Nevada Derby Endurance Ride 2025
- Lily
- Apr 7
- 5 min read
I stand by the claim that there is no better sunrise than that seen on the back of a horse. Trotting through the high desert of northwestern Nevada, the sleepy haze of early morning broke into bold daylight and I felt ready to take the day in stride.
Just a week after my ride at the Cuyama XP in Southern California, I hit the road for another endurance ride, this time aboard Bez Lite Year, a young gelding owned and bred by Kassandra DiMaggio of Mt RushNoMore Ranch, by her accomplished stallion WT Bezarif. Located at Fort Churchill State Park in Silver Springs, Nevada, the Nevada Derby would be a series of firsts for Bez and I, my first endurance ride outside of California and Bez Lite’s first 50 miler. With brilliant weather to look forward to and a team of people for support, it was shaping up to be a great ride.
The Derby is organized by Nevada All-State Trail Riders (NASTR), a group first formed in 1968 to preserve equine trails in the state, which hosts a series of endurance rides throughout the year. The Derby was a large ride, with 63 horses starting in the 50 mile distance alone, alongside 75 mile, 65 mile, 25 mile, and Intro distance courses. The ride took place out of Scout Camp, which was set up more like a traditional campsite with a road running through it, compared to the large open base camps at most of the other rides I have been to.
This would be my second ride on Bez, after our back to back LDs (Limited Distance) at Fossil Falls, where we completed 60 miles over two days. Through our training rides, Bez and I have gotten to know each other quite well and I was looking forward to hitting the trail with my big gray companion. After getting our tack and gear prepared for our 7:00 start the next morning, I headed to the ride meeting to get the details on the trail, then hit the hay.
I awoke to a chilly 30 degree morning and frozen water buckets, but made sure to layer in preparation for the warm spring day the forecast had promised. Ride mornings in camps always have a special energy to them, the anticipation of horses and their riders somehow thrumming through the predawn darkness. I saddled Bez and wished the other Mt RushNoMore riders luck for their rides. We planned to give the older, more experienced horses a head start so that Bez and I could have a relaxed start and cruise out of camp. The agenda for the day was to ride our own ride, letting Bez set his pace and make sure it was a positive day for him. The first loop consisted of primarily wide jeep trails traversing through desert plains, thick swaths of sagebrush, and open ranchland. Never with a lack of mojo, Bez flew down the trail with ease, happily hunting down horses in front of him and keeping a fast but sustainable pace for the first 20 mile loop.
We came back into camp around 9:15, pulsed in, and vetted. All looking well, we headed back to the trailer for our first of two 45 minute holds to refuel before heading out for the next 15 mile leg of the ride. Setting off on loop 2, we once again crossed the highway and headed up into the hills, traversing some rocks and washouts with deep sand, which I slowed down for to protect Bez’s legs. Compared to my recent rides, the Derby was a relatively flat course, with a total of 2,700ft of ascent over 50 miles according to my GPS.
On the whole, the trail was beautifully marked and clear to follow, which is always appreciated. Riders had to retrieve a “token” on each loop to verify completion.
Besides some patches of deep sand and several train track crossings, the only trail obstacles I noted were the multiple ranch gates that required riders to dismount in order to open, pass through, then close them again. Bez was well behaved every time I had to get off him to open a gate, which is a great skill for any horse to have. There were no natural water sources on trail, but multiple NASTR water troughs and large cow troughs allowed the horses to hydrate.
We once again came into camp for our final hold and pulled tack before getting checked by the veterinarian, as the sun had warmed up by midday. Bez and I were both feeling good and prepared to take on the final 10 mile loop, which exited through the back of camp and traced the Carson River before opening back up into the sand and sage. This was one of the only extended sections of singletrack. Shaded by a stand of tall cottonwoods, this section was a fun switch up to the rest of the course.
Still full of energy, Bez overtook several riders on the last loop. I knew we had passed a fair number of people after starting at the back, but I was shocked when we trotted over the finish line at the tail end of a group of 4 to hear we had finished in 11th place. I had worked to slow him down at several points to account for difficult footing, but otherwise let him choose whatever pace he was comfortable with, as I trusted him to let me know if he was tired. He looked fabulous at the finish, so after pulling tack and sponging him off we went straight into his final vetting, where he trotted out effortlessly and scored well.
For his first 50, I could not be happier with this young horse and am so grateful for the chance to jockey him and for Kassandra’s mentorship and guidance. I can’t wait to see this horse’s athleticism continue to blossom in the coming years, he’ll be one to watch out for.
After a day immersed in the natural elements of a state I’ve only ever driven through, I look forward to spending more time in Nevada on horseback.
For anyone considering going to the NV Derby: This was a superbly organized ride, from trail markers to vetting, everything ran incredibly smoothly. As always, it’s exciting to get the chance to ride in places that I would never otherwise see and I hope to make it out to more NASTR rides.
