I'm heading up I-80 toward Truckee from Auburn and it seems like Tevis, except it's the wrong time of year. It's September, not July or August, and I'm heading to the World Championship ride and tie at Euer Valley, where there will also be a 50 mile endurance ride. I'm crewing for my horse, Thor, who's being ridden by a team from Spain rather than me, although I've done one ride and tie in addition to my endurance competition.

On the basis of my limited ride and tie experience, I've noticed some things that are different from endurance--and others that are the same--and why I think ride and tie can play a part in an endurance team's mental and physical development.

Ride and tie is a very informal sport compared to others. I hear, "Hi, so you are my partner for this ride. Great to meet you. What's your horse like?" a lot. It's a mixture of young people just starting and others who have been here from the start of ride and tie in the 1970s. But although you'll find a wide variety of people involved in ride and tie, it's a small sport with membership in the hundreds compared to endurance's thousands.

There seems to be a lot of strategy involved. I hear, "If you tie here and I catch you there, then we can . . ." Maybe that's because there are three components to think about: each runner's capabilities, each one as a rider, and the horse. Some teams do this just for fun; others are very competitive.

Vet check pulse rate criteria are higher than endurance and there is no defined hold time--otherwise the checks are similar to endurance. The horse gets to rest at the tie points along the trail and until the runner comes into the vet check to go on with the horse. On the other hand, ride lengths are 15 to 35 miles, the limited distance range for endurance. Ride and ties tend to be short and fast compared to endurance. Being a good rider can help.

For an endurance rider there is something to be said about experiencing a change of pace. The training is different--teaching your horse to stand tied while others pass him on the trail, learning good places to tie, then short periods of speed, rest, then do it over again. Running, then riding, and then running again. And developing a strategy of how to best work together as a three-"person" team.

Doing this compared to the steady pace of endurance gives both the rider and horse a different mental perspective that can freshen both of your attitudes about riding and what being in the outdoors with your equine partner is about.

Getting off and doing some of those uphills on foot or sweating in the high temperature and humidity gives you a different appreciation of what your horse is experiencing than riding in endurance does. It may make you better appreciate the issues that dictate whether you successfully complete a ride or have to pull.

Ride and tie can be done by everyone--some "runners" simply walk. I think it's a good change of pace (both mental and physical) for endurance riders and their horses. It's something worth including in the activities you share with your equine partner. There are a number of contacts for getting started in the sport at www.rideandtie.org.

Try it--you may like it. My horse certainly does.