Tuesday July 20 2010

34 Tevis Cup Riders Compete for a Free Ride: A Race Within A Race

Truckee, CA

It's Tevis Time and EasyCare has created a unique race within a race as part of the 2010 edition of the Western States Trail Ride, also known as 54th edition of the Tevis Cup.

On Saturday, July 24, 2010, some 200 riders will cross the start line of the most revered 100-mile horse race in the world. 34 of them will be officially competing in the Ride Tevis for Free Contest , which means that if they cross the finish line at the Auburn Fairgrounds their ride entry and belt buckle will be provided to them courtesy of EasyCare.

Competing riders must start and finish the race wearing four Easyboots. Although most of the riders will be using Easyboot Glue-Ons on barefoot horses, a few contestants who are using Original Easyboots glued on over steel shoes.

“If you ever speak to an endurance rider, chances are they know all about the Tevis Cup," said Garett Ford, President and CEO of EasyCare. "Many riders dream of one day earning their own Tevis buckle or of adding one to their collection. The Ride Tevis for Free Contest has enabled 34 lucky riders to get closer to making that dream come true.”

“That’s not all,” said Julia Lynn-Elias of Dewey, AZ, who is one of the contestants. “EasyCare is providing the boots for the event; the tools and equipment needed to apply the boots and the EasyCare staff are applying the boots for the riders. I'm definitely feeling lucky!”

As soon as competing riders cross the finish line at the Auburn Fairgrounds on July 24 or 25, 2010, EasyCare will reimburse riders their entry fees. The stakes are without question in favor of riders in Easyboots: the completion rate of horses in Easyboot Glue-Ons at the 2009 Tevis was an impressive 70% compared to the 50% average overall completion rate of all horses entered in the competition.

The annual Tevis Cup is among the most coveted 100 mile endurance races in the world. Started in 1955, the ride starts on the outskirts of North Lake Tahoe near the town of Truckee, California and ends 100 miles later in the Fairgrounds at Auburn, California. Riders traverse some of the toughest 100 miles of wilderness trails in the country.

"Riders will descend 23,000 feet and climb 19,000 feet," said Ford. "They will have to trot and canter up and down hard-packed service roads, pick their way through boulder fields and bogs and canter through forest trails. They will wade through rivers, navigate steep canyons, climb the infamous Cougar Rock and stumble their way in the thick, soupy darkness of night along precipitous mountain trails no wider than a horse."

Wendell Robie, an Auburn businessman who was dedicated to riding the trails in the Sierra high country, organized the first ride. At the time, few people believed that a horse and rider team could thwart the unforgiving trail of Lake Tahoe to Auburn in a single day.

Today, each rider who completes the course within 24 hours with a horse deemed ‘fit to continue’ is awarded the infamous silver Tevis belt buckle.

For more information on the 2010 Ride Tevis for Free Contest, please contact Kevin Myers, Director of Marketing at kmyers@easycareinc.com or 520-297-1900 X 2238.

For more information on EasyCare Inc. please visit www.easycareinc.com or blog.easycareinc.com.

back to top