Tevis Forum 2011

22 ★ TEVIS FORUM 2011 plete a 100-mile endurance ride prior to riding the Tevis. This will provide you with the experience of riding and continuing on through the darkness even when both of you are becoming fatigued. There is both a physical and mental toughness that is unique to 100-mile riders and horses. One can only experience and appreciate this by riding on through the night, even when the 25- and 50-mile riders have long ago had their dinner and gone to bed. To gain this mindset that you will keep going down the trail, despite that at some point it will likely no longer seem quite as enjoyable as you thought it would, it is a good idea to compete in other 100-mile rides prior to the attempting the Tevis. The Tevis poses its own challenges and one of these is the heat. If you live and train in an area that is cool, it can be very difficult to acclimate your horse to the extreme environmental heat conditions that the Tevis occurs under. It is important to do whatever you need to do to train your horse at least periodically under heat condi- tions. It is not fair to ask of your horse to compete under conditions that he has not ever trained in. This maymean trailering long distances or housing your horse where he can be exposed to and trained under heat conditions, but it is important to not underestimate the impact of not having heat training. Additionally, your horse will require many miles of conditioning which can be detrimental to a horse’s soundness of feet and legs if not done in good terrain. For the summer you have targeted as your Tevis year, your conditioning should begin the winter prior. Find- ing good riding conditions in the winter can be challenging since much of the country has rain and therefore mud. Every effort should be made to seek out and provide as good of footing as possible in order to avoid training injuries that will prevent you from even getting to the starting line. Your fitness level as a rider will directly impact your horse’s perfor- mance on ride day. Your ability to stay balanced and ride lightly even when fatigued will improve your horse’s ability to complete the ride. Having the fitness level that will allow you to periodically get off and lead or tail your horse in steeper ter- rain such as the canyons, will give your horse a break and save some of his energy reserves for later in the ride. You are half of the team that is taking on this challenge and you should dedicate yourself to being the best teammate you can be by being physically fit and an asset to your horse, not a hindrance. Training for the Tevis takes time and dedication and should beginwith having the right horse for you. With the right equine partner and proper training and preparation, complet- ing the Tevis is an achievable goal. It is a worthy aspiration and your efforts will be well spent, for nothing quite matches the thrill and sense of achievement of riding under the Tevis finish banner at the Gold Country Fairgrounds. ★ CALSTAR Bringing advanced life support to the scene of accidents and providing patient critical care during air transport SPECIAL TEVIS OFFER! • Membership effective immediately • 14-day waiting period waived • $45.00 Annual Family Membership • $40.00 Annual Individual Membership • Please complete CALSTAR’s Tevis Cup Membership application in the registration packet 530.887.0569 www.calstar.org Average air medical transport cost: $25,000 + Members not billed for air medical transports by CALSTAR or reciprocal partners in CA, OR, ID, NV, WY & WA Referred by Sonja Vargas