In east Omak and west of the U.S. 97 bridge, the course starts at the top of Suicide Hill on the north bank of the river.
The riders have 50 feet (15 m) to get their horses up to full speed before charging down the steep hill and into the river; they cross to the south shore, then sprint a last 500 yards (460 m) to the rodeo arena where the crowd waits.
[2] Many Tribal participants view the race as spiritual, and a cultural-preservation administrator for the tribes has stated that it is the "ultimate demonstration of the rider's ability to become one with the horse.
"[2] Riders who embrace the spiritual elements of the race pray in sweat lodges and place sacred eagle feathers on their horses.
[2] The race is rooted in nineteenth century Native American endurance races, which were held in on the Colville Indian Reservation in a valley near Keller, which was flooded after construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in the 1930s.