She also did a great job eating hay and drinking water but wasn’t too excited about the beet pulp I tried to sell her on in addition to her usual concentrates. So, we compromised with a mix of beet pulp and alfalfa pellets.
After the vet check in the morning, I took Dreamy for a little trail ride to get a feel for her state of mind before the actual ride. Intending to turtle the LD, we stayed away from the starting point until most riders had left, then calmly left camp at the walk. We stayed at the walk for the first three miles or so until Dreamy relaxed enough to pick up the trot.
I kept the pace very controlled during the first loop. We managed to get past the giant horse-eating tires that posed as water holes and the scattered dead trees that were waiting for the right opportunity to jump us. Even though we synced up with another rider toward the end of the first loop, those first 12 miles felt long, taking us three hours to cover. I realized that would likely not leave us enough time to complete the second loop.
During the hold, Dream pulsed down quickly and passed the vet check with flying colors. She didn’t seem all that tired and my friend suggested that I try opening her up a little more on the second loop. It would help save time and may also cause Dream to be a little more relaxed and less concerned about horse-eating monsters. I thought about that as Dream and I got some food and drink in us for the next 15 minutes. Then it was time to tack up again and commence the second loop. I decided to act on the advice and, literally and figuratively, gave Dream a little more rein.
It gave her the opportunity to demonstrate that she was sensible about managing her trot pace based on the terrain, and that she was still obedient when asked to adjust her gallop to a more controlled canter. We rode with the other rider and horse for the entire second loop, which offered additional motivation and, much to our elation and relief, we rode back into camp only two hours later, completing our very first LD with half an hour to spare! We had done it!!
The incredible sense of accomplishment caused happy tears and, oh, how proud I was of my Dreamygirl! I would very much like to take this opportunity to say, “thank you!” for all the kindness, encouragement, support and advice that we received from so many throughout the entire Still Prineville weekend! Special thanks to Ride Manager Liz Batterson who was so encouraging and supportive, knowing that we were riding our first LD. It really made for a wonderful experience!
It was a big milestone for Dream and me and it couldn’t have gone any better!
It’s official. We are hooked!
In 2016 a friend invited me to go with her to the Foothills of the Cascades ride, an American Endurance Ride Conference in the Northwest Region. I loved seeing so many Arabian horses and their owners, mixed with other breeds and their owners enjoying the pursuit of a common goal. It planted the seed that perhaps I could do endurance with my horse Dream at some point in the future, but I first needed to put some more time into developing our partnership and gain more experience.
The following summer, that same friend invited me to go with her and her friends to the Bandit Springs ride. Because this ride is a bit further from home (I live in Portland), it was an overnight trip and that created the perfect opportunity for a true induction. I arrived the day before the ride and witnessed all the preparation going into it. I felt the nervous energy and excitement on the morning of the ride and experienced how rewarding it is to “crew” for a riding team and be a small part of their success.
I asked questions, took notes and pictures and caught the endurance bug! When Foothills of the Cascades 2017 rolled around, I registered for the intro ride. My friend offered up her trailer for the day trip and I rented a U-Haul truck to get us there. I had only taken Dream on a handful of local off-property outings up until that point, so we were definitely stretching ourselves into exciting and challenging new territory.
I was nervous the days leading up to the ride but surprised myself with a calm and determined demeanor on the day of the ride, which enabled me to be a reassuring influence on Dream as well. We took it slow, covering the distance mostly at a walk and a little bit of a trot, which didn’t put us on a time frame that would have resulted in a completion. However, riding back into camp and finishing the ride was exhilarating!
I was so proud of Dream! So proud of us! It unlocked wanting to pursue bigger goals and ride in an official limited distance ride.
I bought a truck and trailer and portable corral and soaked up everything I could about what it takes to be successful in endurance, while riding Dreamy an average of five days a week in both an arena setting and out on the trails. Then the moment of truth arrived. The first 2018 local ride on the AERC calendar was the Still Prineville ride in Oregon in May. This would be our first long-haul trip, our first overnight horse camping trip and our first LD. The nervous jitters went into full effect.
We left Portland on a sunny Thursday and Dream hauled beautifully. After an uneventful four-hour drive, we arrived at the Crooked River National Grasslands ride camp and found a great spot to park and set up camp. Dream initially got a little restless whenever a horse and rider walked past, but after a day she was used to it and ended up quietly watching the early morning 75-mile and 50-mile action go by. It wasn’t deliberate at the time but camping by the trail that went in and out of camp was a great choice to help desensitize her to lots of horses coming and going.
She also did a great job eating hay and drinking water but wasn’t too excited about the beet pulp I tried to sell her on in addition to her usual concentrates. So, we compromised with a mix of beet pulp and alfalfa pellets.
After the vet check in the morning, I took Dreamy for a little trail ride to get a feel for her state of mind before the actual ride. Intending to turtle the LD, we stayed away from the starting point until most riders had left, then calmly left camp at the walk. We stayed at the walk for the first three miles or so until Dreamy relaxed enough to pick up the trot.
I kept the pace very controlled during the first loop. We managed to get past the giant horse-eating tires that posed as water holes and the scattered dead trees that were waiting for the right opportunity to jump us. Even though we synced up with another rider toward the end of the first loop, those first 12 miles felt long, taking us three hours to cover. I realized that would likely not leave us enough time to complete the second loop.
During the hold, Dream pulsed down quickly and passed the vet check with flying colors. She didn’t seem all that tired and my friend suggested that I try opening her up a little more on the second loop. It would help save time and may also cause Dream to be a little more relaxed and less concerned about horse-eating monsters. I thought about that as Dream and I got some food and drink in us for the next 15 minutes. Then it was time to tack up again and commence the second loop. I decided to act on the advice and, literally and figuratively, gave Dream a little more rein.
It gave her the opportunity to demonstrate that she was sensible about managing her trot pace based on the terrain, and that she was still obedient when asked to adjust her gallop to a more controlled canter. We rode with the other rider and horse for the entire second loop, which offered additional motivation and, much to our elation and relief, we rode back into camp only two hours later, completing our very first LD with half an hour to spare! We had done it!!
The incredible sense of accomplishment caused happy tears and, oh, how proud I was of my Dreamygirl! I would very much like to take this opportunity to say, “thank you!” for all the kindness, encouragement, support and advice that we received from so many throughout the entire Still Prineville weekend! Special thanks to Ride Manager Liz Batterson who was so encouraging and supportive, knowing that we were riding our first LD. It really made for a wonderful experience!
It was a big milestone for Dream and me and it couldn’t have gone any better! It’s official. We are hooked!
Learn more about AERC: www.aerc.org