« Definitely a bad day at the office !! | Main | Transporting Your Horse in the UK »
A 37-year-old Endurance Horse ?
By debbie | June 5, 2008
Elmer Bandit, a 37-year-old Arabian cross gelding, completed the Indian Territory North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC) ride over Memorial Day weekend, finishing in sixth place and bringing his lifetime mileage total to 20,360.
The ride, held annually on the John Zink Ranch near Tulsa, Oklahoma, started on a “perfect day to ride” said Darlene Wehr, DMV, official equine judge at the event. The temperature was in the 70s and a cool breeze made the tough, rocky, prairie terrain challenging, but pleasurable.
“Sunday got horrible,” reported Wehr. “The temperature soared to 89 and the humidity went to an estimated 95%.”
Some horses were held at pulse and respiration checks for their protection, but not Elmer. He did lose several points at the checks, a loss which Wehr said was, “so rare for this horse.”
Mary Anna Wood, owner, breeder, and lifelong rider of Elmer Bandit noted one disadvantage of riding a 37-year old horse:
“All of my back-up horses have passed away.” but she stills feels Elmer is happy going down the trail, although he does have a touch of arthritis.
The 32-year-old Half-Arabian, Elmer Bandit, has earned 21 NATRC championships and received a Diamond Medallion for competing in more than 15,000 competitive miles.
Elmer is scheduled for another NATRC ride June 14, 2008, in Kansas. His mileage still falls 290 miles short of record holder Wing Tempo’s 20,710 miles.
“When you see Elmer compete, you know you are watching history with every step he takes,” Wehr said.
Topics: Equestrian News |
2 Responses to “A 37-year-old Endurance Horse ?”
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
June 6th, 2008 at 2:56 am
I wrote the Elmer post for thehorse.com. I tracked down those quotes. He is an amazing horse and he passes me every time I compete with him. I hope to be competing at his next ride in June at Hillsdale Lake… wish Elmer well, he and Mary Anna deserve it. Marsha Hayes in Kansas
June 6th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Hi Marsha,
I think he’s wonderful and I’d love to see some pics of you and Anna competing at the Hillsdale Lake ride.
I thought that Elmer fording the creek story was hilarious.