Start Ready, Finish Proud
The mission of the Equine Distance Riding Association is to promote, at all levels and to all members, safe, competitive equine distance riding events and experiences.
EDRA boundaries include the continental US and Canada. Lifetime miles of equine and rider will be compiled for EDRA sanctioned events within these boundaries. Central to EDRA’s mission is a robust mentoring program that supports the development of equines, riders and ride managers to their maximum capabilities while protecting horse and rider. Fun, friendly, and fair competition in a learning environment is our goal.
News and Updates
EDRA in Motion – July 2025
For those EDRA members who are already participating in the Challenge, the updated standings file is attached for your information. Please note there are three tabs to the file –Standings; Miles Logged; and Stats. If you think I have made an error, let me know! About two-thirds of the current 2025 participants submitted miles for July. Seventy-five percent of the full group is already eligible for a 2025 completion award. Three participants(with multiple years of submittals) are having their highest monthly average submittals – Jillane Baros, Guy Cheek, and Kathleen Dunham. Another four participants are 10% or less of their highest monthly averages – Sandra Cheek, Teresa Dixon, Carol Giles, and Holly Haddenham. I couldn’t help but notice that there are some really tight races
DITR – The Ride is On!!
Great news! Our Endurance Ride IS ON! Thanks to the incredible support of the EDRA board and our amazing riders who stepped up to register, we’re ready to ride! There’s still time to join us — you can preregister until midnight tonight or sign up at the race (a $20 late fee applies). All registered riders will receive an email with details and logistics in the next 24 hours. See you on the trails! #EnduranceRide#EDRA#RideOn Sign up now: https://form.jotform.com/251214100959147 Let’s keep our local endurance community strong! PREVIOUS POST We need 20 additional riders (of any distance!) to sign up for Diamond in the Rough by Saturday, July 5th at midnight — or we’ll have to cancel this year’s ride. Don’t miss your chance to ride
NEW – Ride Results and Stats Page
As you all know, we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to get the website overhauled and updated this year. While most of the work has been done for a while, there was one MAJOR piece that we needed a little professional help with: Ride Results and States pages. After researching our options, we decided to have these pages professionally built to provide a database for you to easily look up the current ride results as well as horse and rider history. These pages are now live on the website on the Results and Statistics page! There is still more work to do, including information about awards, as well as tweaking and cleaning up the data and organization, but you can go look up your
Education & More
Arena Work for Endurance Riding
With the winter weather acting up, I haven’t been able to hit the trails for a while. One particular challenge for me is that while I might be having a great, sunny day at approx. 300ft elevation, my trailheads at 1800ft elevation have vastly different weather and the 3 miles in between can be treacherous so… no trails. Luckily, we’ve been able to maintain regular riding thanks to access to a local indoor arena, especially since I rely on giving horse lessons to make ends meet. Generally speaking, we hit up the arena 2-3 times per week. Most of my younger students ride Vinnie with close supervision, while my older students have grown to love Zorro and ride fairly independently. Both horses have pretty light walk/trot work
Forward Progress During Winter
As I sit by the fireplace watching snow fall, I can’t help but think, “how in the world am I going to be ready for the first endurance ride of the season?”. If you know me, you know I really really love planning. My plans change every other week, but I think I have my early season stuff pretty solidified. Winter presents unique challenges for us endurance riders. Shorter days, colder temperatures, and adverse weather conditions can make training difficult. However, maintaining forward progress during the winter is crucial to ensuring that both you and your horse are prepared for the upcoming ride season if you’d like to begin your season early (April or May, as opposed to July/August). The key to success is finding the right balance between rest
Setting Realistic Goals
Submitted by EDRA member Emilee Randal Setting Realistic Goals for Your Endurance Season When I first started endurance riding, my dreams were big— why wouldn’t they be? I’d spent hours scrolling through photos of riders crossing iconic finish lines and imagined myself achieving the same milestones. But as any endurance rider will tell you, this sport has a way of humbling you. That first, second, and third (especially the third, aka 2024) season taught me a valuable lesson: success in endurance isn’t just about determination; it’s about setting realistic goals that honor both your abilities and your horse’s well-being. Now, as the new season approaches, I want to share what I’ve learned about goal-setting, especially for ambitious novice riders eager to dive into this challenging