Re: [RC] [Endurance Tracks] Elmer Bandit Did It! 37-Year-Old Horse Sets New Mileage Re... - Elizabeth Walker
I think this is so great! One thing I couldn't find was a good shot of him without the saddle. It looked, from what I could see, that he has a really nice topline, and I wanted to find a picture that really showed that. I still hear folks (at various locations - mostly folks fairly new to horses, but some "old timers" ) excusing thin, dropped toplines as "well, he's really old ... ", and the horse is somewhere between 18 and 25, and usually not being appropriately fed and exercised.
Half-Arabian Elmer Bandit trotted under the finish line to set a new competitive trail mileage record of 20,720 miles, 201 days after his 37th birthday. The North American Trail Conference event took place Oct. 25-26 at Kanopolis State Park near Lindsborg, Kan.
A heavy frost greeted the 43 riders starting the event early Saturday morning. Only 40 would complete the tough prairie course. Jerry Weil, DVM, and pulse and respiration crew leader noted, "I think we lost more points at this ride than any of the season."
Wood and Elmer started strong on the nearly 29-mile course Saturday, breezing the first two miles in 15 minutes. It took three more brisk miles before Elmer was comfortable on a loose rein. "It's normal for Elmer to be very forward the first few miles," explained Elmer's owner/rider Mary Anna Wood.
