Manely Montana blog
As we ramp up for our second endurance season (and second ride for that matter), I continue to immerse myself in the vast amounts of research and experience out there to get my “been there done that”Gazi and I ready to hit the trails together.
This was sent to be me by long time endurance competitor D… and while I’ve yet to see this “up close and in person”.. thought this summed it up… I guess I could relate to some of it from ultrarunning days. So without further ado…
You Might Just be an Endurance Rider:
1. Your rig costs more than your house, your neighbor’s house, and your other neighbor’s house - all combined.
2. The color of your tack is every bit as important as the fit of your tack although it really shouldn’t matter because it’s all covered in Sheepskin anyway.
3. You save every empty laundry detergent jug possible, and ask your friends to do the same for you.
4. You know how to pack every one of life’s essentials on your saddle, on your person, and on your horse. This would include toilet paper, food, water, tampons, maps, extra clothing, glowsticks, and a GPS.
5. You actually know what the glowsticks are for.
6. You only buy clothing that is bug proof, wind proof, water proof, and sun proof. And that my friend, is proof that you have a clue.
7. You are the only horseback riding competitor in the entire horse world to happily spend $100 on an entry fee, only to get a $5 plastic feed tub as a prize, and actually be thrilled about it!
8. Boulders? You haven’t seen any boulders. Oh, you mean those big rocks about 1 foot in diameter that you and your horse just climbed over for the last 2 miles? Heck, that’s just gravel.
9. You spend more money in a season on hoof boots and/or horseshoes than most people spend on their tack, their rig, and their horse combined.
10. Draft Horse is a 4-letter word.
11. You know precisely the speed of your horse’s working trot at all times, but you haven’t got a clue how fast you were going when the cop pulls you over on the interstate.
12. You are more likely to survive being stranded in Death Valley or the Alaskan Mountains than Surviorman is.
13. They always say you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. Give him to me dammit and I’ll make him drink!
14. Electrolytes are one of the main food groups.
15. You know it’s possible to have a complete conversation with a person while passing each other at a working trot, going opposite directions. In this brief encounter you can exchange information on weather, vet stops, horse health, food, and grazing, and never miss a stride.
16. You can find a digital pulse, gut sounds, and heart rate quicker than the average joe can change his underwear.
17. You can take a pee in the poison ivy so fast that it can’t even catch you.
18. Your horsie friends look at you weird because your barn is full of syringes, your closet full of stretch pants, and your truck full of “necessities.”
19. You take flie personally
20. You refer to your horse as your therpaist.
21. When you horse is sick, your heart is sick.
22. You keep better track of your mare’s cycle than your own.
23. Windy days (ah yes those winds of Whitehall) put you on edge… because you know it’ll put your horse on edge.
24. Y ou know you’re surrounded by the best damned horsemen and sportsmen in the world when they stop on the trail to lend you a helping hand, even if it means losing their placing position.
25. And finally… you fill inteh blank here… Your intrepid innkeeper would love to hear what you think means you’re a horse person.
Trot on friends, trot on.
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