Historically I've not had a lot of luck developing a riding / conditioning partner, or a cohort with which to ride the rides. I'm mostly okay on that as I very much like to ride my horse my way, and riding with others sometimes conflicts with that and involves compromise. That is fine when you choose to do so. But then there are times that having a "higher power" along might be good. I'm coming up on one of those times. My short-term plan for the spotted wonder includes at least one more LD, maybe two, before we make an attempt at an actual endurance ride. Without having a lot of faith in the outcome I reached out to the Appaloosa Distance Riding folks on facebook and queried if anyone would be willing to ride with me on our first slow 50. I'd like for Journey to be successful, I'd like for her to go at her steady pace, I'd enjoy the company of another human on a day that will be that long, and a buddy horse for Journey so when she decides she is going to stop, cock a leg, and maybe take a nap, she will possibly feel a little more motivated as her buddy moves on around the bend in the trail. I've had three people say that if they make it to the ride they'd be happy to ride with me. I was honestly floored (and so excited!) . So Appaloosa people ...THANK YOU. I'll be crossing my fingers. That is so incredibly nice. ~ E.G.
I hope they're great people IRL! I've been incredibly lucky to have a great gaited endurance group, and even luckier that a lot of them live in northern CA. I hope your Appy people are half as cool as my gaited buddies! ;)
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