Rescue workers reached Potato Richardson, who had broken his leg in three places when he and his mare fell while training for Tevis. | Photo: Potato Richardson

Endurance riding icon Potato Richardson, 76, was seriously injured at 4:02 p.m. on July 23 while conditioning his mare, La Princessa Tzia (aka “Princessa”) for the 100-mile endurance event known as The Tevis Cup. Richardson and his mare SMR Filoutte won the 2015 Tevis, his third victory.

Richardson and Princessa had left his ranch earlier in the afternoon riding with two friends visiting from Wales. Richardson separated from his friends to add more conditioning miles on his mare. Returning home at a fast trot, the pair struck a tree protruding on the trail. The impact rolled both horse and rider off the trail, breaking Richardson’s leg in three places. The mare covered 2 miles to return home She was apparently unharmed but had only 3 inches of her long reins left hanging.

With minimal cellphone signal strength and single-digit battery life, Richardson dialed 911, and emergency personnel located him slightly more than two hours later. He underwent surgery before returning home July 26