We finally went to New Jersey for a distance riding competition. This is our 11th season doing AERC and ECTRA competitions and we had never competed in New Jersey. So Friday, I (Rob), Alex, and Amanda skipped work and school and loaded up Fiona, Mojo, and JJ for the 5 hour drive south. We arrived in camp just after 1 and had everything set up in about an hour. It was sandy!
The afternoon consisted of letting the horses eat and recover from the trip, hanging out with friends around camp, and vetting in. Mojo had been pulled from the 50 at Pine Tree so we elected to enter the 30. It was also my first competition since Aug 2023. The ride meeting was at 6:30 and the kids were in tents by 7:30. I stayed up hanging out with friends and talking, but was also in bed by 8:30.
Since Fall is here, the ride started at 7 for the 50s and 7:30 for the 30s. It was a crisp 50F at the start and we all wore a long sleeves for the first 18 mile loop. Did I mention it was sandy? Like New England beaches have less sand than the forest roads and trails in New Jersey. It reminded me of riding in South Carolina.
The temps steadily warmed on the first loop and we all shed our outer layer before arriving at the hold; we did the 18 miles at a solid 6.5 mph. The 45 minute hold was uneventful – the horses vetted fine and we had a quick break. We headed back out for the second loop of 12 miles and had an extra rider with our group. A new rider was there with a friend and the friend’s horse got pulled. We had all been back and forth during the first loop and so pacing wasn’t expected to be a problem. Our group of 4 headed back out for more sandy trails.
The second loop was really unremarkable, which is usually a good thing in distance riding. All the horses were eating and drinking. We didn’t have any big tack issues. The temperature was in the 70s but not humid. So all-in-all, the 12 miles clicked by pretty fast and we were back at the finish in under 2 hours. All Fiona, Mojo, and JJ all made pulse quickly and we were surprised to find ourselves in a 3 way tie for 7th place! Even better, the 30 miles brought Mojo to his 1,000 mile mark for AERC!
We gave the horses (and people) a break and then loaded up to drive home and pulled in about 9:30 pm. Overall, the ride was very well organized, trail markings were clear and easy to follow, there was plenty of water for the horses, and we really didn’t have any problems. While I don’t love the sand, it is nice to ride in some different types of terrain, so we will be going back to Mustang and probably some of the other NJ rides in the future. Thanks to Holly MacDonald and her team for putting on the event!
Last weekend was the opening of our distance riding competitions for the season. This year we tried out the VERDA Brown Bag and Bare Bones events held at the Cornish, NH fairgrounds. Brown Bag is a Competitive Trail competition and Bare Bones is an Endurance Ride. The rules vary a little between the two. Competitive trail events have an ideal time and there is more emphasis placed on the before/after comparison for vet evaluations. On the other hand, endurance rides are a true race where the horse has to be fit to continue and pass a vet exam. This particular ride has a reputation as being low-cost, low perks.
On Friday, we picked the kids up from school a little early so we could get to the ride camp. We only took 4 horses: Mojo, Teddy, Duchess, and Huey. Anna drove the horse trailer and I took the travel trailer. The drive was only about 3.5 hours and we arrived in camp before 5:00. When we got there, the only other riders already there were also from CT. We joined our local friends and set up camp with electric fence paddocks for the horses. Once camp was set, the horses were vetted in for the Saturday ride.
The Brown Bag trophy
hand grazing ponies
home for the weekend
ready to head to the vet-in
On Saturday morning, the ride didn’t start until about 9:00, so it would have been a very casual start to the day, however, at 5, there was a knock on the trailer door with the message “Rob, your horses are loose!” It appeared that Duchess knocked down some fencing for some reason and the herd, minus Mojo, decided to get some early morning grass. Luckily, they were not hard to catch, but we were up and the day was started.
It was in the low 30s Friday night and temps on Saturday only made it to about 54F. Anna saddled up Mojo, Alex saddled up Teddy, and Vicki saddled up Duchess as they got ready to head out for a 15 mile ride.
Vicki and Duchess getting ready to ride
Anna prepping Mojo
Alex and Teddy, waiting on the others
headed out for 15 miles
Anna selfie on Mojo
Anna’s view on Saturday
While they were out on trail, Amanda and I took turns hanging out with Huey who wasn’t exactly happy that all his friends left without him.
Amanda grazing Huey
Amanda falling asleep instead of watching Huey
It turns out the horses are in pretty good shape for a 2.5 hr/15 mile ride. Competitive trail rides are scored out of 100 points and penalties are assessed for things like missing the ideal time (30 minute window), loss of impulsion from start to finish, injuries/tack galls, dehydration, elevated heart rate, etc. At the end of the ride, Mojo had 97.5 pts and got 4th place with Anna, Teddy had 98 pts and got 2nd place in the Jr division, and Duchess had 98.5 pts for the win in the Jr Division.
Alex vetting Teddy after the ride
Ribbons!
Saturday afternoon was pretty easy going hanging around camp. Amanda was a social butterfly visiting with friends (new and old). Her friend Autumn brought over some hoof paint and they gave Huey some twinkly toes.
Huey’s twinkle toes
Saturday evening was a ride briefing for Sunday and big dinner in the town hall building, also located on the fairgrounds.
Vicki and Autumn waiting for the ride meeting
Alex and Amanda waiting for the ride meeting
Sunday morning also started at 5 to get the horses and family fed. We were riding a 30 mile ride that started at 8 with Rob on Mojo, Alex on Teddy, Vicki on Duchess, and Amanda on Huey. Temps were in the 40s at the start and peaked around 50F. It was great weather for a distance riding competition. Our 30 mile ride consisted of two looped on a 15 mile course (the same one Anna and the kids did the day before). It was mostly a dirt/gravel road with some trails mixed in. My GPS came up with about 1500′ of elevation per loop, so 3000′ of elevation for the day. There was a covered bridge we went through twice and a stream to water the horses (along with some troughs and buckets along the course).
ready to ride on Mojo
the family waiting on the start
trotting out Mojo for a vet check
Amanda and Huey headed out
Vicki and Duchess
Alex and Teddy
Vicki and Duchess
Amanda and Huey
Getting water in a stream
riding through the covered bridge
Alex and Teddy
The view through Mojo’s ears
riding through the covered bridge
riding through the covered bridge
fueled by Honey Stinger
Overall, the ride went very well. There was one issue with Huey constantly bucking and he eventually threw Amanda. Once we removed Huey’s crupper, he stopped complaining and Amanda didn’t have any more problems. All 4 horses did great on the ride. Mojo’s CRIs (cardiac recovery index) for the day were 40/40 and Teddy’s were 44/44. None of the horses had anything other than A’s and +’s on their vet cards and we completed in a 4-way tie for 8th place.
Alex and Vicki did 15 miles on Saturday and 30 on Sunday with their mounts. It was a stepping stone to get ready for their first 50 miler planned for June. Both riders and both horses passed the test. While we didn’t get home until about 9:30 on Sunday night, the whole family had a great weekend. One of the reasons we enjoy distance riding is everyone has fun (even if everything isn’t perfect). At dinner tonight, there was talk of sore muscles and what went right/wrong. But there was also talk about the next ride. You are doing it right when the completion of one event leaves riders looking forward to the next.
