I did my first 50 endurance in the mid 70s. I
did it in jeans too. Boy did I have some great rub marks!!! LDs came
into being in the early 80s in Ohio. That is where I did my very first
'short' endurance ride. I remember a friend's horse running away, she made
the mistake of starting with the pack even though I told her otherwise, her ride
ended when the horse hit a mailbox. I am glad to say that both survived
with not too many injuries. In fact, Debbie's biggest problem was sitting
down for a month or so. We called those LDs in those days, Novice
rides. They were supposed to be for first time riders, first time horses,
but there really weren't any limits set or rules set. I did that LD since
I was bringing my mare back from an injury. I remember my attitude which
sucked big time. It went like this. '25 miles, no big deal, this is
not endurance. Gotta do a 50 to be endurance.' I am ashamed to say
that I spouted that off too. But, now I am glad to say that my nasty
attitude didn't last that long. I learned to recognize that distance
riding meant many different things to many different folks. I was proud of
Dave, who had diabetes and rode his fox trotter mare. We were always
afraid that we would have to go out and rescue him but that mare took excellent
care of Dave. All he wanted to do was ride and be part of things. He
was. We all adored him and admired him. For some folks, getting to
the ride, setting up camp, going thru the vet check, getting out on trail and
actually doing a ride whether 25 or more was one huge accomplishment. Of
course as I have gotten older, I have to admit that good as 25s look to me, 15
mile novices are quite appealing too. So are shetland ponies. Even
if they do tend to try to scrape you off under branches. Everyone's
accomplishments in this sport whether a short distance or a longer distance is
to be commended. My worst nightmare is to be a granny in a rocking
chair. I am not there yet but it is starting to look appealing to
me. Maybe if I put a saddle on the chair it will be acceptable. Here
in Ohio, MI, and the midwest competitive is quite popular. For the
life of me all these years doing comp and endurance, I have never figured out
why a 25 mile comp gets more respect than a 25 LD. Miles are miles, no
matter how far, no matter how short. The distance riding bunch is an elite
group. How many other horseback riders get out and do what we do? I
am proud to belong to this group, I love the bond I have with my horse, and
most of all, I love beebopping down trail singing at the top of my lungs.
Jeanie
