Icelandics Try Endurance

The following quotes come from participants of the recent Caja de Rio Intro Distance Ride in New Mexico. Photos are courtesy of the participants.

Raven Flores

The New Mexico Icelandic Horse community turned out in full force for the Caja de Rio Intro Distance Ride.

While the weather was sunny and just a bit hot, the horses were ready, having been conditioned for the ride. Since my move to the Land of Enchantment, I had been trying to get the local Ice Horse owners bitten by the “distance ride” bug.

We had a great turnout for the ride, seven riders, and our wonderful volunteers Carol McKeever, Julie Goehl and Irene Howcroft helped riders get ready and, most importantly, cheered the riders on.

My goal for the ride was to mentor the riders during the conditioning months and to have the largest group of Icelandic Horses at a Southwest distance ride.

Unfortunately in January, my girl Rothadis tripped and ended up hurting herself. We struggled with an on and off slight lameness issue for the next few months. With the help of her excellent vet, we were able to find the lameness issue and make a plan. My vet encouraged me to “try” the Intro Ride and “see how she does.” what had been “going on” with my girl’s on and off lameness and that her vet had encouraged us to try the ride. The Ride Vet did not see any lameness during the Vet Exam and cleared us to start the ride the next morning.

The next morning, Rothadis felt fine under saddle at the walk. Our Icelandic Horse group was the first Intro group to head out once the trail was open.

We started the ride at a walk and soon moved out in trot and tolt. It was at this time that I felt my girl slightly off, and as soon as the terrain changed, I felt her gait even more off. I made the decision to pull my girl and walk the mile back to camp. Once in camp, I let Ride Management know that I was doing a “RO” Rider Option and explained my reason for this.

I returned to my trailer, untacked my girl and walked her back up to the Vet Check area for her post ride Vet Check (a different Vet). At this time, the Vet did notice a very slight “off gait” and agreed that I had made the right decision. While I have no doubt that Rothadis would have completed the ride for me; a rider needs to always put the horse’s welfare first. In the meantime the other Icelandic Horse riders were out on trail having fun and being the best breed ambassadors!

I arrived at Ride Camp, set up camp and proceeded to the Pre-Ride Vet Check. I explained to the Ride Vet

I want to give a huge shout out to Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) for their generous sponsorship of our group! THANK YOU!

Claudia and Frank Shiler

long, ambling trail rides, but had not really moved out for long distances. The preparation, over about three months, was all part of the fun.

We had so much fun at the AERC Intro Ride at Caja del Rio by Santa Fe, New Mexico!

I rode redhead Fönix, a 5-year-old Icelandic, and my hubby Frank rode Apanachi, a 7-year-old mustang. We trotted and cantered way more than usual for us and made the 10.8 miles in 2:20. Horses had all A’s before and after the ride at the vet check. I think they enjoyed the speeder pace even more than we did! This was our first AERC experience after having participated in a few CTRs (NATRC, Competitive Pleasure level), and we really liked it! Thanks to the organizers, sponsors and volunteers!

Susan Dezavelle

This Introductory ride was the perfect way for Hervir, my 8-year-old Icelandic Horse gelding, and I to try out endurance riding for the first time. I talked to friends who had experience with endurance rides, and I read up on it. I realized I needed to prepare since I had only gone on

I enjoyed learning about how to systematically build up my horse’s stamina and check his vital signs and hydration status. I even got a stethoscope and became familiar with his normal resting pulse and the rate after a long ride I wanted to be sure my horse maintained his health through both the build-up and ride itself. I also needed to build my strength to be able to stay in a trot or canter for long stretches.

The location was beautiful, in northern New Mexico in the Santa Fe National Forest. The weather in late May cooperated nicely with sun mixed with clouds, but it was not too hot. Luckily, my horse was already used to high elevations, although I did need to clip my furry horse to prevent him from over-heating, since Icelandics are slow to shed their winter coats.

Many of the people at the event had not seen an Icelandic horse and enjoyed seeing their willing and spunky nature. Our Icelandic team was the first group out the gate, taking off at a nice brisk tolt, the Icelandic 4-beat gait. We finished our 12-mile ride in about 2 hours and 10 minutes, averaging just under 6 miles per hour. The vet check (both before and after) went smoothly. I was so glad I had taken the time to prepare my horse and the statistics showed that

I was successful.

I would like to thank Ride Management for the organization of the event. It was well planned, and everyone was helpful and friendly. The trails were well marked, and everything was right on schedule. I particularly appreciated that they set up a water tank mid-way through the ride so our horses could hydrate.

Special thanks to the Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) for their sponsorship of our ride. It was great to be able to highlight the Icelandic horses in an endurance ride, and we appreciate the support for our group to attend this event.

Ulla Hudson

I have been riding horses just about all my life. Vaulting, dressage and some trail riding. Taking part in any kind of endurance ride had never even crossed my mind until some friends convinced me that it could be fun. So, I signed up for the introductory ride at Caja del Rio in Santa Fe, New Mexico on May 25th, 2023.

Having been involved with horses for a bit over 65 years, I was well aware of the importance of conditioning my horse for the event. I thought the virtual Tevis Cup was a perfect way to get my horse Sörli, an 11-year-old Icelandic gelding, in shape. Having worked for an Equine Veterinarian for eight years has certainly helped me with monitoring his vitals, physical and mental state.

The location of our 12-mile ride was beautiful, and the trail was easy on our horses. It was just perfect for our first endurance ride. The weather was just right, and moving out with friends on their Icelandic horses was fun. It took us just a bit over two hours to finish. Of course, we could have gone faster, but our first concern was our horses. My gelding and I found the ride to be very easy and joyful.

To my big surprise we were sponsored by “Friends of Sound Horses“ (FOSH).Thank you so very much!!

Kelly Herdman

I was invited to compete at Caja del Rio Intro Distance Ride in Santa Fe, but amongst my many years of riding all types of dressage and jumping horses, Endurance riding was something I’d never done. A rider was unable to go out on her horse, but the horse was entered and ready to compete so we showed up ready to learn all about what it takes to both compete in and complete an Endurance Race.

Luckily, the horse I competed with was familiar to me and very fit, making easy work of the beautiful trail. We had spent the previous several months conditioning our horses to be able to cope with long distances and intervals of faster travel. Our group made great time and got perfect weather, so our trip around the course was a wonderful two hours spent enjoying our Icelandic horses and periodically tolting and cantering through the beautiful Santa Fe wilderness.

Our horses were vetted without any issues, and the Ride Management were very helpful as we navigated how to complete this type of event for the first time. Overall, I’m so grateful I was a part of this team, and thank you to Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) for their sponsorship.

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