*Major* User Error

We went up to compete in the Man Against Horse Endurance Race this weekend. If there is one ride that boots should be on every horse, this is it. And there were scores of booted horses competing.


Man Against Horse is one of only a few races I am aware of in which the equine and human races are held consecutively. Interestingly, there is no Ride And Tie component. The first Man Against Horse race took place in 1983 and was conceived by Prescott, AZ residents Gheral Brownlow and Steve Rafters. Gheral was a runner and owned a store in town. Steve was a cowboy who worked for the Prescott Police Department and enjoyed riding horses. Rumor has it that they decided to put on the race while at one of the taverns on Whiskey Row in Prescott.


It is an unforgiving trail.

Ron Barrett, a local runner and endurance rider, became ride manager in 1988 and moved the ride from its original location at Whitehorse Lake to its current location at the base of Mingus Mountain in Prescott Valley, AZ. All proceeds and donations from the event go to support food banks in the area. Over the years, more than $100,000 has been given to feed the hungry.

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