Month: April 2019

Livingston County News, April 29, 2019
With horses in tow, ‘Lady Long Rider’ returning to area on book tour

By BEN BEAGLE

PUBLISHED: MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2019 AT 7:46 AM

Bernice Ende, the Lady Long Rider who stopped five years ago in Dansville and Caledonia, is making a return to the area.

Ende will again be accompanied by her two Norwegian Fjord horses, Montana Spirit and Liska Pearl, but she’s traveling by truck and trailer as part of a book tour for her memoir “Lady Long Rider: Alone Across America on Horseback” (FarCountry Press).

“It is a long ride in the sense that it is just plain long,” Ende said in an email to The Livingston County News. “I do find myself talking as I do when traveling with the horses, like ‘stay focused; you’ll be OK; and just get through the day.’ Things like that. I still sleep with the horses. I still hear them at night. I still cook outside and have the sense of travel with my horses.

“It does surprise me when I can do 200 miles in a day instead of 20 miles” as she did on horseback, she said.

Ende, 65, has made one concession for this trip: she’s bringing a flip phone on her tour as it makes it easier to coordinate appearances on the 60-stop tour.

The tour visits Dansville Public Library, 200 Main St., Dansville, at 6 p.m. April 29 and the Caledonia Fairgrounds, 319 Leicester St., Caledonia, on May 4 as part of a larger event, “Celebrate Spring Fair,” that includes the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol. In Caledonia, Ende is scheduled to make presentations at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Event runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ende will feature select readings from her memoir at both appearances in addition to a slideshow that highlights photographs and stories from journeys over 14 years and 30,000 miles. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

She shares stories of the friendly people she met along the way, encounters with rough weather – snowstorms, droughts and tornadoes; wildlife – grizzly bears, mountain lions and rattlesnakes, among others; mosquitoes, tricky route finding and worn out horseshoes. She also shares her own inner struggles and triumphs that tested the limits of physical and mental stamina, coping with the solitude and the reward of living life her own way.

Ende’s latest journey, which began in October, has her on the road for eight months as she crosses 18 states, retracing some of her most celebrated long rides. The tour will conclude with a long ride in the northeastern United States.

“I knew I had to do it. I knew I had to go back out and sell these books, share these stories with all these people who had helped me in so many ways,” Ende said. “It’s been like a reunion tour. I have reconnected with many people that helped me on my early rides.”

To prepare, she completed a small tour of speaking engagements in her home state of Montana.

“After all these years of long riding, thousands of spirits have climbed into my saddle bags and ridden vicariously with me,” Ende said.

Back in 2014, Ende’s 8,000-mile cross-country ride brought her in late August to Livingston County, where she rode northward from Ossian to Avon – a ride that took her five days. She had a brief rest in Dansville and arrived in Caledonia with her pack horses, Essie Pearl and Montana Spirit, loaded with enough gear for daily life on the trail. All three stayed in a barn at the Caledonia Fairgrounds.

At each stop, Ende and her horses spent time with visitors and in Caledonia was even a guest at a village board meeting. She told The LCN at the time she had experienced a great deal of hospitality from local residents and called it “the best ride I’ve ever been on.”

That ride, which went from Montana to Maine, then to Puget Sound and back to her home in Montana, celebrated women’s suffrage as 2014 was the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in Montana. While in Western New York she visited Susan B. Anthony’s grave in Mount Hope Cemetery and the suffragette’s home in Rochester, then rode east to the Women’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls – which took her another 12 days – to “pay homage to the women who brought us liberty.”

Ende, a former ballet teacher, took her first long ride at age 50, going on an 1,800-mile trek from her home in Trego, Montana, to the home of her older sister outside Edgewood, New Mexico. She described that journey as “nightmarish” – traveling with only one horse, a Tennessee Walking Horse Called Pride, and her dog. She had no tent and slept on sheepskins she used beneath her saddle, covering with blankets and a tarp.

Still she became hooked.

“Time and again, people have opened their homes, shared meals with me, washed my clothes, repaired tack, shod a horse and encouraged or supported me in one way or another. I am truly indebted to hundreds of people,” she writes in “Lady Long rider.”

The Long Riders’ Guild has recognized Ende as an outstanding ambassador for long-distance exploration on horseback.

A “long ride” is considered a journey of more than 1,000 miles. No other living woman has done as many journeys or ridden as many miles as Ende, who hopes her rides inspire women who want to pursue an unconventional path in life and encourages them to reach beyond their fears.

“It’s an iconic legendary image. It symbolizes self-reliance, independence, escape – freedom,” she told The LCN in 2014.

“This book tour,” she said in her email, “is a fantastic way to get back out on the road and share my stories that, like my long rides, are dedicated to encouraging female leadership and to discover, learn and grow.”

NOTE: The video in the above article is from 2014. It was republished in the above article published April 29, 2019 in the Livingston County News. Below, is what the Livingston County News reported in 2014.

________________________________

Livingston County News, Caledonia, New York

September 4, 2014

TheLCNvideo Published on Sep 4, 2014
Bernice Ende of Montana was in Livingston County for the past week as part of an 8,000-mile, 2-1/2-year journey across the United States on horseback. She was about one-third of the way through when The Livingston County News caught up with her Thursday morning in Caledonia, where she made a rest stop at the Fairgrounds. Ende was getting transportation assistance from Sgt. Gary A. Cicoria of the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Patrol for her trip to Rochester, where she planned to visit Susan B. Anthony’s gravesite at Mount Hope Cemetery and the Susan B. Anthony House before continuing her journey. Ende’s ride commemorates the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Montana.

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Below, are photos from the visit in 2014.

RAMM Horse Fencing & Stalls

April 26, 2019

By Debbie Disbrow

30,000 miles in the saddle. Owner of RAMM Horse Fencing & Stalls, Debbie Disbrow, looks back on her time meeting Lady Long Rider.

RAMM Horse Fencing and Stalls hosted a presentation and book signing event for “Lady Long Rider”, Bernice Ende. She started her first Long Ride in her 50’s traveling 2,000 miles to visit her sister. Currently, she is still long riding with 2 horses, no cell phone, some maps and minimal provisions. After meeting her, here are some thoughts and memories from Debbie.

I had never met a long rider before. I didn’t know what to expect. Bernice Ende has ridden over 30,000 miles across the United States from coast to coast. And I felt privileged to meet her, we all did.

As simple as life is for her, no extras of any kind and little to no possessions, her life is actually very complex. We take our homes, barns, cars, closets, storage – all for granted. When you only have your horse and pack horse, there isn’t much room for extras. Her tent is almost extravagant. With little more than blankets and a tiny cook stove, her tent is her home. And because of her mother, she has a few doilies to make it seem more like home. She did say that there is nothing better than being in the desert with a crackling fire, your horses close and a sky full of stars! Simple.

Bernice is a woman that is very disciplined. After teaching ballet for 23 years and giving many kinds of horse riding lessons including dressage, she maintains her strength for riding. In her sixties, she does exercises daily and advanced yoga along with chin ups, standing on her head, standing on her hands…well, you get the idea. Not so simple.

Because life goes by at a horse’s walking pace, approximately 4 miles an hour, her days are long. Bernice is always in the moment. When you’re riding horses along highways, on roads and around all kinds of noises, distractions and things flying in the air, you have to be ready with your horses for anything – all the time. Packs on the horses must be in good order and balanced evenly. It takes her about 2 hours to get the horses ready to head out and then 2 hours at night to set up camp, clean tack and eat too. Simple yet complicated.

Eating could consist of rice and greens, rice and dandelions, or rice and plants from foraging. Nettles being one of the things she finds. Even her horses can eat dried nettles. She said that she gets her tent readied in the evening, gets her rice cooked, throws in anything else she can forage or find in the way of vegetables. She wraps her pot with several layers of cloth and then into her sleeping bag to make a slow cooker. While her food cooks she is cleaning tack and blankets, readying anything for the following ride, including shoeing. Lots of work.

Her outlook on life is more than beautiful. She believes in keeping a positive outlook on everything. Negativity has no place with her because she knows how damaging it can be to a person. She also knows that it takes a leadership role with her horses in order for them to have great respect for her. If she does not have the horses’ full respect, it’s a matter of life or death for a long rider. She is confident that her horses know how to ride behind each other, ride astride, can turn both directions and stand in one place, can pivot and turn together, will stop and stand, will ground tie, can side step together, etc.. If not it would be dangerous for her horses and herself. Training is imperative for the long rides. Not simple.

After talking with Bernice Ende, I realized all that I take for granted. That the apparently simple things really are not simple and that the difficult things can really be simple in life. That each one of us can look at our own accomplishments, on our own journey, and take appreciation for what we accomplish. That each and every one of us has our own long ride and we decide how long, how far and how often we go.

There is so much wisdom in this Long Rider, Bernice Ende. And for those that wish to be like her, it will never happen. The long rides require much solitude, which she enjoys. It requires discipline, which many do not have. And giving up all one owns and leaving it behind for many years of the long ride.

It is her life and she can not stop riding–going from place to place and gracing those she meets along the way. She does not know why she has this strong desire to ride, or did she ever expect to do this, but she knows that it is her journey. Simple yet complicated, the life of Lady Long Rider.

Bernice Ende can be found on Facebook and on her web site. Her tour and riding schedule can also be found there. Her Lady Long Rider books may be purchased at her website, Ende of the Trail or at Amazon books.

Bernice’s book won the Silver Award of the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice – Nonfiction, from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). This is great! Congrats, Bernice!

Statement from FarCountry Press, Bernice’s publisher in Helena, Montana.

Farcountry Press is pleased to announce that two of our 2018 titles have received Silver Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) in it’s prestigious Benjamin Franklin Award™ program, recognizing excellence and innovation in independent publishing. Bernice Ende won the Silver Award for Best New Voice: Nonfiction for her incredible memoir Lady Long Rider: Alone Across America on Horseback Lady Long Rider – Bernice Ende. And our handsome book of wildlife photography, Donald M. Jones Wild Montana, brought home the Silver Award for Best Coffee Table Book! Congratulations to our authors, photographers, production staff, and the entire Farcountry Team.

April 18 – 24, 2019

I will call this week “Michigan Madness.” When I rode through this part of the country in 2014/15 I experienced the same enthusiasm and interest, it’s been fast and furious and I say that with a big smile.

The grass is SO GREEN! This is in stark contrast to the densely forested naked trees bedded down with a thick layer of brown leaves from last year’s shedding. The grass looks fake, Fake Grass like Fake News!! Ummm

This is Ford country. My truck receives a good deal of attention. There are no trucks this age (Bill’s Old Blue Truck is 50 years old). Here in Michigan, they all have rusted back into the earth.

I can’t help but think that in 1969 this old Ford rolled off the assembly line in Detroit, destined for Whitefish, Montana, where my friend Bill Griffin purchased it new at DePratu Ford dealership.

The only reason I am driving this truck is because Burton Robson who lives in Portland, Michigan, told me, “That’s a good truck, it will make it, you keep that truck.” I lamented not having a better vehicle for the book tour. Now here I am nearing the end of my travels with this old trusty truck and not one, not one problem has presented itself! I tell it repeatedly, “You are a champion,” and pat the dashboard.

Last Saturday I spoke at the Portland District Library, Portland, Michigan, to a full room–many of whom were the Robson Clan. I had a lovely sunny afternoon with Sharon and Burton’s family on Easter. Watching an exhausting kite flying exhibition from a grandson brought back memories of those little kites we purchased for 99 cents with a match stick (balsa wood?) like frame and tissue paper thin structure. The kite hardly held up in the wind before coming crashing down, breaking to bits!

I also drove south for talks in LaPorte, Indiana, at the La Porte County Public Library where I spoke at another well-attended gathering. Susan Bannwart, Adult Services at the library, introduced me–herself being a horsewoman.

The next day I drove to Swanton, Ohio, where I spoke at the restored Beach Ridge Wheelhouse, Oak Openings Preserve Metropark. This was hosted by Debbie Disbrow, owner of RAMM Horse Fencing & Stalls, https://www.rammfence.com/. Now I have to laugh because I thought all this time I would drive up to a feed store that sold fencing. Instead, I drove up to a complex of buildings that manufactures and distributes fencing from which many of you who are horse people have purchased fencing. The Divine Equine Stables where my horses are stabled have RAMM stalls!

I think I can now honestly say how it feels to be a celebrity because these women went all out in cutting a huge slice of hospitality for me!! My goodness and such a turnout!! The entire event was as they say, OVER THE TOP. Thank you!!

Last night I spoke in Hesperia, Michigan. Hosted by Chris Hubbard, an avid horsewoman and packer who has put many miles in riding Michigan over the past years. We had a good showing at the library and then I had a good rest in her renovated living-quarters horse trailer before heading north for Traverse City, Michigan.

Traverse City is a beautiful, innovative, charming historic town located on West Grand Traverse Bay. From the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake shore to the vibrant downtown with cultural diversity, arts & fine dining, Traverse City is a place I must return to for a longer visit. It’s the Cherry Capital of the World!

The horses are safe and sound at Divine Equine Stables eight miles north of Portland, Michigan. The owners are Denise and Roger Arnesen. Although not quite ready for boarders, Denise and Roger have accommodated my two girls. The dairy farm they are renovating into a boarding stable once belonged to her father. I simply can not thank them enough as I feel the horses are far better off safely tucked away at Divine Equine Stables than with me on this very busy last leg of the book tour. I truly miss them already!!

Weather is on and off again, Spring rains mixed with warm sunny days. This week I have talks everyday. Sunday I leave for New York for three weeks. I end the book tour on May 22. Nearly done. More later.

Bernice

I call this week Michigan Madness because when I rode through this part of the country in 2014/15 I experienced the same enthusiasm and interest, its been fast and furious and I say that with a big smile.

Butternut and Park Falls, Wisconsin.

The John & Kathy Schroeder Farm, a century home where John and Kathy, third-generation owners, kindly hosted my stay for two nights when I gave my talk at the library in Park Falls, Wisconsin.

Iron River, Michigan.

For those of you concerned about the snow… Well, I did indeed get stuck right in the middle of it–but, the folks in Iron River, Michigan, helped me through it. From Gina Giuliani whom I had met in 2014, to the librarians, and the road department–all came to my aid and put me up at the Iron County Michigan Fairgrounds where the horses had shelter and we had support. I remained warm, safe, and dry for which I say again and again, “Thank You!”

Lake Michigan, Mackinac Bridge, Lake Huron

As we traveled eastward from Park Falls, Wisconsin, toward the Mackinac Bridge between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, the snow lessened, green grass began to show, and there it was, Lake Michigan. It was a thrill to see, even if it was not on horseback as it had been in 2014. I could not help but wonder if Spirit could smell and remember the area. Little Liska is on quite the adventure, as is Bill’s Old Blue Truck!

Fairgrounds in Cheboygan, Michigan

Leigh Lasley welcomed me to the Cheboygan County Fairgrounds. I met Leigh in 2014 when she stopped as one of the curious and interested. She brought hay and we have remained friends ever since. And again this visit, she brought hay. Oh my, to be through the worst of the weather, I do believe!

The eBook of “Lady Long Rider: Alone Across America on Horseback” is now available from the publisher, FarCountry Press, https://farcountrypress.com/details.php?id=815 and Amazon (internationally). Especially awaited by international followers of our favorite long rider, Bernice Ende. Above is a lovely photo of Ylime Marie and her Lady Long Rider book on the way to Buenos Aires! (that is, before the e-book was available).