IRON OAK NOVICE DISTANCE RIDE AND DRIVE 

By Jane Licht 

On Saturday, April 28, Deb Fischer and I worked at the registration table in the brand new clubhouse at Ray and Audrey Gehrig’s Iron Oak Farm near Janesville, Wisconsin. We were kept very busy signing up 18 riders and 15 drivers, the majority of whom were new to the sport of distance riding or driving. Sponsored by the Midwest Distance Driving Association, many of the usual distance riding support group were there plus MDDA volunteers. We checked their Coggins papers, had them fill out the application and gave them their score sheet for the vet check. “What’s a vet check like?” some of them asked. “Just get your horse, come back in front of the building and watch other vet checks and then you will soon understand,” we explained. 

One rider’s horse turned up lame and was disqualified. The owner was disappointed but very understanding. Everyone else – all those novice riders and the 11 brand new distance drivers finished. And in this sport, to finish is to win. 

It was good to see the veteran MDDA drivers – Randy Rudstrom, Pauline Stollenwerk, Tom Krueger, and Theresa Burns-Metcalf drive the 12-mile course. Newbies Deb Dixon, Gayle Holcomb and Betsy Freiburger also went 12 miles with their horses. MDDA member Dan Soby drove his pair of Haflingers 6 miles and was joined by two newcomers with pairs – Mike Roberts and Lowell Larson. Chari Rutledge, Sandra Nowicki, Susie Weiss and Ann Maletzke drove their horses on their first competitive distance drive of 6 miles. Chari felt her Morgan could have easily handled 12 miles. The other 3 ladies were well satisfied with their 6-mile trail and they all seemed to enjoy themselves. 

Vice-president of MDDA Wes Licht didn’t bring his pair of Morab mares so that he could volunteer this time instead of driving. Wes recorded pulse and respiration and he numbered each horse, using different colors for the riders and drivers. Unfortunately, he gave Lowell Larson’s Arabian pair the same number, which caused confusion for Romona Radtke who was taking pulse and respiration at the end of the drive. (She thought she was seeing double and she was right!) Wes also did safety checks of the harness and hitching just before each driver started his or her course. 

President of MDDA Theresa Burns-Metcalf was the main event organizer. She explained the registration procedure to Deb and I, and then answered a thousand questions from the participants. After the riders’ meeting, the riders left in three small groups at 5-minute intervals with each group having at least one experienced rider. Next, Theresa and Romona conducted the meeting for the drivers. They briefly explained procedures, the course and the rules. The 6-mile drivers went first beginning with Chari and continuing with another driver starting every 5 minutes. I assigned Theresa the last spot for the 12-mile drivers so she would have more time to get her horse harnessed and ready to go. 

Without the great help of people like Ray and Audrey Gehrig, Deb Fischer, Wes Licht, Romona Radtke, Elinore Tonsor, Lane Biggs, Char Ehlert, Don Hayes, Robert McElhinney and our dedicated veterinarian, Kris Welter, this event would not have been possible.  

A pot-luck lunch and awards ceremony ended a perfect day. There were numerous useful prizes, such as the sample electrolyte kits donated by Advanced Biological Concepts (ABC Plus), given to all who finished their rides and drives. Division winners whose horses had the most points and generally the best metabolics at the end of the events were as follows:

In addition, Gayle Holcomb was presented with a gift certificate from Colonial Carriage Works for the highest score for a first time driver. And special congratulations go to Theresa Burns-Metcalf for both organizing this very successful event and winning the top score for the 12-mile drive.  

The next distance drive is Sunday, May 13 at Palmyra, Wisconsin. There is also a drive Saturday, June 23rd at 10 AM in East Peoria, Illinois. Both are 12-mile distance drives. For information about directions and other details, visit the MDDA website at www.midwestdistancedriving.org or contact Theresa Burns-Metcalf at 608-943-6126 or via email – dawnmeto@mhtc.net