On the weekend of March 2, 2019, Felicity Adams, Maria Price, Marli Penninger, Brisen Gainey, and myself (Savannah Anderson) from Crooked Creek Farm competed in a local endurance ride. However, that weekend was not the only weekend that was occupied by the endurance ride. Every weekend since November, 1 2018 we spent one day a week on the trails walking miles and miles, slowly building up to trotting miles and miles. From a trainer and caretaker perspective the ride was all consuming. We did not postpone our small hunter/jumper lesson program to focus only on the endurance race. Every week it was crucial that horses rested, had a set number of lessons, and were ready for our group practice over the weekend. The vet needed to be called on more than one occasion to ensure that a runny eye, scratched leg, cough and more, were taken care of quickly and that the horse would not be uncomfortable on trail.
A one hour lesson vs. a five hour trail ride is very different. In a lesson the footing in the arena is soft, consistent, and free of mud or rocks. The trail is riddled with hazards, mud, rocks, erosion walls, roots, holes, etc. Practice could not be canceled due to rain or bad weather and on more than one occasion we rode in sleet, rain, or below freezing temperatures. Walking on a horse for four plus hours in 30 degree weather is no picnic. However, the above mentioned riders kept a positive attitude and were determined to do their best and always referred to the phrase, “it is good practice” when we faced a less than desirable obstacle.
The day of the race we loaded up at 6:40am and made our way to Kings Mountain State Park. Once there we took the horses to the vet check where they check the heart rate, breathing, gut sounds, gait and more to ensure your horse is fit for the ride. Then we groomed, ate a few snacks, tacked, and mounted. We began the race a few minutes after 9:00am to avoid the mass start and then hit the trail. Our horses were excitable and wanted to go with the herd. We kept everyone moving at a brisk 6 mile an hour trot for the majority of the first 15 miles. We had a few canters, several walks through the muddy areas, and a few splashes at the creek crossings. Reaching the end of the first 15 miles we walked in to camp for our first vet check to ensure that our horses were fit to continue. The horses pulsed in and we headed back to our trailer to water and hay the horses while we rehydrated and took a small break for ourselves. At 12:27pm we were back on trail and on our way to completing the final 10 miles. For the last 10 miles we did a little trotting, but it was mostly cantering on the wide trails with solid footing or walking slowly through the pastern deep mud. Right before 2:30pm we walked across the finish line, dismounted and vetted in for the last time.
The endurance race was an interesting and great learning experience. Not only do you have to be able to ride well, but it requires you to step up greatly on horse care and knowing your horse. It is indeed, “good practice!”
Felicity Adams began this journey a full year ago when she came to watch the 2018 Endurance Race at Kings Mountain State Park. Through much convincing she and her mom hoodwinked me, Savannah, into sponsoring her and I am glad I did! Babe is certainly not the easiest horse to ride, but Felicity worked to become a partner with Babe and it paid off. Babe cantered nicely, walked through water and mud, took the lead when no other horse wanted to, and took care of Felicity! Keep up the hard work!
Maria Price began the journey with Diamond, who we soon realized did not want to compete for the full 25miles. Switching to Iris, Maria intensified her riding, built more muscle, and in the end left the group to compete at a faster pace (she is 16 and considered of age to ride without a sponsor). Maria greatly improved in riding skill throughout our journey. Her determination made her strive for greatness. Keep working hard!
Marli Penninger worked with Zippy to condition her for the ride. During this process, Marli learned to sit the canter and Zippy learned to slow down at the canter. Marli convinced Zippy to walk through the water instead of jump over and Zippy stopped rushing fences in the arena. The training process was very helpful to both rider and horse due to Marli’s patience and hard work! Keep up the good work!
Brisen Gainey and her horse Whisper began the training process striving for the Limited Distance Ride. However after our first practice 20 miles Whisper let us know that she was not up to the full 25 miles by moving a little slower the next day. So instead Brisen and Whisper competed in the 10 mile Fun Ride and had a blast! The endurance training was especially helpful to Brisen, before the training she was a little nervous about cantering Whisper (her very big and powerful 16.2 hand horse), mid-December I walked out of the tack room and they were cantering round and round the arena. After walking, trotting, and cantering on the trail in the group it was no longer a big deal to go in circles in the arena. Keep challenging yourself!
Savannah Anderson took Wall-E on the ride. He jumped in January, and due to his exercise routine before reaching Crooked Creek Farm was able to adjust easily. The endurance ride was helpful for Savannah to get to know Wall-E (how he spooks, how brave he is, and his general personality). Wall-E enjoyed himself for the most part, despite losing both shoes on the last few miles. Keep up the good work!
Sandy Hyrowski and her daughter Amy brought their horses, Jester and Mustang to compete in the 10 mile Fun Ride. Though they did not practice with us very many times, it was good for the riders to get out and have a blast on the trails and for the horses to gain experience with the excitement of the Endurance Race. Keep enjoying the ride!
Amy and her horse Mustang rocking the last stretch of the 10 mile fun ride!
A HUGE Thank you to Matthew Price for trailering us back and forth to the park so many times for practice and all the people who supported us on the ground by caring for our horses, riders, and tack. Thank you!
