton Bridge Plantation.

With temperatures in the low single digits and back roads covered with ice and snow from the most recent storm, me and my friend Lisa's three teenage sons left New Kent early on Thursday, Jan. 30, picking up speed once we reached I-95 South.

It's been an unusually severe winter for our part of the county, and this most recent storm struck the Carolinas as well as southern Virginia, with several inches of snowfall visible until well past the South Carolina state Ride management had sent out several emails and social media posts reassuring that the competition would proceed as planned, although late vet-ins would be allowed, and I could tell they were worried about covering costs, much less coming out ahead!

I've been friends with the Green boys: Forest (17), Hunter (15) and Ridge Green (14) since they were little kids. On Wednesday night, Forest had driven the three hours to my house from Star Tanney, Va. and left his ailing truck at our house so my husband could work on replacing the fan drive and serpentine belt. He was going to help me with the return drive and crew, along with Ridge, while Hunter was going to enter at least the first day's CEI 75-mile (120 km) ride. The trip down went smoothly as we all listened to a CD of "Unbroken," Laura Hildebrand's book about the life of WWII POW Louie Zamperini. It was about 40 degrees when we arrived around 2pm and felt like a heat wave as we set up camp.

Hunter and I started with the 100 milers at 8 a.m. on Friday, and we enjoyed watching ice melt from the tree limbs all morning, almost as heavy as rain against clear blue skies. Theresa Carroll on Silas raced off and beat Jeremy Reynolds in the 50. I was keeping a close eye on our speed - for Hunter to earn a COC on Cheryl’s mare Spotty, he'd need to finish no later than 7:30 p.m. As dusk approached, Gryphon did a super job of leading and pacing the last two loops when Spotty wasn’t drinking well or very motivated. Spotty bounced back on the last loop and we finished with 11 minutes to spare, but sadly Gryphon got pulled at the finish. It was a sore back, not a leg, and after a morning dose of bute, he trotted out sound the next day. In Friday's 100 (160 km) event, Heather Reynolds on Chanses, her British friend Nicola Gilbert and Jeremy Olson on Amy Whelan’s big gelding Wallace Hill Shade rode together all day in the 100, which Heather won. Jeremy Olson who came in 2nd earned Best Condition.

Saturday dawned cold and rainy, NOT what was forecast! The 50-milers didn't start until 9 am, giving me time to sop up the Broxton kitchen floor after a spigot broke in the big commercial sink. My easy-to-ride Siena set a great pace on this, her first CEI ride, hanging with Claire Godwin on the first loop, Taylor Stine on Jeannie Waldron’s horse in the 2nd and then Jaber on Peggy Clark’s horse in the final loop. She had good vet scores and CRIs all days and completed in 5th place despite all the mud. Her ride time was about 5:25 and we showed for BC. Despite me & my muddy, wet clothes and tack weighing 184 lbs, nearly 20 more than usual, Peggy's horse won and I'm glad I persuaded Jaber to stop and let him drink twice on that last loop, which surely helped!

Hunter was reluctant to leave Saturday evening as we agreed, since his girlfriend Emilynn was just finishing the 75-mile ride, but at least he got to crew for her all day. Broxton's hot water was out so no one without a living quarters rig could take a hot shower, which helped motivate us to drive 250 miles to the Bruckers in Bear Creek, NC. We overnighted there and enjoyed hot showers and a hot breakfast the next morning.

Safely back to my house by noon, the boys began the last leg of their journey while I set to work taking advantage of the bright sun and mild weather that afternoon to clean mud and sand out of all my tack, gear and trailer. Siena is parked at JD's until the Spring Fling ride in April, and Gryphon has off until Bunny Hop at the end of March. Back to foxhunting on good ole Shiloh, weather permitting!

What I will remember about the 2013 North American Endurance Team Challenge

On December 8-9, Virginia experienced our first icestorm of the season and subsequent power outages, mainly in the mountains and Northern Virginia. My job involves compiling statewide outage totals from 13 member electric cooperatives, so Monday was a LOONG day at the office with our regulatory agency requesting an initial report by 6 a.m. Luckily, I'm an early riser and chipper in the morning, a useful trait for endurance riders as well!

Two mornings later, with most folks' lights back on, my husband dropped me off for a 6:30 a.m. flight to volunteer as a timer's helper at the North American Endurance Team Challenge.

This biannual event helps develop our nation's horses, riders and crews who compete at the FEI (Federation Equestrian International) level and was being hosted by Helen Koehler and the folks at Goethe State Forest south of Gainesville. Helen built the opening ceremony theme around 2013 as the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Florida by Desoto, with descendants of Spanish Barbs and Pasos becoming the native "Cracker" horse.

I looked forward to seeing many friends from AERC's Southeast, Northeast, Mountain and Central regions as well as from across the north and south borders: Megan Savory Davis helped loan horses to form Team Mexico and several dozen Canadians made the trek from the Frozen White North. Among the 15 Canadian riders were Kim Woolley and Ziggy, Nancy Zukewich and Luba and Dessia Miller with her stallion Farley and Farley's half sister Kiera (same mare I rode in Canada on Labor Day weekend, now piloted by 17-year old Stephanie McLeod) who all overnighted at my place just before bad weather hit on their long drive down.

Arriving in sunny Florida, I had a chance to talk with past AERC President Connie Caudill over lunch while we waited for Texas vets Carter Hounsel and Dennis Seymore to arrive. (Their flight was about an hour later than mine.) Connie shared highlights of the AERC board's response to proposed changes to FEI rules, with which I heartily agreed.

For those unfamiliar with how international endurance competitions have evolved in recent years, the fast flat courses of major overseas events (along with supremely focused training and maybe some beta-blockers that don't easily test) have sliced by hours the winning time for 160km events so that they are now regularly below 8 hours and usually won by a rider from the Mideast (or possibly France, Spain or Italy who each have well developed national endurance programs).

In 2011, the speed requirement to obtain a Certificate of Capability (required to compete at the international level) was increased to 14 kilometers per hour: 8 hours, 35 minutes for a 120km/75-mile ride and 11:25 for a 160km/100-mile ride. Many NAETC riders hoped to complete in time to earn a "COC" for their horse.

Putting those speeds in perspective, my "once in a lifetime" horse Shiloh completed just one 100 in his 5,000+ mile career that included almost 20 19 100 milers at this speed (10 hours at JDs). Little Gryphon's first 100, as fast as his small frame could handle and on a flat trail with optimum weather, took 12:44.

Nonetheless, the U.S. founded the sport of endurance and many of us remain hopeful that our nation will one day again earn a team medal if not an individual medal at an upcoming World Endurance Championship (2014's being set for a fairly technical course in Tarbes France). Valerie Kanavy was the last U.S. rider to win gold at WEC in 1996, although Meg Sleeper finished the 2012 WEC in 11th place on Syrocco Cadence with an impressive ride time of 7:49.

Personally, I'm impressed with how many nations - even unlikely ones such as Japan and Costa Rica - have successfully embraced our sport. As with the Olympics, big international events still allow the meeting of new friends and mixing of cultures and love of the horse in a way that promotes peace, understanding and acceptance. But there's no avoiding the concern that the international playing field is now inherently unfair, with sponsorships and subsidies from the Middle East leading veterinarians and officials looking the other way on rules, especially regarding horse welfare. Humane issues must be our top priority in a sport where the horse portion of the team has no voice other than the concern of its rider and crew.

On Friday, Dec. 13, the 2013 NAETC dawned crisp, breezy and post-card perfect, with very few pulls until late in the day, virtually no metabolic pulls and a substantial percentage (40 of 68) horses completing. But in years to come, what will also be remembered about this event is the untimely passing of Braveheart, the 13 hand rescue horse turned FEI champ who'd suffered some form of major episode in the final miles of the ride (possibly neurological and/or metabolic difficulties) and never regained full consciousness after being sedated for the trailer ride to receive medical help.

As a ride volunteer, I had access to visual and anecdotal information that help me sympathize with the horse's owner and rider while at the same time being haunted by what I might have done had I been in their place. During awards, DVM Dwight Hooten assured all present that a full necropsy and analysis would be done on Braveheart to better understand what exactly happened and if it might have been prevented through better management and veterinary controls. I'd heard earlier in the week that the low potassium levels were showing up on voluntary bloodwork done on many horses who traveled cross-country to attend, and many crews remarked how much electrolytes they used on their horses during ride day, despite the cool temperatures.

With the first horses finishing the NAETC course before 8pm, I was thrilled to see what speed and consistency U.S. horses and riders are capable of,  starting with Jeremy Reynolds who reportedly was running beside his horse running for part of the day and set blistering pace of 1 hour 5 minutes on the final 14.8 mile loop. He finished first just ahead of Nicki Meuten and her amazing mare Not Tonight (Nellie). This was Nellie's 10th straight 100 mile completion, an amazing accomplishment, and Nicki told me that their partnership had developed to the point that she let Nellie set the pace, knowing how just how fast she could safely go. Were it not for a lack of a headlamp to make up for missing glow sticks on the last loop, Nicky and Nellie might have kept their lead, but they were philosophical.

Third and fourth were Kelsey Russell and Valerie Kanavy on Gold Medal farm horses. Kelsey and Irish earned best condition the next morning, and at age 67 Valerie is still a force to be reckoned with! Also in Top Ten were Kyle Gibbon and Steve Rojek, the consummate endurance professionals and gentlemen, along with my pal Natalie Muzzio from Virginia. While the Southeast earned Team Gold, Northeast earned both Silver and Bronze team medals.

When I think back on NAETC in years to come, I will hope that Braveheart's passing marked the start of a new era in use of our collective experience and technology to PROTECT horses. I'll also recall how fantastic some horses looked the "morning after" this ultimate test of a horse and rider's fitness: here's Kyle Gibbon presenting for Best Condition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwcD-EPg0Y0 Would you have guessed that less than 12 hours earlier, they'd finished a deep-sand 100?? Horse doesn't look a bit tucked up although the rider has a bit of "bed head" ;0

Gryphon Soars at his first 100 Miler!

For many East Coast endurance riders, Thanksgiving weekend means a trip to J.D.'s Ride in South Carolina. Ride manager J.D. Fountain learned about endurance more than 30 years ago, and soon after began hosting AERC-sanctioned rides, first out of his own backyard and then from Whitehaven Arabian Plantation, where I first began attending this ride back in 2000. Haven't missed it since because I am most definitely NOT a Black Friday shopper!

For the past several years, J.D.'s basecamp has been on his several acres of raw land along Hartsville-Ruby Road, near Sand Hills State Forest Trails and just across from "The Winery" (a long-since-closed maker of such fine vintages as Wild Irish Rose and Boone's Farm).

I packed early for this ride because I'd be spending Thanksgiving Day with the in-laws, which involved a 7- hour round trip but was well worth the drive. We brought a full bushel of oysters from Virginia's record harvest and every one was devoured.

Early on Friday morning, my friend Jaber Al-Marri from Qatar, an Economics major at American University, drove down from D.C. to meet me. We were on the road by 6 a.m. with Gryphon and Shiloh in tow.

Arriving at basecamp before noon, we parked beside my friend Lisa Green's rig and right next to the crewing area. Jaber and I went for a 3-mile warm up ride, with calm and steady Shiloh leading Gryphon past some scary large mules who were pastured nearby. After test riding my saddles, Jaber decided to use the treeless Ansur for Shiloh.

Shiloh vetted in at a heart rate of 32 and Gryphon at 36. The forecast was perfect and there ended up being 15 of us entered in the 100 miler. As nightfall set in and temperatures began to drop, we blanketed the horses and headed over to BBQ dinner around a bonfire. I passed around a tin of homemade Christmas cookies for dessert, and J.D. gave us his usual disjointed but entertaining ride briefing.

Lisa's 14-year-old son Ridge, Jaber and I were snuggled under the covers before 8 pm and we all slept soundly as temps dropped to the mid-20s. I woke at 5 am to feed and brew a cup of decent coffee using a drop cord and my coffee pot brought from home, going back inside my trailer frequently during the tacking up process to warm my hands and feet in front my Mr Buddy propane heater.  The cold weather meant using a rump rug and Gryphon ended up not needing a single drop of water for cooling all day - a first for me after years of crewing big Shiloh!

J.D.'s 100 has 3 loops that are each repeated twice, with the first 88 or so miles in the state forest. I followed my old friend Debbie McClary and her horse Traveler on the first 25-mile white loop, which is followed by a 13.7 green that uses much of the same trail as white. Gryphon finished these in good time (nearly 10 mph pace) and we headed out on the 3rd loop (repeat of white 25 miles) before 1 pm. Debbie was going faster than me at this point so I ended up riding that loop with aother old friend, Amy Whelan who was helping her 12-year-old daughter Annie tackle her first 100. We made great time, including several stops for the horses to eat hay J.D. had left along the trail.

After Amy's horse got pulled at the 3rd hold, Nicky Meuten and Annie's older sister Josie waited a few minutes to take over as Annie's sponsors. This meant four of us headed out on the green 4th loop just after 5 pm. As darkness fell, we caught up to Claire Godwin whose horse Reveille was very competitive. As a result, we ended up moving out a bit faster than my comfort level - little Gryphon was practically galloping to keep up with the bigger horses, some of whom were still trotting.

Our faster pace caught us up to Debbie McClary just as we reached Nicky's crew who were carrying food and water for the horses in their truck. Neither of us had much "brakes" on our horses (I had switched to a hackamore to make it easier for G to eat and drink on trail and she just had reins clipped to her halter), so we agreed to hold back from the other riders, using our horses as company for each other.

All day long, heat vet Amy Spies was generous with her praise for Gryphon, who had mostly A's and CRIs of 52/52 or 56/56, with lots of impulsion at every trot out. He kept eating, drinking and relaxing well at each hold and my using BCAA's mixed with honey in addition to his regular electrolytes seemed to be helping his energy levels. During the 5th loop, which was just 11 miles, Debbie and I ended up passing Nicky and the Whelan girls when they stopped on trail for their crew (Claire's horse had been pulled). I'm especially grateful to my friends Jennifer Smith and Kelly Lane, who set up shop in a church parking lot halfway through the 5th/6th loops and dispensed hot food and cheer to all us 100-milers who were showing signs of DIMR ("Distance Induced Mental Retardation"). Like many riders who get a touch of motion sickness when using headlamps to ride after dark, I was feeling a bit queasy each time I saw them but gulping some salty chicken soup fixed me right up.

By 9:30 pm we were headed out on our last loop, finishing just after 11:15 pm in 4th and 5th place (Traveler had set the pace and led most of the day so I didn't think it fair to tie). As we neared the finish line, I felt tears forming at the corners of my eyes, so proud was I of the little rescue horse who had come so far since his first LD ride just a year ago. At the completion exam he trotted out almost as fresh as at the vet in. My friend Jenny Poling, who along with Jaber helped crew for me all evening, said "I think you've found your 100 miler!" We blanketed Gryphon well and I was snuggled under the covers before midnight.

The next morning, much to my amazement I wasn't at all stiff or sore. Gryphon is a truly comfortable horse to ride and looked happy and chipper as well. After so many years of trying to find a horse who could take Shiloh's place and do 100s with ease, my dream had come true.

For 2014 I'm planning at least two 100s for my G-unit, keeping in mind that while he'll never be able to cover ground as fast as those FEI horses, he'll do every mile with a smile!