Profitable the Large Horn 100 & Overcoming All

Not many people would keep in mind climbing aboard a horse rapidly after breaking ribs. Nevertheless not all folks is Suzanne Hayes, who acquired the Large Horn 100 endurance journey merely six weeks after a fall that resulted in 10 broken ribs (some in a variety of areas), two fractured vertebrae, a punctured lung and a lacerated liver, and that led to her spending 5 days throughout the ICU and 10 additional days throughout the hospital.

In reality, the 67-year-old Arlee, Mont., native was already discussing the potential for driving the Large Horn—one in every of many hardest 100-mile endurance rides throughout the nation—collectively together with her trauma medical medical doctors throughout the emergency room after they ticked off the entire damage.

“I suggested them, ‘Successfully, I’ve purchased a extraordinarily massive 100-mile journey in six weeks,’” Hayes recollects. “‘I’m hoping that we’re in a position to nonetheless plan on that.’ They checked out me like, ‘You gotta be kidding me.’”

Her accident occurred whereas driving a youthful horse on a routine teaching journey. The horse stopped in a creek a quarter-mile from home to drink when he abruptly bolted, violently ejecting Hayes. (Hayes and her husband later determined he’d acquired {an electrical} shock on his delicate nostril from a reside fence wire that had fallen into the creek shut by.)

Compromised!

The Large Horn is probably going one of many last old fashioned 100-mile races.

“It’s a extraordinarily troublesome 100, and it takes quite a few perseverance to get by the use of it,” says Hayes. “It is a should to pay attention because of it’s so distant. I merely truly like highly effective rides.”

Driving the Large Horn 100 in such a compromised state didn’t appear to be a far-fetched thought to this expert high-mileage endurance rider. So many parts went into forging ahead with the plan that it appeared the obvious choice, the way in which during which Hayes explains it.

Early in 2020, Hayes had equipped her horse, Greenbriar Al Jabal (“Atlas”), to fellow endurance rider Ann Hall to journey along with Hayes on Sanstormm.

“Atlas was three for 3 [in the top five] throughout the Large Horn [with a win in 2012], and Sans was zero for two,” says Hayes. “I assumed this can be a extraordinarily good different for Ann to come back again up and journey Atlas with me on Sans. And that might be truly good for Sans, because of he can be taught tons from Atlas.”

Hall was excited to do it; she and her husband had deliberate a large two-week journey. Hayes didn’t want to let her down. Whereas her decision could seem irrational, she is one thing nevertheless.

“I fastidiously weighed it out,” says Hayes. “I assumed, what variety of events have I ridden a horse, what variety of events have I come off a horse, and what was the share. And I merely felt just like the share was low enough that I’d do the journey.”

From 9 Miles to 100

Hayes didn’t get licensed by her medical medical doctors to journey until each week sooner than the Large Horn, and technically didn’t get an OK the least bit.

“I purchased a CT scan the week sooner than the journey,” she says. “I’d hoped they’d take a look at it and say, ‘You’ve healed up somewhat effectively. We don’t have any disadvantage the least bit should you occur to journey at Large Horn.’ Nevertheless they didn’t. They talked about that my accidents at six weeks had been the place they have to be: my ribs had been nonetheless separated, they often had been nervous about my liver, because of it takes three months to heal. They talked about, ‘We’ll’t let you already know that you have to journey. We would advocate that you just don’t. You truly shouldn’t. There’s a menace involved. However it certainly’s your choice.’”

Her remaining examine was a training journey on Sans the week sooner than the Large Horn, trotting and cantering for 9 miles.

“There was a great amount of ache, but it surely certainly was tolerable,” says Hayes. “Afterward that night, it was a little bit of worse. Nevertheless I assumed, correctly, I’ve purchased one other total week to heal. Week 5, I felt there was fairly very important enchancment, so I assumed that additional week six was going to be even larger.”

The Large Horn will be “merely” 91 additional miles of driving; how laborious would possibly or not it is?

With Deference

Hayes loaded up and pointed her trailer south for Shell, Wyo., basecamp for the August 1st Large Horn.

She took additional precautions all through the journey, carrying every a chest protector vest and an inflatable crash vest, should she unexpectedly half from her saddle. She moreover rode with a Garmin SPOT.

“I had my very personal SOS principally, because of if I activated that SPOT, it mechanically went to 911,” she says. “And Ann was driving with me, which was one other excuse I felt larger.”

Hall opened the entire gates (there are some 38 gates on the journey), as a result of it was most troublesome for Hayes to mount and dismount.

Compared with the prior weeks of drama, the Large Horn journey itself went simply. Exhibiting the smarts and persistence befitting a rider who has already garnered an American Endurance Journey Conference Pard’ners Award collectively together with her earlier endurance horse, Kootenai Zizzero, Hayes and Hall strategically stayed throughout the lead or inside stalking distance all by means of the journey.

Leaving the ultimate vet look at 16 miles from the tip, Hayes felt she had a powerful likelihood to win, nevertheless was held once more by her impaired scenario.

“I had a ton of horse,” Hayes says. “Nevertheless I couldn’t do one thing about it, because of I couldn’t journey by myself. When Gabriela Blakeley left our group [to go ahead], I couldn’t go along with her, because of I couldn’t say, ‘Gabriela, it is necessary to attend and open these gates for me.’”

After the ultimate gate 3 miles from the tip, Hayes turned Sans free. Texas rider Cameron Holzer saved tempo collectively together with her, and with extraordinary driving etiquette refused to go, since Hayes had been ahead of her most of the journey. These two crossed the tip line in second and third place, in a visit time of 15 hours and quarter-hour.

Highly effective as Nails

It wasn’t till morning that Hayes found that Blakeley’s horse, first all through the tip line, had not pulsed down throughout the requisite 30-minute window. That left Hayes the shocked winner of the 2020 Large Horn 100.

Anyone who’s conscious of Hayes correctly on a regular basis incorporates the phrase “highly effective” when describing her.

She took nothing stronger than Tylenol and Aleve all through the journey. Elatedly strolling as a lot as get hold of her award on the morning’s ceremony, she gave no indication she’d acquired one in every of many nation’s hardest rides whereas mending a variety of broken bones.

Hayes credit score her associates Tara Rothwell and Lynn Lee for sustaining her horses in kind whereas she was incapacitated. Lee moreover accompanied Hayes to the journey and crewed for her, as she sometimes does.

Whereas Suzanne Hayes raised the bar awfully extreme for nearly all of endurance riders, Lee, who’s been associates with Hayes for 48 years, won’t be so shocked on the exploit throughout the Large Horn 100.

“You’ve purchased to know Suzie,” Lee says. “I’ve acknowledged her ceaselessly. And she or he comes from highly effective stock. Her dad and brothers had been ultra-marathoners, and her mother started in endurance when she was a teen in Vermont. So it’s in Suzie’s blood. And when she is going to get it in her head to do one factor, she does it.

“Nevertheless she’s method more durable than I am!”

This textual content about Suzanne Hayes worthwhile the Large Horn 100 appeared throughout the April 2021 topic of Horse Illustrated journal. Click on on proper right here to subscribe!