ENDURANCE DAILY
Endurance - After The Ride
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
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Deborah Reich finished the endurance course in 18th position with a ride time of 8:42:55 competing at an average speed of 18.36 kph. She was the only United States rider to finish the course. Her eight hour plus finish is considered a good time in US rides, but was still an hour behind the winning time of Maria Alvarez Ponton. Reich comments on her last loop. “Since we were out of the team medal and I was too far behind the front runners to catch up and medal on an 11-mile loop, we decided to run my last loop conservatively to get at least one American horse completed,” she said.

“Riding as a team is very different than an individual race. I think it was a good idea to practice together, and it helped the horses stay confident and calm at the start, and for us to run as a group the first three loops and hold our position on the course. I think we were all pleased about the quality of the US horses.”
What did she think of the course? “It was a beautiful course, with good footing to allow speed,and enough creek crossings and turns to be a bit technical and give the horses a breather. Our road crew came from all over the country to volunteer and made a big difference. They were eager and well-trained, and it's always a relief to see friendly faces on the trail. I really enjoyed being with the riders from other countries, everyone was professional, friendly and a good sport. I was a little concerned about mayhem at the start of a championship race, and June did a little HIHO Silver rear just before the start, but even thought it was fast out of the gate it was very orderly and courteous and we passed through narrow gates and around turns without a problem.”

“At the finish I was with a French rider and I decided to take the risk and race in just in case one of the first 3 riders got pulled,” she continued. “Sam ran like the wind and was so cheerful about it. I really feel that the hind end lameness is due to his lack of 100 mile experience and that he has one hell of a bright future as a world class endurance horse.”
Deborah Reich is coached and trained by Heather and Jeremy Reynolds. “We’ve made huge advances to the team and we’re starting to bring good results to the table,” said Jeremy Reynolds. “We gave them a run for their money.”
There is a good incentive to win but no animosity with other teams. “Sheikh Mohammed has driven this sport and opened the door for people like us to train and make a career. We wouldn’t have a market for our horses without his support,” continued Reynolds.
Meg Sleeper was eliminated at the fourth Gate. “I am sure it is no surprise that it was very disappointing to be eliminated at 76 miles,” said Sleeper. “However, I was thrilled with my horse and really the entire US effort. All of the US horses were competitive. As you know, a 10 hour 160 km riding time is simply not competitive at the world level and we all planned on trying to achieve eight hour finishing times. It was exciting to see that we were all on track for that and I think the quality of our horses is excellent. My horse maintained the speeds I asked of him on course, but at the exit examination before leaving on the fifth loop, his CRI spiked, which was the cause for his elimination. It was an appropriate decision. He was tired; he has done those speeds before, but he is only eight years old and perhaps he didn't have the bottom that an older horse would have, or perhaps it just wasn't his day. In any case, he has bounced back really well and is fine now.”

Emmett Ross, Endurance Discipline Manager commented on the trail. “The course was more difficult than many riders had imagined, but the finish rate was still excellent,” he said. “It was a technical course with a 55% completion rate, the largest number for a Championship ride. There was a 40% completion rate in Malaysia.”
Photos: US Team-Loop One, Deborah Reich, Heather Reynolds and Jan Worthington Photos by Pamela Burton
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