develop her legs before asking her for too much speed. There is NO doubt she has the speed as we have had a couple of unplanned gallops but she also needs the muscle/tendon strength to match. Later on in the summer, if the ride vet agrees, I will look at doing a 25 mile ride on her both days of the event. Providing that goes as planned then, by the end of the year, I will attempt a 50 mile ride with her.
Taking Serenade to the various ride sites has been
I know there are lots of endurance riders out there who set a more ambitious course of action for their horses.
Darice and her 14.1 Arabian mare, Tia, riding the Tevis in 2016. Photo by Gore Baylor
hugely beneficial. I took her to the first ride of the year knowing full well I wouldn't be able to ride her. Ten days prior to the ride I had a rather serious break to my left wrist, so trying to control a young horse wasn't going to happen. I would put myself at risk along with other riders. So instead, I had a friend ride her for me. Each ride since she has just settled in well to camp life, vet checks, trot outs and actually going down the trail on our own. Yes there is still a lot of work required around the