Alpha Mare - New to endurance

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Kim kdekany@custom-edge.com
I am new to endurance this year, and have only done a couple of 25 mile rides...on someone else's experienced 18yr old gelding (Rhett Butler)...awesome horse! 

I really want to do this with my mare and am hoping some of you experts can share your experiences and knowledge on how to handle my situation...which is this - 

My mare is only 6yrs old and she likes to consider herself the "alpha mare", especially with me!Little background - The first two years I owned her she was in and out of training, last year I pulled her out and the battle began...she had absolutely no respect for me, and challenged me every opportunity. Needlesstosay, I stopped riding her out of fear:-( Well,I finally found a trainer/instructor I like and since February of this year he has been giving us lessons, what I like about him is he has me training/riding her. In the last 60 days we have really started to come together, and my confidence level has sky rocketed...she will test me occassionally, but I have been winning the battles:-)

In September I want to take her on her first ride, actually a competitive 15 mile novice. Any trail rides I have done my mare likes to be the lead horse...and will fight me until she is up front. I love to be the lead too, but I want her to learn that it cannot always be this way. In addition, the start of a race scares me to death, I am not experienced enough to take off in the herd, so I am searching for advice on how to handle my "alpha" mare at endurance rides until we are both experienced in the sport?

Sorry so long...thank you in advance.