And...
What endurance riding has taught me…
It has been nearly seven years since I stuck my toes ever so
tentatively into the distance riding venue. It is hard to believe, I've only accumulated
around 275 LD miles and 100 endurance miles. Don't get me started on the THOUSANDS of trail miles ☺ So much has happened…and yet, so little has
happened, but nearly everything has changed.
There have been changes in my understanding of the sport, how it
functions, expectations of the organization, shift, shift, shift in my
personal thought process, and growth within myself as an AERC member, human, and equestrian.
On the organizational level do I believe this sport is
everything that it could be for all
the people involved? I do not. I’d like to see more interesting options for
the part-time, or non-arab riding participant. But I do believe that on the whole within the
organization (AERC) that our leadership are collectively doing the best they can to
give the general membership a good experience.
Where I erred in my early misunderstanding was the actual size, control, and
scope of AERC and what they are able to do in regards to awards. As an example early on I believed that the
non-arab riding participants were in much greater numbers than they actually
are. This eliminates from a fiscal
perspective such things as breed awards, best of breed, etc. The numbers simply won’t support it. .
Participating ever so slowly in the sport I had to realize that my goals
if I had them…must be personal. Personal
best, first time at a distance, better time at a distance, mileage goals,
etc. If I wanted to be happy in a sport
that I can afford only on a part-time basis I had to make it intrinsic and
deeply personal. Sometimes the goal has
just been managing to get there at all.
Coming to terms that I was not competing with anyone else was in part a
big let-down, but later ultimately liberating. I
no longer felt the need to “prove” anything to anyone else. It became personal. It made my
experience swing from the pendulum of giving up…to very good again.
Then I learned…that ride managers are the unsung heroes of
the sport. What a self-sacrificing lot
they really are, and that they are not getting rich anytime soon (if in fact
breaking even) on an event that is very expensive to host. I have learned through the process of attempting three horses at this sport that you never stop learning about equines and that equines can teach you a lot about yourself. Through my equine experience I discovered many painful things about myself, and have worked hard at correcting those things, and bettered my equestrian spirit. The mirror of a flight animal can teach you so much about yourself as a human being, if you just stop and listen to what the horse is telling you. I find it incredibly humbling and at times exasperating that the most problematic horse I’ve ever encountered trusts me, and only me. I find it satisfying that a senior mare that nobody else managed to stay on took me to an eleventh place finish on her one and only LD, and her exquisite beauty her last and final day on this earth still pulls on my heart. Now the Spotted Wonder continues me on this journey of distance, and she this horse I believed was not cut out for even an LD, in the end has proven me wrong, and gifted me with that ultimate desire to finally say I’ve ridden endurance. It affects me deeply when I think of it, what these incredible horses have each given to me as a person. Horses have been the great teachers of life, helping to guide who I am, and what I will be.
Endurance has opened up my creative side and allowed an
outlet for writing on my blog, a few published articles in the Endurance News,
and a little artistic license here and there with a certain (spotted)
cartoon. I’ve been gifted with the
opportunity to occasionally test out a new product, and write a review, or have
a sponsored contest. Those things on
some level are as satisfying as actually doing the endurance thing (while definitely
much easier).
More than anything, distance riding has taught me so much
about myself that I never would have recognized otherwise. It taught me to recognize my vulnerability
with people, and to not personalize EVERYTHING. Not to have such lofty aspirations that you
cannot help but fall. Riding long distances taught me that I can be
mentally and physically tougher than I ever imagined, and most of all that I
can hang in there to reach a goal if I’m methodical and I REALLY WANT IT BAD
ENOUGH. Riding distance has also
taught me an appreciation for a spouse that cares about my happiness, even when
it likely makes little sense to him, and costs him money. This endurance thing it has taught me to
appreciate and value the people who ride endurance for their own brand of individual toughness. It has fueled my finally saying that I stand
for what I stand for, and I ain’t apologizing for it anymore. Like
me, love me, hate me, or indifferent, that’s on you. I am an endurance rider, (albeit only 2 for
2), and damned proud of it.
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