THIS WEEK'S FEATURED STORIES

Old Dominion 100 - Hanna Bartnick

June 16 2026
By Hanna Bartnick
Photo by Becky Pearman

The short version is that my 18 year old, 14.1 hand mustang mare is a total freaking beast and we finished that gnarly ride with 4 minutes to spare, coming in 11th out of the 17 that started in the National Championship 100.

Every time I think of this past weekend, I still get teary eyed. Aspen and I ventured up to the AERC National Championship to try our hand at the Old Dominion 100, also known as the Beast of the East. For those that don’t know, it’s a grueling, rock filled trail up and down big mountains in the heat. The 100 is a point to point race where your crew travels and meets you at most of the vet checks and you eventually circle back to the starting point.

I won’t lie - I wasn’t even remotely excited for the ride the week leading up to it. Every time I checked the weather forecast it was looking hotter and hotter and I was totally dreading it. I even thought about scratching my entry as heat is typically hard on these heavier bodied mustangs and I also don’t do great in it. But Charlesey and I had been planning to ride it together for some time and I couldn’t let her down so I gave Aspen a body clip and reluctantly packed all my crap in the crewing truck.

A few days before the ride I glued on Aspen’s composite shoes like I’ve done many times and promptly found the back two in her field the next morning and a front one looking a bit suspicious. I’m thinking bad glue cause I took hours on my prep work. So I figured I’d just ride her in renegades at that point and see how far the front two shoes lasted, but once I got to ride camp my dedicated crew member Rachel Land encouraged me to have the ride farrier throw a set of steel shoes on her with leather pads instead. Best advice ever because the amazing farrier Shane put those things on tight and they never shifted an inch the entire ride - a massive feat.

It was uncomfortably hot on Friday but Saturday was going to be several degrees cooler with less humidity. So with a fresh set of shoes on and Aspen looking good, I got my last bit of organizing done and got some restless sleep. 4:15 AM rolled around quick and Charlesey and I rode off at 5:30 AM. The first loop has a big ol climb and lots of rocks. The humidity was high but the horses vetted in well at Bird Haven. The second loop has a climb from hell and a trail called stegosaurus ridge because it’s literally nothing but rocks, but we made it through that as well with a very conservative pace and some cussing. Unfortunately Charlesey’s mare was off at the second vet check so I sadly had to go out alone in the heat in last place with the next folks ahead of me by nearly 20 minutes. I was also going to have to push to meet the next cut off time. I thought to myself, well, I’ll be riding the next 70ish miles alone now - nothing new for me - and we’ll just see what happens.

To my surprise, I caught up with Amy Stone & Madison Johnston near the very end of loop 3. I had been asking Aspen to maintain a big working trot the entire loop, even up the long uphills, so when we got into the vet check with 14 minutes to meet pulse time, I was a bit worried. But she came right down and vetted through great. Rachel was being a crew machine for Aspen and I and even had my truck all decorated up. It was adorable. I iced my feet that hold, Tracy rubbed my shoulders, and lots of folks asked if I needed anything. The endurance community is really amazing, and I felt that extra hard on this 100.

So off we went on loop 4. It was beginning to cool off and Aspen was feeling great and I was starting to really have fun. Rachel said I needed to speed up and that I could make some time up on this next loop. I caught up again with Amy and Madison and we rode into Waites Run together making good time. Vetted through that fine, then we ended up catching several more riders who I ended up leap frogging with quite a bit. Aspen and I got a quick bite at the hospitality spot where lots of horses were. I decided to let everyone go out ahead of me because I wanted to ride my own ride and set my usual turtle pace without her getting caught up with the other horses. So we headed out from there alone and made it to Big 92 vet check with some time to spare. Aspen looked great, I was starting to feel giddy, and Rachel was being a magical crew fairy as usual.

We left out last and alone again for a quick trot down to Laurel Run vet check and ended up riding with Jaime Hope most of that stretch. Vet check easily passed, Aspen’s shoes were still in place, and I’m absolutely thrilled and ecstatic but getting tired at this point. Jamie and I rode into Bird Haven together having a pretty good ol time even though I had to get off to pee like 5 times!! Ugh. I’m completely exhausted by this point, my headlamp is making the shadows dance as I trot along, and I’m totally hallucinating animals and creepy figures in the trees for that entire loop. But we make it to Bird Haven and the vet says Aspen looks great! So I drink some tea and off we go for the last 6 miles to the finish.

I’m hallucinating worse at this point and completely paranoid that I’ll find a rock in the dark and lame up my horse in this last little stretch. So I tell Jaime to go on ahead and I do what I do best: turtle pace! I pretty much walked that entire last 6 miles and we crossed the finish line at 5:26 AM - just 4 minutes to spare. I knew my friends were going to be terrified I wouldn’t make it but I knew exactly where I was that whole loop so they were just going to have to sweat a little lol. Charlesey, Rachel and I had a good little cry as I trotted through those finish line lights while folks cheered me on. My adrenaline spiked then and I’ve been on cloud 9 ever since. I trotted Aspen out for the final vet check and we were told all done!! Aspen then gets pulled aside for drug testing and I’m so tired that I could barely remember my address

So yeah. Old Dominion 100, which I swore I’d never do again if I finished it, is by far the funnest ride I’ve ever done and I hope to be able to do it for many years to come. There are so many people I want to thank - ride management, the vets, the numerous volunteers who helped me many times, the amazing ride farriers, the cooks, Rachel for being my main crew and her wealth of knowledge, Charlesey for riding with me and always encouraging me, Tracy, Jeff, & Chuck for your extra help, Jennifer for driving me home, Becky for your photos, all the riders who I shared trail with, and my partner Justin for tending to the farmstead while I was away. Im sure I’m forgetting folks but know you are loved and appreciated. I adore this endurance community and I had one hell of a party up there on the mountains!

Horse Welfare in Endurance: A glimpse from Top riders

Journal D'Endurance - Horse Welfare Podcast

June 15 2026
A Conversation by Journal d’Endurance

Castelsagrat, France | CEIO2* 120 km | 35°C | A few hours after the finish

In scorching temperatures and on one of the most demanding tracks of the French calendar, Melody Théolissat and Yalla de Jalima secured second place, only seconds ahead of Virginie Atger and Raya de Jalima, after a perfectly judged race and a memorable final sprint. Paul Bard, who was set to compete the following day in the CEI3* 160 km with Hasna Valarbin, a home-bred mare, also joined the conversation.

Beyond the sport results, this discussion provided an opportunity to explore one of the most important topics in endurance riding: horse welfare. How do top riders balance performance with respect for their equine partners? What signs do they rely on to assess their horses’ physical and mental well-being? How do they manage training, travel, and race strategy to keep their horses comfortable and motivated? Drawing on their experiences, successes, and the mistakes that helped shape them as horsewomen & men, Virginie Atger, Melody Théolissat, and Paul Bard share their perspective on horse welfare in endurance riding and explain why, in their view, it is one of the key foundations of performance...

Read more here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SlN6ikh-BhvC6ttAMa7fEVTMrlfXOoDT/view

Dave Cootware 1949-2026

RGJ.com

May 23 2026

Dave passed away peacefully at his home, after several years with Parkinson's disease. Dave was born June 22, 1949 in St Albans, Vermont to William and Margaret Cootware. He attended schools in Franklin and Lamoille Counties, graduating from the last graduating class of Cambridge High School in 1967. Soon after high school, Dave joined the U.S. Navy. After completing his tour of duty he returned to Vermont for a short time before heading Westward, settling in the Reno area where he made his home for more than 50 years.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents: brother, Paul Cootware; sister, Joyce Lamphere; brothers-in-law Robert Mazzola and John Edwards.

Surviving Dave are his wife, Susan McCartney and their beagles, Charlotte and Lucky, siblings; Diane Schwarm (Ron); Barbara Lehouiller (George); Janet Mazzola; Brenda Edwards; Richard Cootware; Tracey Hunt (Palmer)and Jennifer Cary (Alan); Dave's first wife, Kathryn Cootware; many nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews, to numerous to mention.

Military service will be held on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 10:00 AM at the Northern Nevada Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, Nevada.

The family wishes donations be made to a charity of your choice in Dave's memory.

UPDATE 5/24/26: In addition to his funeral service , there will be a Celebration of Life for Davy on July 11th at Susan’s barn in Pleasant Valley.

ANNOUNCEMENT: A military service will be held for Joseph David Cootware on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 10:00 AM at the Northern Nevada Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, Nevada.

Davy was a dear longtime friend of NASTR, married to our longstanding endurance Veterinarian, Susan McCartney, DVM. He was a Navy Veteran, an avid endurance rider, a pilot, FEI Steward, Veterinarian assistant and volunteer.

He completed 10 one-day 100-mile rides, including (4) Virginia City 100's, winning the NASTR Triple Crown on his fabulous mare Lia Gan S+ in 2001. Riding Talasmans Cruzer+/, he was a member of the USA Pacific South Team at the Pan American Endurance Championship in South Woodstock, Vermont in 2001. He completed 207 of 231 AERC rides, from 1989 - 2015 for a total of 11,572 AERC miles.

Davy fought a long battle with Parkinson disease. He was born June 22, 1949, in St. Albans, Vermont and died peacefully at home in Reno, Nevada on May 8, 2026, at 76 years old. He will be missed. Rest In Peace Davy.

2026 Canyon Rims - Tami Rougeau

By Tami Rougeau
May 15 2026

Team Red Adventure #5 2026 Part 1

It has been a very busy last few weeks but finally getting a few quiet moments to put together the story for Adventure 5 – Canyon Rims 2026.

On Wednesday morning we did a leisurely pack up and got ready to head to the ride. Since it was only a short 3–4-hour drive and it was predicted to be windy, we were in no rush. We so enjoyed our time with Julie, but we knew we would be seeing her again at the ride in a few days. We headed out to blue skies and sunshine. After a quick stop by Annie and Dave’s place we were on our way to camp.

When we arrived, there were just a couple of trailers already there and we were met by Cory and Mickey. All smiles and welcomes from this hard-working management family. I just love the energy of their ride camps. I quickly set up camp using the trailer as the wind block for the girl’s coral. It really was windy and the sand was ever present. The girls did not seem to mind as much as the humans did. Even with the wind it is still nice to be in camp and settled with a full day of rest before the ride begins. It also gives time to visit and catch up with friends. Not on Wednesday though. That evening we sheltered in place in the trailer; the girls tucked up to the trailer and happily enjoyed their hay. It made for a delightful early evening for us all.

Thursday the wind abated, clear blue skies were the theme and perfect low 60’s temps. The day was spent preparing everything we would need for the next three days. This means preparing all of the lunch and dinner meals for both horses, making sure hay bags were all set, mixing up electrolytes and packing a crew bag for the middle day when we get to have an away check. The girls got a good grooming as well. It was a fun and productive day. More trailers arriving and people setting up and seeing old friends setting up for the great weekend ahead. The girls thoroughly relaxed to the point of taking turns napping in the warm sun and soft sand.

Before we knew it, it was time for the ride meeting. Mickey and her gang do an over-the-top job of organizing all of the days and distances. Maps were handed out and trails described. Then it was time for bed. The sun was not setting until after 8pm, still which is so nice. We were all set for the next day with no set plans to pair up with anyone in particular. The focus this year for Penelope was to master higher paces. She has been adapting to this really well with her 7-8 mph trot smoothing out. I was so happy with her performance at Cuyama I figured we would just continue and she could do a little more solo time.

Pen was totally easy going out in the morning just behind the hot shoes and moved out nicely without any drama. We settled into a nice pace and quickly paired up with Suzie Jones from New Mexico. Suzie has been at this sport for a long time and is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Our red mares paired up nicely enjoying each other’s company. Penelope does not challenge for taking lead. She will take the lead willingly but if the other horse wants it, she is happy to oblige. The first loop went by quickly enjoying some of the most breathtaking views, riding along the rims and down in the canyons. The footing could not have been more perfect. We had learned about slick rock last year at Moab. Penelope remembered and navigated it all like a pro. There was plenty of green grass and she made a point not to miss any of it.

We enjoyed a nice hour break and headed out for loop 2. More spectacular views, excellent footing and so many good stories. This day just few by. Of course, there had to be some red horse shenanigans when both mares decided that grey tumble weeds were the scariest things around. Seriously, how many tumble weeds have you seen? It became quite the game for them both challenging both our riding skills and sense of humor. We cruised in nicely midafternoon and the mares looked great. Suzie’s plan had been to ride days 1 and 3 but the forecast for Sunday was not looking good. She decided to maybe just do the 30 on day 2.

On Friday Julie arrived with her friend Scarlett who would be doing the 50 the next day while Julie did the 30. We decided that we would try starting out and see how the day went. Scarlett is relatively new and looking for the balance between family and horses. She is doing it really well from what I can tell. We had a great time with the mares pacing nicely together. We made it to the out vet check trotting in. Out of curiosity I took Pen to the pulse taker quickly after getting a drink just to see where she was at. Already down and dropping. This big mare is amazing. We spent the hour chatting and taking care of the horses. Then we were off for the last loop. These rides with so much beauty make the day pass by far too quickly. We enjoyed our day sharing stories and talking about life. What a great day ending far too soon midafternoon. We got our team finish photo and celebrated the day. We spent some time visiting our Colorado friends then ride meeting and off to bed at another decent hour. Penelope looked like she had not done anything. Stay tuned for Day 3!

Team Red Adventure 5 – Part 2

Sunday had been a question mark for us all week due to the predicted wet weather. Throughout Saturday the prediction improved and when I got up things looked pretty good, so I decided to give it a go. After riding Moab last year in the rain, I had no desire to do it again. Mickey was there, all smiles and good vibes, so off we went a little behind the small pack of riders. We eventually caught up to Adrienne Dymesich from Wisconsin. We met last year when we stayed at her place on our way home from Michigan. What a treat to share the trail and catch up.

About an hour or so into the ride the heavens opened and the rain started. It only lasted for about 20 minutes, just when we began to get soaked the rain stopped and the sun came out. We were dry and warm in no time. The horses navigated the trail expertly. Adrienne Dymesich rides a gated Morgan so at times our pace was a little different, but the girls always got back together. After a few misty rain events and some seriously over the top views that were enhanced with the rain we were back in camp for the hour hold. Penelope did her job of consuming every bit of food and water then taking a nap. Since the rain had slowed us just a bit I was highly motivated to get out on time and set a solid pace. There were dark clouds around us but none that looked terribly threatening. Not long into the loop the biggest thunder clap I had ever heard exploded right over the top of us. Pen did not even flinch or break stride she just kept moving. Somehow we got out of camp without Adrienne, I figured she was ahead of us and doing the same thing. With the dark cloud and thunder over the top of us there was great motivation to get off the plateau. About that time a person stepped out from behind a tree and surprised both of us. It was Maya Lopez Grasse whom we had met previously at another ride. She was out for a run and was looking for lightning. I told her I had not seen any yet, only thunder and we all carried on. I am pretty sure she rode the day prior so total beast points for going on a long run the day after riding. Go Maya!

Just as the hail began to pelt us we headed down into the canyon. Pea size hail pelting off and feeling like little needles was less than pleasant but Pen handled it like a pro. When we got to the long section of slick rock I chose to dismount and walk, no sense taking a chance for either of us. When we were about halfway down the canyon a protected spot appeared and I tried to get Pen to shelter there for a few minutes to let it all pass. She was having none of that and insisted we press on. Thankfully it only lasted a short while longer. When we hit the main road Tegan and Ross were there in the truck checking on riders. They offered blankets, water etc but I said we were good. I guess they were really looking for Adrienne who left behind me for some reason. We continued on and low and behold Maya popped out of the trees again. We had a good laugh and she took a few pics of us then we were off to the lollipop. We ran into another rider who was just finishing that section, I think she was having an exciting ride. Pen cruised through and we were on the home stretch.

About a mile from camp the trail makes a sweeping left turn and heads straight to camp. At this point we were joined by 10 antelopes. We slowed down and Pen checked them out with a few of them darting away ahead of us. The rest of them stood and watched us. If we moved forward, they moved forward. If we stopped, they stopped. They would not leave! I yelled and Pen snorted and they just kept playing the mirror game. I was a little nervous to let Pen trot away for fear they would copycat that move and dart around us. So, for 40 minutes we slowly made our way to the curve with the antelope trilling at us and mimicking our every move. I thought we would never make that turn. As cool as it was to play with the antelope it was also frustrating because we were ready to be done with our little adventure. Adding 40 minutes of play time at the end seems a little over the top endurance.

We arrived in camp to Mickey Smith and her family with their warm smiles. Adrienne was there as well to my surprise. Apparently, her horse had a small interference spot that was nagging at them and they were not able to make good time with the hail and rain so they had turned back. Glad they were safe and still not out there. We got our photos together and went to see Cathy. She deemed Penelope in great shape and congratulated us on our three days. I really love our endurance vets who cheer us on, celebrate with us and help us take the best care we can of our beloved partners.

We got to the trailer and set to work taking care of Pen with lots of grooming, a Beemer session and leg wrapping while she enjoyed another wet mash and yummy alfalfa. At this point in the ride I love spending this time with my girls and reflecting on our weekend. Pen felt great, like she could just keep going. She has now mastered the long steady 7-8 mph trot, takes great care of herself, watches where her feet are going (most of the time unless there is food involved) and stays connected to me. What an amazing mare on an amazing and challenging trail. For this ride we used EasyCare Inc. Protective Hoofwear Easyshoe One with Vettec CS pour in on the front and Easyshoe Speed on the hind. These worked great on all of the slick rock. When we took the shoes off a few weeks later her feet looked great.

Awards that evening were really special with lots of stories and laughs. The group was of course smaller with many people leaving camp on Saturday. It was so much fun. I took a little time to chat with Mickey about the weekend and how she and her team were feeling. Watching this team work so seamlessly taking care of every little detail is wonderful. We are very much looking forward to the fall Moab Ride being held the 9-11th of October. Not only will there be three days of riding there will also be a 100-mile event. Choices, choices…. but that is a few adventures down the line. Time to head home so the next adventure can begin…

ALL NEWS ARCHIVE