14/ AUGUST 2021 THE RIDER


2021 Ontario Trail Riders Association Board of Directors


President Sonja Wyss 705-434-7947 info@barefoot-saddlecanada.ca


Secretary Laurie Panagiotou 905-807-2786 lauriep1@live.ca


Treasurer/Membership Elaine Wiesner 519-940-1710 elaine.a.wiesner@gmail.com


Website Development Tina Kerst 416-907-6051 tiamiadart@gmail.coma


Directors at Large Karen Plume, 519-604-4020, kp59ca@gmail.com Cathy Togeretz, 519-465-1758, cathytogeretz@sympatico.ca


Area Representative Elaine Wiesner 519-940-1710 elaine.a.wiesner@gmail.com


Sandra Kendall, 905-939-8356, rlsophia29@gmail.com Lana English, 519-658-3489, lanaenglish@sympatico.ca


9045 20 Sideroad, Tosorontio, Lisle, ON L0M 1M0 • www.ontariotrailriders.ca


OTRA and its members represent the equestrian trail user with the Ontario Trails Council, Ontario Eques- trian Federation and Equine Canada. We welcome your membership to help support the voice of OTRA on your behalf. Visit our Facebook Page


The Ontario Trail Riders Association Inc, estab- lished in 1970, is an equestrian organization which promotes recreational trail riding and the creation, development, preservation and safe use of trails.


Riding in the 2021 Tevis Cup Tevis Cup? OTRA? The


following was written by a friend of mine and I hope everyone here will enjoy a ‘change of pace’ and share the excitement of this race, but also the special partnership between a rider and a horse. Sonja Wyss


—————- TEVIS 2021 - Where do I


start? I guess the first thing would be to express my over- whelming gratitude to Susan Garlinghouse DVM for giving me the opportunity to ride the Mighty John Henry through Tevis. What a grand adventure it was! Also, my appreciation and gratitude to all the volunteers, vets, my crew, all other riders that encouraged us and took time to lend a hand when it was needed, all the good wishes and kind comments before, during and after. And to all of the folks who got John Henry and me here to SHARE what it was like to go through the Tevis experience looking through John Henry’s ears.


Mr. Henry’s slated rider


was unable to ride due to injury, when ‘some’ folks close to Dr. G tossed my name into the hat. I am so humbled to be considered an appropriate candidate to take this amazing horse through Tevis, being certain Dr. G didn’t even know who I was. Of course, I ac- cepted the invitation! That mo- ment right there was when this once in a lifetime adventure began.


My first opportunity to


meet and ride Mr. Henry wasn’t until the Sunday before Tevis, where I assisted his farrier Je- remy Procopio with his glue-ons, allowing me to get to know Mr. Henry and dial in what would be needed for ‘spare tires’. My next visit for a ride and


to get his saddle adjusted to me was Tuesday evening before the race. I got to take him out for a spin as the sun set over Cool, CA. To say I was feeling the pressure of what I was about to embark on is an absolute understatement. This amazing horse who com- pleted Tevis five times already, who was coming back from a life-threatening injury,


and


should he get his sixth buckle, would break a 45 year old record for the number of Tevis comple- tions by a gaited horse. YES, I spent a lot of time


trying to stay out of my own head, not get caught up in the hoopla, and remain calm! I could not have done it with my rock and quiet place in the storm, Greg Mayer, thank you. We got Mr. Henry to Robie


Park on Thursday evening. Whew! I took him out of the


trailer and figured I’d take him for a stroll. Oh my gosh, I’m so used to flighty, spun-out Arabs! This horse unloaded calmly and we quietly strolled around like it was no big deal. It wasn’t, re- member, this was not his first rodeo! So impressed with him al- ready. What a personality! My admiration and respect for this horse only continued to build. Friday morning rolled


around, we got checked in, I am trying hard to not let my nerves and the pressure building up in- side of me show. I bumped into the lovely Lynne Holochwost who told me to just remember that once we got out on that trail together it was going to be just me and Mr. Henry. Just us two. All of this other stuff would fade away. Perfect words! We vetted in early as I’m a


stickler for getting that bit out of the way asap, then back to the trailer for a last minute adjust- ments so I could get him out for a pre-ride test drive. I cannot even put into words what that was like. After four and a half miles


he gave me a good show of his gaits that I’d get to experience on Saturday. I also got a feel for just how much power that horse has! Wowzer! Friday night dinner (which


is a story for another day) came, everything was ready and set up for the ride. By now, I’m nearly numb to the pressure that I’d been fighting down leading up to this point. Ride camp was quiet and


peaceful early this year. Typi- cally, the night before Tevis, I didn’t get much sleep. Tossing and turning, thinking of all that was about to happen and listen- ing for the alarm at 3:00 am. Saturday morning, Greg


gets me breakfast, Dr. G gets Mr. Henry saddled, and we are off. Greg walked with us to pen 2. My instructions were to start as close to the front of pen 2 as I could. Mr. Henry was calm, cool, and collected. We went out at a calm walk with the first probably 10 or so riders. Not an experience I’ve had in the past. What a pleasure! Then we were turned loose


at the start. Mr. Powerhouse moved along at an amazing clip. We were on our way. Not terribly far from the start, we came up be- hind Lisa Schiender, who had ridden Mr. Henry through Tevis in 2016! What luck! I asked for any tips, and off we went. Thank you for those encouraging words, Lisa. It meant so very much to me!


On we went, at what felt


like a blistering pace. As we trav- eled through Granite Chief and the Boggs, I kept asking him if he


chance to try to get something into my system, food wise. We got Mr. Henry vetted and I was reminded how far behind time we were. That meant we needed to bust bum, go fast, to get into Foresthill on time. Mr. Henry un- derstood the urgency. He gave me what I asked for. Once again, he knew what he could do and what was ahead for him. We were just coming up to


might mind and possibly take this a wee bit slower and just a tad bit more carefully. Afterall, it’s been five years since the last time he’d been through and maybe, just maybe, some of the rocks would be in a different spot. I got a firm “Let me handle this, sis’er... you just hang on and don’t do any- thing stupid!” So much for any navigational input on my part! Dr. G had given me permis-


sion to go over Cougar Rock, as apparently that is the only route Mr. Henry knows. Yay! My two previous Tevis experiences did not net me that photo. So, thank you, Mr. Henry for giving me that super exciting opportunity, now a memorialized memory. Into and out of Red Star. I


couldn’t believe the recoveries this horse has! Didn’t take us much time at all to head off to- ward Robinson’s. Somewhere along the line, our pace slowed down a bit and came rolling into Robinson’s nearly an hour behind our target time. Dang it! We were greeted by so many cheers. Everyone was so thrilled to see Mr. Henry come through. That in itself had to be part of his quick recovery as he knew fully all that hoopla was for him! Chris and Micki Turney


took extraordinary care of us both while there and sent us off to Dusty Corners with hugs, love, and well wishes (and refreshed electrolytes, food and water!). We stopped at Dusty Corners for watermelon - a must do on this ride! At least for me as by then, I really need the pick me up and I believe Mr. Henry enjoyed every bite of watermelon thoroughly. We finally make it to Last Chance. Adding yet another thing to the already impressive list about this horse is that he knows how and when to take care of himself, no matter what I might have been asking of him. When I asked him if we


could slow down at the beginning and he said no, it’s because he knew what he could do. When I asked him to please pick up the


pace during this middle section and he was reluctant, I believe with all of my heart it’s because he knew what was ahead and that he needed to conserve his energy. He is absolutely amazing. Into the Canyons. He’s un-


believably fast and efficient going downhill as we buzzed down that first steep canyon. We stopped at the river to make sure he was cooled down and ready for the long climb out. Not far up he made it clear to me that this is where I am to get my lazy bum off and tail behind him. Okie dokie! Sure glad I’ve had the op- portunity to be riding a lot lately and that I’d begun a little effort at running! Let me just say, I had an up close and very personal look at just how much power is in that hind engine! We made it to the top of


Devil’s Thumb, the volunteers and water troughs are one of the best sights ever! Into Deadwood and Mr. Henry is quite hungry so we hung out longer than planned as he was hoovering up the gro- ceries. With a full belly, we headed out to tackle Canyon number two, not as steep but so much longer. Again, we booked down to


the bottom, and again, on the way up he made it clear that my job was to tail behind, not sit on his back. He let me lead him up and into Michigan Bluff where Dr. G and Greg were waiting to provide amazing crewing and reviving care for us both. Those long tailing hikes up


both canyons put us farther be- hind and now we were chasing the cut offs. Dr. G worked her magic and we took off, blasting to Chicken Hawk. On the way, wouldn’t you know it, he lost a hind boot! I hop off, toss on the spare tire and like a rocket, we blasted into Chicken Hawk. Where the heck does this horse pull out the energy to do this? His well runs deep, that’s for sure! Dr. G and Greg come into


Chicken Hawk a few minutes after we arrive which gave me a


Bath Rd. when we lost a front glue on boot! Well crap! I hadn’t replaced the spare tire at Michi- gan Bluff and we were running out of time. I put Mr. Henry on the soft trail on the side of the road and we galloped all the way up. Cheers and encouragement met us. GO JOHN HENRY! I know all of that cheering urged him on. He realized his fans were there for him. As we came near the top,


Dave Putnam came up, running along beside us encouraging us and making sure we knew we were six minutes, then four min- utes away. All I could see was the top of the road at the turn into the vet area, and no crew... where the heck were my people? Doesn’t matter, says Dave. Some one will help you, just get up there! Magically,


through the


crowd I see Greg and Dr. G, then Greg pulling me off the horse, Dr. G beginning her magic min- istrations. We made it. Two min- utes! I nearly collapsed with relief.


So many wonderful people,


friends, neighbors, and clients. All at Foresthill, waiting for us to come in and offering up every- thing to help us. The support, love, and encouragement from everyone sure touched my heart. Dr. G shared that we’d been given an extension of time at Foresthill due to the situation on the trail earlier. She decided we’d hang out an extra 15 minutes to give Mr. Henry a chance to rest longer as well as giving me an additional break. Great idea as he had really worked hard from Robinson’s on. Especially the last five miles into Foresthill. I knew we’d need to make it up some- how, but with the extra rest, maybe his well reservoir would fill up enough. It’s 9:45, time to leave


Foresthill. Gosh, I’ve never left this late before! Mr. Henry, I need you to fly through these switchbacks, please! So, funny diversion


about leaving


Foresthill. We’re headed down the


trail from California Street. Alone, in the dark. I wasn’t en- tirely sure we were on the right path as the glow sticks were tough to follow. All of a sudden, I see a bunch of glow sticks com- ing toward us! “What the heck,


are they just now putting them out? Oh wait, are we so late that they are pulling them?” That’s what a tired brain does to you. Turns out, 3 riders took a


wrong turn and were headed back into Foresthill! Oh, just follow us, Mr. Henry knows the trail, now proudly leading the other three horses through the crazy switchbacks. As we headed up the hill toward Cal 2, I kept thinking, this trail is going on for- ever! Sure don’t remember it being this long before. I was so grateful to see the


volunteers and the water tank there. No time to dally though, drink up Sir, we have places to be. We headed out, going as fast as Mr. Henry deems appropriate (or I could encourage him) as we’ve got to get down to the river and back up to Franciscos, pronto! Mr. Henry did not disap- point, moving out through all the tough sections. Thankfully he kept it to a dull roar while we were on the side of hill over the river. I thought to myself, “You know, if he starts cantering, you could just close your eyes, trust him...”, however, I also realized that if I had closed my eyes, I would have fallen asleep. That’s not a section of the


trail one wants to sleep through! I had my first night ride halluci- nation on that section too. An- other first opportunity, thank you Mr. Henry! Into Franciscos with a


horse that I was in complete amazement over. We weren’t lighting any trails on fire but still moving out good. He pulsed down right away, ate, drank, pret- zels and ginger ale for me. Vet- ting through and off without wasting a moment. We made great time getting to the river crossing, with Mr. Henry just forging through the water. He is fearless and so incredible! I know this next section of


trail well as it’s my home turf. A couple of riders catch us and are cruising along. I’m able to share where to trot and move out, where to use caution. I am asking Barb for the time as I had man- aged to leave the receiver part of the GPS/heart rate monitor on the charger in Foresthill. It was 3:50! Oh no! I’m pretty sure we need to be out of Lower Quarry by 4 am. I tell Barb to go ahead of us if her pony will trot consistently, to get to Lower Quarry, get out of the check, and go fast to the fin- ish. Do not risk your completion by hanging out with us! Turns out, that was the best


advice I could have given. Barb sent her horse off into a trot. As he got slightly ahead of us Mr.


OTRA News Continued on Page 15


Requirements: If a non-mem- ber, please see ride organizer and pay day fee: all participants must sign a waiver and show proof of liability insurance.


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