Description: 14.3 hand,
16 yr. old black bay Arab gelding
Flag took my breath away when I first saw him as a rank 4-yr-old stallion, and he still has that effect on me 12 years later. I always say that nobody loved him but me, but the truth is that he was too short for the rest of the family. He’s not small—Little Big Man is one of his many nicknames, some of which are not repeatable—but he’s short. His first 100 was the Tevis at age 6 (because my pre-entered horse couldn’t go) and he’s been grinding ‘em out ever since. He has a 92% completion rate, including competitive trail, endurance, and Ride & Tie, some with heavyweight riders. Some endurance highlights: Tevis 100; six Old Dominion 100 completions out of eight starts, four of which are Top Ten; 2nd alternate ’93 ETZ North American championship team; ’97 IAHA National Purebred Reserve Endurance Champion; 5th place ’97 Race of Champions; IAHA Legion of Honor. He’s a top-notch field hunter and easily handles the big combinations on combined training courses. He is also the sire and grandsire of many fine endurance, hunt, and event horses.
Description: 15 hand, 11 yr. old bay Anglo-Arab mare, daughter of Shabazzy Flagstaf+
Age: 42
Occupation: Ph.D.
Physiopsychologist, asst. professor at Hollins University
I have been in love with horses from the day I hit the ground. My mother says that as an infant, I would point to pictures of horses in storybooks. I have a picture of myself at about 8 months, baby bonnet and all, perched on a spotted pony, steadied by my mother’s hands, my fists clenched in the mane and a look of fierce determination on my face—sort of how I look these days going over Sherman’s Gap. I got my first horse at age 8, and I’ve been riding ever since. I started out with western in 4-H and worked reining horses at a local Quarter horse farm. At about 15, I learned hunt seat and began jumping thoroughbreds and Anglo-Arabs at a local hunter barn. In my mid-twenties, I learned basic dressage at a local Trakehner barn. I began foxhunting with the Rockbridge Hunt in Lexington, Virginia, and rode my first endurance ride, the Rockbridge Hunt 50, in 1988. Since then, endurance riding has been a passion. Because my own equestrian background is so eclectic, I am a believer in cross-training my horses as well. My endurance horses are also excellent field hunters and are schooled in basic dressage. Flag, Snitzel and I take lessons from the riding instructors at Hollins University where I teach because Hollins consistently is one of the top-rated intercollegiate riding teams in the country. We are also taking dressage lessons from Gabriele Hooten, a Bereiter FN German licensed professional dressage trainer. I’m blessed to have a husband, Kevin Baird, who is as passionate about horses and endurance riding as I am. He trains his own horses, helps with mine, and does all our farrier work (of which I am quite proud). Kevin and his family, mother Betty Baird and uncle Frank Farmer, are icons in the distance riding community, so I always say I learned at the feet of the masters!
Brenda Baird
Ali and Kathy on the trail this year
AGE: 11
BREED: Arabian
COLOR: Chestnut
HEIGHT: 14.2
AERC Miles: 1300 - began competition at age 7 - did one 50 mile, many CTRs that year....including a 3-day CTR
100 Mile Completions: 6 - first 100 at age 8 - the Biltmore, top ten (!) 50 Mile Completions: 14 Ali has a strong CTR background - all my horses start with limited distance
competitive trail, and work up to multi day competitive trail before they ever go into endurance. Ali is a home grown horse - from my mother's breeding
program. 1998 was Ali's year to shine: as an 8 year-old, he was 9th overall in the AERC
NE Region, and 2nd in the FW division. 1999 was a bummer year - a pasture injury laid Ali up for the entire season - 7 months off! Most of 2000 was
building back up, with some 25 mile CTRs early in the season, months of dressage and ring work, and then our first 50 in over a year, with a third
place finish (Blue Mountain Gallop). We stayed conservative during 2000, with a total of three 50s and one 100 and three 25 mile CTRs. The 2001 season
started with a 100, and two 50s. We won't talk about the Biltmore - we were one of the non-completions. Onward and upward, shall we say?
Ali's biggest fault is his trot out - he puts this look on his face that says "this is the stupidest thing in the world" and trots like a dog with his ears
pinned ...of course, he only trots this way for me! Anyone else gets a great trot out from him....I have worked extensively with my riding instructor to
get his trot out to look perky and happy for me, and it hasn't worked, to date. On his back is a whole 'nother story - he's like the energizer bunny,
turn him on and let him go until I get off .....maybe I should petition to ride him at his trot outs???
Kathy and Ali, 1999AGE: do I really have to say? Old enough
Height: 5'8"
AERC MILES: over 2000
FIRST Endurance: 1993, on a 12 year old Morgan gelding, in Vermont (of all places! - where else for a Morgan?)
PROFESSION: Medical Librarian (for 22 years - ok, so do the math - that should give you a clue as to my age!)
HOME: Bethel, Maine - in the foothills of the White Mountains, and Bethel is the home of Sunday River Ski Resort - so guess what I have for trails?
We have a 7 acre "farm" with five horses, one dog, one cat, one rabbit and
tons of deer, moose, fox, bear and other assorted wild creatures roaming the forests of Bethel, ME
HISTORY: Briefly - I grew up with Arabians; my mother and father owned a dairy farm and my mother raised Arabians. I have been riding since I was 5,
and have trained under the Poulins of dressage fame (did you all know that they come from Maine - Fairfield, ME to be exact!). I did my first
competitive trail ride at the age of 14. Gave up riding for a period in my twenties to raise my son, started riding again in my early thirties. I have
always owned Arabians, and they have all come from my mother's program. I spent the early part of my life in the show ring. As far as I am concerned,
the best place in the world is on the back of a horse, riding on a trail. Enough said.
Kathy Brunjes
Karma Phoenix is a 12 year old grey arab gelding, 15.1 hands, over 2,000 miles. I bought Phoenix as a 9 year old, he had been in light dressage training and trail ridden. The first year I owned him he did a slow 50 mile ride and then did the 5 -day Shore to Shore ride in Michigan. The second year we decide since he was an older horse to enter him in 100 mile rides and go slow building up endurance in him. He did a 2-day 50/50 and then he did a 1 - day 100 a month for the next 7 months in a row. In 2000 we decided to speed it up some, so did a few of the rides faster. I hope he is getting close to peaking, I feel like I have brought him along slowly and correct, when I ask him to do well for me now, I feel like we have done our homework and are ready for it. He is a really smart horse, but one of his little flaws is that he doesn't have a sense of direction. I think I can live with that since my mother never had one either and I had to navigate the roads for her too.
45 years old, married to Mike for 12 years, over 10,000 miles in endurance. I feel very blessed to be riding horses most everyday of my life. I was raised in California and have had horses since I was 9 years old. We moved to Southern Indiana when I was 18. I met Mike while competing on my quarter horse in competitive rides. We married and I started buying and training potential endurance horses to sell. I have had a great time doing this and each horse has taught me many new things. At the moment we have 7 horses. I feel like my greatest accomplishment has been taking my first endurance horse Dancer's Streak to his 5,000 mile mark. I still have him in our pasture and at 24 years old he is getting a much deserved retirement.
DOB: 1990
Breed: Anglo-Arab
AERC miles: 3100
Description: Gelding, maybe 15 hands, 1005 lbs., bay, star, 2 partial white
feet, short neck, big shoulder & body (girth), prominent withers, size 0
feet.
Story:
Once upon a time I had two four-year-old geldings that I was training for
endurance. Some of those hours spent alone with them on the trail were occupied
with a mental debate on which horse I thought would have the most successful
career. The same tack (less bridle) fits each horse precisely, with no
adjustment, but other than that there is no physical, mental or genetic
similarity between the two. One horse is tall, powerful, has lovely
conformation, huge floating gaits, very substantial legs, bad feet, and a strong
desire to go down the trail (that's a euphemism for crazy). His sire had many
wins and Best Condition awards although his breed is not known for success in
endurance. The other horse was my sentimental favorite because I bred,
raised and trained him. However, I thought his legs were too frail, and he was
so darned lazy and had a nasty temperament. He would take twice as long as the
other horse to do the same training loop. But as it turns out, that laziness and
strong sense of self-preservation has served a purpose by saving his legs, so
far. He tends to be ultra-cautious about the footing or anything that looks
remotely hazardous. He doesn't like to put too much effort into anything unless
there is a good reason. For example, he doesn't see much point in trotting out,
then back, just to get poked and prodded by some person! He makes his
opinions and dislikes obvious too.
This horse did a few LD rides in the fall of his four-year-old year, then a few
more in the spring of his five-year-old year. In the fall of that year he did a
50 miler, then a 60 miler. It was so effortless for him that we top tenned even
though it did not seem like we went very fast. He seldom pulls on the reins, and
is exceptionally calm at the start. He mostly just trots along with the reins
loose. He is not quite so lazy at a race as he is when training by himself, and
does have a very fast trot when he wants to.
When he was still 5, we found out that the Race of Champions was to be held the
following year in Pennsylvania, very near where I grew up and where my family
still lived. I thought it was a long shot, but I made that our goal, which
meant we had to do five 100 milers. Thinking they would be easier, I tried to do
two-day 100's. In retrospect, I asked a lot of him at the next ride, a two-day
100 in Florida. It was a long trailer ride, made longer by some truck problems.
While still relatively inexperienced, he spent part of one day in the trailer,
about 15 hours the next day in the trailer, arrived late at night, spent the
night standing in a cold rain, then completed the two-day ride. He finished two
more 2-day 100's that year, then the 1-day 100 at JD's. That was in the fall of
his six-year-old year. He injured his leg the next spring, but finished
qualifying that summer, and we did get to do the Race of Champions.
In total, Jeb has finished eleven 1-day 100's. He remains as grouchy as ever,
unlike his namesake who was actually very jovial and loved to laugh, sing and
play music. General Jeb was a great horseman and was Robert E. Lee's cavalry
commander. He always wore an ostrich plume in his hat and Jeb (the horse) has a
star in the shape of this feather.
When I found out that the Pan Am ride was going to be in Vermont, I decided to
make that a goal. I can combine the ride with a visit to my parents, who retired
to northern Vermont and live near Newport. That other horse I have hasn't lived
up to his potential yet, but I still have hope that he will calm down and be
able to prove himself.
Age: 37
AERC miles: 5600
Home: Elizabethton TN
Occupation: Electrical Engineer, employed by Siemens Energy & Automation
Status: Single, no kids, five horses and two dogs
I was one of those many horse-crazy girls that grew up in a non-horse family.
Even though I never could have one, because we lived in the suburb of a large
city, horses still consumed my thoughts as I was growing up. Finally when
I graduated from college and got a job I fulfilled the dream and bought two
horses. For a few years, I piddled around trail riding from where I lived, but
read about endurance riding in the horse magazines. Finally I found an
address for AERC and they sent a sample Endurance News. From this, I
learned that real people (with jobs, families, farms to tend, etc.) did the
sport, and there was a ride near me in the fall. These two pieces of information
prompted me to start this journey. I had an Arabian mare (Jeb's mother), but she
was pregnant at the time (with Jeb's sister), so I used the other horse I
had. Rocket was a 12 year old Appaloosa gelding with a shiny
copper-colored coat and a beautiful blanket. All spring and summer I dutifully
trained him 4 days a week. My farm borders the Cherokee National Forest, and I
can leave my pasture and ride a loop that climbs 2000 feet in about 2 miles to
the top of Iron Mountain. On weekends, Rocket, my dog and I would take longer
rides, sometimes staying out for 8 or 9 hours. The most we could cover was
about 25 miles because of so many rocks and hills, but he did get fit from all
the climbing.
Finally, with incredible excitement and anticipation, the day of the Polly Bridges Memorial Ride in western North Carolina drew near. I bought a new 2-horse tag-along and portable corral for Rocket to stay in (we had never trailered or horse-camped!). When I got there, the vet said the ride was very difficult and since we had never done one we should just do the 25. I was horrified. I knew my horse could go 25 miles, I wanted to see if he could go 50! I had never been to a ride, or met an endurance rider, but I instinctively knew that I had to do at least 50 miles to be considered a real endurance rider! Finally they agreed to let me go 25, then if the horse looked OK they would consider letting me go on. That ride was indeed very hard (the winning time was 8 hours), but it was the same type of terrain we trained in and we did make it through. At 25 miles, his pulse was 44 and he looked great, so they let us go on. By the end, though, we were both very, very tired. That was in 1988. Rocket went on to finish about 2000 miles, did a one-day 100, won a ride and got a couple Best Conditions. He is retired and about 25 years old now. I have also had a lot of fun riding Jeb, and he is a better horse, but I do miss the spots.
Other horse experience: Some dressage
& jumping lessons, farrier school, Ride & Tie (quite possibly even more
fun & satisfying than endurance riding), manage Big South Fork Ride.
Karen Clark
Lynne and ChagallAge: 14
Description: 15.1 hand flea-bitten gray Arabian gelding, Russian/Polish bloodlines
Miles: Endurance - 2,235 miles , Limited Distance - 30 miles
100 mile completions - 9
I purchased Chagall in 1994 from Jeannie Waldron. I had been riding and competing him for about a year while he was owned by Jeannie and had fallen madly in love with him. At that time, Chagall was Jeannie’s backup to T.F. Red Rambow and she had no plans of selling him. Because Chagall was the measure by which I judged any other horse I looked at, I could not find a horse that I liked as well as him. Eventually, Jeannie agreed to let me buy Chagall. I can still remember how excited I was the day she sold him to me.
After completing eleven 50 mile rides in 1994 and 1995, Chagall came out of the pasture looking as if he had a stroke. He was immediately diagnosed by spinal tap with EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis). I was devastated and feared most that he would not live or recover sufficiently to live a normal life again. After six months of aggressive treatment, he did recover and the only lasting effect from his bout with the disease was permanent blindness in his left eye. Chagall could be the poster horse for EPM. He had not competed in a distance over 50 miles prior to the EPM, yet since that time he has completed
nine 100 mile rides and a 3-day 150 mile ride. Chagall has been a consistent competitor over his 8 year career with 44 starts, 36 completions and 28 top tens. He is a good mountain horse and has completed the Old Dominion 100 mile ride four times.
Chagall has definite opinions about everything, shies for fun and can be obstinate at times. Even so, I love riding and being with him so much that I have postponed getting a backup horse. I’m not sure I’ll enjoy the sport as much if its not on him.
Age: 43 year old
Height: 5’7” Featherweight
Married: Thirteen years to Dan, no children, two black labs
HISTORY: I grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia and started riding at the age of 8 on wild ponies at a friend’s grandparents’ farm. Like many little girls, I always loved horses. My mother said I would wear the knees out of my pants because I was always pretending I was a horse. My favorite book as a child and movie as an adult was The Black Stallion. I knew someday I’d have an Arabian. When I was 12 and still horse crazy, my father bought me a 5 month old Appaloosa filly that I kept until I went to college. I rode very little during my twenties as I focused on my career in Atlanta.
When Dan and I moved from Atlanta to Lexington, Virginia, he convinced me that I should get back into riding. Poor man, he didn’t know what he was doing. That spring, I met Jeannie Waldron and she asked me to crew for her and Rambo at the Old Dominion 100. That was the year that Jeannie raced Debbie Gordon and set the record for the course that still stands. I was totally hooked and Jeannie offered to let me ride Chagall for her.
When I started riding Chagall, I lived on the eastern shore of Maryland and he lived in Northern Virginia. For three years, twice a week, I made the 220 mile round trip to train Chagall with Jeannie. When I moved to Lexington, 4 years ago, Chagall moved with me. I owe an immense amount of gratitude to Jeannie who remains my mentor even now as I learn about riding on an international level. This sport has given so much to me and I have never been involved with a more generous and supportive group of people. I have been helped by the kindness of so many - I competed 5 years without having my own truck and
trailer. There was always someone willing to take me along.
Being a featherweight, I never tried International because of the 165# weight minimum. With the reduced weight and Chagall’s age, I felt this was the best time for us to give it a a try. I dream of wearing the red, white and blue and hope that is in our future.
Lynne Gilbert
Sue and JazzAGE:11
BREED: "almost an Anglo" (Arab x appendix QH)
COLOR: Bay
HEIGHT: 15.1
AERC MILES: 950 total miles 1500 included ECTRA
100 MILE COMPETITIONS: 6
BUILD: Looks like a TB.
ATTITUDE: Thinks like a TB, thank goodness he has the Arab good sense. Very down
to business type of horse with a tough constitution. Never complains, never
quits, never freaks out (which makes me wonder just how smart he is considering
the sport he is in!). Our greatest challenge was to convert him from a flat/sand
horse from New Jersey to a mountain horse in Vermont. It took a year before he
gave up trying to go up a hill on his forehand. I credit ECTRA competitive trail
riding and lessons with Robin Groves for helping me get him to where he is now.
Jazz gives me a lovely, balanced ride for which I am most grateful. In
1999, I had the opportunity to take Jazz to rides out of our region to Montana,
Indiana, North Carolina. We got to meet a lot of great people and learned about
other regions competition. Jazz was AERC NE Region 3rd Lightweight and 4th
overall that year. Last year a hoof abscess kept us at home most of the summer,
but he came back strong in the Fall at the NC 100. The biggest challenge was
getting ready for the Biltmore when Vermont had 5 feet of snow in March! I
remember Valery Kanavy saying that endurance riding is nothing more than a
series of problems that need fixing. With the aid of some Yankee
ingenuity, we managed to finish the Biltmore in great shape. The horse amazed
even me!
AGE: 49
HEIGHT: 5'3"
AERC MILES: 2600
PROFESSION: retired Science teacher, freelance writer.
Married to John (also nominated). Six cats, two dogs, seven horses, two geese
(one is 25 years old!) and a very cool goat. Home is West Windsor,
Vermont. I literally live on the 2001 PAC trail!
HISTORY: OK, I will admit to being born and raised in NJ, but I've lost the
accent and have spent the rest of my life learning to talk slower. However, I
find that I can still translate. I have loved horses from birth and still cannot
imagine life without them. When I met John, another horse nut, we knew we were
made for each other. I don't have to explain why there is a saddle in the
kitchen or why the house smells like a barn while I dry horse blankets in the
basement. But we have figured out that he has HIS horses and I have MINE. I have
done a lot with horses. I did the show thing, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas (1971
NJ Appaloosa Assoc Queen), Arabians, POA's, hunters, ponies, carriage driving
(won Devon, twice), combined driving (1988 Eastern Single Pony Champion).
I prefer the trail thing. I have over 7,000 ECTRA miles and in 2000 won
the Florida Cup for three day 100 mile rides with "Cavalletti".
I have four horses other than Jazz that I compete in competitive trail and
endurance which keeps me legged up. I learn something from every event that I
ride or crew at, so I never miss an opportunity to go to a ride. I had the
opportunity to learn about international competition by acting as assistant Chef
d' Equip at the 1999 PAC in Manitoba (gosh, we had fun!) and crewing for the
Rojeks at the World pre-ride in Compiegne, France. But most of all, I love
to ride. What better sport could there be for me!
Sue Greenall
Becky and HoneyAge:
14
Breed: Registered Arabian
Color: Chestnut
Height: 14’3”
AERC Miles: Approximately 1600, began competing in 1995.
100-mile completions: 13
Build: Solid and stocky.
Attitude: Bitchy and tough, wants to go at her speed on her terms, very
competitive, she wants to do the job and be done with it.
Age:
35
Height 5’2”
AERC miles: About 1600, began competing in 1995.
Profession: Former High School Teacher.
Marital Status: Married to Danny for 13 years, three sons, Adam 11, and
Alex and Andrew both 7.
Home: Medina, Ohio (25 miles south of Cleveland).
Home Terrain: MUD, because we live along a river our pasture seems to be mostly
mud and river rock.
History: My Dad bought me my
first pony when I was about seven, and it was over after that.
We have always had horses since then, mainly doing backyard trail riding. We had a lot of fun! After
college I got married and taught school for seven years, and during that time
riding wasn’t a priority. We had
our first son, and life changed a lot. When the twins came along, I quit teaching and began to ride,
and the more I rode the happier I was.
I
started doing endurance with a trainer I met through my cousin Jane Soule; Jane
is very active with ECTRA. Denise
sold me my first Mynte horse, Honey, and I have bought three others through her.
The youngsters will be starting out later this year.
Denise has been a good trainer and friend, always willing to help crew or
condition. She has many ECTRA miles
as well as AERC miles. I feel
confident when she is with me, because she knows my mare, and wants her to be
successful, and have a long career.
I
have competed mostly in 100’s, I like the pace a little better and my mare
does better in a hundred rather than a fifty.
We have finished 13 out of 19 100’s.
Most non-finishes were due to rider error; some were just bad luck.
Endurance riding is a very humbling sport.
The hardest 100 we competed in, and did not finish, was the Cosequin.
I pulled at 95 miles, due to a splint, which was tough to take after a
very long day.
Each
year I plan to do about 4 – 5 100’s, depending on the schedule and my family
obligations. In 1999, I only did one hundred because I had mono and just
couldn’t get over it. This season
I was to start out with the Biltmore, however my father passed away after a long
battle with cancer the weekend of the ride.
I was glad I did not go, because I had a wonderful opportunity to spend
some time with him. The start to
this season has been tough for me because of the stress of my Dad’s illness
and the change in our family dynamics, but feel I am getting back on the right
track.
I hope to do well at the Pine Tree, have fun, and
have a lot of horse left. That is
my main goal, to have horse left always. Becky
Harris Age: 8 Back to
Top
Valerie
Kanavy, Big Sky Chance and Bearcat O'Reilly
Horse: Big Sky Chance
Breed: Reg 1/2 Arabian
Height: 15:2
Color: grey
Sex: gelding
Miles: (I would list endurance and CT miles, but separately) 100's completed:
800 Endurance ( includes 4 one day 100's) 85 Limited distance and 125 CT.
Where did you get him? Cody, Wyoming
How long have you owned him? Since he was 2 yrs
Did you start from scratch? Yes
Quirks, endearing traits, strengths. He's very smart and can open anything. He's
the closest thing I have to Cash and in many ways they remind me of each other.
Both are thinking horses.
How would you describe him to me if I were going to do a race on him? He's easy
to ride and comfortable too.Back to
Top
A recent photo of
Shiloh and Mary on the trailAGE: 9 y.o. gelding
BREED: Arab/QH cross
BUILD: 1050lb, 15.2h
AERC MILES: about 900
100 MILE COMPLETIONS: 3, including the Biltmore demo
BEST ATTRIBUTES: Shiloh means "place of peace." He's sweet-natured,
loves going new places and is exceptionally easy to handle on the trail. Cool,
wet rides suit him best and my crew works overtime at hot rides. "Mud
Pig" loves to roll - even during vet checks - and is usually the dirtiest
horse in the pasture.
WORST ATTRIBUTES: We're working to correct a problem of heel and sole soreness
from being shod in too small a shoe. At the Old Dominion, Jaye Perry moved
Shiloh up from a size 0 to a size 2 (!!!!) and used therapeutic pads. I'm
thrilled with the improvement we're already experiencing.
Mary and Shiloh on the hunt! AGE: 34 in July; single; my "kids" are
Buster (ride mutt) and Pooka Looka (tuxedo cat).
AERC MILES: same as my horse
PROFESSION: program coordinator for a statewide nonprofit advocacy group. I
chose this job with endurance in mind, since we're busy during Virginia's
legislative season (Jan - March) and slow the rest of the year (ride season!)
OTHER "JOBS": I'm a whip for a local fox hunt (Shiloh is a terrific
staff horse) and active with a low-income housing group based in my "inner
city" Richmond neighborhood. Some part-time jobs including working at
Colonial Downs and weeding at Tuckahoe Plantation.
HISTORY: I grew up in Surry County, Virginia, home of Smithfield ham and peanut
soup. Although my family was non-horsey, a family friend let me ride her
half-wild horses after cleaning stalls and biking 7 miles in each direction to
get there. The same friend gave me an old TB gelding when I was 12. I dug holes
for the pasture fence after school, worked at a local restaurant to pay for
feed, and never forgot the feeling of flying as we raced along the edges of
local peanut and soybean fields. This first horse was retired when I went off to
college and the less said about those 10 horseless years the better.
THE HORSE OF MY DREAMS: In 1995, I shook off a bad case of late winter blahs and
called the the first ad that caught my eye in the local Trading Post, for a
"FLASHY 1/2 Arab." Shiloh was barely 3 years old and green broke, but
something told me he was "the one." I never even looked at any other
horses.
HOW I WOUND UP IN ENDURANCE: After dabbling in showing, competitive trail
riding, parades and team penning, I needed a real challenge and resolved on the
long-term goal to attempt the famous Old Dominion "100 Miles in 1 Day"
Ride.
DO I DESERVE TO OWN THIS HORSE?: Shiloh has had several accidents that could
have ended his endurance career before it even began. On Memorial Day 3 years
ago, I was trailering to a pleasure ride when the cotter pin slipped out of the
hitch assembly and the safety chains failed to hold. I heard a noise, looked
through the rear view mirror and noticed my 2-horse tag-along, with Shiloh
inside, rolling across someone's nicely mowed lawn, eventually smashing into the
corner of their dining room. (Luckily, it was very early and no one was in that
room). The trailer was totaled but Shiloh was amazingly unhurt - just a scrape
on his nose - and insurance covered the damage, thank heavens. Good thing I'm a
blonde - helps cover the gray hairs I must have gotten that day. Later the same
year, a friend and I were trailering down I-81 near Lexington when the friend's
horse went down in the trailer. We unloaded Shiloh to give the other horse room
to get up. After about 10 minutes of leading Shiloh up and down the interstate,
the friend asked me to come help. In the instant I turned my attention away from
Shiloh, he started to leap the guard rail to get away from the noisy semis --
and the jagged metal edge sawed open his inside lower front leg. It is AWFUL
seeing your buddy bleed like that, but the friend used a leg wrap to temporarily
plug the leak and ascertained that no serious damage had been done. The cut
healed well but you can still see the scar.
ENDURANCE IS ADDICTIVE: It wasn't until April 1999 that we tried our first 50,
the No Frills on those rocky Old Dominion Trails. Just in time for the ride,
Shiloh's custom-fitted Sharon Saare saddle (F width) arrived and proved its
value - he's never had a sore back although I did swap out the stirrups, girth
and pad. After a great first half to our 2000 season, including Top Tenning the
Old Dominion 100 on our first try, Shiloh was pulled for various lamenesses at 3
of 4 rides and I learned a valuable lesson to not overriding and take it easy on
downhills. I'm the one you'll see jumping off mid-trot and running beside my
horse to help save his legs.
SOME MUCH-DESERVED RECOGNITION: Endurance folks are the greatest! Everyone has
been so generous with their advice and support, and I've made wonderful friends.
A few people I must credit are Hans Devouassoux, who inspired me to try for the
USA East Team despite being a newbie, my "wonder crew" of Sheri and
Michelle, my "boss" Joan, who never objects to me taking off work for
horse reasons and Jackie, who takes fantastic care of Shiloh (anyone who boards
can appreciate how lucky I am!)
LUCKY CHARM: I've always wear a simple gold chain I inherited from my Italian
grandmother. Her motto was "life is rough - but Grammy's tough" a
mantra I repeat when DIMR kicks in..
A CONFESSION: When alone on the trail, I sing nonsense songs with
endurance-related lyrics to help Shiloh keep a steady rhythm. If he could talk,
I'm sure he'd say his favorite thing about endurance is all the food he gets to
eat. He knows when he does well and carries his head a little higher for the
next few weeks, despite being low guy on the totem pole.
Mary Kornwolf
Kaboot and Angie
AGE: 12
BREED: Purebred Arab, unregistered
COLOR: Gray
HEIGHT: 14:2
AERC MILES: Around 2200. Began competition at age 5.
100 MILE COMPLETIONS: 6 (3 for 3 at Biltmore)
BUILD: Solid. Though he's 14.2 he wears a size 2 easyboot. Deep through the
heart and spreads out WIDE when he trots leaving tracks like a rabbit.
ATTITUDE: "You shut up and sit there, I'll take care of the racing".
Always eager to go down the trail. Loves his job. Not much fun to putter around
the neighborhood with when he wants to break the sound barrier on every hill. He
has a really long forelock which I braid along with his mane during competition.
When we take it down and it's wavy he bears a strong resemblance to a unicorn,
much to my daughter's delight. He loves trot outs and is so enthusiastic that
he'll take off without me if I'm not ready when the vet says, "Trot
him".
Angie with Kaboot at the
PAC 
AGE: 40
HEIGHT: 5'
AERC MILES: 3000 +;
Did first ride in 1987
PROFESSION: High School Art Teacher, freelance writer
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Bill 19 years. 2 daughters, Bonnie 15, and Josie 11.
HOME: Wildwood, GA (just outside Chattanooga, TN). We live on a 6 acre farm
called "Needmore Acres" with 2 Arabs, 2 Welsh ponies, 3 Australian
Shepherds, 2 cats, 1 rabbit, 6 ducks and 5 chickens.
HOME TERRAIN: My horsefield is a long steep hill with a little grass at the
bottom and a water tank at the top with a run in shelter. Plenty of rocks and
hills to train on, but no sand. I can ride to Lookout Mountain from my house,
but almost all my trails are either up or down.
HISTORY: I was born begging for a horse. My mother swears that from the time my
dad sat me on a pony at 18 months old I was obsessed. My family had no
connection with horses other than that my dad had ridden when he was young, but
I was on a mission to get one. I used to refuse to tell them anything else I
wanted for Christmas hoping that out of desperation they wouldn't be able to
think of anything else and would break down and get a pony. I thought I was
pretty deprived that I didn't get my first pony until age 11. That was May 2,
1971. They got me my first bridle for Christmas 7 months later, obviously not a
priority. I'm the fifth of 6 children. After my younger sister was born when I
was 8 nobody noticed me much, which I thought was wonderful. So long as I made
it home for the head count every night I was free to go as far as my pinto pony
could carry me. I was a good kid and didn't get into any trouble other than the
usual stuff of getting your pony stuck on a ledge with no exit and such as that
so I got a lot of valuable experience... such as, "Send the dog around to
sic her while you pull and she'll eventually leap off the ledge on top of
you".
In my teens I rode Appaloosas off the track, and anything else anyone would let
me on. I was relatively unsuccessful at barrel racing, western pleasure,
exercise galloping and many other disciplines I managed to try. I was unable to
try hunt seat disciplines due to my feet and calves which were too wide for any
boots I had access to. I had the same problem with cowboy boots but finally
discovered endurance riding where wide running shoes saved my career. Living
within riding distance of no less than three different mountains, I spent a lot
of time on the trail and had read about endurance riding, but didn't know they
had them anywhere but out west. I even wrote a research paper on the Tevis in
high school. I'd seen that barrel racing made my horses crazy, track racing
broke them down, the western pleasure gaits seemed silly and was searching for
just what I found in endurance. Once I found it I never looked back.
I did my first endurance ride in 1987 on an Appaloosa. For the first 3 years I was trying to start a family and though I ate, drank and slept endurance, I didn't get to do more than one ride a year until 1990 when I got my first Arabian, a slow but solid completer I named Isaiah 40:31. By Spring of 1994 I had about 700 miles of experience. I purchased Kaboot who was about to turn 5 from Danny Herlong and began training him for his first 50 which would have been the first Biltmore ride. Two weeks before the ride, displaying a tendency that has stayed with him even until now, Kaboot decided to make a break and run down a horse that was cantering 100 yards ahead of us on a training ride. I call it having "radar lock". If he catches a glimpse of a horse up ahead, we have to catch it. It is a search and destroy mission on his part. On that day he hit a slick spot on grass as he turned a sharp turn on the trail at a gallop and fell, causing a very bad break to my collarbone and splitting my helmet. After having surgery and a 6" metal plate screwed to my collarbone we completed our first 50 at the Gold Rush Ride in Dawson Forest. . At this time I had $700 invested in my horse and Blue Cross had over $13,000.
Kaboot spent his first two years of competition sponsoring a junior on my old horse, and really didn't show me much ability. After 800 fairly moderate miles I entered him in our first 100 and he did great. I don't know what that did to him but after that he suddenly became a top 5 finisher in 50's and started winning some year end jackets. Every time I think he's gotten as good as he's going to get, he seems to step up another notch. He seems to do best when I'm injured. In 1999 I had to have the meniscus removed from my right knee and was worried when I did my first ride back that I wouldn't be able to ride over 5 hours. He rose to the occasion and won his first 50 and got me off the trail in time. Last year at the Liberty 100 he broke my little finger at the start of the ride and I couldn't hold him back all day and we finished 3rd in our fastest 100 ever. At the rate my body is falling apart, I think he may have a great future. If we make it to Vermont, I plan to just put my hand on the anvil and let Jaye Perry break the finger of his choice before I start >g<. I figure the least I can do is "take one for the team".
Angie McGhee
Age: 9
Breed: Arabian
Height: 15h
Color: Bay
Sex: Gelding
Miles: 750 AERC, 1155 Endurance + Competitive, 6 1-day 100s w/ 3 Wins
(Biltmore, OD twice), 2 BCs (Biltmore, OD)
Owners: Cheryl and Stagg Newman
Janice Lusk Leinhart, his breeder named him well when she named him Jayel (from Janice Lusk - her breeding farm name) Super for Super-opinionated, Super-mover, Super-athletic and in Super's opinion Super-good looking. Dr. Dwight Hooten called me up and suggested that we look at this three year old that was "a bit wired but a real athlete". Dwight had ridden Super's sire and was considering Super but said he would never be able to compete him seriously and thought Super should go to somebody who would. Super had been running with a lot of other young horses on a 100+ acre farm that Janice was managing. We went to look at him telling ourselves that we really were not ready to buy another horse. Then he trotted magnificently up to Cheryl and said "Here I am!". We bought him. (And no we did not do all the things you are suppose to do to check out an endurance horse like put a stethoscope on him and listen to his heart. He would not stand still long enough for that.) While very people oriented, Super wants everything done on his terms. Ground training went well. Then Super quickly told Stagg his opinion of weight, particularly unbalanced weight on his back, when he bucked Stagg off twice in his first week under saddle. At that point Dr. Gail Carmona, the first person to train and ride an Arabian at Grand Prix Level Dressage told Stagg he was too old to be breaking a young, shall we say head strong, Arab. So Super was shipped to Gail's for early training and religion. While skipping the details of his early competition, he did have trouble learning two gaits, walk and halt. And Stagg's bursitis that had not bothered him since he started Drubin in endurance reappeared. However due to Gail's training, he is very responsive to aids and very light to ride.
His early long distance riding was in CTR in order to condition him mentally and physically. When we first started doing serious hill conditioning we were impressed with his recoveries. So when we took him to the Old Dominion pre-season clinic where among other things the vets were doing heart ultra-sounds. We expected to be told he had an impressive heart. Instead we were told he had an aortic insufficiency, aka heart murmur. So we asked our vet, three time Old Dominion winner Dr. Jeannie Waldron, now what do we do. Jeannie said you never had any problem with the horse, right? So ride the horse (as far as we know many of our horses may have resting heart murmurs.) So we did. Super did his first 1-day 100 late in his 6th year at the Carolina 100 where (much to his frustration and Cheryl's sore arms) he was essentially at the back of the pack of 50 some starter's at the half way point but finished 13th as he showed no sign of tiring in the second half of the ride. In 1999 as a seven year old he did the Biltmore 100 for training and again finished around 13th. Then we entered the Old Dominion with Super ready for some serious work since Stagg needed to get the "Old Dominion Monkey" off his back. While starting off the early pace Super caught the leaders going up the second long climb about 17 miles out. Somewhat to Stagg's surprise he left the rest of the lead group behind on the third long climb (after Stagg had treated them all of the leaders to lemonade to encourage rider pit stops on trail) and ended up doing the last 65 miles alone in front to Super's great annoyance. In fact to pay for that Super made Stagg walk over that last part of Sherman's Gap that day. Super won by about an hour.
Super basically had a vacation year in 2000 while Stagg and Cheryl relocated, not finishing the one ride he started, the Biltmore 100 due to rider error (Super would say rider stupidity). This year Super has come into his own. He did a steady pace at the Hallelujah Ride in order to get enough AERC milage to be eligible for nomination for the Pan American, finished 3rd and reserve BC. At the Biltmore 100, he was first and Best Condition. Then came the Old Dominion, the initial focus for the year. Super won first, BC, High Vet Score, the Old Dominion Trophy, and set a course record for the new course that has been used since 1995. Particularly gratifying to Stagg was the minimal weight loss and electrolyte loss that Super had on each ride. Particularly gratifying to Super was that he got unlimited access to alfalfa after each ride.
Stagg Newman
Sex: Male
Age: 53
Height: 5'7"
Weight Division you usually ride under: Lightweight (140 plus tack)
At what age did you start riding? 28
When did you start endurance riding? 31
Profession: Communications Consultant
Family: Wife Cheryl, who got him started riding when Stagg failed to get her
interested in running. So then he hooked her on long distance riding so they
could both suffer rather ride together. The family that does endurance rides (aka
endures) together (and can still tolerate each other at 80 miles) stays
together.
Hometown: Upper Hominy Valley, NC.
As a frustrated athlete (too short for basketball, too small for football, too uncoordinated for baseball), long distance running was a natural alternative, no skill needed, just guts and/or stupidity. Stagg was most valuable and captain of cross country team but an aging body and having to work for a living curtailed the running career. Endurance riding proved to be an even better alternative. The horse is the athlete and the rider supplies the brains (Super and Drubin strongly disagree with the latter statement). And one can do serious training only on weekends and still compete at top levels so that can one can actually have enough time to work to pay for your sport.
Stagg has over 7000 miles of long distance competition and has completed over 30 1-day 100s, 30 of those on "The Pony", Stagg's 14-1h Arabian that he bought from Maggy Price in 1987. Maggy, Stagg's mentor in the sport, told Stagg, who had started the sport on a race track thoroughbred, that he needed an Arab is he wanted to be serious about the sport. Moreover, she had just the horse for him, Ramegwa Drubin, who needed a strong rider but was a real endurance prospect. Translation for those who do not know Maggy: this horse is a real handful, and I will be glad when he is somebody else's handful. Stagg bought him.
In 1992, Stagg won the National 100 Mile Championship Series and the National Middleweight Championship with Drubin. That year Drubin became the only horse in AERC history to score over 3000 points in one season in the National 1000 Mile Championship when he had over 3800 points. He entered and completed 9 1-day 100s with 7 wins, a 2nd, and 3rd, 5 BCs, and 5 course records. In 1993 Stagg and Drubin won the team gold and individual bronze at the North American Championship in Calgary. This year Drubin, now 18, has already completed his 13th straight year of 1-day hundreds and his 30th and 31st 1-day 100. Stagg and Drubin have won 13 100s and Stagg and Super have won 3 100s. Stagg served for 6 years on the AERC board including holding the posts of Vice President and Treasurer. He is an FEI accredited steward.
Professionally, i.e. in order to pay for his horse habit, Stagg serves McKinsey & Company, Inc., the premier general Management consulting company, as Senior Telecommunications Practice Expert, where he provides technology advice and strategic technology analysis to client teams across the Firm's practices. Prior to joining McKinsey at the beginning of the new millennium, Stagg served as Chief Technologist at the FCC where he advised the Commissioners and senior staffers on strategic technology issues such as "keeping the Internet safe from traditional telephony regulation". Stagg started his telecommunications career with Bell Labs in 1976 and worked for various descendents of Ma Bell in voice, data, video, and wireless networking until his appointment to the FCC in Sept. 1997. From 1994 to 1997 he was Vice President, Network Technology and Architecture, Applied Research at Bellcore, where he led the optical networking, wireless, and network access research program.
Stagg received his B.S. (Bull S...) from Davidson College and his M.S. (More of the Same) and Ph.D. (Piled Higher and Deeper) from Cornell in (totally useless pure) Mathematics.
|
Dinah & a baby Phoenix |
My
first memories:
a black horse towering above me, reaching down so I could touch his
muzzle. My
most wanted Christmas present: a “Trigger” bridle, with silver conchos running down the
middle of the face. My
early heroes: Fury,
Silver and Scout My
favorite kid book:
King of the Wind My
nickname at school:
“Horse”. It was meant as an insult, but I didn’t take it as such. A
great memory of a really dumb thing to do: swinging up on my Indian pony, bridleless and bareback, to gallop
through the night in the middle of the herd of semi-wild horses. When
I was 22 I baled off a horse who was heading for a cliff. I landed on my
feet, and to make a long story short, I destroyed my hip joint. I walk
with a limp and can’t run. When I got out of the hospital, it seemed
like a really smart move to learn to ride. So I spent three years
studying Dressage with Olympic medallist Dr H.L.M. Van Schaik. He
encouraged me, and taught me how to train. I competed in my first
distance ride in ‘74+/- on my first Anglo. I
am completely joyful that I can ride. |
|
|
a.k.a. the Blast-Ended Skrewt |
My
horse's name is Phoenix. I named him after both the city and
the bird. The bird thing is pretty obvious; the city thing came from the
last place I spent time with my sister before he was born. She gave me
Iris, Phoenix’s dam. As a
four year old, Iris came east on a memorable trip from Wyoming (she was
a country girl, who, when frightened by the interstate traffic, escaped
and hid in a cornfield in Iowa. It took me and the police a night to
find her. We spent years
floating around the three-day 100 circuit. She never did get un-feral,
but it got so I didn’t see the white snip on her bottom lip every time
I rode her. I
bred her to our stallion, Atilanch; presto Phoenix. Some
of his older siblings are Cheryl Newman’s Strut, Doug Lietkze’s
Atizer and Steve Rojek’s Hawk. Atilanch was no slouch either. He won
the East Coast Challenge Trophy, one of two stallions (Maggy Price’s
was the other) to ever do it. Phoenix
started driving in a pair as a two-year-old with his full sister. He was
angelic till he hit five years old. It was a mighty tough adolescence.
At eight years old, Phoenix is still a highly emotional, highly
motivated fellow. He gets away with a lot because he is sooo cute
looking. If I
may wane anthropomorphic for a moment, if Hawk is a European nobleman,
then Phoenix is a guy who wears jeans and his cigarettes rolled up in
his tee-shirt sleeve. His
crews have called him many things, but what stuck was Skrewt (from Harry
Potter’s Blast-Ended Skrewt -- “They
have a shell that protects them from harm. They shoot fire out of their
tails, Advise: Don’t stand behind one, oh, and both ends look the
same.”). His
favorite things: being doted on, stroked and loved, then
maybe carrots and out-walking other horses. His
favorite gait: canter, canter and then canter |
|
 |
|
Troy's baby photoAge: 9yr
Breed: ½ Arab/1/2 appendix QH (mostly TB)
Height: I never put a stick to him but probably 15.1 or 2h
Color: black bay (sounds nicer than brown)
Sex: gelding
Miles: over 1900 miles (CTR and Endurance)
@ 1000 miles (endurance)
4 one day 100’s
Where did you get him?: I bred him (and his ½ brother, Shyrocco Jazz-also nominated horse). And, just like Jazz, Troy grew up in flat NJ. However, I find that we all must condition for the terrain we will compete in, and they learn how to handle mountains with proper conditioning just like mountain horses must learn to handle sand if you will be competing in it. No matter what your terrain, I believe it takes at least 3 years of long slow distance to properly condition a horse for endurance. I really believe the 3 day 100s are wonderful for conditioning our horses physically as well as mentally, not to mention it is a nice way to condition them to variable terrain.
Quirks, endearing traits, strengths: Troy was trained to drive before I trained him to ride (unfortunately, because of time-or lack of it- we haven’t driven him in several years). I am a novice (very) driver, and 1 day on trail my meadowbrook flipped when a wheel went up a tree trunk. Troy handled it phenomenally, but he grew in a stripe of silver mane following the accident, which he still has. Dave, my husband, learned to ride on Troy in the winter of 1998/99. He had no previous horse experience, and Troy seemed to know to take care of him- at least in the beginning. They make a great team, and I have been informed that I have to give Troy back August 26th.
How would you describe him if I were going to race him? Troy is very no nonsense. He is competitive and likes to be in front, but he also has a strong sense of self- preservationJ
Troy and Dave on the GMHA 100-mile CTR, 2000.AERC#:
6059
Sex:
Fe
Age:
33
Height:
5.5 (and a little)
Weight division:
Lightweight
At what age did you start riding?
When I was 11 years old.
When did you start endurance riding?
My first CTR was in 1980 as a
junior, and my first endurance ride was in 1990 (the Liberty Bell in PA).
Miles:
over 5500 CTR
@ 2700 endurance
Profession: veterinarian
Family:
Husband- Dave Augustine
Hometown:
Frenchtown, NJ
My history: After begging for years I was given riding lessons at age 11 for my birthday. A year later my father gave me a horse (a wonderful grade/appaloosa). We couldn’t afford a saddle for 6 months, so I fell off a lot, learned how to ride reasonably well, and joined 4H. I rode english and my spotted horse never did well in the local shows, but we tried our first CTR and I was hooked. My father was a small animal vet, so I grew up helping him and knowing I wanted to be a veterinarian, too, but distance riding made me focus on exercise physiology. So, after veterinary school, I specialized in cardiology. My father crewed for me, and got me through, my first Old Dominion 100 in 1989.
How did you come to nominate? During school, internship, residency, etc. I was never able to take off enough time to do more than a few rides per year. I’ve had more time in the last 3 years, but my competing horses were young and were still in long, slow distance work. Now we hope to move them up. With Troy, my secret weapon is Dave. He is the primary person conditioning and competing Troy, and Dave is a heavyweight riderJ
