June 4 The best horse endurance riders in the U.S. began to assemble today 20 miles South of Ashland, Montana. They are here to participate in an event known as the Fort Howes Endurance Rides. This week-end's ride will determine who will represent the United States in Spain in September at the World Cup of endurance rides. The most prestigious ride this week-end, the 100-mile endurance ride, will be run on Friday, June 7.

(photo: Rita Swift and Cia Reis)
Contestants who have already arrived include Rita Swift who won the bronze individual medal at the most recent Pan Am competition, Cia Reis (pictured with her horse Catch-A-Wave whom she rode to become the national champion in the 50-mile last year), Steve Rojek who won the team gold medal in the 100-mile endurance Pan Am in 2001, and Heather Bergantz who won the individual gold in the Pan Am in 2001.

People interested in seeing the horses up close are invited to visit the Fort Howes Ranch during the pre-ride veterinary examinations on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. For directions to the ride site visit www.endurance.net/forthowes.

This year's Fort Howes Endurance Rides are drawing an unusually large field of entrants. The rides will determine, among other things, the 2002 International Arabian Horse Association's Champion endurance Arabian horse. This is only one of a few races in the U.S. which will determine who qualifies for the World Endurance Championships in Spain in September. Between 150 and 200 entrants are expected.

The entrants in the 50-mile ride are given 12 hours to complete the course. Entrants in the 100-mile ride are given 24 hours to complete the course. A time of 13 hours is considered very good in the 100-mile ride. Horses must make mandatory, periodic stops during ride. During these rest stops a veterinary checks the horse for soundness and metabolic fitness. If a horse passes the veterinary check it can proceed on the next leg of the ride.

The Fort Howes Endurance Rides are held about 25 miles South of Ashland, Montana, off Otter Creek Road. They are hosted by Bill and Jan Stevens on the old "Circle Bar Ranch." The rides traverse their property in the valley and the Custer National Forest in the hills above their ranch. They include 100-mile, 50-mile and 25-mile rides. This year the rides are held on June7, 8 and 9.

(Photo by Fritz Harshbarger)

June 5, RURAL GROUP HOSTS TOP NATIONAL ENDURANCE RIDE

Ashland, Montana (June 5, 2002): The Fort Howes Endurance Rides is turning out to be one of the most important horse endurance rides in the U.S. this year. Riders and horses from over 19 states and from Canada have already arrived and set up camp in an alfalfa field. The most important ride, the 100-mile, will be held Friday, June 7. Fifty-mile and 25-mile rides will be held on June 8 and 9.

Bill and Jan Stevens, owners of the Circle Bar Ranch 20 miles South of Ashland, Montana, started organizing and hosting the rides about 7 years ago. Bill Stevens says, "We were both avid endurance riders and wanted other riders to enjoy the beautiful country around Southeastern Montana." With the cooperation and help from the Custer National Forest the ride slowly gained popularity. People from the local community volunteered their time. The number of entries in this year's 100-mile ride jumped dramatically when it was selected as a national championship ride. The largest number of entrants previously was 18. This year there are 52 entrants, nearly a 3-fold increase. The Stevens' and the community have their hands full this year!

Jan Stevens says, "The hundred mile ride will start and 4:30 in the morning. The top horses are expected to finish the 100-mile course in about 11 hours. These horses are true athletes." Horses which do not finish in 24 hours are disqualified. The horses are required to have a 30 to 60 minute rest stop several times during the length of the ride. Large animal veterinarians check each horse before the ride, at each rest stop, and at the completion of the ride. If the veterinarian decides the horse is not fit enough to continue the veterinarian disqualifies the horse.

(Judith Ogus and Nancy Elliot)
Today the Stevens' alfalfa field is the home to a small village of mostly self-contained horse rigs. Wednesday night there were about 50 rigs. This number of trailers is expected to double by Saturday. Wednesday the 100-mile riders were riding their horses out to check the trails and make last minute adjustments. Friendly rivalries are being renewed as riders from as far away as Vermont, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Vermont converge with those riders arriving from the Western states. The pre-ride veterinary checks began.

This year's rides will determine, among other things, the 2002 International Arabian Horse Association's Champion endurance Arabian horse. This is only one of a few races in the U.S. which will determine who qualifies for the World Endurance Championships in Spain in September. Between 150 and 200 entrants are expected.

RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRANTS FOR PRESTIGEOUS 100-MILE ENDURANCE RACE

Ashland, Montana (June 6, 2002): Fifty-seven riders registered for the Fort Howes 100-mile Endurance Ride held Friday, June 7, 2002. This is the largest gathering of top 100-mile riders ever held in the mountain zone of the United States.

This race determines the IAHA (International Arabian Horse Association) champion for 2002. Thirty entries were received in the pure bred IAHA division and 5 in the half Arab division. As a comparison, last years championship IAHA ride had 20 entrants.

This race is a major event in determining which 6 riders will represent the U.S. in Spain this September at the world competition.

On Thursday (June 6) all the riders were required to have their horse checked for soundness by a large animal veterinary. Top endurance veterinaries, including Dr. Robert Beecher from Iowa and Dr. Ray Randall from Montana, were here to assure the health of the horses before the ride began.

The riders were surprisingly congenial the day before the big competition. A chicken and rice casserole buffet dinner was served for 225. The excitement could be heard from the tables under two huge tents. Most of the riders will be going to bed early as the race starts at 4:30 am. It is a mass start. In order to keep the large field of entrants under control at the start they will be held back behind a 4-wheeler for the first =-mile or so.

The 100-mile course loops from base camp on private property, the Stevens Circle Bar Ranch, out into the Custer National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service Region 1 has encouraged multiple use of this land. The Taylor Creek portion of the trail was a major route used by the Cheyenne and Sioux before Europeans arrived in this part of the West.

There will be 5 mandatory rest stops for the horses during the ride. During these breaks the veterinarian staff will check each horse to make certain it is sound enough to continue. During the 4 pm riders briefing Thursday afternoon Dr. Beecher made it clear he understood that there was intense competition at this particular race, but that he would not tolerate anyone trying to push their horse beyond its capability. He said, "This race is decided at the end of the race and by having a sound horse at the end of the race."

The Fort Howes Endurance Rides are held about 25 miles South of Ashland, Montana, off Otter Creek Road. They are hosted by Bill and Jan Stevens on the old "Circle Bar Ranch." The rides traverse their property in the valley and the Custer National Forest in the hills above their ranch. They include 100-mile, 50-mile and 25-mile rides. This year the rides are held on June7, 8 and 9.

SUE KEITH FROM INDIANA WINS THE AERC OPEN 50-MILE RIDE AT FORT HOWES

(Sue Keith and Spark)

Ashland, Montana (June 8, 2002): Sue Keith from Indiana, riding "Spark" won the AERC Open 50-Mile Endurance Ride at Fort Howes, Montana, on Saturday. She quickly established a lead position in the ride. In the last 10 miles two competitors moved up to challenge her for the remainder of the race. Christopher Schork from Victor, Idaho, came in second riding "BW Triple Divide".

The AERC 25-Mile limited distance ride was won by Anita Sinnott of Minnesota riding "Espirit".

The IAHA (International Arabian Horse Association) award ceremonies for the U.S. National 100-mile endurance championship were held Saturday morning. The race was won on Friday by Heather Bergantz Reynolds from San Jose, California. She received a large round of applause from her supportive competitors assembled under the tent. The IAHA steward, Carolyn Loedeman, told the group an interesting anecdote. The horse Heather rode (she calls him "Red") was purchased on his way to a slaughter house.

Sunday, June 9, is the final day of this year's Fort Howes Endurance Rides. The ride is a 50-mile ride. It is expected to be highly competitive because it will determine the IAHA U.S. National Championship in the 50-mile endurance ride. In addition it is a sanctioned AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) event. Between 30 and 40 entrants are expected. The ride starts at 8 am and will consist of a 15 mile loop, a 20 mile loop, and a 15 mile loop with two 60 minute mandatory holds (rest stops) in which veterinary checks are made on the horses. It will be a mass start. The initial half-mile of the course passes beneath the still-standing, adobe- and rock- constructed Fort Howes, then past Bill and Jan Stevens' home (they are the hosts for the event), and then up into the Custer National Forest.

Saturday night dinner is one highlight at the Fort Howes Endurance Rides. Steaks are grilled over a huge charcoal-fired spit. Sometimes the beef comes from the ranchs herd. And, in every year except 2001 it has rained during the barbeque dinner. This years rain set a record for intensity and duration. The rain was accompanied by marble-sized hail. However, the 300 people being served did not mind standing in the rain to be served.

This year's Fort Howes Endurance Rides drew an unusually large field of entrants. The rides will determine, among other things, the 2002 International Arabian Horse Association's Champion endurance Arabian horse. This is only one of a few races in the U.S. which will determine who qualifies to represent the U.S. in Spain for the World Endurance Championships in September.

(Mass Start at Fort Howes Open Endurance Ride on June 8, 2002"
The Fort Howes Endurance Rides are held about 25 miles South of Ashland, Montana, off Otter Creek Road. They are hosted by Bill and Jan Stevens on the old Circle Bar Ranch. The rides traverse their property in the valley and the Custer National Forest in the hills above their ranch.

June 9 - Dial and Frost win IAHA 50-Mile National Championships at Fort Howes Ride

(Photo: Karen Frost and 'Fox')
Ashland, Montana (June 9, 2002): Sunday the U.S. National Champions for the IAHA (International Arabian Horse Association) were determined at the Fort Howes Endurance Rides. Brittney Dial is the U.S. National IAHA 50-mile endurance Champion for the pure bred division. Karen Frost is the U.S. National IAHA 50-mile endurance Champion for the half-arab division. Brittney also was the top IAHA junior rider. The 50-mile ride held Sunday was a combined IAHA event and an AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) event. Karen Frost finished first in the overall event and was the AERC 50-mile winner.

This year's Fort Howes Endurance Rides were held over a three-day period (June 7, 8, and 9). During the first two days the weather was basically clear for the riders. However, late Saturday afternoon the weather changed : it rained over an inch and it hailed. Dry and dusty conditions changed to wet and muddy conditions. However, by Sunday morning the course was mostly firm and good for riding. Only a few course changes had to be made for safety reasons. Sundays 50-mile race started at 8 am and the temperature was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thirty-four riders started the 50-mile AERC ride, 18 in the IAHA pure bred division, and 5 in the IAHA half-arab division. Of the 34 starters, 27 finished. Surprisingly, 4 of the top 10 finishers were junior riders.

On Saturday morning there had been almost 200 horse trailers in the Fort Howes camping area. By dinner time Sunday all but about 30 of those horse trailers had left for the drive home. Dinner was served for 65 people  it consisted of pork, potato salad, tossed salad, and chocolate cake.

(Photo: Gail Zeck and Karen Binns-DiCamillo competing in the Fort Howes 50-mile AERC/IAHA endurance ride on Sunday)
IAHA and AERC officials gave out the awards right after dinner. The Fort Howes ride is blessed with generous sponsors. Top ten winners walked away from the awards with their arms full.

Karen Frost rode a horse she calls "Fox" to victory. The horse's real name is "Abu Ja Ben Ishma." Karen said, "We bought the horse for ranch horse, but that work was too slow for Fox. He's 14 years old and he's a prairie horse. I just let him do what he wanted to do in the ride." Karen has been endurance riding for 9 years and hails from Jordon, Montana. She has won 5 Mountain Region rides but didnt compete for the last two years. Three years ago, while she was in a competitive ride, she was kicked by another horse and her leg was broken. It took her two years to recover well enough to ride again. This was her first IAHA ride ever.

This year's Fort Howes Endurance Rides drew an unusually large field of entrants. The rides determined, among other things, the 2002 International Arabian Horse Association's Champion endurance Arabian horse in both the 100-mile and the 50-mile ride. Also, this was only one of a few races in the U.S. which will determine who qualifies for the World Endurance Championships in Spain in September.

(Photo: Two of the four juniors who finished in the top 10 ine the AERC 50-mile endurance ride Sunday at the Fort Howes Rides. From left to right are Shelby Hanson (8), Nikki Putney (11), and Jennifer Hanson.)
The entrants in the 50-mile ride are given 12 hours to complete the course. Entrants in the 100-mile ride are given 24 hours to complete the course. A ride time of 11 hours is considered a very good time in the Fort Howes 100-mile ride. With the top level entrants this year 6 horses completed the course with a ride time under 11 hours.

Horses must make mandatory, periodic stops during ride. During these rest stops a veterinary checks the horse for soundness and metabolic fitness. If a horse passes the veterinary check it can proceed on the next leg of the ride.

The Fort Howes Endurance Rides are held about 25 miles South of Ashland, Montana, off Otter Creek Road. They are hosted by Bill and Jan Stevens on the old "Circle Bar Ranch." The rides traverse their property in the valley and most of the course is in the hills of the Custer National Forest above their ranch. Much of the course loops around interesting rock formations and follow Native American trails and game trails. No part of the trail is paved. The rides include 100-mile, 50-mile and 25-mile rides.

Final Fort Howes Endurance Ride Results Posted

(Photo: Rita Swift, from Worthington, West Virginia, takes a break at a stream to cool down during the Fort Howes 100-mile endurance ride Friday, June 7.)
Ashland, Montana (June 10, 2002): This past week-end there were four nationally sanctioned endurance rides held at the Circle Bar Ranch, 20 miles South of Ashland, Montana. A 100-mile ride was held on Friday, June 7. This ride determined, among other things, the 2002 International Arabian Horse Association's (IAHA) Champion endurance Arabian horse. This was also only one of a few races in the U..S. which determined who qualifies for the World Endurance Ride in Spain this September. On Saturday the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) held a 50-mile ride and a 25-mile limited distance ride at Fort Howes. Sundays 50-mile ride determined the U.S. National Arabian endurance champion in the 50-mile.

(Photo: Gail Zeck, from Point Blank, Texas, in Sunday's (June 9) Fort Howes Endurance Ride. )
The first 15 finishers in the combined 100-mile Fort Howes ride on June 7 (with ride times) were:

There were 31 starters and 24 finishers in Saturdays (June 8) AERC 50-mile ride. The first 15 finishers (including ride time) were:

(Photo: Trish Dowling (left) and Sharon Elder in Fort Howes 50-mile endurance ride Sunday, June 9. Both are from Saskatoon, SK, Canada.)
There were 28 starters and 25 finishers in Saturdays (June 8) AERC 25-mile ride. The first 15 finishers (including ride time) were:

There were 34 starters and 27 finishers in Sundays (June 9) IAHA and AERC 50-mile ride. The first 15 finishers (including ride time) were:

The entrants in the 50-mile ride were given 12 hours to complete the course. Entrants in the 100-mile ride were given 24 hours to complete the course. A ride time of 11 hours was the best time posted at Fort Howes since the ride started in 1997. This year's high level of contestants shaved 2 hours off the previous record! Horses must make mandatory, periodic stops during ride. During these rest stops a veterinary checks the horse for soundness and metabolic fitness. If a horse passes the veterinary check it can proceed on the next leg of the ride.

The Fort Howes Endurance Rides are held about 20 miles South of Ashland, Montana, off the Otter Creek Road. They are hosted by Bill and Jan Stevens on the old "Circle Bar Ranch," generally the second week-end in June. The rides traverse the Stevens' property in the valley and the Custer National Forest in the hills above their ranch.

At one point this last week-end there were almost 200 horse trailers parked in the Stevens' alfalfa field. By Monday noon all but one was gone. The riders and their crew were treated to great meals, a variety of weather, and Montana hospitality.

(Fort Howes Website)