Tevis Forum 2022

TEVIS FORUM 2022 - 21 www.teviscup.org (continued on page 36) Drawing: Sunday, July 17th, 2022 at the Tevis Cup Awards Banquet ReactorPanel, The Offical Saddle of the 2022 Tevis Cup Win a voucher equal to the cost of a base RP Saddle. This voucher can be used towards any saddle, base or custom. by FORuM Staff The 2020 Tevis Cup Virtual Ride was such a huge success that we decided to hold the event again in 2021. While it was obvious that part of that success was due to the cancellation of the Tevis Cup 100 Mile One Day Ride in 2020, the Western States Trail Foundation felt confident that the Tevis faithful would not disappoint and would still enter the 2021 Tevis Cup Virtual Ride, even with the return of the traditional Western States Trail Ride. As predicted, the Tevis family came together and made the 2021 Virtual Ride a grand success. The ride began on July 24, 2021 and was scheduled to end on November 1, 2021. However, challenges frompoor air qual- ity and Covid-19 lock downs got the ride deadline extended to the end of the year. There were 833 total signups, with 691 in the riding division and 142 in the non-riding division. There were 614 finishers: 509 in the riding division and 105 in the non-riding division, for a 74% completion rate. Total income from entries was $54,020.00 with an additional $6,155.00 in standalone donations for a grand total of $60,175.00, funds which will help the future of the Tevis Cup ride, to be used for trail preservation, sponsorship of veterinary research, to offset costs of putting on the ride, etc. We were pleased to have several international participants join us on trail again, and lots of repeat participants. One of those repeat players was “Deuce.” Deuce is a 19 year old Quarab gelding. He had to have colic surgery last year when he was just 10 miles shy of the finish. As part of his rehabilita- tion, his owner hand walked him that remaining 10 miles, ¼ mile at a time, and they got their completion. This year Deuce completed the entire 100 mile Tevis Cup Virtual Ride under saddle, and before the original cut-off. The awards for the virtual ride were a navy blue, long sleeved T-shirt with a fresh new design for the 2021 comple- tions. Awards shipping was greatly improved this year as we outsourced to a distribution company. Doing so ensured that all awards went out in a timely manner and freed up our vol- unteers to focus on other matters vital to the Ride. While there is no set “theme” for the ride, last year it seemed to be all about participation and getting outside (understandable, since we were all going stir crazy). A quick glance of the Tevis Cup Virtual Ride Facebook group shows that in 2021 it seemed to be about helping and bonding. A participant in Michigan who volunteers at her local animal shelter walked her 100 miles with no less than eight dif- ferent dogs that the shelter had taken in. Life had beaten up on those dogs pretty good. Injured, tossed away, and sometimes abused, but each photo she posted showed them thoroughly enjoying their time “on trail.” Go take a look at the Tevis Cup Virtual Ride Facebook group and see what a difference those walks made for those dogs (have a tissue handy). One of this year’s participants was faced with “pulling” due to some health challenges. Another participant contacted “ride management” and inquired if others could donate miles to that rider and thus get her enough miles to complete. The primary focus of the Virtual Tevis is to be a FUNdraiser, so those folks were given the “go ahead” and soon a surplus of miles was logged and another completion was in the books. Further down the trail, a second participant also faced the possibility of having to drop out of the competition for health reasons. In a short time, that rider also had plenty of miles donated, and a completion. After the finish, a participant noted that she had thought about selling her horse prior to the event. She said they just weren’t a team, but after riding him for the 100 miles of the Virtual Tevis, she developed quite a bond with him and decided to keep him. Another participant used the event to start her colt and used the ride to complete groundwork, and confidence building. Her last few miles of the 100 miles were spent in the saddle, enjoying the benefits of the focused training. You might have noticed by now that I keep referring you to the Tevis Cup Virtual Ride Facebook group. Take a look at it and post after post you’ll see folks encouraging each other, bolstering confidence, and sharing kind words. If you start doubting the presence of human kindness and troubles start to weigh a bit too heavy on your heart and mind, just take a scroll through the group to brighten your mood. By the time you read this, the 2022 Tevis Cup Virtual Ride will be well underway. We are switching it up this year. The event will start on April 8, 2022 and end on Sunday, July 17, 2022 to coincide with the finish date of the 2022 Tevis Cup. This publication should reach you by the end of May 2022. That gives you at least 45 days to sign-up and get your miles in before the finish (only 2.2 miles per day and you got it). You can ride, walk, swim, cycle, hike, kayak, etc., it’s just got to Another Successful Virtual Ride!