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> Subject: [Endurance Riding: News] CAN: North Wind Canadian
> Championships
> Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:12:33 -0700 (PDT)



> [
> http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/story.php?id=250237] 
>
> Kristen Howard and her horse Amy are ready to embark on a 160-kilometre
> trip during the North Wind Canadian Championships
>
> By Cory Smith
> Woodstock Centinel-Review
>
> As Kristen Howard rode her horse up a switchback in Indiana, the
> picturesque surroundings took her breath away.
> Beneath her was a valley laced with red bud and dogwood trees, cloaked in
> fog as the sun peeked out along the horizon. It was the kind of moment
> Howard and her 12-year-old Arabian mare Amy have shared numerous times as
> they travel the continent, but one they never get tired of.
> For the Woodstock-area native, itâ??s the best part of being an endurance
> horse racer.
> "It was neat because it was such a rush going up, and as we came
> down it was like we were descending into the fog," Howard said.
> â??Anything from the hilltop I like. Itâ??s very scenic.
> "You feel like, â??Oh my god, Iâ??m so glad Iâ??m alive.â?? It
> really rejuvenates you."
> Howard will need to be every bit refreshed as she prepares to take Amy on
> the longest journey of their lives - the North Wind Canadian
> Championships, a 100-mile endurance race that, if finished, will take
> over half a day to complete.
> "Amy has her way of doing things and sheâ??s quite sensitive,"
> Howard said of the prize-winning horse she purchased as a filly from a
> woman in Arthur. "If you donâ??t know how to ride her, she wonâ??t
> do it for you, but once you learn, sheâ??ll do anything."
> Unlike harness or thoroughbred racing, the sport of endurance racing is
> more about slow and steady than winning the race, although Howard or any
> of her fellow riders wouldnâ??t have a problem with finishing first.
> Beautifully wooded trails, vivid valleys and rocky streams replace the
> track, while the only sure bet is that the riders arenâ??t in it for the
> money.
> The Competitive Trail Riding Associationâ??s motto of 'to finish is to
> win' encapsulates perfectly the laid back approach of the sport.
> "You spend so much time with your horse and you get a connection
> like no other," Howard said. "You know if anything is wrong and
> you just sense it. You get to see parts of the country and the U.S. on
> the back of a horse. I see a lot of places that I wouldnâ??t normally
> see."
>
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>
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> Posted by Ridecamp to
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> Endurance Riding: News at 8/24/2006 03:34:00 PM