On Saturday May 16th, we loaded up the horse trailer with all 4 horses and headed North to VT. The AERC Bare Bones endurance ride was managed by Geneva Soule and the Vermont Equine Riding and Driving Association. Last year, the event didn’t have enough entries and was cancelled. Geneva brought the ride back for 2026 with a new ride camp location and all new trails. The drive was only about 3:20 and we arrived in the early afternoon to set up camp and let the horses settle in. All 4 horses vetted in just fine and the ride meeting was held at 6pm with a potluck dinner. The ride plan was Amanda on SA Jeeka’s Jessica (JJ) and Rob on SA Fiona for the 50 mile distance with Anna on Sands Marabon (Milo) and Alex on Money Shot (Mojo) for the 25 mile distance. This was Anna’s first competition with Milo.
Temperatures overnight were in the 50s and we awoke Sunday morning to clear skies with warming temperatures. Amanda and Rob started at 7am and the first loop was 25 miles. Things started out great and both horses were energetic. The thing about VT is, you are going up, or down, but almost never flat. The trail was a mix of “Class IV road” (dirt roads) and snowmobile/atv trails. Spring is in full swing in VT and it was a beautiful day.
Unfortunately, about 10.5 miles into the ride, Fiona clipped her left front heel bulb, creating 2 cuts. She was bleeding a little and clearly bothered by the cuts. It didn’t make sense to continue 40 more miles so I got off and hand walked her 2.5 miles to a pickup point where she got a trailer ride back to camp. Over the winter, Amanda had been preparing for this type of scenario. She spent A LOT of time riding JJ alone for training and JJ is probably the fittest horse in the herd right now. Typically, a rider under 16 is required to have an adult sponsor. However, some junior riders are eligible to compete in the Senior Division, provided they are 14 or older and have completed 500 or more miles in the AERC rider program. This is referred to as an Unsponsored Junior and we had filed for Amanda to have this status over the winter. When Amanda and JJ continued on, they rode the next 40 miles alone.
At the end of the day, 7 of the 9 starters in the 50 completed. Amanda was 3rd with a ride time of 8:20.
In the 25 mile ride, Anna and Alex started at 8am with a 15 mile loop. The horses were ready to rock from the start and Anna and Alex slowed down to prevent a race brain mentality. The horses’ fitness is not at the point yet to race a Vermont LD with the hills and elevation. The goal is for Milo and Anna to move up in distance, so staying chill and focused and not racing is important. The first part of the 15 mile loop was mostly gravel road and suitable for faster speeds. After the horses settled a bit, they did canter a reasonable amount. The second part of the loop had more trail, more downhill, and a few muddy spots, so that slowed down their pace a bit. Alex and Anna made it to the midway hold in less than 2.5 hours. Both horses passed their vet check and we let them chill in their paddocks while riders got some lunch.
The second loop was a quick 10 mile lollipop loop. It consisted of a big hill and snowmobile trails, with a bit of roads to get there. Toward the end both Milo and Mojo were getting a little tired as the temperature increased and Alex and Anna walked the last uphill mile into camp.
There were 11 horses in the 25; Anna and Alex finished with no troubles and tied for 7th with a ride time of 4:25. It was a solid first ride of the season.
Great story, congrats