Endurance in Southwest Idaho!

Idaho Statesman

Tony Dann gets ready to head off on
Eternel Tax Man at the start of the
Rangelands 50-mile endurance race,
held in Oreana, south of Murphy,
in May 2007.

Frank is famous within his local club for achieving 3,000 miles of competitive endurance racing. He wears metal shoes and carries his partner Tom Noll on long-distance 100-mile trail races, or during multi-day events covering hundreds of miles.

The 18 year-old unregistered Arabian horse often wins "Best Condition" awards at the end of races. An award like that is testament to Frank's talent and Noll's expertise in maintaining a healthy horse through vast distances of remote and rugged terrain.

"Frank's got a personality. He is very polite, very competitive, likes to run and is handsome," said Noll, of Meridian.

Originally, Noll was an endurance runner. He specifically learned horse riding so he could compete in equestrian endurance races. A man in Cambridge taught him riding skills and relating to horses. Members of the Southwest Idaho Trail and Distance Riders (SWIT&DR) club taught him the specifics of endurance riding.

Noll said the sport is somewhat unpredictable and there is a real bond between rider and horse.

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