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
I Bought Him For His Brain …
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Endurance Riding and Einstein
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And We Are Launched! Endurance Essentials Web-Based Course!
A few years ago we got very involved in educating new and aspiring endurance riders. Education is kind of in my blood. My mom was a teacher, and my safety consulting business -- 18 years old last month -- focuses on providing creative, engaging and interactive...
LDs, 50s, 100s and UGs
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A Silly Look at the Various Equestrian Disciplines! (an oldie but goodie)
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Seeking Serenity
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“Dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle … “
Thanks, Sherlock. Yesterday as I had lunch with my BFF, we started discussing high school teachers and --alarmingly badly, I might add-- attempted to recall our cast of characters by subject and year. I lamented using Cliff's Notes rather than actually reading the...
Broken Things: A Love Letter
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Fighters, Fixers, Spectators and Eye-Rollers
For a long time, I've been an Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) consultant and trainer. Employers come to me to help them solve issues in their workplaces related to risks to their employees that they cannot handle on their own -- dangerous chemicals or...
An Open Letter to the AERC Board of Directors
They say that when you’re a hammer, everything is a nail, and perhaps that is true. I teach for a living, my mom was a teacher, and so when I look at the issues facing AERC and its future success (and yes, survival) of course I think that the answer is EDUCATION. For...
Two Bit Wisdom From A Questionable Pair: Focus on Decade Team and 100s
Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. Quote from Hal Borland, American journalist Everyone has a different way of coping. For me, it involves quiet time putting it all in perspective,...