[RC] EnduranceX - Luis and Chilean Endurance - Final! - Steph Teeter
Patagonia - Torres del Paine - Tierra del Fuego - Easter Island - San Pedreo de Atacama - Lago Rupanco - Ruta de la Salitre ...
It's a list of the ultimate Chilean tourist destinations, the most beautiful and sacred landscapes, places that are worth seeing from any perspective. Places that are almost beyond imagining from horseback - and for an endurance rider who likes to 'really' ride it doesn't get much better.
This is the dream of Luis Enrique Opazo, and the realization of the dream is EnduranceX. I never actually asked Luis what the 'X' stands for, but when I was showing him some of the photos I had taken during the Torres del Paine ride, where the trail dropped sharply down across a talus slope, crossed a wide delta with ribbons of water woven across it, climbed back up onto another ridge - horses and riders visible all across the landscape, all under the towering peaks he smiled and said 'si, extreme!' So I'm going to hazard a guess and say it stands for Extreme! As in extreme sports, extremely beautiful, challenging, the outer banks of endurance riding experience..
Luis is retired Chilean military, he seems confidant and comfortable in any situation - on horseback, exploring trails, or hosting sponsors and guests with fine wine and local food. His retirement has given him the opportunity to dream up new adventures, new exploits. He said that the other thing he's doing (with gusto) with his time besides the EnduranceX rides is falconry. ?And with the vast open country and abundance of falcons and prey, this is probably almost as seductive a pursuit as 'riding a good horse a long way across beautiful landscapes'. ?Almost!
Luis has combined his equestrian skills and passion and his sense of adventure to create EnduranceX. He has participated at national and international championships in equestrian polo and jumping in U.S. as well as Argentina and Peru. Between 1983 and 2001 he?mounted several expeditions in the Andes mountains in the highlands of central and southern Mexico. Adventure and horses... a centuries old tradition, seems to be in the blood.
As EnduranceX gains exposure and reputability and participation, Luis hopes to build upon this momentum with increased sponsorship. He wants to ultimately expand the program so that endurance riders can experience the most beautiful and remote regions of Chile. He has the help and partnership of a few other Chilean equestrians - Elizabeth Huyghe, who is an accomplished rider, and an FEI official, and is also writing a book on the National Parks of Chile! Antonio Llompart Cosmelli, FEI judge, equestrian... many others that help Luis realize his goal.
This year Luis introduced an FEI division for the first time at the Torres del Paine ride. I only wish more FEI rides could be like this one! This is what Endurance Riding is all about, really - at least for many of us. It was still a race, there's no doubt about that - but it was so much more. The horsemanship required to negotiate the challenging terrain, the focus on the horse - the trail - the river crossings and ridge tops - the steep ascents and descents - the rock, mud, narrow trails, wide meadows - a constant shifting between focus on the other competitors and the immediacy of riding the trail and reading the horse. Its such a shame the FEI has removed this aspect of endurance riding by shifting the focus to absolute speed, rather than relative (competitive) speed.?
Luis' program is also serving as a catalyst for growth of the sport in Chile, especially the more remote areas. In Patagonia there are several new endurance associations now because of the rides he is organizing (Torres del Paine, Tierra del Fuego, etc). Many are still competing on the criollo or native chilean horses, but others are now bringing in Arabians - both for competition and for breeding. ?They will mix the Arabian blood with the tougher native horses which have the disposition and conformation suited to the tough terrain and climate.
Several riders flew over from Easter Island to participate in the Torres del Paine ride. Next year there will be an EnduranceX ride on Easter Island. Wow!! I had to wonder about the availability of horses on this island, but everybody told me that the primary mode of transportation there was the horse! Hardly any cars or motorcyles, some bicycles, but mostly people get around on horseback. Sounds good to me!
The other place that EnduranceX will hold a ride in 2010 is San Pedro de Atacama - the driest place on earth! An unlikely stretch of desert on the northern coast of Chile - a stark landscape, with thermal springs, bizarre rock formations - a tourist spa destination. But - away from the tourist areas there are miles and miles of moonscape to travel by horseback. That's one I really want to experience!
I was totally impressed with the event at Torres del Paine. The venue was at the Torres del Paine Hotel - excellent food, service, rooms, ambience - a special place, and a nice complement to the rugged landscape. We had the best of both worlds - the pleasure of fine wine and great food in a comfortable (but not ostentatious) abode, and the physical challenge of wild country and exhilaration of a fast horse ride.
This may have been the best 'endurance riding in another country' experience that I've had. It was certainly the most beautiful scenery I've experienced on horseback, and the Chilean people are fantastic. A Ten.
