The 100-Mile Test
Within a year, Vanessa was riding Ace in local competitive trail rides. Ace did very well in 50-mile endurance races in Canada, Virginia, and even in the humidity of South Carolina.
But the big test was yet to come. Could he do well in a 100-mile endurance race? We decided to enter him in the 1999 International Arabian Horse Association Region 18 Championship to be held in Flesherton, Ontario. Vanessa would ride him. She knew competition would be stiff, because the event was also the Pan American Championship Qualifier. However, she welcomed the challenge knowing that Ace was fit and a good competitor.
The pinnacle of endurance racing is the 100-mile test. This event requires team effort, long hours, and strategic planning. We traveled to the ride site together and set up camp. With map in hand, we located the six rest stops, and rehearsed our routines to cool and calm Ace. Vanessa felt that it would be wise to keep him out of the fray and to let him "ride his own ride" - that is, choose his own pace. There would be a large field of entries.
At 6:00 the next morning, our friends and I watched in the mist as the 27 horses entered in the race left camp. Ace was kept in the back of the pack. As the day progressed, it was obvious that Ace was getting stronger. When Vanessa galloped Ace out of the last hold, we hooted and hollered with confidence that he was going to finish.
He did. Vanessa trotted Ace across the finish line just behind one of the world's top horses in 10th place; a Top Ten! But better yet, he was awarded Grand Champion Half-Arabian in the Sweepstakes Competition. Our friends went home with an armload of prizes, a trophy, and a check to follow in the mail. It was the height of Ace's career.
Crewing for their horse at the 100 race at Flesherton was rewarding for our friends from Niagara Falls. It also created a spiritual bond between Ace and Vanessa. That bond has never wavered.
Ace, Abandoned
As the years ticked by, life's events happened. The relationship between our friends fell on hard times. The wife was laid off from her job at DuPont and moved to North Carolina to be with her family. Visits to the farm to see Ace ended. After she left, her husband developed health problems and eventually had a series of strokes that forced him into a nursing home.
In the financial problems that followed, Ace was abandoned at our farm. At age 15, he's sound and healthy, living in our pasture overlooking Canandaigua Lake with a desire to go and do again. He needs someone to adopt him and be his new best friend.
Wherever you keep your horse, horse ownership's rewards lie in the bond created between your horse and you while sharing experiences. Feeding, grooming, and trail riding are all great ways to bond with your horse.
To experience everything horse ownership has to offer, get out there and do things with your horse. You'll build a relationship that will result in a rewarding experience that, in turn, will benefit you both.
