Endurance riding is a sport which can seemingly take a rider to the top of the world! This can be achieved in through many different avenues such as winning a ride, receiving best condition, earning a mileage achievement patch, riding through the beautiful countryside or just racking up the miles with your favorite horse.

Endurance riding is also a sport that can take you down to the lowest places in the world at a much faster rate than it took you to rise to the top. This can happen so fast that it can make your head spin. It is a sport that will make us humble.

At times when we think things are going really well, we find out how fragile our world can be. Our horses are not machines, they are not predictable, and we should feel very blessed every day that we have them healthy and sound. On that same note, though, we are not machines either and should never take our health for granted.

I will share a personal story. Last year I had a horse that did very well in accumulating mileage which made it possible for us to finish in the top 10 in my Midwest Region and also in my weight division and second in mileage in my region. It was a great run and I enjoyed the rides that we attended throughout the season.

So, of course, when December came around I got out my calendar and ride schedule and started marking off the rides that I was going to attend, both near and far. I made big plans as I have often done at the beginning of the season.

First on my agenda was a ride that I was to manage in December and next I was off to a great New Year's Day ride that was so fun to ride, then I had another three-day ride to manage in January.

Then, with all my managing duties finished, I was going to just ride, ride, ride!

The first day of my riding season, January 15 (which is also my husband's birthday) I was walking out to the barn to ride when I got hit from behind by a friend's big 95-pound puppy running full speed. The force knocked me off my feet and broke my ankle.

So now, after surgery, here I sit with all my big plans but going nowhere. I had felt on top of the world in December and the first half of January but now, here I am, under a rock and wondering when I will be able to climb out. My husband is having to feed my horses and take care of me while friends are trying to keep my horses halfway fit. How fast things have changed beyond my control!

Many riders have obstacles that they have had to overcome. It can be horse-related issues or in just keeping themselves healthy and fit enough to be able to do this sport. We never know all the trials and tribulations that other riders have had to endure. When you have health issues everything else is just a game -- your health is everything. The same can be said concerning your horses and their health issues.

The one thing that has stayed constant in the sport of endurance for me is that it is a humbling sport. We all walk a fine line between success and failure, sound and unsound, healthy and sick, completions and pulls.

When things are going really well we have a tendency to forget that we are all just one step away from failure . . . but the sun will come out tomorrow and tomorrow is only a day away . . .

Now let's see if there is a way I can qualify for the AERC National Championship ride to be held in October; just a few more weeks in this cast, and I should be riding by October. Where is my husband? I need him to bring me my calendar and Endurance News to start on my new plans.