Odom's Raven is a Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse. He is 13 this year on Cinco de Mayo! He has
completed 1335 AERC miles including five 100 mile completions, 3 Tevis's, Virginia City 100 &
Oregon 100. By the printing of this article he may have his 4th Tevis & a couple more 100 milers to
his credit! He has a remarkable "energizer bunny" quality about him! He just keeps going.
I grew up in New Jersey, riding from about 4 years old. My father, Bob Walz, was heavily into
horses & gave me the "bug". He had an Arabian stallion that he endurance rode on the east coast
rides. He bred him twice to an Anglo Arab mare first producing a colt for me & the next year, one
for my brother, Roy. Stikkers was a grey Anglo Arab who did everything for me. I trained him when
I was 8 years old. With him I did 4-H, Pony Club, fox hunting, driving & endurance. He was born
when I was 6 years old & died when I was 36. He was my longest term relationship & a devoted
friend!
My dad started the New Jersey 100 miler in 1962. I rode it several times in my youth. I also rode
Maine's Pine Tree 100 & the Vermont 100. Vermont was my favorite! The east coast endurance was
modeled after the cavalry endurance test & was ridden over 3 days, two days of 40 miles & a 20
mile day.
I got back into endurance in 1996 on Arabians. They were great! My Micco Raffon never had a pull.
When I started sponsoring my daughter on Raven, Micco had a difficult time keeping up with the
big Mountain Horse. When my daughter opted out of riding endurance I sold Micco & kept Raven.
He became my endurance partner.
My father was the first to see the Kentucky Mountain Horse as a breed that could be a contender in
his sport. He has made several innovations to the sport of endurance. He got Polar to allow him to
adapt their heart monitors for horses. He was the first to market heart monitors to endurance
riders. He also developed the Easy Ride Stirrups, the largest selling trail stirrup in the world.
In the mid nineties my dad was searching for a smooth, safe breed to continue endurance riding
with. His Arabian was too hard on his 74 year old body. He saw an ad for Mountain Horses and
went down to see what they were all about at Fran & Bill Odom's ranch. He liked what he saw in
the Kentucky Mountain Horses. Being nearly 6'6" tall he asked them to find him a couple of 16
hand KMSH's. They found two & my dad quickly bought Almost Chocolate, the older one. The 3
year old named Raven did not pass the vet check. The vet told my dad that the horse would never
be sound!
Raven has an extremely long stride. During his lanky youth, the pre-purchase
vet was not able to discern the difference between what they call in the
South as "swang" and lame. He "excused" himself when he leaned towards lame
and objecting to that idea, Bill saddled and rode him. Raven truly demonstrated there was nothing
wrong with him as he performed his ground covering gait up and down the driveway. He was
simply a growing, loose moving horse. The price was dropped by $2000 & my dad bought him
anyway.
Shortly after he bought young Raven, he put his leg through the windshield of one of my dad's
cars, tearing open his right knee. It healed large & lumpy & added to a doubtful endurance future
for the big black horse.
In '98 Bob was downsizing his property & had to downsize his herd. I drove down there to pick up
his Arab, Sombro for my older daughter & Raven for my 9 year old daughter. Raven was five & had
only done half an endurance ride. I asked my dad if he would really trust the 5 year old horse with
his 9 year old granddaughter. He answered that Raven was the most bomb proof horse he'd ever
owned, of course he trusted him!
The relationship with Raven & young Sarah started rocky. He was young & fast & Sarah was a
good rider but unsure of the 16 hand speed horse. She would bail off of him at a gallop! She kept
getting back on & they worked out an agreement on their first beach ride. Sarah finally felt
confident to let him run full out! She got a huge grin on her face & yelled to me "I'm fine now! I can
do anything with him!" They were a great team after that!
In 2000 they had a great endurance season. They started with the Prineville 50 mile ride. Raven
was 6 years old & Sarah was 10. She wanted more so next we did the 75 mile distance at the
Grizzly Mountain Ride. We continued with one to two rides a month that season. Sarah's ambition
prompted me to enter us in the Oregon 100 mile ride that September. We ran into some blatant
gaited prejudice. The head vet told me at the 50 mile check that he felt gaited horses were not bred
for distance & what did we think entering one in a 100 mile ride. At 75 miles he was pulled with no
exam. I rider option pulled my Arab so Sarah wouldn't have to care for her horse alone. He wasn't
allowed to finish another ride that season. We call them our political pulls. Those were the dark
days of gaited endurance. We've come a long way!
The next year I brought Raven back down to my father. He was having balance problems & his
KMSH, Almost Chocolate, was being stubborn & giving him problems. So I let him ride the kid
conditioned Raven that stood when being mounted & went cheerfully forward on any trail. I
brought Chocolate back to Oregon to train him & do a few endurance rides on him. He had a
stubborn streak, alright!
In the meantime, my dad's friend Steve Elliott had been given a free entry to Tevis & the honorary
#1 for having rescued a horse the previous year that had fallen into a canyon. Steve didn't want to
ride his high strung Arab on another Tevis so he was without a mount for that momentous ride. My
dad offered him 7 year old Raven knowing that he had a great base conditioning on him from the
previous endurance season with Sarah. Steve talked to me & e-mailed me often asking if I really
felt the young Raven was ready to tackle the toughest 100 mile ride in the world. Unhesitatingly I
said yes! Steve conditioned him well. On the 47th running of the Tevis, 47 year old Steve Elliott on
7 year old Raven finished Tevis in 47th place!
My dad had me send Sarah down to California six weeks later & Steve borrowed a horse &
sponsored 11 year old Sarah on the Virginia City 100 on Raven. Steve pulled near the end & Sarah
went on with another sponsor. They finished in 22nd place. So Raven did two of the toughest 100
mile endurance rides in the country six weeks apart!
When I got Raven back at the end of the season, his shoes were pulled & we did the Pacific Crest
50 miler with Easy Boots. I got his hoofs Strasser trimmed & started conditioning him barefoot. He
had always had a hard time keeping shoes or boots on. He developed hoofs of iron! We had a few
rough seasons getting used to barefoot endurance. I'm just a rebel, I guess! Gaited AND barefoot!
3) My greatest epiphany, magic moment on Raven ~ Tevis '04
In 2004, at the 50th Tevis, I did my first on Raven. Raven was inspired being on the trail he loves so
much! He remembered it well from 2001 & took me for the ride of my life! He fell badly in the Granite
Chief Wilderness & I ran him through the rest of it when he finally regained his footing. When I
finally was able to remount, Raven was in a frenzy! He took off & passed so many riders I lost
count! He was still frenzied when we reached Cougar Rock so I opted to go around it, not over.
Being taken down that monumental trail by my horse that knew it so well was incredible! I let him
have the reins for most of the ride. When we left Foresthill we were riding with Frank Smith &
Batman the mule. He & Raven traveled well together. I had glow sticks in my saddle pack to put on
when it got dark. I asked Frank if he used them & he said no, they interfere with the horse's night
vision. So I decided to forego using them. This was quite a leap for me. When it got dark I pretty
much dropped the reins. I said to Raven, I trust you can see, cause I can see for sh-t!!! He just
motored down the trail confidently & I had my heart in my mouth! The level of trust I had in Raven
leaped that night to the highest level. In spots he would gallop in the pitch black night!
It was an adrenalin rush from beginning to end. And WE DID IT!!! 22nd place on the 50th Tevis!
Raven rocked! 245 starters, 129 finishers.
The 2006 season was Raven's best! The vet's were so supportive! I started all the northwest rides
barefoot. I carried boots in case he needed them & he didn't! We did six 50 milers & the Oregon 100
barefoot, no boots! He top tenned four of the 50's. Raven won the Pacific Crest 50! Winning a
northwest 50 over Arabs is an amazing accomplishment! We ride mostly bit-less now, also!
We used plastic shoes again for Tevis. This time we reached Cougar Rock on a loose rein & I
chose to take on that challenge! Raven is a total point & shoot horse. He took Cougar with a calm,
calculated effort. He breezed through the vet checks often arriving with a pulse below criteria!
Again, no glow sticks & trusting him through the California Loop in the dark. Again, we came in
22nd place!
I do feel that many gaited horses have potential like Raven's. Many people who choose gaited
endurance do so because they have physical limitations & need that smooth ride. I believe many
of those gaited mounts have 100 mile hearts! I enjoy the "bomb proof" qualities of my gaited
horses, Raven & Ruby, my MFT mare. They are both steady & smooth, barefoot & bitless. I've
found that the flex tree saddles such as the Orthoflex work best with the gaited breeds. They allow
for free movement of those powerful shoulders. Most gaited breeds move incredibly well down
hills if they have freedom to move their shoulders.
I plan to ride as many 100 milers & multi days on Raven as my budget will allow! He is up for the
challenge, in his prime & showing it! I'm hooked on gaited! On the national Gaited Endurance
Riders Yahoo list there are 270 members now. In the regional PNER Gaited list we have 46
members. We have two gaited teams in the PNER, the Master Gaiters & the Insta Gaiters!
We are a growing force to be reckoned with in the fantastic sport of endurance!
Raven has proven that gaited horses have what it takes for the sport of endurance. And Kentucky
Mountain Saddle Horses in particular! They have a sensible, bomb proof attitude that gets you
safely down the most precarious trail! When people comment on Raven's incredible downhill gait, I
say, "They don't call'em Mountain Horses for nothin'!"
Raven's Endurance Info
completed 1335 AERC miles including five 100 mile completions, 3 Tevis's, Virginia City 100 &
Oregon 100. By the printing of this article he may have his 4th Tevis & a couple more 100 milers to
his credit! He has a remarkable "energizer bunny" quality about him! He just keeps going.
I grew up in New Jersey, riding from about 4 years old. My father, Bob Walz, was heavily into
horses & gave me the "bug". He had an Arabian stallion that he endurance rode on the east coast
rides. He bred him twice to an Anglo Arab mare first producing a colt for me & the next year, one
for my brother, Roy. Stikkers was a grey Anglo Arab who did everything for me. I trained him when
I was 8 years old. With him I did 4-H, Pony Club, fox hunting, driving & endurance. He was born
when I was 6 years old & died when I was 36. He was my longest term relationship & a devoted
friend!
My dad started the New Jersey 100 miler in 1962. I rode it several times in my youth. I also rode
Maine's Pine Tree 100 & the Vermont 100. Vermont was my favorite! The east coast endurance was
modeled after the cavalry endurance test & was ridden over 3 days, two days of 40 miles & a 20
mile day.
I got back into endurance in 1996 on Arabians. They were great! My Micco Raffon never had a pull.
When I started sponsoring my daughter on Raven, Micco had a difficult time keeping up with the
big Mountain Horse. When my daughter opted out of riding endurance I sold Micco & kept Raven.
He became my endurance partner.
My father was the first to see the Kentucky Mountain Horse as a breed that could be a contender in
his sport. He has made several innovations to the sport of endurance. He got Polar to allow him to
adapt their heart monitors for horses. He was the first to market heart monitors to endurance
riders. He also developed the Easy Ride Stirrups, the largest selling trail stirrup in the world.
In the mid nineties my dad was searching for a smooth, safe breed to continue endurance riding
with. His Arabian was too hard on his 74 year old body. He saw an ad for Mountain Horses and
went down to see what they were all about at Fran & Bill Odom's ranch. He liked what he saw in
the Kentucky Mountain Horses. Being nearly 6'6" tall he asked them to find him a couple of 16
hand KMSH's. They found two & my dad quickly bought Almost Chocolate, the older one. The 3
year old named Raven did not pass the vet check. The vet told my dad that the horse would never
be sound!
Raven has an extremely long stride. During his lanky youth, the pre-purchase
vet was not able to discern the difference between what they call in the
South as "swang" and lame. He "excused" himself when he leaned towards lame
and objecting to that idea, Bill saddled and rode him. Raven truly demonstrated there was nothing
wrong with him as he performed his ground covering gait up and down the driveway. He was
simply a growing, loose moving horse. The price was dropped by $2000 & my dad bought him
anyway.
Shortly after he bought young Raven, he put his leg through the windshield of one of my dad's
cars, tearing open his right knee. It healed large & lumpy & added to a doubtful endurance future
for the big black horse.
In '98 Bob was downsizing his property & had to downsize his herd. I drove down there to pick up
his Arab, Sombro for my older daughter & Raven for my 9 year old daughter. Raven was five & had
only done half an endurance ride. I asked my dad if he would really trust the 5 year old horse with
his 9 year old granddaughter. He answered that Raven was the most bomb proof horse he'd ever
owned, of course he trusted him!
The relationship with Raven & young Sarah started rocky. He was young & fast & Sarah was a
good rider but unsure of the 16 hand speed horse. She would bail off of him at a gallop! She kept
getting back on & they worked out an agreement on their first beach ride. Sarah finally felt
confident to let him run full out! She got a huge grin on her face & yelled to me "I'm fine now! I can
do anything with him!" They were a great team after that!
In 2000 they had a great endurance season. They started with the Prineville 50 mile ride. Raven
was 6 years old & Sarah was 10. She wanted more so next we did the 75 mile distance at the
Grizzly Mountain Ride. We continued with one to two rides a month that season. Sarah's ambition
prompted me to enter us in the Oregon 100 mile ride that September. We ran into some blatant
gaited prejudice. The head vet told me at the 50 mile check that he felt gaited horses were not bred
for distance & what did we think entering one in a 100 mile ride. At 75 miles he was pulled with no
exam. I rider option pulled my Arab so Sarah wouldn't have to care for her horse alone. He wasn't
allowed to finish another ride that season. We call them our political pulls. Those were the dark
days of gaited endurance. We've come a long way!
The next year I brought Raven back down to my father. He was having balance problems & his
KMSH, Almost Chocolate, was being stubborn & giving him problems. So I let him ride the kid
conditioned Raven that stood when being mounted & went cheerfully forward on any trail. I
brought Chocolate back to Oregon to train him & do a few endurance rides on him. He had a
stubborn streak, alright!
In the meantime, my dad's friend Steve Elliott had been given a free entry to Tevis & the honorary
#1 for having rescued a horse the previous year that had fallen into a canyon. Steve didn't want to
ride his high strung Arab on another Tevis so he was without a mount for that momentous ride. My
dad offered him 7 year old Raven knowing that he had a great base conditioning on him from the
previous endurance season with Sarah. Steve talked to me & e-mailed me often asking if I really
felt the young Raven was ready to tackle the toughest 100 mile ride in the world. Unhesitatingly I
said yes! Steve conditioned him well. On the 47th running of the Tevis, 47 year old Steve Elliott on
7 year old Raven finished Tevis in 47th place!
My dad had me send Sarah down to California six weeks later & Steve borrowed a horse &
sponsored 11 year old Sarah on the Virginia City 100 on Raven. Steve pulled near the end & Sarah
went on with another sponsor. They finished in 22nd place. So Raven did two of the toughest 100
mile endurance rides in the country six weeks apart!
When I got Raven back at the end of the season, his shoes were pulled & we did the Pacific Crest
50 miler with Easy Boots. I got his hoofs Strasser trimmed & started conditioning him barefoot. He
had always had a hard time keeping shoes or boots on. He developed hoofs of iron! We had a few
rough seasons getting used to barefoot endurance. I'm just a rebel, I guess! Gaited AND barefoot!
3) My greatest epiphany, magic moment on Raven ~ Tevis '04
In 2004, at the 50th Tevis, I did my first on Raven. Raven was inspired being on the trail he loves so
much! He remembered it well from 2001 & took me for the ride of my life! He fell badly in the Granite
Chief Wilderness & I ran him through the rest of it when he finally regained his footing. When I
finally was able to remount, Raven was in a frenzy! He took off & passed so many riders I lost
count! He was still frenzied when we reached Cougar Rock so I opted to go around it, not over.
Being taken down that monumental trail by my horse that knew it so well was incredible! I let him
have the reins for most of the ride. When we left Foresthill we were riding with Frank Smith &
Batman the mule. He & Raven traveled well together. I had glow sticks in my saddle pack to put on
when it got dark. I asked Frank if he used them & he said no, they interfere with the horse's night
vision. So I decided to forego using them. This was quite a leap for me. When it got dark I pretty
much dropped the reins. I said to Raven, I trust you can see, cause I can see for sh-t!!! He just
motored down the trail confidently & I had my heart in my mouth! The level of trust I had in Raven
leaped that night to the highest level. In spots he would gallop in the pitch black night!
It was an adrenalin rush from beginning to end. And WE DID IT!!! 22nd place on the 50th Tevis!
Raven rocked! 245 starters, 129 finishers.
The 2006 season was Raven's best! The vet's were so supportive! I started all the northwest rides
barefoot. I carried boots in case he needed them & he didn't! We did six 50 milers & the Oregon 100
barefoot, no boots! He top tenned four of the 50's. Raven won the Pacific Crest 50! Winning a
northwest 50 over Arabs is an amazing accomplishment! We ride mostly bit-less now, also!
We used plastic shoes again for Tevis. This time we reached Cougar Rock on a loose rein & I
chose to take on that challenge! Raven is a total point & shoot horse. He took Cougar with a calm,
calculated effort. He breezed through the vet checks often arriving with a pulse below criteria!
Again, no glow sticks & trusting him through the California Loop in the dark. Again, we came in
22nd place!
I do feel that many gaited horses have potential like Raven's. Many people who choose gaited
endurance do so because they have physical limitations & need that smooth ride. I believe many
of those gaited mounts have 100 mile hearts! I enjoy the "bomb proof" qualities of my gaited
horses, Raven & Ruby, my MFT mare. They are both steady & smooth, barefoot & bitless. I've
found that the flex tree saddles such as the Orthoflex work best with the gaited breeds. They allow
for free movement of those powerful shoulders. Most gaited breeds move incredibly well down
hills if they have freedom to move their shoulders.
I plan to ride as many 100 milers & multi days on Raven as my budget will allow! He is up for the
challenge, in his prime & showing it! I'm hooked on gaited! On the national Gaited Endurance
Riders Yahoo list there are 270 members now. In the regional PNER Gaited list we have 46
members. We have two gaited teams in the PNER, the Master Gaiters & the Insta Gaiters!
We are a growing force to be reckoned with in the fantastic sport of endurance!
Raven has proven that gaited horses have what it takes for the sport of endurance. And Kentucky
Mountain Saddle Horses in particular! They have a sensible, bomb proof attitude that gets you
safely down the most precarious trail! When people comment on Raven's incredible downhill gait, I
say, "They don't call'em Mountain Horses for nothin'!"
Raven's Endurance Info
ODOM'S RAVEN,
the Magnificent Mountain Horse!
the Magnificent Mountain Horse!
