While I always wanted horses and got my first one at age 14,
I didn’t really know what to do with them.I wasn’t a fan of arenas or
showing, but didn’t have a horse trailer, so we just rode around fields
and orchards.At age 30, I was a
nervous rider, recovering from a broken back and read about endurance on a
bulletin board.I did a quick
search and found Bobbi Richine’s place near me.
Shortly I had a spectacular horse that was a way more
serious competitor than I knew what to do with.We started in CTR – not her
favorite, but she figured it out.I
asked my husband to go to at least one CTR and one endurance ride to help me
figure things out since he wasn’t really into horses.At our first ride, a 15 mile fun ride
that was the hardest ride I’ve ever done, he decided that hanging around
camp wasn’t any fun and that the people were really cool (not the spoiled
showring debutantes he expected) so he wanted to ride
too.This horse helped me regain my
confidence.
I’ve enjoyed both CTR and endurance although I
currently have horses more suited for endurance.
I’ve told people that once you try this sport you will
be hooked and try to plan your entire life around it. I started a business making tack (www.mossrockendurance.com) which I
sold when I moved and wanted to spend more time riding.I thought I’d never want to do 100’s,
but this past summer I went from thinking a career of LD would be great to
attempting my first 100. I also
learned that while being cautious is good, my horses are capable of way more
than I thought – especially living where we do, which is very suitable
for naturally creating a very capable horse both physically and mentally.
I’ve learned a ton about riding (alas, still without
the benefit of lessons which I still hope to change) and due to working with a
couple different kind of adjustable saddles (Free’n’Easy and
Reactor Panel) I have learned a lot about backs and am now running a business providing
saddle fitting for anyone.
I think this sport is just about the best thing going and I
truly hope that I can continue planning my life around ride season and my
wonderful horses.Anyone who is
cautious about getting started – Just Do It!
