A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2022
REGION
Wallowa County equestrian to compete in Patagonia
medics available. “Horse and
people are well taken care of,”
she said.
BY ANN BLOOM
For the Baker City Herald
If enthusiasm had a scale
from 1-10, then Brenda John-
son would be at about a 12.
Johnson is preparing for a
10-day endurance horse race,
called the Gaucho Derby, that
takes place in Argentinian Pa-
tagonia, March 3-13. Riders
ride for 311 miles, using seven
different horses, relying on a
map and a GPS tracker, and
must finish in 10 days. There
are no trails.
The race is a test of horse
and rider endurance, naviga-
tion and survival skills.
She is in an elite group.
There were over 400 appli-
cants and only 35 were chosen
to compete.
So why is she doing it? She
laughs at the question. “Cuz
I’m crazy!” she said.
She explains, more seriously,
that she has always wanted to
do it and is, “just doing it to
do it.”
There are riders from
around the globe including
Europe, the United States,
South Africa and Australia
participating.
The experience is costing
her a great deal of money —
more than $14,500, to be ex-
act. In addition, there is air
fare, gear, food, a tent and
sleeping bag. Specialized
gear for the weather she will
encounter all had to be pur-
chased new. Since she will
be going in March, and since
Patagonia (located in South
America) is in the South-
ern Hemisphere, its climate
now will be close to Wallowa
County’s in September or Oc-
tober.
“It could be 20 or 70 de-
grees,” she said. She also had to
commit at least $1,000 to char-
ity just to enter, but has raised
and donated $1,500 to date.
Her chosen charities were
Safe Harbors in Enterprise and
Shotzy Sanctuary, in Union
County, an animal rescue and
domestic violence organiza-
tion. Donations are still being
accepted, and Johnson asks
anyone who wishes to support
her challenge to please donate
to these charities. She spent a
year training and preparing
for the event, and appreciates
the support and donations of
Brenda Johnson/Contributed Photo
Brenda Johnson is set to compete in the endurance horse race called the Gaucho Derby in South America’s Patagonia March 3-13, 2022.
local businesses and individ-
uals who contributed to her
endeavor.
A rare race to ride in
This is only the second race
of its kind. The first was held
in 2020, and the world shut
down during the race due to
the pandemic. The second
race, which would have hap-
pened in 2021, was canceled
due to the COVID-19 pan-
demic.
She said she was initially
drawn to the race by the story
of Bob Long, a 70-year-old
Idaho man who won the Mon-
gol Derby which is 1,000 kilo-
meters, or 622 miles.
“I thought the story was in-
spirational,” she said. And, she
added, “I’ve always wanted to
go to Patagonia.”
In addition to specialized
gear, there is a strict weight re-
striction. Riders cannot weigh
more than 187 pounds. Sup-
plies and gear — food, first-
aid kit, tent, saddle bags and
sleeping bag — cannot exceed
22 pounds for 10 days, with
4-pound food-resupply bags
strategically placed along the
course.
“They are very strict about
weight,” she said. The body
weight restriction also in-
cludes clothes and helmet.
The race has an extensive
veterinary support system
for the horses. Veterinarians
are at horse stations every 40-
60 kilometers to check the
horses’ heart rates, respira-
tion rates and to make sure
they are not being pushed too
hard. Each rider rides a total
of seven different horses, said
Johnson, but each horse is
only ridden once.
The race supplies the horses.
There are three types of horses
used. A Criollo, “like our mus-
tangs here,” she said. Arabians
and Percheron crosses are also
part of the mix. The saddle
is modified for the race to be
light, “like a cross between a
Western and English,” Johnson
said. Riding can only occur
between the hours of 8 a.m.
and 6 p.m. Riders who violate
this rule run the risk of pen-
alty and possibly disqualifi-
cation.
Brenda Johnson/Contributed Photo
Brenda Johnson was one of 35 applicants — out of 400 — chosen to
compete in Patagonia’s Gaucho Derby March 3-13, 2022.
The terrain is difficult.
Johnson said riders “have to
figure out on your own the
terrain gates and fences,” and
how to contend with them. In
places, riders may have to back
track, since there are no trails.
It’s a point A to point B to
point C type of race beginning
to end. There is also “lots of
water. Water could be my de-
terrent — bogs and swamps,”
she said.
It is also fire season there.
“You can’t have fires,” she
said. If a person must start
a fire, “it better be to save
your life,” she said. There are
The lay of the land
The terrain in Patagonia
is a desert and steppe-like
(terraced grass plateaus). It
is bound on the west by the
Andes. The Andes are part
of Patagonia, Johnson said.
“We’ll have various sections
of the race in the mountains.
They said our max elevation
will be around 8,000 feet,” she
said. The Colorado River is to
the north, the Atlantic Ocean
on the east and the Strait of
Magellan to the South. The
region south of the strait, the
Tierra Del Fuego — which is
divided between Argentina
and Chile — is also often in-
cluded.
It is desert and semi-des-
ert terrain and treeless plains.
The relatively flat tableland
rises from an elevation near
the coast of 300 feet to about
1,300 feet at the junction of
two rivers, then to 3,000 feet
at the base of the Andes. An-
other tableland region rises to
an elevation of 5,000 feet and
more. The area is also rich in
volcanic activity.
Johnson is originally from
Minnesota and had always
wanted to live in the moun-
tains. She’s lived in and loved
Wallowa County since 2012.
She has a graduate degree
from Clemson University in
South Carolina in aquatic eco-
toxicology. She works as a far-
rier and a veterinary assistant
at the Enterprise Animal Hos-
pital. She is also a caretaker
for a local ranch.
For more information on
the race go to www.equestri-
anists.com.
“I also have a website —
www.brendasadventure.com,”
she said.
Johnson’s progress will also
be streamed in real time via
her GPS. Riders will also give
interviews along the way.
To donate to Johnson’s
charities, for Safe Harbors
use the shelter’s website at
www.wcsafeharbors.com. For
Shotzy Sanctuary, checks may
be mailed to 75506 Robinson
Road, Elgin, OR 97827, or by
using PayPal at Shotzy08@
live.com.
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