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I have been riding since I was 2, and gave it up for a while because  
we showed and I was totally bored and frustrated with the whole  
scene. I did gymkhana too, but was just bored. I finally saw  
something about endurance after rescuing my two current arabs and  
getting a subscription to AHW. They always cover endurance and by  
then I was exclusively riding trails and had done a trail trial. (Too  
slow and my mare couldn't figure out why I insisted on her crossing a  
narrow bridge in the middle of a wide trail-why do that when you can  
go around?), endurance fascinated me. I just wanted to ride as much  
as I could and to feel the wind in my hair (OK, helmet).  I moved to  
a community where there is a riding club and multiple endurance  
riders and lo and behold, trained and trained and then jumped in with  
both feet, doing my first ride, a 50, with no crew. (Hey, I never  
said I was smart) The people were amazing, and it was a hot and humid  
ride-by the end I wanted to die, but that mare and I...something  
happened out there. I had never bonded like that with a horse, maybe  
only excepting my shetland Merrylegs. It was a special thing and that  
mare and I would take care of one another to the death. I haven't  
done a 25, it doesn't hold interest for me because I do that milage  
in training, and I like the challenge of a 50. That is me-I know some  
love the 25's, and I am sure they get the same feelings, it is just  
the milage they have chosen to do, as is 100 or multidays.
So here I am taking my other horse to her first 50 tomorrow. What is  
the best part of the coming weekend for me? Finding out what she is  
made of and seeing where our relationship goes from here.
I have two Arabs now, both rescues with papers and a more loving,  
docile horse I could never hope to have. I've had ponies, shetland,  
welsh, and POA, horses, Morab, Appy, QH, and just like disciplines  
and milage, I loved them all for their different abilities-I am  
blessed to have two that love being out there on the trail, their  
courage and honesty humbles me and makes me remember what the most  
important thing is ALWAYS, which is their welfare.
Tiffany
On Jan 5, 2006, at 8:10 AM, Mel Cochran wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I was just curious about how you guys got into the sport of  
> endurance.  Did you start as a child, or migrate over to endurance  
> after spending some years riding in another discipline?  Did you  
> switch breeds?  How many endurance horses do most of you have?
>
> I have not gotten "into" the sport as of yet.  I am in the "watch  
> and learn" stage.  I have never had formal riding training, but I  
> have been riding horses since I was 12 and enjoy trailriding and  
> parades.  The comraderie that you guys have is really what  
> interests me.
>
> Mel

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