Tevis Forum 2021

TEVIS FORUM 2021 - 7 www.teviscup.org by Abigail Madden As I sat down to write this article a few weeks ago, I struggled with what type of theme I should use for it. Of course, I wanted it to be based on the Virtual event, but I wanted it to focus on the individual participants, and how they were all tied together. What is one thing that all these folks have in common? Your first guess might be that they all have an enduring spirit, and while you would not be wrong, they are something else before that endurance gene kicks in. Following is a glimpse of what those 1,639 participants brought to the trail. Gary Yohe is 80 years old and lives in Phoenix, AZ. His brother, Roger Yohe, is a ten-time Tevis finisher and longtime member of the WSTF Board of Gov- ernors. Gary first learned about the Te- vis Cup ride by crewing for Roger in the 1970s. He said he crewed the ride five or 6 times and enjoyed it im- mensely. Gary said that when Roger told him about the Virtual event, he was an early sign-up. Gary has some physical limi- tations with his back, so he decided to complete the event on his three wheeled cycle/trike. He completed the event by riding 3-4 miles at a time. He said he would visualize where he was on the actual trail based on his distance traveled and that motivated him to keep going each day. Gary said he re- ally enjoyed being a part of the event since he can no lon- ger help in the actual ride due to his physical limitation. He hopes that he can participate in a future Virtual Tevis. Iris Hermann lives in Hof, Germany. She is 31 years old and works as a social worker in a children’s home. She complet- ed the V i r t u a l E v e n t in the r i d i n g division with her 19-year- o l d Qua r t e r H o r s e , C h i p . Iris said that she learned about the Tevis Cup ride via the Virtual event and really enjoyed learning about all the other participants and where and how they completed their mileage. She was par- ticipating in another virtual endurance challenge when she learned about the Virtual Tevis. She said that when her cur- rent challenge was over, the summer and her motivation were not. She didn’t know anything about endurance riding until March of 2020. She soon found out how much tracking and doing longer trails helped both her and her horse. “So, I signed up for Virtual Tevis, and it was the best challenge and best group ever!” Iris posted lots of photos on the event Facebook page of her adventures with Chip as they completed the Virtual Tevis Trail. Iris’ posts were very educational as well because the area in which she rode used to be on, in, and near the border with the former DDR/GDR (East Germany). This also meant that she was very near the border with the Czech Republic. Iris shared photos of beautiful greenways, castles, bridg- es, shepherds tending sheep, and even wild mushroom hunt- ing. She explained that you can’t eat too many of the mush- rooms because of the radioactivity that is still present in the area due to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in 1986. The beauty of the area is breathtaking considering its checkered past. According to Iris it is now considered, “…a national nature monument.” She had to complete some of the miles by leading Chip in hand due a nagging shoulder injury he has, but by the end of the 100 miles, Chip was back to rid- ing form. If you’d like to see some really beautiful country, look up Iris’ posts on the Virtual Tevis FB page. Amber Hagin is 32 years old and a rid- ing instructor and horse trainer in Waynesville, GA. Amber first learned about the Tevis Cup in 2005 when she began working for long time endurance riders Steve and Dinah Rojek. Amber heard about the Virtual Tevis from a friend who received an entry as a birthday gift. Amber de- cided that she not only wanted to participate, but wanted to complete 500 miles. She entered and began riding. Family and friends sponsored her and soon she was getting close to completing that 500-mile goal and decided to extend it to 1000 miles!! She completed 1000 miles on 10 separate horses. The horses she used were quite varied in terms of their breed- ing and jobs. She had Friesian sport horses, Arabians, Some of the 1,639 Participants of the Virtual Ride Event (continued on page 8) IRIS AT 800 YEAR-OLD RUINS IN WIEDERSBERG, GERMANY ROGER AND GARY YOHE TWO OF AMBER’S 10 HORSES SHE ROAD TO COMPLETE 1000 MILES