On October 14th I emabarked on my next endurance ride.  Having taken some time off while I was busy being pregnant and having a baby girl.  This was to be my first ride back.

I took Adriana II (aka Dusk) a 4 1/2 year old mare from my first Andalusian/Arabian foal crop. 

Dusk was amazing.  Our Pulse criterea at the mid point check was a surprising 56.  However, she managed quite nicely.  We finished the ride in about 4 1/2 hours .

My mother came along on this ride and rode her TW Gelding Handsome Ranson on the 15 mile fun ride.  She had sooooo much fun they are going to try 25 miles at Warner Springs!

The ride was a typical 'Tery' ride, well atended & well staffed with volunteers.

Aaaah, back to Manzanita.  I can't say enough good things about this ride.  We went down in my truck (this time with a camper) and I rode Striking.  This was her 2nd LD ride this year.

Don Blankenship (the one with the cute wrangler butt) joined us again riding his gelding Knight Heir (Knight Ranger).

Pictured left is Shams Illusion, this was his third 25 mile LD and our first time Solo! We went up alone and it was a very peaceful experience.

The Bar H Boogie was a great ride. The parking area was 'beyond huge'. The trail was great and was quite varied. The mid point check was well attended with Volunteers and Snickers pulsed down right away. Snickers did great and he got all A's on his final Vet through.

We were duly warned about the H.O.S. (Hills of significance) about 20 miles out, but there really is no way to adequately describe them. We trudged our way to the top and to our great delight found copious amounts of water.

It was the most fun I've had at a ride, the reality of what it means to 'ride your own ride' really hit home.

We wasted about 30 minutes trying to locate the trail markings at one point and as it turned out l ess than 1/2 of the 25 milers finished within time (so I didn't feel to bad), but Ride Management took pity on us and still gave out Completion Awards to all.

I went down with just my truck and trailer and stayed in my 'truck tent', which is a tent that hooks to and fits inside the bed of your truck.

Pictured left is my 8 year old Half Arabian mare Striking, who is sired by Dorann LaPerch's Stallion Rex Ten (Strike) and out of Chances are (Baskerados Charm X SW Fadjuraana). Striking represents three generations of our half arabian breeding program. The recovery pulse during the ride was 60 and Crystal pulsed down within just a few moments of arriving at the Mid point Check, what a good girl.

Warner Springs was a beautiful setting and the weather was wonderful. The trail was a combination of hills and fields, single track and fire roads. This ride seemed to go on forever, and took a bit longer than my first ride. As you can see from the pictures, these hills didn't see any fire, luckily and the scenery was to die for.

There were bungalo's available at Warner Springs Ranch (adorable, each with a fire place & a refridgerator) and the Equestrian Center (where our horses were stabled) took excellent care of the horses.

If your looking for a place to go and trail ride during the day, while your SO enjoyrs Golf and/or Tennis and relax afterwareds with a Spa treatment or a soak in the hot tub or mineral springs, this is the place to go.

Pictured left is Mike Clark on Shams Illusion, my riding buddy at Warner Springs...They did a great job together and had a blast.

Pictured Left is Shams Illusion and I at our first Endurance ride. We did a 25 mile LD at Manzanita. We started conditioning for the ride in June of that year and although new to Endurance I was able to cut a lot of corners in the research department for the most efficient feeds available and for the best way to condition with the help of my friend Pam who had helped her husband when he decided to try Endurance. When I finally got to the ride I was so impressed. Talk about a great bunch of people. Although I have owned & shown in a wide variety of disciplines for over 20 years, never have I entered a new discipline where I felt so comfortable and welcomed. Although unsure of what to expect, being a newbie to Endurance, I was constantly astounded by the nice and helpful people & volunteers at the ride. Terry Howe, who was responsible for putting on the Manzanita ride went out of her way to take excellent care of everyone who attended and all of the horses. There was an abundance of feed and water at the mid point check (14 miles in) with a dozen or so community bran mashes set out.

The first 14 miles were in the hills, lot's of up and down, which Snickers wasn't used to, but he got through it quite well. Once in the mid point check, he pulsed down within 10 minutes or so and passed his Vet exam with flying colors. There was an abundance of water, forage, carrots & mashes for the horses, with cold water, Gatorade and fruit for the riders. The final leg was a steep down hill and uphill climb, which leveled out and the last several miles were flat, with water available every few miles and a Gatorade/water and cookie stand just miles away from the finish. Boy did I feel spoiled.

The camping area was clean and spacious, and although the corrals we were in were situated side by side and back to back, all of the horses got along without a fuss.

Pictured left are Don Blankenship & Knight Heir (Knight Ranger X Arasara (Rex Ten) at the same ride. Viking was excited and nervous to start and completed the first half too quickly, he settled down and recovered well during the mid point check and finished his ride quite nicely.

WHAT AN AWESOME SPORT!!! I'M SO HOOKED!!