2024 Endurance Rides (5/5): Fossil Falls

After finishing the Hat Creek Hustle ride on a high with my personal horse, I was content for my first endurance season to come to a close. Retta and I had successfully completed four limited distance (LD) rides. We had scored progressively higher in the placings at each consecutive ride, and while racing was far from my agenda, it felt beyond satisfying to see our teamwork come to fruition. Yet just as I was celebrating the completion of a great season, I was offered the opportunity to take on the Fossil Falls ride aboard Bez Lite Year, a young gelding owned by Kassandra DiMaggio of Mt. RushNoMore Ranch and sired by her stallion, WT Bezarif, who would also be accompanying us on our journey south to California’s high desert. 

Located near the small town of Coso Junction in Inyo County, California, the Fossil Falls ride hosted starkly different geography compared to any of my previous 2024 equine adventures. The sharp peaks of the Eastern Sierras framed sweeping views of 20,000 year old lava rock flow and plains of prickly joshua trees. The 2-day ride took place over the weekend of November 30th and December 1st. I planned to ride the 30 mile LD on both days, for 60 miles altogether. The AERC (American Endurance Riding Conference) calendar year begins in December, meaning the weekend would mark the last day of the 2024 competitive season and the first of the 2025 ride year. Desert riding poses unique challenges. Although heat wouldn’t be an issue so late in the year, exposure to the arid landscape can make for brutal wind and chilly nights. Combined with a trail composed of deep sand that can stress horses’ legs and gradual but long ascents, the ride was technically challenging.

Dawn rose on Saturday morning and I sat astride Bez Lite Year, or Bez, as he’s known to his friends. We headed out with a group of excited horses at the front of the pack, playing hopscotch with the top five riders for the remainder of the ride. While still young, Bez is one of the most athletic horses I have had the pleasure of riding and took on the course with gusto, powerfully cruising up and down dramatic desert mountains and arriving at the finish line in 3rd place for a total ride time of 3 hours and 42 minutes. “Catch riding,” or jockeying a horse owned by someone else, is a very different experience than competing on a personal horse. I had ridden Bez a couple of times before going to Fossil Falls, but I was still leagues less familiar with his personality than my horse, who I know like the back of my hand. Competing in a sport that relies on riders’ ability to read their mount’s needs and physical status over long distances means that catch riders need to be extra attentive in order to ride their horse safely and effectively. 

The following day’s ride took place on most of the same trails as the Day 1 LD, aside from an out and back to a new mid-ride vet check location. There were fewer riders on course and the energy at the starting line was less palpable compared to the day before. I continued to let Bez set his own pace and we found ourselves completely alone in the desert for over 25 miles. The solitude I felt was powerful and would have likely been a bit unnerving if I didn’t have the knowledge that ride management had cashed numerous water troughs for the horses and would come looking for me if I failed to show up at camp. Being able to take on supported rides through isolated terrain is yet another benefit of endurance riding! Bez and I completed our second 30 mile ride in  5 hours and 13 minutes, bagging first place and Best Condition for the day. Grateful for the hours I spent traversing the desert and Kassandra for granting me the ride on her superstar gelding, we loaded the horses up and got on the road for a long drive back home. 

Reflecting back on my first AERC season, I can’t help but think of how much I’ve changed since taking on the sport. The hundreds of trail miles Retta and I shared strengthened our bond, physical capabilities, and general confidence in the backcountry and beyond. I became accustomed to traveling to new places alone with my horse, despite the many roadblocks that would often ensue. Even outside of the horse world, I feel more driven to try new things and actively seek out community to learn from and share my interests with. It’s never just as simple as choosing a big goal and immediately achieving it, but I do recognize how many more opportunities have presented themselves to me as I have become more willing to put myself out there and take on challenges. I’m stoked for the 2025 endurance season and whatever adventures it will bring!

To anyone considering going to the Fossil Falls ride or ANY AERC ride: Be aware that there will always be difficulties to consider, (in this case, deep sand primarily) but give it a shot! This ride was excellently managed and absolutely stunning. I look forward to more trips to the desert.