My Tevis Ride- 1998 Nick Warhol
The Tevis is 30% rider, 30% Horse, 40% Luck
Those were the words head vet Mitch Benson told me at the finish line of the 1997 Tevis, (my first attempt) where the leased horse I was riding was pulled for lameness. Zion had brought me all the way from Robe Park to Auburn in splendid fashion only to come up lame in the last couple of miles. It was an incredible ride despite the disappointment.
August 8, 1998. Fast-forward one year to Robe Park for the 44th annual Tevis Cup 100 mile ride. I had an entire year to replay the 97 ride over and over in my mind. My own horse Shatta had completed his first two 100 mile rides this past winter in excellent shape and was ready. We had a large group of riders in the event this year. My wide Judy had her “Wonder Appy” Warpaint ready to go as well. He finished his first Tevis attempt in 93 but injured himself in a fall in 96 on the bike path before Squaw and was pulled at Robinson Flat. Our long time friend and endurance buddy Marilyn R. Russell (5 completions out of 11 starts at Tevis) brought her feisty mare Cresta out for her first attempt at Tevis. Carolyn Stark-Schultz is a good friend and fellow club member who was trying Tevis on her new horse Echo that she bought from Becky and Judith this year. This would be Carolyn’s first attempt at a 100-mile ride. Norma Kover wanted to attempt Tevis, but like me last year realized her horse was not yet ready. Norma leased a horse named Josh from Potato Richardson for the ride and her first attempt at a 100. My buddy Brian Reeves brought his horse “Goofy” out for his first attempt at Tevis. Brian and I rode our horses’ first two 100’s this winter together from start to finish and developed a great team with Shatta and Goofy. Rounding out our group was none other than Samm Bartee and Kathy Adair all the way from Alabama. How in the world did they end up joining our group? That’s the beauty of the Internet. Judy and Samm became friends via E-mail immediately since they both ride Appys in endurance, one on the West Coast and the other in the South. We met Samm at the convention in Kentucky last year where she won an entry to Tevis in the raffle. She knew her Appy “Sir Revel” was not quite ready for the Tevis so she borrowed a wonderful Arab gelding named Cojur for six months to get ready and ride Tevis during a once-in-a-lifetime three week vacation. She sent out an E-mail asking for Tevis advice, so I asked her if she’d like to join me for the ride and for crewing help. She said, “Okay!”
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