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The Southeast Endurance Riders Association (SERA) is honored to host the 100 Mile Mentor Project.


100 Mile Mentor Program

It is with great excitement and anticipation that a life-long dream of Christo Dinkelmann of Dinkelmann Arabians is finally coming to fruition: the birth of a 100-miler mentor program in the Southeast.
A large undertaking such as this takes a village and that is why Christo has been working behind the scenes bringing individuals together that are willing to work , brainstorm and share their knowledge to grow, encourage and further develop the sport of endurance we all so dearly love.
An alarming decline in the number of 100-mile rides on the calendar and the steady decline in the number of entries in 100-mile rides that are scheduled made Christo decide that it is now or never. He would like to us here in the Southeast help start saving the distance that originally started this whole sport.
This program is loosely comprised of two parts. The first part is education via social media and webinars, and the second is hands on education at the ride itself.
The social media portion of the program will be launched on a Facebook page where questions can be posted. The questions will be gathered and sorted by Stagg Newman. Stagg will forward these questions to a panel of very distinguished individuals, each with their own particular fields of expertise. A webinar will then take place (optimally, once every month) where these questions will be addressed. Details of the webinar can be placed on the Facebook page and those interested can then join in. There will be recordings available for those that cannot participate in a particular webinar. Our experts:

Veterinarians

  • Ken Marcella DVM
  • Deedee Huff DVM
  • Scott Hanson DVM
  • Meg Sleeper DVM

Nutrition

  • Dr Martin W Adams PhD, PAS, from Cargill Feed & Nutrition
  • Lara Worden, MSc.

Farriers

  • Jim Williams
  • Jason Stasiuk
  • Jody Buttram
  • Sarah Hunt
  • Tim Worden

Our 100-mile mentors

  • Stagg Newman
  • Cheryl Newman
  • Sudi Lenhart
  • Vance Stine
  • Vic Stine
  • Meg Sleeper, DVM
  • Angie McGhee
  • Heather Reynolds
  • Jeremy Reynolds
  • Connie Caudill
  • Lois McAfee
  • Ruth Anne Everett
  • Jody Buttram
  • Joni Burden
  • Mary Farris
  • Sarah Hunt
  • Susan Kasemeyer
  • Margaret Clare Summers

The second part of this program is an actual 100-mile ride that has already been sanctioned and will take place on October 19, 2019 at the Hunting for Big Foot Ride, in the DeSoto National Forest in Wiggins, Mississippi. A huge thank you to ride manager Jane Bonner Lee, for stepping up and making her ride available to launch this program. Jane and fellow ride managers Kim Williams and Christo Dinkelmann will be putting in the hard labor and long hours to get the trails marked, and to organize this epic 100 miler.
The admin crew are for this program is Eric Rueter, Laurie Underwood and Susan Kasemeyer.
Apart from Heather and Jeremy Reynolds, who have indicated that they will still be out west in October, all the other riders listed have indicated that they would be available to ride with a couple of riders wanting to ride the 100 miler and learn from them about the various things that make riding a 100-miler different from other distances, such as pacing, changing leads and/or diagonals, riding in the dark etc. There will also be people available on trail to help crew at various points and help will be provided for riders that want or need assistance with crewing, presenting horses at the vet check, presenting for best condition etc.
This program is not only for riders! It also will provide the opportunity for crew to learn how to crew for a 100-mile horse or to add to their crewing skills. Crewing teams with extensive knowledge will be available to teach and assist in camp. Hot food will be available for riders, crew and of course officials and volunteers.
It is our hope and desire that this program will be the first step in an ongoing project that will re-kindle the fire of the classic 100 miler that once burned so brightly in days gone by. Please join us, we welcome each and every one of you to join hands, hearts and heads to make the Southeast the strongest 100 mile-region, and together we can blow new life into the 100-mile that was the foundation of this sport we love and enjoy. Lastly we want to thank everyone who has joined together to help make this a program the Southeast can be proud of.