Part draft horses in endurance

[BMcCrary27 <BMcCrary27@aol.com>]

<Heidi said that *any* horse can be conditioned to do a 50.
I wonder about that 1/2 Belgium, 1/4 Appy, 1/4 who knew what
that could barely make it through a 25.  
I know, I'm being extreme.>

I enjoyed the exchange between Heidi and Wendy re: part draft horses doing
endurance. My husband rode a 16 hand, half Percheron, half Morgan gelding for
many years. He is now 32 years old and still healthy and happy. We met this
remarkable animal at a Levi's Ride & Tie Championship in 1975. He thundered
across the finish line, like a runaway freight train, in second place. He
later took best condition. He is a R&T Hall of Fame horse, with one win,
several seconds, and several BCs. He consistently placed top 10 in 50 milers,
but I suppose his real claim to fame was his 4th on Tevis in 1977.

After the Levi's R&T in 1975, we were so taken with him, I negotiated his
purchase from the rancher in Alturas, CA who owned him. We paid $1250 for him,
and we figured the rancher laughed at these suckers all the way to the bank.
However, he couldn't have imagined the pleasure this horse would give all of
us. Nor could he have imagined that in 1977 he would win Levi's R&T and,
taking one-third of the prize money, we would more than pay for him in a
little over three hours.

He spent several years training newcomers to the sport of ride and tie. He was
the one we put good runners, but inadequate riders, on and took them out on
training rides. Then we would let the team enter him in Big Creek R&T or
Levi's.

He had a phenomenal trot - only Lari Shea's Orlov stallion could out-trot him.
He also had a fourth gait, a rack I suppose, which would come on when his trot
became faster and faster. You couldn't post the rack, only sit it. Anyway,
here is one unique individual - sired by a small, chunky Morgan stallion, out
of an unnamed, unbroke, 1400 pound Percheron mare. He was born and raised in
the remote northeast corner of California, or perhaps over the border in
Oregon, near Adel. We traced him to his breeder by the brand on his right
shoulder, a search that took me three and a half years (allowing for some
procrastination). 

He is know to many fond admirers, and former pupils as The Great Grey, or
simply Grey.

Barbara McCrary