RIDE & TIES AND EQUATHONS

ULTIMATE ENDURANCE RACE, RIDERS, HORSES AND OPEN SKIES

Written by: Kym Rouse Holzwart

The first Ride & Tie race was on a 25-mile course in California in June 1971. Bud Johns, the public relations director for Levi Stauss & Co., wanted to hold a difficult outdoor event to promote the company’s rugged clothing (the cash prize doubled if both participants competed in Levi’s jeans).

Bud got the idea for the event from reading about how two men with only one horse between them traveled fairly long distances efficiently in Europe and in this country during the 1800s and early 1900s. They traded off riding and walking to make it easier for both them and the horse. One man would ride ahead on the horse, tie it off and continue on foot. The other man would reach the rested horse and ride until he had passed the first man.

This process would repeat over and over until the two men and one horse reached their destination, arriving in better shape than if both had ridden the horse or if they had walked the entire distance.

Ride & Tie races are now all over the country, including Florida, and the 50th annual championship is in California in July.

Today’s Ride & Tie races are an endurance event combining trail running, horseback riding and strategy. Teams of two runners and one horse, pony, or mule at least 5 years old complete courses of various distances. One person starts riding the horse, the other on foot. After an arranged time or distance has passed (where the strategy comes in), the rider ties the horse to a tree and starts running. The first runner reaches the horse, unties it and begins riding the trail. When the rider reaches the runner, they can either switch, or the rider can pass the runner, tying the horse to a tree farther down the trail. The teams continue to alternate running and riding for the entire distance.

According to the rules of the Ride & Tie Association, there must be at least six exchanges of the horse between rider and runner, but there is no upper limit. At least two exchanges must take place between each required horse

Ride & Ties and Equathons are endurance races combining trail running, horseback riding, and strategy.

Horses Must Pass Vet

veterinary inspection, and exchanges must occur at each vet check. While the team doesn’t have to cross the finish line together, a team has not completed until all three cross the finish line. Horses must pass vet inspections before, during and after the race. Another option to Ride & Tie races is the fast-growing sport of Equathon, an event consisting of either a team of two people and one horse or one person and one horse competing on a trail of a pre-determined distance. The horse and rider do the first part of the trail, and after the horse has passed the mid-race vet check, the runner completes the second trail loop. Depending on the event, the riding and running distances may be the same or different. If competing as a team, one person rides and the second one runs, but if competing solo, the same person rides the horse on the first trail loop and then runs the second loop after the horse has passed the vet check.

If you are a trail runner or horseback rider looking to do something challenging, fun and different, Ride & Tie Races and Equathons may be for you! In Florida, Ride & Tie Races and Equathons are in conjunction with a number of endurance and competitive trail rides. Check the calendar of the Ride & Tie Association or the South Eastern Distance Riders Association to find out races held this coming fall and winter. Clinics may also be offered for beginners.

Another option is to compete as a team member of the annual Cross Florida Greenway’s Ride, Run, and Roll Relay in Ocala, which includes a 5-mile ride, a 3.1-mile run, and an 8-mile mountain bike ride. FCM

Roundup

Ride & Tie Association, rideandtie.org

South Eastern Distance Riders Association distanceriding.org

Ride Roll Run Relay, Facebook, triple.r.relay@gmail.com