Karen Chaton and Pro Bono, Tevis 2013

We had a great ride this year. Everything fell into place for us in so many ways. I actually entered early and planned ahead for the ride this year. And still managed to avoid any Gremlins!

We got up to Robie Park on Friday morning before the ride and got set up by 9 a.m.. It’s nice that we are only about 65 miles from the start so there is no need to go up any earlier.

I had lots of time to take Bo out for a nice leisurely pre-ride on the start of the trail. He was nice and relaxed and already had his mind focused on his job. When we got back, my crew person Wayne ran the Groomlights over Bo one more time. Bo really seem to enjoy that.

I then went down to vet in. This year we didn’t have to bring our tack down to weigh in so that made it a little easier. We vetted in with no issues and Bo got his #80 written on both sides of his butt. It was a relief to have made it this far.

Karen Chaton and Pro Bono, Tevis 2012

Getting to the start of the Tevis Cup is often the hardest part. It takes so much preparation, planning, and then of course worrying about every little thing that could or does go wrong. This year I had the hardest time making my mind up about going. In the end, I realized that I may regret it later if I didn’t try, knowing that my horse Pro Bono (“Bo”) was in such great shape.

On Friday morning we trailered to Robie Park, the starting point for the Tevis. It is roughly 60 miles from my house so Bo arrived after his brief trailer trip looking great. I checked in, then saddled up and took Bo out with a friend for a pre-ride to work off some of that excess energy that Bo was sure to have at the start the next morning. After that, we went to do our pre-ride vet check.


Peter Greig, Dr. Jim Baldwin, Karen Chaton and Pro Bono at Robie Park. Tevis pre-ride vet check.

Coincidentally, we got to vet in with Dr. Baldwin, who had just recently vetted us in Idaho at the City of Rocks ride. Bo passed with flying colors. We were now officially entered and cleared to start the ride!