Cooperative Living May 2014 - 17

Left: SVEC member Karen Wade
holds her home-bred mare
WBF Bold Tiki Rose as one of
the ride veterinarians checks
the horse's heart rate. Each competitor
must pass a mandatory
post-ride veterinary inspection
to receive a completion.
Right: Old Dominion board
member Claire Godwin walks
three of her horses to the
pre-ride inspection on Friday.
Despite heavy rain the day
before the ride, endurance
events typically are held rain
or shine and riders cope
accordingly.
breeds also compete well, " she adds.
According to AERC rules, a horse must
be at least 5 years old to compete in rides of
50 miles or more. Each horse also must be
deemed " fit to continue " by veterinarians at
checkpoints throughout the race. The 2013
O.D. winning time of 15 hours and 35 minutes
in the 100-mile race excluded three
hours and 40 minutes of rest at " vet checks. "
" The health and welfare of the horse is
paramount in our sport, " states Dr. Lynne
Johnson, one of the O.D.'s 15 veterinarians.
" At each vet check, we listen to the horse's
heart rate and look for dehydration, lameness,
and overall attitude. We must deem the
horse fit to continue before the rider may
return to the trail. "
Because Virginia can be hot and humid in
June, Johnson, an REC member, says she and
the other vets provide whatever emergency
medical care a horse may need on-site or at
the full-care basecamp clinic.
A rider may voluntarily pull his or her
horse out of the competition if it passes the
vet parameters but exhibits signs of A.D.R.
- " ain't doing right. " At each of the remote
O.D. vet checks, horse ambulance drivers
stay ready to drive pulled horses to the
basecamp.
Despite trail challenges, O.D. President
Weber firmly believes endurance horses love
their sport. When asked how he knows,
Weber said, " Generally you have to coax
horses into a horse trailer. My friend, who
knows horses, was amazed to see how eager
our horses were to get into their trailer. "
AN AMERICAN SPORT GOES GLOBAL
Organized endurance events started in
California in 1955 when equestrians rode
from Lake Tahoe across the Sierra Nevada
Range on the Western States Trail to Auburn,
Calif., in less than 24 hours. That race, the
Tevis Cup, remains one of the most difficult
of the 100-mile races held nationwide because
of severe terrain, high altitude, and often high
temperatures. Today, AERC sanctions hundreds
of events throughout the United States,
including the O.D., Tevis, Biltmore Challenge
in Asheville, N.C., and Vermont 100 in
Woodstock, Vt.
Weber says, " Endurance riding is the
fastest-growing equestrian sport in the world.
It has wonderful camaraderie and you get to
see beautiful scenery. " He notes that endurance
competitions occur on almost every
continent.
HERALDIC: ENDURANCE'S SECRETARIAT
Some of the world's best-known endurance
riders have ties to SVEC territory. John
Crandell III earned the Triple Crown of
endurance racing in 2006 when he and his
mount, Heraldic, won the Tevis Cup, O.D.,
and the AERC National Championship 100.
In 2010, Crandell and Heraldic won the Tevis
Cup again. Their second place at the 2011 Pan
Am Games in Chile helped the United States
team win a silver medal. Two-time World
Champion Valerie Kanavy trains during the
summer in Fort Valley, Va. Both Kanavy and
Crandell represented the U.S. in the 2008 and
2012 World Endurance Championships.
A SPORT FOR EVERY EQUESTRIAN
With the motto " to finish is to win, "
endurance competitions appeal to equestrians
young and old, male and female. Many are
women because, like jockeys, weighing less is
an advantage. A number of fathers, husbands,
sons, and boyfriends drive horse trailers, set up
campsites and horse pens, and carry buckets of
water for thirsty horses. But some competitors
do these chores themselves.
" This is a friendly sport, " says Howell. " If
you need help or forget something, someone is
always willing to lend a hand. "
Emily Richardson, a semi-retired college
professor from Hume, Va., is still competing at
age 77. Riders as young as 8, with an adult
sponsor, try to keep up with her on the trail.
Weber started riding at age 43 after his wife,
Marie, bought a horse and put it in their garage.
Knowing that wouldn't work for long, the couple
bought a farm in Fort Valley, Va. Marie started
competitive trail riding. Jack followed on his
son's mini motorcycle as a drag rider. (Drag riders
―usually on horses ―follow competitors
to help in case problems occur.) One year after
Marie's first race, Jack entered a competitive
trail ride and took Grand Champion. He says
emphatically, " I was hooked! " He entered
endurance competitions shortly thereafter.
Bob Walsh, an O.D. past president, started
endurance riding 26 years ago after his daughter,
Teri, left her horse at home when she went
to college. He got on it and began riding. Since
then, he has finished 13 100-mile events and
tallied more than 6,000 miles across America.
Walsh convinced Teri and her son Riley to
Virginia is for Lovers ... and Horses.
May 2014/www.co-opliving.com
15
PRISCILLA KNIGHT WILLIAMS PHOTO
BECKY PEARMAN PHOTO
Cooperative Living May 2014

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