2019 Idaho Endurance Rides!
A look back at this year's Idaho endurance rides!
there were others, these are just the ones we went to!
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Owyhee Tough Sucker - April 6 - Oreana
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Owyhee Tough Sucker
Perfect trails, perfect weather: that sums up the first ride of the 2019 season in the Northwest region.
The 13th Owyhee Tough Sucker attracted 39 riders to the scenic (green!) high desert trails around Wild Horse Butte, along the Snake River, over the Oregon trail, all framed to the West by the snow-covered Owyhee mountains. Perfect footing made for good moving out if your horses were fit, or good training if your horses missed out on that because of the erratic winter. Cool overcast weather (but no rain or wind) meant no gnats (yay!), and easier going for some of those horses still carrying winter coats. And there was plenty of grass along the trails to boost horse morale and energy and gut sounds!...
Eagle Canyon - April 27 - Eagle
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2019 Eagle Canyon
Any one of these perks would be a good excuse to ride the Endurance News-cover-worthy Eagle Canyon endurance ride near Eagle, Idaho: great trails, perfect spring weather, no mosquitoes or gnats, entertaining potguts (gophers) in camp, catered teriyaki chicken and pork fried rice, and custom roasted hot coffee and cold nitro brew all day Saturday courtesy of Richard Mule of Café Mulé (and his human Matt) (and Guru Donuts!). At this year's renewal on April 27, you got all of that and more!...
City of Rocks - June 6-7-8 - Almo
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Bemer Cuff, Scoot Boots and Fellow Endurance Riders Save the Day(s) at City of Rocks Pioneer Endurance Ride
I felt something rip below my knee when I squatted down, 2 nights before the City of Rocks Pioneer endurance ride, and I'd been hoping to try and ride all 3 days on Hillbillie Willie.
Fortunately Naomi Preston saw me limping the next day. She offered me her Bemer Cuff for equines. "Bemer originated in Germany 20 years ago," Naomi said, "and delivers a patented PEMF (pulsed electro magnetic frequency) signal. It improves microcirculation and helps the body heal itself. Use it 3 times a day if you can." I did, because I really wanted to ride!
And it was either the BEMER cuff or a miracle or both, but the strain or sprain or whatever it was went away and I did not once feel it the rest of the weekend! (Naomi is a distributor of the BEMER cuff; if you want more information you can PM her.)...
Top O' the World - June 26-27-28 - Spencer
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Top Of The World Pioneer
'Twas a weekend of adventure in the Targhee National Forest near Spencer, Idaho, site of the Top O’ the World Pioneer endurance ride. Jessica and Mike Cobbley and friends and family jumped in headfirst 3 years ago to start this ride, and it’s improved every year.
It’s a challenging ride. A fabulous mountain meadow base camp is at 6500’, and days 1 and 2 climb up to over 9500 feet onto the Continental Divide Trail. Top O’ the World is also the second leg of the Idaho Ironhorse Challenge: one horse & rider, 9 days, 465 miles (and also various 9-day combinations) of City of Rocks, Top O’ the World, and Autumn Sun. Four horses were in contention for the ultimate Idaho Ironhorse coming into the ride; three showed up to take on the ride on top of the world in eastern Idaho.
Excitement started a couple days before the ride when Suzy Hayes' and Lynn Lee’s 3 horses escaped and ran off into the night. A crowd of people stayed up late into the wee hours of the morning trying to find them - we got glimpses of their glowing eyeballs a couple of times, and Jessica H even got close enough to touch one horse… but they disappeared again...
Autumn Sun - October 11-12-13 - Gooding
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Dave Rabe Crowned 2019 Idaho IronButt Winner
Nevada endurance rider Dave Rabe (73,000+ AERC miles) - with his matchless, accomplished gray equine companions White Cloud (10,000+ AERC miles), Rushcreek Okay (9000+ AERC miles), and Chey’s Cocamoe Joe (6700+ AERC miles) - is the winner of Idaho’s inaugural Idaho IronButt award after crossing the finish line of day 3 of the Autumn Sun Pioneer endurance ride on October 13.
This unique and demanding Idaho Ironhorse Challenge - 465 miles, nine days - took place over the summer and fall at the 3-day City of Rocks Pioneer near Almo, 3-day Top O’ the World Pioneer near Spencer, and 3-day Autumn Sun Pioneer near Gooding.
Nance Worman’s mare Second Chance Fance was the last rider-horse in the running for the ultimate Idaho Ironhorse award (all 465 miles with one horse), but she couldn’t quite pull it off, Fancy being unable to start the final day of Autumn Sun...
Owyhee Hallowed Weenies - October 26 - Oreana
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A Howlin' Owyhee Hallowed Weenies
The Northwest endurance ride season wrapped up Saturday October 26th in a desert hurricane in the Owyhee Hallowed Weenies. (Rider Kaili Worth appropriately proclaimed it the "Hallowed Windys".)
A small but intrepid group of festive endurance riders and jovial volunteers braved the elements (or ignored the forecast) for one last 2019 trail party. Despite the howling winds, a number of costumes entertained the masses, including Thing 1 and Thing 2, a Trick Rider (Connie with That Guy strapped on her back), Fall and Winter, a scary skeleton, and more....
WANT MORE INFO on OWYHEE RIDES?
Contact steph@endurance.net or rrose4u2002@yahoo.com