Tevis Forum 2022

TEVIS FORUM 2022 - 11 www.teviscup.org by Peter Davies My Tevis journey started in 1989 when I had been riding Endurance for about a year. A neighbor lent me his horse, registered name “I GO TEVIS.” That was my first and last Tevis comple- tion until 2021. In the years between, I had 6 non completions for various reasons. My horse for 2021 Tevis was FF Fargo, 15 years old and son of Montilier, who we own. Montilier is a Monarch son. Fargo is a super horse that is very competitive but takes care of me when needed. He was a Best Condition horse for Pacific Southwest region in 2015. The 2019 and 2021 education rides were very beneficial in my completing in 2021. The pre-ride of portions of the trail and mentors I rode with (Tony Benedetti, Jenni Smith, John Perry) were invaluable. Several seasoned Tevis riders gave me good suggestions for finishing with a horse ready to go home as healthy and feisty as ever. My wife, Judy, and I started to Ro- bie Park from Alpine, California. We stopped overnight in Bishop and left in the morning for a short drive to Robie. My brother, Bill, and sister, Holly, drove to Auburn from Huntsville, Utah to crew for me. They drove fromAuburn to the Robinson Flat vet check Saturday morning. Terry Howe and a group of friends had taken vet check supplies to Bill & Holly Friday evening and set up my corral at the Fair Grounds for the finish. The volunteers at the check points where there was no crew were great. They would ask if I wanted water on my horse and where on the horse I wanted it. They held Fargo while I recharged with offered snacks and treats, of which watermelon was my choice. All of the riders I met on the trail were friendly and courteous. From Robie Park to the finish at the Fair Grounds all went well. Fargo had a good day and I did as well, feeling good throughout the ride. I rode most of El Dorado Canyon by myself and that was relaxing because I could let my horse go at a pace that was comfortable for him. I was looking forward to crossing the American River and it was beautiful with the full moon reflecting off the water. About halfway to the Lower Quarry from the river, I thought I was coming to the vet check and slowed to a walk. After walking about a mile, I realized my mistake and decided I had better pick up the pace! At the Lower Quarry, the volunteers offered all the usual snacks and drinks. Carrying enough supplies, I declined the offer until it came to a cup of coffee and that hit the spot. Shortly after leav- ing the Lower Quarry, I caught up with Kacy King and we had a nice ride to the Finishing Tevis at Age 81 Peter and Judy Davies. photo credit: Lynn Glazer finish together. The finish lap around the stadium brought back memories of the last time, 31 years ago. I couldn’t believe it had been that long. My crew, who I had not seen in hours were there with everything I needed for Fargo and me. After the horse was taken care of, I went to the hotel and showered, then on to Awful Annie’s for breakfast with the crew. Be- ing the oldest rider to finish the Tevis at age 81 is a great distinction but just a completion after so many years was my goal. Now I am looking hopefully at Tevis 2022.