Home Current News News Archive Shop/Advertise Ridecamp Classified Events Learn/AERC
Endurance.Net Home Current News

THIS WEEK'S CURRENT NEWS


brought to you by

Custom Beta Biothane Tack, Apparel & Everything Endurance


  • 2024 Twenty Mule Team 100 - Lucy Trumbull
  • Australia: Queensland endurance riding season off to a ’stirling’ start
  • 2024 Lizard Run photos - Becky Pearman
  • 2024 FITS - Maria Phillips
  • Long Rider Gillian Larson’s Spirit of Adventure
  • “Bold and the Beautiful”'s Katherine Kelly Lang Returns to Endurance Horse Racing After Her Ankle 'Was Totally Dislocated'
  • Expeditions team retraces steps of Snowshoe Thompson's mail route in 1856
  • Who Is Sheikha Madiya Al Maktoum? 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Dubai Royal
  • 2024 Twenty Mule Team - Vera V-Abdallah
  • 2024 Twenty Mule Team 100 - Chelsea Arnold
  • Gaucho Derby Wrap-up: Trio Claim Victory in the Greatest Test of Horsemanship and Survival Skill on Earth
  • On the Road: Walking Coast to Coast With 3 Mustangs
  • The Forgotten Story Of The Horse That Conquered A 20,000 Mile Trek
  • 2024 Sugarloaf Spring Fling photos - Becky Pearman
  • How to Overcome Your Fear of Trail Riding Alone: Part 1
  • Saudi Arabia’s Fursan Cup Part II - Alex Shampoe
  • Historic Los Padres Trail Riders Club disbands due to low membership


  • MORE NEWS...


    2024 Twenty Mule Team 100 - Lucy Trumbull


    March 14 2024
    Lucy Trumbull

    Sometimes it seems like the more I do something the less it feels like I know how to do it. Riding Squee has brought new and different challenges to long-distance riding, and 20 Mule Team - whilst familiar - was no different. This was my 8th time riding the 100 miler (with Squee and I doing the 60 and the 65 milers here the last couple of years).

    It didn't start off well when Squee managed to slice open his head in the trailer in the first 30 minutes while we were on our way over to fetch Ranger and Annette. After a quick inspection of the bleeding flap, we glopped on some desitin and shut him in the middle stall of the trailer where he wouldn't be able to do any more damage. We made it to Ridgecrest with no flat tires or the trailer lights failing - and dodged the worst of the weather on the way down. Carefully parked the trailer to maximize its wind-breaking capacity, and installed both horses on the lee side (thankful that I've got spring ties on both sides). We were even close enough to the faucet and had a hose so that we were able to fill water buckets without much heavy lifting - a bonus, given that Squee pooped in his water bucket, twice, (presumably due to turning his butt to the wind), before I gave up and put a water container on the ground, slightly to one side.

    Friday was spent gluing on his shoes, gluing his forehead back together (who knew how useful superglue could be), pre-riding an amped up horse (aka Kite Onna String), packing crew bags, and wrestling with things in the wind.

    Because of the wind, it got to the stage where you couldn't do most basic tasks alone. My tack room door stopper suffered a failure from being nearly blown off its hinges, meaning that you needed two people to get the saddle out - one to hold the door, the other to wrestle the saddle. Similarly, to tack up, you needed one person to wrangle the blanket and saddle pad, while the other put the saddle on. Everything that normally lives outside the trailer was smooshed into the back of it, so it was tight quarters back there, with us clambering over piles of equipment, hay bags, feed containers, tack, chairs, etc.

    All night it blew hard and in the morning despite trying to shelter them out of the wind, it didn't look like either horse had drunk very well, nor could we tell how much hay they'd eaten versus how much had just blown away...

    Read the rest here


    Australia: Queensland endurance riding season off to a ’stirling’ start


    NoosaToday.com.au - Full Article

    16/03/2024
    Erle Levey

    It was like the first day back at school as Queensland endurance horse riders started the 2024 season. ERLE LEVEY was at Imbil’s Stirling Crossing Equestrian Centre for a few lessons

    The 2024 Queensland Endurance Riding Association (QERA) season got under way in style at Imbil this month.

    There was a mix of experienced riders returning for the year and newcomers being welcomed into the fold for the Stirling’s Starter.

    Seasoned horses were side by side with those being brought into the sport at the Stirlings Crossing Equestrian Centre.

    There were 137 riders registered for the seven events over the two days – from 10km and 20km introductory rides to 40km intermediate and the 82km endurance event...

    Read more here:
    https://noosatoday.com.au/news/16-03-2024/queensland-endurance-riding-season-off-to-a-stirling-start/


    2024 FITS photos - Maria Phillips


    2024 Fun in the Sun Endurance ride photos in Florida by Maria Phillips:
    https://mariaphillips.smugmug.com/Endurance-2024/FITS-2024


    2024 Lizard Run photos - Becky Pearman


    2024 Lizard Run Endurance ride photos in South Carolina by Becky Pearman:
    https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2024/Lizard-Run


    Long Rider Gillian Larson’s Spirit of Adventure


    Horse-canada.com - Full Story

    By: Kim Izzo | March 12, 2024

    If you’ve ever dismounted after a long day in the saddle and cracked open a cold one, maybe a certain iconic ad campaign came to mind. In the advertising world it’s all about creating a memorable moment to associate with a product and when it comes to beer and horses one brand has turned the combo into event television – Budweiser Clydesdales we’re looking at you.

    A bottle and a can of beer.Now there’s a new draft in town: 805 Beer from Firestone Walker Brewing Company. The brand is also seeking must-watch status with its latest campaign released on International Women’s Day featuring a diverse cast of women athletes and creators, which Firestone Walker has dubbed “Authenticos.”

    One of the women is American thru-rider Gillian Larson, who became the first solo thru-rider of the Pacific Crest Trail, as well as the youngest and only woman, when she completed it in 2014...

    Read more here:
    https://horse-canada.com/magazine/profiles/gillian-larsons-spirit-adventure/?vgo_ee=3y1b5t%2BQVxVR1TbQprB%2FQHY1wRusFwBxYaipWIbOZUf0bkn14vVE%3A84U56dVqAUq6dc8iuZO7mqiOO2Mp7uhh


    “Bold and the Beautiful”'s Katherine Kelly Lang Returns to Endurance Horse Racing After Her Ankle 'Was Totally Dislocated'


    Ca.Style.Yahoo.com - Full Article

    Cara Lynn Shultz
    Tue, March 12, 2024

    The actress talks to PEOPLE about her return to endurance horse racing after breaking her ankle in three places

    Katherine Kelly Lang was just three years old when she discovered her love of horses.

    “I sat on a horse with my mom, and I fell in love and that was it,” the Bold and the Beautiful actress tells PEOPLE exclusively about her first exposure to horses — riding the kiddie pony rides in Los Angeles’s famed Griffith Park.

    “They strap you in and they make the ponies trot around in a circle, with fences on each side, so you're very safe. All I remember back then was, ‘Oh, boy, these ponies are really bouncy.’ But I still loved it,” she continues.

    Growing up, Lang, 63, says, “horses were my thing,” and she harbored dreams of being an Olympic-level equestrian.

    But when Lang was 22, during a solo ride she stumbled upon a campsite. “There was lots of trailers, lots of horses, lots of people. And I'm like, ‘What is going on here?’ And somebody said, ‘Oh, you don't know about endurance riding?’ ” she recalls...

    Read more here:
    https://ca.style.yahoo.com/bold-beautiful-katherine-kelly-lang-185250414.html


    Expeditions team retraces steps of Snowshoe Thompson's mail route in 1856


    GoldCountryMedia.com - Full Story

    Expeditions team retraces steps of pioneer mailman's route in 1856

    Lia Carotta
    Mar 09, 2024

    The Auburn State Theatre invites the public to come meet the History Expeditions Team – comprised of local endurance athletes – as they share stories and video of their newest adventure and participate in a Q&A at 7 p.m. Friday, March 15, at the Odd Fellows Lodge #7 in Auburn, 1226-1/2 Lincoln Way.
    To honor John “Snowshoe” Thompson, pioneering mailman of the Sierra, the History Expeditions Team was scheduled to set out March 6 on a never-before-attempted 100-mile trek across the Sierra Nevada mountains from Placerville to Genoa, Nevada. This route retraces Thompson’s inaugural 1856 mail route, where the legendary mailman weathered huge snowdrifts on massive 25-pound skis, carrying his 100-pound load of mail and ore.

    This event is a fundraiser for the History Expedition's publication of TEVIS - The Places We Ride - Celebrating Seven Decades of American Endurance Riding History.

    History Expeditions co-founders Bob Crowley and Tim Twietmeyer, veteran ultra-distance trail runners and amateur historians, accompanied by Jennifer Hemmen, a versatile ultra-distance and adventure athlete; Elke Reimer, a veteran ultra-distance runner, backpacker and trail steward; and Hal Hall, an accomplished endurance equestrian rider and historian, will trek and ski the rugged Sierra terrain, following Thompson’s mail route...

    Read more here:
    https://goldcountrymedia.com/news/298496/expeditions-team-retraces-steps-of-snowshoe-thompsons-mail-route-in-1856/


    Who Is Sheikha Madiya Al Maktoum? 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Dubai Royal


    GraziaMagazine.com - Full Story

    By Falah Gulzar

    She is an accomplished cyclist and horse racer

    Whether it’s the determination she exudes while riding a horse galloping across the UAE desert or her dedication when she conquers Europe’s mountains, one bicycle ride at a time, Her Highness Sheikha Madiya Bint Hasher Bin Manaa Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s Ruling Family and a polished sportswoman, is an inspiration to women in the region, as well as across the globe.

    Like many GCC royals, the Emirati seems to keep a low profile, occasionally sharing glimpses of her life on social media with her over 18,000 followers on Instagram. Doing a little bit of digging, GRAZIA brings you five facts you need to know about her for your daily dose of motivation...

    Read more here:
    https://graziamagazine.com/me/articles/who-is-sheikha-madiya-al-maktoum-5-facts-you-need-to-know-about-the-dubai-royal/


    2024 Twenty Mule Team 100 - Vera V-Abdallah


    By Vera V-Abdallah
    March 5 2024

    Last weekend, we participated in the 20-Mule-Team Ride, which was only held for one day of riding. Thus, we had to do some juggling with getting the adoptable rescue horses out there riding the 35-mile limited distance (LD) ride, while Erna on Love Story competed in the 60-mile ride. I rode the LD ride with one of my newer mentor horses, Sir Trot a Lot, who I thought would do great to accompany the two adoptable horses, Alada Baske Aire and Two Step Betty. I was nervous about Erna riding the 60 miles without me, but my friend Cynthia Buendia rode my horse Sharif to be there as Erna’s support. Erna is now a "young rider" at 17 years of age and she is eligible to ride alone, but as a mom, I was so happy for Cynthia to ride with Erna.

    I figured that Sir Trot a Lot could take over Sharif's guardian role on the 35-mile LD ride, since Sir Trot a Lot is a very calm and mostly confident horse. Erna and the 60 mile riders all started out at 6 a.m. whereas I started out at 7 a.m. This was great because I was able to see Erna and Cynthia off to the start of the ride and still had enough time to get myself ready to start our LD ride.

    As most of you probably know, the weather conditions were less than desirable with a horrible windstorm that lasted all weekend, with sustained 30 to 40 mile winds and gusts that were up to 100 miles per hour! In addition, rain, possible snow or sleet was forecast. We dressed appropriately and set out to ride.

    Alada Baske Air was ridden by Leah Palestrant who is an experienced endurance rider who flew in, all the way from Ohio, to ride with us! I was very happy about this because it was Alada Baske Air's first endurance ride. Two Step Betty was ridden by Katja Pizka who is also a board member of our rescue. It was Katja's first endurance ride, though she is an experienced rider and is very physically fit.

    It seems like at every ride there is something new or crazy that happens! This time, it was crazy weather with the wind storm...

    Read the rest here


    2024 Twenty Mule Team 100 - Chelsea Arnold


    March 5 2024
    By Chelsea Arnold

    I almost gave up and moved down to the 75 mile ride…At 11:30pm the night before the 20 Mule Team 100 mile ride, the winds were 50 mph and howling, rocking the Lq trailer back and forth and I thought about the ride ahead in the blowing wind. What am I thinking, went through my head.. what do we need to prove? I talked to Shayna and she said, “it just depends on how much not fun you want to have?” LOL!! I knew we were tough enough to get it done and I was saddling up the best and toughest horse I know. But did I need to? I convinced myself that night that 100 miles in this weather was stupid and I could just level down and not be out all night.

    But then I woke up at 4am and like the 100 mile rider I am… I was like… oh what the hell. I had made myself a promise never to pass up a chance to ride a 100 miles on a good horse, so weather be damned…you only live once so we are putting on our wind and rain gear and heading out into the storm. I was riding the one and only Gus, so we saddled up and warmed up in the blowing wind to ride out with Sabine and her boy Ammour. The horses were game and ready. The trail opened and off we went...

    Read the rest here


    Gaucho Derby Wrap-up: Trio Claim Victory in the Greatest Test of Horsemanship and Survival Skill on Earth




    Imagine yourself thundering deep into the wilds of Patagonia on horseback. Atop an incredible Argentine steed, you’re navigating across some of the wildest terrain on Earth attempting to win the toughest and most unique equine challenge in history…this is the Gaucho Derby.

    An eight day plus, 500km multi-horse adventure race, The Gaucho Derby travels through the mountains and pampas of Patagonia and is unlike any other horse race on the planet, a test of much more than simply ‘who can go fastest’. Part of the Equestrianists Series, which also includes The Mongol Derby (the longest horse race in existence), The Gaucho Derby is based on the landscape, culture, history and horses of Patagonia and, or course, the Gauchos themselves. Crossing through high mountains, riders have to contend with both tricky terrain and unpredictable weather, ensuring the event is more than just a test of riders’ skills on a horse, pushing navigational skills, physical stamina and an ability to handle the wilderness (with riders camping out most nights) to the limit.

    Riding endurance horses for the first few days of the race, when the land levels, riders must swap horses for faster riding, but still remain mindful of not pushing their horses too hard, for fear of penalties...

    Read the rest here


    On the Road: Walking Coast to Coast With 3 Mustangs


    LancasterFarming.com - Full Article

    Stan Hough, shough@lancasterfarming.com
    Feb 22, 2024

    When I caught up with Jake Harvath on a cold February night, he was in Bentonville, Arkansas, having just spent a long day navigating about 20 miles in the saddle on unfamiliar county roads, bike trails, highways and main streets far from his Utah home.

    And he had just finished with what is essentially the golden rule for horsemen: Horse care comes first; his needs second. It’s likely that credo will never be more important given Harvath’s present circumstances.

    In September, he gathered his small string of three adopted mustangs, filled his pack saddles and set out on a 7,200-mile, 30-state journey that will take him from Utah to New Jersey to California and then back to his home in Heber City, Utah.

    He’s named it the “Year of the Mustang” and he has using YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook to chronicle the journey, posting updates and videos once a week.

    Harvath’s improbable attempt to traverse the country on horseback was designed to raise awareness of the plight of America’s wild horses, mustangs who are struggling to keep their place and relevance in the West, while some 60,000-plus sit in federal holding pens as part of a flaring controversy that has no end in sight...

    Read more here:
    https://www.lancasterfarming.com/country-life/mid-atlantic-horse/on-the-road-walking-coast-to-coast-with-3-mustangs/article_52f1c59c-fe6b-53d1-966f-7576383672ae.html


    The Forgotten Story Of The Horse That Conquered A 20,000 Mile Trek


    CowgirlMagazine.com - Full Article

    by Stacey Lorton | Mar 27, 2018

    In a story that has been lost to history, a group of horseback riders embarked on a 20,000 mile trip across the United States in 1912, searching for fame and money. A horse named Pinto would turn this “ride of the century” into a reality.

    George Beck, a part-time Washington logger, and his three closest companions decided to embark on this huge trek after Beck convinced the others that there was more money to be earned in the saddle than at the jobs they possessed at the time. Taking the group name of Overland Westerners, the foursome began their adventure… but it did not go as planned.

    “With five horses and a 60-pound, one-year old Gordon Setter and Newfoundland named Nip, the enthusiastic quartet began their journey on May 1, 1912 from Shelton. Their first stop was Olympia, Washington 18 miles away where Governor Marion E. Hay awaited. For the next three years averaging 22 miles a day, these travelers would stop at each of the 48 state capitals in the United States, rendezvous with the state’s governor or his surrogate, and endure numerous disappointments and hardships including hunger, theft, weather extremes, and rugged trails. Moreover, financial woes came when The Westerner folded before the trip was half completed leaving them bereft of corporate sponsorship.” – Chuck Rand...

    Read more here:
    https://www.cowgirlmagazine.com/horse-20000-mile-trek/


    2024 Sugarloaf Spring Fling photos - Becky Pearman


    2024 Sugarloaf Spring Fling Endurance ride photos in South Carolina by Becky Pearman:
    https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2024/Sugarloaf-Spring-Fling


    How to Overcome Your Fear of Trail Riding Alone: Part 1


    TheSweatyEquestrian.com - Full Article

    January 30, 2024
    by Tamara Baysinger

    Reader Sara asks: Can you talk more about getting over fear? I want to try endurance riding but I work weekends, so I’d have to do most of my training rides by myself during the week. The problem is that I’m terrified of trail riding alone!

    I hear you, Sara. As you know, I had quite a journey through fear myself after a bad wreck. Riding horses is inherently risky, and being alone does make it harder to get out of a sticky situation. Respecting your fear is prudent, but it needn’t be paralyzing.

    As I gathered my thoughts about dealing with fear, I found myself putting possible solutions into two buckets: practical strategies and psychological strategies. Step one is to identify which of these should be your focus.

    This article will help you step back to better understand your experience of fear. Additional posts in this series cover practical and psychological strategies for overcoming your fear of riding alone. Finally, we’ll consider some safety gear that goes way beyond helmets...

    Read more here:
    https://thesweatyequestrian.com/how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-trail-riding-alone-part-1/


    Saudi Arabia’s Fursan Cup Part II - Alex Shampoe


    February 23 2024
    By Alex Shampoe

    The Fursan Cup race 2024 120k started at 7AM.

    I got to the venue about 6:15. There were a lot of people buzzing around. Driving to the venue it seemed like the whole city of Al Ula was asleep. Then we hit the venue where everyone was busy and excited. The energy was very high. In the moment I was grateful that I have done bigger races like this, so it wasn’t too overwhelming.

    All I could think about was the race start. The day before Power (my horse) was doing everything he could to stay as far away from other horses as possible. He had his bubble and didn’t want others in it. With 200 other horses starting, his bubble wasn’t going to work. I had confidence that he had done multiple starts like this so I was focused on staying with my team and creating the biggest bubble I could for Power.

    The horses were all fed and walked but the time I got to the venue. We tacked up our horses and took them out of the barn. We hand walked them around the Saudi quarantine area. Most of the other horses had left and already gone out to the start line. Cheryl, Vicki (our new German teammate) and I decided we should get on our horses in the stable area while our horses were calm and away from the other 200 horses. We got on and everyone was calm and happy. As we tried to leave the stable, we were told we had to get off and walk out of the barn area and then get on the horses again out where everyone else was. This was what we were hoping to avoid but we had to follow the rules. The rules were very strict for safety reasons, so we quickly agreed and got off the horses. We walked the horses out and found a gap to stop and get back on between waves of horses. Now we had a short walk on a 3-horse wide path to the start line. There were multiple different herds of horses circling and circling in and out and around each other. We stayed in the furthest circle we could away from the start line. We were trying to find our Saudi rider that we were supposed to stay with during the race. He was riding for the same stable that we were. Then we heard the countdown to the start and suddenly, the sound of over 100 horses galloping away.

    Just then our Saudi guy called to us, and we followed him to the start line where most of the horses have already left. Thank goodness all our horses were calm. They didn’t like when other horses would be acting up around them, but they all stayed happy next to each other. Power (my horse) was very focused on getting to the start line and going through the start. He did much better than I thought he would with all the horses around him. He knew what he was doing, and I just needed to trust him. The start went down a huge chute 40 yards wide with plenty of room for all the horses. When we left there was not much passing going on. Everybody in the back was pretty set in their pace right away. There was a little bit of juggling around as a few stragglers tried to find a group, but it was a very pleasant start...

    Read the rest here


    Historic Los Padres Trail Riders Club disbands due to low membership


    By: Juliet Lemar
    Posted at 5:36 PM, Feb 23, 2024

    The Los Padres Trail Riders are a non-profit equestrian club with roots dating back to the 1940s.

    "1944 and they started as a horse-riding group that would patrol the coastline. The only way you could get to the coast, because there were no roads, was on horseback," said longtime member Debra Prekker.

    At its peak in the 1980s, the club had nearly 400 members, according to Prekker, who says these riding groups help maintain and repair trails.

    "We have fixed trails in the past and worked with the Forest Service to fix trails," Prekker said...

    Read more and see video here:
    https://www.ksby.com/santa-barbara-south-coast/historic-los-padres-trail-riders-club-disbands-due-to-low-membership

    ALL NEWS ARCHIVE