In today’s episode, Ute talks with Susan Garlinghouse, DVM and Endurance Rider. Susan is on the AERC (American Endurance Riders Conference) board and lives in Tevis Country. She has competed in Endurance competitions all her life. After riding Arabians and Arabian crosses, she fell in love with a big, portly Tennessee Walking Horse called John Henry. John Henry was a trail turned Endurance horse and he was the most comfortable horse she ever rode. When her owner offered him to her for sale, she did not waste a minute and brought him home. Since then, she has trained him and ridden him in many Endurance competitions including the Tevis Cup. Both of them won three of his five Tevis Buckles together. Susan tells us all about training your non-Arabian endurance horse, why gaited horses are different and why she wants to stick with them for the rest of her riding career. So if you are interested in Endurance riding, this is going to be your episode!
Tevis Cup – The Granddaddy of all Endurance Rides
The Western States Trail Ride or Tevis Cup, is the oldest modern day endurance rides, held annually since 1955. It runs a 100 miles or 160 km from Robie Equestrian Park near the town of Truckee to Auburn crossing the Sierra Nevada in the state of California.
The ride is sanctioned by the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) and sponsored by the Western States Trail Foundation.
Every rider who finishes on a horse that is deemed fit to continue, will win a Tevis buckle in the true spirit of Endurance Riding: “To Finish is to Win”!
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Our Guests today:
Susan Garlinghouse (USA)
A veterinarian, endurance rider and Equestrian Adventuress, Susan has always loved horses and endurance riding. After decades of competing on Arabian horses, she had the chance of riding John Henry, a heavy Tennessee Walking Horse, not the typical Endurance horse. But John Henry had taken to Endurance riding like a fish to water and he has already won five Tevis buckles and has more than endurance miles under his belt with no signs of slowing down.
Don’t forget to check out the resources section in this article!
Highlights
- Gaited horses & their training
- Different gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horses
- Traditional Endurance horses vs non-traditional Endurance horses
- Tevis Cup
Thank you for tuning in and happy trails!
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Resources
- Website of the Tevis Cup
- Podcast about Riding the Tevis Cup
- Article written by Susan about her first Tevis Buckle Win
- EQA Online Shop
- The International Equestrian Virtual Clinic
Thanks for listening to our horse podcast for Equestrian Adventuresses!
