63rd Western States Tevis Cup Endurance Ride by Arabian Horse World

The 63rd Western States 100-Mile

TEVIS CUP Endurance Ride by Genie Stewart-Spears photos by Lynne Glazer and Bill Gore of Gore/Baylor Photography

On July 28, 149 competitors left the starting line of the 63rd Western States 100-Mile Ride, better known as the Tevis Cup, with eagerness and trepidation of the trail that lay ahead; only 64 would complete. “The weather was brutal,” states Chuck Stalley, Ride Director of this annual endurance ride that starts in Truckee and ends in Auburn, California. “Not only was it hot, it was unusually humid. If that wasn’t bad enough, the air was smoky from the major fire 100 miles north (Carr Fire near Redding) and another 100 miles south.” The ride started at 5:15 a.m. The competitors left Robie Equestrian Park, near Truckee, where they gather and camp for the start of the event every year. They ride 13 miles to Squaw High Camp where water is available, as well as a veterinarian, if needed. Then, in another 8.5 miles, they are observed as they trot by, and veterinarians look for any lameness or problems with the horses. At Red Star Ridge, 28 miles, they have their first Gate-and-Go, a veterinary exam that must be passed before they may continue.

The 63rd Western States 100-Mile

TEVIS CUP Endurance Ride by Genie Stewart-Spears photos by Lynne Glazer and Bill Gore of Gore/Baylor Photography

Riding coyote-smart, Heather Reynolds guided 10-year-old CAYUCOS (*Virgule Al Maury x Tikis Wing Beat), aka Cayu, to win the challenging Western States Tevis Cup 100-mile ride in 14 hours, 45 minutes. Hillorie Farace di Villaforesta owns Cayu. “It was hot and muggy with a lot of smoke because there was a fire close enough that it made the air quality really bad,” says the triumphant Heather Reynolds after winning on CAYUCOS. “Cayucos is such a big, thick-bodied horse. I had to go pretty carefully through the heat of the day. It was still pretty hot when we left Foresthill, and places like the California Loop. We went conservatively through the middle of the day, and then he was able to pick up speed toward the end. “I wasn’t sure about it (winning) during the ride,” admits Heather. “We were never near the front really until much later in the ride. Our money was on Monk the night before the ride. He was the one to beat.”

First into Red Star was Tennessee Lane, La Veta, Colorado, riding TM Burning Bridges (Burning Sand x Scarlet O Sara), an 11-year-old gelding. Like Burning Sand, Bluff, as TM Burning Bridges is called, “is as compact and powerful as a horse can get,” says Lane. “He’s one of my best friends — we take good care of each other. He’s extremely powerful and talented on steep, technical mountain trails. He’s like riding a motorcycle with the throttle stuck; he just bombs down the trail fishtailing from side to side. He’s a blast!” Last year, Lane had a phenomenal ride, winning on *Auli Farwa, (FV Aul Fancy Free x Winchester Silkie). And last year, finishing in second place was Lindsay Fisher, riding Monk, an unregistered Arabian

gelding. This year, Fisher was back riding 16-year-old Monk and challenging Lane once again. The Blakeley family, from Oregon, was back too. Between the three of them (Wasch, Gabriela, and son Barrak), they have had nine top-ten Tevis finishes since 2014. Wasch was riding RA Ares Bey (Must Bey Dreamin x RBS Aalani Mist); Gabriela on LLC Pyro’s Choice (Pyro Thyme SA x TC Kharieta); and Barrak aboard OMR Quicksan (OMR John Henry x Sansational Lady by Sanskrit). Other competitors were in the mix, but as the first 50 miles of the ride progressed, it was clear that Lane, Fisher, and the Blakeleys were riding with intent. They all knew the trail, the risks, and the toughness it took to finish this ride and finish it well.

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l e f t to r i g h t :

Wasch, Gabriella and their son Barrak Blakeley. “With a 50 percent completion rate, we anticipated at least one pull between the three of us but, against all odds, hoped to finish with all three horses and with as high a placing as we could,” says Wasch Blakeley about his family. “We had very stiff competition this year, and we did not want to get sucked into speed and competing above our limits.

It was a very hot and humid race, so we could not push through, but had to ride smart.” Gabriela Blakeley rode LLC PYROS CHOICE to a second-place finish, 18 minutes behind the first-place competitor. Wasch, riding RA ARES BEY, finished in third place in the same minute as his wife, Gabriella. Barrak Blakeley was fifth place on OMR QUICKSAN.

“We had trained for running up front and were riding to our horses’ abilities,” says Gabriela Blakeley. “So we were not surprised that they were doing really well. It was easy for them to stay so close to the front.” Previous Tevis Cup winners Heather (2003 and 2014) and Jeremy Reynolds (2004 tied with Becky Spencer, 2007, and 2011), never to be underestimated, were nearly 20 minutes behind the leaders. Heather was riding Hillorie Farace di Villaforesta’s horse, Cayucos (*Virgule Al Maury x Tikis Wing Beat), aka Cayu. Jeremy was on seven-year-old Anydaynow (Patriot Missle x Annatiki), owned by Barbara Hershberger. By 62.5 miles, out of Michigan Bluff, Jeremy was 25 minutes back and Heather was 30 minutes behind the leader, which was now Lindsay Fisher on Monk. “I wasn’t ever planning on taking the lead until it just happened,” says Fisher, a veterinarian from Napa, California. “I just rode at my usual pace, despite the heat. But I spent more time at the stops and water crossings to fuel him up and cool him off than I typically do.” In the last few years, Diane Stevens, with her now 16-year-old equine partner, Banderaz LC (Jazzman DGL x Zordosa), aka Titan, worked their way from just completing the Tevis to finishing in the top ten. At this point (62.5 miles), Stevens was dogging Fisher, but not too far behind her were the Blakeleys and Tennessee Lane. “Titan has a Masters Degree in Eating and Drinking,” says Stevens, from Lincoln, California. “His recoveries

in the vet check are always excellent and fast. This Tevis was his 11th 100-mile completion. Titan has been known to want to canter 100 miles. The canter is his preferred gait. He has done two 100s in less than nine hours. He is a horse that you don’t have to encourage to go, and he doesn’t waste energy with trying to race.” Lane, however, moved back up within minutes of Fisher; and Stevens was now riding along with the Blakeleys. By Foresthill Vet Check at 68 miles, the top ten competitors were strung out from three to 56 minutes behind Fisher on Monk. It appeared that the race for the win was between these two capable riders, Fisher and Lane, both on outstanding horses. But it wasn’t over yet. The lead was about to change, as it often does in vet checkpoints because one horse is ready to go and another isn’t quite ready. Placings were changing back and forth as the afternoon progressed. By Francisco’s Gate-and-Go (85 miles), Fisher arrived four minutes ahead of Heather Reynolds, and 10 and 12 minutes, respectively, ahead of Wasch and Gabriela Blakeley. Lane and Stevens arrived together, 23 minutes behind the leader. Barrak Blakeley came in four minutes later, and then Jeremy Reynolds arrived 10 minutes after Barrak. Suzanne Hayes, typically a top-ten finisher, and Mykayla Corgnell, on a mustang, had moved up into the top ten. Heather Reynolds’s horse was first to leave Francisco’s, with a three-minute lead on Fisher. Wasch and Gabrielle Blakeley were next out as Lane lost 17 minutes in this hold. Jeremy’s horse took longer in the hold also, and he was now 35 minutes behind his

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“He is sired by BUCEPHALUS (CMK) but that’s all I know,” says rider Lindsay Fisher on MONK’s unconfirmed parentage. Although Fisher and Monk diced most all day for the lead with Tennessee Lane riding TM BURNING BRIDGES, Fisher completed in fourth place in 15 hours, 13 minutes, and Lane completed in seventh place. Lindsay added, “Another awesome Tevis for the books! I am so proud of Monk! He exceeded my expectations with that awful heat, humidity, and smoke. I wasn’t planning on taking the lead until it just happened. I just rode my ride as it unfolded at my usual pace despite the heat, but spent more time at the stops and water crossings to fuel him up and cool him off than I typically do.”

“We were in it to win, and then the heat of the day totally kicked our ass, so we reined it in a notch,” says Tennessee Lane. On top of that, her horse developed an unexplainable change in way of going that no one, not even the veterinarians, could put a finger on. Lane backed off the pace even more but still finished in seventh place in 15 hours, 13 minutes. “It turned out that he had an acute flare up of scratches,” Lane explained. (Scratches is a disease of the heels and back of the pastern. It is also known as greasy heel, mud fever, and dew poisoning. The condition is painful to the touch and may even cause the horse to become lame.)

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Claire Godwin and PL MERCURY (AM Autumn Mead x Playland Lady) crossing the swinging bridge at mile 50. A H W > 109 < 0 9 . 1 8

wife, the new leader. “When I arrived at Francisco’s,” explains Heather Reynolds, “Lindsay Fisher and Monk were there. Coming into the check there was a slight breeze, but as soon as you got into the checkpoint in a little hollow, there was just no air movement. It was hot and muggy, and a lot of smoke made the air quality really bad. It took a long while to cool out. My horse was panting. I decided I wasn’t going to get him much cooler because the air was so stagnant, so I left as soon as the veterinarians cleared him. Lindsay left a couple minutes after, which I didn’t know at the time. But at the River Crossing (88 miles), she caught up with me. We were together to the Lower Quarry (another Gateand-Go at 94 miles). Unfortunately, Jeremy Reynolds’s ride ended at the Lower Quarry when Anydaynow was tight in the rear, causing an irregular gait at the trot out exam. “There was a lot of hind limb lameness, probably because the horses didn’t cool off well and because the horses were often working double-time because the riders weren’t able to go on foot where they normally try to give their horses breaks,” states Dr. Peralez. “For instance, Melissa Ribley (who finished in 26th place) said there was no way she could be on the ground as much as she wanted because it was so darn hot. Others said the same thing.” “Monk was not drinking to my liking between Foresthill and Francisco,” says Lindsay Fisher. “I lost a lot of time cooling him, but it was necessary to keep him metabolically safe. He felt powerful on the trail — never any

Diane Stevens and BANDERAZ LC (Jazzman DGL x Zordosa), aka Titan, whose first 100-mile competition was the Tevis Cup in 2011, made their fifth completion this year, finishing in sixth place in 16 hours, 34 minutes. Titan is just 25 miles short of 3,000 career miles, including eleven 100-milers, 32 top tens, eight Best Conditions, and fifteen wins. In 2017, he won the AHA National 100-Mile Championship and was Reserve Champion in the AERC 100-Mile Year End Award. But life was touch-and-go two years ago when he was impaled on a T post, which went into his left hind leg and groin area. “It was really bad. My vet said she would try to save his life, but his days of doing endurance were over,” says Diane. “He survived and continues to excel in the sport!”

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weakness there. But I stayed at Francisco’s Gateand-Go, despite pulsing down before Heather and Cayucos. Monk was so hot that he was not interested in eating at first. When he finally cooled down and started eating, I had to listen to him and let him eat. I didn’t think I would see Heather again, but I did catch her at the river crossing, and we rode in together to Lower Quarry. Monk pulsed with Cayucos, but I also stayed there a little longer to let him eat and left at a conservative pace. I detected something subtle going on with him, and I did not want to risk something little getting worse. As it turns out, his splint boot had rubbed him raw in some places.” “Earlier, the Blakeleys had shown up at Francisco’s as we were leaving, and they showed up again at the Lower Quarry as I was getting

ready to leave,” says Heather. “At the Quarry, Lindsay came over to me and let me know that she wasn’t going to push to the finish. I went out by myself, and I didn’t know if the Blakeleys were going to try and catch me, so I kept going at a good clip.” Heather Reynolds rode coyote-smart the entire day. That, along with a little luck, brought Reynolds and 10-year-old Cayucos in first to the finish, 18 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher. Her

The oldest horse to complete the Tevis Cup was PL MERCURY (AM Autumn Mead x Playland Lady), owned and ridden by Claire Godwin to 13th place in 17 hours, 18 minutes. At 27 years old, Merc, as he is called, has 5780 career miles, seventeen 100-mile completions, six firstplaces, 66 Top Tens, and six Best Condition Awards.

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course time was 14 hours, 45 minutes. “He is trackbred and was raced by Paul and Betty Jo Richards at Lone Chimney Ranch in Arkansas,” says Cayu’s owner Hillorie Farace di Villaforesta. She added that she had her eye on Cayucos since he was just a two-year-old. “He was just starting his track training, and the owners agreed to let me buy him when his track career was over,” says Hillorie. “He did really well at the track! My forte is finding and building horses. I am not competitive in the saddle. I live to build horses with potential, set them up for success, and see them shine. Friends ride my horses, people who I know and trust to take care of them and who are able to help the horse excel.” (Heather Reynolds, in fact, won the Tevis in 2014 riding French Open, also owned by Hillorie.) One person who helps her horses excel, she said, is Mark Schuerman, a trainer in Auburn, California. “Mark gets all of my horses off of the track for 90 days and puts the finesse work and dressage foundation on them. It really makes a difference. Mark is just a true horseman, and I love having him ride and train my horses. They turn out tuned, balanced, happy and solid.” Wasch and Gabriela Blakeley finished second and third, respectively. “At the last vet check, we realized how close we were to the win,” says Wasch. “But we weren’t sure about pushing them this year, and decided to let it go.” (Their son was pulled two years ago on the finish line coming in seventh, so they did not want to risk another non-finish; better to come in with a strong horse.) Their course time was 15 hours, 3 minutes.

The Haggin Cup (Best Condition) was awarded to MM CODY, a 10-year-old mustang captured in Ely, Nevada. Cody is owned and trained by Mark Montgomery (that’s where the “MM” initials in Cody comes from) and was ridden by 21-year-old Mykayla Corgnell. “Cody is an amazing athlete who loves his job,” says Mykayla. “He loves to move out on the trails. And he has an amazing recovery that makes him a great candidate for the Haggin Cup. “My goals were to get a completion and hopefully be in the top 25 to finish,” she continues. “My goals were surpassed as Cody was doing an amazing job at covering ground and had no difficulty with the terrain and conditions. It was very hot, humid, and smoky throughout the ride. But the views were amazing at the tops of the mountains, and the rivers and creeks were gorgeous as well. I loved the experience! And it is amazing how many volunteers give up their time in order for this ride to happen. I want to thank every single one of them for all of their help.”

“There are no ties allowed,” says Gabriela. “Last year, Wasch and I came in together, and as it was his first Top 10, he went first. This year it was my turn to go first. And next year we have to race in!” Monk and Lindsay Fisher came over the finish line in fourth place with a course time of 15 hours, 13 minutes. Barrak Blakeley completed 21 minutes later. “Barrak was on a young mare, and it was her first Tevis,” relates Barrak’s mother. “So going into the canyons, he slowed down, but afterward picked up speed again.” An hour later, Diane Stevens crossed the finish line in sixth place with a course time of 16 hours, 34 minutes. Next to finish was Tennessee Lane and TM Burning Bridges, and they eased across the finish with a time of 17 hours, 1 minute. MM Cody, a mustang, was next to complete in eighth place. Ridden by Mykayla Corgnell, Cody was awarded the coveted Haggin Cup at the next day’s Best Condition judging. Their course time was 17 hours, 17 minutes. Mykayla, 21, had only 350 miles experience at the start, and MM Cody had just over 2,000 career miles.

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Cody is owned by Mark Montgomery, who himself completed in ninth place on another mustang, MM Woodrow, one minute later. Mark adopted Cody from the Ridgecrest BLM facility on May 11, 2011. He came from the Delamar Herd Management Area located approximately 10 miles southwest of Caliente, Nevada, in Lincoln County. According to the Delamar Herd Management website, there is no specific information about the breed of horse that resides in this herd, but the wild horses are likely to be descendants of horses which escaped or were turned loose by ranchers, miners, settlers, and the cavalry remount service. Likely breeds contributing to the herd include Quarter

Mike Peralez, D.V.M., headed up the team of 15 control and two treatment veterinarians with three to four on standby if needed. “Most people take fantastic care of their horses. Sometimes rider decisionmaking abilities erode under the veil of fatigue or while in the fog of intense competition. We are there to make sure everyone toes the line. Fatigue can certainly change your perspective.” Having completed the course four times, Dr. Peralez has insight to what the competitors face. “The first two canyons are the toughest. They are very deep, exposed, no breeze, and very hot. It is not just hot; the heat also radiates off the rocks. The first canyon from Last Chance to Devils Thumb is about four miles. The trail switchbacks down and then right back out on more switchbacks. The second canyon after Devil’s Thumb and before Michigan Bluff is much longer downhill and a long steady march uphill.” Peralez agrees that the temperatures played a major role with the high attrition rate. “In the canyon it was probably 100 degrees. We were expecting 110115, but thankfully it didn’t get that hot. Humidity was 60 percent, I’m guessing. Even at night the heat did not let up. We also had a smoke layer from the Redding Fire. The Ferguson Fire, down south near Yosemite, was actually the first couple of days, and then the majority of the smoke was from the north on ride day.

Horse, Arabian, Thoroughbred, and several draft breeds. “Cody was a very dominant three-year-old,” says Montgomery. “When I got him home, I went right to work with him in the round pen. After sending him for a few laps to the left, I tried to change his direction to the right. He charged me, striking with both front feet as he ran at me on his hinds. Luckily, I was using a large mulberry branch as a longe whip, and as he charged, I instantly reacted by swinging it as hard as I could. It made a direct hit, and thank God, he backed down. I have no doubt that he would have stomped me into the ground if I didn’t respond the way I did. He’s come a long way from that day!

At the end of the awards ceremony, Head Veterinarian Mike Peralez and WSTF board member and master of ceremony Jeff Herten prepare to announce the Haggin Cup recipient.

“The smoke added another layer of difficulty,” Peralez explains. “It wasn’t a layer of ash but a thin layer of haze that held in the heat. We saw more riders than usual affected by the heat. We had a lot of riders overtime because they just couldn’t physically do it; they couldn’t keep up with the cut off times at the checkpoints. Some had to slow down to a crawl because they were pretty darn sick; the horses did much better than the riders. I attribute the lower finish rate to many of the riders having to go slower due to the horses not cooling out as well.”

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In her second ever 100-miler, 13-year-old Caroline de Bourbon from San Leandro, California, was the first junior to cross the finish line. She was riding STARS THE LIMITE (*No Limite x BC Starla Fix) and finished in 14th place with a course time of 17 hours, 36 minutes. “Stars The Limite, aka ‘Goose,’ is a 2007 model Arabian gelding off the track,” says Caroline’s sponsor, Michele Roush Rowe, D.V.M. “He was mine, but is now owned by Bill Whitlock, who is the main sponsor for Caroline. I just step in every now and again. I bought Goose as a four-year-old from Helen Shelley, who bred him. I had him for about four years and then sold him to Bill.”

“It is all about gaining their trust. With Cody, it was about getting his respect, then getting his trust. I have never had another mustang get aggressive with me like that. After that incident, the training went very well,” Montgomery posted on his Facebook page. “Cody’s completion rate is 33 for 35 with four BCs, plus the Haggin Cup, and nine first-place finishes. He has completed his last nine 100s in a row, eight of them in Top Ten.” Sarah Gray topped off the top ten with Sharade Le Fey (Sanskrit x Shey La Fey), completing on the same minute as Montgomery for A H W > 114 < 0 9 . 1 8

a 17 hour, 8 minute course time. The oldest horse to complete in the history of the Tevis Cup is PL Mercury (AM Autumn Mead x Playland Lady). Merc, as the 14-hand, 27-year-old gelding is called, came all the way from Maryland for the competition. Merc completed the Tevis Cup in 44th place in 2009, sixth in 2010, 14th in 2015, and 74th in 2017. Merc is owned and ridden by Claire Godwin, D.V.M., and this year, the pair completed in 13th place in 17 hours, 18 minutes. Merc is a phenomenal horse to be competing at this level at his age. Godwin attributes his

It was also an emotional event for Dr. Jim Baldwin, D.V.M., from Oklahoma (on left). At 79 years old, this was his final Tevis Cup after having worked the event for 17 years, and having completed it twice. In a little subcompact car, Baldwin has driven all over the U.S. and Canada to work rides. He has also worked in the UAE and several other countries. “He’s been a mentor for many of us — the vets and the riders,” adds Dr. Mike Peralez, Head Veterinarian for the Tevis Cup. “We are going to miss him out here.”

success to being relaxed, independent, and willing. Since 2009, he has started 19 100-milers and completed 17. He has over 5,700 career miles since 2007, completing 102 rides. The first of two juniors completing (four started) was Caroline De Bourbon, who was sponsored by Michele Roush Rowe, D.V.M. De Bourbon was riding Stars The Limite (*No Limite x BC Starla Fix) and completed in 17 hours, 36 minutes. Junior competitor Frank Smith completed in 37th place on WL Indicator (WL Intruder x Krishan des Fleur) in 21 hours, 2 minutes. The ride was officially over at 5:15 a.m. on June 29. The last competitor completed at 5:09 a.m.

“It is fun to see the victory in peoples faces as they finish — the tears that flow, and their joy of completing,” says Dr. Peralez. “The Tevis Cup takes a lot from you as a rider. There is a big commitment of time, on top of financial and emotional commitment. To see all of that come together for a Tevis finish is inspiring! People come from all over the world to compete in this event. “It is amazing to see them finish,” he continues. “To be in the company of these incredible equine athletes is an honor. There are a lot of great horses that cross the finish line, but a lot of great horses don’t finish. Tevis is capricious that way. You never quite know how your ride is going to go.”

2018 TEVIS TOP TEN FINISHERS 1.

Heather Reynolds

CAYUCOS (*Virgule Al Maury x Tikis Wing Beat)