AUBURN — Although they race against a clock, time is an ally to Dr. Karen Donley and her Arabian mare, Royal Patron. Like fine wine, they improve with age.

Since Dr. Donley purchased “Winnie” eight years ago, they have logged about 50 miles a week in a partnership that last month took endurance riding’s greatest prize, a win at the Tevis Cup. It may have been a 100-mile race, but the journey was much longer.

This year’s version of the venerable one-day race along the challenging Great Western States Trail took place July 23, attracting 165 riders from 20 states and nine countries. Horse-and-rider pairs take off at 5:15 a.m. with only 24 hours to finish a course that features 21,000 feet of descent and 17,000 feet of climbing. A dozen vet checks along the route inspect each horse with an acute focus on their condition, inspecting heart rate, metabolism, and soundness.

The Sand Fire began its tear through the Angeles Forest in L.A. County on July 22.

Katharine Lotze photo

SANTA CLARITA — Hundreds of horses were evacuated in a late July wildfire in northern Los Angeles County that scorched more than 40,000 acres in and near the Angeles National Forest.

The fire that began Friday afternoon near Sand Canyon Road took almost three days to fully contain, destroying 18 homes and killing a man during the fierce first 48 hours. More than 20,000 people were evacuated.

The blaze also destroyed Sable Ranch, a longtime Southern California location for film and TV shoots that succumbed on Saturday. The ranch was a popular location for Westerns with its Spanish-style hacienda, stables and various out buildings. Among the numerous shows shot there were television’s Maverick, The A-Team, and 24.

Volunteers at Gibson Ranch in Sunland tend to evacuated horses out of harm’s way on Saturday.

photo courtesy of Gibson Ranch

SUNLAND — Dale Gibson had finished his Saturday morning roping July 23 and was trailering back to his ranch through Kagel Canyon when he got a call.

“They asked me if I would come by and get a couple of horses, and I said `yes!’,” said Gibson.

He took them to Gibson Ranch, unloaded, and before he could eat lunch, the phone rang again.

“I told my wife I was going back to Kagel Canyon to haul some more horses,” he says. “After that point, the next time I walked into my house was 11 o’clock that night.”

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Story 1 – PHINA, FABIO, AND FATHER’S DAY
A Father-Daughter Bond
Petite and sweet-natured — and at the same time, powerful and competitive — Josephina Nor Lantzman is a truly elegant rider. Known as Phina, she has worked with a number of trainers, but she says that her father, Fabio Nor, is the best coach a daughter could have. Together, they seem to be able to bring out the potential greatness in a horse.

Fabio has a strong history in the racing industry, and it was at the racetrack that a very young Phina got her first ride — on an exercise pony, in the stall. She was two years old, and Fabio says that he knew then that she had a special gift with horses. When asked what is her favorite thing about them, she says, “Their smell, their eyes . . . everything about them. I just love them.”

We are smack-dab in the middle of summer, and it is hot, hot, hot!

You and I have the luxury of escaping the heat by going into an air-conditioned environment, but unfortunately, our horses do not. Just like with people, the heat can rob horses of water and electrolytes, leaving them vulnerable to some preventable conditions.

Water is key to keeping your horse healthy during the heat. Horses can drink up to 20 gallons or so a day when they are burning through their bodily fluids to cool themselves. We need to do our best to not only provide this water, but to also keep it palatable. If the water is not clean or is too warm, they may not drink it.

The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) is making the first step to endurance riding a little easier this year with their 2016 Fall Special promotion. Beginning now, new members can join for the remainder of the 2016 ride season and all of the 2017 ride season, which runs through November 30, 2017, for the discounted price of $88.75. Additional adult family members are $57.50; those 17 or younger are $27.

More than 3,000 riders have requested AERC’s free “Discover Endurance Riding” booklet, which shares the adventure and camaraderie experienced by members of the nonprofit organization.

Now that we have an attentive horse after Les’s instructions last issue, let’s evaluate control.

Start at a walk in a straight line. Make sure your hands are evenly spaced out in front of you and that your legs are relaxed. As you move along, I want you to concentrate on feeling what the horse is doing rather than watching for problems. If you feel the horse start to bow or lean in either direction, use your hands and legs to get him straight again. If it helps, fi x your eyes on something in the distance and make sure he stays moving straight toward it.