One more Tevis gone by without me. I missed last year’s Tevis due to a series of mishaps; see my post at the time about all the ways I had messed up. Of course, as I later discovered, Fantazia had other issues, such as partial anhidrosis. By the time entries for this year’s Tevis Cup opened, I knew I wouldn’t be entering, even though I had met the 300-mile rider requirement. I doubt I’ll be there next year either, though maybe then I can volunteer. My current goal is Tevis 2024 with Jazz. In the meantime, here is a brief summary of results of the 2022 Tevis Cup and a compilation of press coverage as it occurrs, just as I did last year.
(I received some negative feedback after I shared this post… Yes, there are errors, but I do this for fun! Read my Mea Culpa.)
See my post on press coverage of Tevis 2021.
Jump to:
Top Ten
Junior Riders
The non-Arabian completions
Tragedy on the ride
The pulls
Some statistics
Press Coverage
Resources
Brief summary
There were 131 entries, two fewer than last year. (Clearly, one does not have to worry about entering late!) I believe this number does not include Lucy Chaplin Trumbull, who did not start because her horse was not quite right. (I heard this from Annette McGyver and is worthy of mention. Always best not to start when your horse is NQR, but it’s a tough decision to make at Tevis!)
Of these, 59 finished, or 45.04%. Though lower than the average of around 50%, it is not statistically different than last year’s 47.4%. (Nor would 40% be different from 50% in sample sizes of 133… but it would with 200 entries!)
The ride started at 5:15am.
Read the official Tevis 2022 standings on the Tevis Cup webpage.
Top Ten
Gabriela Blakeley, riding her 13-year-old Arabian gelding LLC Pyros Choice, finished first at 10:24pm. Pyro is an ex-show horse (country pleasure), bred for halter and performance. I love this. I get tired of people slamming show lines (mainly in Morgans) as less athletic and/or sound. Good English pleasure and park horses are extremely athletic! And they can trot.
Christoph Shork riding VA Blizzard of Oz (13 year-od Arabian gelding) placed second for the second year in a row. This time he came in only 24 minutes after the winner, in a total of 17 hours, 33 minutes. He beat his last year’s time by 25 minutes. “Ozzy” won the prestigious Haggin Cup for Best Condition.
Dante LaPierre came in after Christoph, riding her 12-year-old Arabian mare MS Dennie Mhf.
Heather Reynolds (4th) and Cameron Holzer (5th) finished 12 minutes later, at 11pm. Heather rode the 13.5 year-old Arabian gelding ASuddenGift MHF and Cameron rode a 6-year-old Shagya mare named CH Fancy Finesse.
John Stevens, riding 10-year old Arabian mare SW Majestica, came in at 11:32 in 6th place.
He was followed 6 minutes later by Suzanne Huff, riding 13-year-old Arabian gelding Ezprezzo3.
In 8th place (11:45pm) was Dr. Jay Mero riding 10 year old Arabian mare Ozark Kaolena SWA.
Dr. Michele Rowe on 11-year-old Arabian gelding Gladzhotroddentyhkoon came in at 12:06am.
Finally, Mollie Quiroz came in 10th at 12:33 riding 12 year-old Arabian gelding Chndakasexpress.
Junior riders
Five junior riders completed Tevis this year. Caroline de Bourbon came in at 1:01am in 17th place. She rode the 13-year-old Arabian gelding RTR Thunders Nusabre.
Haley Esteves and Tierney Beloberk came in at 4:26am in 36th and 37th place. Haley rode the 8.5 year-old Rocky Mountain gelding Nova (our first non-Arabian mentioned). Tierney rode 11-year-old Arabian gelding Highh Treason.
Peyton Lesher came in at 4:40am in 42nd place riding the 13-year-old mule Sarah.
Ally Wheeler finished 53rd, 12 minutes later, riding 16-year-old Arabian mare Perfect Love GWA.
Above: The youngest junior rider, 12-year-old Tierney Beloberk riding Highh Treason over Cougar Rock and at the finish. Photo credit: William Gore.
The non-Arabian completions
Besides the Rocky Mountain gelding and mule ridden by the juniors mentioned above, 17 non-purebred Arabians completed Tevis 2022. After some debate, I’m counting Shagyas separately from Arabians.
In order of finish:
The 13-year-old Shagya gelding Lily Creek Kong. ridden by Caroline Lindqvist, came in 14th at 12:44am.
A Kiger Mustang gelding, 9.5 year-old Castillo, came in 21st place at 3:01am, ridden by Jacob Hashagen.
SS Celestial Luminance, a 13-year-old Arabian cross gelding, ridden by Christine Grey finished at 3:39am in 25th place.
The 9-year-old Rocky Mountain gelding Tucker, ridden by Sabrina van Horn, finished at 3:39am (26th).
Twelve-year-old Mustang gelding Favor the Bold, ridden by Alicia Campbell, finished 28th at 4:18am. The two improved on their 2021 finish, 34th at 4:33am. Last year they had finished at the same time as Ken Campbell and MM Cody. This year Ken and 14-year-old Mustang gelding Cody came in seven minutes later (still beating their time from last year!)
Aur Quick Chick, Andy Botello’s 15-year-old Anglo Arab finished in 41st place at 4:40am.
Shane Lesher, riding 16-year-old mule Lotto Ticket, came in with his daughter Peyton, also at 4:40. This is Shane and Ticket’s fourth Tevi s completion. Read my blog post from last year about them: Ticket the mule and her rider Shane Lesher.
In that same 4:40am group finished the 15.5-year-old Mustang gelding MM Woodrow (44th), ridden by Mark Montgomery.
In 45th place at 4:45 was another Arabian cross, 13.5 year-old gelding BDF Augustus, ridden by Chelsea Arnold.
Immediately afterwards, in 46th place, the 7.5-year-old grey gelding Eli Jones finished, ridden by Susannah Jones. Eli’s breed figures as “Other,” but, according to Susannah, he’s a Mustang Arabian. Read Eli’s story here.
The 14-year-old Arabian cross gelding West Wind Dragon, ridden by Santiago Gallo Perez, came in 51st at 4:52am.
Also at 4:52am, in 55th place, was Sarah Gray’s Anglo-Arab ENA WSF. (The Tevis site has her listed as an Arabian, so I am changing all my statistics below too!)
Another Mustang, the 8.5-year-old gelding Felon ridden by Matt Lease, also came in at 4:52am, in 56th place.
Seven minutes later in 57th place, Sarah Maass’s 14-year-old Appaloosa-Arabian gelding Royal Opus finished.
Shortly after Maass and Opie came the 9-year-old buckskin mare Rockets Foxy Roxy, ridden by Rebecca Jones. Roxy is a “Single-footer“
Finishing 59th place at 4:59am was the Shagya mare SS Chevelle, ridden by Julie Bittick.
Counting the Shagyas (2) as non-Arabian, we get 32.20%% non-purebred Arabian completing.
Above: Matthew Lease on his Mustang, Felon.
Tragedy
One horse died and two were injured in this year’s Tevis, all resulting from falls. As per this Gold Country article, Susan Kramer’s horse Steel fell off the trail while she was leading him. Horse and rider finished Tevis last year in fourth place… It is most definitely not an easy course to ride.
This article provides spectacular video footage of a horse being airlifted.
Update: The second horse, 17-year-old Arabian gelding Jamboree, ridden by Carrie Ellinwood, has died after appearing to recover. This horse and rider combo was experienced. Tevis is not the safest ride.
Second horse passes away due to injuries sustained in Tevis Cup
The pulls
One Rocky Mountain horse did not start (counted as a pull).
14 Rider Options: 1 Appaloosa, 6 Arabians, 1 Arab cross, 1 Mustang, 1 Quarab, 1 Paso Fino, 1 Rocky Mountain, 1 Shagya, 1 Spotted Saddle Horse. The Paso Fino Tivio IXL was overtime due to a loose rear shoe. His rider Ross Carrie led him in.
6 not reported pulls: 1 Anglo-Arab, 2 Arabians, 1 Kentucky Mountain, 1 mule, 1 “other”
1 “Other” pull: Arabian
9 Overtime: 5 Arabians, 2 Arab crosses, 1 Saddlebred, 1 with no breed declared.
1 Surface factors: Arabian
18 Metabolic: 13 Arabians, 1 Arab cross, 1 Kentucky Mountain, 1 Missouri Fox Trotter, 1 mule, 1 Spotted Saddle Horse.
22 Lame: 18 Arabians, 1 Arab cross, 1 Arab cross, 1 Missouri Fox Trotter, 1 “other.”
Some statistics
Arabians
65.65% (86/131) of the field were Arabians. (Compare with the 72.18% Arabian field in 2021).
67.80% of the completions were Arabian. 46/72 (63.89%) pulls were Arabians.
In other words, 53.49% of the Arabians that started were pulled.
Non-Arabians
45 non-purebred Arabians entered (34.35%).
32.20% of the completions were non-purebred Arabian. 26 of the pulls were non-Arabian (36.11%).
In other words, 57.78% of the non-Arabians that started were pulled.
Breaking pulls down by Arabian/non-Arabian status:
Rider option: 42.86% Arabian. 6.90% of the Arabians that started were RO. 18.18%% of the non-Arabian started were RO.
Overtime: 2/3 of the overtimes were Arabians (6). Last year, six Arabians were also overtime, all before the finish. There were 6 overtime at the finish, all non-Arabians.
Lame: 81.82% Arabian. 20.69% of the Arabians that started were pulled for lameness. 9.09% of the non-Arabian started were pulled for lameness.
Metabolic: 72.22% Arabian. 14.94% of the Arabians that started were pulled for lameness. 11.36% of the non-Arabian started were pulled for metabolic issues (failing to pulse down probably).
Press Coverage
Gold Country Media was the first I found to cover the race: Oregon’s Gabriela Blakeley wins 2022 Tevis Cup; she’s the mother of 2019 champion
The Gold Country piece about the horse lost and those injured linked above: Trail accident during Tevis Cup leaves horse dead; 2 others injured in falls
Results of the 2022 Tevis Cup from The Horse: Blakeley and LLC Pyros Choice Win the 2022 Tevis Cup
Truckee to Auburn: Tevis Cup horse race draws more than 130 riders
Another from Gold Country Media: Auburn woman, 78, earns 25th Tevis belt buckle: ‘I’ll quit riding … when it’s not fun anymore
2 horses injured, 1 dies during Tevis Cup Ride on Western State Trail, Cal Fire says
Similar from Fox News: Horse dies in accident during Tevis Cup, 100-mile race through the Sierra Nevada
Riders recounting their experience on Facebook:
You’ll probably need to be on Faacebook to access these. I’m sure there are more, and I’ll add here as I come across them shared on the AERC page.
Susannah Jones tells about her Mustang Arabian.
Nina Bomar tells Andy Botello’s story. I met Andy at my first xpride, Laurel Mountain 2021, when we met riding our mares the afternoon before the first day. He’s a great guy, and this is a fun story.
More resources
Tevis Cup Ride Youtube channel
American Endurance Ride Conference Facebook page.
Great discussion on the AERC Facebook page based on this question by Chloe Weasley: “Where did you find your horse? Was your horse already doing 50-100 mile rides when you got them? What qualities drew you to that horse at the time?”
You can find pictures here.
What a great read. Thanks for putting this together! I love seeing the stats!
😊
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Great job! I enjoyed reading this!