Now that Tarma and I have 250 official endurance miles together (plus 100 LD miles), plus all the countless training miles behind those, it’s time for another gear check in! One of the things I love about endurance is that the futzing never ends, and if I’m not poking around in my trailer I’m playing around with gear.

Saddle: We’re still rocking the used Synergist I found, and for me it’s comfortable as ever. I did find a new pair of Western fenders at a tack sale, and added biothane stirrup turners from Distance Depot and now I hardly ever have ankle pain! Tarma’s put on enough bulk and evened out with dedicated dressage work, so I’ve finally plopped the big bucks down for her custom saddle. It’s a custom Renegade from Allegany Mountain Saddles, and it’s almost here and I can’t wait to try it out! Look at this sexy thing!

Headgear: A few months ago I made the jump to a new type of S hack, by Graysville Manufacturing. It’s the same mechanics of an S hack, but smaller, lighter and doesn’t catch on things. I had to adjust the curb chains to a different slot, but this allows me brakes and input without a bit, so Tarma can eat and drink much easier, and she doesn’t fling her head around like she did with other bitless options. It’s not great for lateral work so I still use her bit for dressage lessons and ETS events, when I need super clear signals. For endurance this Ultra Hack is working out super well. And bonus, because of the way it fits, I needed to buy her a whole new bridle! I also took the chance to get wider biothane reins, 3/4″ instead of 5/8″.

Bags: I still have Horse Bums, but for longer distances I’ve switched from my Traveler set to a Bubba set. I loved the molded leather cupholders my saddle came with, and for shorter distances when I didn’t need horse electrolytes they worked just fine. For longer distances I needed a full set of front bags, and I settled on the Bubba and love it. I have room for my own water bottle, a spare hoof boot, my snacks and electrolytes, a built in multi-tool, vet wrap, a small first aid kit, carrots, and a water bottle with Tarma’s pre-mixed electrolytes and a syringe. I’m happy to report I can now electrolyte Tarma while mounted with a minimum of fuss!

Human Comfort: As the not fittest of endurance riders (always a work in progress), there’s a lot I do to stay comfortable enough over the miles to not be as much of a burden for Tarma. Number one is my amazing Fuzzy Butt, which I’ve actually flipped around so the thickest part is between me and the cantle/rise of the saddle seat. My butt has enough padding already! I ride almost exclusively in various Kerrits tights (and this awesome pair of Crazy Leg Tights I got as my end of our first endurance season gift last year!), Darn Tough socks, Duluth Armachillo underwear, ankle supporting hiking boots (usually Keens) and my OneK helmet with MIPS. This summer I’ve fallen in love specifically with the Kerrits IceFil shirt, it’s my main go to on hotter days. I’ve learned I can’t ride with any packs on my body, I can never stop them from rubbing or making noise that drives me nutty. I have two SheFit super bras, as I call them, and while they keep the girls locked down, I chafe eventually so I’m still fussing with that. On colder or wetter days, I have two Artic Skirts I was lucky enough to snag, one lined with fleece, one mesh lined for warmer, wetter rides. They have pockets and are so well made, so bummed this company went out of business.

Food, Human: I haven’t thrown up (due to riding) this year, so I’m getting better at the human management part, at least over 50 miles. My new combination includes fruit leathers, Nuun hydration tablets I drop into my water bottle (fruit punch and strawberry lemonade are my favorite flavors so far); Saltstick electrolyte fast chews; and Clif Bloks energy chews. I eat a banana for breakfast on ride morning and choke another one later in the day. I don’t carry any other food on ride day, because my stomach will not accept it, and I’ve tried everything from bread to crackers to sausage to grapes.

Food, Horse: What supplements Tarma gets is a whole thing, and one I hate because it’s all over the board and it takes so dang long to see any effects from changes. I’m going to test her hay this year, now that my barn owner has done the hard ass work of getting it into the barn, so I have a better starting place. For rides I take the kitchen sink, just in case. I always take weed free hay even for places that don’t require it, as Tarma doesn’t waste any of it and it’s super palatable. It’s also compressed so it’s super easy to load and fit multiple bales for longer trips. Beet pulp shreds and rolled oats are fed soaked, and I dump in either Purina Replenimash or Outlast, whichever she seems to enjoy more that day. I keep them in the truck bed in buckets with twist lids I got as a finisher award at the Grizzly Mountain ride, super handy! She definitely loves her Outlast, as she will come trotting up out of the depths of her pasture for a soaked handful of it! For electrolytes I’ve switched to the Vetline ones, which I dump in a water bottle with a bunch of applesauce and water and shake well. I’ve heard this may not work for super-hot rides, but we’ve been lucky so far. It’s always a planning game to give her the electrolytes out on trail both far enough and close enough to the next water source that she’s thirsty when we get there, not put off water because I just dosed her.

Hoofwear: This is the main area we futz with constantly. Our combination of regular Scoot boots on the fronts and EasyCare Epics on the rears was working for LDs, but her front heel bulbs rubbed over 50 sandy miles at the recent Open ride. The Epics have neither budged nor rubbed at all, but they are a pain to ensure they are on correctly. I loved the EasyCare composite shoes last year, but they just got too expensive and we struggled with fit. Still, they offer the best concussion and sole protection, so if/when we do a rockier or longer ride I might try to get some on myself, as it’s the farrier’s labor that’s so expensive. Based on the rubbing at the Open ride, I’m going to sell her regular Scoots and get another pair of Gloves or Epics for her fronts and curse a lot at 5am when I wrestle them on at a ride. She does have to wear fetlock interference boots on her rear legs to avoid her boots rubbing or cutting her ankles, and she’ll need a new pair of those soon.

In the past we started with Renegade Vipers, which I could never get to fit her and felt a bit too bulky for me, though plenty of other folks swear by them for endurance. They do offer more sole protection than the Scoots. We also tried the Cavallo Treks, which offer the most sole protection but rubbed her no matter what we did and were too bulky for longer distances, at least for Tarma. We also tried the Flex boots, which are working great for a friend’s gelding, but Tarma just twisted all of them off constantly and they offered no sole protection for her, though her hooves are in better shape now. They certainly are the easiest to get on, though not easily available in the States. I love the Scoots as they are easiest to pop on and to care for, especially the Enduros. I may try the Enduros on her fronts before I switch to Gloves, just to see if they stay on without rubbing or twisting.