A spunky 2004 dark chestnut mare, owned by Utah’s Crockett Dumas, has earned the top title of 2011’s Distance Horse of the Year, The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) announced February 6th.
OT Sara Moniet RSI (Rave On Ravenwood x OT Dysara RSI) covered 1,675 competitions miles during 2011, completing all of her 31 rides and racking up 10 overall wins and nine Best Conditions awards. The horse’s victories included two 200-mile rides, one 165-mile ride and one 155-mile ride. She finished all but one of her rides in the Top Ten group.
"Well everybody thinks their horse is the greatest horse in the world," Dumas explained. "But she is really a great all-around horse. I bred her and her mother and father ... after riding 37,500 miles, I don't spend a lot of time on good horses. She's a great horse.
"She's got a great mind. She really likes people. I don't pay much attention to what they look like, but she happens to be really pretty—she looks like her foundation mare,” Dumas added.
Previous AHA Distance Horse of the Year winners include:
- 2004 – DT Thunder Bask
- 2005 – TBR Granite Chief
- 2006 – Aron Moon
- 2007 – DA Al Capone
- 2008 – Chase the Wind AH
- 2009 – Am I Blue
- 2010 – Hadji Halef Omar
Dumas, who rides out of Outlaw Trail Arabians, in Escalante, Utah, has bred endurance horses since the 1970s. In fact, the seven-year-old Sara has produced a foal, who may become his future endurance mount.
“Sara” was also named AHA High Point 50-99 Mile Endurance Horse for 2011. Her additional awards for the year included:
- War Mare Award – American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC)
- Belesemo Arabians Pioneer Award (Heavyweight Division) – American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC)
- Drinkers of the Wind Performance Award – Institute of the Desert Arabian Horse
Congratulations to Crockett Dumas and OT Sara Moniet RSI, the 2011 AHA Distance Horse of the Year.
Related Items:
- 2011 Eclipse Awards go to Havre de Grace, Animal Kingdom and more
- Horse Movies: ‘The Turin Horse’ opens February 10th
- Proposed Congressional bill bans double-decker horse hauling
- USET Foundation gives Christine McCrea 2012 Whitney Stone Cup
Please subscribe at the top of the page to receive free e-mail updates whenever this columnist publishes a new article. Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter. You are also invited to join this writer's fan page, as well as the Equestrian Examiner and Madison Equestrian Examiner on Facebook.
Comments