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Re: Tevis




Hello Char,
And welcome to the world of endurance. Right off the bat, let me say that I
have not attempted Tevis. I have not even done a hundred miler after almost
six years of riding lots and lots of 50's, some fast and some slower. I may
never try Tevis. I may not even get up the nerve to try 100. I am always so
happy to finish after 50 that the thought of going out again to do it all
over again just leaves me cold. Everyone who rides hundreds tells me that
because you pace differently on hundreds, and psychologically, you ride four
25's, it really is not that bad and in fact most would prefer to ride
hundreds. I will admit that when I rode a 80 mile endurance ride, it really
didn't seem any longer than the 50's.
I follow the Tevis results and am always a bit chagrined that so many people
who have never asked 100 miles of themselves or their horses are so eager to
"ride the Tevis". Is it the notoriety or the ego satisfaction to be gained
from having one's picture taken on Cougar Rock? I am never amazed at the
number of horses pulled on that ride. Some of them just had bad luck or
found that rock with their name on it. Many more, however, should never have
been attempting that ride in the first place. You may gather from this post
that I am really an opinionated person and indeed I am. But I believe that
one should always learn to walk long and round and soft before trying to
canter. I may decide to try a hundred this year. I have this fear of
becoming lost in the dark as I have a terrible sense of direction in broad
daylight. I am learning to pay better attention and to trust my horse so
this may be the year.
I have not the urge to ride Tevis yet because I love the rides in gorgeous
country here in the Pacific Northwest where the terrain is as challenging as
any I could find and the weather is most always close to perfect. I keep
asking myself if I really want to punish myself and my horse by subjecting
us both to blistering heat and a multitude of people and horses. But my
friends who have ridden Tevis are all so positive and enthusiastic about the
ride and the experience as well as the whole gestalt of the event that I may
one year become encouraged to give it a go.
I admire your enthusiasm and energetic attitude about endurance but I would
advise that you try more 50's and maybe a few 75's as you learn to read your
horse and yourself for the safe completion by both of you. I also would
advise that you may want to get a feel for what you will be up against by
trying at least one hundred miler that is not so demanding. But then, the
question you would have to ask yourself is whether you want to learn to
participate in endurance for the sake of the involvement in the sport or
whether the allure of the name "Tevis" is more important to you. And, of
course, no one needs to know the answer but you. You may also consider going
to Tevis as an observer or as a crew member to get a feel for the ride. I
also noted that the club sponsoring the event was asking for volunteer
sweeps. You could learn a bunch by participating before trying to compete.
Give yourself and your horse a chance to become acclimated and you increase
your chances of being one of those who finish feeling good about yourself
and your horse. And maybe I will see you on the trail some year or at least
cheer you across the finish line.
Pat Super

----- Original Message -----
From: <guest@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2000 1:48 PM
Subject: RC: Tevis


> Char Antuzzi char_antuzzi@hp.com
> Hello,
> I want to ride Tevis this year and am wondering what part of Tevis is the
most difficult and why. I am being told the caynons
> in the middle of the day due to heat, someone else said the night
> riding.  I am not new to horses I have been a carded judge for
> a long time and have a training facility but I am rather new to
> the endurance world. My 10 year old stud did a 30 last year and
> my plan for this year is to do a 50 in a few weeks, a 50 on May13
> and a 50 on Memorial day, then just keep up the conditioning
> that I am currently doing (appx 30 miles a week some long days
> others we cruise right along with hills). I would like to get as
> much advise I can. Crew advise I would greatly appreciate also,
> where did you have them go, how many, what did they do for you,
> what did YOU eat, did you start out in short sleeves then changed
> somewhere for night, etc. Besides water and electrolytes what else did you
bring. Timing, what was your plan of attack at making the time cut offs,
etc. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING ME
>
>
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