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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

Endurance Data

2/20/2013

 
I've been checking my website's traffic data, which is something I do pretty regularly. It's quite interesting to see which blog posts or pages get the most traffic. A month or so ago, there were a ton of visitors to the post about treating Tobias for Parvo. I can only guess that someone else blogged about something dog-related and provided a link to my page which brought a lot of visitors.

Throughout January and February, I've noticed a lot of traffic to my Endurance Photos category. When I say a lot, I mean triple the number of visitors to that category as compared to every other category. Huh?!?!?!

Again, somewhere out there, someone must have created a link to my page.Thank you, but I wonder why those photos are of such particular interest?

Since someone finds those photos interesting, I thought I'd do a post about my endurance race statistics.

When I look back on my 15 seasons as an endurance rider, I recognize that I was fairly successful by some standards and just barely making a mark on the sport by others' standards. My mentor, MC, has been competing for over 30 years and has amassed more than 15,480 race miles. She's in the top 30 (at least) for rider mileage of all time.

Endurance riders have a hierarchy, as many sports do. Completing one or two or even ten rides doesn't make you an endurance rider. I am not sure when you become an "official" endurance rider, but for me, when I hit 1,000 race miles, I felt that I could call myself such. And once I completed my first 100-mile race, I felt that I finally, finally belonged to the club. But ask my mentor. From her perspective, maybe you need 10,000 miles before you get your endurance club card.

I thought I'd give you some stats that cover my "career."

Limited Distance (25 to 35 miles): 
  • My first race was a 25-miler in 1996. 
  • My second race was another 25-miler for which I didn't receive credit as I was over the allotted time, but we did ride the entire course. We were 20 minutes over-time. The next year, that same course was reclassified as a 30-miler which gave another hour or so to complete.
  • In all, I entered only 6 limited distance (LD) events (25 to 35 miles). I completed 5 of them: Two were on Sassy (no credit given for being over time on one), one on Montoya DSA, one on Mickey Dee, and two on Speedy G. I wasn't a big fan of the LD events. I gave each horse one or two LDs just to get their feet wet.

Endurance Distance (50 milers and greater):
  • I completed 81 races that were 50 to 100 miles in length. The majority of them were 50 milers.
  • 5 of them were single day 100-milers: the 20 Mule Team 100 (3 times), the Californio's 100 (once), and the Swanton 100 (once).
  • I also rode a two-day 100, but Montoya had a hoof injury, and I pulled her at the completion of day one. No credit for the 50 miles that we did ride. That was in 2001.
  • I rode one 75-miler (Manzanita in 1999).
  • I also rode some other distances: five, 55-milers (1997, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010) and four, 65-milers (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004).
  • My last race was on Speedy G in 2010. 

Multi-Day Races:
  • I completed a few multi-day events.
  • the 4-day, 200 mile Death Valley Encounter in 2002 
  • the 3-day, 150 mile Cuyama Oaks XP Pioneer in 2002 
  • the 3-day, 155 mile Cuyama Oaks XP in 2003
  • the 2-day, 100 mile Coso Junction Jam 1 & 2 in 2003 
  • and the 2-day, 100 mile Bear Valley Endeavor in 2006. 

DNFs (did not finish):
  • I was "pulled" 10 times over 15 years.
  • once for being over-time (the Tar Springs 25 on Sassy) 
  • twice for lameness in 1998 (Sassy was sold as a family trail horse at the end of the season - she just wasn't built for the sport)
  • Rider Option in 1998 (I was sick) 
  • lameness again in 2001 (Montoya was barefoot behind, and in the month before the race she had worn her hoof wall down to nothing. Her heel bulbs were scraping the ground. I Easybooted for the race, but after fifty miles, her heels were mush.)
  • twice in 2003 (I was sick again, and the second time was for a lack of water for Mickey Dee. I pulled him because I knew a problem was coming. Once he made it to a water source, he was good as new. It was designated a Rider Option) 
  • in 2007, I over-rode Montoya. (It was the first hot day of the season and she still had her winter coat.) 
  • another lameness in 2010 - Montoya was 20 at the time. (She was euthanized a week later due to an unrelated colic.) 
  • the final pull was with Speedy G in the sumer of 2010 - the course was just way too difficult for his level of conditioning.

Overall:
  • In all, I rode 3,585 miles that were from 50s and above.
  • I rode 175 miles from limited distance events.
  • I completed three, hundred milers in a single year (combined with some other finishes), which earned me a placing in the Pacific South-West region of AERC.
  • I earned the Fire Mountain Award of Excellence for completing the  200 mile Death Valley Encounter, the 20 Mule Team 100, and the EHSC 50 in a single year.
  • Montoya gave me several top ten finishes, but I always rode for a simple completion; I wasn't a competitive rider. I whole-heartedly embraced AERC's motto, To Finish is to Win.

I loved endurance riding. I got to see some of the most beautiful places on the planet. Endurance riding also develops a bond with your horse that I just don't think you can get from doing any other sport.

Here's a screen shot of my endurance career's stats. Visit AERC.org to see my complete race record.
Picture
Click to enlarge
Marie link
2/20/2013 01:06:44 am

Thank you - this is interesting coming from the point of view of a dressage rider wanting to get into endurance.

Karen
2/21/2013 09:11:53 am

Marie - if you really want to get started in the sport, go for it! The AERC webpage can help connect you to a mentor in your area. I've met many of the mentors and know that they have volunteered for the job because they LOVE the sport and want to get people involved.

The best thing to do is just RIDE your horse. Don't worry about endurance tack or all the gizmos. You can pick those up as you find out what suits you and your horse. The most important part of endurance riding is to get on the trail and start covering the miles. You can't do 50 miles until you ride 25 miles and you can't cover 25 miles if you can't do 10. EVERY endurance rider started at the beginning. Go for it!

Lauren link
2/20/2013 01:43:05 am

That's really cool! I don't know anything at all about endurance riding.

Karen
2/21/2013 09:13:19 am

It is a cool sport, Lauren, and a lot of fun. It's a huge, huge, huge amount of work as well, but it is truly a life changing event to complete 100 miles in a single day on a horse you've conditioned yourself. Every time I finished a "race," I smiled for weeks!

Amanda
2/21/2013 01:10:05 pm

Just wondering why you stopped? As an endurance rider who is burnt out and changing my focus for the time being, I am just curious as to what was your reasoning for throwing in the towel completely.

Karen
2/21/2013 09:36:31 pm

Hi Amanda. I know I've blogged about it before, but it's buried deep in the archives somewhere and I don't want to look for it! :0)

My number one endurance horse, Montoya, who was my riding partner for more than 10 years, died from an unusual colic in January 2010. I had bought Speedy G in 2008 to replace my other back up horse, Mickey Dee. Mickey began to develop a joint issue and wasn't sound enough for the sport. I spent a year turning Mickey into a "regular" trail horse, sold him, and bought Speedy G to be the next back up horse.

I got Speedy started in endurance, but since he was horse number two, I didn't do a lot with him. When Montoya died, he became horse number 1. He and I spent the next six months together conditioning and doing endurance rides, but it just wasn't the same as it had been.

Losing Montoya just took the luster off the endurance diamond even though endurance had nothing to do with her death. I think it was a combination of things: losing my go-to partner, Speedy's lack of GO FAST!!!!, and my own lack of desire to spend so many hours each week conditioning.

After Speedy's last ride in June 2010, I just hung up my endurance saddle for a "break," intending to just take the summer off while doing other types of riding. I started taking dressage lessons regularly, and I never pulled my endurance saddle back out. I did a lot of thinking about it, and I just decided it was time to move on to something else.

Long answer to a simple question, eh? :0)

Anda
2/21/2013 11:26:17 pm

I don't think it's a simple question! At least it hasn't been a simple decision for myself to make. It's nice to hear from other people in a similar situation, I've been surprised at the reactions from some of my closer friends.

Karen
2/21/2013 11:42:38 pm

I am curious to know what kind of reaction you've received from friends. Mine all got it and wished me well. I am guessing you've had some judge mental feedback. Yes? Or am I out in left field?

Anda
2/22/2013 11:44:49 am

You can email me if you'd like :)

Karen
2/23/2013 03:47:33 am

My website keeps your email address hidden from me as well. When you add your email in the box for comments, it's just so you get a notification about return comments. I'm really curious to hear your story. If you use the red, email Karen button at the top of the page, I'll get your email and the address will be visible (to me only of course). If you're interested in sharing, I'd love to read more!


Comments are closed.

    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
    I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010.
    ​Welcome to my dressage journey.
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    Photo by Lori Ovanessian

    About Speedy G

    ​Speedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
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    July 2020 (PC AJSK Photography)

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    Izzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
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Among other things, Karen is a Wife, Friend, Reader, Writer, Rider, Traveler, and Dog Lover
Contact her at bakersfielddressage@gmail.com
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