Walking On Volume 4, Issue 8, August 2017 | Page 23

derstorms, but that also brought very high humidity in
the canyons. I was right up against cut-offs all day until
I got to Foreshill.
Sky and Merlin were the two Tennessee Walkers that
finished. Merlin, who turned 19 this year, got his sec-
ond buckle. The other two gaited finishers were a Ten-
nuvian and a MFT. I got to ride the last 1/3 of the ride
with these horses and wondered if there had ever been
a bigger group of gaited horses moving together down
the Tevis trail. We left Foresthill behind Jakob Gregory
on his MFT mare Asali and flew down the California
Loop to Francisos’s in the dark. I will never forget the
feeling of rolling down that trail at a fast rack with the
full moon above and American Canyon below.
I will always cherish my Tevis buckle, but the great-
est reward was the memories out on the trail with
friends and bringing home a healthy, sound horse. Sky
looked wonderful afterwards which meant that she was
adequately conditioned and managed well.
Tennessee Walking Horses have earned their place
in one of the world’s toughest 100 miles in one day.
Since the ride’s inception in 1955, there have been
26 finishes by TWH’s, comprising 45% of all gaited
finishes. The best gaited performances at Tevis have
also come largely by TWH’s. In 1971, a TWH named
Snider’s Three Sox finished 5th and Top Tenned again
in 1974. Three Sox finished Tevis a total of 5 times.
John Henry, a grade TWH owned by Dr. Susan Gar-
linghouse also has a coveted spot on the Wendell Robie
trophy for horses with 5 or more Tevis Cup finishes.
John Henry is in his prime and looking to add more
finishes to cement his rightful place as one of the best
gaited horses to ever see that trail. I look forward to a
bright future of gaited horses at the Tevis Cup ride and
hope to see more entered in years to come.
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