September 2021 Issue
By Suzanne Bush “Take care of the horse, and the horse takes care of the rest.” There is a lot of wisdom packed into that tip from champion endurance rider Holly Corcor- an, when asked what advice she would give young riders who are thinking about trying long-dis- tance riding. Endurance riding is demanding—physically and emo- EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN September 2021 Page 13 Young Pennsylvania Endurance Riders Set to Compete in World Championships tionally, for both horse and rider. It’s not for the timid or the faint- of-heart. The timed, long-distance rides, over varying terrain require fitness of both horse and rider. Although athletic competitions follow the axiom that “winning is everything,” everything about en- durance is focused on the safety of the horse and the rider. To win in endurance is to finish with a horse that is healthy and sound. There are veterinarian checks of every horse before the event begins, at checkpoints throughout the event and at the finish line. The veterinarian can pull a horse out of competition if he or she deems the horse unfit to continue, based on the time it takes for the horse’s pulse rate to return to nor- mal, or if there any signs of stress or lameness. Endurance as a sport has inspired riders of all ages—and even families who ride as groups. In Pennsylvania, there are young endurance riders who are making their marks on the sport on the international stage. Young, But Driven to Succeed Meghan Wert, a 14-year-old equestrian from Spring Mills, PA and 17-year-old Charlene Dugan of Muncy, PA will join Alex Shampoe, a 19-year-old from Colorado Springs, CO represent- ing the United States at the 2021 Fédération Équestre Internatio- nale, (FEI) Endurance World Championship for Young Riders. The 75-mile competition will be in The Netherlands September 6-11. Wert has been riding for six years, and became interested in endurance when she entered a competitive trail ride sponsored by 4-H. She and Dugan have been training with Valerie Ka- navy, a former world champion endurance rider, in Virginia. “We usually ride a mixture between arena work and trail,” Wert says. “We do a lot of arena work so the horses are not doing all trails.” She says they do distance, moun- tains and speed as part of the training, and she spends about 10 or 11 hours a week in the saddle. Dugan’s mother, Sally Jelli- son is an accomplished endurance competitor. Charly, as Charlene is called, took some time before getting comfortable with hors- es. “When I was little I wasn’t interested in horses for a while,” she says. “I had come off a couple of times, and thought horses were not my thing. About three years ago, my mom got me back into fox-hunting.” She and her parents spend winters in Florida, and it was there about three years ago that she tried a 25-mile endurance ride. “It was a little intimidating because there were a lot of people there. I rode my pony, the next day one of our hunt horses and the next day I rode a thoroughbred,” she says. Her mother explains that the event was Gallop on the Gre- enway in Ocala. Riders had the option of one, two or three days. Both Dugan and Wert rec- ognize that this sport requires the maturity to put the horse’s welfare first, and the discipline to train rig- orously. They are both true student athletes. Wert is going into ninth grade and is looking forward to school, especially language class- es. “Last year I took nine weeks of two languages, French and Spanish,” she says. She wanted to figure out which language she’d most like to learn. The winner? It’s Spanish. Dugan is a cyber student, who participates in extracurricular activities such as field hockey and band. She’s also an honor student. She spends most days riding with her mother, focusing on keeping herself and her horse fit. “I do a lot of running and biking and ride ev- ery day, seven miles on a regular day,” she explains. “Every couple of weeks he gets a hard ride for 15 or 20 miles.” Wert and Dugan have both won at Broxton Bridge in South Carolina. They’re excited and proud to be representing the United States in the World Championships. Jellison says that Shampoe, the third member of the team, is the glue that keeps all three young ladies focused. “She is the senior person on the team and has been a real strong mentor for probably both the girls. She has been a big part of our life, and we owe her some gratitude. Charly would not be here except (Continued on page 29) Charly Dugan on her horse “Roo” at the Broxton Bridge qualifier. Photo credit: Becky Pearman
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