The Hardy Horse: How Horses Handle Winter

Thehorse.com - Full Article

December 21, 2021
Posted by Heather Smith Thomas

From growing a thick winter coat to producing heat as they digest forage, here’s how horses are inherently designed to cope with cold weather.

How horses are inherently designed to cope with cold weather.

After a ride across the mountain to check my horses on winter pasture, the sun had set and the temperature was dropping toward zero. I didn’t want to leave my mare wet and chilling; she needed her coat dry and fluffy for it to be effective insulation. My fingers were stiff with cold, but I had to rub her sweaty long hair dry with towels and turn her out in her pen before I could go indoors and soak up the welcome heat of a wood stove.

Our horses handle winter much better than we do, and my ranch horses in Idaho have managed nicely outdoors, even at 40 below zero. They have several unique ways to stay comfortable in severe weather and do well if allowed to adapt to colder temperatures gradually.

Winter Hair Coat

As days get shorter and nights become cooler, horses grow a new, longer hair coat. These winter hairs stand up, trapping tiny air pockets between them. The effect is like that of a thick, down-filled comforter, with tremendous insulating quality...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/150475/the-hardy-horse-how-horses-handle-winter/?lid=tziljmzm8zz0&uuid=647121ac133695000110b830

Ride of Passage Podcast

NPR Podcast Ride of Passage - Listen

From Michigan radio, it's a podcast about a true American adventure story about one young man's solo ride across the country on horseback.

Twenty years ago, a young man from Michigan set out to do something no one had done before. Matt Parker rode across the country on a horse. The horse was named Smokey, and the two of them used a system of trails known as the American Discovery Trail. That journey is the subject of the Michigan Radio podcast Ride Of Passage.

Listen to the podcast:
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1187550873/ride-of-passage

The Best Next Step

TheSweatyEquestrian.com - Full Story

January 2 2024
by Tamara Baysinger

I think I’ve finally figured it out. How to approach 2024, I mean.

My usual proclivity for outcome-based goal-setting just didn’t sit right this New Year.

Get to 12 endurance rides, enter a 100 late in the season, blah blah blah.

Of course, I’d love to do those things…but I’d have loved to do them last year, and the year before that, and all the years going back to 2015, which was the last time it actually happened.

Interestingly, all these years of not getting far in endurance haven’t kept me from going places with the horses. I’ve trained and learned, hacked and explored, and it was pleasant. It was fun. It meant something.

Very slowly, as I learned to look past what should have been and rest in what is, it dawned on me that I enjoy those things, too — in and of themselves, completely disconnected from the endurance trail.

Perhaps I have finally arrived at a place where I can let go of endurance as the primary goal...

Read more here:
https://thesweatyequestrian.com/the-best-next-step/

Could You Be Missing the Signs of Gastric Ulcers in Horses?

Thehorse.com - Full Article

August 20, 2021
Posted by Edited Press Release

Behavior and performance changes that could be associated with gastric ulcers in horses should prompt further veterinary investigation.

Sometimes a training ride or a show doesn’t go well. You wonder, “Is my horse just having a bad day?” But before riders place blame on any variety of causes—from the weather and the environment to the horse’s athletic ability or even their own errors—they should consider another potential problem: equine stomach ulcers.

Less-than-optimal performance, resistance to work, and training difficulties are all common issues associated with gastric ulcers, which can develop in as few as five days. If you have noticed behaviors such as your horse pinning his ears while being groomed, or kicking out when the girth is tightened, equine stomach ulcers could be a possibility, and it might be time to contact your veterinarian...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/158302/could-you-be-missing-the-signs-of-gastric-ulcers-in-horses/

Your Trail Horse Threw You Off…Now What?

HorseIllustrated.com - Full Article

By Alycia Bardon
June 29, 2021

On August 12, 2017, Trina Ockenfels and her horse Tiger went on an average trail ride with a group of friends in Ionia State Recreation Area, which spans 4,500 acres. Unfortunately, their normal trail ride ended in tragedy when Tiger panicked due to some ground bees, threw Ockenfels off, and fled the scene. Tiger appeared to be in a frenzy, trying to get something off his foot before taking off. Despite long searches, both on the ground and in the air, Tiger’s remains weren’t found until almost four years later.

Many equestrians enjoy trail riding with their equine partners, as it is a great way to relax and enjoy nature. Having both the training and the know-how to handle such a situation as a loose trail horse is important before saddling up and hitting the trails. But sometimes tragedy can still strike, even with preparation...

Read more here:
https://www.horseillustrated.com/loose-trail-horse

Saddle up for Success Part 1: 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Entering the World of Endurance Riding

MaKAthletes.com - Full Article

Nov 20 2023
by McKayla

My first year in Endurance is coming to a close and I have to say I’m completely hooked! This year I’ve completed one 50-mile ride, two 25-mile rides, and one 30-mile ride. I have learned more about myself and my horse this year in this sport than any other year. So, allow me to share with you 5 things that I wish I knew before I dove in.

My very first ride this year was a 50 mile ride that my mentor and friend invited me on. I competed on one of her experienced horses. My next three rides were done on my Grade Quarter Horse mare, Sandra-Dee. These last three were technically Limited Distance (LD) races which are shorter distances than true Endurance races. Even so, I learned SO MUCH while doing these races. And now with the leg-work done I can share with you 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Entering the World of Endurance Riding...

Read more here:
https://www.makathletes.com/post/saddle-up-for-success-part-1-5-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-entering-the-world-of-endurance-riding

Saudi Arabia: AlUla Moments expands sporting legacy with inaugural Tent Pegging World Championship and Horseback Archery World Cup

• Both equestrian events will take place from 16th to 18th December at AlFursan Equestrian Village
• For the first time, AlUla will host competitions based on Furusiyya Arts, the Arabic term for equestrian martial exercise
• Tickets available for sale now here.

AlUla, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, December 12, 2023:

AlUla Moments is set to make new sporting milestone, as it welcomes the inaugural editions of the Tent Pegging World Championship in Traditional Sport Dress and the AlUla Horseback Archery World Cup. The events will take place on the same days, from 16th to 18th December, at the spectacular AlFursan Equestrian Village.

In collaboration with the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation, International Tent Pegging Federation, World Horseback Archery Federation, and World Martial Arts Union, the prestigious events align with AlUla’s commitment to transforming into a hub for premiere sporting events and elevating its range of offering to visitors and locals.

Ziad AlSuhaibani, Head of Sports Executive Program at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), expressed the significance of this event, saying: “The Tent Pegging World Championship and Horseback Archery World Cup not only add to AlUla's appeal as a global sports and entertainment destination but also highlight the distinctive fusion of Arabian tradition, indigenous expertise and natural splendour of our landscape. More than just tourist attractions, these events tap into the history of equestrianism in Saudi Arabia and the broader region, captivating new audiences and preserving beloved traditions for generations to come.”

Both Horseback Archery and Tent Pegging are ancient equestrian arts cultivated by diverse cultures across the globe, and this will be the first time AlUla will host competitions based on Furusiyya Arts, the Arabic term for equestrian martial exercise.

The Horseback Archery competition draws inspiration from traditional horseback hunting, where archers navigate a 99-metre course, shooting arrows at targets of varying distances. Meanwhile, Tent Pegging involves riders galloping along a 99-metre track, spear in hand, picking up targets from the ground with speed and precision. The reigning World Cup holders in Tent Pegging are the KSA Team.

In addition to dignitaries from GCC and neighbouring countries being in attendance, ten countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Russia, Germany, South Africa and Iraq) are set to participate in the Tent Pegging World Championship, while 11 countries (Saudi Arabia, USA, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Canada, Indonesia, Mongolia and Thailand) will take part in AlUla Horseback Archery World Cup.

Over three action-packed days, the tournament activities will unfold simultaneously, with results tallied for both team and individual performances.

The events mark a significant expansion in the equestrian and sporting events calendar in AlUla, aligning with the region's comprehensive regeneration as a leading global destination for cultural and natural heritage. Other exciting equestrian events that take place as part of AlUla Moments’ calendar of events and festivals include the Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo from January 17th to 20th, 2024, and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup in February 2024.

Both events can be attended using the same ticket, available online. General admission ticket prices for Tent Pegging/Horseback Archery are set at SAR 30 for a single day; SAR 80 for a family ticket (two adults and three children) for one day; and SAR 80 for a three-day ticket. VIP options include a single ticket for SAR 120, a family ticket (two adults and three children) for one day at SAR 280, and a three-day ticket at SAR 280.

Find out more details at experiencealula.com

Creative Spirits Unleased Podcast: Stevie Delahunt

Creative Spirits Podcast - Listen

My guest for this next episode is Stevie Delahunt. This podcast is going to be a very different episode. When you get into it, you'll notice that we just started recording. There wasn't this moment where I went, "Stevie, welcome to the podcast," because we just started talking the minute we got on Zoom together.

Here's the background.

In the 24 hours before Stevie and I were scheduled to record, she discovered that her horse, Captain America, had severely lacerated his front left leg in the pasture. There was a big decision to be made. Was it even something that could be recoverable? She had spent the last 24 hours working with him to determine what to do.

The vets eventually took four hours to stich him up and put him back together. Given all that, I started this podcast by saying, "Stevie, we can just talk. We don't have to do a podcast; maybe you just need an ear for what you've been going through." She started talking, and I hit record because we just got right into it.

What you're going to hear in this podcast is two people having a very rich discussion about how to deal with adversity and pressure, including things like having our horse cut their leg and all the other things that we might call trauma. She calls those things productive struggle, or spicy memories.

Stevie is all about helping people deal with difficult situations. Let me tell you a little bit about her.

Stevie Delahunt graduated Michigan State University with two degrees and an intent to pursue law school at Georgetown University where she had been accepted. She switched gears and went to the French Pastry School of Chicago to learn how to do wedding cakes and set up shop in the Windy City. While in Chicago she learned of the worlds toughest horse race, the Mongol Derby, and she again let life guide her into constant change. On the other side of successfully completing the Mongol Derby she took a job with a start up company in Rhode Island and learned coding and marketing for the online business.

The endeavor in the world of start-ups gave her strong leadership skills and an education in business models she applied to starting her second and current business of horse related retreats. Stevie’s current business encompasses several facets of the horse world including beginner riding instruction, advanced Bootcamp style retreats for riders wishing to participate in difficult horse riding survival races around the world, horse shoeing, and endurance racing with horses which includes doing the worlds toughest one day one hundred mile horse race; the Tevis Cup.

Stevie believes that adversity is a necessary part of life and being prepared for adversity as well as creating it for oneself is essential and is a tool she uses in teaching both horses and humans, both young and old.

Listen to the podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-spirits-unleashed/id1493645286?i=1000637077652

Horses Affected by Short-Term Transportation Stress

HorseSport.com - Full article

A pair of studies show that there are significant changes in immune and endocrine function following even short periods of shipping.

By: Equine Disease Quarterly | November 15, 2023

Horses are commonly shipped for periods of three hours or less ‒ but even short hauls can elicit significant changes in immune and endocrine function, especially in older horses.

Horses are routinely transported for equestrian events as well as medical care. It is well recognized that long-distance transportation is a risk factor for the development of pleuropneumonia.

Results from a nationwide survey showed that horses are most commonly trailered short distances of three hours or less. The Adams Lab at the Gluck Equine Research Center within the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is currently working to investigate the impact of acute transportation stress on immune function in different groups of horses...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/equine-ownership/horses-affected-short-term-transportation-stress/?vgo_ee=QitO5VSCw1iEppDMQhoydIrFRbRpklJfDwhn08iZTD4u3RAMFDeL%3AdA09E6McyAFbRRwLRE7dSXKyDsnsBIxw

Gordy Ainsleigh and Endurance Running: ‘The Man Who Lit the Sport on Fire’

GearJunkie.com - Read and watch video

Written by Andrew McLemore
June 29, 2022

A new mini-documentary from HOKA TV tells the story of Gordy Ainsleigh, who virtually invented endurance running in 1974.

When Gordy Ainsleigh decided to run a 100-mile course developed for horseback riding, it “was unthinkable,” according to a new documentary.

Ainsleigh had already completed the Western States Trail Ride multiple times when his horse went lame in 1974. Already known for his ability to run portions of the course, Ainsleigh decided to try the whole thing...

More at:
https://gearjunkie.com/endurance/running/gordy-ansleigh-ultra-runner?sce=post-related-link

Feeding Endurance Horses

Thehorse.com - Full ArticleJuly 10, 2022
Posted by Heather Smith Thomas

Feeding hard-working endurance horses is as much art as it is science. Our sources walk you through an endurance horse’s diet, from conditioning to post-race.

Make sure your horse gets the energy, nutrients, and water he needs to tackle a long ride

Athletes need fuel to work. Endurance horses, in particular, need a nutrition strategy that will allow them to travel all day at moderate to high speeds without “running out of gas” or becoming dehydrated. They need adequate energy in a form that won’t produce excess body heat and will provide enough fluid and electrolytes to maintain hydration.

Julie Bullock, DVM, of Mount Sidney, Virginia, has been riding endurance horses for over 25 years and competes in 100-mile races. She says the endurance community is growing fast, and it’s important for newcomers to the sport to understand these horses’ nutritional needs.

Kathleen Crandell, PhD, an equine nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research, in Versailles, has extensive background in nutrition science and has trained and competed endurance horses. “When feeding an endurance horse, we think about two programs—feeding the horse on a daily basis as we get the horse into fitness, and then a plan for what we’ll feed the horse on the day of competition,” she says...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/159337/feeding-endurance-horses/

Conservation of Equestrian Space

HorseIllustrated.com - Full Article

Open space is crucial for horse owners and enthusiasts. Find out how you can be a part of the land-saving solution.

By Sarah E. Coleman
October 10, 2023

Whether you’re an avid trail rider or more comfortable in an arena, conservation of open space for equestrian endeavors should remain constantly on your radar. The loss of open space impacts the horse world in a plethora of ways, including limiting the places people can ride, allowing farms and stables to be encroached by residential and commercial developments, and making hay- and grain-growing land more difficult to keep in production.

The Urban Exodus Effect on Equestrian Space

We’ve all seen it: A farm we knew growing up or a park we used to ride in now surrounded by cookie cutter homes or strip malls, completely cut off from the countryside that used to envelope it.

“Urban sprawl” began in earnest in the 1950s, when people sought to leave city centers behind—and the noise, traffic and crime they often harbored—so they could have larger homes and yards in which to raise a family. Events like 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic created additional urban exoduses to more rural properties.

Often these new-acreage owners are not horse people, and they are frequently unaware of the culture of living in an equine community...

Read more here:
https://www.horseillustrated.com/conservation-of-equestrian-horse-space

Horse Boarding: Legal Rights and Responsibilities​

EquineLegalSolutions.comn - Full Article

At Equine Legal Solutions, we receive a lot of calls from horse owners and boarding stables that are unhappy with a situation and want to know what their legal rights are. In the four states where we practice, California, New York, Oregon and Washington, there are no laws governing horse boarding, other than animal cruelty statutes and local zoning regulations governing use of the property. Landlord/tenant law generally does not apply to horse boarding relationships unless the boarder lives on the stable property. Therefore, in general, the terms of horse boarding relationships are governed solely by contract (written or verbal).

What are the minimum accommodations a boarding stable is legally required to provide?

Unless the boarding contract says otherwise, a boarding stable is only required to provide the absolute minimum level of care – i.e., not violate state animal cruelty laws. State law generally requires providing access to potable water. Beyond that, requirements vary, but are usually quite minimal. For example, depending on the state and local laws, a boarding stable may not be legally required to provide shelter, and there may be no restriction on the number of horses that a boarding facility can keep on a particular piece of property. So, having a written horse boarding contract that spells out all of the important terms and conditions is essential for both boarding stable and boarder! ELS offers a downloadable horse boarding contract and forms package...

Read more here:
https://www.equinelegalsolutions.com/boarding-rights-and-responsibilities.html

Great Britain Woman, 82, rides pony 600-miles with her beloved dog in saddlebag beside her

Mirror.co.uk - Full Article & Video

Jane Dotchin makes the journey from her home in Hexham, Northumberland, to the north of Scotland every year and has even won awards for her long-distance exploits

By Bradley Jolly
News Reporter
8 Oct 2023

A pensioner with impaired vision travels 600 miles every year on her horse with her beloved dog in her saddlebag.

Jane Dotchin, now believed to be 82, has completed the long-distance exploits with Dinky the dog and Diamond the pony since 1972. She's so familiar with the route from her home in Hexham, Northumberland, to the north of Scotland that she is now friendly with business owners and community leaders.

Jane covers 15 to 20 miles every day and then sleeps in a tent during the seven-week adventures. During these periods, the keen explorer lives on porridge, oatcakes and cheese, and carries an old mobile which has a battery which lasts six weeks – although getting a signal can be a problem...

Read more here and watch video:
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-82-rides-pony-600-31135546

The Role of Pre-, Pro- and Postbiotics

HorseSport.com - Full Article

What's the difference? A look at these popular equine dietary supplements intended to stabilize the microbiome.

By: Madeline Boast, MSc. Equine Nutrition | September 20, 2023

Despite owners trying to minimize stress in their horse’s lives, no matter what, stressors are going to exist. Some common examples include exercise, transportation, social stressors etc. This negatively impacts the equine gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and since horses have an extremely sensitive GI tract, owners are continually seeking out ways to better support it.

Dietary supplements are a popular inclusion in equine rations. Pre-, pro- and postbiotics are often supplemented in hopes of stabilizing the microbiome of the horse to maintain overall health and well-being. Defining Pre-, Pro- and Postbiotics

Pre-, pro- and postbiotics are popular terms when it comes to gut health supplements. The World Health Organization defines probiotics as live microorganisms that when consumed in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host. One of the keywords in this definition is “live”. This sets probiotics apart from pre- and postbiotics...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/health/pre-pro-postbiotic-supplements/?vgo_ee=zBQsBCkKER1rcvWx%2FPSn6UYeuuOzYsrPofNJSI6eRvqFzDipdl73%3ACrZNZctimMcq4V1iSyXvyLyJlMKZEk7B

How your horse’s vision differs from yours

EquusMagazine.com - Full Article

If you want to shape your horse’s performance and gain his trust, you need to understand how he sees the world.

May 27, 2022
Janet L. Jones, PhD

See that sliver of light on the sand, shining through a gap in the roof of the indoor arena? Every time she goes past, Hawkeye arches her neck and skirts the boundary as if it’s a rattlesnake. The sliver changes in size and shape with the sun’s movement, and the mare seems to see each tiny difference as a brand-new snake. When a concurrent sound erupts—say, the sound of a grain of sand sliding—she leaps sideways.

These are normal behaviors that reflect the way a horse’s visual systems are hardwired into his brain. We can teach horses to overcome them, but we can’t make them go away. Nor can we make a horse see the way we do. How we respond to his fear depends partly on our own vision, which determines our expectations of what horses see.

Since the 1960s, cognitive psychologists have shown that we construct sight using information from our eyes combined with knowledge in our brains. Things can go wrong at either end—the eye or the brain. A person whose eyes become blind still sees images and dreams. One whose eyes are intact but whose visual cortex is damaged often sees lights and shadows but can’t make sense of them. In rare cases, people who are completely brain-blind can grasp a coffee cup set in front of them or navigate around objects, responding to the physical world even though they cannot consciously see it. This ability, called “blindsight,” isn’t limited to humans; cortically blind animals can do it, too.

Occasionally, a smidgen of visual cortex is impaired so specifically that its owner—having otherwise normal sight—suddenly cannot see color, shape or perhaps movement. Imagine trying to cross a busy street with eyes that function normally but a brain that can’t perceive motion. Cars travelling 60 miles an hour become a series of still images stopped along the road. At the next glance, they’re still stopped, but in different locations.

Neuroscientist Gerald Edelman said it best: “Every perception is a creation.” The trouble is that horses create their perceptions in ways that are very different from ours. Visual information travels from the eye to the brain in both species, of course. But the human brain sends back six times as much neural information in the opposite direction, transmitting messages to the sensory relay station that captures incoming views. This wiring is infrastructure for perceptual interpretation: the effect of knowledge being melded with the eye’s pictures of the outside world. So, who’s more objective in seeing reality, you or your horse? Hate to break the news, but it’s probably your horse. His brain is less prone to illusions and assumptions than yours is.

Equine vision is different from human vision in almost every way—acuity, range, eye contact and detection of peripheral motion, just for starters...

Read more here:
https://equusmagazine.com/behavior/eye-eye-31022/

Between the Ears with Endurance Rider Dr. Pamela Reband

Susan Kordish photo

EventingNationa.com - Full Article

By Tyler Held on Sep 19, 2023

t seems like these days we look at each other’s lives through the lens of a highlight reel. We get to see the incredible trips, the best jumps, and the moments that we’re proud enough of to put on social media. What we don’t talk about is how much pressure this adds to athletes on both ends of the news feed.

Riders, whether professional or not, are made to feel like they ‘have to’ post something that makes them look cool and successful. Then, as we consume this content, we are stuck with the disillusioned perception that the sport is easy and that if you’re not succeeding, then maybe you aren’t cut out for it. I would like to take this opportunity to go ‘between the ears’ of some of the riders that make up our Eventing Nation and work to understand some of the real challenges this industry presents.

If you’ve stumbled upon this article, there is a pretty good chance that you love horses, which also means that there’s a pretty good chance that through your love of horses, you have also confronted injury, fear, and anxiety. The reality of a life with horses is that there are inherent risks — whether you plan to go Advanced or are simply interested in trail riding with your friends.

If you’ve been following along with my Between the Ears series, you’ve heard stories from upper level eventers, and many of those stories included setbacks related to physical injury and how these riders were able to sort through related fears and get back to Eventing.

On this edition of Between the Ears, I got to talk to Dr. Pamela Reband, who many of you eventers reading this have probably have never heard of! Pam is a retired anesthesiologist who has been riding since the 1960s. She is an endurance rider who embraces the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) motto “To finish is to win...”

Read more here:
https://eventingnation.com/between-the-ears-with-endurance-rider-dr-pamela-reband/

Record attendance at Virginia trail benefit ride

PMG-VA.com - Full Article

September 25 2023

Over 180 riders enjoyed the trails on the east end of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area over the weekend of Aug. 25-26, for the Iron Mountain Jubilee Endurance Ride and Ride & Tie.

The ride is a benefit for the Back Country Horsemen of the Virginia Highlands (BCHVH) Trail Fund, and proceeds go directly into improvements on the trails.

The ride, based in Cripple Creek, attracted competitors from as far away as Chicago, Maine and Florida to take the challenge of 25-, 30-, 50- and 100-mile trail routes...

Read more here:
https://www.pmg-va.com/the_declaration/news/record-attendance-at-trail-benefit-ride/article_83e475ca-6d89-5591-b78a-42b2643e089e.html

Inside BoBo Poon’s entrepreneurial equestrian journey in Hong Kong

SCMP.com - Full Article

She competed at the World Equestrian Games in 2014, has a lifestyle store Horse & Hound – and runs clinics for young riders in China

STORY by Abbas Ifra Shahid
Sep 12 , 2023

* In 2014, BoBo Poon represented Hong Kong for the first time at the World Equestrian Games in France in endurance racing – a horse racing discipline that covers terrains ranging from 40km to 160km

* The 32-year-old is clearly passionate about equestrian sports, from her racing career and lifestyle store to leading nature riding experiences and helping young riders from Hong Kong to train in China

BoBo Poon is an equestrian-entrepreneur who has a vision of taking the sport to new heights in Asia. Photo: Handout The snowy alpine sceneries of Xinjiang, China, are reminiscent of those in Switzerland – and are often the location where you can find 32-year-old BoBo Ying Tung Poon.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Poon is a force to be reckoned with. She’s an accomplished professional equestrian, entrepreneur, and a trusted trainer and consultant in the world of horse riding and racing...

Read more here:
https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3234243/inside-bobo-poons-entrepreneurial-equestrian-journey-hk-she-competed-world-equestrian-games-2014-has

From Track to Trail, Following Connie Holloway's Passion for Riding!

September 9 2023

Meet Pacific Northwest Endurance Rides (PNER) member Connie Holloway from Oreana Idaho. Her journey to endurance riding has covered many miles of hard work and excitement. We asked Connie to share her life story with horses in her own words. Enjoy getting to know more about our energetic fellow endurance rider!

Connie: I am not sure how I discovered horses I know I was getting into trouble in second grade, doodling horses all over my notebooks and papers. I was drawn to them, but being a city girl, I did not have access to horses. I grew up in Seattle and probably read every horse book in my elementary school library. I didn’t try very hard in school, and my parents decided to dangle riding lessons in front of me in exchange for a better grades. So when I was eight or nine, I started taking English riding lessons and eventually was jumping.

At age 14, I went to the race track with my friend and her mom. A boy snuck us to the backstretch at Longacres a thoroughbred race track. I was mesmerized by the energy and the beautiful powerful horses. I met a woman trainer who was so kind and welcoming, When I left, I was determined that I would be working there next year. The next spring I convinced my dad to take me out there and I shyly walked around the backside going into barns asking for a job grooming horse .With no luck I started to say I would work for free. When I walked into barn, 7B, I was met by a group of young people. They said I could work there with them. I started on weekends during the school year. When school let out, I was there for three months, seven days a week, taking care of five horses and I was in heaven. Living and breathing horses. Since I knew how to ride, I got to also pony horses to the starting gate during race days. At first, it was a bit daunting to be in front of the crowds, a mix of loving the excitement and fear of not wanting to make a mistake in front of everybody. A mistake would be getting runoff with on the pony horse which people did!

While still in high school, I learned how to exercise the race horses starting on the two year olds, getting paid a dollar a horse! In spring came when the horses moved to the race track I was hired to exercise the horses. My first summer I had to ride super short irons, and I got runoff with here and there. I eventually learned how to cheat and get them pulling against themselves and not me. I learned to ride longer to get the horses to relax better for galloping and only put my irons short when I was working horses at racing speed or super tough horses where I needed the leverage.

After graduation, I continued riding and went to Bay Meadows in the fall, and Golden Gate in the winter in Northern California. This was my career for 23 years. I feel really blessed to have had these experiences because they taught me so much while riding hundreds of different horses. On the side I bought horses off the track and re-schooled them as jumpers. I bought Vested Gold, having been his track groom. He became “Casper”, a fabulous jumper. He was my love! (See his photos). The race track life was tough, working seven days a week no holidays; but facing the challenges and having the structure has served me well throughout my life.

In the early 1990’s I met Merri Melde when she was a groom for the same trainer that I was exercising horses for. We stayed friends after both leaving the track for other paths in life. Merri is currently a well known endurance rider and equine photographer. In 2003 Merri invited me to 20 mule team to ride an LD on Jackie Bumgardner’s 27-year-old horse Ross. I had fun but man that was a rough riding Arab and I thought if that’s how Arabs went, I wasn’t going to switch. Obviously I had no experience with Arabians because little did I know! The next year Merri began working for Steph Teeter and invited me up to help and ride at Stephs five day Canyonlands ride . I got to ride her horse Captain on an LD at her Canyonlands Ride. He was an obnoxious, bossy black horse. who later became mine and I renamed him Phinneas. I was told we deserved each other, and it was a good thing. I loved him and put up with him, because no one else would! Endurance was now amazing with the right mount! Phinneas was my heart horse for sure! He was a great grandson of the black stallion in the movie and I told everybody that would listen to me that. He was very confident and smart tough always right hardheaded, and a blast to ride. He reminded me of horses I rode at the track, very strong and competitive. He wore me out though, because he was an adrenaline horse and always wanted to go go go and compete. Sometime I just had to take a cross on him with the reins and put them on his neck and let him pull against himself!

I also was able to acquire acreage there and moved into the little endurance Mecca with other experienced endurance riders including Carol Brand and Linda Kluge, along along with Steph and Merri and Regina Rose just down the road. I entered the sport with so many mentors and was from the get-go assisting ride managers. What memories we all have and it is changed now. Karen Bumgarner now has Steph’s place and Regina Rose and Merri live at my place so we still are a bit of a Mecca.

I was drawn back to riding because of endurance. Endurance combined my love of riding, and the natural world. Endurance folks remind me of race trackers, a rather hearty group of people not pretentious like the show world and like the race trackers it’s family when you go to a different race track you usually run into someone you know. That is true with endurance rides. When you go to different rides in the PNER region you’ll start meeting so many other people. It took me a while to meet people cause I just stuck in Idaho because I didn’t have a horse trailer, but now Regina has been kind enough to trailer me with her to new rides out of state. So now I do feel I know a lot of the PNER community which is super fun. I love some of our cribbage matches at rides and just sitting around and laughing.

I can’t say I really have a favorite ride. I love so many and there’s so many I haven’t gone to. Our Oreana neighborhood founded the City of Rocks ride. We had so much fun camping up there exploring for weeks on end to find trails . Up until this year we managed that ride and I loved being a part of it. I do really love hundreds because to me they are the ultimate challenge. While riding multi day 50s can be challenging as well. A lot of horse management and conditioning. Not all hundreds are the same and some are easier than others, but of course, weather can make the easy one super tough so there’s that! I love them because you need to really condition your horse and yourself. They are a bit more unpredictable, and takes so much thought and care to you and especially your horse. The bond you have with your horse increases tenfold during 100 because you are riding them much longer and in the dark as well. It takes a lot of trust of your horse and yourself.

I also got my niece, Sarah Holloway into the sport when she was eight and we rode together for five years (see photos). We had some amazing experiences together riding. I will never forget, and I’m so grateful for all the support I got, and making that happen. Sarah loved PNER, the convention was so fun and they do so much to support juniors and honor them. Unfortunately when she was riding, there were hardly any juniors not like today. Come on keep it up juniors!! This summer Sarah texted me that her best childhood memories were endurance,riding with me. That’s a pretty awesome text to get because it’s a lot of work keeping the horse in condition for a junior that doesn’t live close by. I see so many juniors now today having so much fun together and it makes me smile.

I actually did not know about PNER early on in my endurance riding. Nance Worman told me about it and said it was super fun and great prizes. I love the yearly PNER convention. They have so many different awards, lots of useful information, so many good speakers.and awesome vendors. But the funnest thing is getting together with everybody and you’re not wearing riding clothes!

I did some training for DWA Arabians (Drinkers of the Wind) and became friends with Archie Bouttier and his wife Helen Bonner.This is how I got my horse DWA Saruq who is now retired. My current horses are DWA Barack and DWA Papillon who was a gift to me from Helen after Archie passed suddenly.

As for my endurance accomplishments, I have not won a lot of rides. I’m not sure that I’ve ever won a 50. I have gotten BC a few times and top 10 a lot. So not very impressive if you go by those stats. I ride to the conditioning of my horses and I’m lucky I’ve been mentored well. I’m not as competitive as I was in my 20s and 30s and have learned the hard way not to get caught up in placing at the expense of your horse. Nothing serious though. If you have an adrenaline horse, they will want to go even if they are not conditioned they are the ones that will get you in trouble. You’re the one that knows how well you’ve conditioned your horse and is important for me to take care of my horse. I generally don’t push it. I have over 6000 miles, which is a few and no idea how many racetrack miles I have LOL I’m still learning and each horse teaches me something different. I think I’m most proud of having two decade horses one over 3000 miles, which is Phinneas and DWA Saruq is just under 3000.

You asked what advice I might have for new riders; well I am really fortunate that I had so many mentors being in my endurance neighborhood that I didn’t have to look for any. So if I were a newbie, I would definitely join green beans and get a mentor, a mentor with a good record of mileage and completions I knew a lot about being a good rider but not about horse management. There is so much to know in this sport. And it really takes a couple years. At least if you have a horse with no base to develop him to be competitive, I would say three personally if no base . I would’ve made so many more mistakes if I didn’t have the help I had. If you are a super competitive person, you should really know what you’re doing before you start racing in endurance. Track racing and riding endurance are completely different in my opinion. Some of the many endurance people I appreciate so much are: Helen Bonner who taught me a lot about ulcers and taking care of them, Christoph and Suzy Hayes both shared a wealth of information and help if you just ask. Kristin Grace for all-around good knowledge. And Merri Melde helped me from the get-go. She’s the one that taught me to be conservative! Endurance is a wonderful sport.



It’s fun to be competitive or just ride. And it’s really fun to be part of the PNER community for information, and friendship

Visit https://pner.net/ for more info.

Backpacker Radio #217 | Gillian Larson aka the Thru-Rider on Covering 10,000 Miles on Horseback: Logistics, Advice, and Favorite Stories

TheTrek.co - Listen

Sep 4, 2023 : Backpacker Radio Pacific Crest Trail

In today’s episode of Backpacker Radio presented by The Trek, we are joined by long-distance thru-rider Gillian Larson. Yes, thru-rider. Gillian has more than 10,000 backcountry wilderness miles via horseback, including two thru-rides of the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Arizona Trail, and the Colorado Trail. Gillian was the youngest person to solo-thru ride the PCT in 2014, and became the first person to thru-ride both the PCT and CDT. We of course ambush Gillian with an onslaught of ignorant questions of what it takes to complete one of these long trails via horseback. We went into this chat assuming the logistics of a thru-ride were tough, and oh boy, did we underestimate that. A fascinating conversation, we think you’ll really dig this one.

We wrap the show with a recap and some of Badger’s top takeaways from his recent 3-night trek through Washington’s Goat Rock Wilderness, a triple crown of things that float, and what range of times are appropriate for dinner.

Listen:
https://thetrek.co/pacific-crest-trail/backpacker-radio-217-gillian-larson-aka-the-thru-rider-on-covering-10000-miles-on-horseback-logistics-advice-and-favorite-stories/

Training In Deep Sand May Increase Likelihood Of Equine Pelvic Fractures

PaulickReport.com - Full Article

by Paulick Report Staff|08.24.2023

Pelvic fractures in horses are an uncommon injury, most often occurring in horses that undergo repetitive loading in training and competition. This stress can cause microdamage to bones that can interfere with remodeling, weakening the bone and leading to fractures.

Though most athletically induced pelvic fractures occur in racehorses, endurance horses have also been shown to experience these breaks.

A study by Dr. Massimo Puccetti, associate veterinarian for the Dubai Equine Hospital, investigated pelvic fatigue fractures in endurance horses in the United Arab Emirates from January 2012 to March 2020. He hypothesized that training in deep sand may influence the fractures...

Read more here:
https://paulickreport.com/horse-care-category/training-in-deep-sand-may-increase-likelihood-of-equine-pelvic-fractures/

Horse Power: Montana-originated Backcountry Horsemen ride on into 50th year

Missoulian.com - Full Article

LEX MITCHELL
Aug 21, 2023

VANDO — On packed horses and mules, Backcountry Horsemen volunteers ascended into the wilderness on a trail surrounded by fresh wildflowers and burnt timber.

The trail to Lake Otatsy near the North Fork of the Blackfoot made for a 15-mile round trip on the start of their two-day trip. Every so often, volunteers dismounted their horses to do what they were there for — saw away fallen trees and debris to improve the path for themselves and for all future recreationists.

It’s a needed service as trails see increased use in the area. And it’s a service the Backcountry Horsemen have been happy to provide since starting 50 years ago in Montana’s Flathead Valley with a focus on advocating and creating greater trail access. The organization has since expanded to 37 states since its inception.

The chapter that cleared the trails in the mountains bordering the Bob Marshall Wilderness was one of 17 chapters in Montana, with around 917 members total enrolled in the organization...

Read more and listen here:
https://missoulian.com/news/local/backcountry-horsemen-trail-clearing-recreation-50th-year/article_15f6f1d0-3e17-11ee-bc67-3f8c203bddff.html

Long Distance Rider’s Journey Ends Abruptly

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

A Texas resident who was determined to ride 2,300 miles from Austin to Seattle on horseback has (thankfully) wrapped up the trip early.

By: Kim Izzo | August 15, 2023

The misadventures of Texas resident Cyril Bertheau, 24, is well documented on his own social media. His goal, expressed last April on TikTok and Instagram accounts with the handle 2raw2ride was to ride “from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington by horse in less than 100 days.” It’s a journey of 2,300 miles or 3,700 kilometres.

There is scant evidence that Bertheau knew what he was doing, or how to train a horse for such a long ride, or even that he trained at all. He had no prior experience and bought two horses to make the journey. Shiock was first and was purchased off Craigslist, and then later Bertheau added Pete to alleviate some of the burden...

Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/long-distance-riders-journey-ends-abruptly/

Get Your Summer Reading On with Books by and for Endurance Riders!

August 15 2023



The ever-expanding Endurance.net bookshelf is packed with books to keep you entertained this summer when you’re not in the saddle, from the newly published to old classics.

From books on training and nutrition for long-distance riding, to long-distance adventure rides, to Tevis Cup adventures, you’ll find plenty of variety to sate your curiosity and fill the spaces on your own bookshelf.

See the mega list at:
http://www.endurance.net/Books/