What is Ride and Tie? By Holly M. Have you ever heard of long distance trail racing? What about horseback riding? Sure, you've probably heard of both of these activities, but what exactly is Ride and Tie? It's exactly those two things combined together in one race.
What is Ride and Tie, and how is the race set up? Two people, a horse, and one tough race is often used to describe the sport of Ride and Tie. Ride and Tie is a lesser known sport that combines both endurance riding and long distance running. There are always three partners to a team, two humans and a horse. The goal is to have all three team members cross a 10-100 mile trail safely. The trail, or cross-country course, can be anywhere from up in the mountains, across meadows and rivers, or most likely all of these areas. One team member will start out riding while the other will start out running. The rider will race ahead on the horse while the runner will take off behind them. Ride and tie takes strategy. Switching and pacing is where this strategy is set in. Once the rider believes they are far enough ahead, they will dismount their horse, tie him or her up to anything sturdy that they can find, and take off down the trail. The runner will come up to the horse, untie them, mount, and take off after their partner. The riders and runners can choose to switch whenever they meet up with each other after the beginning or continue to ride on and tie once they settle into a steady pace. Factoring in strengths and weaknesses of the whole team, how tough the terrain is, and the weather drastically changes the strategy of the game. Another important topic is the vet check. There is always at least one mandatory vet check per race, but there are typically more depending on the distance of the race. Vet checks are used to make sure the horse is healthy and can continue the race. If the horse does not meet certain requirements or is injured, it will be pulled from the race. Once the horse has passed the vet check, they will take off again. Overall, Ride and Tie is exhilarating mentally and physically, and it ends up with the riders finding a new respect for their horse once they go through trails they put their horses on all the time.
What is the history of Ride and Tie? Ride and Tie can be dated back all the way to 18th century in Europe when people used to use this method to travel quickly when they only had one horse to ride. It was also a common method used in America out West for traveling back in the 19th century. Although people might have used the Ride and Tie method to get around a long time ago, the actual race was truly founded by Bud Johns. While he founded the sport in 1971, he first learned about it in the 1960s when he was reading about a story where a father and son had all their horses stolen from them but one, so they chased after the rustlers using the method now known as Ride and Tie. Meanwhile, the Levi Strauss blue jean company, where Johns worked as a marketer, was searching for a sport to sponsor. Johns introduced the idea of Ride and Tie to them, explaining how the Western aspect of the company and sport would fit well together. The company was convinced, so the first race took place in 1971 at Sonoma County with the Levi Strauss company sponsoring it. Sixtythree teams showed up, which motivated Johns and the company to continue sponsoring the newly founded sport for twenty more years. Eventually in the 1980s, the sport continued to grow and expand, traveling across the country. Ride and Tie is still growing rapidly and new races appear across the country every year.
What are the rules of Ride and Tie? Like any other sport, Ride and Tie has a list of rules. These rules are set in place for the safety of the horses and humans, and they are also used so races are fair and organized. Any violations of the rules typically result in being disqualified from a race, but it is possible to be banned from certain races that are sanctioned by a group. All of these rules were created and are enforced by The Ride and Tie Association.
19 Rules of Ride and Tie: 1. Each team will consist of two persons who are current members of the Ride and Tie Association and one horse. 2. The horse must be at least five years old. 3. No pregnant or lactating mares will be allowed to compete. 4. No foreign substance or medication may be given or administered to any horse within 72 hours before starting the event or one hour after finishing the event. This includes ointments or solutions for topical use that contain local anesthetics. 5. All horses must be submitted for a pre-race examination. 6. There will be a predetermined number of vet checks where the horses will be observed and examined.
There will be no mandatory time holds. be presented to the veterinarians for a postrace veterinary examination within one hour of finishing. Cut-off time limits for each check point may be established. Pulse, respiration, mucous membrane color and capillary refill, surface factors, attitude and soundness will be considered as part of the criteria for passing through to the next check. 7. All horse must be presented to the veterinarians for a post-race veterinary examination within one hour of finishing. Horses must pass this examination for any member of that team to be eligible for completion awards. No abuse of a horse will be tolerated. 8. All decisions of the Veterinarian staff regarding the health and safety of the horse are final. 9. Artificial ties are illegal. Hand ties may be allowed at the Race Director's discretion. Any decision to allow hand ties will be announced at the pre-race briefing. 10. Each team must tie its horse and switch from rider to runner and runner to rider at least six (6) times during an event. Teams may tie as many times as they desire anywhere along the trail as long as the ties do not obstruct the trail or are not made in designated "No Tie Areas." A required tie will occur at each vet check. A team must exchange at least twice between vet checks.
11. It is not permissible for both members of a team to use their horse at the same time for forward movement. 12. "Tailing" (meaning the rider dismounts, grips the horse's tail and allows the horse to pull him/her) is allowed but it is not permissible for one team member to ride while another tails. 13. No pacing by an unentered horse or runner is allowed for any contestant. 14. Riders shall be responsible for their horse's behavior prior to and during the event. If, at the discretion of the race management, any horse becomes unruly or jeopardizes the safety of other competitors, the team may be disqualified from the event. 15. Teams must pass and report to any trail marshals who are positioned along the course. Competitors inadvertently off course must return to the point at which they left the marked trail and complete the course correctly. Teams must stay on the marked trail.
16. Any protest must be filed in writing with the Race Director within two hours of the completion of the race. Prior to the start of the awards ceremony, the Race Director shall decide on the protest. An appeal of his decisions must be filed in writing within seven days to the President of the Ride and Tie Association, whose final decision cannot be appealed. 17.A team has not completed the race until both human teammates and their horse have reached the finish line. 18. These rules apply to a sanctioned race. A race may be of any distance, but to be sanctioned there must be a Ride & Tie race of at least 20 miles in length included within the same event. 19. Competitors under 16 years of age must wear approved safety helmets while mounted during a race (helmet approval by AHSA, PCA, ANSIZ90.4, or Snell) An unspoken rule of the road is to always pass on the left and give a heads up to whoever you're passing. Riders will typically stick to the right side of the trail because of this.
How should a Ride and Tie be trained for?
How competitive is Ride and Tie? Although Ride and Tie can seem very high strung and all about the race, it's not always that competitive. There are plenty of people that will be racing for top ten or top five, but a lot of people also just race for the fun of it. The atmosphere is nice, even when things get a little wild at the beginning and ends of races, and people are always willing to help out if someone is having trouble. Different teams might even race together throughout the entire course. Some might even try to finish together, so they can tie for a certain place. On the other end of the spectrum, the competitive teams will race to win. These teams might be in Ride and Tie to win, but if someone is having trouble they will most likely stop for just a bit to help out. The same goes for their horses. If their horse is having trouble, even if they get through the vet check, it is likely that they will pull the horse from the race. The Ride and Tie community is full of great people, competitive or not. Overall, Ride and Tie is a friendly competition where both horse and humans work closely together to get across the finish line safety. For most people, the ride isn't won by getting first place or even top ten, but by just getting across the finish line with their team.
To compete in a race, it is important for both the horse and the human members to be in shape. This can require several weeks to two or three months depending on what condition the entire team is in. The most common way of training a horse for these races is to canter hills. Cantering hills or even just having a horse canter for half-mile or one-mile stretches will strengthen their legs. After these sprints, the horse will walk for a while then sprint again. This exercise along with going out on some training rides on trails will allow the horse to have the strength to at least trot throughout the race. Several training rides, or trail rides, should be included in the horse’s and humans’ training. Whether the rides are slow or fast, it is important to do them for keeping endurance up. When the human part of the team is training, it's important to remember to train for endurance, not speed. Hiking trails with lots of different hills and terrain will help the feet withstand hours of work without getting blisters or swelling up, and it will build up different muscles in the legs. It is also important for the runners to be going on regular runs at different courses until they can run for at least five miles, unless only one member of the team will be doing most of the running. Both human team members will have their strengths and weaknesses, but they should both train to run and ride. These activities will build up stamina and endurance for the entire team.
Works Cited: Ables, Brad. Ride and Tie Association. "Welcome to Ride & Tie." Welcome to Ride & Tie. Ride and Tie Association, 2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. Kovatch, Kristen. "Run, Ride, Run: The Ride-and-Tie | HORSE NATION."HORSE NATION. Horse Nation, 3 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016. O'Brien, Anna. "What The Heck Is Ride And Tie? - Women's Running."Women’s Running. Women's Running, 24 Apr. 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Ride and tie is a sport that continues to grow and gather new people to race each year. Whether you're there to win it or just finish, you are there by the efforts of your team and everything they give you.
Bibliography