Meghan Wert riding Dude Free Gold, owned by Valery Kanavy. photo credit Becky Pearman
“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 Corcoran, when asked what advice she would give young riders who are thinking about trying long-distance riding. Endurance riding is demanding—physically and emotionally, 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 endurance 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 normal, 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 representing the United States at the 2021 Fédération Équestre Internationale, (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 Kanavy, 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, mountains and speed as part of the training, and she spends about 10 or 11 hours a week in the saddle.
Dugan’s mother, Sally Jellison is an accomplished endurance competitor. Charly, as Charlene is called, took some time before getting comfortable with horses. “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 Greenway in Ocala. Riders had the option of one, two or three days.
Both Dugan and Wert recognize that this sport requires the maturity to put the horse’s welfare first, and the discipline to train rigorously. They are both true student athletes. Wert is going into ninth grade and is looking forward to school, especially language classes. “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 every 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 for Alex. As Charly’s mom, I can only do so much. Alex took Charly under her wing, and she has made all the difference for Charly.”
Have Patience. Stay Focused.
So, what is it like to be out on a 60 mile ride? Are there nerves? Is it hard to stay focused? “I don’t have a method, it just comes naturally,” Wert says. “I try to focus on my horse not going too fast, and that he’s feeling good.”
“I stay focused by looking at the scenery,” Dugan says. “Every now and then I start singing songs to my horse. Usually my mom is riding with me and we talk.” Both Wert and Dugan have thought about what they might tell young riders who are interested in endurance. “Have patience,” Wert says, “because horses are live animals with minds of their own.” Dugan thinks young riders need to prepare for the physical as well as mental challenges. “When you first start out, every couple of miles you think ‘why am I doing this?’ But eventually it gets better. Believe in yourself. It gets easier!”
A lot will be different for this young team once they arrive in Ermelo for the competition, but it’s clear they have each other to rely on and their combined experience. They’ve faced disappointments, as Wert says, when her horse was pulled from a competition because of lameness. But they’re confident that they’ll be ready to face whatever the course in The Netherlands brings.
Jellison finds herself amazed at the team’s maturity and generous spirit. “It’s kind of inspiring for me to see them working together, because they’re putting the team ahead of themselves as individuals. They’re doing things the right way.”