Well, Pocita and I finally did it. We completed our first endurance ride yesterday, a 55 miler in the Coldwater area of the Backwater River State Forest in the Florida Panhandle. It was originally advertised as a 50 miler, but some riders GPS said closer to 55. I had signed up for the 25, because, as I told everyone, I was not going to do my first endurance ride if conditions weren't just about perfect! We arrived Friday afternoon. The weather was great with a clear sky, warm sun and temps around 65. The forecast for ride day was temps in the 30s in the AM, clear skies, high in the high 50s. The weather was apparently going to cooperate. So I asked about the loops. I don't like riding the same loop twice. I was told 3 different loops, the longest a little over 22 miles with a mandatory 10 minute rest halfway through, then a 50 minute pit at camp. The next loop was over 17 miles then a 50-minute pit at camp. The last loop was over 11 miles. Shoot, another 2 miles on the forts loop and I would have an LD ride (25 miles) in. Almost half the ride done the first loop. I can do this. Ok, so the loops set up for riders not getting bored and all pits (nice long ones) at ride camp. One of my favorite vets as head vet. And no shoes needed for Pocita. I couldn't even use the excuse of having to get up too early since the ride was in the Central Time Zone so my body saw getting up at 5AM CT as old hat since I get up at 6AM ET (5AM CT) every day. There was just no way out. Definitely no way out after Ed cheerfully announced to the million people around the sign-in table "Lindsay and Posit are doing the 50 miler"! Everyone was very excited that I was FINALLY, after approximately 50 or so LD rides, going to try for the "big time". I did manage to sleep the night before, mainly by assuring myself that blowing the first ride of the new AERC ride year was not going to be a biggie. I could say I tried, but Pocita and I were just not ready and scurry back to LD, the later start times, earlier finish times and definitely more time to visit and relax. So much for that theory. I set my goals: 3 hours for the first loop, 3 hours for the second, 2-3 (depending upon how dog-A tired we would be) for the last loop. And IN BEFORE DARK. It gets light about an hour earlier there than here so the sun consequently sets an hour earlier. I had to get this wrapped up by 5-5:30 or be out in the dark. No thanks, not after first climbing in the saddle at 6AM! We got started without a problem. I took up my usual close to last position for the start. I rode with no one except for about 6-7 miles on the first loop. Much easier to ride my ride and rate my horse that way. The first loop, although the longest, was the easiest terrain-wise. Mostly good footing and some low hills. I clocked in at the in-timer right on schedule: 9:32 after a start at 6:30. Pocita was at pulse when I got to the pulse takers and went through the first vet check fine. We went back to the trailer and she ate and drank while I also ate and drank (Propel, not beer!). Back in the saddle at 10:30. This was the worst loop. Pocita was acting more tired than I thought she should. There were more hills and this time, sand. Several miles of it close to the end of the loop and no way around it. Walk, walk, walk. Good thing Pocita had done some cantering early on or we'd still be out there. And there was one area of heavy smoke. Never did find out what from, but it burned and dried my nasal passages badly as I'm sure it did Pocita's. But somehow we made it in the 3-hour time frame. Pulse was fine, trot out fair. Brother she'd better chow down and then perk up on this loop or we'll never make it. Ed and Obi were finished with their 25 milers by the time I got in to the second pit. They placed 8th and got 8th place BC. Ed helped with Pocita (she dragged him to the hay and feed bucket where she spent the next 45 minutes stuffing herself, thank goodness). By this time the first 10 placements on the 50 were in (how can anyone POSSIBLY ride 50 miles in under 6 hours????). And me plus about 9 other "turtles" with a full loop yet to go. After pep talks from everyone I was back on board at 2:30PM. Only a little over 11 miles to go. Yeah, well, that was the LONGEST 11 miles I've ever ridden. More sand, more long grades, a lollypop loop I'd thought we'd never get off of and to add insult to injury, we had to pass the Coldwater barn area TWICE. Once going into the lollypop and once coming out. Well, Pocita could not understand why we couldn't go to that nice barn and chill out for a while. She would go a bit, stop and look longingly over her shoulder at rest and food and other relaxing horses. So I reminded her that the sooner she got moving, the sooner WE'D be back "at the barn" eating and relaxing and since I did not expect to be out after dark she'd better get a move on. She did and with the help of Ed on my cell phone checking on my progress every half hour or so (he rode the same loop on the 25) and cheering me on, I crossed the finish line 2 hours after I rode out of camp. Done at 4:30 about 45 minutes before sunset and 1.5 hours before the cut off (12 hours) for the ride. And we weren't even turtle! About 6 people took longer than we did. Our ride time was 8.25 hours in 28th place out of about 45 starting (there were a lot of pulls). Not bad for first timers. It was easier than I thought it would be, Pocita did better than I thought she would, everyone was very happy for us, I think both of us actually felt better after this ride than after all the LDs we've done and she hasn't quit eating yet. She dragged me from the last vet check back to the trailer with everyone commenting that she could do another 25. I don't think so. Well, maybe, but the RIDER couldn't. She is a great mare with a heart as big as her sire's (Leo) and her brother (Obi). I think we will have to try this endurance thing again sometime. As one friend commented to Ed after our completion, "Another one's been snake bit". That is one way to look at it and, I'm afraid, it is going to be all too true.

Congrats on an exceptional ride, both of you as well as Ed and company.
I am glad to hear it went well and that you shared your experience with us. I would love to see more accounts of people's endurance and other disciplines experiences.

Thank you for posting on how it was to complete the ride. I have wondered about doing one of these myself, and it is very encouraging to read about your experience. You said she went shoeless, and I'm wondering how her feet held out?

Check out the forum, she has shared many accounts of her rides. And Thanks we all had fun and that is what this is all about for the horses and me. Lindsay/Posit team had a blast as you can tell. They also have held the lead in LD southeast AERC region & Sedra all year2005 & are regional team mileage champs. We are proud for them.

I never run Pocita or Obi in shoes except for front shoes at Dawson Forest once a year. Shoes seem to bother Pocita a lot. She tolerates fronts, but back shoes must bother her gait too much or something. She has very tough feet from being barefoot almost her entire life. We do rides in sand, mud, nice firm dirt, limerock and clay roads, grass, roots, gravel (walk on gravel). So far she has done well. The farrier never has to trim much on her, but her feet do not wear down to the point of having problems. I do feed a supplement for hooves daily: Horseshoer's Secret. You can find it in Jeffers catalogue and some feed stores. If we still lived out west in the desert or in very rocky areas here in the SE I'm sure I'd have to think about shoes or a new sole sealer I've heard about (but can't remember where), but so far she has over 600 miles and other than tender soles on her back feet after the second 25 miler in a row at Dawson (did 5 one day, then the following day)this past summer, she has been fine.