The Pony Express Endurance Ride
The Pony Express Endurance Ride is an endurance ride that follows the historical trails taken by the young men enlisted in delivering mail across the country at the beginning of the postal service. The following was posted in Newspapers to recruit riders...
WANTED: "Young, skinny, wirey fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week." These young men rode from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, CA. It took only 10 days to get from MO to CA on horseback. The riders braved nasty weather through the mountains.
EponaShoe sponsored Monica Bennett and her two horses, Ra and Ronin, through their journey on The Pony Express Endurance Ride. The ride is limited to 35 participants who rode from St. Joseph, MO to Carson City, NV. Tuesday through Saturday, riders traveled about 50 miles a day to a new camp. Riders have a companion with them that moves their truck and trailer to the new camps daily.
Monica Bennett has been using the EponaShoe on Ra and Ronin for 6 years. Ra is a 20 year old registered Polish Arabian mare. Ronin, originally a rescue horse, is estimated to be part Arabian and part Saddlebred and 21 years old. She uses the EponaShoe due to its ability to stay on and support her horse's soundness over all different kinds of terrain.
Monica and her horses successfully completed this ride covering 50 miles a day to each camp. They rode through Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and ended in Carson City, Nevada.
Here is a recap of Week 1:
Monica rode Ra the first day ponying Ronin starting from Kansas to Nebraska. While she rode RA for the majority of this week, Ronin charged along and they all made it through this section despite muddy conditions from a storm that originated in Amarillo, Texas, generator issues with the trailer, and slight soreness from the horses traveling in muddy conditions. The new generator did not have a 30 amp plug and the trailer began having shorting out issues.
Both horses traveled through the muddy terrain and did not experience any technical difficulties! Both awaited a customary chiropractic visit in the next camp.
Stay tuned for the next installation of this series as the EponaShoe travels back in time with Monica Benette and her two horses and rides along the Pony Express Trail!
Learn more about EponaShoe products and Monique Craig's latest research on the hoof by visiting www.eponashoe.com and www.eponabook.com.