You're probably wondering what could possibly motivate a person to take up endurance riding? Gruelling hours in the saddle, extreme weather conditions, early morning starts - you'd have to be insane! Well, as one fellow endurance rider put it "You don't have to be insane to do endurance, but it sure helps."
My early attempts at endurance should have put me off. I never made it to what should have been my first 20km ride. I took a wrong turn down a dirt driveway and by the time I realised we were lost there was nowhere to turn around. Trying to turn around on the grass verge resulted in the car getting hopelessly bogged. In the end my friend and I unloaded the horses, saddled up and rode for help. Did I mention it was raining? Well, it was. By the time a helpful 4WD owner winched us out and saw us safely back to the road, the ride had already started. So, with damp clothes and spirits, we loaded the horses back up and drove home.
My second attempt was slightly better, but unsuccessful nonetheless. We actually made it to the ride base - which was a good start - but my horse vetted out due to an over-reaching injury. Her back hooves cut into her front hooves and she ended up going lame right at the end of the 20kms. My friend's horse vetted through with no problems so it wasn't a total loss, but I couldn't help feeling disappointed. There was no completion certificate or goodie bag for me. However, this only made me more determined.
I realised my dressage/showjumping horse was probably not ideal for endurance. She was getting older and was beginning to have soundness issues. It was time for her to retire, but I didn't have another horse to ride. And so the hunt for a new horse began. I wasn't ready to commit myself to endurance and leave the world of dressage & showjumping behind, so I ended up buying a sweet little Anglo Arabian mare. She was athletic enough to do endurance and trainable enough to do dressage & showjumping - my perfect horse! We did our first 40km ride at Colo in March 2008 in just under 4 hours. I was thrilled! I was also in more pain than I'd ever experienced in my entire life.
That was the moment I caught the bug. My first 40km ride had me hooked. It wasn't just about the cute little horse head trophy I got to take home that day; it was so much more than that. It was the feeling of my horse beneath me as we cantered along that ridge. It was cresting that big hill and looking out over the picturesque valley below. It was riding with a cheerful lady I'd never met before and feeling like I'd made a new friend. It was the stupid grin I couldn't wipe off my face, even though I was bone tired and sore all over. There's no other sport quite like it. It'll test you in ways you've never been tested, but it'll also make you a better rider & horseperson. I can't put into words how good it feels to get the final nod from the vet to say "Well done, you're through." You'll just have to experience it for yourself.
So come on, just give it a go. It'll be fun!
My very first successful completion - note the stupid grin!
:)
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