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Remington - 10,000 Mile Pony! (really he's a horse)
Imagine if you walked up to a pasture reserved for horses which have completed 10,000 miles or more of AERC endurance competition. You would see a select group of only 13 horses: Rushcreek Lad, Bandit, Tulip, DR Thunder Bask, Zayante, Astro Aries, Kahlil Khai, Surrablue, Pandora's Pixy, Geronimo's Warrior, RO Grand Sultan, Sha-win and Peco. Most of these horses are already in the Hall of Fame and it's only a matter of time before several of the others will be too. I get a little choked up thinking of the literally hundreds of miles Remington and I have covered next to Doc, Tulip, Geronimo and Peco. We were lucky enough to have ridden a stretch with Pandy in our very first endurance ride and with Rio on our first hundred miler. (Rio was a whole loop ahead of us while we were sharing the same trail, of course.) As well known as some of our riders are, these horses are the true luminaries of this sport.
Well now they need to make room in this special pasture for their little buddy Remington. My 13.3 hands high Icelandic riding partner just passed the 10,000 mile mark on day two of the Grand Canyon XP multi-day ride on Sunday. He is the first pony and the first gaited horse to go this far. Sometimes I am still asked why I don't get an Arabian horse or a larger horse or a faster horse or a horse better suited for endurance riding, but these questions all miss the point. Remington was my first horse ever. He takes care of me and I not only tolerate but not so secretly enjoy his exceedingly wilful ways. We were made for each other. I'm proud of my pony.
John Parke
Solvang, CA
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