here are the promised better photos of the horse I painted!

more photos below the cut :) ->

I still can’t fucking believe it. Jeepers and I were in the Tevis Cup. The actual Tevis Cup. So far I haven’t found proof that we were being Truman Show’d. We attempted the world’s most difficult 100 miles in 24 hours endurance race.

We made it through all the toughest parts of the trail and stayed mid-pack most of the ride.

We were pulled by a vet at 64 miles for a shoe that was coming loose and causing soreness that was not immediately fixable in order to continue to finish the 100 miles. Both I and a farrier had doctored it- but it must have effected him and been too late. This was temporary. He is sound again already.

Only 1/2 of competitors make it to the finish line and we made it further than most. He was perfectly sound, forward, alert, eating / drinking and pulsing down well.

Vets determine how far you go by checking your horse every 10 miles or so. Some of those stops are a quick trot-by, and some are a more involved assessment. Unfortunately, at 64 miles (Chicken Hawk vet check) he came in sound and happy. Some things show up at the more involved checks when you let a horse sit for a minute. He realized that loose shoe did bother him and he showed us he was uncomfortable. The vets made the right call, he was visibly lame.

I am not disappointed- as someone who has been around this ride for a long time as a volunteer, we proved that we are actually the real deal. Thousands of people online were in the Tevis livestreams looking for us- and I knew it- but didn’t realize just how many people were watching us. I was so proud that Jeepers gave them a show !

My crew was incredible and they not only had a blast but kept us moving and in the game. I appreciate everyone who financially contributed to their travel and lodging. You not only gave them an unforgettable experience but you supported our entire 64 miles journey.

We are coming back next year for that buckle. Jeepers is fully capable of finishing Tevis. As the only quarter horse in Tevis this year he showed the world what we were made of!

YouTube video soon.

Horse that sent me to the hospital in January got his massive fucking clods roughly chopped for the first time yesterday and i did not return to the hospital.

Real talk though this is one of my bigger accomplishments. This horse is very athletic and powerful and has been reactive in a way that was (obviously) dangerous. I still have complications in my quad muscle from that kick, three months later (peep the huge brace). But the horse is a completely different animal.

UPDATE: CHOPPED AGAIN

Sure! Basically since Rudi has EMS and had laminitis last year, grass is pretty much off the table for her.

So our solution this year was to put the easy keepers who needed to loose weight in a chunck of forest we fenced in.

Up here they have a straw bed on the top, and an automatic waterer down the hill closest to the stable. We hang weighed up small hole hay nets once a day. The rest of the time they forage for leaves from the trees and straw.

I have a gps tracker on Rudi so i can monitor her movement, and they consistently move about 7-8km every day. In comparison, when they are in their winter paddock she only moves about 4-5km a day.

Poop we havent really done anything about, it's quite a good sized area so it's not much of a problem to leave it.