The Tevis Cup invented the modern 100-mile endurance ride. Founded in 1955 by Wendell Robie, who rode the Western States Trail from Lake Tahoe to Auburn to settle a friendly argument about whether modern horses could match the achievements of the 19th-century Pony Express, the ride has run annually almost without interruption ever since.
A finish at Tevis is the benchmark American endurance achievement. The ride awards the Tevis Cup buckle to every rider who completes within 24 hours with a horse passing all vet checks. Around 200 riders enter each year. Completion rate is typically 50 to 60 percent.
How the ride works
100 miles in 24 hours. Lake Tahoe (Robie Park) to the McCann Stadium at the Auburn Fairgrounds. The route runs over the Sierra Nevada via the Western States Trail.
Start: 5:15am on ride day, typically a Saturday in late July or August.
The course climbs from around 7,200 feet at the start to 8,750 feet at the Cougar Rock viewpoint within the first 12 miles, then drops into the American River canyon system. Riders cross the river at Rucky Chucky (no bridge; horses are led across in shallow water during the daylight stop). The final stretch from Lower Quarry to Auburn descends into the Sacramento Valley.
Vet checks at 12 designated points along the route. Horses must pass at every check or be withdrawn. Heart rate criterion is 64 beats per minute within 30 minutes of arrival (slightly more lenient than Endurance GB''s 56 bpm, reflecting the heat and altitude). The mandatory hour-long hold at the Robinson Flat (36 miles) and Foresthill (68 miles) vet checks gives horses meaningful recovery time.
Riding through the night is the defining feature for most finishers. The leaders typically finish in 11 to 12 hours; mid-pack riders complete in 18 to 22 hours, riding into and through darkness.
What it takes to finish
Tevis is hard not because of distance but because of terrain, heat, altitude and the speed required to make the 24-hour cut-off. Daytime temperatures regularly exceed 35°C in the canyon sections. Most finishing horses lose 20 to 30 kilograms over the course of the ride and require careful rehydration management at every vet stop.
Qualifications: riders and horses must complete a documented sequence of AERC-sanctioned rides before Tevis entry, including at least one 100km ride at the qualifying pace. The qualifying structure is published annually by the Western States Trail Foundation.
Crews matter. Most finishing teams operate with a 4 to 6 person crew supporting at the hold points. Crew handle horse cooling, electrolytes, feed, kit changes, and the rider''s nutrition. Tevis is almost impossible without one.
The Haggin Cup
The Tevis Cup is awarded to the first horse to finish. The Haggin Cup, generally considered the more coveted of the two, is awarded to the horse in best condition among the top ten finishers. It is the trophy that aligns with the philosophy of the sport: not the fastest, but the best cared for.
Beyond Tevis
Tevis runs alongside a strong American endurance scene. Other 100-mile rides worth knowing about: Old Dominion (Virginia, 100 miles in 24 hours, technical mountain terrain, often hot), Big Horn (Wyoming), Vermont 100 (run as a horse and human ultra in parallel). The Wikipedia entry on long-distance riding gives a reasonable overview of the international circuit.
In the UK, the closest analogue in difficulty is the Golden Horseshoe Ride, which runs the 100-mile distance over two days rather than one.
Saddl''s take
Tevis is the endurance ride to aim for if you''re serious about the sport. Unlike the Mongol Derby and Gaucho Derby, which require remote-travel credentials and survival skills, Tevis is pure endurance: your horse, your fitness, your crew, the trail.
For UK riders, the practical route is: build through Endurance GB graded rides to 80km and 160km level. Buy or hire a suitable horse out of the US AERC scene for a Tevis attempt (transporting your own horse to California is rarely cost-effective). Plan 12 to 18 months in country before the attempt. It is an expensive undertaking, but a finish is a credential that travels.
Related Saddl content
- Golden Horseshoe Ride: the UK''s 100-mile equivalent over 2 days
- Mongol Derby: the multi-day ultra-endurance alternative
- USA Dude Ranch Holidays: for the riding-Western introduction without the race entry
- Bucket-list Equestrian Challenges: the full Saddl list