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Dual Pep: Cutting Horse Legend

photo of Dual Pep

On September 25, 2018, the quarter horse cutting world lost a legend.  Acclaimed sire Dual Pep was 33, and left us peacefully, knowing it was his time.

photo of Dual Pep -dark, shiny brown with a white stripe down his nose - running in a field

Dual Pep was bred by Nic-A-Lode Farms.  He was born in 1985, a son of Peppy San Badger.  During his time in the cutting pen, he earned $307, 384.

Cowboy posing with Peppy San Badger, a shiny dark brown horse
Peppy San Badger

He was described as stout, strong, and smart.  He was a horse with so much heart, and knew that he was special.

His genetics are exceptional.  As of his death, his foals have earned $25.8 million, and he has sired the dams of earners of $32.6 million.

His leading offspring are Dual Rey Me ($818,177), Dually Lena ($395,616), Olena Dually ($302,342), Tapt Twice,dmdj($285,226) and Playboy McCrae ($269,582).

His daughters are dams to two of the highest earners of all time: $852,612-earner Sister CD (CD Olena x Little Baby Sister x Dual Pep) and $850,628-earner Dont Look Twice (High Brow Cat x Tapt Twice x Dual Pep).

He was also the sire of Dual Rey, who was not a major earner himself, but sired the winners of over $41 million.

photo of Dual Rey, a medium brown horse with a white star and nose
Dual Rey

On Sunday, September 23, Dual Pep’s daughter, Tears From Heaven, won the 2018 Brash Bash, making Dual Pep the oldest living sire ever to have a major cutting futurity champion.

photo of cowboy riding tears from heaven surrounded by cattle in a quarter horse cutting competition
Tears From Heaven. Photo by Katie Marchetti

 

 

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About The Tevis Cup

The Western States Trail Ride, more popularly known as the Tevis Cup, is the oldest modern day endurance ride.

men riding horses on mountain trail black and white

In endurance riding, the equine and rider are a team, and the challenge is to complete the course.  There are checkpoints along the trail where each horse’s physical and metabolic health is examined to ensure they are fit to continue on the ride.

The Western States Trail stretches from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Sacramento, California.  The Tevis Cup ride covers a rugged 100 miles of trail from Tahoe to Auburn.  Horses and riders must complete the ride in 24 hours or less.  The mountain terrain makes this trail one of the most challenging rides worldwide.   It was even named as a “Top Ten Toughest Endurance Event,” in Time Magazine.

horse being ridden up steep cliff

The ride was first completed in 1955 by Wendell Robie.  He and some friends set out to prove skeptics wrong.  Many people doubted that a horse could cover the 100 miles in a single day.  Robie held the ride every year since and funded efforts to aid in the trail’s preservation.

The Tevis Cup is awarded to the horse and rider who complete the 100-Mile, One-Day course in the shortest amount of time, and who’s horse has passed a health examination by a veterinarian.  It is named for Lloyd Tevis, an early benefactor of the ride.

Another prestigious award given at this competition is the Haggin Cup, awarded to the horse in the “most superior condition,” of the Top Ten finishers.

people walking on forest trail

The Tevis Cup is such a difficult competition, that it is typical for even the most seasoned horse and rider pairs not to complete the course.  In 2018, out of 150 entries, only 64 successfully crossed the finish line.  The motto of endurance riders is “to finish is to win,” meaning that completing the ride, regardless of time or placing, is a victory in itself.

To find out more about the Tevis Cup, view future ride dates, or see past ride results, visit http://www.teviscup.org/.

To find out more about the sport of endurance riding, visit the American Endurance Ride Conference at https://aerc.org/.