Boggy Creek 27 2013

I've been neglecting my Riding with Friends blog lately.  It doesn't mean we haven't been riding, just that I haven't been efficient enough to get the information posted.

Last Sunday was the Boggy Creek 27 Competitive Trail Ride.  We arrived on Saturday in the midst of some pretty ugly, rainy weather.  Turned out to be completely worth it though because Sunday could not have been prettier.

We got an extra hour of sleep, the ride went off about 6:45 a.m. and because Kirsten and I did the fun ride - a new SEDRA division - of only 15 miles, we were back before 9:30!  I did take my first tumble off of Heaven - it was bound to happen some time - about 1/4 mile from the finish.  They say that  "most accidents happen close to home" - it's true.

Friend Kirsten was visiting from Columbus, Ohio.  She is an avid rider but this was her first RV overnight and fun ride.  She rode Lisa Dietrich's horse, Shalizar, a 25 year old Arabian who thinks he's 5.

Lisa Dietrich was on her horse Kai, still relatively new to limited distance endurance and competitive trail but always ready and willing to go.

Gayle King was on Coup.

And we met a few other friends on the trail.  We were all able to ride together for the first 7 miles, then the fun riders had to turn off and the rest of the gang went on to finish the full 27 mile ride.

Overall, it was an excellent day - we had a ton of fun.  This is one of the very best rides and this year was no exception.  The Friday pot luck is always awesome, tons of raffles and silent auction items.  Congratulations to Linda Winkel for her fund raising efforts - she brought in more than $2,000!  Way to go Linda.  A big thank you to the volunteers who make this ride possible - let's do it again next year!

SEDRA announces introduction of introductory distance rides and drives

 I thought this was important to share with people who may be considering distance riding but aren't sure the sport is for them.  I was introduced to long distance trail riding by friend Gayle King a number of years ago.  I didn't own an Arab, but thought I'd condition Sierra (a draft cross) and see how it went. 

We had seven really good years and had recently completed our AERC and SEDRA 500 mile award.  Now, with a new horse, Heaven, an Anglo Arab I'm ready to get started again.  Only, this is brand new to Heaven so I'm taking advantage of the introductory distance rides program. 

We had our first ride at Spruce Creek a few weeks ago.  The introductory ride was perfect for her.  It gave her a taste of what limited distance endurance riding would be all about, but without having to complete a 25 mile ride. 

Our plan is to ride the introductory program for the 2013-2014 year and then move up in the 2014-2015 year to full rides. 

INTRODUCTORY DISTANCE RIDES (IDR) AND DRIVES (IDD)

A Great September Riding Weekend Saturday the 14th, Sunday the 15th

Today was a good day to ride the Little Big Econ. We had a nice, but small, group. Elizabeth Fromel joined us for her first time riding with the Chuluota Chicks! She was a natural. Her dressage training along with her fox hunting experience stood her in good stead. It was muggy, but we still had a good time.
Sunday morning we headed to Orlando Wetlands Park for an early ride at one of our most favorite spots.