What makes us ready to toe the line at Robie Park?
Now that I’ve publicly declared my intention to whip Tarma and I up into a Tevis worthy entry team (I didn’t say it, I declared it!) my new mantra is “It’s all Tevis training!” Hiking with Tarma on a day a heat warning blankets our valley and most folks hide inside if they can? “Tevis training!” Careful, messy, fussy dressage work at 10pm after a long work day? “Tevis training!” Getting up at 6am instead of sleeping in to start my day off with a workout and a brisk dog walk? Of course that’s “Tevis training!” Watching YouTube videos of glue-on shoe prep and taking notes from a hoof care book? “Tevis training!” Even though my timeline calls for us to prep for Tevis 2027, most every choice I make from here on out has to be crafted towards getting us not just to Robie, but the possibility of Auburn 24 hours and 100 miles later. It’s a longer road to Tevis than to Auburn, so of course I’ll be keeping a record of every step forward, every roadblock and false start and fun rides and quiet nights pecking away at everything we’ve got to do to be ready for that historic Western States Trail.
Rough Timeline
September 2025: Visit to the Wallowa Mountains for Oregon for a multi-day mountain riding clinic with experienced PNW endurance riding team Melissa Stephenson and David Laws (I won their Quadrant 25 training at the 2025 PNER Convention!)
October 2025: Black Hills Bonanza Endurance Ride: A short haul and good amount of elevation, I plan on doing a 50 miler here if I can get Tarma fit after her spring injury, focusing on completing in 9 hours versus our usual 10.5. I need one more 50 miler completion for us to qualify for the Tevis Ed ride.
Winter 2025-Spring 2026: I’ll be focusing on getting us both into a sustainable routine, which focuses on my fitness, dressage work, and as much elevation once a week as I can find in the winter. If I don’t complete a 50 miler in 2025, I’ll fit one in early spring, one that has a decent amount of elevation or a flat one I can get our speed up at, or a multi-day.
Summer 2026: If it’s offered, I’ll be signing us up for the Tevis Educational Ride. If not, I’ll volunteer at Tevis again, this time at a vet check instead of horse transport so I’m not tied to my trailer all day.
Fall 2026: If we did the Ed Ride, I’ll pick one more hard 50 or easier 75 miler, something like Ride the Loup or a hot one possibly in California.
Winter 2026-Spring 2027: This will give us time to take lessons learned from the Ed Ride or the 75 miler and adjust anything that remains, probably with my fitness, or breathing space if something happened along the way. This will also be the time to really dial in her hoof protection, and get us on a cadence that has her toeing the starting line at about 10-15 days post trim/shoeing.
Early Summer 2027: This is the time to start making all the lists, arranging time off work, pulling on my network for crew, and possibly sending Tarma to California a week ahead of time. I want to dedicate at least a week to Tevis; get there on Wednesday, Thursday to relax and pre-ride, Friday to vet in and attend all the meetings and stress out the last jitters, Saturday for Tevis, Sunday and Monday for recovery, haul home Tuesday.
July or August 2027: TEVIS CUP!!!!!!!
Focus Areas
- Personal Fitness: Tarma’s fitness alone won’t carry us up High Camp, or through the canyons, or across the river at night. I need to loose a good 40 pounds and convert that to muscle, especially my lower back and core. I also need to be able to speed walk or slow jog around 10 miles total, so I can lead her down the canyons to save her shoulders.
- Tarma’s fitness: We’re not quite starting from ground zero after her injury…but we’ve a ways to go to even get her ready for a slow 50. I’m going to be picky about what endurance rides we do for the next two years, picking either hard ones with lots of elevation or flat ones and working on getting our average pace from “mostly turtles” to “not far out of top ten.”
- Heat training: We both need to work at existing, thinking and operating in the heat. I’m getting better about dialing in my own electrolytes and food, though Tarma’s can take a bit more trial and error. At least I can e-lyte her from the saddle now! On hot days here at home we’ll be out and about in it versus hiding inside.
- Hoof protection: I chronicled our current journey with Tarma’s hoof protection in this blog post, but MAN this is something that requires just as much work as my own fitness. For Tevis I’m not dead set against nail on metal shoes…though they are my last resort. I’m not even going to try Tevis with boots; that way lays madness and courts a preventable lameness pull.
Our Strengths
- Lists: I’m killer at making lists, and following them 99% of the time. I’m equally great at not following through at that last 1%, and leaving something not super critical but sometimes deeply required at home. I keep at least two spare girths in my trailer at all times because of this.
- Support and mentorship: I have access through various friendships and groups to some fantastic riders and horse people, both those that have done Tevis and those that have built strong horses in other ways. I know when I send my entry in I’ll have willing, enthusiastic and amazing crew to lean on.
- Night riding: Thanks to the Midnight Rider ride in Washington, I know Tarma and I are capable of motoring down trails in the dark, even when there are literal bears around.
- Relationship: Tarma and I have almost five years together, and I’m really starting to feel the magic that so much time with one horse can offer. We’ve conquered mountains and dirt bikes and pool noodles together, I know when she needs support from me and when I just need to hang on and let her fly. What’s 110* heat in the bottom of a canyon with a 3,000 foot climb out ahead compared to finally not running into walls at the canter?
My Tevis Posts
The road to Tevis
Update since I typed this up: I’m posting this from the Point S in Klamath Falls, as my front driver side wheel was making an absolutely awful, metal on metal sound when we were driving out of camp. It disappeared once we made it over 30mph and was quite all the way into town, but…
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The road to Tevis, Part 2
I’m typing this up and enjoying being clean for the first time in four days. Showers are so underrated until you give them up for a bit then go on some sweaty, dusty, bug bitten adventures! It’s the Friday before Tevis and we have a packed day ahead, so I’ll get a few words down…
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The road to Tevis: Actual Tevis!
I’m writing this up after a full day of work while Tom whips up hand made chicken alfredo, and fighting through the inevitable gut gurgling aftereffects of any good trip. I’m well and truly bitten by the Tevis bug, but before I dive into our summary I wanted to give a shoutout to the VIP…
Read More Keep readingOther Tevis (and endurance) blogs
- The Sweaty Equestrian: Not only do I follow Tamara’s blog (she’s a two time Tevis finisher!) I’m also following her Essential Fitness for Endurance Riders program!
- Jessica Black: California endurance rider also training for Tevis, and bonus deep dives into the Tevis Cup statistics.
- The Tevis Cup: Official website and blog of the Tevis Cup.
- Tevis Ride: An older Blogspot but full of gems!
- Haiku Farm: Long time endurance rider and all around awesome librarian, really good lists and ideas here!
- Endurance Riders America Facebook group (specifically Bruce Weary’s posts): Long term endurance riders Bruce and his wife Dayna chronicle all their endurance adventures, including prepping several horses for Tevis.
- Endurance.net: All things endurance news
- The Equestrian Vagabond: Endurance rider and ride photographer’s blog
- 100 Miles to Auburn: Facebook page of an endurance rider from the Southeast who attempted Tevis with a gaited horse
On the loose 