First - Susan, thanks for
the comparisons on gas prices - perfect timing before my gas
bill comes in. NJ to UT and back on diesel!
Sherman asked for some history
on Old Jim - A friend bought Jim from a dealer. Jim was 14 at the
time. He's registered with AQHA & a full QH.
Bucked off my friend and became mine. I took him out on trail
& just let him run it off and he's never bucked again. He's
stubborn & opinionated, gets along well with other horses & loves new
trails. I didn't know anything about endurance & didn't find out until
Jim was 18. At 19 Jim did his first endurance ride, Old Dominion, took us
11:56! Since then, he's been all up and down the east coast (NE & SE
regions) and is now pushing 3000 mi. We've both learned &
mellowed out & now ave. about 7 mph for rides. He's a friendly, happy
guy & I love him.
Kathy asked how I planned
- well, first I looked at the AERC calendar and found a multi day ride
(you don't travel that far for a 50). I tried to make sure it was a
good weather season. We decided if we were to travel that far we wanted to
see the country so we planned on traveling out on the northern route ( I 80
to I 70) & returning by the south ( I 40 to I 70).
Then there was the question of where to stay. I checked state parks
on the internet in the states we planned to overnight in and found those
that would take horses. Most had electric, water, showers &
laundry. I have to say though that if I was going again, I'd check with
Ride Camp because many ridecampers across America are happy
to meet you & give you a place to stay overnight.
Anyone can do it. We
did it with a 2 horse bumper pull - tents, etc. It was a Great
Adventure for my 2 daughters, ages 26 & 17, and myself. The
horses and dogs just thought we were crazy.
