May 29, 2008 issue
Local Photographer and Equestrian Completes 1000 Endurance Miles
Debbie DeVita and Equine Companion Tyrone Make Cover of Endurance News
Story by Celeste von Mangan
For almost 20 years, local photographer Debbie DeVita of Boone has viewed the world through the lens of her camera. Now DeVita finds herself on the other side of the lens after making the cover shot of Endurance News, a magazine dedicated to the equestrian sport of endurance riding. Beside her in the picture—snapped by photographer Genie Stewart-Spears—is DeVita’s equine partner THA Maestro, better known as Tyrone, a 13-year old Arabian gelding.
Stewart-Spears took the photo at the Extreme Leatherwood Challenge, an endurance event held in Leatherwood every year. Tyrone and DeVita earned their 1,000-mile endurance medallion after the race in recognition of their completion of 1,000 endurance miles throughout their race career. The pair also placed in the top ten at the ride.
“It was really neat to be on the cover,” said DeVita. “It was an unusual shot; most people are on their horses. This picture was so unique.”
Also unique is the special relationship Tyrone and DeVita share. She purchased him in 2000 as a five-year-old from a breeder of Arabians and had the gelding for just a short time when he bolted away from her while on a trail ride at Leatherwood. DeVita had started to wet Tyrone down with a sponge when he took off into the woods.
“He was gone for nine days,” said DeVita. “A man named Mark Williams—a horse trainer—found him and knew how to approach him. I never thought I’d see him again; we had awful storms that week. I did not know he would be afraid of the sponge. We’ve been through a lot together and we’ve stuck it out. We have quite a bond. One person even said he’d never make it as an endurance horse and now he has 1,000 endurance miles—just reached at Leatherwood.”
Endurance riding is an equine sport that involves riding distances of 50 miles or more within a maximum time. For 50 miles, the time to complete the ride is 12 hours; for 100 miles, riders must cover the distance in 24 hours.
Endurance riding is gaining popularity in the United States, as well as abroad. Races are highly regulated and not flat-out galloping free-for-alls. Every time a horse and rider complete a 15- to 18-mile loop of the race, a veterinarian checks the horse’s pulse, respiration and level of hydration. The horse can rest and eat before heading back onto the next loop of the trail. After the ride, each participant is required to present his/her horse to the veterinarian for a final check within one hour. If the vet determines that the horse is “sound to continue,” the rider receives a race completion award. The entrant finishing with the shortest time is the overall winner of the race.
“It’s fun because you can make it a ride or a race,” said DeVita, “and you learn so much about the interior of a horse.”
DeVita plans to continue competing in endurance races with Tyrone. She has bought a second horse named A.J. and is bringing the four-year-old Arabian gelding along slowly in his training for endurance racing.
To learn more about endurance riding and racing, call DeVita at 828-264-1466 or click to www.aerc.org.
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