Carol Bischoff & Kenlyn Steele

National Limited Distance Mileage Champion, Senior Division
By Steve Bradley

My husband Bob and I started endurance riding in 2007 and enjoyed it so much we couldn’t stop. So, we decided to spend our retired years seeing the country and going camping with our horses.

I really appreciated the support of my husband, who was with me on every ride. I won first place with Kenlyn Steele+ totaling 960 miles and Bob won second place with Chocolate Ice, totaling 895 miles in the 2008 - National Limited Distance Mileage Championship. We also both won first and second in our Pacific Southwest Region. Kenlyn Steele+ received second place in the regional Best Condition standings, while Bob split his time with our five year old mare Kenlyn Escapade and received fifth place in the Pacific Southwest Regional Limited Distance Mileage Championship, with 245 miles.

We acquired our horses from Kenlyn Arabians in Colorado and Linda Fisher did not steer us wrong. She has provided us with excellent endurance horses and sound advice. She is our mentor and we couldn’t have done this without her.

We started our year out with frozen water buckets and frozen fingers in Arizona. In New Mexico over New Years, we were in the presents of the King of Malaysia, a Princess of Saudi Arabia, members from Japan, and some of the big names in this Endurance sport. Steele won BC both days, so we were off to a good start and it just encouraged us more to continue our adventure.

It rained all day at Warner Springs, California, thank goodness for those hot springs and the wonderful amenities that go with that ride. Our next ride was back-to-back; we rode in New Mexico, did sightseeing in-between, and then dodged the cactus in Wickenburg, Arizona. One rider was not so lucky, Ouch!

Strawberry Fields, in Utah, was truly the most beautiful ride we did all year. We rode through Aspen forests, green meadows with flowers, rivers with beaver dams and wild strawberry plants everywhere.

In June, we returned to Warner Springs, but this time we had hot weather over 100 degrees and ended up in the cold pools instead of the hot ones. In Parker, Colorado as we were leaving, we could see a tornado touch down in our rear view mirror! Serious weather in Colorado! On the Owyhee, Idaho ride we not only accomplished our goal of riding all five days, but ended up going home with the Best Overall Times and the 5 Day Best Condition Award.

We ended Kenlyn Steele’s 2008 season in October at the beautiful Moab Canyon Pioneer. Here we rode dressed as cats and enjoyed the trick-or-treaters that came around to our horse trailers.

Steele was wonderful to ride, she was strong, had her steady pace, and knew what to do on the trail. Steele is taking a well deserved break after all her hard work and is running free with a herd of horses on 250 acres in Fort Collins, Colorado, for the winter. I am so proud of her and loved the memorable year we had together.



Article taken from 2008 Yearbook Endurance Riding