OUR FIRST DISTANCE DRIVE
by Betsy Scott

For all of you horse enthusiasts out there, consider something different, something fun and something your whole family can participate in.  It’s the “in” thing to do these days – Distance Driving.  I can guarantee you won’t regret it and you will look forward to your next drive, a longer drive, a tougher drive and so on.

The key element is condition, condition, condition.  You and your trusty friend must be in condition but even the work of conditioning is fun and challenging.  It is helpful to have a stop watch and lay out and mark your miles and then you begin building up to it gradually, marking down your time and distance.

The big day arrived for us last October. We had to get up at 2:30am and pack up Naveta and head up to St Croix State Park outside of Hinckley.  The sun was just coming up on a frosty, cool morning and the horses were all snorting and waiting to hit the trails.  After a briefing with the committee, we were given our maps and instructions.  Then came the vet check where 2 vets checked pulse, respiration, and other vital signs and recorded this before we began.  Suddenly a whistle blew and it was time to hit the trail.  I clutched a map in one hand and hung on for dear life with the other hand.  The trails at Hinckley were beautiful – soft sand trails with fallen leaves, making the footing very good.  We followed a trail up and down hills and around curves all at a brisk trot.  We had 2 hours to do the 12 miles and were not sure how to pace ourselves, but kept Naveta in a trot for 60 minutes and then walked her for 10 minutes.  Back to trotting and this time we wound around thru the woods and trees ducking branches and wondering if we would ever see the end of the trail again.  Naveta was puzzled to be out there alone and kept calling to other horses, but never broke her pace.  I know she enjoyed the trip as much as we did.  It was so quiet and beautiful out there all alone in the woods.

We arrived back at the check point just 2 minutes over our time, having a 5 minute window either side of the 2 hours so we were not penalized.  We immediately went to the vet check, unharnessed her and had her checked again.  I cooled her out and she was just fine.  I think she was ready to do another 12 miles.  I know Michael was.

To our surprise, we got a 2^nd place in the novice division and received a nice ribbon and a soft head brush for our efforts.  All the people participating and working there were very helpful and pleasant.  They wanted to be sure everyone had a safe drive and enjoyed the event.  When we were finished, we gathered with friends and ate our picnic lunch.

As I said, this is a wonderful family sport.  You needn’t worry about a fancy carriage or harness.  Just safe, working equipment. And don’t forget your hardhat or helmet.  The distance drives also offer endurance rides on the same weekend so you can drive and someone else in your family can ride if they want to.

It is a fun sport because you can go out to enjoy nature and have fun and spend quality time with your horse and family.  Or you can compete for points, etc.  You decide how you want to participate but no matter which path you take, you will have fun and enjoy doing it.  We really recommend this sport as you can have fun and not spend a alot of money doing it.  And your horse will be a happier, healthier horse for it too. What more could we ask for?

Michael and Betsy Scott

And Miss Naveta