I don't come from horses.  

 

I didn't have ponies in my backyard or trophies displayed on the mantle.  But I did have the bug.  I'm sure you've heard of it.  Little kid sees a horse, rides a horse, even smells a horse and BAM.  Too late.  They've got it.  Incurable.  They'll be chasing horses and picking hay out of their pockets for the rest of their lives.  (I was dropping bits all over ShopRite the other day.)

 

In my horsey life, I've done a lot of things.  I learned to ride on hunters, spent some time in reining, showed Western in 4-H, dabbled in dressage and finally found my home on the back of a fat, gray pony with miles of trail between her little ears.  Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding made sense to me.  The partnership, the time outside of the ring, the challenge of the distance, the fabulousness of color-coordinated tack.  Nothing reminds me that life is a beautiful thing to be living quite like a day in the forest.  Throw in a good buck from the pony, and all is right in the world.

 

I also really love running.  It probably stemmed from my love of riding far in the outdoors.  I used to just love saying how far I ran at a sports practive, but the longer the run, the more I fell in love.  I mean, if a horse can carry me for 50 miles, I can try to train to do it, too.  So far, I've gone from 5k to full marathon in two years.  Hopefully, I can kick that distance out even more.  I'm an ultra rider, why not ultra runner, too?

 

I run long, I ride long, and the journey towards both isn't a quick trip.  It's hours and days and years in the making.  The path twists, it tries to trip you (or buck you off), and no two roads ever look the same.  But with every step, I'm making progress.  I'm in this for the long haul.  The long trot.

 

Come share the trail with me.

 

-Casey