We had a really great time last weekend at the Tonto Twist Endurance event. With a 5th place finish he scored very high on all of the Vetenarian’s conditioning and performance criteria and his VET score as one component of that overall scoring was very high as well, so we could not have been happier…
Category: The Long Ride
Say HI to NITRO
EVERYONE say HI to NITRO, we are excited to welcome him as the newest member of the Promise Ranch family. His papered name is Tungsten, but Lori renamed him Nitro, because that’s the coffee I drink every morning , but also we thought it was a good name for an endurance horse. I flew down…
Jane Goodall
I first met Jane Goodall in 1988 when her Institute’s office was located in, of all places, the desert town of Tucson on Speedway right next to the Post Office. At that time, Bazy Tankersley of Al-Marah Arabians knew of my interest in the Rainforest and she was helping me plan my horseback ride across…
Sandman in the Kentucky Derby!
JUST FOR FUN, and for those who’ve been following Sandman and I, what an OPPORTUNITY, since we aren’t doing endurance rides right now, I thought I’d roll the dice and enter Sandman in the Kentucky Derby. My reasoning, ya know he had a great 2024 and he’s an off the track race horse, with six…
Sandman’s 2024 was a VERY good year!
Sandman’s 2024 was a VERY good year, placing FIRST in our region in our weight class. In 2022, we placed 3rd and for those who are following our progress, you’ll recall we made a strategic decision in 2023 to take a step back and learn and mature a bit. During 2023, we did a few…
The THREE AMIGOS
The THREE AMIGOS, in a very characteristic (of endurance riding) photo of Debra and Mary Jane and Sandman and I somewhere around mile 43 coming down out of the mountains and headed back to camp. Sandman and I rode the Land of the Sun Wickenburg 50 mile event this past weekend. The weather was perfect…
BEAUTIFUL 13 mile river ride!
BEAUTIFUL 13 mile river ride with my friend Tracy along the Salt River at Coon Bluff in the Tonto National Forest. This lush green oasis is surrounded by desert and is home to nesting Bald Eagles and a wild horse herd while only a 45 minute drive from our place in north Scottsdale. Sandman had…
Masquerade’s Farewell
Masquerade’s Farewell, sadly, Masquerade passed away on Monday at 11:30 am. Lori and I laid with him and talked to him and stroked his neck and forehead and his crazy horse swirl in the special way that only he loved until he took his last breath and then we closed his eyes for him and…
The PROMISE Ranch Christmas party!
What a HOOT, the PROMISE Ranch Christmas party is a wrap and Lori and I just want to thank everyone who helped and those who attend and support the effort. It was a lot of fun, with generous people, beautiful weather, and more guests than ever before, a record number of toys and food items…
Super BIG pat on the back for this boy!!!
GAME ON!! Super BIG pat on the back for this boy!!! Sandman and I finished 2nd at the Jingle Bell 50-mile event. This was the last ride of our season and our best placing ever, and I think we also finished in 1st place in our region for our weight class for the 2024 ride…