Biltmore Challenge

Name: Nicki Meuten
Weight Division: Featherweight
Home: Zebulon, NC - 20 miles east of Raleigh, NC
How many hours away from Biltmore? When will you arrive? 5 hr drive, should get to ride by early afternoon on Friday.

Help us identify you: Biothane colors, protective boots,: Horse color &
markings, Describe what you wear, (color of helmet, etc)
Grey horse - about 15.1H, bright blue Biothane, back fetlock boots. The biothane tack is falling apart - It use to belong to a retired mare of mine - Jezie - before using on this horse. For some reason I think it is lucky and won't change it. Don't know why I think it is lucky - the first horse to use it was a complete runaway! I wear black pants and a white helmet.

Background info:
How many 100's have you done? about 16 one day 100 completions
Total Mileage:around 5600
Why do the 100?I love 100s. The pace is so much saner. It is also just such a great challenge and a sense of accomplishment to finish, no matter what place. The best for me though is to get to 70,80,90 miles and have my horse still want to head out of camp or to catch the horse ahead or just pick up a nice canter on his own while we are riding alone - to still have that desire after so many miles is a wonderful feeling.

Your background with horses. always wanted a horse as a kid but didn't get my own until I bought one myself at 21 - now my husband and I own about 25. Most of the horses we are riding now are ones we bred and raised ourselves.

Profession: Veterinarian

Horse's name: (possibly explain how he got that name if it's relevent) Fury - just Fury. He came with the name and I have been told it is bad luck to change a horse's name. He is probably the only horse with a FEI passport with such a plain name. A friend had told us about Fury being for sale. We had too many horses already but stopped on the way back from vetting a ride to look at him. We agreed before we pulled into the farm that we wouldn't buy another horse but would look anyway. As we pulled in, we saw a horse in a pasture and both turned to each other and said "if that is the horse then let's get him". We just liked the way he looked.

Owner: my husband, Don Meuten and myself. Don really should get all the credit as he does all Fury's conditioning. I almost never ride him at home - I am usually riding one of the others. When I get on Fury at a ride he is carrying almost 100# less. I get to have all the fun and Don does all the work!

Age: 9
Breed: grade - told he is Arab but doesn't look all Arab
Bloodlines: unknown
Sex: gelding
Height 15.1
Weight 1050 - he is usually the fattest horse in the 100

Type shoes: pads? clips? How old will the shoes be on the ride day? steel shoes with clips behind No pads. Shoes will be either new or 3 weeks old depending on how they look the Weds before the ride.
Shoe or easyboot size: 1

Miles 1000 - 700 of those are one day 100s
Years competing: 3
Type of saddle: thorowgood english saddle
Type Pad woolback
Bridle/bit/hackamore? roller bit snaffle, I use to be able to take the bit out and ride in a halter after 50 miles or so but now he is too competitive for that

Crupper or breastcollar? both - I keep the girth very loose. I had to do surgery on Fury soon after we got him to remove a foreign body from his left girth area. The area will swell if we have the girth too tight so you can usually see daylight between Fury and the girth.
Protective boots? hind fetlock - he interferes
Type girth: woolback fleece girth
Will you be riding with a heart monitor? no - keep the girth too loose for it to pick up

What is this horse like? Fury is the easiest horse in the world to ride for a good rider - eats, drinks, comfortable gaits, easy to rate at the start of a ride. Only issues are Fury likes to buck a bit at a canter (big bucks!) and later in a ride, if he knows there is someone in front of him, he is determined to catch them. He can be perfect for the first 80 miles and then be a complete handful for the last 20 miles! He keeps it fun. Hundreds are definitely his thing. Great work ethic, doesn't mind going by himself, doesn't wear himself out etc.

Goal for the ride. Possible top 10? First completion? Possible time
frame? Have you completed this course before?
Fury has done this ride once before and I have finished the 100 here 3 times. Our goal is to get to 10 completed 100s with Fury - he has completed 7 so far. Not sure how fast we will go - depends on the weather and the footing and what Fury wants to do. Fury has done 100's in 10 hrs and in 18 hrs so we will see. There will be lots of people wanting to top ten, we just want to finish another ride.

If you want, explain your electrolyting proceedure...brand, frequency. Try to elyte every 10-15 miles

What do you feed? pasture mainly at home - handful of grain and hay before a ride to get him use to it.
What will you be feeding at the vet check? whatever he wants - usually alfalfa hay, oat hay, some beet pulp and grain, lots of carrots both at the checks and on the trail

photo credit: Genie Stewart-Spears