Endurance Introspection
"To Finish Is To Win"Welcome to Endurance Introspection — a website for new, old, aspiring and contemplative endurance riders
About the Site
Authored by Patti Carey (formerly Patti Stedman), Endurance Introspection is a website for endurance riders, aspiring endurance riders and other sport horse enthusiasts interested in the cross-training aspect of endurance conditioning and training for horses. Patti’s vision for the website is to provide a place for endurance riding enthusiasts interested in the philosophies, training, conditioning strategies and life lessons learned during the act of enduring.
Patti is an AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) endurance competitor/Ride Manager/former BoD member who truly embraces the sport’s motto of “To Finish Is To Win”.
About Patti
Patti was raised in rural Western New York. She started riding at the age of seven and eventually showing in various disciplines, until she discovered dressage (the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance.) in her late teens. She attended Cornell University and received her BS in Animal Science.
While she taught and trained professionally for a few years, it became apparent that a career outside of horses allowed more financial security (and that wackily practical health insurance), so her love of teaching took her in the direction of occupational safety and environmental compliance. She owns two successful businesses, one providing live training and consulting, and the other providing web-based safety training.
Patti began to compete in endurance rides in the mid 1990s. A couple of decades and a few thousand miles of competition later, she has acted as a Ride Manager for the Allegany Shut Up and Ride and was formerly a member of the AERC Board of Directors, Ride Managers’ Committee, and Education Committee. She developed materials for and insurance coverage for AERC Endurance 101 Clinics and has taught dozens of clinics, and encourages others to do the same to give riders new to our sport the skills needed to succeed and a sense of community with other local endurance riders and mentors.
Her passion for sharing her sport led her to creating a web-based course for new and aspiring endurance riders, Endurance Essentials, which can be found at horselearningonline.com
Patti loves combining the disciplines of endurance and dressage, and observing and writing about the inside world of endurance riding competition. Patti currently lives in rural South Carolina, with her horses, dogs, cats and various vermin.
Header photo by Carien Schippers @imagequine
In so many aspects of our sport … It Takes A Village!
I find the lone wolves in our sport to be fascinating, but I am not one of them. From the get-go, I've relied on a whole army of people to help us succeed in distance riding with our horses. It takes a village to keep us going, an entire armada of individuals who...
In so many aspects of our sport … It Takes A Village!
I find the lone wolves in our sport to be fascinating, but I am not one of them. From the get-go, I've relied on a whole army of people to help us succeed in distance riding with our horses. It takes a village to keep us going, an entire armada of individuals who...
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The final countdown: ready, get set . . .
Reprinted from Endurance News, June 2005, Ride Managers’ Column, monthly publication of the American Endurance Ride Conference, www.aerc.org, 866-271-2372 Last-minute advice for a first-time 100 mile rider from friends, riders, and relatives The horse seems fit. The...
Patti and Ned’s Luck Runs Out
Reprinted from Endurance News, August 2005, Ride Managers’ Column, monthly publication of the American Endurance Ride Conference, www.aerc.org, 866-271-2372 Someone said it to me once, but I don’t recall who. Finishing a 100 is one third horse, one third rider, and...
Conditioning and cross-training
Reprinted from Endurance News, January 2005, Ride Managers’ Column, monthly publication of the American Endurance Ride Conference, www.aerc.org, 866-271-2372 Balance conditioning work on the trails with cross-training for both horse and rider Here I sit, in the abyss...
Patti and Ned’s Luck Runs Out
Someone said it to me once, but I don’t recall who. Finishing a 100 is one third horse, one third rider, and one third luck. While I think we need to find another third in there somewhere for the crew, we ran out of luck. After publicly planning, conditioning,...
The final countdown: ready, get set . . .
Last-minute advice for a first-time 100 mile rider from friends, riders, and relatives The horse seems fit. The horse seems sound. The rider has lost 15 pounds but would like to lose some more. The crew has committed (and should be committed, admittedly). The ride has...
Selecting A First Hundred
Reprinted from Endurance News, March 2005, Ride Managers’ Column, monthly publication of the American Endurance Ride Conference, www.aerc.org, 866-271-2372 With the temperature soaring to a balmy 35 degrees, Ned and I enjoyed a wonderful conditioning ride on the...
Someone said it to me once, but I don’t recall who. Finishing a 100 is one third horse, one third rider, and one third luck. While I think we need to find another third in there somewhere for the crew, we ran out of luck. After publicly planning, conditioning,...
Crewing 101
(or The Art of Hurry Up And Wait) Reprinted from Endurance News, 2005, Ride Managers’ Column, monthly publication of the American Endurance Ride Conference, www.aerc.org, 866-271-2372 I’m holding up my end of the “prepping for a hundred” bargain and my childhood...