Cuyama Oaks Endurance Ride 2025

Cruising through open valleys and steep ravines, the scent of sage and horse sweat filled my lungs. Perhaps not everyone’s favorite combination, but in the moment, I couldn’t imagine a sweeter perfume. Riding in new country is always exhilarating, and the 50 miles I traversed below the foggy peaks of the Sierra Madres at the Cuyama Oaks Endurance Ride were no exception.

Organized by XP Rides, the Cuyama ride marked its 23rd year running in 2025. The 3-day pioneer ride is located inland in Santa Barbara county, entirely on privately owned ranch land (yet another benefit to endurance- getting to ride in places that would otherwise be inaccessible!) The Cuyama Valley boasts expansive vistas of wide grassland and striking red dirt mesas that make for plenty of technical riding trails. The area is rich with the historical remnants of those who have occupied it, from the Chumash, who were the valley’s first inhabitants, to 19th century homesteaders, to those who arrived following the oil strike in the mid 20th century. Driving to the ride, I was struck by how vast the land felt in this new pocket of my home state I had yet to explore and couldn’t wait to get on trail.

My partner for the weekend was SS Calypsos Sherman, a remarkably gentle and sweet chestnut gelding owned by Jenna Towner, who was graciously granting me the ride for the weekend. I had been helping condition “Shermie” for the previous few months, so we were already well acquainted with each other, but I was excited to see how he would feel in the ride environment. I picked up Sherman with my trailer midmorning on Thursday and drove south behind some other endurance friends, arriving at ride camp in the early evening.

The ride was based out of a large pasture scattered with trees and lush grass, the perfect environment to camp out of. I checked in and got Shermie vetted then hustled to get my tent up, tack ready, and saddlebags packed for the morning before the ride meeting.

Annie and “the Duck” are fixtures in the endurance community and are known to put on scenic and friendly rides where riders can get out and explore some of the many world class trails the western US has to offer. Due to time constraints I was only able to stay for a single day of riding at Cuyama, but I can’t wait to get out to some more XP events in the future and ride the entire weekend.

One of the prettiest ride camps I've seen.

Dawn rose over camp and the start time for all was 7:30. We got extremely lucky with the weather, which stayed in the mild 45-65 degree range, with patches of clouds and sun throughout the day on Friday. For an early season ride where horses were still clinging on to their winter fluff and regaining summer fitness, I couldn't have asked for better conditions. Mellow as ever, I started Shermie at the front of the pack and we headed off for the first loop, leapfrogging between other groups of riders and working to maintain an even pace as we traversed winding ranch roads and some very steep ascents and descents. My personal goals for the ride were to get a good workout in for Sherman (and myself!) as we started the season and to complete the ride feeling strong and capable.

We arrived back into camp for our hour hold and Shermie chowed down on some hay and mash while I pulled his saddle and put his fleece cooler on to keep his muscles warm, changed my socks, and chugged some human electrolytes. I kept a close eye on my watch and got out of camp as soon as our hour was up for loop 2.

The trail first followed the road I had driven in on and then crossed several rocky creek beds littered with deadfall and the occasional yucca and cactus. Several miles in, we began climbing up a steep ridgeline which we followed before descending into the valley on the other side. The topography during the second half of the ride stood out from the first loop, with more rocks and longer climbs than the large meadows and rounded mountaintops we had ridden by in the morning.

Examples of the sorts of climbs to expect. Steeper than they look!

Sherman stayed motivated through all the climbs, the steepest ones of which I dismounted and led him for. We ended the ride having ascended a total of 7500 ft according to my GPS watch and I was beyond pleased with how Sherman and I both felt arriving back into camp. Having not ridden with the intention to race, we came in 7th place and I felt as though we had accomplished the objectives we had come to the ride to pursue. After checking in with friends and taking several walks around camp to stretch our legs, Shermie and I settled in for a cozy and restful night before hitting the road back north the next morning.

I made a worthwhile pit stop at the Cuyama Buckthorn for a great cup of coffee and local pistachio cookie for the drive home. Can’t beat a post-ride sweet treat!

This is no food blog but I swear this cookie was life-changing.

For anyone considering going to the Cuyama Oaks ride: This isn’t one to miss! Parking access was easy and like I said, I would have loved to be able to spend the entire weekend camped out at this ride, especially given what nice spring weather we experienced. I would consider the terrain to be relatively technical and require a fit horse, but there’s so much variation in the type of trail that it never feels monotonous. The energy at this ride was fun and casual and the views were top notch.