Gaited Morgan goes the Distance 100 miles

Steinauer woman, horse complete California endurance ride considered one of world’s toughest

CHRISTINA LYONS Beatrice Daily Sun Aug 21, 2018

Sarah Rinne and her horse Silver Valley Tate climb Cougar Rock — a notorious stretch of granite that is part of the annual Tevis Cup 100-mile endurance ride in California. Rinne and Tate finished early July 29 after 23 hours and 47 minutes on the trail.

Lori McIntosh of Gore/Baylor Photography 2018

BEATRICE — Sarah Rinne had wanted to ride in the Tevis Cup since she was 9 or 10 years old.

“And 30 years later, it finally happened,” said Rinne, who is from the Pawnee County village of Steinauer.

Held every year since 1955 on the Western States Trail in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of northern California, the Tevis Cup is touted as one of the toughest endurance rides in the world.

Riding Silver Valley Tate, Rinne was among 64 competitors who covered all 100 miles in less than 24 hours.

But only just: Rinne and Tate crossed the finish line 23 hours and 47 minutes after they started July 28, finishing 58th. Less than half of the field completed the race.

“We were the last of 152 horses out of Robi Park (the starting line) at 5:15 a.m.,” she said. “We averaged 5 to 6 miles per hour throughout the 100 miles.”

Rinne said the toughest part of the ride was the canyons.

“It was not at all what I expected,” she said. “It was about 125 degrees in the canyons and because of the fires, very poor air quality. You can’t realize the full effect until you’re on switchback No. 35 and knowing there are about 37 to go.”

And, of course, part of the race takes place overnight.

“Between 12 and 1 a.m. I was thinking, ‘I could fall asleep on my horse,'” Rinne said. “There were glow sticks on his shoulders, but I couldn’t really see much. We did 32 miles and eight hours in the dark.”

She forded the American River by moonlight, took in sweeping views of high country dotted with wildflowers during the day and crested Cougar Rock — a steep, slick stretch of almost entirely granite and a setting for many dynamic photographs.

“Perhaps the best part was riding and finishing with my mentor and friend, Jonni Jewel,” Rinne said. “I loved watching my horse do his job throughout the entire 100 miles. He is amazing and I completely trusted him.”

Tate is a Morgan horse owned by Dwight and Mary Hanson of Ithaca. He’s 16.1 hands tall and 9 years old.

The majority of the horses competing in the Tevis Cup are Arabians. Rinne said Tate was the only Morgan and only one of two gaited horses entered.

“When Dwight and Mary asked me if I’d like to ride Tate at the Pony Express Competitive Trail Ride at Rock Creek Station (near Fairbury) in August of 2015, I reluctantly said yes, mainly because I was to a point of not wanting to ride horses I didn’t know,” Rinne said. “But when I rode him, we just clicked and I just thought to myself with more development, Tate had Tevis potential.”

Preparing for mountain riding when you live in a flat region is a challenge. However, the two did interval and hill training to prepare for the mountainous terrain.

Rinne planned to compete in the Tevis Cup in 2017. However, Tate had lameness issues. By then, they had both been training for two years.

The ride has two mandatory one-hour rest stops and various vet checks along the trail. Crews are positioned at the stops to help care for the teams.

Shari Parys of Gretna served as a crew member for Rinne and Jewel.

“It was amazing,” Parys said. “It couldn’t have been a more special Tevis, with Sarah riding the horse owned by my other good friends, Dwight and Mary, and having such a good mentor Jonni, and her experienced crew chair, Sara, to help with the success. Seeing them cross the finish line was beyond words.”

Rinne, a mother of four, operates Rinne Hay Service and raises cattle with her husband, Seth.

“I am just so blessed to have been able to do this,” she said. “I would like to do it again. I’m always up for an adventure or challenge.”