Horse of Distinction

The Horse of Distinction award was established in 2009 to honor horses who have distinguished themselves in the sport of Ride & Tie by making a significant contribution to the sport. Horses must be nominated to be considered. Horses in the Horse Hall of Fame are not eligible. People who nominate a horse will receive a confirmation of their submission, and may later be contacted by one of the judges. The winner will be announced at the annual World Ride & Tie Championship.

To nominate a horse complete and submit the on-line form. A printable version to submit by mail is also available.

Electronic Nomination Form

Printable Nomination Form

This is an explanation of the scoring

In early 2021 it was brought to the attention of the Ride and Tie Board that it had been around 10 years since “The Horse of Distinction” award had been presented.

It was agreed that some of the original criteria would need to be changed to accommodate the growth and changes in the sport, and the 8 categories below were agreed upon.

Number of Ride & Ties completed
Number of different riders/teams the horse has competed with
Overall career mileage
Number of Ride & Tie Championships completed
Number of Best Conditions
Number of career years participating in the sport
Number of First Place finishes
Number of Top Ten finishes (less any First-Place finishes)

Breakdown of each category:

The categories are given a 1 thru 10-point value.

Number of Ride and Ties completed: Starts at 15 rides and equals 1 point and goes to 150 rides completed, that equals 10 points.
Number of Different Teams: Starts at 1 different Team equals 1 point and goes to 10 different Teams that equals 10 points.
Number of Career Miles completed: Starts at 100 miles and equals 1 point and goes to 1000 miles that equals 10 points.
Number of Championships completed: Starts at 2 Championships and equals 1 point and goes to 20 Championships that equals 10 points.
Number of Career Best Conditions: Starts at 2 Best Conditions and equals 1 point and goes to 20 Best Conditions that equals 10 points.
Number of Career Years: Starts at 2 Years and equals 1 point and goes to 20 years that equals 10 points.
Number of First Place Finishes: Starts at 5 First to Finishes equals 1 point and goes to 50 First to Finishes that equals 10 points.
Number of Top Ten’s: – (less any First to Finish) Starts at 5 Top Ten’s and equals 1 point and goes to 50 Top Ten’s equals 10 points.

The committee decided that the horse needed to have at least 30 points to be considered for the HoD.

Below is an example score.

Points	Races Completed	Different Riders	Miles	Championships Completed	Best Condition	Years Competing	First Place Finishes	Top Ten Finishes
1	15	1	100	2	2	2	5	5
2	30	2	200	4	4	4	10	10
3	45	3	300	6	6	6	15	15
4	60	4	400	8	8	8	20	20
5	75	5	500	10	10	10	25	25
6	90	6	600	12	12	12	30	30
7	105	7	700	14	14	14	35	35
8	120	8	800	16	16	16	40	40
9	135	9	900	18	18	18	45	45
10	150	10	1000	20	20	20	50	50

Horse of Distinction Recipients

Horse of Distinction 2010: Gavilan

By all accounts, Gavilan, a purebred Arabian, was the quintessential Ride & Tie competitor. He was purchased by Don Betts at the age of five to be a Ride & Tie horse, even though his previous owners said he couldn’t be tied. It was not long before it became clear that Gavilan was perfect for the sport. He quickly figured out the game and enjoyed it. He was one those fine animals who would turn when tied to watch for his human partner. And when you were riding him and it was time to stop, you could say, “Find a tree, Gavi!an,” and he would head off for the one that looked good to him.

In his 13 years of competing in Ride & Tie Gavilan completed 11 championships as well as 19 other races leading to 912 career miles. Gavilan carried a multitude of human partners in races including Dave and Curt Riffle, Lisa Preston, Julie O’Haver-Schlich, Les Nightingil, Tim Hinrichs, Lupe de la Fuente, Jane Margulis, Lanny Brown, Annie Betts, Bill Mintiens, Russ Kiernan, Martina Kyle and of course the team of George Hall and Don Betts.

Gavilan took care of everyone who rode him whether an experienced Ride & Tie’r, a beginning rider or a small child. Annie’s favorite memory of riding Gavilan did not happen during a Ride & Tie race, but rather while going out with a group of backcountry horsemen on their quarter horses to clear trails in the Olympic National Forest. They came upon the raging Dungeness River and while everyone else stopped to stare in dismay, Gavilan, with very little encouragement, walked right in and swam across the river. Gavilan was that kind of horse; willing, wise and brave.

Gavilan died in September 2004 of anaphylactic shock following a penicillin injection at the age of 17. He is sorely missed by everyone who knew him, and none will argue that he truly was a horse of distinction.