In the summer of 2021, 13-year-old Kyla Law and her hackney pony Flash completed the Tevis Cup, known as the toughest endurance race in the western United States, in the Sierra Nevada, with a steep, 100-mile course to run in one day.
He is the smallest horse to have finished this mythical American endurance race, created in 1955. Kyla is the owner of Flash, who she has trained herself since she was 9 years old. Starting to get a little big for him, she and her mother took advantage of an incredible opportunity to participate in the Tevis Cup.
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This historic race traverses part of the Western States Trail, a trail that was originally used by Indians, then men during the gold rush and finally by the Pony Express riders. The 160 km route starts at 5am at Robie Equestrian Park, crosses El Dorado County and ends 24 hours later in Placer County.
ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT RACES IN THE WORLD
The track is difficult, with many elevation changes, winding roads, steep and rocky paths, accessible only to pedestrians, riders and helicopters. Three vet checks are planned and at the slightest doubt, the couple is eliminated. It’s a big challenge for Kyla Law and her mother, “It’s so beautiful and amazing and it’s not the same, the whole way. Most races are loops, but here everything is new and I loved it so much. People can do anything they want, if they can put their mind to it,” she told Fox 13.
A beautiful story of perseverance that inspired a book by Clair Eckard, Race Against Time and a documentary, Two Enduring Spirits. “By the time they crossed the elusive finish line of the 100-mile race, Flash had proven that he could overcome a lifetime of fear and succeed where many other horses had failed, and Kyla had found the deepening of her faith she had always sought,” the author wrote.
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