‘Cantankerous old pony’ rides into US endurance Hall of Fame
At the historic menstruation of 26, Icelandic horse Remington has been named as this year’s American Endurance Ride Conference Hall of Fame Equine.
The 13.3hh pony wasn’t honored for winning distance events, but for his consistency in addition to truthful endurance. Owner John Parke shares the storey of this remarkable rival in addition to how he came to earn endurance riding’s supreme honor.
Why on public would anybody desire a cantankerous one-time pony inwards the Hall of Fame? Maybe the answer lies inwards the dissimilar ways nosotros recognize endurance inwards our horses.
What is endurance inwards a horse? It tin live the powerfulness to perform good inwards a tough 50 or fifty-fifty 100 mile ride. It tin also hateful the powerfulness to cash inwards one's chips along competing through a long flavor in addition to garner year-end awards. Or it tin hateful the powerfulness to remain audio plenty to pile upward ride completions over a long career.
Some of the horses inwards the Hall of Fame accept won ride after ride. Others accept rolled upward mile after mile. Some accept done both.
With Remington it is all nearly longevity. With 2 50-mile rides thus far this season, nosotros accept at 1 time completed endurance rides together for the terminal xx years inwards a row. He has accumulated 11,300 career endurance miles thus far. He is a gilt flat Equus caballus inwards the AERC’s 100-mile programme for having completed x 100-mile rides. He has also completed to a greater extent than than 10 multiday Pioneer rides.
Even amidst all the incredible horses inwards the Hall of Fame, Remington is unique for the combination of these achievements.
Remington hasn’t been pulled since 2004 when he completed 2,055 miles inwards 1 season. He is the highest mileage gaited Equus caballus inwards the history of the sport past times far. He participated inwards the XP 2001, XP 2004 in addition to XP 2011 cross-country rides in addition to has crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass 3 dissimilar times.
Whether you lot prefer the metaphor of the Energizer bunny or the Timex sentry which keeps on ticking, this pony simply keeps going.
Most people rightly think of Remington in addition to me as back-of-the-pack finishers. Our solely plough over x destination was inwards the initiative of all AERC 100 Mile Championship Ride inwards 1998 after other horses dropped out.
Remington did present an occasional plough of speed, though, years ago, when I was pushing for him to live the initiative of all Icelandic to win a regional points championship. I think his fastest 50-mile fourth dimension was 5:44 for a ride out inwards the desert. We went initiative of all middleweight inwards the Pacific Southwest Region inwards 1998 in addition to 1 time again inwards 2004. It seemed similar nosotros were ever competing dorsum in addition to thus amongst my beau middleweight Randy Coleman in addition to his superb Hall of Fame Equus caballus Pandora’s Pixy. We also took the regional passenger mileage entitle inwards both of those years, in addition to placed mo inwards national mileage inwards 2004.
We started endurance inwards 1995 simply a few months after I bought Remington as a Christmas acquaint for my married adult woman in addition to children the twelvemonth before. I was an avid mount biker at the fourth dimension but idea that riding the pony would live something my whole household unit of measurement could share. I hadn’t ridden a Equus caballus for nearly xl years since dorsum when I would climb upward on the dorsum of 1 of my grandpa’s farm horses amongst 2 or 3 of my cousins when I was a child.
Remington is definitely my soulmate. When nosotros are riding inwards the wee hours of the morning, I tin experience his muscles moving as though they are my ain in addition to I know he tin read my thoughts. Sometimes it feels similar nosotros are 2 parts of the same being.
I idea it was solely fair to endeavor to cash inwards one's chips along Remington tally after I brought him habitation thus I tried to ride him a duad of nights a calendar week after I came habitation from work. His breeder told me that I should give endurance riding a endeavor if I was going to ride him thus much. She had done endurance on Icelandics to promote the breed a decade or thus before. I also learned nearly the prominent occupation Icelandics played inwards the Great American Horse Race inwards 1976 [ a 3000 mile ride from Frankfort, New York to Sacramento, California].
Endurance looked similar the perfect sport for us. I figured I would larn a lot nearly horseback riding in addition to Equus caballus aid from other riders. We would accept the do goodness of supervision from veterinarians in addition to ride managers to render us a margin of security spell nosotros both learned nearly roofing long distances in addition to tough terrain. We would live exposed to state-of-the-art information on Equus caballus aid in addition to equipment. We would leave of absence on beautiful trails nosotros powerfulness non otherwise accept access to.
I entered our initiative of all ride after seeing an advertizing inwards a freebie magazine from the feed store. I was totally clueless nearly what to do at the ride, but Remington seemed to buzz correct along. At the midway vet check, the vet said his trot didn’t expect right. Then a gruff phonation behind him said, “I vetted those furry things all the agency across the province inwards the Great American Horse Race. That’s a tolt, non a trot. He’s fine.” (That was the starting fourth dimension of a real long human relationship amongst Dr Dave Nicholson.)
I yet recall the feeling of accomplishment when nosotros finished. For some reason, completing that initiative of all 30-mile ride was 1 of the most satisfying things I had ever done.
Our adjacent ride was a Terry Woolley Howe extravaganza close San Diego. I was thus ignorant at the fourth dimension that I didn’t fifty-fifty accept a blanket for Remington when it started to pelting the dark earlier the ride. So I went over to the full general shop adjacent to military camp in addition to bought a red-checkered plastic tablecloth in addition to security pins to occupation as a makeshift pelting fly. We had such a goodness fourth dimension the adjacent 24-hour interval at Terry’s perpetual political party that I could non imagine non doing it again. I approximate nosotros were hooked.
After a flavor of express distance rides, nosotros tried our initiative of all 50-milers at the starting fourth dimension of 1996. We completed our initiative of all 1 but simply weren’t adequately prepared to destination our mo one. I in addition to thus met upward amongst Kim in addition to Richard Fuess in addition to received first-class mentoring from them on conditioning in addition to nutrition for longer distances. This made a public of departure for us. We completed some other one-half dozen or thus 50s amongst no job over the ease of the year.
We completed our initiative of all 100 the starting fourth dimension of the adjacent year. We did our initiative of all multiday ride 6 months after when nosotros drove out to Utah amongst Richard in addition to his immature Arabian stallion Jake. It was obvious past times in addition to thus that Remington was never going to live a threat to destination first. It was as clear, though, that he possessed that extra grade of toughness in addition to soundness to remain fresh over whatever distance, peculiarly multidays.
I came to realize that completing those longer distances was as much nearly me having the encephalon powerfulness in addition to dependent area to properly grapple the Equus caballus over the course of report for hours in addition to hours in addition to fifty-fifty days as it was nearly the Equus caballus himself. Whether it was the scenery or the mental challenge, all of my favorite ride memories over the many years since in addition to thus accept come upward from 100-milers or multidays.
Remington’s fourth dimension amongst the immature stallion Jake at multidays illustrates much nearly the pony’s character. The same qualities that brand him a swell babysitter tin brand him a handful to bargain with. The evidently truth is that he is cranky in addition to willful. He is supremely confident out on the trail, in addition to everywhere else. He is obsessed amongst keeping other horses inwards line. Young, nervous horses dearest existence amongst him. He has helped dozens of them through rides. Remington is the Equus caballus everybody waits for to Pb the youngsters over hard flow crossings or through herds of cattle.
Remington’s bossiness extends to other species too horses. He relishes pushing cattle around. He has no tolerance for dogs. He enjoys the society of people but does non similar existence told what to do past times them. His willingness to run away (but non real far) from anyone trying to concur his Pb rope is legendary.
Remington’s aggressive nature tin accept its advantages. Perhaps my scariest experience riding him came when nosotros surprised a full-grown dark deport at closed quarters on the aptly named Upper Oso trail inwards the national wood close my home. Clearly agitated, the deport faced us from less than x feet away in addition to started to stone from side to side. All I could think nearly was what would the deport do to me if I brutal spell my Equus caballus spun to run away. Instead, Remington pinned his ears back, arched his cervix in addition to charged. The bear, at least, had the goodness sense to plough closed to in addition to run downwards the mountain.
I suppose Remington fifty-fifty has a protective or gentle side to his personality. The solely other individual too me to ride him inwards an endurance ride was my youngest son, dorsum when my boy was 12 years old. My boy has special needs but he wanted to endeavor to acquire through an endurance ride at to the lowest degree 1 time inwards his life.
Remington carried him as though he was bearing the most precious, most delicate cargo inwards the world. For once, he stood perfectly yet for every mount in addition to dismount. Whenever my boy would stretch, Remington would gradually wearisome in addition to give him fourth dimension to acquire comfortable. Remington stayed perfectly balanced underneath him for 50 miles, amongst no abrupt movements.
Tears yet good inwards my eyes when I think of my son’s pride when they crossed the destination occupation in addition to my gratitude for the priceless gift Remington gave us that day.
Remington’s extreme tidings in addition to insistence on existence the determination maker sure enough makes for an interesting ride since I am never sure of what he is going to do. He is nimble in addition to sure-footed. He loves to dash through the rocks in addition to boundary over logs in addition to washouts. It is thrilling to ride him spell he weaves his agency through the trees downwards a steep winding trail inwards the mountains at total speed.
He prefers to alternative out the trail himself in addition to is an goodness at next ribbons. He has an amazing powerfulness to memorize trail in addition to terrain. He never fails to recognize a trail fifty-fifty inwards province he has traveled through solely 1 time or twice in addition to hasn’t seen for years.
Any give-and-take of Remington’s conduct on the trail invariably turns to his gait, as inwards what is it? He truly has a flashy four-beat tolt when you lot brand him do it but that is non the two-beat gait I take away heed on the trail. I assumed for years that his predominant gait was the trot. Endurance riders who rode a lot of miles amongst me would order me that it didn’t expect just similar a trot to them. Trilby Pedersen used to telephone yell upward it his “little shuffle.”
So lately I got out all my one-time ride photos in addition to researched books in addition to articles on gaits. The photos of Remington’s side gait order all. I cannot observe 1 photograph of him showing the classic diagonal stride in addition to fifty-fifty footfall of a trot. Instead, what the photos consistently present is when the hind leg is touching downwards underneath him, the forepart leg on the same side is upward inwards forepart of his breast amongst the human foot hanging down. While the other hind leg is extended behind him, the forepart leg on that side is inwards a close vertical seat nether him instead of reaching out as it would live inwards a trot.
If I heed carefully, what I take away heed isn’t truly a two-beat gait but a broken four-beat gait instead. I don’t take away heed the fifty-fifty four-beat “Black in addition to Decker” audio of a proper tolt. I take away heed a “di-dut, di-dut” instead. Photos present his forepart feet are clearly touching in addition to taking off earlier his corresponding hind feet. His hoof marks present a nine-inch overstride. Whatever it is, the gait is very, real shine to ride at whatever speed. Methinks my pony dances the foxtrot!
Whatever agency he is going, my foreign piffling Equus caballus is yet going strong. He hasn’t had a pace of lameness since he started going barefoot several years ago. He has truly muscled upward in addition to cash inwards one's chips to a greater extent than powerful since I switched to a treeless saddle at nearly the same time.
I accept been riding Remington at 1 time for just one-half of my adult life. The pressures of maintaining a busy police force exercise in addition to caring for a now-adult special needs kid never seem to leave of absence me amongst plenty fourth dimension for riding. Still, nosotros brand do. Although my married adult woman is my truthful love, Remington is definitely my soulmate. When nosotros are riding inwards the wee hours of the morning, I tin experience his muscles moving as though they are my ain in addition to I know he tin read my thoughts. Sometimes it feels similar nosotros are 2 parts of the same being.
I was filled amongst pride when Remington was awarded Hall of Fame Equus caballus at the AERC national awards banquet this year. It was peculiarly meaningful that the laurels was presented past times our longtime friend Terry Woolley Howe, because she has witnessed our entire endurance riding career. Oddly, I wasn’t proud for my horse, because I already knew who he is in addition to what he has accomplished. No, what I was proud of was my AERC.
I was proud of my AERC because it recognizes the value of keeping our horses audio in addition to good for you lot over the miles in addition to over the years. I was proud of my AERC for sticking to its guns in addition to staying at the forefront of guarding our horses’ welfare for the xx years Remington in addition to I accept been inwards the sport. I remain proud of my beau endurance riders for creating a community centered closed to a profound honor for what our horses do for us.
More information on endurance riding: www.aerc.org, or telephone yell upward the AERC occupation at 823-2260 for a free information pack for prospective members.
Belum ada Komentar untuk "‘Cantankerous old pony’ rides into US endurance Hall of Fame"
Posting Komentar