Elmer Bandit’s 38th birthday did not go unnoticed April 8, as dawn found the Independence, Mo., temperature matching the gray half-Arabian’s age.

“I brought him four apples and sang him Happy Birthday,” reported his lifelong owner, Mary Anna Wood.

Elmer, with 20,720 certified competitive trail miles, holds the national mileage record, which he set last October at the age of 37. Although his amazing longevity, soundness, attitude, and drive can be attributed to several sources, the consistent care and partnership with Wood certainly play a role

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