About Us
Welcome to G&R Racing. Ten years ago a sport swept our region and instilled new methods of horse handling for our culture. Many people call this sport differently; endurance racing, relay racing, pony express racing, but we know the love for our horses brings out quality care and understanding. Join us friend as we share our sport and inspire you to witness our calling.
History
We are Gibson & Renee Ignacio from Tinian, New Mexico, U.S.A. and we have been promoting horsemanship and horse events for the past decade. As a husband and wife team we have become regional consultants in horse events and horse care. Also, we are active participants in regional horse endurance races and established the first relay race titled The Gold Rush Race for the Sandoval County Fair in New Mexico.
The Pony Express
The Pony Express features three main components: (1) Conditioned horses (2) Maximum two riders (3) Volunteers.Conditioned horses offer fewer injuries and a stronger run. Many of our competitors in the region trot their horses cross-country year-round. Terrain include sand, rolling clay hills, steep mesas, game trails, and non-asphalt roads. Routes through tunnels, washes, and narrow passages do occur on race routes so teams desensitize their horses to these obstacles. The race horse is of any breed but predominantly Arabian and Arabian-mixes. Ferrell horses are utilized also due to their tenacity and stamina on the open range. Since this is a cross-country race a horse's hooves are the most vital to maintain. Proper clipping, shoeing, and feed are important in maintaining strong hoof walls for the running horse. Proof of vaccinations are mandatory during race days due to the cases of Hanta-Virus in the United States, but vaccinations and supplements are a given when dealing with your investment. What you now have is a lean powerful horse that can take on any terrain during race day.
The riders train throughout the year to keep their stamina and endure the long rides through rough terrain. During race day, adrenaline is running at a peak high and your senses have to stay sharp on the course. Calculate the stride of the running horse, cut into the curved route chopping milli-seconds off the run, positioning your weight to relieve pressure on your muscles and help the horse with his stride, and running your horse on less difficult terrain if possible. A rider knows how each horse runs and what it will offer them during a run. Proper running strides and pacing occurs depending on the distance of each leg.
A Pony Express course traditionally has three legs averaging 8-13 miles a leg. For each leg a different horse is utilized and changing to each horse occurs at the Exchange Site. The Exchange Site has the approved area of exchange usually a marked box 20yardsX10yards. In this Exhange Site the next horse stands with a Handler who will take the incoming horse while the rider takes off the saddle and secures it to the next horse. The incoming rider either mounts and continues or his partner will mount and race to the next Exchange Site where his partner (incoming rider) will be waiting to help with the exchange again. An average of 10 seconds from dismount to mounting and running out of the exchange occurs! We have recorded a 7 second exhange with the rider doing an acrobatic Vaquero run-hop-mount during a race.
Race judges are positioned strategically throughout the course especially at the Exchange Sites. If the horse or rider advance past the outgoing area during the exchange they are disqualified. The dismounted saddle of the incoming horse has to touch the ground before mounting onto the next horse. Usually the bottom of the saddle is skimmed to the ground when advancing to the next horse - which is legal. Sometimes a new saddle is used if the next rider is running the leg, simply the rider holds the saddle on the ground while he waits for his partner to drop his dismounted saddle to the ground. This all occurs within a blink of an eye and spectators help by cheering their favorite teams on. Since this is a Pony Express race which implies carrying mail, each team carries a package usually an envelope or small item throughout the race and is delivered at the finish line. The first team to hand the package to the event table wins the race and usually a brand spankin' new horse trailer. We have witnessed also a team losing their mail during the race which warranted disqualification....hey it's a pony express race.
The volunteers have to commit to helping their teams during race days. A team cannot enter without the help of volunteers. Trailer driver(s) to pickup and dropoff horses, handlers to hold the horse at each Exchange Site, walkers to 'walk-off' each incoming horse, a chase vehicle to watch their riders in case of injury, and of course a camera man to record this spectacle (usually sits in a chase vehicle). Almost at every race a rider loses his horse by having the horse buck him off or horse injury (usually tendons) and he has to run on foot to the next Exchange Site or to the finish line (at this time the chase vehicle throws him a pair of running shoes).
Find a good seat at an Exhange Site, on top of a vast rise to watch the running horses, or simply wait at the finish line while commentators inform the audience of the running horse teams. Come witness this spectacle and enjoy a day with friends!