Official Event Website
Videos by Franklin Clay Films (wxyzvideos.com): Fort Howes 2009 Enduance Rides - Part 1/3 - Pre-ride - horses and riders arrive (9 minutes)
view Fort Howes 2009 Enduance Rides - Part 2/3 - Saturday - 35, 50, and 75 mile rides (10 minutes)
view Fort Howes 2009 Enduance Rides - Part 3/3 - Sunday - 55 and 100 mile rides (10 minutes)
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2009 Fort Howes
Images by Merri Melde
2009 Fort Howes
Images by Merri Melde
2009 Fort Howes
Images by Merri Melde
Home || Official Website
It's a labor of love to put on a 2-day ride like the Fort Howes endurance rides - especially when they are AERC and FEI. When you're a ride manager, and especially when you're putting on FEI rides, you are risking financial loss, and you're guaranteed a belly-ache of paperwork: "Sign this" "Give us your credit card number for that" "We need your blood for this" "Please sacrifice your firstborn for that" and various other offerings you'll be required to make. Sometimes the hoops you have to jump through are so great that ride managers feel it is no longer worth it to do both AERC and FEI.
But Jan and Bill Stevens have been laboring, and loving putting on the Fort Howes endurance rides, since 1997, and they managed once again to put on a fairly relaxed, and quite enjoyable weekend of rides, even though the weather forecast was, like last year, not looking so good. Temperatures wouldn't be quite as low (as in "chance of snow"), but there was a good "chance of rain" predicted for the rides on Saturday and Sunday, and it did dump over an inch of rain Thursday night.FULL STORY
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Quick Results - Day 1
35 Miles - 16 starters, 14 finishers 1. Kimberly Luebcke - HV Cimmarons Goliathe - 4:15.16 - *BC 2. Kirsten Kimbler - Cody Canuck - 4:15.30 3. Cici Butler-Stasiuk - DJB Montyonthespot - 4:26.20 COMPLETE RESULTS 50 Miles - 28 starters, 21 finishers 1. Gregory Smetek - Ivanov - 5:15 2. Colleen Devry - Nightwind's Indigo Bay - 5:35.45 - *BC 3. Roxi Welling - Pablo - 5:35.46 COMPLETE RESULTS 75 Miles - 16 starters, 11 finishers 1. Devan Horn - DJB Deste Jazzman - 8:57.44 2. Suzy Hayes - Greenbriar Al Jabal - 9:08.56 3. Doug Swingley - Allaway - 9:08.58 4. Lee Hutten - KD Colonel - 9:14.47 - *BC COMPLETE RESULTS |
Quick Results - Day 2
55 Miles - 13 starters, 10 finishers 1. Lynn Le - Tazzeto - 6:20.48 2. Suzy Hayes - RS Silverado - 6:20.48 - *BC 3. Elizabeth Dagnall - Oles Tango - 6:43.04 COMPLETE RESULTS 75 Miles - 4 starters, 4 finishers 1. Cody Boysen - GDE Sweete Legacy - 9:20.04 2. Leanna Marchant - Samsons Fire - 9:59.44 3. Kathy Irvine - Knight Winds Savannah - 9:59.52 - *BC 4. Bonnie Mielke - Ola Loki - 11:35.32 COMPLETE RESULTS 100 Miles - 20 starters, 12 finishers 1. Cici Butler-Stasiuk - DJB KD Fantasia - 11:04.01 2. Hernan Barbosa - Trident - 11:20.23 3. Doug Swingley - National Security - 11:34.10 4. Steve Rojek - Beaujolais - 11:40.40 5. Kyle Gibbons - Julio - 11:41.45 - *BC COMPLETE RESULTS |
Photo Galleries by Merri Melde
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2010 Fort Howes
It's a labor of love to put on a 2-day ride like the Fort Howes endurance rides - especially when they are AERC and FEI. When you're a ride manager, and especially when you're putting on FEI rides, you are risking financial loss, and you're guaranteed a belly-ache of paperwork: "Sign this" "Give us your credit card number for that" "We need your blood for this" "Please sacrifice your firstborn for that" and various other offerings you'll be required to make. Sometimes the hoops you have to jump through are so great that ride managers feel it is no longer worth it to do both AERC and FEI.
But Jan and Bill Stevens have been laboring, and loving putting on the Fort Howes endurance rides, since 1997, and they managed once again to put on a fairly relaxed, and quite enjoyable weekend of rides, even though the weather forecast was, like last year, not looking so good. Temperatures wouldn't be quite as low (as in "chance of snow"), but there was a good "chance of rain" predicted for the rides on Saturday and Sunday, and it did dump over an inch of rain Thursday night.
Updates
Day 2 - 10:30 PM update: Cody Boysen won the 75. Kathy Irvine and Leanna Marchant finished together 2nd and 3rd. Bonnie Mielke finished 4th - 4 starters, 4 finishers. Cici Butler-Stasiuk won the 100 on DJB KD Fantasia. Hernan Barbosa and Trident were 2nd, Doug Swingley and National Security were 3rd. A few are still out on their last loop in the dark. And - no rain today!Day 2 - 4:30 PM update: Lynn Lee and Suzy Hayes won the 50. Elizabeth Dagnall was third. On the 75 miler, Cody Boysen will be leaving first on the final loop. On the 100, Cici Butler-Stasiuk is a minute ahead of (from Colombia) Mauricio Gaitan. Doug Swingley and Ona Lawrence are next. They have two more loops.
Day 2 - 1:30 PM update: Coming off Loop 3 on the 100 - Doug Swingley and National Security lead Ona Lawrence. Cici Butler-Stasiuk is in third. On the 75 miler, with 2 loops to go, Cody Boysen went out a few minutes ahead of Kathy Irvine and Leanna Marchant. On the 50, Suzy Hayes and Lynn Lee are 9 minutes ahead of Elizabeth Dagnell. So far the rain is holding off!
Day 2 - 7 AM update: - 20 100-milers started out under (you guessed it!) heavy gray skies at 5:00 AM. Approximately 4 75 milers and 15-20 55 milers started at 6:30 AM. The rain is supposed to stay away till afternoon. The track is pretty wet, but it's a gorgous cool morning, with sun and floating clouds dancing among and between the hills. The first riders off all loops should start coming into camp around 8 AM.
Day 1 - 9 PM Update: Kimberly Luebcke and HV Cimmarons Goliathe won the 35 and Best Condition, in 4:15.16. Colleen Debry and Nightwind's Indigo Bay were second on the 50 and got Best Condition. Winner of the 75 was Devan Horn, with Suzy Hayes and Doug Swingley finishing 2nd and 3rd. Two riders still out there finishing up in the dark! Rain finally quit about 7:30 PM but it got pretty wet. Forecast for tomorrow is supposed to be better... but the track will be pretty muddy early on.
Day 1 - 4 PM Update: The rain held off until around 3 PM, but it's coming down in earnest now and looks like it's here to stay a while. It's about 46*.
Gregory Smetek and Ivanov won the 50. Jeremy Reynolds leads on the 75 on TA Tiran.
Friday - The forecast for the Fort Howes Endurance ride is deteriorating as Saturday's 35, 50 and 75 mile rides get closer... but as Jan Stevens says, "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change!" And besides, those of us in the know (those of us, for example, who learned from the snow last year) brought lots of layers of coats and raingear and muck boots. And you just climb in the saddle and go!
Tomorrow approximately 18 are starting in the 35 miler, 30 in the 50 miler, and 25 in the 75 miler.
A terrific pre-ride dinner was served - homegrown steaks, potatoes, green beans, fried fritters and homegrown honey.
Stay tuned!
Welcome to Fort Howes!
Homesteaded in 1883 by Captain Calvin Howes (a former sea Captain from Massachusetts), the Circle Bar Ranch is the home of the Fort Howes Endurance Rides. Started in 1997, the Fort Howes rides have grown from a one-day ride offering a 25 mile Limited Distance ride and a 50 mile Endurance Ride to currently offering a two-day ride with a 35 mile Limited Distance ride, both a 50 and 55 mile Endurance Rides, two 75 mile Endurance Rides and a 100 mile Endurance Ride. Included with these distances are five FEI rides (which also include five Young Rider Rides) and the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Region 6 Championship and three AHA Local Rides.Trails consist of Open Meadows, Cow Trails, and unimproved Jeep Trails. Riders can expect to have at least one 1000' elevation change in each loop they ride out on. Water is available out on trail every 3-5 miles. Vet Checks for the Limited Distance, 50, 55 and 75 mile rides will all be in basecamp, with the 100 mile possibly having one vet check out of camp (we'll make arrangements to haul your crewing supplies out if necessary).
Basecamp is a huge open field with lots of room and plenty of horse water available. Lone Dog Catering will also be here during the ride with their usual assortment of food for purchase - hamburgers, hot dogs, Indian Tacos, etc.
We will again be offering our Rancher's dinner on Friday night including steak and all the trimmings. Saturday night will include a BBQ with hamburgers and hotdogs.
Temperatures in the early part of June range in the 40's overnight and up into the 80's during the days. Though one should always plan for anything - this is Montana after all and we subscribe to the saying "Don't like the weather, wait five minutes, it will change".
Schedule of Events
Friday June 11Registration - 1:00-4:00 pm
Vetting In for Saturday - 2:00-5:00 pm
Pre-Ride Meeting for Saturday - 6:00 pm
Dinner - 6:30 pm
Saturday June 12
75 Mile Start - 6:30 am
50 Mile Start - 7:00 am
35 Mile Start - 7:30 am
Vetting in for Sunday - 3:00-4:30 pm
Pre-Ride Meeting for Sunday - 5:00 pm
Dinner & Awards - 6:00 pm
Sunday June 13
100 Mile Start - 5:00 am
75 Mile Start - 5:00 am
55 Mile Start - 6:30 am
Awards for 55 - 6:00 pm (pending)
Monday June 14
Awards for 75 & 100 Mile - 9:00 am
Contact Us:
Bill and Jan Stevens - 5 Fort Road - Ashland, MT 59003 - (406) 784-2469 - jan@forthowes.net