I first heard of this sport a couple of years ago when a qualified vet was visiting Australia and working with our farrier as he wanted to specialise in corrective work. It turned out that alongside his traveling, becoming qualified as a vet and pursuing his farriery interests, he also had time to exercise and compete with his girlfriend in Ride and Tie events.
But what is Ride and Tie, you ask? Equine Explorer take a look at this sport that involves one horse and two people.
The idea is that over a predestined distance and track, an endurance race of sorts takes place. Each team consists of one horse and two people – one mounted, the other on foot. They start off with the team member on foot walking or jogging while the mounted partner takes off on their horse. The rider gets to a point on the trail where they decide to stop, tie up the horse and continue on foot down the track.
The team member on foot continues on down the track and eventually comes across the horse that has been tied to a fence post or tree. They untie the horse, mount and off they go. This continues with the mounted rider and person on foot alternating as they continue along the course.
This type of endurance race has to put into play a strategy that caters to three individuals rather than one riding pair but consequently can have a team member that runs or rides more than the other. There’s no rule on how much or little of the event actually has to be done on foot or in the saddle by either team member.
The Ride and Tie Organisation offers information regarding this interesting sport that originated in the old West over 150 years ago and has been known as a sport since 1971. Team events such as the World Championship Ride and Tie have rewarded first male pair, female pair and male/female pair to finish with a $1,000 purse. Perhaps if you’re an endurance fanatic, this alteration of the discipline may be worth pursuing too.
* 2004 Ride and Tie Image, Copyright Corey Rich, coreyography.com
“Every time you ride, you’re either teaching or un-teaching your horse.” – Gordon Wright
tag: life with horses, ride and tie, endurance riding, horse riding
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