Posted on 01/20/2020 7:37:48 PM PST by rktman
For 100 miles, 18-year-old Sanoma Blakeley and her horse, Goober, battled some of the toughest terrain in California’s Gold Rush country. They crossed rivers, traversed canyons, and pushed through elevation changes. It was 16 hours of heart-pumping adrenaline and incredible athleticism as this unstoppable team refused to slow down or give up. After riding all day and with the sky pitch black above them, they sprinted across the finish line to claim their first ever win at the Tevis Cup.
Eight years ago, Blakely’s father found Goober listed for free on Craigslist. The purebred Arabian horse was two years old at the time, and the family decided he was worth the chance. He was sound, spirited, and obviously strong, but there was still no way of knowing he would turn into one of the best endurance horses in the country.
(Excerpt) Read more at ihearthorses.com ...
1. The Arabian stallion.
2. Petroleum and natural gas...they come up together. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has another 200 years of the "black gold," Texas tea. That is what the petroleum engineers told us when we lived over there.
Quite an accomplishment.
That horse is having a great life, good for them for taking him in.
Fantastic! And it was a horse the original owner didn’t even want.
I searched for a horse on CL and got completely different replies.
Here’s and animated look on you tube from the start near Truckee down to Auburn. The young lady/ladies and, well, hell anyone that does this run have a YUGE set looking at this route. Yikes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50mRSVybJfs
Livestock not the xrated stuff. LOL! Well I suppose in some..... Never mind this will only go down hill from there.
From the link:
“Blakely finished only a horse length in front of her toughest competitor in an exciting show of skill and determination. The race was so close, it took several minutes for judges to announce Blakely as the winner.”
1) That’s pretty amazing that over 16 hours it was that close.
2) Sounds like horse race referees are worse than the ones in the NFL.
That’s a lot of quarters. :-)
A little 10yr old Arabian is not the strongest, fastest horse in the competition.
But it might be the smartest and most determined.
But the 10 year old won. This time.
This same race is run by ultra-marathoners and is called the Western States 100. It is one of the oldest and most famous of the worlds runs. To accomplish the 100 miles of mountainous trails in 24 hours is the goal. You get a belt buckle if you make it in 23:59. If it is 24:01, you’re out of luck.
I have a friend who has run it several times, once well into his 60’s. Interestingly, it was originally a horse and rider race, like the Tevis Cup is now.
With it’s low heart rate, it fits the classic definition of efficiency. Least amount of energy expended for most work done. Some people see that as lazy. Here’s to the laziest horse in the country. It’s a complement. As a manufacturing engineer I would assign the laziest worker to a task. They would take their time trying to figure out how not to work hard. I would document their low energy route, then put a faster worker using work instructions based on the “lazy” way. Usually a 30 to 40 percent gain in productivity from the previous method. If you look at the horse it worked it’s way through reducing the time each try on the course. Smartest horse in town. And a rider to match. Good for them.
Arabians are known for their endurance.
have finished a lot of competitive trail rides few 50 mile and 75 mile endurance rides TRIED a very few 100. Horse has to be able to relax and drink and eat. Pass it mandatory pulse and breath counts by a vet. Takes a special person and horse to do this a huge congrats to the horse. Still have one in our pasture. A bay 15.2 hands polish arab 25 years old
We’ve had two arabs, both grays. The Arabians were bred to have stamina and smart. I’d like to know the horses bloodlines. Ours were great animals both lived into their late 20’s. Great story and a great ride.
Grandpa told me they are not the strongest, biggest or fastest horse in the world.
Until you’re 25 miles into the ride.
But might be the smartest and most determined.
He was an English guy
He came to fight the Turkish.....Beep Beep!
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