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Don Bowen's
Tevis Story
The
Bottom of the Top, The
Pan American Endurance Championship, in .pdf
by Jonathan Bowman
Future
100 Mile Rider - photo
20 Mule Team 100,
2005. Posts to RC by Terry
Banister. Terry & E-bey's first
100, and she even did
it without a crew!
100 Mile ride
reports from Nick Warhol:
Tevis 97 - my first Tevis- pulled at
the finish!
20 Mule Team 98- first 100 I finished
Tevis 98- first finish on
Shatta
20 mule team 99, Shatta's
pulled
Tevis 99 on Warpaint- the best ride I
ever had, still
20 Mule Team 01 on Moose
Tevis 01- pulled on Warpaint
Tevis 02- pulled on Holly
Virginia City 100 on Zayante
Tevis 04- pulled on Lady
Thoughts on 100 Mile
Rides.
Greetings:
The recent discussions of the 100-mile
rides all seem to point to the same question, "Why would
anyone ride a 100?" The answers are all different but I
believe that many who ride 100s share some common
traits. I cannot tell you why others ride 100s, but I
can relate some of my experiences and why 100s have a
different character than all other rides sanctioned by the
AERC.
It is sounds quaint but it is true, you will be a
different person after riding that first tough 100. Many
endurance riders can do a 100, but few actually do.
Likewise, after riding a 100 your assessment of endurance
horses may change. You will look at your partner with a
new level of respect. Your partner will be an honest
100-mile horse which puts your horse in rarefied
company. Like the endurance riders, it is true that many
endurance horses can do a 100, and it is true that few
actually do. Hundreds are not so difficult for many riders,
but the 100-mile horses are true athletes. When you now
look at other horses somewhere in your mind you will be asking
and assessing, "Is this a 100-mile horse?" because 100-mile
horses have achieved something that few other horses
accomplish. One-hundred-mile horses come from many breeds and
backgrounds, but all share a certain character.
The
friends that share the nighttime trails with you are different
than your other riding buddies. There is something
special about someone who stays with you throughout the night
sharing the darkness, the moon, the trails, and the
finish. Not every rider will stay with you all through
the night, but those who do are in a singular class.
When you meet those friends on future trials there will be
that bond that can only be formed in the darkness and waning
miles along the 100-mile trial.
The riders who come
back to ride other 100s with other horses and other friends
may ride for many reasons. Sure, some ride for points
and some ride to share the history of horses and trails with
their forbearers, but many of
those who come back to ride
multiple 100s recognize that the trail has its own rewards and
recognize that finishing another 100 is bittersweet because
another adventure has come to an end.
Best
Regards,
Tom Noll
SW Idaho
My Tevis Cake-Don's Story
It all started with the purchase of our
1st arab as a 2 y.o., then going to a few Arabian
shows in the 80’s. We were quickly disillusioned with
what we saw in the ring, but there was one horse there that
caught our eye. His sire was the only stallion we knew
of that was actively being campaigned in the show ring that
was also a Tevis finisher. That’s where we first learned
of Tevis and the dream began, to breed one of our mares to
that stallion and to ride Tevis, gosh, how we talked in those
years!! But unfortunately, time and financial restraints
limited our riding to mostly pleasure, even though those rides
could very well go all day and well into the night, and of
course we added a few more arabs to our farm to keep up with
the first one we bought, but they were just good riding
horses, not the show stuff and breeding was out of the
question.
Fast-forward 16
years or so. My beloved mare died and I lost my desire
to ride. Then my wife, Pam, drags home Willy to take her
place and I still resisted riding. She finally goaded me
into getting on his back and mentioned the “Tevis” word.
Then, just a few days later, while jogging in the park, I met
Dick Fonseca (who has Tevis buckles for both the run and the
ride). So once again, I was hooked (or is that
addicted?). Willy and I started training on our own and
I started meeting other people including the Trail-Rite
folks. I entered some endurance rides, took some lessons
from the Trail-Rite Training Center, continued our own
training program at home, acquired proper gear, sent my entry
in for Tevis 2003 and planned a pre-ride of the Tevis
trail.
So in late May
2003 I started out on what I thought was the last leg of
accomplishing my dream, to deliver our young mare for that
breeding and to pre-ride the Tevis trail, all in one
trip! It was not to be, it was on the second day of
pre-riding that the trail collapsed at Kaput Springs (now
affectionately called Kaput Springs and Willy’s Falls by some
of the locals as my Willy was the second Willy, for a total of
5 horses, with Kaput being the first, to go at the same
spot). That story, with pictures of the helicopter
rescue, can be read about in the March 2004 issue of EN.
Many local people helped get Willy out so a promise was made
to come back and volunteer for Tevis 2003, sealed by a hand
shake with Gary Hall.
By the time Tevis 2003 came around I had
recovered from my own injuries enough to volunteer for a
week. I worked the barn at the fairgrounds, Robie Park,
Michigan Bluff and back at the barn again. I talked to
everyone I could while there about Tevis and it inspired me
even more to return.
Willy recovered from our fall, I sent my
entry in for Tevis 2004, and went on to do several more
rides. Then there was that funny on/off lameness
he would do, it was ever so slight, would show up around 40-45
miles, barely noticeable, and would disappear completely by
morning. At Death Valley, the 4-day ride, it became more
noticeable, yet still disappeared immediately. After day
4, the vets were convinced that it seemed high in his left
rear, we had it looked at again, a 3rd vet thought
it was high in the leg. With his fall casting suspicion
of something sinister, like a cracked pelvis or hip, Tammy
Robinson convinced us that we needed to look into it. So
we made an appointment at the hospital, and the sport horse
vet there, again, thought it was high in the leg and we did
the bone scan. Good news, everything high was good, bad
news, he had a blown suspensory, just below the hock.
Upon ultra-sound, looks like the tear was ancient, probably
existed before Willy came to us, it was just in a state of
constant irritation. How could this be? 4 vets
couldn’t locate it until the bone scan. Vet says once
these guys get into this kind of superb conditioning they
become very difficult to diagnose because they learn to
compensate. So we opted for the stem cell transplant,
but Willy is out for a year!!!!
So I had an entry to this now full ride,
but no horse and was heartbroken once again. I didn’t
know what to do and consulted with Julie Suhr. She
thinks I am family of sorts because of the Bowen name (long
story) and encouraged me to NOT give up my entry, she said to
be patient because something would work
out.
So in March, the horse of a lifetime, for
the ride of a lifetime, was offered to me by the Trail-Rite
folks. Charlene Lewis offered her horse, TR
Whyatt. I was honored and flabbergasted by the offer,
but it did come with some stipulations. One, I would
have to take more riding lessons. Two, I would have to
ride him at least two times a week with one ride being his
long ride, and third I would have to do the Californios
100. In hindsight, it’s weird that Julie and I both
ended up with Trail-Rite horses for Tevis 2004, the same, very
kind folks from Trail-Rite, helped us both out.
Coincidence???
Whyatt and I
began the commitment together, with help from all the Trail
Rite folks. As time went on the head chef, Tammy (fondly
called “The General” or “Queen Bee”), started putting
together the recipe for the Tevis cake. With a Top 10
completion at Californios 100 (after which Whyatt came home to
live with us) and another excellent 50 mile Tevis practice
ride for Whyatt and me, it was time to bake this cake, so it
was off to Auburn.
We arrived in
Auburn on Monday, after a 12-hour drive from Southern
California. Pam and I trailered TR Whyatt, and TR Rett
Butler for Denny Emerson. The next day we pre-rode the
trail to 49 and back, Pam rode Rett and thoroughly enjoyed
seeing part of the Tevis ride. Thursday we made the
drive up to Robie Park and met up with the rest of the
Trail-Rite gang and Rett’s owner. Tammy had a plan for
the 4 of us, and we practiced for the crazy start we knew
would occur and we did a pre-ride to practice the
strategy. There was me/TR Whyatt, Tammy/TR Charatu,
Charlie/Ima Liberated Lady and Denny/TR Rett Butler. Our
plan was to use the 4 teams the best possible, to conserve
energy for the first 6 miles or so. Friday I made it to
all the ride meetings to gather any last minute seasonings
that I might need make this cake rise. Some choose to do
the ride VC to VC, I chose to do it in layers!!
The Cake. Saturday
morning after checking my utensils, (horse, saddle, monitor,
tack, helmet, and me!) we made our way to the mixing bowl, the
start. The ingredients for this layer would be the
wooden bridges heading down to the 89 crossing and the Truckee
River, to the climb up to Squaw Valley and a look back at Lake
Tahoe from Watson Monument. The next ingredients would
be the color from the wild flowers from the Granite Chief
Wilderness and the bonding agent of horse and rider from the
climb over Cougar Rock. Upon arrival to Robinson flat, Pam and
the rest of the Trail Rite group were there to greet us.
We vetted through and the first layer was
down.
For my middle
layer, I would need some Dusty Corners to hold the sides up
adding some running of the canyons. After a quick dip
below the swinging bridge (where I probably left my sun
glasses) we made the climb up to Devil's Thumb where the Boy
Scout troop would help me mix the ingredients with food and
water for horse and rider. After a vetting through Deadwood it
was time for some El Dorado filling and some strength from
passing Kaput Springs (the fall of 2003) getting some fluff
from Michigan Bluff. After watching the dough rise for 20
minutes (extra rest for Whyatt) in Michigan Bluff, it was time
to cook this layer through Volcano and cool it off with the
12-minute climb up Bath Rd.
We arrived at Foresthill to see Pam, the
Trail Rite group, and dear friend Becky Glaser to bring us in
and vet through, the second layer was done. It was here,
at Foresthill, when I trotted Whyatt out, the vet thought she
saw something and was calling about 6 other people in to watch
a second trot out. I wasn’t worried, I knew Whyatt was
fine and started telling Pam about my second cake layer while
waiting, she thought I was nuts!!! As it turns out, 6
more people couldn’t find anything wrong either, just like I
thought J.
The top layer
had everything I imagined, starting with the trotting down the
main street of Foresthill receiving the cheers from the town
folk, (which so inspired me while watching last year), to the
mixing of the stop and go slinky of the California Loop.
The filling from Francisco’s for horse and rider with a very
good vet score gave us sound peace of mind. Next we
gathered the water from the American River and the layer was
coming together by Lower Quarry. At No Hands Bridge all
the layers came together, all we needed was the frosting and
that was had with the victory lap and “fit to continue” from
the final vet check. The cake was done. Have I tasted it
yet? Good question. Kind of I suppose, but I’m not
quite sure it has all sunk in yet. We did a toast as the
sun was rising in the barn area, all with good friends,
champagne and Martinelli’s at dawn, what was that anyway, are
we totally nuts? J.
3 of our 4 teams finished, Charlie had a
spell of just plain old sh*t happens. His horse, Lady,
means the world to him, and with her record he has absolutely
nothing that needs to be proved! Charlie gave Lady a
brief time out at Robinson’s (he wanted her to eat more before
continuing), then, coming into one of the later checks,
Charlie grabbed some hay to feed her while walking in and she
choked on it. Charlie, being the ever-doting dad with
Lady, took a lot of time to make sure she was ok before
continuing. She WAS fine, but they got into Foresthill
just a few minutes past the cut-off. Charlie didn’t
mind, he was happy Lady was ok and he never felt a need to
push her, it wasn’t worth it to him. The crew says it
was funny to watch, Lady didn’t know she was done and was down
to business, doing her EDPP to get on down the trail!!
So Lady was a 69 mile horse that day, and she looked great,
she is an awesome horse. And, it was really cool that
Lady got to the paddocks first and was settled, and with her
greetings, helped to settle our horses when they came
in.
Who do I thank
for my 1st Tevis ride with my 1st
completion to boot? First, Whyatt, the horse that needs
me in the beginning to control his energy, but as I get tired,
he is not, and he took care of me, his spirit and drive was
unending, he was kind, willing and giving. To Charlene,
for allowing me the opportunity to experience this wonderful
horse, for the grueling riding lessons to enable me to manage
Whyatt. To Tammy and Charlie (Trail-Rite), my trail
bosses and guardian angels, both of whom I can’t thank enough
for holding my hand through my entire short endurance career,
I could write a book there.
Many thanks to my wife Pam, who supported
me through this crazy idea. And Carol Resner and Jessica
Robinson, crew for Charlie and Tammy, but from which Pam and I
benefited from their professional wisdom and know-how.
Judy and Cecilia (neighbors of Tammy’s) that helped at
Robinson’s AND met us all at Michigan Bluff. To Sandy
Holder, someone that my wife met, of all places, on RC!
Sandy was such a huge help, a very capable and responsible
person, Sandy moved our rig from Robie to the Auburn
fairgrounds, disconnected the trailer and got our truck/camper
to the planned prime spot near the paddocks, she was so
responsible that she found the right keys to lock the pieces
of the hitch up so they would be safe, nothing we had
explained to her prior. Pam and Sandy apparently have
some sort of gentlemen’s agreement, Sandy is not to tell on
Pam for her crankiness, and Pam is not to tell on Sandy for
her cooking techniques (which had Pam in stitches Thursday
night at Robie!), but it was a helluva meal, Sandy fed about
12-14 people a steak dinner with all the fixin’s that night,
not sure what went on. Sandy also got to Foresthill
early and set us up with a prime spot, complete with an
awning!!!!
And a special
thanks to my friend Becky Glaser, we met her at DVE but spent
quality time with her at the Cuyama ride. Becky promised
me that if I were to go to Tevis, she would be there.
Becky did the XP ride, took a long route home so they could
spend some time in the Tetons, she had just arrived home the
Wednesday before Tevis. Guess what, she was there, and
it meant so much to have her.
I have to thank Katee Owens, of Advantage
Saddles, that made me my very own saddle for a heavyweight
rider that helped me to ride so much better. And Katee,
being Katee, made me a special pad to go with the saddle, just
for Tevis. We had a similar pad that Katee makes, she
just took the same pad and made it better, ideas that she
already had to improve the pad, well she light-speeded ahead
to get me that pad for Tevis, and it worked!!! I’m sure
it will be a new improved pad offered to the general public
soon, but poor Katee probably needs a rest for now
J.
To Kim Fuess,
for mass entertainment on Wednesday night while at the
fairgrounds. The laughter was good for the soul, Kim
just happened to be in rare form that night and it was just
too funny, we won’t reveal the subject matter!!! To
Rebecca Florio, whose luck of late has just kind of sucked,
but agreed to trade stalls with us so we could keep trailered
horses together, we hung out for a few days, she was very
uplifting, supportive and helpful, I was totally bummed to
hear she didn’t finish, but I still owe her a
dinner!!
Many thanks to
Gary and Judy Hall, not only for allowing the use of their
home for the staging of Willy’s rescue last year, but for just
being good friends! Judy fed us the best meal we had
during the entire week we spent at Tevis this year, and
believe me, the body needed it. I hope this new
friendship lasts for years to come, Gary and Judy are the
best! And to my son, Darren, for keeping the place in
order during our absence with help from our very dear
neighbors, Ralph and Christine. It’s a relaxing feeling
to head home with confidence that we won’t find any surprises
upon arrival.
And last, but
certainly not least, my sincere thanks to my hero, Julie
Suhr. Julie convinced me to not give up my entry at a
time I almost did. Julie is a class act. I saw
Julie the morning Tevis was over, she did not look like a
defeated woman, she was sitting in a chair just outside
Tarrah’s stall, and she was smiling. Ok, well, I heard
her say she was done, that is yet to be seen, right? But
she said the trail beat her this time, but she wouldn’t have
known if she hadn’t tried, and she was glad she tried.
What she did for me at that moment was: Julie offered no
excuses, she said the trail beat her, she was smiling AND
Julie kept the dream and the challenge of the Tevis trail
alive for you and me for generations to come. Tevis is
Tevis. Julie knows that more than most of us.
After the awards, Pam and I walked alongside Julie and Bob
because we were all headed to the paddock area to check on the
horses, they were holding hands, trying to walk in the shade,
and Julie asks Bob if he’s ok?? What does that tell you
about this amazing woman?
Unlike Becky Siler
and her borrowed horse, Gorgeous George, we did not return
Whyatt to his owner, we had a prearranged agreement. So
we brought Whyatt back home, he was very animated upon
arrival, not exactly cooperative for unloading, he was
anxious, talking to the other horses. After unloading,
insisting that he stand still for his halter to be removed,
Whyatt took off at a dead run, tail in the air, telling his
story to the others as he went. He looked no worse for
the wear, and that's what this sport is all about, well, to me
anyway.
Don Bowen, Tevis rider
#45
First Tevis with
completion!!!
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