Riding + Running = Ride and Tie - Are you ready?

The 4th Annual Benefit Ride and Tie for One Heart is Saturday, August 31. That folks is only 29 days away! Have you been practicing?

What is a Ride and Tie? 
It's a fast growing sport that combines elements of endurance horse riding and trail riding. A team consists of two people and one horse. The object is to cover a specified distance by having each human team member ride and run.

Our Ride and Tie has three distances: 6, 12 and 20 miles. The race will start and finish at the Heart of Iowa Trail in Maxwell, Iowa.

All the proceeds from the event help support One Heart Equestrian Therapy. You can find more information on the website or Facebook Page.

If you decide your horse (or you) aren't quite ready to tackle the race, we'd LOVE to have you volunteer and cheer on our racers! Although you could do the whole thing at a walk if you really wanted. To volunteer please send an email to Kris Lager at oneheart@netins.net with "Ride and Tie Volunteer" in the subject line. 

Ride and Tie photos

More photos have been posted on the Benefit Ride and Tie for One Heart Equestrian Therapy web site www.oneheartrideandtie.org Here are just a few:

 

Fall update

Wow, where has September gone?!?!?! I can't believe it's nearly October. We've had one busy month.

On August 28th we celebrated One Heart's 10th Anniversary out at the barn with an ice cream social and silent auction. THANK YOU to everyone who has helped us get this far. We couldn't do it with out volunteers. We hope everyone enjoyed seeing the facilities in Roland.



The next weekend on September 3rd we had the 2nd Annual Benefit Ride and Tie for One Heart. Friday night a few of our One Heart riders gave a little demonstration.  Saturday we had several teams ready to head out when the rain and lightening hit. So we had to postpone until Sunday, which actually worked out better since it was a beautiful day! We had 12 teams complete the 3 distances. Five teams for the short course of 6 miles, 2 for the 12 mile course and 5 (yep 5!) did the 20 mile course.  For the 20 mile course times ranged from 1:56:27 to 2:34:39. Congratulations to everyone that competed and THANK YOU for your support. We hope to see you all for the 3rd Annual Benefit Ride and Tie on Saturday September 1, 2012.

We have LOTS of photos from several photographers so it's taking a bit longer than we thought to get them up. But keep checking back on our Facebook Page and on the Ride and Tie website.

But wait! we're not done (not by a long shot)! Saturday September 10th was the Iowa Special Olympics Equestrian Event at Jester Park. I don't have results but I hear Rosie, Shane and Bri worth their weight in "Gold, Silver, and Bronze" :)

The next week (are you keeping up? it's the week of September 12 now) we started Session 3 for all of our riders and drivers. We put people up on Tuesday and Thursday nights (5:30-8:30pm)  and Saturday mornings (8am-1pm). The more volunteers the merrier! So please come out and help. We can give you day of training. (It's useful if we know ahead of time so just give Kris a buzz if you can- oneheart@netins.net but if not don't worry just show up and join the fun!) There's still 4 weeks left of Session 3.


I think sometime around the end of October we'll be rested up. Maybe in time for Halloween? As you can see it's been a VERY busy and exciting fall. I'm sure Kris, Dani and Jen will get around to giving more details and photos when they've finished their naps! :-P


Until next time!
Katie- web communications volunteer

Wow where does the time go? Special Olympics, Ride and Tie

Hi all,
I don't know about you but I can't believe it's October already!

First of all a BIG THANK YOU!!!!!! to all the volunteers, sponsors and participants of the 1st annual Benefit Ride and Tie for One Heart over Labor Day weekend. It was a great success! The weather was great. Nine teams participated at our 3 lengths (4.5, 12 and 20 miles) and the best part EVERYONE finished! :P

There are a bunch of photos at www.oneheartrideandtie.org or on their Facebook Page.

If you couldn't make it this year plan on next year over Labor Day weekend!

I volunteered and was sent to Maxwell to direct traffic. WOW were some of those 20 milers FAST! There were 4 teams of brave souls who did 20 miles and 2 at 12 miles. We watched the start at Collins and then car pooled over to Maxwell. I was stationed in the park and I wasn't there long before teams started showing up.

Second- Session III is in full swing on Saturday mornings. The session is full so it's all hands on deck! Please come out and help if you can.

Third- 23 riders went to the Special Olympics state equestrian competition at Jester Park Equestrian Center on Sat. September 11. They were in 33 classes and came home with 20 gold, 9 silver, and 4 bronze medals. All thanks to the hard work and terrific support of the One Heart volunteers! Way to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Benefit Ride and Tie update. Come join us for the fun!

Ride and Tie Association President Melanie Weir is coming to our Ride and Tie! She's flying in from California to help out and possibly participate.

Saturday September 4th 6pm Hoe Down at the Story Co. Fairgrounds in Nevada, IA. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

Sunday September 5th 5K Road Apple Fun Run/Walk at the Heart of Iowa Trail head in Collins, IA.

www.oneheartrideandtie.org

Let's Get Busy with a Ride and Tie!

Hi Friends!

Vol Eileen and I met last night and submitted our application to host a sanctioned Ride and Tie Race!

Our application lists the date as Sept. 4th. That is the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. We have listed the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail (HINT)as our location.

We are so excited about the HINT for our ride! It is absolutely wonderful for beginners...it's essentially, flat. It is a beautiful route through the Iowa countryside mostly utilizing the retired railroad bed. The trail provides a crushed limestone path for runners, bikers, etc. and a nice wide grass strip for equestrian use. They also don't close the trail to horses when it rains.
To qualify as a sanctioned race, we had to outline a minimum of a 20 mile trail. This calculates on the HINT as start in Collins, end in Slater. Nice ride!

Keep going to the Ride and Tie Association website to get educated about Ride and Ties.

Our first official meeting of this planning committee will be held on Jan. 26th in Ames. Please email me at oneheart@netins.net for time and place.

We have a web developer creating a unique site for our Ride and Tie.

Keep in mind....this is the FIRST EVER Ride and Tie to be held in the Midwest, certainly in Iowa. It is something that Eileen and I have known about since the Levi company started them in the early '70s. Who'd-a-thunk that we would have one some day. Eileen is planning on competing, by the way and has started her training.

Benefit for One Heart

Hi Friends;

We are having another snow day here in Iowa. Time to think about a HOT, summer activity. Maybe swimming, boating, lemonade? How about a Ride and Tie Race?

This photo is by Thom Vollenweider of the Santa Ysabel, CA R&T.

What is Ride and Tie, you ask? When a youngster, most of my allowance went to The Western Horseman magazine. From this, I learned, in the early '70s about Ride and Tie. Fashioned around a Native method for transporting warriors and their horses ( due to raiding and warring, warriors sometimes outnumbered horses) across vast distances, Ride and Tie became popular. I want to refer you early on to the Ride and Tie Association's website; they cover this topic better than I can. I will give you the simple version. Two people and one horse cover a predetermined distance. The first team to arrive at the finish is the winner. The stategy is to have one person riding while the other person is running. Periodically, they switch. The team of three all start together. Of course, the rider outpaces the runner. Once the rider gets to a tie spot the team has selected, the rider dismounts and starts running along the trail to the finish. When the original runner arrives where the horse is tied, they mount and head up the trail towards the finish. The plan is that the rider will than catch and pass the runner until they arrive at the next predesignated tie spot. That rider dismounts and takes off running. The horse waits until the teamate comes upon it, mounts and rides. In this way the team of two runners relays the horse between them. They alternate riding and running (or walking) until they all three cross the finish line.

This is a sport more common on the west coast, but One Heart wants to bring it to IOWA!

A committee is being formed now to organize and promote a ride and tie benefit for One Heart in the summer of 2010.