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Let me introduce myself; my name is Potato, and I’m dedicated to helping those of you who want a Tevis Buckle!  I have been involved in Tevis since 1972 and have lots of good tips to share.
Let me help you get your buckle!
*For starters, if you join my Tevis Post News Letter, a free service, you will be directed to  my download site. When you get here I would like you to download, my trial riding video "Potato's Endurance Tips". Please let your trail riding friends know too.

(see page bottom for newsletter form)

Tevis 2009 I achieved another landmark in my endurance riding history by earning my 20th buckle. This was an incredible goal for me.  Years ago Wendell Robie had his 1000 mile buckle made in gold and I told him, when I get mine I want it in gold too.  He said “well Potato start saving your money now and you can buy one when you earn it.” Well I decided that the 20th buckle would be my goal and I did it.
I have been involved in every aspect of Tevis since 1972 and the popularity of the “Tevis Buckle” is still high on the wish list of many riders world-wide.   I don’t have access to the statistics but I feel that there are more riders that are seeking their first Tevis buckle then ever in history.  The Tevis BOD has made every imaginable effort to help riders finish, however that completion percentage seems to still hover around 50%.

The fact that it is now harder to enter the event has put a serious obstacle in the way and the statistics are still pretty much the same.   I don’t think the new requirement helps to increase the percentage of riders who finish; it just makes it more difficult and expensive to enter the event. However I feel that the riders who participated in the Educational ride held a few weeks before the ride had a much better completion percentage. 

There is no substitute for the experience of pre-riding the trail, especially that portion that most riders travel in the dark.  However, the fact that the largest number of riders are pulled at Robinson Flats should give some good insight on preparations.  It just doesn’t make sense that after 35 miles a horse that has been trained to do 100 miles is pulled.  Think about the reasons.  This year at Robinson Flat, 14 riders were pulled, 3 for lameness and the others were Metabolic or rider option which most often is also Metabolic of either the rider or the horse. Now that doesn’t seem to make sense.   I can understand lameness but no other reason adds up.

I contend that the biggest challenge to completing the ride is fatigue of the rider as well as the horse.  When the rider gets tired they don’t ride as well as they should and that is hard on the horse.  When the horse gets tired they are more likely to trip on a rock or just plain stumble and come-up lame. So, the solution is for the rider to be as fit as possible and the same goes for the horse.  Good nutrition and exercise year around is my goal for both horse and rider.  So start now to be ready for next year.

Thanks again                                     

Click here  for Potato's Boot Camp information page     

Potato 

 
 
 

 

Let me introduce myself; my name is Potato, and I’m dedicated to helping those of you who want a Tevis Buckle!  I have been involved in Tevis since 1972 and have lots of good tips to share.Let me help you get your buckle! *For starters, if you join my Tevis Post News Letter, a free service, you will be directed to  my download site. When you get here I would like you to download, my trial riding video "Potato's Endurance Tips". Please let your trail riding friends know too.(see page bottom for newsletter form)Tevis 2009 I achieved another landmark in my endurance riding history by earning my 20th buckle. This was an incredible goal for me.  Years ago Wendell Robie had his 1000 mile buckle made in gold and I told him, when I get mine I want it in gold too.  He said “well Potato start saving your money now and you can buy one when you earn it.” Well I decided that the 20th buckle would be my goal and I did it.I have been involved in every aspect of Tevis since 1972 and the popularity of the “Tevis Buckle” is still high on the wish list of many riders world-wide.   I don’t have access to the statistics but I feel that there are more riders that are seeking their first Tevis buckle then ever in history.  The Tevis BOD has made every imaginable effort to help riders finish, however that completion percentage seems to still hover around 50%.The fact that it is now harder to enter the event has put a serious obstacle in the way and the statistics are still pretty much the same.   I don’t think the new requirement helps to increase the percentage of riders who finish; it just makes it more difficult and expensive to enter the event. However I feel that the riders who participated in the Educational ride held a few weeks before the ride had a much better completion percentage.  There is no substitute for the experience of pre-riding the trail, especially that portion that most riders travel in the dark.  However, the fact that the largest number of riders are pulled at Robinson Flats should give some good insight on preparations.  It just doesn’t make sense that after 35 miles a horse that has been trained to do 100 miles is pulled.  Think about the reasons.  This year at Robinson Flat, 14 riders were pulled, 3 for lameness and the others were Metabolic or rider option which most often is also Metabolic of either the rider or the horse. Now that doesn’t seem to make sense.   I can understand lameness but no other reason adds up. I contend that the biggest challenge to completing the ride is fatigue of the rider as well as the horse.  When the rider gets tired they don’t ride as well as they should and that is hard on the horse.  When the horse gets tired they are more likely to trip on a rock or just plain stumble and come-up lame. So, the solution is for the rider to be as fit as possible and the same goes for the horse.  Good nutrition and exercise year around is my goal for both horse and rider.  So start now to be ready for next year.