OLD DOMiniOn
right: “The trail was extremely tough and at times treacherous; there were places that were hard to even walk through,” said 16-year-old Annie Whelan who tied for first place in the 100-miler with Bryna Stevenson. Whelan was riding the Stevensons’ threequarter Arabian/one-quarter Saddlebred, Maddy. “Nevertheless, it was magical,” she continued. “The horse knew exactly what she was doing. She definitely knew when we were down to the last 25 miles and she wanted to pick up the pace.”
by Genie Stewart-Spears photos by Becky Pearman
left: Bryna Stevenson felt the same about the ride as Annie Whelan, with whom she co-won the 100-miler, riding TEF Lunar EcLipsE (TEF Sunflaxh x TEF Roxtiki Rain). “There’s something magical about the Old Dominion, partially because no other race on the East Coast really compares to it. The atmosphere, the volunteers, the other competitors, the trail: it just gives you butterflies.”
100-Miler
T
he “Beast of the East” was somewhat tamed down this year due to the lower temperatures and humidity. Nevertheless, the rugged trail took its toll. The 43rd Annual Old Dominion Endurance Ride ( It was the 43rd year but the 42nd event, as it was not held in 2003 due to flooding), was held June 9-10, outside of Orkney Springs, Virginia. A 25-limited distance (or LD) and 50-mile ride was held on Friday the 9th. An introductory endurance ride and a ride and tie, both 15 miles, were held on Saturday, as was the infamous 100-miler. Known as the “Beast of the East,” the 100-mile Old Dominion (OD) trail traverses the Great North Mountain range in Virginia and crosses over into West Virginia and back again. The nickname, “Beast of the East,” derived from comparing this difficult ride, the oldest in the east, with the grueling Western States Tevis Cup, which is the oldest ride in the west. The OD Trail has an abundance of rocks, large and small, and numerous long and steep climbs and descents and typically heat and humidity to deal with through the day. However, this year the weather was to the riders’ advantage. Ride manager, Diane Connolly, said, “We had a high of only 82 degrees on Friday and mid-80s on Saturday. It was actually chilly enough at night that long pants and jackets were necessary. It was unprecedented for the OD but on Saturday night we had a bonfire near the veterinarians’ tent and trot out lanes to keep people warm who were waiting for the hundred-milers to finish.” 142 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b AUGUST 2017
Forty-two competitors started the 100-mile course at 5:30 a.m. From the start, five riders took the lead and continued to push or pull each other along throughout the day — Bryna Stevenson, Annie Whelan, Taylor Stine, Carol Federighi, and Stagg Newman. Last year, Stagg and his wife Cheryl, both senior citizens, tied for first place with a course time of 15 hours 38 minutes. This year, it would be two teenagers tying for the win in 13 hours and 24 minutes. (See the story about the Newmans in our May 2017 issue.) Cheryl didn’t compete but 68-year-old Stagg rode Syrocco Tanka (Syrocco Troubadour x Edgewood Schelite), bred and raised by Margaret (Meg) Sleeper. He said, “My goal was to complete Tanka’s first hundred and earn my Old Dominion 1,000-Mile Buckle. Only three people have done that to my knowledge: Judy Van Meter, Jon Alexander, and Jeannie Waldron, DVM.” This was the second OD 100 (9th place in 2012) for 57-year-old Carol Federighi, Maryland, and Lily Creek Stetson (Sarvar PFF x Sonata PFF), a Shagya Arabian. Carol and Stetson had previously won the OD 50-miler (2013) and finished second in the AERC National 100-Miler (2015) held on the OD course. “My intention was to ride my own ride,” she said, “but we ended pacing the same as Taylor Stine.” Nineteen-year-old Taylor Stine, Virginia, was riding 16-year-old Mercuric (*Statistic x Muzsette), an Asgard Arabian gelding co-owned by Lynne Gilbert and Jeannie Waldron. This was Stine’s first time riding the OD 100. “My
Bryna Stevenson with her spoils from the 100-mile competition. Her horse, TEF Lunar EcLipsE (TEF Sunflash x TEF Roxtiki Rain), earned Old Dominion Best Condition Award, which is judged the following morning after competition. It is a perpetual trophy that has the winners’ names inscribed. Stevenson was also awarded a lovely painting and a beautiful bridle with reins from Taylored Tack. In 2014, Bryna became the youngest rider to win this event at age 14. At that time she was riding Maddy, an unregistered threequarter Arabian/one-quarter Saddlebred mare that carried Annie to the co-win this year.
143 b ARABIAN HORSE WORLD b AUGUST 2017