Part of my duty as Vice President of AERC is to chair the Hall of Fame Committee. The committee convened at the midyear meeting in Denver in August to ponder and choose the recipients of three awards: Hall of Fame Equine, Hall of Fame Member, and the Pard'ners Award.

Nominations accrued in my inbox at an alarming rate toward the end of July -- heartfelt letters written to nominate and honor heroes and friends. Stories of courage and love and the overcoming of adversity abound, especially in the category of Pard'ners. There were over 20 nominees vying for the Pard'ners Award this year.

This award is named in honor of my old friend Mae Schlagel and her lifelong equine friend, Pard. It spotlights the horse and rider who exemplify sportsmanship and teamwork. It is quite often awarded to a pair who have shared the trail for many years together, who many times started out on the proverbial rocky road and grew to be a real team.

How does a committee go about deciding who is more worthy? Some teams have thousands and thousands of miles together. Some overcame adversity so great that most would have given up. Some have helped others along the way in ways that defy imagination. Oh, my. This was not easy.

And what about us mere mortals who ride and love our horses? Don't most of us who do endurance fall into the category of "pard'ners"? How many sports offer the sheer time alone with a horse that endurance does?

Heck, even riders like me who ride many different horses (31 in competition as of today), fall in love and form a bond. I am pretty certain that I have never gotten to the first vet check on even a borrowed horse and not been totally smitten. Imagine the bond of riding thousands and thousands of miles on the same horse, year after year -- the bond formed in growing old together as Mae and Pard did.

Robert Ribley, upon receiving the award in 2009 for the partnership between himself and the late Tari, said, "I still ride him in my dreams." That makes me tear up to even write it now.

Go out and ride, and along the way stop for a moment to appreciate the bond between you and the partner you depend on who depends on you. Be ever mindful of what he does for you and you for him. Be Pard'ners.

Happy, happy trails, Laura