Jan 18 2011
Tevis Cup
Provided by: Wikipedia
The Western States Trail Ride, popularly called The Tevis Cup, is a 100-mile endurance ride. The amateur event has been held annually since 1955.
The ride is held in Placer County, California, starting at 5:15 a.m. at Robie Equestrian Park (39°14’20?N 120°10’39?W? / ? 39.23889°N 120.1775°W? / 39.23889; -120.1775) near the town of Truckee, across the crest of the Sierra Nevada near the Squaw Valley Ski Resort, and ending at 5:15 a.m. near the fairgrounds in Auburn. There are mandatory 60-minute rest stops and veterinarian checks at Robinson Flat (30 milepost) and Foresthill (70 milepost).
Each rider who completes the 100-mile course within the 24-hour limit and whose mount is judged “fit to continue” is awarded a silver Completion Award Buckle. The ride is sanctioned by AERC, the American Endurance Ride Conference.
The 52nd annual ride was held Saturday, August 5, 2006; the date was selected to take advantage of the full moonlight. 194 riders departed Robie Park, and 87 riders completed the 100-ride to Auburn, so the completion rate was about 45%. The 2006 Tevis Cup winner (first-place finisher at 10:23 PM) was John Crandell of Virginia, who rode an 8-year old Arabian gelding named “Heraldic.” The next morning, a team of veterinarians judged the top ten horses for condition, and Heraldic also won the coveted Haggin Cup for “best condition,” thus achieving a rare double-trophy status.
The 53rd annual ride occurred Saturday, July 28, 2007. There were 184 starting horses, but only 95 horses completed the ride. The 2007 Tevis Cup was won by Jeremy Reynolds, and the 2007 Haggin Cup was won by John Crandell.
Some historical Tevis statistics: As of the 53rd Tevis ride in 2007, there have been 8,751 starters and 4,763 finishers, with an overall completion rate of about 54%. The average first-place time for the Tevis Cup winner is 10 hours and 46 minutes, with an average moving rate of about 7.3 miles per hour. Of the Tevis Cup winners in the past 53 years, exactly 50%-50% have been men/women (counting three years when there were ties). Of the Tevis Cup winning horses, 71% have been geldings, 22% mares, and 7% stallions.
The 2008 Tevis Cup was originally scheduled for Saturday, July 19, 2008. However, on July 9, 2008 the Western States Trail Foundation and the US Forest Service held a meeting and agreed that the 2008 ride should be canceled because of the American River Complex wildfires (part of the Summer 2008 California wildfires) that have been burning in the area since June 21, 2008.
The 54th Tevis Cup occurred on Saturday, August 1, 2009. A total of 169 riders started from Robie Equestrian Park. There were six “Junior” riders who are under age 18; these must be accompanied at all times by an adult rider. A total of 82 horses were “pulled” at various vet-checks along the Western States Trail by the team of expert equestrian veterinarians. The weather was much cooler than average, so this was favorable for the horses and riders alike. A webcast by Karen Chaton kept everyone informed of the progress throughout the 100-miles. For the first time in Tevis history, videos taken from the saddle were uploaded onto YouTube and timely updates were shared using Twitter. The first rider and winner of the 2009 Tevis Cup was Sarah Engsberg from Georgia riding K-Zar Emmanuel, a 15-year old gray Arabian gelding. Sarah and K-Zar crossed the finish line in Auburn at 10:20 PM. Eleven minutes later at 10:32 PM was the second horse, Monique, ridden by Dr. Melissa Ribley, DVM. The third horse arrived at 10:32 PM; Sands of Time, ridden by Dr. Marcia Smith, DVM. On Sunday morning, August 2, the “top-ten” horses to finish were presented for the Haggin Cup to a panel of judges composed of equestrian veterinarians. The 2009 Haggin Cup for “best condition” was won by Dr. Melissa Ribley, DVM, riding Monique. The ride ended at 5:15 AM on August 2, and 87 riders (=51 percent) successfully completed the 2009 Tevis Ride. Barbara White earned her 29th Tevis buckle, and she remains the all-time leader for successful completions of the 100-mile ride.