On July 24th in the lush rolling hills of Henryville, Indiana, two Mexican Youth Endurance Riders, Gabriel Mendoza Gagnier , age 17 and Magali de la Rosa, age 16, successfully completed the 75 mile ride to bring their international team to a silver medal win.
This team comprised of two Mexican and three Canadian youth riders took the honor of having all five riders successfully complete, their horses being deemed by the vets as “fit to continue”. In this demanding discipline of endurance riding “to finish is to win” and a 100% completion is considered stellar.
Heavy rains had left the ride’s steep trails muddy and slippery, a situation that required extra-cautious riding but for Gabriel and Magali the "for them" exotic deciduous forests lightened the work of the twelve hours it took them to ride their Arabian horses to a safe and sound finish.
A spirit of support and camaraderie permeated the event that for the first time ever saw riders from all three North American countries competing. Special appreciation goes to veteran rider Jan Worthington and equally experienced ground crew Grace Ramsay who generously lent their knowledge and their horses - Lantana for Magali and LuNor Sovereign for Gabriel.
For more info on endurance riding in Mexico visit: www.horsebackmexico.com
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