TEAM 5 - FANTAIL FARMS (MICHIGAN)

TEAM 4 - NIKOTA'S ROCK'N DAKOTA (MICHIGAN)

TEAM 3 - PONGO'S PARTNER (MICHIGAN)

TEAM 2 - OTTAKEE ACRES (MICHIGAN)

TEAM 1 - GRACE (MICHIGAN)

MICHIGAN (MDD)

Team Grace includes a 10 year old Fjord Quarter Cross named Idunn Grace (pronounced E dun) and rider Heather Grace. Occasionally our Australian Shepard, Wilson joins us on trail too.

We are grateful for every day we get to spend hanging out, doing ground work, in the saddle or driving!

2012 was our first year together as this is my first horse so we tracked our progress together through FaceBook and hours on our calendar. 2013 was our first Distance Derby (DD) year riding 1067.75 Miles, placing in the Top Ten of riders throughout the US and we were hooked!

We had such a great time participating in the DD we decided to share that experience with our friends and neighbors! At the request of the DD, I founded the Michigan Distance Derby (MDD) in 2014. Over 113 Equestrians joined in just a few short weeks and collectively they tracked over 25,000 miles in just one year. As we closed our 2014 year the DD requested we continue their efforts and I agreed with the understanding that we would expand the DD and continue with the commitment to not only tracking miles but continuing to build a Positive Horse Community where sportsmanship & horsemanship always come before miles. 

Now regardless of where you live you can track small steps toward milestones with The Great Distance Derby! 

Our 2015 Team Roster includes riders and drivers from nearly every discipline, 26 States and 2 Countries. 

This year we are using our mileage to focus our teams on building skills across disciplines that make any miles earned all the more meaningful! 

Wishing all fellow riders a safe, mutually respectful & joyful 2015 with your equine partners! 

Miles & Smiles! 

Smiles & Miles!

Welcome 2015 Teams to The Great Distance Derby!

As we close the 2014 Distance Derby & begin 2015...
I want to WELCOME each & every one of you!

Whether you plan to track 100 miles or 1000 I hope this Derby provides you some encouragement, an extra hour in the saddle that may have slip by or maybe a new friend. Whatever you gain I hope you build from it!

Some people may wonder why we don't do lots of prizes or why we operate in based on the Golden Rule of Kindness with No Bullying or Discrimination of any kind. My answer to that is simple...In The Great Distance Derby the reward here is the JOURNEY, WITH YOU & YOUR HORSE(S), in some cases shared with friends.

There are lots of places that you can compete for buckles or saddles, where competition is the goal. There are lots of places where you can critique & criticize & that is cool. But there are fewer places that promote time in the saddle for just that sake & even fewer places that make their operating norm one of comradery & encouragement.

This community is what me/you/WE make it.

We have folks from Alaska to Florida playing as well as folks from our predecessor DD. Comment on each other's Team Pages once I get them up lol. Encourage friendly competition. Reach out to our youth riders. Continue to share the art of driving. Lift one another up!

It is a privilege to be among so many strong & kindhearted equestrians. I know of no other place/group where such diversity among horse(s) & human(s) connects as we do. We have nearly every breed of horse, every disciple, riders & drivers as wise as 70 & as energetic as 8 years old! We will all come here with different ideas & different lifestyles sharing just a few commonalities (a passion for saddle/cart time & a commitment to our few Rules)...may you learn as much from eachother as miles you accumulate!

I have had the unique been a pleasure in playing virtually with the DD for three years now. As the first Michigander to place in the Top 10 & make the Millennium club I was honored to be asked to start a Derby for Michiganders & equestrians across the Great Lakes States. To then be asked to continue the DD for 2015 was also an honor one that made clear to me the need to expand this opportunity to equestrians everywhere! So this is the FIRST year we have a platform like this, providing State & Country Derbies with opportunities to compete individually, by state, regionally & more.  

While you are part of a larger Distance Derby tradition you are also part of the FIRST year we have such a wide & organized expansion! 

Thank you to all our volunteers, including the DD founders Tammy Martin Vasa & Diane Beckham & all our positive participants over the years. Without the commitment of competitors to make this a DRAMA FREE community we would not continue. This multi-faceted Derby is incredibly time consuming so we need Teams commitment to helping to make this as FUN to run as it is FUN to play!

Feel free to to look through this Derby blog & links to previous ones to get an idea of how the Distance Derby works. We have over 80% of active Michigan Distance Derby/Great Lakes Distance Derby Teams returning to play this year & some Distance Derby folks from other states as well. Thanks as always for your patience & positivity! 

Wishing you all a Happy New Year filled with Miles & Smiles!

Sincerely, 

Team Grace 

The Great Distance Derby Founder

2 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER FOR 2015 DISTANCE DERBIES!

The Great Distance Derby is now accepting Competitors for the 2015 Games!

The Great Distance Derby is an evolution of the Distance Derby (DD) & Michigan Distance Derby (MDD).

Due to the success of the DD & MDD, founders from both Derbies agreed to expand adding statewide, regional & international competition in addition to individual team competition. Each State has a unique Derby Leaderboard as part of The Great Distance Derby!

Wherever you live, you are welcome to join The Great Distance Derby, a virtual & personal game with Horsewomen/men across the globe who share a common commitment to miles & smiles with their equine(s). 

Whether you are interested in simply tracking your miles for competition or pleasure, connecting with & competing with your local neighbors & trail groups, enjoying the motivation of watching your miles add up, seeing where you might rank among other horseman in your state, region or country or participating in the rare opportunity to see the local & global perspective from saddle, The Great Distance Derby Welcomes You!

A Team consists of 1 Horsewoman/man & their Horse(s). Each team tracks their mileage using a GPS Application on their smart phone or through a separate device. They then record their mileage by entering into an online form the Derby provides. That mileage adds to their total mileage as a Team as well as to their total mileage as a State, Region & Country. Friendly competition is meant to inspire riders/drivers to spend more time in the saddle or cart with their equine(s).

Current State Derby Representation in The GREAT Distance Derby Includes:

Alaska DD = 5
California DD = 3
Canada DD = 2
Florida DD = 2
Indiana DD = 1
Michigan DD = 60
Maryland DD = 1
Missouri DD =1
Montana DD =  1
North Carolina DD = 1
Nevada DD = 1
North Dakota DD = 4
Nebraska DD = 1
New Mexico DD = 1
Ohio DD =  6
Oklahoma DD = 2
Oregon DD = 3
Tennessee DD = 1
Texas DD = 5
Utah DD = 1
Washington DD = 3
Wisconsin DD = 2
West Virginia DD = 1
Wyoming DD = 4

GET YOUR COUNTRY, STATE, BARNMATES & FRIENDS IN THE GAME!

Space is limited so Register Today!