It's official, my first LD is July 6! ETA a couple questions.

[hundredacres]

I’m really excited! I met an amazingly kind, and generous woman named Shelley Dake, who will be helping me out and holding my hand. I’m registering for the AERC, and the Great Lakes Distance Riders Assoc. and will be doing the AHAM ride at Cheff, in Michigan :).

I can hardly contain my excitement!

BTW, the FAQ section on this forum is amazing!

[tabula_rashah]

Congrats! Hope you have a great time

[irish_horse]

great! I never imaged the learning curve when I started my first ride (I’ve only done one year of an LD and 50s, I have so much more to learn!) Read all you can, learn from others, and most importantly, have fun!

[GotMyPony]

Here’s some advice that sounds silly but really works for me: when you’re tossing and turning the night before the ride and worrying about “not sleeping” is making it harder to sleep, I just tell myself that it’s OK if I can’t sleep, I’ll just lay there and “rest.” Takes the stress out of it and then I usually fall asleep!
Have a great time and take care of the horse!

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

Congratulations! Sounds like you’re going to have a great time.

[hundredacres]

Thanks everyone! I’m super excited to meet some new people and see some new sights!

I have a million questions still, but here are a couple you may be able to help me with (since you guys are awesome at recommending places to shop!):

I’m not going to be able to buy a new saddle this year so I’ll just to use the dressage saddle I use for trail riding, until I can afford what I want (after trying some out - I don’t want to rush in to an endurance saddle). My “trail” saddle comfortable for my horse, and okay for me for about an hour and a half, but then my seat bones start to hurt. Can anyone recommend something I can use this summer to make it more comfy for me? I see a lot of people use sheep skin but is that for comfort or is it to save their saddle wear and tear? What about the gel seats?

As well, I’m going to stick with the English Hackamore that I have for now, but I want a fleece cover for the noseband (it has the synthetic fleece on the underside). It’s wider than a regular noseband so I’m not sure where to find a fleece for it…recommendations?

And I’m going to ditch the cheap bio-like headstall I bought last week, and get a different one to use with the hackamore. I don’t have a leather one that is sized right, since it attaches so much higher than a bit, so what do I look for? Do I look specifically for a hackamore bridle or headstall, or is there such a thing?

Okay, I think that’s it. I’m going to clean up some of my old stuff this weekend to sell on ebay and to help fund the club and registration fees for the 2 rides I plan to do this summer :). I can’t go crazy buying new stuff yet, no matter how much I want to - I need to see what other people are using in real life to get some ideas.

Thanks for any help for now!

[tabula_rashah]

Here’s the bridle I use with my hackamore.

For a seat saver, I wouldn’t do anything other than sheepskin. Here’s a link to a store that specializes in endurance and has both the sheepskin seats and noseband covers.

Also, if you haven’t already, the other thing I would most definitely add to your saddle is endurance style stirrups.

[hundredacres]

Thanks TR - I really like that bridle - simple and a good price. And I forgot about the stirrups…I know they will make a big difference so I’ll switch those out.

Great links!

[groundrover]

For the noseband, why don’t you try the fleece pieces you put on halters? They arent too expensive. They velcro around the noseband, so u don’t have to take anything apart, and if they get nasty, you can toss them in the laundry. I use them on my rope hackamore because my mare has a sensitive face. They also can come in different colors, so if you want to be color coordinated, you can get them to match. :winkgrin:

[hundredacres]

I went ahead and special ordered a fleece noseband from JMS - she’s very nice! Thanks for the idea!

[arabracer]

Try out anything new BEFORE the ride. If it dosen’t work for you,better to know now! I always bring Tylenol pm just in case I don’t sleep well. Make sure whatever you eating the night before is also something you can tolerate well, not too salty. I’ve seen many riders so concerned with their horses well-being they forget to drink themselves and get disoriented.I also keep a small plastic pill container with aleve and chewable immodium. Chapstick,wet wipes, and Kleenex are also nice. Don’t worry about doing everything perfectly, put a smile on your face and enjoy the ride!