Endurance Riding - The Sweaty Equestrian

Endurance Horse Nutrition: Calculating the Ideal 2-Cup Fat Diet for Peak Performance

At the recent Pacific Northwest Endurance Rides annual convention, I had the privilege of listening to Dr. Susan Garlinghouse’s series of three talks on endurance horse hydration and nutrition. Although I’ve heard these lectures before, there’s always something to learn or remember! This time around, Atlas’ owner Layne and I sat in the back, scribbling …

Endurance Horse Nutrition: Calculating the Ideal 2-Cup Fat Diet for Peak Performance Read More »

5 Ways to Make Better Time on the Endurance Trail

Before you say it…I know. You’re not racing. So, why would you want to make better time on the endurance trail? If you’re angling to top ten, the value of finishing an endurance ride more quickly is obvious. But as I frequently explain to non-horsey types, endurance riding is like human marathoning: A few are racing …

5 Ways to Make Better Time on the Endurance Trail Read More »

How to Overcome Fatigue So You Can Rider Longer Distances

Are you hoping to move up to riding longer distances this year? Whether that means entering your first 100 or upshifting from LDs to 50s, one of the first obstacles you’ll need to overcome is fatigue. We all love the idea of those long endurance rides…when we’re seated on our comfy sofa with a copy …

How to Overcome Fatigue So You Can Rider Longer Distances Read More »

How to endurance ride with a full time job

How to Endurance Ride When You Work 9-to-5

Have you ever gotten excited about the upcoming endurance ride season, only to look at your daily schedule and feel your insides deflate? As much as you want to finally get out there, reality is overwhelming. How are you supposed to condition your endurance horse, work full time, commute, exercise, care for your family, and …

How to Endurance Ride When You Work 9-to-5 Read More »

Endurance Tack Review: Burioni Flexia Endurance Stirrups Review

It’s a rare endurance rider who isn’t searching for the holy grail of stirrups. Can you put a price on comfortable feet, ankles, and knees when you’re riding anywhere from 4 to 24 hours in a day? Apparently, you can. It’s easy to spend several hundred dollars on a pair of endurance stirrups. The hard …

Endurance Tack Review: Burioni Flexia Endurance Stirrups Review Read More »

Shin Pain in Equestrian Endurance Riders

Have you experienced shin pain while endurance riding? Many of us have, including me. In fact, there was a time I thought I’d have to give up endurance riding for good. I thought the problem was shin splints — and only when I discovered the real cause was I able to resolve the pain and …

Shin Pain in Equestrian Endurance Riders Read More »

Ride Report: Tevis 2024, Part 3

The first hints of dusk had begun to gather as Atlas and I slipped away from the noise and bustle, back into the silent wilderness. The world seemed somehow bigger now, more hollow and lonesome and mysterious. We’d come so far, seen so much, and yet this still felt like a kind of beginning, this solitary trot into the night.

Ride Report: Tevis Cup 2024, Part 2

It was in that stretch I suffered most. The descent at Eldorado was endless, the heat deeply oppressive. I later heard that it topped 110 degrees. I remember putting one foot in front of the other, telling Atlas to hang on, we must be nearly there.

Ride Report Tevis Cup Cougar Rock The Sweaty Equestrian

Ride Report: Tevis Cup 2024

Tevis. It was everything I expected. It was nothing like I expected. It was more and different than I expected. Experiencing Tevis firsthand replaced the coloring book rendering in my head with a high-resolution photograph. It changed campfire tales into a Hollywood movie. Transformed shadowy images into living beings. Reimagined me. Here is my story. …

Ride Report: Tevis Cup 2024 Read More »

A Window Into Tevis Prep

Preparing for Tevis is just like preparing for any other endurance ride.

Okay, it’s not.

Okay, it is…but it isn’t.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to get ready for Tevis, here’s a window into the process.