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Originally published in Endurance News, the monthly magazine of the nonprofit American Endurance Ride Conference, which sanctions rides of 25 to 100 miles throughout the U.S. and Canada. For membership information or to request an informational brochure, write to [email protected], or visit www.aerc.org.
D
o you have friends that do this?” my aunt asked. She turned the page in the photo book that I had made for one of my endurance rides. “No. I didn’t know anyone when I started. I just wanted to try it.” alone a longer distance. As you get your horse used to rides of 25 or 50 miles, many endurance riders start to look ahead to even longer distances.
What are good strategies to focus on to achieve distances of 75 to 100 miles? I would say it’s more about the rider than the horse.
Of course, the horse has to be fit, including lots of exercise over time to strengthen those tendons. I will let others more versed in equine physiology explain the best ways to get a horse prepared for longer distances. I would like to focus my experiences as a rider getting myself prepared for those longer distances. I have not done a lot of them, but enough to know that I enjoy the challenge and enjoy the experience when I am prepared.
My horse, Lucero Reedo de Rioto, aka Pete, was ready for 100s before I was. There have been a couple of 100s that Pete could have finished, but I did not have the ability to finish, mentally. I just wasn’t ready.
When I first started riding 50s, Pete and I both loved them, too much as it turns out, but that’s another story. I had no interest whatsoever in doing distances longer than that. But then, I read an article in Endurance News about how to choose a good crew. My reaction to that article was, “A crew? A crew! Of course, I could do 100 miles, if I had a crew!” That’s when I started focusing on longer distances.
The main role of a crew is to take care of you and your horse after you get too tired to think for yourself. With me, that happens after about 60 miles. Your crew reminds you what to do at vet
endurance rides. “No. I didn’t know anyone when I started. I just wanted to try it.”
My horse Alex and I started conditioning for our first American Endurance Ride Conference competition in the spring of 2014. Through the winter I read books on endurance that I had borrowed from the library. One book suggested walking for three months, trotting for three months, and cantering for three months. At 6 years old I felt my gelding could skip the three months walking. I mixed up the gaits. I rode in fields and forest, flat and hilly.
My original plan was to train until September of 2015, but I discovered Black Sheep Boogie ride. With the love and support of my husband, I dragged him and my niece to the Ohio side of the Ohio River to my first limited distance ride. Friday night it rained, leaving the trails puddled and muddy. Saturday morning dawned misty and golden.
I tried to hold Alex back to conserve energy for the long ride ahead of us. The rider behind me marveled at the beautiful morning in the Wayne National Forest. “Thank you,” I told him. “I needed that reminder that I am here to enjoy myself and not to fight with my horse.” I gave Alex his head and let him run.
The man and his grey horse came alongside Alex and I, allowing the horses to stretch their legs and enjoy the day. We rode together, leading several riders until the trail turned down into the woods. It wound up and down, through creeks and along roads. At one point a root or something grabbed Alex’s foot. He took a few wonky steps and seemed OK. We were pulled because he was lame. It devastated me. Why had I done this to my horse?
down into the woods. It wound up and down, through creeks and along roads. At one point a root or something grabbed Alex’s foot. He took a few wonky steps and seemed OK. We were pulled because he was lame. It devastated me. Why had I done this to my horse?
People encouraged me to keep trying. In September, Alex and I tried again. We did Cracked OAATS Crunch and turtled. In November, we rode Gobble Til’ You Wobble and turtled again. At the end of our first season, we had 50 official AERC miles.
Season 2 started better. I made a friend who is an experienced endurance rider. We rode together for a while at Black Sheep Boogie. Alex and I did not turtle. Our second ride, Cracked OAATS Crunch, we finished in the teens, in 4:07. I felt like we were achieving our smaller goals.
We tackled two rides in September, a week apart. We turtled at Powerline because I kept getting us lost. The ride manager helped my husband, daughter and I get Alex cooled down in time to earn our completion. The following week, at Salamonie Stomp, we were alone for most of the ride. I had started right after the front riders. We came in to the vet check and I asked for a heart rate. “Fifty-four,” the young woman said. “Tenth,” the lady keeping the places called. It shocked me. I thought Alex and I were closer to 20th place.
The two of us were growing stronger. I felt good, no more aches and pains after our rides.
We tried Spook Run next. Alex felt like a keg of dynamite. We had to walk half a mile from the start on a public road to the trail head. When everyone had safely turned onto the trail, I allowed him to have his head. He ran strong. We flew along the trail, onto another road, and back down into the woods.
Alex slowed. People passed us. We came upon a muddy spot. Alex swiveled to the left, back to the right, and continued to canter. The saddle had slipped. I lost my center of balance and hit the ground hard. Alex flew past the front runners and stopped. Everyone stopped to catch him. They secured him to a tree before continuing with their ride. Losing Alex in a strange place has always been one of my fears. I am so grateful to all of my fellow endurance riders for taking care of both Alex and me. My friend, who has medical training, stayed with me. I kept insisting, while marching down the trail, that I had to find Alex.
Another sweet lady passed us but turned and came back to help. She walked with me back up the trail while my friend went to find Alex. My friend found him and brought him back to me. She feared that I had a concussion and refused to let me get on him. The gentleman where we were camping brought my husband to get me. He let us use his truck to get to the hospital. Despite wearing my helmet, I suffered a mild to moderate concussion and had a bump on my head. My friend and the sweet lady brought Alex back to camp and took care of him. Alex had a few scrapes but was otherwise OK. The endurance community is awesome.
At Gobble Til’ You Wobble, we completed the season with 125 AERC miles. That brought our total to 175 official LD miles. I set a few goals when I started this sport. I hoped to someday Top Ten, I did that last September. I wanted for Alex to get best condition. I want to someday be a Decade Team. To do that we have to complete at least one 50 mile ride a year for 10 years.
This brings us to 2017, our third season. The first day of Black Sheep Boogie, we arrived in time for Saturday’s potluck and the day’s awards. It had rained Friday night, dumping three inches of water on the trails, leaving them soggy. Everyone with whom I spoke said that Loop A was OK, but Loop B was challenging. Sunday, the trails were drier, but Loop B still had wet spots. Alex and I came in second, and Alex received BC with a score of 690.