[QUOTE=LSMarnell;7635673]
I am doing my first endurance ride over the 4th of July. We are doing the “beginners” ride, 15 miles.
I have been steadily conditioning my horse over the past 4 months and I think we are READY!
My questions are:
1.) What would be a good time to complete the 15 miles in (as a beginner?) We are up to riding 3 1/2- 4 hours, mostly walking but trotting for appx. a quarter of that time.
2.) How do you measure mileage on the trail? The maps of the trails I mainly condition over seem to suggest that we are doing 12-15 miles in appx 3 hours. Does that seem right? The maps are poor at best, but it seemed reasonable to me.
3.) What should I take with me during the ride? And if I am using a western style saddle are cantle or pommel bags best?
4.) What is the trail etiquette for passing. I KNOW the 25 & 50 milers will be passing us at warp speed 
Is it like bicycle riding where you stay right and they pass on the left? Or will they (ideally) call the side?
Anything else you want to tell a newbee would be great too. I am not sure endurance riding is something I really want to get “into.” I really just like to leisurely trail ride, but this will be a good learning experience for my horse seeing all the other riders, horses, and hoopla![/QUOTE]
1.) 2-3 hours depending on terrain. On flat terrain at home (i.e. shoulders of country roads), I can do 15mi in an hour and twenty minutes. We trot and canter the entire time. That almost doubles with hills. You’re better off doing a lot of trotting interspersed with walking and cantering to use different muscle groups than just walking the entire time.
2.) I really don’t measure mileage on the trail beyond paying attention to the ride map.
3.) I like pommel bags better because they’re easier to get into, though I do have both. I take a bottle of water on one side and a bottle of something with some sugar and electrolytes (Gatorade or some such thing). My goal is to drink both by the time the loop is done. “Best” is whatever works for you. My horse prefers pommel bags as well. Cantle bags tend to sit right on his flanks. I don’t like to put drinks in the bottle holders of mine because they do sit right on his flanks and I imagine that gets annoying after a couple miles on the trail. If I do take the cantle bag, its got other stuff, like an extra layer for warmth or rain and lighter things like that.
I usually take some snacks for both of us. Carrots, a granola bar, raw nuts, jerky. Carrots are a good source of electrolytes. I basically let my horse have as many as he wants during holds.
4.) I’ve found people usually call a side. “On your left!” They shouldn’t be blasting past you unless you give them the okay to. My horse is fine with people cantering past us, but a lot are not. I usually try to tell people coming up on us that they are fine to maintain their pace passing us. They ought to slow down (most people around her drop to a trot), pass you, and then move out again. If they don’t call a side, I usually try to move to the right, but will pick which ever side is safer for me to stop on. If there’s a drop off to the right, I’m going to move to the left.
If its tight quarters on the trail and someone is coming up behind you, I would stop, point my horse’s hindquarters into the woods and stand at about a 45 degree angle to the trail.
Is it like bicycle riding where you stay right and they pass on the left? Or will they (ideally) call the side?
Just relax and tell yourself this is nothing more than a glorified trail ride with a time limit. Go prepared to enjoy the day, the trail, and the fun of meeting new people whose sole aim is to enjoy the day every bit as much as you. 
