Equestrian author saddles up in Sisters

When Sanoma Blakeley and her horse Goober crossed the finish line in the grueling Tevis Cup Endurance race in 2019, she fulfilled a dream she'd held since childhood. Recounting the dramatic tale of that exceptional victory has opened up other trails and other adventures to the Terrebonne equestrienne.

Blakeley recounted her journey to the pinnacle of endurance racing in "Chasing Dreams: The True Story of the Youngest Female Tevis Cup Champion." The book has become a big hit well beyond the equestrian community. Blakeley will visit Paulina Springs Books in Sisters on Thursday, October 26, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Sanoma was 18 years old when she won the 100-mile The Western States Trail Ride endurance race that starts in Tahoe and climbs over the Sierra Nevada Mountains to end in Auburn, California. The win made her the youngest woman to ever win the prestigious race and take the coveted Tevis Cup - and she won it in dramatic fashion, catching the leaders at mile 94, and crossing the finish line in the lead by a mere horse length.

She beat a competitor who had won the race three times (now five). And to make the story all the more remarkable, she did it on the back of a horse she named Goober, who came to her family free from Craig's List.

Sanoma's story may be found in The Nugget Newspaper's Spirit of Central Oregon Magazine, available in Sisters now.

Paulina Springs Books is located at 252 W. Hood Ave. in Sisters.