Lisa Benner and her horse are endurance athletes.

They covered 100 miles across the Sierra Nevadas in less than 24 hours, and now they’re training to do it again.
“It’s you against the clock,” Benner said of the difficult competition. “To finish is to win.”

When the Western States Trail Ride began at 5:15 a.m. near Truckee, Calif., 196 horses thundered into the mountains, but only 87 crossed the finish line at Auburn, Calif. within the allotted time. The 44-year-old woman and her Arabian, Jack, finished in 23 hours, 33 minutes.

But Benner said she was so focused on finishing the ride, she didn’t get to celebrate the thrill of victory.
“Even though I completed it, I didn’t feel that moment of success, and I would like to have that,” Benner said.
So, when she’s not working at the Lewiston Veterinarian Clinic, she is likely riding Jack, or running beside him, or grabbing his tail and having him pull her up hills