Gosh, what better way to showcase the Arabian spirit. It's what they were bred to do for centuries! go all day and enjoy doing it!

Here's some of my favorite photos of Star, my 19YO gelding, and I competing. Would you believe he was advertised as a QH, LOL!

40 degrees, rainy November ride in Oklahoma. Star decided to keep up with the frontrunners and dumped my butt in the red OK mud and headed down the trail to catch up. Lucky for me, a friend caught him and brought him back. it would have been a long walk to camp!



A rainy spring ride in Cherryvale, KS. We top 10'd this one. We don't do that very often, LOL.



yet another rainy, cold ride in Kansas. Would you believe we just finished a 30 mile CTR here? He was ready to keep going....I was ready to get warm and dry!




I can't remember where we are here, LOL. Probably because it wasn't raining!



Winding Stair, another rainy ride in OK



Getting ready to head back out to trail after the first 15 miles of a 25. He was anxious to get going and didn't understand why we needed to stop for the photographer!

I dabble in it, in that I would like to be able to do more. To date, I have only ridden one CTR, completed one 25LD and 40 of a 50.

My boy, JerryO, could have completed the 50. I had some serious back pain and then when I did the trot out for the vet exam, got overtaken by heat exhaustion so called it quits.

I also have an Arab mare that wouuld prob excell as a 50-100 horse if I could find time to finish her training and get out on the trails.

Hard to do when I have a 2 year old running around of my own. Hopefully, she will be able to hit the trails soon with Mom. She just started leadline with her pony, which she absolutely loved.

I ride with two herniated disks and a very arthritic knee! Sometimes we have to set our sights a little lower. I've been doing 25s for years, but I think I'm getting ready to try the longer distances again.

I know what you mean with a toddler around. When my boys were little, my riding consisted of 20 minutes in the paddock when it was the kids' naptime....

chris

If all goes well I'll be doing my first LD endurance ride in November. If it doesn't go as planned it will be March . My endurance prospect is a 8 yr old 7/8 gelding . It will be my first time trying endurance , I've crewed for a friend on and off the last couple years .

I'm so glad we have endurance people on here! It's a great sport. After crewing for Tevis, I have nothing but respect for the horses and their people.

bayrad, kasaj2000 & CL, Cheers to you!

Tamara

You go, Comstock Lode!

chris

I'm lucky to live in a great area for endurance and there is a super group here that put on a lot of rides . Within 10 miles of my house there are 4 or 5 rides including the Region 7 Championship ride . I've spent most of the last 20 years making circles and it's time to go in a straight line .

The gelding I'm going to be using is by my stallion . His owner has a small child and is trying really hard to have more . She just isn't into riding at this point in her life . I've had him here before and he has a super walk and a great ground covering trot . I had tried with one of my purebred geldings in the past but he would not eat or drink away from home no matter what . So I'm hoping I'll be able to do it, .

Brings back fond memories.

I used to do Endurance and CTR years ago. Helped lay part of the original trail at Robbers Cave and John Zink (though some of the original Zink trail has long been under water), and competed the very first CTRs in the state of OK (did Endurance at the same time, but it started a few years earlier than I did). My sister is still involved in putting on AERC rides, I think.

My riding quit when Chrissi started Eventing, lol. (I still think that her growing up on the trail is why Cross Coutry is her strongest Eventing phase .... only had 1 XC stop in 20 years competition.)

Bayrab, did you ever come down and ride either of those trails? I keep saying I'm going to start again now that the youngest two grand kids are in school full time.

Chrissi, almost 9, following me on the 1981 IAHA Nat. Ch. CTR. at RobbersCave.
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Chrissi and CH The Lady Leonie, first day, 49 miles out.
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My sis finished 5th, Chrissi 7th, me 12th, brother-in-law 18th.

I have not done either of those, although I keep threatening to do the Zink Ranch ride in June. My husband always has a campout that weekend and he wants to use my trailer!

chris

I think endurance looks like it would be great fun, but work. I attended all the endurance clinics at the Egyptian Event this year and went up to watch the race.A gelding showed by his Jr owner all week in Hunt classes won 2nd place in the 25 mile.The top placing SE or ES at that race get Awesome saddles from the King of Morroco in the 25 and 50