Kristina Chesterman Memorial Endurance Ride

With towering pines and rusted red earth stretching out as far as I could see, the Kristina Chesterman Memorial endurance ride boasted countless miles of winding wooded trails. Located in the small town of Magalia in Northern California, the ride honored nursing student Kristina Chesterman who tragically lost her life in 2013, with proceeds going to a medical clinic founded in her memory in Ozu Abam, Nigeria. Ride camp was based out of the beautiful Meadowbrook Ranch. A large field surrounded by woods, creeks, and a pond made for an idyllic spot to spend a weekend with horses.

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I signed up to take on the 50 mile course with Bez Lite Year, a gray Arabian gelding owned and bred by Kassandra DiMaggio of Mt RushNoMore Ranch. This would be my second 50 with Bez, and our goal for the day was to have a calm, controlled start and to complete feeling strong. 

I arrived at camp late on Friday afternoon and completed the usual pre-ride routine of vetting in, pitching my tent, and prepping tack for the next day before heading to the ride meeting.

This ride was a relatively flat course for our region, with a total of 4800ft of vertical ascent over 50 miles. The footing was great and the majority of the route was on wide logging roads, with a bit of singletrack mixed in. There was a lot of tree cover and unseasonably mild weather made for pleasant conditions.

I held Bez back at the starting line ten minutes after the trail opened to allow the competitive horses to get a head start, since we didn’t want him racing this ride. Just a couple miles in, we hit one of the most scenic sections of the ride, called “the flumes,” where we skirted the edge of a narrow canal through the woods before crossing a bridge to get onto the fire roads that made up most of the ride. Bez and I began catching up with other riders and I worked hard to keep him focused and collected. At only 6 years old, he is already extremely athletic and will be sure to continue growing into a powerful endurance horse. 

One of my favorite things about this ride was how well staffed it was with volunteers, who escorted us on road crossings and kept in touch with ride management over radio. The support offered at endurance rides is one of the most valuable assets for riders wanting to try out longer distances. 

Both mid-ride veterinarian examinations were “out-checks” at this ride, meaning they took place at a staging area away from camp, which can be logistically more complicated. I was very grateful for the Mt RushNoMore crew who helped me to get Bez vetted and refueled, as the hour allotted went by quickly.

The second section of the ride was a lollipop style loop out of the vet check. We did the majority of the ride’s climbing on this section to retrieve a playing card as a token to prove we had completed the entire distance. We came back for our second 30 minute vet check and Bez was more than eager to get back on trail. We ended up riding the final loop back to camp completely alone, which was a good opportunity to keep him focused on me and rate his speed.

We finished a little before 3pm, for a total ride time of 6:54 and 20th place out of 38 starts. Bez barely looked like he’d broken a sweat by the time we presented for the post ride examination and I was proud of how we had worked together to manage his exuberance and energy throughout the day.

To anyone considering going to the KCM ride: I think this ride would be an awesome option for newbies to the sport! It was meticulously marked and well organized, as well as being a less technical trail than others in the western region. This would also be a great camp to visit a day or two early to make the most of the weekend.