Today, at 5:15 a.m., over 200 riders left Robie Park (near Truckee, CA) on their journey to Auburn, CA for the
57th Annual Tevis Cup Endurance Ride. The trail is 100 miles long and successful riders will be in Auburn no later than 5:15 tomorrow morning. They have 24 hours to complete this arduous journey, with two hours of mandatory holds (time for the horses to rest) and
15 other places where the horses are evaluated along the way. Upon completion, you're awarded this buckle. It is a badge of honor, really, among endurance riders as Tevis is the most difficult endurance ride in the world.
In 2005 I completed this ride with my gorgeous mare, Elly. We finished at 4:30 Sunday morning after a very long and sometimes stressful journey. The start, however, was my favorite part. At that time, everyone started as one big group. You had to be in place on a long dirt road at least 45 minutes prior to the 5:15 start. Imagine the pitch black, a beautiful full moon and the soft nickering of the hundreds of ponies waiting for the ride to begin. Elly was perfect that morning, standing quietly and calmly. It was most excellent.
This picture was taken the day before the ride. Elly had been clipped to help with cooling and her best friend, Chloe, was keeping an eye on her. My heart still aches for both my girls.
I have several friends competing today. The only bad thing about Washington so far is that we can't be there to help out and cheer our friends on. So instead, I will be glued to my computer for
updates and photos. Probably not a lot of quilting going on here today *grin*
Dory
You could have gone if you had really wanted to since you are both retired.
ReplyDeleteRetired yes, but unfortunately, we're also 1000 miles away. Fuel alone is prohibitive, so I watched from afar. Good friends finished and did great and with the advent of FB, it was almost like being there!
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