The 63rd Western States 100-Mile
TEVIS CUP Endurance Ride by Genie Stewart-Spears photos by Lynne Glazer and Bill Gore of Gore/Baylor Photography
On July 28, 149 competitors left the starting line of the 63rd Western States 100-Mile Ride, better known as the Tevis Cup, with eagerness and trepidation of the trail that lay ahead; only 64 would complete. “The weather was brutal,” states Chuck Stalley, Ride Director of this annual endurance ride that starts in Truckee and ends in Auburn, California. “Not only was it hot, it was unusually humid. If that wasn’t bad enough, the air was smoky from the major fire 100 miles north (Carr Fire near Redding) and another 100 miles south.” The ride started at 5:15 a.m. The competitors left Robie Equestrian Park, near Truckee, where they gather and camp for the start of the event every year. They ride 13 miles to Squaw High Camp where water is available, as well as a veterinarian, if needed. Then, in another 8.5 miles, they are observed as they trot by, and veterinarians look for any lameness or problems with the horses. At Red Star Ridge, 28 miles, they have their first Gate-and-Go, a veterinary exam that must be passed before they may continue.