My dad bought his first horse, a grey Arabian gelding named Quincey, when I was two years old. Since Quincey's arrival, horses have been a constant in my life. My dad, uncles, grandpa, and other assorted friends and family worked at my house, which was on a 9 acre property in the Orinda hills, to build a three stall barn, along with two big pastures. Those pastures were Quincey's home, and home to three boarder horses (Ginger, Fazon, and Bonnie). I first sat on a horse when I was two, and started riding trails on Quincey when I was four. My dad belonged to the TWHA (Tidlen Wildcat Horsemen's Association) and our family took part in many horse-centered events put on by TWHA, such as the annual Fun Day (a day when riders meet and compete in events such as the mounted egg and spoon race and small obstacle courses) and the Five Day Trail Ride.

The sunset on the road as we drove back home from Auburn, venue both for Tevis and the ride I did

When I was about seven years old, my dad started riding at a barn which focused on training Arabian horses as endurance athletes, specifically with the goal of completing the Tevis Cup. The Tevis is a 100 mile horse race which starts in Lake Tahoe and ends in Auburn. Competitors must complete grueling climbs up and down the canyons, scale treacherous rock faces, and race along single track trails bordered by cliff faces. This already arduous course is made more difficult by the fact that the race takes place in July/August, and thermometers often display temperatures of over 100F. Needless to say, my dad was attracted to this type of sometimes tortuous, often gratifying, sport. He joined AERC, the American Endurance Ride Conference, and began competing in 50 - 75 mile horse races around California. For much of my life between ages seven and twelve, my dad was either training for rides or competing in rides. My mom, brother, sister, and I often went to crew for him, and I slowly developed a desire to compete alongside my father. When I was ten I completed two Limited Distance rides, which were 25 miles each. At age thirteen I started doing NATRC rides, which are endurance competitions where the winner is, instead of being the fastest rider, the best horseman. Competence is gauged through a series of challenges set out along a 25-30 mile course, such a a river crossing or opening a gate. I did NATRC from ages thirteen to sixteen, but still dreamed of someday doing 50, 75, and 100 mile AERC rides.

Morning of the ride. A slightly sleepy me next to my 100% awake ride

On July 23 of this year, that dream was realized. I finished my first 50, the Gold Country 50. The Gold Country 50 took place in Georgetown, near Auburn. 51 riders started the race. The AERC motto is "to finish is to win," and there were 38 winners that day. I rode with Robert Ribley, a well known endurance rider from Auburn, on his horse Sakajawea.

I drove up with my sister and my dad in the Desert Wolf (our VW bus) on July 22 and vetted in straight away. Vetting in is the pre ride vet check to be sure all horses are fit to compete. Then, after dinner and a few other preparations, we went to bed relatively early to prepare for our 4am wake up. The ride started at 6am the next day, and we wanted to saddle up early so that the horses could get warmed up a little.

At 6am the next day, Robert and I set out with the 51 other riders. The start was one of the most exhilarating parts of the ride. The sun was just rising, the horses were all hopping, dancing, and raring to go, and the riders were jostling close together as we ran into the pink horizon. After the first few miles, the horses had calmed down a bit and the front runners had run ahead, leaving Robert and me between groups, riding our own ride. We wound up and down single tracks and fire roads, across streams and asphalt, and through trees on our way to the first vet check 8 miles down the road. A vet check is a stop during the ride for the horse to rest, hydrate, and be evaluated by a vet to ensure they are fit to continue (not lame, no metabolic issues, etc.). Sakajawea passed the first vet check with all As and we continued on. The next stop, an hour lunch stop back at the campground, was about 15 miles away. We rode through more creeks, down rocky trails, up steep tracks, often emerging from the tree cover to an unobstructed view of thousands of trees. Looking around, all I could see was green on all sides, pointy evergreens and crooked trunks. Sometimes, other riders would catch up and fall behind us, and I would end up leading a long trail horses over the hills. It made me feel a little like one of those heroes in movies, leading the good guys to battle against the baddies, or head of an expedition to discover something never before seen.

After lunch, we took off again on a 20 mile loop. This loop seemed the longest by far. 20 miles at a walk/trot takes a long time, and it was HOT. We both ran out of water a while before the stop, and, despite the stunning scenery, all I could think about was cold Gatorade and how good it would taste. We finally saw a sign for the vet check, and, just past the sign, a tunnel of Manzanita trees. We walked into the tunnel, and all else was obscured from view. Surrounding us were twiggy red branches, reaching out like fingers, snagging on our sleeves and saddles. The trail wound steadily downward, each turn obscured by the tangle of red, for almost a mile. Upon emerging from the red sea, we crossed a bridge and climbed a steep dirt hill to the vet check. Lo and behold, there was cold water, lemonade, and Gatorade at the vet check! I have never before been so happy to see coolers filled with cold drinks.

After that last vet check, there were only 6 easy miles to the finish. Nearly early an hour after leaving the vet check, and 11 hours after starting the ride (9 hours riding, plus 2 hours of vet check breaks), we wound up out of a canyon and there it was - the finish line. We vetted in one last time, and then that was it. I had completed my first 50.

Hi.

Aug 15 Gold Country 50

Hi.

Aug 15 Gold Country 50

Dec 28 Goethe Challenge