Finding My Riding Rhythm Again

Thank you to everyone for the support lent on my last post. I appreciated your kind words and feeling less alone with my fears and frustrations. 💚

Now, as promised, onward to lighter writing material!

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I stepped away from endurance in 2019 after a "comeback" 50-mile ride with Q at Biltmore. If you recall, she'd had a suspensory injury late-summer in 2016. That injury was caused, by all things, from something she did during turnout and not from competition. Horses, I swear. 

After giving her ample time off, I brought her back and completed the 50 at Biltmore in 2019. But it wasn't without stress. The vet checks nerve-wracking due to her inconsistent NQR gait. The anxiety was enough for me to walk away from competition. I was never in endurance for the competition, after all. I was in it for the miles of trail and beautiful scenery. And I could do that just fine on my own time!

I clocked my biggest mileage year ever in 2020 with 604 annual ridden miles thanks to the pandemic lock-down. That was 50 miles more than my best endurance season—without a single competition. It was a personal proof point that I didn’t need the structure of events to enjoy my horses. And honestly, that felt really good.

But in 2021, my annual mileage dropped by half.  By 2022 through 2024, it was down to a third of what it once was, as life’s other priorities took over. This year, though? This year I'm determined to get back to a more "normal" annual mileage. 

I try my best to set achievable goals every year. Something challenging, but realistic. As such, it seems reasonable to work toward an annual mileage goal of 350. That’s my historical non-competition average, which is surprisingly modest for someone who spent years in endurance. But it worked when factoring in Q’s half-Arabian breeding, competition rides doubling as conditioning, and her 24/7 turnout on 20 acres.

Truth be told, riding more than this amount is challenging for me - unless there's a pandemic lockdown apparently! As much as I love horses and riding, I also have other passions: skiing, hiking, mountain biking, photography, and rock climbing to name a few. Balancing them all is a dance that shifts year to year.

Even during my lower-mileage years, I had a gut feeling that my desire to ride more would return. And now, I can honestly say I’m excited about this goal - more excited than I’ve been about a riding goal in years.

To reach it, I plan to revisit trails I’ve only explored briefly in the past. They may not have the dramatic views of some others I’ve shared, but they offer gentler footing and plenty of shade - perfect for summer rides. And, of course, I’ll be sharing those adventures here. Something to look forward to!