Hand In Hand - Garrett Ford

Easycare Blog - Full Story

Monday, June 3, 2013 by Garrett Ford

Lisa and I crossed the finish line at Tevis hand in hand for the third year in a row. Although the results won’t show it, Cyclone and Fury tied for first place. Lisa and I both won the most difficult 100 mile horse race in the world.

Tevis has dominated my dreams and goals since I was a young boy. I’ve dreamed about having my name on the Scripps Foundation Cup, The Haggin Cup and the Tevis Cup. I would go to bed making the turns of the California loop when I was twelve years old. I would watch the chalk circle being drawn for the Haggin Cup judging and I would work on trotting my own horse in that chalk pattern at home. Making the 100 mile journey over the Sierra Mountains on a horse that I was responsible for conditioning and finishing first would fulfill my wildest Tevis dreams.

I thought I would feel different. Although I’ve now accomplished my Tevis and endurance goals I’m left with a feeling that is different than I expected. The cups leave me with a feeling of “So What”, but the journey and the process working toward the goal have changed me. It’s not about having my name on the Scripps Foundation Cup, it’s not about having Fury win the Haggin Cup, it’s not about Lisa and I finishing first and winning the Tevis Cup. The memory of the cups and accolades will quickly fade. Most memories blur with time but I vividly remember the feel of Lisa’s hand in mine as we crossed the finish line, I will remember the tears in my mother’s eyes, I will remember the hours getting special horses ready, and I will remember how racing endurance horses has changed where I live, what I drive, how I smell and what I do for a living...

Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news/hand-in-hand