Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Age Distribution for AERC Members and Riders Revised

--- Heidi Smith <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> But I have seen several juniors come back after a
> hiatus for college and early career.

That's sort of me.  I've had Arabs since I was a
pre-teen.  As a junior I showed (a lot: open & Arab,
mostly hunter/jumper) and discovered NATRC (and loved
it).  I heard lots of horror stories from the CTR
folks about endurance and didn't have a sponsor, so I
never really did anything about it.

I *never* took a break from the horses or riding. 
However, after leaving parental funding behind when I
turned 18,  I had to concentrate on feeding the
critters.  Showing and any competitive riding ceased. 
I did keep breeding a few foals, though.  And never
stopped riding, especially trails and dressage. :)

Recently, my burning urge to get out and compete again
has been driving me batty.  It's not a desire to "win"
but just a desire to compete and get my horses out
there.  I've been watching the IAHA show ring
deteriorate for far too many years, so heading that
direction again has pretty much been out of the
question.  (The sport horse "movement" is encouraging,
since I've always been a dressage and hunter person.) 
I started looking again at distance riding.  And here
I am. :)  So far, my "return" has been one LD & one
NATRC ride (with another LD on Saturday) -- and I
think AERC has a "new" convert from someone who is not
new to horses.  Even as someone who has riden a LOT
for a lot of years, the bond that forms just in
conditioning for distance is something special.  I'll
be here for a long time to come.

~Nicole

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