Diana Hiiesalu Bain and Khemali'i, 2012

The 57th Running Of The Tevis Cup ~ Greatest Ride Of My Life

I'm a Tevis Rider. This is my Tevis horse in the trailer. See the banner up there across the road? I'm one of those riders the WSTF are welcoming. We are on our way to the Overlook before we ride this Saturday. See the sticker on my trailer? I deserve to put it up there. Because my horse took to me a finish last year. See the mush on my hindside? That's my Tevis horse who was eating his special meal after training for 2 1/2 hours on the hill dribbled all over me. I love him more than life itself.

I am a Tevis rider. My Tevis horse and I are going for our second buckle. Do you notice how strong his butt looks? That's because we have been training for Tevis since I started riding him 7 years ago.He is a different horse from even 3 years ago. He is an athlete. He is a Tevis horse.

See all the gatorade, V-8, bug spray and sunscreen I have in my shopping cart? I'm riding Tevis in 2 days. I am riding my favorite horse in the greatest and hardest endurance ride in the world. I'm praying to finish with a sound horse and I'm going to hug him for his gallant ride for the rest of his life. This is my dream ride come true. I am a Tevis rider. And this is my Tevis horse.

Continue Reading....
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Previously injured Tevis rider to compete again with son

Auburnjournal.com - Full Article

7/27/12

Thomas was thrown from horse in 2008, broke pelvis, crushed bladder
By Amber Marra, Journal Staff Writer

It's been four years since Luanne Thomas was thrown from a horse in San Francisco, but she still gets nervous when she's in the saddle and things get a little shifty.

Even after completing last year's Tevis Cup, Thomas, of Cool, is still unsure when she's on a trail she isn't comfortable with.

"I still have little panic attacks if my horse stumbles. It takes everything I have to get through some of these narrow trails, even though the accident didn't happen on the trail," Thomas said. "I'm just nervous about waking up in the hospital again."

Thomas will ride in this year's Tevis Cup, but she won't do it alone. This will be the first time her son, Dillon, 13, has ridden the 100-mile endurance race, but he said he's ready, especially after placing first in the junior level of the American Endurance Ride Conference's west region.

"It's just the thrill of it, really. It's just the thrill of Tevis," Dillon said.

Thomas finished the race last year, a big accomplishment for her after taking a few years off from riding.

She did not finish her first attempt at the race and was eager to give it another go in 2008. Thomas was a member of the Sacramento Police Mounted Association for 16 years and decided to attend a training session being held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

That's when Thomas's life was uprooted...

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