# 10-yr goal Tevis



## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

I've been fantasizing about endurance riding for years, even before I got my 1st horse 5 years ago when she was only 6 months old. So now she's old enough we can start getting conditioned, and I finally found a good trainer/instructor, and we're making progress and I'm no longer a rank beginner - and I'm 47, fat, and recovering from breast cancer. But we're going to do it. Before I die, she and I are going to complete Tevis. We're not going to win, but we ARE going to finish.

I'm putting it out there today - August 27, 2017 - the day I put the plan in concrete.

Very soon we'll be ready to start. She's been giving me trouble and I've been learning how to be her leader. She's finally gaining confidence in me and we're starting to work together. She's a spoiled little princess and I'm old, been sick, recovered from a pelvis fractured in 5 places, and we're starting at the very very bottom and working up.

Has anybody on here done it? Can you give me some suggestions as far as timelines and how to progress slowly and avoid injuries? I got a gym membership and I have to start slowly and avoid injury myself. I have been somewhat atheletic in the past, cross-country skiing up to 25 miles at a time and riding my bicycle up to 65 miles at a time. I've never been a runner and have never been able to run for more than 2 miles and lately I can't even do a mile. I'm 5'4" and 170 lbs.

I want to start conditioning for some of the 25-mile races and maybe do those for a year or two, as my first goal. We have a lot of trails around here and I've gone on some trails with Ona, but they were too difficult for us. Very steep hills full of rolling rocks and washouts, and I didn't feel like that was at all safe for us as beginners. My confidence was low and she jumped the gullies and scared the crap out of me. I'm thinking we'll start doing one with more gentle hills and move forward when it's time.

I'm open to any and all advice except "don't do it," LOL. Ona is a quarter horse, so I know we're not going to win. She's got a refined build, excellent conformation but muscular and I think the biggest risk for both of us during any long rides will be overheating/dehydration. How do you train for that??

Thanks in advance, I've been reading your blogs/stories and dreaming!


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

Hope you make your goal! There is a couple of riders on here that have ridden the Tevis, but they have years of experience. 

I used to dream of riding the Tevis too; it seems to be the ultimate trail riding goal :grin: My first goal is an LD and I think it is very doable with my gelding, even though he is not fast. To finish is to win!!

It was suggested to me by more experienced riders to look into NATRC competitions, so that is what I am starting with. Have been to one clinic and learnt a lot. Maybe that would be a good place for you to start too.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

NATRC? I'm going to look that up.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

newtrailriders said:


> NATRC? I'm going to look that up.


Maybe the link will help, lol 

NATRC National Website - Home


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

Thanks! So I see the next ride in my area is in 3 months....would it be remotely reasonable to consider going to that one if we start training next week, M,W,F? The longest we've ridden so far is 4 miles and we weren't tired or anything, just figured we ought to keep it shortish.

I'm going to start the training with my husband (65 years old) and his gelding (18 years old) accompanying us. His gelding had done many many trail miles over the years, going on long trail vacations with his late owner. My husband is pretty much a rank beginner.

Edited to add: his gelding has run many many miles this year, up and down the fence line, because I took Ona away from him LOL


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

newtrailriders said:


> Thanks! So I see the next ride in my area is in 3 months....would it be remotely reasonable to consider going to that one if we start training next week, M,W,F? The longest we've ridden so far is 4 miles and we weren't tired or anything, just figured we ought to keep it shortish.
> 
> I'm going to start the training with my husband (65 years old) and his gelding (18 years old) accompanying us. His gelding had done many many trail miles over the years, going on long trail vacations with his late owner. My husband is pretty much a rank beginner.
> 
> Edited to add: his gelding has run many many miles this year, up and down the fence line, because I took Ona away from him LOL


I would think if you can do 10-15 miles at the pace they require, then the one day 20 mile ride should be ok. It is not as fast as endurance riding, but you will be judged on all aspects of your care of the horses. Can really learn a lot that will help you work towards your long term goal. 

I went to a clinic first, which was very helpful to learn the rules. Maybe you can find someone in your area that rides NATRC and see if they will help you learn. All the people I have met have been very kind.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

My instructor says she has a friend who rides endurance races....maybe I can get some info from her, find someone to ride with


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

Go read @phantomhorse13's journal if you want to be inspired :grin: She's done it and her journal is an awesome read.

I would also recommend spending some time on the AERC website (aerc.org), great info there. If you're on Facebook, there's a page called "North America Endurance Green Beans," also very informative. 

I too hope to get into LDs and endurance next year, but being a mere mortal I don't see Tevis in my future. :wink: Its an amazing goal though! Hope you'll journal here about your progress as you start conditioning.


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## knightrider (Jun 27, 2014)

All good advice. I also suggest you research "interval training". I started out doing 25 mile competitive trail rides and discovered I was training all wrong. When I learned about "interval training", I started winning higher awards. I learned that I was over training, and my horse was going into the rides tired. 

A vet once told me (for what it's worth) that any horse who is ridden somewhat regularly can successfully complete a 25 mile ride.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

I think it pop a big bowl of popcorn tonight and dive into that journal, and definitely research interval training. I think tomorrow we will start doing some fun trail rides every M,W and F. No rush, right?


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

Oh My. I'm to #127 of Phantom Horse's journal and wondering what on earth I was thinking, committing to such a goal!! I MAY just be too old for this LOL


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

@newtrailriders you are NEVER too old to go for your dreams! You can do this. Baby steps. And @phantomhorse13 is a super nice person and I am sure when needed she can offer great advice. And as @knightrider said she started small and has done a couple of rides this year and competed with her daughter.


Do it! Chase your dream!


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

newtrailriders said:


> I think tomorrow we will start doing some fun trail rides every M,W and F. No rush, right?





newtrailriders said:


> Oh My. I'm to #127 of Phantom Horse's journal and wondering what on earth I was thinking, committing to such a goal!! I MAY just be too old for this LOL


Oh no, please don't come away from my journal thinking that!! :icon_frown:

You already have the right attitude.. go out and have fun while riding your horse. No rushing needed. Tevis has been around a long time and will be around for many, many years to come. Better to take the time it takes for you and your horse to be prepared than to rush and have something bad result.

Start with what you are doing now - have fun trail riding. Make a note of how long you are riding and/or the mileage of your normal rides. Get an idea of your overall pace. You can do this in a variety of ways. I personally use a wrist GPS, but you can start with a free app for your phone to give you the basic idea of your mileage and pace. Or you can just record how long you rode, roughly how much time was at each gait, and what trail you rode on (assuming you have a variety of trails to pick from). Once you have an idea of what a 'normal' ride is for you.. you want to slowly increase either the distance or the pace, but not both at once. 

Do you know how to take your horse's heartrate? That is a necessary skill to have as it will help you monitor your horse's recoveries. Some use fancy electronic monitors, but a plain old stethoscope will do just fine, too.

I know @AnitaAnne already suggested looking into NATRC and I agree that is a great place to start. You can also check out AERC's Education page for some great info. A very experienced distance rider (and luckily for me, a very dear friend of mine) actually created a web-based tutorial called Endurance Essentials to help people who are just starting out. There is a fee, but I think its money very well spent as it will walk you through things literally step by step. They also have a page on the book of faces, if you use that.

I am happy to help you in any way I can. I would love for you to start a journal of your own so we can all watch your progress! I think that NATRC ride in a few months could be a very do-able goal.


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

I have a love / hate with electronics. Pushing a horse for speed and / or distance to meet your goals on the GPS devices can lead to injury to the horse (BTDT). I now use an app on my phone to record workouts but it stays in the saddle bag until we are done. Routes change, speeds and gaites change from the anticipated workout by listening to the horse. 
That said an electronic HRM can be very educational.

As always (like ph13 said) HAVE FUN!

Oh, and be prepared for an all consuming hobby!


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

carshon said:


> @newtrailriders you are NEVER too old to go for your dreams! You can do this. Baby steps. And @phantomhorse13 is a super nice person and I am sure when needed she can offer great advice. And as @knightrider said she started small and has done a couple of rides this year and competed with her daughter.
> 
> 
> Do it! Chase your dream!


Aww! Thanks for the encouragement and for tagging phantomhorse and knightrider!


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

lsdrider said:


> I have a love / hate with electronics. Pushing a horse for speed and / or distance to meet your goals on the GPS devices can lead to injury to the horse (BTDT). I now use an app on my phone to record workouts but it stays in the saddle bag until we are done. Routes change, speeds and gaites change from the anticipated workout by listening to the horse.
> That said an electronic HRM can be very educational.
> 
> As always (like ph13 said) HAVE FUN!
> ...


An all-consuming hobby is exactly what I'm looking for! I'm a bit OCD and likely to get too involved in the speeds/distances so it will probably be best for me to start out without even looking at those #s.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

phantomhorse13 said:


> Oh no, please don't come away from my journal thinking that!! :icon_frown:
> 
> You already have the right attitude.. go out and have fun while riding your horse. No rushing needed. Tevis has been around a long time and will be around for many, many years to come. Better to take the time it takes for you and your horse to be prepared than to rush and have something bad result.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the long reply! I'm kind of a beginner - began riding about 5 years ago but feel like my horse is a little too much horse for me, and as far as fitness goes for myself I'm back to square one. It's going to take a while to get back into shape. When I was fantasizing about endurance riding I was NOT fantasizing about my horse losing a shoe and me having to walk 10 miles in >100 degree heat! At this point that would be physically impossible.

I can take my horse's heart rate, no problem.

I belong to a trail rider group and, coincidentally, I just found out that a speaker from NATRC will be at the Septemberf meeting so I'll definitely plan on attending that. Also I learned that there's another lady from my group who's wanting to start doing the long distance rides. So I might possibly have someone to train with.

Thanks for all the links - I've already begun to pour through them. 

What do you do to keep yourself in shape for riding, besides riding? I got a gym membership and really enjoy the rowing machine and the elliptical, and I imagine there might be some sort of weight lifting that would be helpful.

In a few minutes my husband and I will be off for what I hope is the first of many M,W,F trail rides to come. He's a rank beginner, even older than me, and not the least bit interested in distance riding but he's happy to go on some shorter rides with me, which is what we'll be doing for at least the next several weeks anyway. Good thing I found a husband horse.

Speaking of the husband horse....he's 18 but has done a lot of trail miles. I might do some of the longer rides on him if my young mare gives me trouble. His previous owner passed away but used to bring him on trail riding vacations all over the US so I think there's a chance he might get into condition faster than my mare, who's only had a few short trail rides.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

When I was a child, I always wanted to ride on a 25 mile endurance ride. My mare at the time had soundness issues so it was not something I pursued. 

As an adult, it is not something I would pursue. I have a friend who rides endurance. She tried a 50 mile ride, and while her horse could have continued, she could not complete it. I have another friend who rode endurance on her arabian. She used to ride him 5 miles a day, every single day of the week in the morning. For the actually event, while they completed the ride, her horse swelled up badly the next day. I believe the girth pinched- there were not any rub marks, but he did swell up where the girth sat. 

For me, there is a huge difference between doing 12-15 miles in a day, vs 25 miles. I would start small and work your way up. A realistic starting goal, may be to try riding 3-5 miles a day 3x a week, and working your way up from there. 

Keep in mind, you need some stretch exercises for yourself- if you are riding that much, you will get tight muscles! I find swimming helps, so does yoga. 

I personally do not enjoy riding more than 5 hours in a day. My knees start hurting. Or my back. You may find your aches and pains outweigh your desire to ride more than 25 miles! I'm not saying not do it, but riding the Tevis cup is a huge undertaking! It may be more realistic to limit your riding to 25-50 mile rides. Some people (and horses) are not meant to be Olympic level athletes, and that is okay. You will not know if you are capable of doing more, until you try! You can still be healthy and fit, without being a marathon runner. Slowly work your way up, and make sure your body is capable of handling the stress. 

I would get a vet to come take X rays and make sure your horse does not have any underlying conditions which would prevent him from being an endurance athlete. Some horses may have changes on X rays indicating that a problem may develop in the future. It is far better to find out now, then start training for an endurance ride and have your horse develop a lifelong lameness issue from something you could have found out about in advance. This is the reason people should get a pre-purchase exam done- you want to make sure your horse is capable of holding up for the intended work. A couple of X rays are a small price to pay for piece of mind, compared with having a lame horse in the future.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

Well we already hit our first bump in the road, on our way to our official first "training my" trail ride! Truck blew a fuel line and here we sit on the side of a busy road with a trailer full of horses. Sigh. Is this an omen?


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

newtrailriders said:


> Well we already hit our first bump in the road, on our way to our official first "training my" trail ride! Truck blew a fuel line and here we sit on the side of a busy road with a trailer full of horses. Sigh. Is this an omen?


Oh no!! Hopefully you have someone on the way to rescue you??

Don't look for omens (good or bad), as that will simply make you crazy. Go out and ride your horse and have fun!


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

newtrailriders said:


> What do you do to keep yourself in shape for riding, besides riding? I got a gym membership and really enjoy the rowing machine and the elliptical, and I imagine there might be some sort of weight lifting that would be helpful.


I really should have a set exercise program.. but I am pretty lazy and just can't find the motivation to get myself to a gym. I really need to work on that.  I do some walking with some staggering (aka jogging) downhills, but not nearly as much as I should. I have taken a couple yoga classes while on vacation and loved them as they worked on both strength and flexibility (something I lack). Good for you for joining a gym!! I would think if you enjoy the rowing machine and the elliptical, then that is a great start. Anything that works your legs and your core and helps improve your cardio is a plus. 

Having an upcoming NATRC talk sounds like a great place to start! You can not only learn more about the sport (which is a bit different than AERC events), but hopefully make some local contacts to help you. You can also ask about volunteering at rides in the area you don't decide to compete in. That is a fantastic way to see things first hand and learn what it's all about. And don't worry if you don't know much, the ride manager will be thrilled to have another set of hands and will teach you anything you need to know for the day.

Your husband's horse may indeed get fit more quickly than your mare, if he was fit in the not too distant past. Horses keep their fitness much better than humans do. Don't let his age deter you, just keep an eye on his recoveries/comfort and attitude.




4horses said:


> I would get a vet to come take X rays and make sure your horse does not have any underlying conditions which would prevent him from being an endurance athlete.


I have 4 endurance horses - 3 of which are 100 milers - in my pasture and none had any sort of xrays before starting the sport.. in fact, I suspect my mare's xrays would have had everyone running away screaming, but she had a very successful career until it was cut short by a trailer accident (late for work kid texting t-boned the trailer). If the OP conditions her horse slow and steady, she will hopefully notice any issues before they become major. This sport isn't for everyone.. but never know what you can do until you try!


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

I did 12 miles of the Tevis on foot several years ago. Close to 30 years or so. Then I watched a 62 YO cross the finish line of the Western States Run (same course as Tevis) at the football field in Auburn, CA in under 30 hours. Didn't make the 24 hour buckle but he got the 30 hour buckle. I was exhausted at 12 miles on the weekend following the event. Just wanted to get the feel for what they did. I did maintain the 4MPH for that short distance.

I talked to one guy prior to the Western States Run and he came up a full month or more early to acclimate himself to the altitude which is very important.

Lady at work had ridden it several times. I believe she may have been part of the original organization that started the Tevis. She said one of the riders, a sort of nut comedian that everyone liked, decided one year if his horse could do it carrying him, he should be able to do it on foot.

That was the first person to ever run the Tevis. Now the WSR is so big one has to qualify to be in the drawing.

Just thought I'd throw in a little history.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

4horses said:


> I personally do not enjoy riding more than 5 hours in a day. My knees start hurting. Or my back. You may find your aches and pains outweigh your desire to ride more than 25 miles!


Five hours a day is nothing to sneeze at! 



phantomhorse13 said:


> Oh no!! Hopefully you have someone on the way to rescue you??
> 
> Don't look for omens (good or bad), as that will simply make you crazy. Go out and ride your horse and have fun!


Oh I was joking about the omen LOL - if it was an omen, it was a good one - a good friend came to rescue us and now we're relaxing at home. Plus Ona didn't give me any trouble! The horses were kinda confused, though - we only got 2 miles from home LOL



phantomhorse13 said:


> I really should have a set exercise program.. but I am pretty lazy and just can't find the motivation to get myself to a gym. I really need to work on that.


 Rrrriiiiiiiight. "Lazy" ROFLOL






phantomhorse13 said:


> I have 4 endurance horses - 3 of which are 100 milers - in my pasture and none had any sort of xrays before starting the sport.. in fact, I suspect my mare's xrays would have had everyone running away screaming, but she had a very successful career until it was cut short by a trailer accident (late for work kid texting t-boned the trailer). If the OP conditions her horse slow and steady, she will hopefully notice any issues before they become major. This sport isn't for everyone.. but never know what you can do until you try!


I've never been a fast person but do have a lot of endurance and enjoy suffering haha. There's just something about surviving really grueling ordeals.....




Hondo said:


> I did 12 miles of the Tevis on foot several years ago. Close to 30 years or so. Then I watched a 62 YO cross the finish line of the Western States Run (same course as Tevis) at the football field in Auburn, CA in under 30 hours. Didn't make the 24 hour buckle but he got the 30 hour buckle. I was exhausted at 12 miles on the weekend following the event. Just wanted to get the feel for what they did. I did maintain the 4MPH for that short distance.
> 
> I talked to one guy prior to the Western States Run and he came up a full month or more early to acclimate himself to the altitude which is very important.
> 
> ...


That doesn't surprise me about the 62-year-old. I'm convinced that the older we get, the better we get at endurance - if we stay somewhat fit, that is. I watched a video of a 75-year-old woman who completed a 100-mile bicycle race wearing high heels just to prove she could do it LOL. She didn't do it fast but she was quite entertaining. Have you ever seen Ernestine Shepherd? 81 year old female body builder in better shape than most teenagers.

It sounds like you know some awesome people. I read about that guy who ran it on foot the first time. How old is he now?


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

I have no idea how old the guy that first ran it is. I was at work telling about spectating the run and the lady, I can't remember her name, started telling be about the guy. She knew him well. This was 30 years ago and the WSR had been around for a while. If he was say mid twenties, he'd be 55 plus 5-10 years.

Pretty rugged country. But hey, the course is all down hill. Well, on the average

PS: I'm not convinced about the older we get..........
As a 75 YO I do seem to tire a little more quickly than when 55 lol.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

4horses said:


> I have a friend who rides endurance. She tried a 50 mile ride, and while her horse could have continued, she could not complete it. I have another friend who rode endurance on her arabian. She used to ride him 5 miles a day, every single day of the week in the morning. For the actually event, while they completed the ride, her horse swelled up badly the next day. I believe the girth pinched- there were not any rub marks, but he did swell up where the girth sat.


Just wanted to say...this tale isn't exactly a good example of proper conditioning for endurance. I've started out with some 25-30 mile rides (two official and some just with friends) hoping to get started in endurance but now I have to wait until I get a younger horse in the future. 5 miles a day will not prepare a horse for 50 miles, and that would be similar to a person running 3 miles a day and thinking they could do a marathon without injury.

One important thing I learned is that it takes about six months of solid training for a horse that has never trained for endurance to develop strong tendons, bones and hooves even if they get into cardiovascular shape much sooner. 

I say, go for your dreams and if you find that it's not enjoyable to ride more than 30 or 50 miles, you still can have a lot of fun at those distances. The most fun for me personally is the training rides, getting out and spending all that time riding your horse.


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

newtrailriders said:


> What do you do to keep yourself in shape for riding, besides riding? I got a gym membership and really enjoy the rowing machine and the elliptical, and I imagine there might be some sort of weight lifting that would be helpful.
> several weeks anyway.
> 
> as far as fitness goes for myself I'm back to square one. It's going to take a while to get back into shape. When I was fantasizing about endurance riding I was NOT fantasizing about my horse losing a shoe and me having to walk 10 miles in >100 degree heat! At this point that would be physically impossible.


Riding bike has been the best for me. Indoors winter, outdoors summer. Plus lifting weights, pushups, sit ups, jogging, diet (think about your horse before you stuff it in your face), etc. I also cut wood (lots of it) and my job is with heavy machinery. Long winter hikes when conditions aren't conducive to riding. Going 175 / 180 lbs now - lost 50 lbs 4&5 years ago when the quest began. Maybe go to 165 (HS grad weight) this winter?

Best bang for your time and money IMO are the bikes and a HR monitor for you too, lol. 

Just part of that all consuming thing...


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

gottatrot said:


> One important thing I learned is that it takes about six months of solid training for a horse that has never trained for endurance to develop strong tendons, bones and hooves even if they get into cardiovascular shape much sooner.


This is VERY important!
We can ruin horses with our ambition, BTDT.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

newtrailriders said:


> Five hours a day is nothing to sneeze at!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I think one of the reasons that older folks often have tremendous stamina is that as you age, you realize , more and more, how little control you have over things. This acceptance helps you deal with hardship/pain/ heat/etc, because you don't waste energy fretting about needing to 'fix' or control things. You already know that there IS NOT control, and that pain and exhaustion are just 'the norm', so you just soldier through it. 

While, the younger person gets stressed because they think they need to 'do something' about the pain or thirst or whatever, and . . . . they CAN'T~!!!! so, they experience hopelessness.

Older people know that it's possible to keep going , even though you cannot make things 'better'. you just ENDURE . . . . .,and all things are possible.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

tinyliny said:


> I think one of the reasons that older folks often have tremendous stamina is that as you age, you realize , more and more, how little control you have over things. This acceptance helps you deal with hardship/pain/ heat/etc, because you don't waste energy fretting about needing to 'fix' or control things. You already know that there IS NOT control, and that pain and exhaustion are just 'the norm', so you just soldier through it.
> 
> While, the younger person gets stressed because they think they need to 'do something' about the pain or thirst or whatever, and . . . . they CAN'T~!!!! so, they experience hopelessness.
> 
> Older people know that it's possible to keep going , even though you cannot make things 'better'. you just ENDURE . . . . .,and all things are possible.


I agree 100%. The older many of us get, the better we are at enduring suffering, because we've had a lot of practice! Over time we accept that in life, there is suffering, and we can deal with it or . . . deal with it! Giving up doesn't make the suffering go away, so there's no choice. We realize that there's nothing we can do about it and we have to choose between continuing our lives in a productive, adventurous way or in a depressing way. We can suffer in bed at home or we can suffer in the saddle! Of course, not everybody learns to deal with it. There are a lot of people who power through life after suffering severe injuries and illnesses, and there are a lot of people who lie down and give up as they age. I see both types in my profession and the elderly intrigue me to no end. I met a man in his 70s who has run over 20 marathons, and he didn't start running until after his first heart attack. I've met many more people who gave up on life after their first heart attack and just got older and weaker and fatter and had more heart attacks. 

When I was working in rehab I once took care of an elderly, formerly famous, ballerina. The stamina of ballerinas is impressive. I don't know if a lot of people understand what they subject their bodies to. This woman had just about the worst stroke a person could survive. There are strokes - and then there are strokes, and there is very little hope for a person who has one as bad as hers was. She participated in therapy enthusiastically and tried harder and did better than several younger people who were in rehab for much less serious injuries and illnesses. She already knew what suffering and endurance and overcoming odds was all about, and she shouldered her burden courageously and with a good attitude.

My dad is 70 and has been physically active as a butcher his whole life. He always did things the hard way just to prove he could do it - carrying sides of beef to put them on the hooks rather than using machines to do it etc. About 4 or 5 years ago he was almost killed by a horse. He had many pelvic fractures and used his arms to pull himself back up onto his horse even though his legs wouldn't work, and rode the horse back to the barn 4 miles. While he was riding his broken bones punctured his internal organs, including his intestines, and the bacteria from his bowels got into his bones and gave him bone infections. He was on strict bed rest for 3 months before he was allowed to start trying to walk again, on IV antibiotics for a year. He was not allowed to bear any weight whatsoever on his lower body. He had ropes, trapezes etc installed in the house and a hose on the back porch, lifted himself with his arms to transfer rather than allowing others to transfer him, wheeled himself to the back porch and used his arms to swing onto a commode and bathed himself with the hose rather than allowing anybody to bathe him. Today, he's back to lifting sides of beef. He works 7 days a week and refuses to stop for anything.

I'm more of a wimp than any of the people who have inspired me. I'm in nurse management and it's been a long time since I had to do floor nursing. I also had bad pelvic fractures from a horse accident, going on 2 years ago already. (Wow time flies) That's one of the reasons I'm in such bad condition now - I wasn't as strong as my dad when I had my accident and not quite as active after LOL. Yesterday we had sick calls at work and I had to do a 12-hour shift on the floor. I was whining and moaning and complaining in my head about my aching feet and legs. Then I remembered "I'm going to get back in shape and do endurance races, and it's going to hurt. Might as well get used to it and plow through it!" I thought of all the pain athletes willingly endure and pretended I was in an endurance race and walked/trotted about 10,000 steps yesterday at work and called it "training" LOL. Gotta start somewhere.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

lsdrider said:


> Riding bike has been the best for me. Indoors winter, outdoors summer. Plus lifting weights, pushups, sit ups, jogging, diet (think about your horse before you stuff it in your face), etc. I also cut wood (lots of it) and my job is with heavy machinery. Long winter hikes when conditions aren't conducive to riding. Going 175 / 180 lbs now - lost 50 lbs 4&5 years ago when the quest began. Maybe go to 165 (HS grad weight) this winter?
> 
> Best bang for your time and money IMO are the bikes and a HR monitor for you too, lol.
> 
> Just part of that all consuming thing...


I do love riding a bicycle! I've been considering trading in my old granny bike and my old racing bike for a nice one that I can ride both on the gravel and on the road, long distances.


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

Another thing that helps with the learning curve is attending races during the time it takes to prepare your horse.
Especially when you volunteer to help out.
Plus you will meet awesome people!


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

I think I might end up volunteering at that November ride, rather than riding in it. We made it to our trail ride today and the horses were angels. My husband had a great time on PJ. Unfortunately I spooked and turned around LOL. I actually got off Ona and lead her through the parts where the trail was narrow and deep and full of rolling rocks. 

I've ridden worse trails on PJ and had a great time. I totally trust him not to lose his footing or get hurt. But Ona? I need to learn to trust her more, and keep her from banging my knees into trees in the rocky places. This was only her second real trail ride, although we've gone on short easy ones before. I was a total chicken, on the verge of a full blown panic attack. We will try again Monday.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

newtrailriders said:


> I was a total chicken, on the verge of a full blown panic attack. We will try again Monday.


Lecture time...you WERE NOT a total chicken..you rode, and then you led, and with a 'new to trails' horse, we call that winning! Listen to your gut, push the envelope a little, but you don't have to push it all the way every day.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

Golden Horse said:


> Lecture time...you WERE NOT a total chicken..you rode, and then you led, and with a 'new to trails' horse, we call that winning! Listen to your gut, push the envelope a little, but you don't have to push it all the way every day.


Thank you. That is reassuring. I've been on some trail rides with people training their horses and never saw them get off and lead so I thought getting off was a "no no". 

Ona has tiny little feet (size 000 shoes) and they were a little sore when we had her shoes taken off a few weeks ago. I really haven't taken her on a lot of rocks and gravel and, while she wasn't limping or anything, I thought it might have been painful for her. PJ is so sure-footed and it was clearly very easy for him, but it didn't seem easy for her. I want to try keeping her barefoot as much as possible because the shoes made her hooves dry.

I'm sure she'll get more sure-footed as time goes on but I'm guessing those little feet are probably not going to help things. On the other hand, mules have small feet and they do great on trails?


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

This may sound crazy but I SWEAR Ona understood me when I looked at the long rocky area ahead of us and said "that's it, we're turning around." She turned right around without cueing LOL! This may also sound crazy but she actually seemed to be grateful when I got off and walked her through the rocky areas on the way back. I could have sworn she turned her head and looked at me and gave me a little nod. She's normally a bit pushy and lately she's been having some respect issues, but she was so sweet and patient and gentle as we walked through the rocks and was very careful to not bump me.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Horses know so much more than we (I) often give them credit for. There are times I seriously wonder if they really can read our minds.

As far as dismounting and leading for sections, I have done that many times. My riding tutor here on the ranch was a 60 YO that was born and raised on the ranch and began riding at 3. On one ride checking for water in various springs when I first arrived here, this excellent 60 YO rider said, "Umm, I think I'll get off and lead this section". I happily followed suit.

My 10 year goal is to still be able to ride in ten years


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

That's a respectable goal, Hondo. May God bless you with those ten years and ten more! Then you'll still be riding at 95!

I am so looking forward to spending as much time as possible with my horses and getting to know them better. They absolutely amaze me sometimes. I swear they talk to us! Yesterday on our way back, PJ told us we were going the wrong way. He was right, of course. They were pretty hilarious before the ride when I went to "catch" them. They usually come right up and stick their noses in the halters every day before I feed them but yesterday they somehow knew We were going to take them for a ride. They came right up to me and when I went to put PJs halter on they both turned their backs to me and huffed off, turning their heads over their shoulders to glare at me. Then Ona went out in the middle of the pasture and pretended to be a bucking bronc, then crow hopped and kicked all four feet out a few times, did this crazy exaggerated prancing thing, and came back to me blowing loudly through her nose and let me catch her. LOL Crazy Horse!!


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

I sure am glad I made Tevis a 10-year goal instead of a 5-year one. Miss Ona just learns one trick after another. Now she's learned that turning circles isn't so bad and she'd rather do that than go anywhere I want her to go. The other day she started that on me while I was trying to ride her out in the pasture and I had no idea how to handle it. The second I'd try to get her to take a step forward she'd pin her ears back and pretend she was going to rear and then I'd pull her head around, which meant she didn't have to go forward. She likes to argue. I wasn't able to get ten good steps out of her, so I took her and lunged the heck out of her and then rode her in the yard and did some exercises with her and she behaved decently. Had a lesson today and she tried it with me and Nicole helped me figure out how to get her through it, then we took her out in the pasture and she tried it with Nicole. She doesn't like being ridden in pastures. It's just one trick after another with this girl.

I'm going to start riding PJ more. Maybe I can do a little bit of competitive trail riding on him and just keep doing lessons on Ona and take my tiime with her, maybe pony her behind so they're both doing something.


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## lsdrider (Jun 27, 2012)

I've just discovered that before racing and between races CMO's are a fun way to acclimate a horse to being on the trail with other horses that are moving out. They also get to experience a variety of terrain and the spirit of competition.


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## newtrailriders (Apr 2, 2017)

lsdrider said:


> I've just discovered that before racing and between races CMO's are a fun way to acclimate a horse to being on the trail with other horses that are moving out. They also get to experience a variety of terrain and the spirit of competition.


What's a CMO?

We had a competitive trail riding speaker Friday who also talked briefly about a fox hunting club. She says there's always a group of "walk trotters" who go out on the hunt and that joining the club would be a good way to keep riding through the winter and get the horses more experience. I'm thinking that might be a pretty good idea.

Also - competitive trail riding looks very very interesting!


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