Photo Credit: Teresa Mae
Growing up in New Jersey, Holly Corcoran rode horses on her family’s farm. She loved horses and she loved trail riding. But she took some time off to raise her two children and eventually found herself back in the company of horses after a 15-year break.
“When I got back into riding, my kids were riding one horse and we did showing. My daughter was into the showing, but I was not excited about the horse show prospects.” She thought about what she really loved: trails. And her odyssey began. Really. It became an epic adventure!
Corcoran, who has a small farm in Effort PA, in Monroe County, joined a close-knit band of riders who compete against each other and against teams from all over the world in Endurance Riding. The competitions can be short (it’s all relative, of course) 25 or 30 miles, or longer, as in, 50 miles and 100 miles, during which horse and rider compete against other teams. But they’re also competing against their own stamina, heart and ability to stay focused when it’s dark and cold or sunny and brutally hot or rainy, snowy, misty or you-name-it. The footing isn’t always predictable. There are “craggly” places, as Corcoran describes them. But those are mere footnotes in the adventure.
Endurance isn’t for everyone; but it clearly is something at which Corcoran is very good. Like anything, though, she started slowly and had to learn about the sport and the ways to win. In 2003 she finished 46th in a 25-mile ride; her time was five hours and 45 seconds. A couple of months later, she finished fourth in another 25-mile ride in four hours and 23 minutes.
A Magical Experience
In the years since she began competing in Endurance in 2003, she has logged more than 4,000 miles on horseback—in competition. That doesn’t count the hours and miles—averaging 350-400 annually—she logs keeping herself and her horses fit. “What happens is my horses are working six days a week. If they have too much rest time they could tie up.” She also has a walker at her farm which provides more exercise for the horses. “I usually do heavier trail rides of 15 miles or so on Saturday or Sunday.”
But it’s not all trail work and walking. “I’m a firm believer in Dressage, and I think it’s valuable for a horse to gain muscle tone and balance,” Corcoran explains. “This helps them support their back better across the trail.”
Endurance is not a sport for the fair-weather rider. “Over the summer I was in a 100-mile ride in Canada and the weather that week was ungodly hot. We started at 4:30 in the morning when it was still dark.” Corcoran won that competition, the Coates Creek Challenge in British Columbia, in 13 hours, 10 minutes and 48 seconds.
So, how does someone stay focused, alert and—okay, awake—for a competition that demands competitors’ attention for more than 12 hours? “I’ve been in the saddle for 16 hours,” Corcoran says, “and I was never at a point where I personally fell asleep. I think it’s the adrenalin that keeps you going.” She says there is something beyond the horse and the saddle and the terrain and the heat and darkness. “On my first ride I was so excited to compete it was just a magical experience.”
Vet Checks Ensure Horse Safety
Magical, yes. But strictly supervised, too. There are checkpoints at which veterinarians certify whether or not individual horses are capable of continuing. At these checkpoints, riders can rest and eat and ensure their own ability to continue. Once arriving at a checkpoint, each horse is examined by a veterinarian. Horses have 30 minutes to achieve a heart rate of 64 beats per minute. If a horse’s heart rate does not achieve that standard, it is disqualified. Horses are also checked for lameness and other injuries. In American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) events the veterinarians have the authority to disqualify horses that they deem unfit to continue competing.
In September the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) Endurance competition was canceled at the direction of veterinarians because weather conditions were so dangerous for the horses. In addition to rain-soaked footing, the heat and humidity caused serious health issues for several horses. In an event that had been dogged by controversy from the start, tragedy struck when a horse died from kidney failure after completing one loop of the race.
“What happens there are loops or phases averaging 15-20 miles per loop,” Corcoran says. “Many have a central camp. When you come back to camp you are given an in-time.” She says that in-time starts the clock for the horse to “reach pulse criteria.” Once the horse is cleared, the horse and rider team can get back on the trail. “The key,” she says, “is to have an absolutely superior crew.” She says that for 100-mile races she usually has a crew of two people. These folks take care of the horse while the rider rests, eats and gets ready to ride again. Often crew members are budding Endurance riders whom Corcoran is mentoring.
Oh, Man! Why Am I out Here?
AERC publishes a comprehensive book of rules, regulations, competition guidelines, etc. So, competitors can develop their own pre-competition protocols, based on their own horse’s physical conditioning and ideas about how any individual race will play out. Rule books, however, don’t account for the vagaries of weather or the impact of circadian rhythms on horses and riders. “It’s something about the doldrums that hit between two and three in the afternoon,” Corcoran says, “and the horse goes through this, too. You say, ‘Oh man, why am I out here?’ Sometimes going into the dusk you get refreshed.”
All of this demands exceptional communication between horse and rider, and that starts with training, miles together, more training. Corcoran says that these races take a physical toll on the rider as well as the horse. She says that she works to make sure her horses are ready to compete, and to ensure that she, too is ready to handle the rigors of competition. “You can ride and ride and ride as much as you want but when you get into competition and have a competitive horse you need that upper body strength.”
In addition to working with a personal trainer, Corcoran takes spin classes. “My big gelding is a big personality, who has a stubborn streak, so it’s better to negotiate with him than to fight him. I’ve learned to work with him and put him in a position or spot where he’s comfortable.”
She learned all this from her horses. “I really work on pace—and I’ve gotten better at this because I made a lot of mistakes early on. I had a mare when I first started, and she wanted to fight me through the ride. I gotta say a lot of that is my training that I could have improved.” And she did improve the way she prepares her horses and herself. She says it starts with teaching younger horses how to keep a steady pace.
“Everybody can choose the rate they’re going to ride. If you’re competitive and want to win, you do enough warm-up in the morning that you leave the starting line at a trot. I may trot the first loop and then from there, the trail really defines the speed you go, as well as checking in with the horse,” Corcoran explains. “There are technical trails where you can’t canter so what I do is make time where you have good footing.”
Her strategic decisions and preparation have paid off, with a record that speaks eloquently on her behalf. In 2018, Corcoran has achieved stellar results, from British Columbia, to Vermont, Virginia and North Carolina:
- Fourth place in the 100-mile FEI 3* Fun in the Sun
- Third place and Best Condition in the Yellowhammer 50-mile race
- Fourth place, Best Condition and Best Vet Score in the Biltmore FEI 3* 100-mile race
- First place and Best Condition in the FEI 3* Coates Creek 100-mile Challenge
- First place and Best Condition in the FEI 3* 100-mile Moonlight in Vermont race
- First place, Best Condition and Best Vet Score, finishing two hours ahead of the second place horse, in the AERC 100-mile National Championship
- First place and Best Condition with two horses in the 50-mile Broxton Bridge Plantation Fall Fundraiser
Look Where You Need to Go
Corcoran says that there have been some rides more exciting than others. She says she’s competitive and works hard to be prepared for every possible unknown. “One time I was in a precarious situation climbing up some rocks and I got a little too close to another horse.” She says that the race was at Indian Graves Ridge in Virginia. She knew there was going to be some climbing involved, but was not aware that the climbing would be over large boulders. “They were talking about going up the rocks. I didn’t realize the horses had to leap over boulders.”
Corcoran says that her horse leapt over some boulders and got a little too close to another horse that had stopped. There was a moment of tension near a place where the trail dropped off, and not a lot of room for either horse to maneuver. The situation could have turned bad pretty quickly, but her horse showed maturity and good sense. “Like race drivers heading to a wall, you don’t look at the wall. You look at where you need to go.” It was another instance of training paying dividends.
The CPA Takes the Reins
At 55, Corcoran is not even considering slowing down. She loves the sport and loves to mentor young riders. It’s part of the Endurance Culture. She says the community of Endurance riders is relatively small and people know each other. Anyone interested in learning more about the sport and breaking into it can tap into a deep vein of resources. “I would read everything I could get my hands on and seek out another Endurance rider. Mentorship is huge and can give you a leg up in the sport.”
She is a CPA and has been able to telecommute from North Carolina and Florida for the past couple of years. She takes her horses south for competition and conditioning and feels as if she is in a really good space. When she is at home at her farm in Effort, she says she’s active in the community and in AERC. “I always say I’m either working or riding.”
The joy she felt when riding the Morgans on her family farm in New Jersey has led to a thrilling ride in the world of Endurance.