MEET THE JUNIOR Alie Smart

It's 5:00 a.m. and the alarm clock dings, waking us up. I roll out of bed, my tights and shirt already on. A bucket of mixed grains and beet pulp is at my feet. I add hot water and sprinkle some carrots on the top.

Carrying the bucket, I step outside the camper into the cold dark morning, greeted by my flea-bitten Arabian gelding Pegasus. He nickers as I place the bucket in front of him. I walk around him, checking his hay, water and droppings, making sure everything is good.

I give Pegasus a hug and kiss as I leave for the warmth of the camper. My mom has breakfast already made, so I eat even though my nerves are not making me feel very hungry. We slip on our sweaters and head outside.

I brush Pegasus's legs, then slide the blanket back just enough to brush his back and stomach. Mom comes around the corner with the saddle in hand. I help get it situated, then head to the camper again. I rush to put on sun­block and tie my hair back.

Leaving the camper again -- more exited this time -- I jump out the door, fasten my helmet and climb on to Pegasus. He starts to move as Mom tightens the girth one last time. I walk him around the camp to warm up. It is 15 minutes before start time, and he feels great. The excitement always gets to me, but never him. I see people's horses buck and bolt, thinking how happy I am to be on a horse that is eager but not nuts.

We trot past the start line to begin our last day at the New Cuyama three-day 155-mile pioneer ride, along with 100 other riders! Just like them, I want more than anything to finish.

My sponsors, Cindy Crook and Rick Leonard, have good horses who already have a lot of miles this year and are in great shape. This being my first three-day ride with Pegasus, I decide to find another sponsor who will go a bit slower for the last day. I find a perfect sponsor in Gail Hought.

As we cross the finish line my mom and other people clap for us -- after all, it is a big accomplishment! I vault off to lead Pegasus to the water, and as he drinks I think about how great he did these past three days. I give him one of the many hugs and kisses he gets throughout the day. We vet and he is fine, so I grab my completion sweatshirt and lead him to our camper, feeling on top of the world!

Hi, I'm Alie Smart. I'm 13 and I live in one of the best places for endurance: Placerville, California. My horse Pegasus and I love endurance rides, but it's not like we went shopping for a good endurance horse; in fact, we had no clue what endurance was when I got him. My aunt Melanie bought him at an auction for $300 and gave him to me when I was 9 years old and he was 5. When we got him he would run off, pull back, and sometimes rear. With help from my mom and aunt we fixed him.

I really wanted to show, but you could tell he hated it. At one of my early shows he would literally dive for the gate when we went around the arena, pushing any horse out of his way. I was so embarrassed. We continued showing for almost two years, and he got better at it, but you could still see that he disliked it.

We camped and trail rode a lot, and he loved that. My mom's friend Sharon Bower told us a few times that he would be a good endurance horse, but I still didn't know what endurance was.

We decided I'd begin showing my mom's quarter horse Doc's Red Marlin. When Pegasus wasn't doing anything beneficial to us, Mom said we had to sell him. People called on him, but when they did I would cry, so Mom said I had to find something he liked to do and do it.

I went to Sharon, asking about endurance, and soon after we were conditioning. When Sharon, her daughter Cailin and I decided we were ready we entered the 2006 Cooley Ranch 25-mile ride. We finished just seconds before overtime and our horses were pretty wiped from running in, so we decided our next ride would be different.

We conditioned more and then decided to do the Gold Country 30-miler. In between Cooley Ranch and Gold Country, we had a California State Horsemen's Association convention, where my mom ran into a long-lost friend, Tammy Nute, who is a successful endurance rider. Tammy decided to help me and has sponsored me on many rides since then, and has given me so much knowledge.

My first 50-mile ride was the Fireworks ride with Marilynn Scholl as my sponsor. We got eighth and ninth, and our horses could have done it again afterwards. That is when I knew we found something Pegasus and I loved. I also won Julie Suhr's book "Ten Feet Tall Still," and eventually met her. She inspired me so much. That was the start of many 50-mile endurance rides, with many sponsors.

I love endurance, because it causes you and your horse to create a really strong bond; any other sport on horses would not make you bond nearly as much. I have also learned a lot of history about our country and have ridden through some really beautiful and historical sites.

How do I get sponsors? When I'm at rides, I talk to a lot of different people, and then ask if they would mind sponsoring me. (They almost always say yes.) I always learn something new from my sponsors, and we have fun.

A word of advice to any new endurance riders: make sure to get help from an experienced endurance rider, study, and condition your horse. I'm sure you will love the sport of endurance. I know I do.

Before I end this, I would like to thank any sponsor who has ever sponsored me, and the sponsors who help sponsor other juniors -- you have no idea what it means to us. I would also like to thank my family and crew for everything they do; in fact, if it had not been for my grandparents and parents loving horses I might not be riding at all!

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