Greento100 Blog - Full Storyby BolarGirl
Monday, June 13, 2016
It was the Old Dominion (I had never heard of Tevis) that first captured my imagination of riding 100 miles through an article in a local electrical co-op magazine.
The ride is nicknamed the Beast of the East and of the riders I’ve met (a very limited sampling) who’ve ridden both rides – most have said the OD 100 is a tougher ride to get a horse through than its more famous cousin the historical Western States Ride (Tevis). Recently I saw the OD 100 called on an endurance site: probably the toughest endurance ride in North America.
I am in no position to argue this point though I hope to be able to someday.
Regardless, the OD began my endurance journey and though I am not ready to take my horse to any 100 mile ride yet, the OD also has 50 and a 25 mile distances available. I volunteered for the OD 100 last June and went through the whole 24 hour period as a vet scribe (learned a ton), was able to ride the 25 last fall, and this year after completing our first 55 mile at Biltmore I registered Khaleesi and I for the OD 50.
Knowing full well what I was taking on I set about preparing the best I could for this ride taking everything I learned from my LD rides, everything I’d read about endurance riding, everything I could glean from my mentor, and the things I picked up on my first 55. It was a tough 50 to take on so early in her career and I also have the distinction of riding one of the small percentage of non-Arabs (Arabs are somewhat more genetically inclined toward the sport and win most of the major awards. They tend to cool more naturally and are built to sustain long miles at a fast speed without breaking down) but it is what it is. I just hoped we could keep our roll of completing each ride we start intact a while longer.
Spoiler alert: we did complete successfully!...
Read more here:
https://greento100.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/every-little-thing/
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