Endurance Riding

We are less than a month away from Tevis and my mind is filled with all kinds of thoughts. At night, I dream of crossing the finish line on my gallant mare, Asali, a horse I now know can do 100 miles. I put together invitations for my crew to attend a pre-Tevis dinner and […]

It wasn’t that I wasn’t excited to come out and ride. I was excited to get back out on the trail with my proven endurance mare, and to be riding a real endurance ride again. But it felt a little odd to be leaving without Jakob. Sure, when I started in this sport, it was […]

There is something about crossing the finish line just as the sun is setting. Being blinded by the vibrant orange and red filling the sky, and then squinting as your eyes adjust to the dusk. Galloping across the field, just a 1/2 mile from your destination, the chill of night caressing your cheeks…. Just as […]

It has been four days since my horse Asali and I crossed the finish line of our first 100-mile endurance ride. The magnitude of that feat is finally settling with me. It has taken me a few days to wrap my mind around the 20-some odd hours I spent in the desert with my horse. […]

Lake Sonoma By Jakob Gregory My mom and I went to Lake Sonoma for an endurance ride. We rode thirty miles. The ride started at 8:30 in the morning. It was cold, so we wore our jackets. At the start of the ride, our horses were crazy. They just wanted to run! Asali, my mom’s […]

The Tevis Cup served as this turning point for me. I disappeared for awhile following the ride. I found myself lost in a lot of reflection. I did a lot of soul searching. What I thought would be the end of a two year journey became the rest of my life. That historic trail through […]

A few days before the Lake Almanor Hustle, I was having a lot of anxiety about Tevis. I am not sure what exactly triggered all of my fear. My guess is that it was a combination of things, coupled with “one of those days.” I had a pretty good pity party for myself before I […]

This was my third consecutive year at the Cache Creek Ridge Ride. It was Jakob’s second. Although Jakob wanted to ride the 50 this year, I wanted a relaxing, casual ride. So I signed us up for the 25-mile limited distance and was looking forward to an easy ride. Jakob and I had anything but […]

Cuyama By Jakob Gregory My family and I went to Cuyama for an endurance ride with our horses. My mom and I rode thirty miles on the first day. We got to ride with the cows! It was very fun. The second day, I took a break and my mom rode fifty miles with her […]

Asali and I hitched a ride with my endurance buddies, the Straub sisters, to the Trinity River Challenge near Ruth Lake in Trinity County. We arrived on Thursday afternoon after a 6 hour haul. On Friday morning, we got the horses ready for our pre-ride. We set out on the trail that was to be […]