First Cumberland Presbyterian Church’s Pastor Courtney Krueger and his daughter Sarah were featured in a documentary by Arc’teryx about a sport called “Ride & Tie”.
It’s a trail-running and horse-riding crossover sport that involves two teams racing across long distances. The 13-minute documentary has over 130K views on YouTube.
Ride & Tie is a sport that features two humans and one horse as a team. The team alternates running and riding over a course that can be anywhere between 20-100 miles.
The first person ties the horse to a tree and begins running ahead. When the second person reaches the horse, they untie it and ride off to catch the first person. The team “leapfrogs” this way for the entire race.
The production team chose to feature Pastor Krueger, an eight-time “Ride & Tie” national points champion, and Sarah because of their experience with the sport. It highlights how the pair competed in the World Championship Race last fall at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.
"I love the way the documentary captures my daughter, wife, and my personalities, as well as the personality of Coda, our horse. I also love the way it showcases this sport that we love so much. It was pretty heady going through the filming. We were the center of attention for a six-person film crew for two full days,” said Krueger.
Krueger says he incorporates riding horses into outdoor activities at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The church partners with a nonprofit called “Bridge” that gives Dalewood Middle School students outdoor opportunities they might not otherwise have, like riding horses. Krueger’s horses sometimes show up at the church’s summer camp to give campers the opportunity to learn and engage.
More information about Ride & Tie can be found at www.rideandtie.org.