Last weekend someone (I think it was a Helly, but not sure) introduced me to someone else saying something like “Jessica was aiming for the Tevis Cup, but now she’s working towards the Mongol Derby.” If you replace the but with and that hits the nail on the head. I have entered the Mongol Derby 2027, and I am on the long road to Tevis, still. We were at a Laurel Mountain xpride, which was the perfect place to make that observation. Six years ago, I completed my first 50-mile endurance ride on the road to Tevis at Laurel Mountain, riding Fantazia. This last Saturday, Fantazia returned to competition on those same trails after a break of more than two years to foal. (Meet her daughter, Scheherazade.)
A brief history of my particularly long road to Tevis
Above: Fantazia and me (in the shadow!) the morning after our first 50-mile completion at Laurel Mt., 2021. It was during the pandemic when the AERC wouldn’t sanction rides, but the Nicholsons kept putting on xprides (thank goodness).
First I made a lot of errors conditioning Fantazia
Shortly after I picked Fantazia up in summer 2020, I began writing my Road to the Tevis Cup posts. I was quite certain we would make it to Tevis 2021. Then a series of unfortunate events followed, including the pandemic and my steep learning curve. (Read my post from July 2021: Everything I am doing wrong.) Perhaps Fantazia would have made it to the start if I had not overtrained her and messed up her feeding regime. Perhaps not. In any case, by spring 2022, I decided it would be unfair to ask her to do Tevis.
I believe Fantazia could have completed Tevis, if I had done everything right in 2021. But I didn’t. That’s on me.
Then I was lucky (and unlucky) with Jazz
In spring 2022, I decided to give Fantazia an extended break. She needed time to recover from an unidentified lameness, and I wanted to breed her. A post on the AERC Facebook page announcing my search for a horse resulted in my lease of Jazaari FA. (Read about the backstory and Jazz’s First Five Days.) Jazz’s owner offered to sell him to me, but I wasn’t sure what I’d be getting… Within a short time I realized Jazz had enormous potential. His owner agreed to extend the lease until after Tevis 2024.
Jazz and I had a very successful 2023 season that included two wins, one at Laurel Mountain. (See below.) He could probably have completed Tevis that year, but I was conservative. I had not had a chance to do back-to-back 50s with him, much less a 100. If I had had more experience, perhaps I would have attempted Tevis. As it was, I didn’t want to compromise his long-term soundness.
In hindsight, maybe I should have attempted Tevis in 2023
Unfortunately, just a few days after Tevis 2023, Jazz’s owner sent me a message saying she was taking him back to give to someone else. She said that person would pick up Jazz at 7am the next day. I was too shocked to do anything but spend a last afternoon thanking Jazz for all the amazing miles we’d covered together. (Read the details at Saying good-bye to Jazz.)
Don’t get me wrong. I had never planned to keep Jazz long past Tevis 2024 unless his owner had asked me to. That wasn’t the deal. And to be honest, Jazz and I didn’t get along perfectly. But we had explored a lot of gorgeous country together… and I still firmly believe that we could have crossed the Tevis finish line together. But… karma!
I would never have asked Jazz to do 100 miles without at least one back-to-back 50.
Above: Looking through Jazz’s ears in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. In the little over 15 months I had him, Jazz went from spooking at his shadow and bolting up and down hillsides to navigating extremely technical terrain, including steep sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. He would have been entirely ready for Tevis 2024.
What about River?
I bought River shortly after losing Jazz and brought her home in September 2023. (Read about my process: Meet my new mare River.) As an ex-racehorse, she would need less legging up. On the other hand, she was going to need a lot of riding in technical terrain. She definitely preferred groomed surfaces when I got her! I planned on aiming for Tevis 2025, which would have given me two years.
By the time I had had River a year, I had my doubts she would ever make it to the start. River has had one problem after another. Some have been just plain bad luck. At the very muddy Cache Creek Ridge ride in 2024, she was pulled with a very ugly lameness. I knew when it had happened–she slipped and fell with her front legs split. Turned out she pulled a pectoral muscle.
Most of River’s issues however have been her feet. River has had a minor stone bruise, a minor corn (a special kind of bruise caused by shoe fit), and a very bad corn. The last one probably started last summer and was still visible at her last shoeing in February. Because of the way her feet grow, it is difficult to keep River’s feet healthy.
On the bright side…
River is metabolically gifted. Her resting heart rate is typically under 30 bpm. On the rare occasion her hooves are in decent condition and I can persuade her to work hard enough to get her heart rate over 150, it plummets as soon as we slow down. If I hop off within a quarter mile from the hold, River’s pulse will be under 60 by the time we stop at the vetting area.
Sadly, this is partially because I am never confident that she will be sound if we go at all fast.
I honestly have no idea if River will ever complete a 100-mile ride, much less Tevis. To top it all off, she kicked me during the hold last weekend. I was currying her to remove the salty sweat. Definitely an F for social skills.
My prior experience at Laurel Mountain
Last weekend was my sixth time riding at Laurel Mountain. I completed my eighth endurance ride there on Friday. Together with Fantazia’s 25 miles on Saturday, that makes 435 miles riding out of that ride camp. (I’ve ridden many more miles in that section of the western Mojave in the Fire Mountain rides.)
2021: Fantazia’s and my first endurance ride together
My first time at Laurel Mountain was during the pandemic. The fact that the Nicholsons were willing to put on WDRA rides when the AERC wouldn’t sanction any was a blessing. Fantazia had been ready for months, but all 2020 rides had been canceled. She was tremendously fit (overtrained, I now know). We sped through the first 33 mile loop with me fighting to slow her down every step of the way. No it wasn’t that fast (6.4 mph average) but to me it felt far too speedy for our first ride. I had only done one 50 before, a catch-ride in Oklahoma, so I had no way to judge.
Fantazia barely broke a sweat. We ended up fourth place, cruising effortlessly through the second loop. (Read about the ride here: Road to the Tevis Cup Post #30: Our first endurance ride, finally!)
It was my first xpride. I didn’t really get to know people, because COVID. We had been asked to park at least 50′ away from other rigs. There were no portapotties. Ride meeting was an eerie affair with everyone standing at a distance, in masks, in the dark.
Still, I did start to meet people! Kristin Ojala parked “next” to me (and saved me from having to go caffeine-free. I had forgotten to bring basic supplies!) Andy Botello and I rode together during a pre-ride. My California endurance community was beginning to form!
Above: I ponied Jazz from Fantazia for a first pre-ride at the 2023 Laurel Mountain ride. (Then I switched horses.)
2023: Two rides at Laurel Mountain and three surprise wins
I did not go to the Laurel Mountain in 2022. I was hoping to ride Fantazia at Twenty Mule team (she didn’t vet in though). In 2023 I took both Jazz and Fantazia, twice.
The first time was the official Laurel Mountain xpride.
On Day 1, I rode Fantazia, most of the way with Scott Lucas. Scott was on his great gelding Stanley. Stanley now has over 3,000 miles, but at the time he had “only” just over 500. I loved Scott’s Western tack. In fact, nearly 50 miles watching Scott’s saddle was part of what convinced me to order my own custom-made Western saddle. By agreement, Fantazia won that race and Stanley stood for (and won) BC.
On Day 2, I rode Jazz. Despite a ridiculous amount of spooking, he cruised through the ride to win easily.
Read about the ride here: Two surprise wins and one top vet score.
Cuyama Oaks at Laurel Mountain
The second ride at Laurel Mountain happened because Cuyama Oaks was flooded out.
Fantazia and I “accidentally” won the 55-mile ride on Day 1. We had not gone fast. On the first loop we averaged 6.4 mph, but on the second Fantazia got a case of bad race-brain, so we went very slowly. But… the five riders ahead of us went off course. Karma.
Jazz was a right little stinker during the Day 2 50. He got so worked up on the first loop that I put my saddle bags on him and turned Loop 2 into a nature walk. We finished toward the middle-back of the pack, despite being near the front after Loop 1.
Read about the ride here: Training my horses during competition
2024: River’s second endurance ride
In 2024, the Nicholsons didn’t hold the Laurel Mountain xpride as traditionally scheduled in the beginning of February. Instead, the Western Mojave xp, which had been held in Trona, was moved to Laurel Mountain. This ended up being River’s second ride after she had successfully completed her first 50 at Fire Mountain.
She did great, but got a stone bruise. In hindsight, know where it probably happened–we were loping down a sandy dry creek. River got enthusiastic and put in some fast strides and a few playful bucks.
2025: River completed back-to-back 50s for the second time
Last year was a success. River was naughty on Day 1 and kicked Heidi Helly’s horse OP (we rode alone the next day), but she completed the 50 on Days 2 and 3 with no lameness issues. (That does give me hope.) Read about the ride here.
Above: Riding River through Goler Gulch. I love the rocks, and the flowers were abundant this year. I made a point of arriving Thursday because only the Day 1 50 trail leads through the gulch.
Western Mojave at Laurel Mountain, 2026
This year’s trip to Laurel Mountain was another success, but to be honest, I feel further from the Tevis start line than I did on my first ride with Fantazia there. My far greater endurance experience just serves to make me more aware of how much horse I need to have before I attempt the ride.
Getting to ride camp
One of the advantages of experience is that I barely have to think about packing, and I still end up with everything essential in my rig. That was a good thing, because boy was I in a rush last Thursday. I taught two classes at Bakersfield College that morning. Then I drove the 68 miles home.
Pre-ride at home
I groomed the mares (and Scheherazade, who always gets tied up and groomed with them), saddled up, and rode. First I ponied River from Fantazia, then switched. I rode before heading to the desert for three reasons. First, I wanted to make sure both mares were healthy and sound. Second, I knew I’d feel too lazy to ride once I got to Ride Camp, but I needed to ride. Ever since River tied up last year, I try to ride her the day before a competition. Third, I needed to get my saddles from the tack room to the trailer and the easiest way to do that is on horses!
And I still arrived at Laurel Mountain and got set up before dark
The one benefit of Daylight Savings having occurred the previous Sunday was that I had an extra hour. Even after working, riding at home, and stopping in Tehachapi to pay a ridiculous amount for diesel, I had time to unload, set up camp, and make it to ride meeting at 7PM. It was great to see everyone! The road to Tevis might prove never-ending, but at least I have made many friends along the way.
Above: Pre-ride meeting entertainment at the Hellys’ is one of my favorite parts of endurance rides. I love the resting horse (Heidi’s new-ish gelding) in the background.
River completes another 50 miles on Day 1
River has become very well-behaved at rides, but it was different this time because we had to leave Fantazia at the trailer. I was saddled up by 6:10 (start was at 6:30). I wanted to hand-walk her for 15 minutes before riding, which I did. She was a snot, even rearing at one point. (Ok so it was a weak rear, but it’s the naughty intention that counts!) I didn’t get on until after the first riders had left because she was being so squirrelly.
Loop 1: Beautiful desert scenery before the heat came
Fortunately, she settled down–a little bit–once we were trotting down the trail. I had been in a hurry to get there because the 50 on Day 1 is my favorite. It goes through Goler Gulch, which has beautiful rock formations (see pictures above and this video). The desert was particularly beautiful because of recent rains, green and full of flowers.
The first loop was uneventful. I let River trot out on the soft sandy parts of the trail and made her walk on hard or rocky terrain. Our average speed was 5.6 mph (5.8 mph average moving speed). Total ascent over ~32 miles was 2,769′ per my Garmin watch.
Above: Walking River down Goler Gulch. It was a beautiful morning.
The hold: River kicked me!
As usual, River had pulsed down by the time we got to the vet check. I parked her at the trailer with hay and mash and grabbed one of Annie’s superb egg salad sandwiches. That’s really why I do their rides 😉 After a break, I took out a soft curry comb and worked on getting the dried sweat off River.
She kicked me in the left knee as I was currying her rump. I immediately picked up the manure fork to kill her. Sadly you can’t really hit a horse with a manure fork without breaking it (the fork not the horse). However I didn’t need to hit her. River knew how much trouble she was in and fully expected to be killed. She pulled back and escaped. I caught her and tied her back up. By that time it was too late to punish her. I tried to provoke another kick but River is no fool. She remembered perfectly well that she’d challenged the alpha and just dug her hind foot into the ground no matter what I did to her.
My fault for being careless. River is always challenging me by squealing and pinning her ears. That’s done.
Above: Many views between River’s ornery ears. If you look closely, you can see Ride Camp in the first picture.
Loop 2: Did River fake a limp?
Fortunately River vetted through (Dave makes you vet at the end of holds). If she hadn’t I would probably have ridden her anyway.
About three miles in, when we headed out into the desert, River started limping a tiny bit. Left fore, so I thought darn, the corn is acting up. I stopped and turned around. River surged into a strong, sound trot towards ride camp. Hmm, I thought I must have imagined the limp. I do that all the time with her. I turned her back around. She pitched a fit, then trotted off soundly… for about five strides. Then she started to limp.
We did that a few times until I gave her a good boot in the gut and she managed to trot soundly away from camp.
Until that moment, I had always discounted as apocryphal every tale of horses feigning lameness.
Still, just in case, I went slowly for the rest of the loop. River showed no more signs of lameness.
Loop 2 was somewhat over 12 miles (I was trying a new Garmin and had trouble starting it) with around 400′ total ascent. We averaged 4.5 mph (4.8 mph average moving speed). I believe we were 12/19 finishers. River vetted through with no issues and was sound the next day, even in tiny circles on hard surfaces.
Above: Fantazia trotting impatiently on Loop 1.
Fantazia returns to competition with an easy 25 miles on Day 2
Fantazia did her best to be a fire-breathing dragon when I vetted her in Friday afternoon. Tail flagging, dancing, snorting… Her beautiful self, but with many battle scars. She has wind puffs on her left hind that she brought home from the Woodland Stallion Station where she was bred. (Gods know how she got them in a small pen. That’s horses for you.) She has surface wounds and arthritis that makes Adequan 100% necessary. But she was rarin’ to go.
Loop 1: Fantazia was a pleasure to ride
Despite her excitement, Fantazia was very well-behaved. I let her start with the first riders, as usual. She’s calmer that way: she does well with other horses passing us, but hates to be behind the pack. Yes, she asked to go faster the entire time, but was fairly polite. We maintained a steady trot for most of the 15.75 miles (5.9 mph average, almost no stopping. 1,180 total elevation gain). I led her the last half mile, and she had pulsed down by the time we got to camp.
Loop 2: An easy completion
After a too-short hold (I can never manage to be ready in half an hour), we vetted and headed out on the second loop. It was just under eight miles. Fantazia completed effortlessly, with an average speed of 5.7 mph (5.9 mph moving; she stopped to drink this time). Compared with the 8.5 mph at which she powered through the loop in 2021, that was slow. For a 19-year-old mare coming back after a two-year baby break, it was fast. She did great.
Aftermath
Both mares look great. Both are trotting sound. They also have loose hind shoes, especially River, whose left front shoe has shifted a bit. Farrier next week, and then Cuyama Oaks the last weekend in March. I hope to ride the first two days. I’ll have Fantazia do the easier 50 miles. I believe she’s ready, we’ll just have to go slow. I want to do two slow 50s in any case, as Mongol Derby training.
Above: Fantazia looked good after her completion, and River looked like she hadn’t completed 50 miles the day before. In the second picture you can see some of the hair I curried off. Fortunately horsehair is not an invasive species. Nothing like exercise on a hot day to help horses shed their winter coats.
Am I getting any further down that long road to Tevis?
Well… I do have a lot more experience. I even volunteered at Tevis last summer. I’ve got 1,630 AERC endurance miles, counting this ride. (When I had to rest Fantazia in 2021, I had 50 AERC miles plus 200 WDRA miles, short of the 300 required for Tevis.)
But I still don’t have a horse. I don’t believe River will be ready this year, if ever. I could get another horse, but it would take at least a year to condition most horses for the ride. Maybe I’ll have to wait until Scheherazade–who is definitely bred to complete Tevis–is 7 or 8 years old.
At this point, it looks like I might be riding the Mongol Derby and the Gaucho Derby before I even enter a horse in Tevis.
Above: Scroll through a slideshow containing some of the pictures I took of beautiful desert flora last weekend.