May 2016 – Sunday afternoon on May 9th, Lady Long Rider – Bernice Ende, rode into Winthrop. After a several night stay she was back in the saddle and headed west up an over the North Cascades. In the last few days she has been seen riding through Diablo, Marblemount, and on Tuesday the 17th, passed through Concrete as she headed west to Padilla Bay. Per her blog, Ende of the Trail, after reaching Padilla Bay Bernice and her girls will head east and back to Winthrop, taking them closer toward home in Trego, Montana after this 8000 mile ride.
Long riders are an amazing yet little-known segment of the equestrian world. The Long Riders’ Guild is an invitation-only association with hundreds of members worldwide. Their website (www.thelongridersguild.com) is one of the best resources on the subject. To be considered a long rider, the rider must make a journey of no less than 1,000 miles by horseback.
Long riding is a lifestyle and a life choice; it is neither a competition like endurance riding, nor a hobby like trail riding can be. For the most part, long riders follow roads. Ende does not use GPS; instead, she is a big fan of using gazetteers (map books for each state that show all the roads, not just the main ones) to find the best routes and perhaps less-traveled roadways. Ende has been living this lifestyle for 10 years and has logged over 28 criss-crossing the U.S. and Canada.
Update May 20th. Brandy Shreve / Skagit Valley Herald. SEDRO-WOOLLEY — When Bernice Ende guided her two horses into the waters of Padilla Bay on Wednesday, it marked the near completion of a coast-to-coast odyssey in which she relied on her wits, horsemanship and the hospitality of strangers.
The long trip was nothing new for the Trego, Montana, woman, who goes by the moniker Lady Long Rider. After all, over the past 12 years as a member of the Long Riders Guild, she’s logged 28,000 miles in the saddle and under her signature, wide-brimmed hat.
“You ride along 10 feet in the air with a 360-degree view,” the 61-year-old Ende said. “You can see and smell everything.”
Throughout her journey — it will cover 8,000 miles over 2 1/2 years by the time she reaches home — she has given presentations to numerous groups, from riding and Rotary clubs to schools.
Ende’s two companions on this trek are fjord mares named Essie Pearl and Montana Spirit. Click to read the rest of the Skagit Valley Herald story and to view photos.
You will find additional information about Bernice along with this current ride on her blog Ende of the Trail, her Lady Long Rider – Bernice Ende Facebook page, and YouTube video from April 2015 Long Lake, NY.