Holly Corcoran and her horse Poete
Photo by Becky Pearman
did, and he passed the final check with
a CRI of 44/40. Then we waited for the
BC judging. Although, I wasn’t really
done until his legs were wrapped and
he was tucked back in his paddock.
My favorite memories were some of
the amazing views at Biltmore, it is
such a beautiful ride and the mansion
is awesome! A touching moment was
when I finally turned on my cellphone
while we were waiting for BC judging
to let my daughter, Kelly, know how we
had done, and I was flooded with a
bunch of congratulatory texts.
Apparently, she and a bunch of friends
back home had been watching the
updates on Facebook and they already
knew. So, I called and talked to her
about the ride.
The most satisfying part of a ride like
that is at the end and reminiscing back
on it, how strategy for each loop
worked (or didn’t) and the immense
gratitude I have for the horse with
whom I rode 100 miles. I feel there is
a special bond that arises from riding
the higher mileages and the trust that
grows between myself and the horse.
That is priceless.
successful 100-mile ride and to me it
makes a world of difference.
Enjoy the ride, and stamp pictures of
it in your mind. It’ll be with you for the
rest of your life. Ride one loop at a time,
and let the prior loop go before
mounting up and tackling the next
loop. We are truly blessed to live in
such a beautiful country with varying
terrain and vistas in different areas.
Cherish the opportunity, the horse and
everything and everyone that goes
into it.
For information about the American
Endurance Ride Conference, visit
AERC.org. To find out about the 2019
AERC National Championship rides,
visit 2019NC.com. The 2019
championship rides will be held in
Ridgecrest, California, on October 31
(50-mile ride) and November 2 (100-
mile ride). Qualifications are in place for the championship rides, but open
rides will be held at the same time,
including limited distance
rides, so all are welcome!
Any tips for those considering
competing in upcoming AERC National
Championship Rides?
Know your horse. Know what they are
capable of and train accordingly. Get
yourself in good physical condition
outside of riding. Talk to the ride
managers and find out what the terrain
is like, the expected length of the
loops, elevation change or other
considerations or factors to take into
consideration. Look at historical
weather to see what it might be like for
ride day. Try to train your horse on
similar terrain if possible.
Arrive in plenty of time to allow
enough recovery for you and the
horse. For me, driving is exhausting, so
I know I need to allow enough time for
myself and the horse. At the 2018
National Championship Ride I rode the
50 on Thursday and, knowing Poete
can be a bit of a handful, I made sure
I took good care of myself in between
to be ready for the 100-mile ride.
Personally, I make sure the horse
works into a sweat every day before
the ride (even when traveling, if
possible) to combat tying up. If you can
get good crew, that is paramount in any