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The world's prettiest equine athletes will be parading through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Upper UCSC and Wilder Ranch State Park this Saturday, so stop by and take a look (and be extra careful if you're on two wheels).
The Fireworks Endurance Ride, hosted by the Santa Cruz County Horsemen's Association, will see endurance horses and their riders taking on 25- and 50-mile routes beginning at 6:30am. Typically these are Arabian horses, which are gorgeous to look at and known for their stamina.
The route will start at the Showgrounds on Graham Hill Road and follow Powder Mill Trail through Henry Cowell, past the Observation Deck, down Rincon to the river crossing and then up Rincon to the parking lot. From there it's on up to UConn in Pogonip, and then Chinquapin through the UC Upper Campus, with leaders reaching Twin Gates at around 9am.
From there the two groups (25- and 50-milers) branch out to various trails within Wilder Ranch including Eucalyptus, Old Cabin, Enchanted Loop, Baldwin, Englesman and Cowboy Loop. Then each group retraces steps back to Henry Cowell.
The ride needs course marshals, so if you're interested in helping out, contact Lindsay Overton: lindsayao@yahoo.com.
Santa Cruz Sentinel sports editor Julie Jag wrote this funny piece about accidentally winning the Firecracker a few years ago.
Photo by Mulewings/CC
