Walk through any endurance ride camp, and you might raise your eyebrows at some riders’ fashion choices. But with the added specter of life during coronavirus, ride camp at the three-day City of Rocks Pioneer endurance ride June 13-15 resembled a masked bandit convention in the Wild West. Underneath those masks, though, were smiling riders delighted to return to the endurance trails.

With the entire horse sport industry, including endurance riding, shutting down for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, City of Rocks in south central Idaho became one of the first three rides allowed to proceed with American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC)-approved safety regulations.

Ride manager Regina Rose and riders had to adopt and adapt to new protocols. As a longtime ride management assistant and a rider, I got to experience both aspects of the reemergence of endurance after the COVID-19 lockdown.

This ride was a sort of test pilot for developing the new conventions during coronavirus: mandatory online preregistration, social distancing in camp and vet checks, masks worn in vet checks, only one handler per horse in vet checks, no ride meetings, no communal meals, no awards