tevis cup training | Endurance Riding | Endurance Riding
On Saturday, September 3rd, I rode the Camp Far West 50 Mile Endurance Ride on Asali. It turned out to be the ride where I finally learned what endurance is all about. The night before the ride, Asali and I rode our pre-ride with our friends, Kathryn and Madison. I rode Asali bareback, in a […]
We did it! With a ride time of 10 hours and 1 minute, we finished our first 50! *Watch our videos at the bottom of this post!* My favorite memories from the Redwood Ride: The beautiful drive up the 101 (and getting to enjoy the views since Kathryn was driving). The quiet ride camp and […]
It was 5:15 am. I awoke to a knock on the door and Linda asking, “Are you awake?” “Yup, wide awake!” I had been dead asleep, even though Linda and I had decided the night before that we would get going an hour earlier than our first day of Tevis training in order to beat […]
It was about a 45 minute drive to Auburn. Linda drove me by the fairgrounds, pointing out where we’d be at the conclusion of the Tevis Cup. When she showed me the stadium and said, “That’s where you’ll take your victory lap,” I couldn’t help but smile. I felt like a little girl with big dreams, […]
Wow! What an amazing ride we had today. Mom had been wanting to go down into the canyon, so last night we mapped it out on the GPS. We took Doon Grade Road to Coutolenc and then connected to Jordan Hill Road. Jordan Hill Road, like Doon Grade, is a dirt road. Off-road vehicles can […]
Today, Mom (and Sophie) joined Asali and I for our endurance training. Before we started out, Mom taught me how to wrap Asali’s legs. I decided that it would probably be a good idea to start using those polo wraps Mom got for Asali, to allow for extra leg protection on our long rides. Mom […]
My last ride with Asali was uneventful… we covered four miles, with me in the saddle for two miles and then on foot for the last two. After the ride, I found a great article on the AERC website about conditioning your horse for endurance riding. Some key points that I took from that article […]
The weather was definitely nicer today – warmer and sunny at times. But I knew I had to work Beauty today before I did any training with Asali. Beauty is my son Jakob’s Appendix mare. We adopted her from Safe Haven Horse Rescue back in August. She is a beautiful 16 hands and […]
Today my goal had been to do another long ride with Asali. I decided we’d ride up Lovelock Road. I took Forest, a 6 year Appaloosa I started under saddle last year, because he needed the work and he’s a great pony horse. I had planned on a four hour ride. I decided to ride […]
I woke up on January 6th and decided to make the commitment to train for endurance. My New Year’s Resolution. This would be our first day of training. I decided to ride English, saddling Asali in my Pessoa. I wore my new breeches and tall boots and my purple vest to match Asali’s purple Nurtural […]
I usually give myself a few days after any event — happy or sad — to formulate my words and process. Usually, when I sit down to write immediately, the words that come out are much more suited for my journal, because what comes out are choppy sentences, irrational phrases, and often I don’t even […]
I have a story to tell. But, even as I write, I am terrified to tell it. I have shared bits and pieces of my past on this blog, but mostly from the perspective that I have “overcome” a painful past and been “healed.” What I haven’t shared is that my personal struggle isn’t over […]
Last night, I received a text message from one of the juniors who crewed for me at Tevis. It read: “I know it’s not Thanksgiving yet, but I am very thankful to have you in my life. I know it was meant to be when we parked next to each other at Whiskeytown Chaser that […]
