tevis

Tevis info article

/ Ashley Wingert / 4 Comments

An article I just wrote for the Renegade Hoof Boot news page and am now publishing here as well. It’s designed as a basic introduction to Tevis, for someone who might be curious about “that ride I always go on and on about.”

It is just over one week away from the “Western States Trail Ride,” most commonly referred to as the “Tevis Cup Ride,” or simply, “the Tevis.”  The Tevis is the world’s oldest modern endurance ride, first held in 1955, and is also considered “the world’s best-known and most difficult equestrian endurance ride.”  The Tevis is officially sanctioned by the AERC(American Endurance Ride Conference.)
Riders have 24 hours to travel the 100-mile course: from the starting point near the shores of Lake Tahoe, just outside of Truckee, CA, across the rugged Sierra Nevadas, to the finishing point in Auburn, CA.  Riders must finish with a horse that is deemed “fit to continue” by a team of veterinarians.
Horses must also pass a number of thorough vet-checks held at multiple locations along the trail, some of which also include mandatory rest periods, before being allowed to continue.  They are checked for their pulse and respiration, metabolics including hydration and gut function, and a trot-out to evaluate attitude, way of going, and to check for any unsoundness.
The trail can take its toll: historically, only about 50% of those who start the ride will cross the finish line.  Horses and riders both have to contend with the mountain trail that is both physically and mentally demanding.  The trail itself is rugged, traversing the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountain range.  The footing is often extremely rocky, with parts of the trail going through sections of granite rock wilderness.  Other parts of the trail travel along hard-packed forest service roads, and even on paved streets through the small towns of Michigan Bluff and Foresthill.
In the last number of years, anywhere from 175-200 horses have started the ride each year: both horse and rider have to be able to contend with the excitement and chaos of that many horses at the start.  The ride is held in July or August, as close to the full moon as possible.  Summer temperatures soar as the ride descends towards lower elevations, and it is not uncommon for temperatures to reach triple digits within the canyons in the middle of the day.
Riders who cross the finish line with a horse that is deemed “fit to continue” (just as it sounds: the horse should be metabolically and physically sound and able to continue on; a horse who is lame at the finish or is presenting a metabolic issue will not be awarded a completion) are awarded one of the coveted silver completion buckles.
In addition, several other awards are presented:
The Tevis Cup is awarded to the first-place finisher who finished with the fastest time and a horse still “fit to continue.”
The Haggin Cup is the “Best Condition” awarded to the horse finishing in the Top Ten placings who is judged by a team of veterinarians to be “in the most superior physical condition.”
The Josephine Stedem Scripps Foundation Cup recognizes all of the junior riders who complete each year.
More historical background and information about the ride can be found at http://www.teviscup.org.
Renegade® Hoof Boots were first used at Tevis 2009.  Linda Morelli and Falling Leaf finished in 20thplace, wearing the same four Sport Orange strap-on Renegades that they started with.
Riders have also finished the Tevis in 2010 and 2011 wearing Renegade® Pro-Comp Glue-Ons, and this year, both Renegade® strap-ons and Renegade® Pro-Comp Glue-Ons will be worn by riders ready to face the challenges of the Tevis trail.
The 2012 Tevis will start at 5:15AM PST on August 4th.
On Ride Day, the main website (http://www.teviscup.org) will have a link to the webcast , where you’ll be able to follow the ride online, including searching for a specific rider, checkpoint information, and a list of riders who have been pulled.
The official Facebook page for Tevis will also have up-to-date information: Tevis Cup (Official) – 100 Mile One Day Western States Trail Ride
The official Twitter account for Tevis is @TevisNews.  Tweets pertaining to the ride will be tagged as #Tevis100.
We are looking forward to another great year at this exciting ride!  Good luck to all of the riders who will be riding…we will see you in Auburn! 
PS: See my twitter widget on the right-hand column on this page? Check in with it on ride day…I’ll probably be periodically tweeting as I get a chance.

5 days and counting until I’m Auburn-bound!




Tevis Fever: Crew Edition

/ Ashley Wingert / 4 Comments

With the official countdown nearing the two-week mark, it’s time to start getting really excited about Tevis.  Preparations are in order, stuff is getting organized, I have plane tickets and am crafting packing lists.

Apparently, crewing Tevis is supposed to be harder (to some) than riding it.

I never got that memo until after I’d crewed it three different times.

Ignorance is bliss?

Because I never found crewing it that hard.  A bit stressful at times, maybe a little nerve-wracking…definitely deficient in the sleep department when it’s all said and done.  But I actually love it.

I guess that’s proof that I have Tevis Fever really bad and love anything having to do with the ride.

I crewed at the 2004, 2005, and 2009 rides.  I think part of the reason crewing hasn’t made me pull my hair out is the fact I’ve always been part of a fairly large crew team, which definitely helps take some of the pressure off.  There’s still the unavoidable, slight stress inducer of “The Great Trailer Race” out of Robie Park and down to Foresthill.  But crewing has been a great chance for me to really hone my own eventual ride plan and strategy.  (I might have one of those 2″-thick three-ring binders floating around that’s been dedicated to this purpose…*innocent whistle*)

Robinson Flat, Tevis 2009
Crewing for Lucy Trumbull and AM Ruwala Land — “Roo”
That’s me making sure Roo eats his carefully prepared snacks.

This year will be a little different.  I’m not crewing for any one person in particular.  Instead, Renegade is sending me up in a work-related capacity to help with booting before the ride, be on-hand as needed during the ride, and take lots and lot of pictures.

I’m planning to be at the Highway 89 crossing first thing in the morning to get video footage.  It’s a popular area for filming and I’m hoping I can get some good shots here.  Then I’ll be up at Robinson Flat, the first big one-hour vet check @ 36 miles into the ride.  This is the first place that the crews can meet their riders.
I think I’ll be up at Robinson the whole time riders are there, since I won’t have to be back down to Foresthill (next one-hour check, 68 miles into the ride) until mid-afternoon.  I poked at the logistics of trying to be someplace like Michigan Bluff (~60 miles), but can’t figure out how to make the timing work without ending up missing riders at both locations.  So I settled on Foresthill (at least for this year…) and will take as many pictures as I can before I loose the light.
And then I’ll head down to the Finish.  I want to stay up at least until all of our riders come in, so I can get (probably crappy, depending on light) photos at the finish line.  I’m planning on just camping there at the Fairgrounds, since I’ll just be back to watch Haggin Cup judging anyway.  Time driving = less time sleeping.  Plus, Auburn is closer to the Starbucks.  :)
Fingers crossed and looking ahead, doing the anti-gremlin dance, and counting down the days until Tevis 2012!

breathe…

/ Ashley Wingert / 4 Comments

I had a minor panic moment this morning when I thought it was only two weeks until I left for Tevis.

!!!!!!

Turns out it’s actually three weeks.

Whew.  I can breathe again.

However, I still can’t remember what today it is today, and keep waffling back and forth on whether it’s Tuesday or Wednesday.

And that’s after three cups of coffee.

Everything is coming together, and I know everything that needs to get done will get done.  I think most of the “big stuff” is taken care of and it’s about getting the details now…making sure I have enough camera batteries, picking up a couple more memory cards, figuring out which Renegade t-shirts are too well-loved to make the trip and which are still fit for public consumption.

This got added to my wardrobe:

Very nice collared, v-neck, tech-material polo that looks professional, is super-comfortable, and is the first thing going in my suitcase.  I already have my packing list started, just to write down those weird little things that I think about once — like camera chargers — and then promptly forget.  Fortunately I will have several days before the ride in which I will have access to civilization to figure out exactly what I forgot.

Blog buddies — If we’ve talked about meeting up while I’m in Auburn, email me or Facebook me.  I have a pretty good idea of what my schedule will be like, so can make further plans and give you contact info.

I am getting SO excited.  Tevis fever…it’s catching even if you’re not riding.

Whirlwind; or, Catch-Up, Redux

/ Ashley Wingert / Leave a comment

Even after 5 years of blogging, I still have some issues with consistency.  I don’t blog for a bit, say due to life circumstances and lack of time.  So I get out of the habit.  And I don’t blog.  And I don’t blog.  And suddenly, I’ve got all this stuff that’s happened, and I feel overwhelmed trying to catch up on everything…so I figure, I just won’t.

And then I can’t figure out what to blog about.

Ugh.

I haven’t really been up to anything monumentally exciting.  This is Arizona hibernation weather, the time of year where the pony thanks me for not riding her.  The closest national forest trailheads — and 20* cooler weather — are currently closed (at least as of last week) due to the extreme fire danger, and probably won’t open again until we get some more rain, so that put the kibosh on the vague “let’s go ride in the mountains” plans we had floating around at the barn.

I did have to go out of town a couple of weeks ago.  My grandmother passed away, and we all went back to Pennsylvania for her funeral.  Was not impressed with East Coast humidity.  My hat’s off to all endurance riders back there who successfully cope with it.

Work continues on…in short, I LOVE IT.  Finalizing Tevis plans for next month.  Rough schedule is I’ll be in Auburn Tuesday/Wednesday, then up to Robie Park Thursday/Friday for booting.  Ride Day Saturday, the plan is to be at the Hwy 89 crossing in the morning to shoot some video, then up to Robinson Flat, then back down to Foresthill, then to the Finish.  Yeah, I’m going to try to be a die-hard and stay up til the wee hours of the morning.  I just might be a bit crazy.  Massive quantities of caffeine will be involved.

Plans to try to meet up with several blog buddies…definitely looking forward to that!  One of my favorite things about endurance has been all of the great people I’ve met and friends I’ve made…that alone has been a major motivating factor to still keep my foot in the door of the sport, even during my competition-hiatus period — I would really hate to lose contact with so many of the great people I’ve met.

I’m also starting to put together a blog list that I’ll be putting on the Renegade news page — a list of “affiliates” of sorts, such as distributors or riders who use the boots that keep a blog and talk about the boots.  If you’re interested in having your blog or web page put on the list, let me know!

Tevis is a month away…let the countdown begin.

I still need to do an updated hoof post…will get photos this weekend when I’m down at the barn.

Tevis 2012: 9 Weeks and Counting

/ Ashley Wingert / 4 Comments

Okay, so anyone who knows me or has followed this blog for any period of time knows I am a certified (certifiable?) Tevis NUT.  Never mind I’ve not gotten to the point of actually riding it…but just crewing has been enough to get me hooked.  Actually, just reading about it was enough to get me hooked.

And as cliche as it is, wanting to do Tevis was why I got into endurance riding.

So that’s a bit of obligatory backstory.

But I’m super-excited because I get to go up to Tevis again this year!  In an official work capacity, no less.  I’ll be up there several days ahead of time to help with Renegade booting, and then get tons of pictures and generally provide a helping hand to our riders throughout the ride.

In my world, attending the ride is the next best thing to finally being able to ride it.

I’ve already made plans to meet up with a couple of blog-buddies, which is super-exciting, as well as being able to re-connect with friends that are in the area.  If you’re planning to come out to Tevis, either to ride or spectate, come find me!  I’ll be at the Fairgrounds Wednesday and Thursday, booting, then Robie Park Friday, and doing the whole “follow the ride” thing Saturday.  Just look for the bright orange boots!