Agoura's Queen of Equestrian

Willowy and lithe, Charisse Glenn moves with the confidence of an athlete. As a female in the not too common sport of endurance racing, she's unperturbed and used to the endless fascination and curiosity.

Training relentlessly for the last three years, Glenn has her sights set on one of five spots in the US Endurance Team. Endurance racing is one of eight disciplines in the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky this September. Since it has not been designated as an Olympic sport, the WEG is considered the pinnacle of endurance racing.

No Horsing Around

Endurance racing is a combination of the skills of one horse and one rider, who compete in 50- to 100-mile races and must finish within a specified amount of time. The Agoura Hills resident is the only rider from Southern California to qualify and be nominated to the World Equestrian Games. Her So Cal-bred horses, Bogart VF and Steel, have also qualified.

Eleven years ago, the endurance sport was not even showing up in Glenn's radar. The 53-year-old ardent horse lover looks back, "I had been riding for some time when someone suggested I try one of these 25-mile races. So I did and I got hooked."

Breaking into a Gallop

A freelance casting director by profession, Glenn is used to atypical days. Depending on what race she's preparing for, Glenn may go for a long or short ride. "In this sport, just like in most endurance sports, you don't want to peak too early," says Glenn. To cross train, she incorporates hiking and stretching into her training schedule.

Calm and collected, like her horses, Glenn talks about them with obvious pride. "They're confident and not hot headed. They're really bred for endurance and stamina," says Glenn of her five Arabian horses, including the two that have already qualified for the World Equestrian Games. Arabian horses are known for their speed and considered one of the, if not the best, for racing.

When Glenn races, she needs her support crew just as much as she needs her horses. Led by her husband Carl, her crew can consist of one to six people, based on race regulations and space limitations. Glenn depends on them during tough races, such as the Tevis Cup.

Within the riding community, the Tevis Cup is considered the world's best-known and most difficult equestrian endurance ride. The 100-mile race in Auburn, CA has to be completed in 24 hours or less. Glenn recalls an incident during the Tevis Cup, "My horse slipped and we almost fell off a cliff. I was almost in last place then but I eventually came in twentieth place."

A Bumpy Ride at Times

Glenn and her horses have faced all sorts of catastrophes—from snowstorms and floods to twisted ankles, which is the perfect ingredient for a disqualification. The horses' well being is always at the forefront and race officials will not let them continue if they are less than 100 percent. Glenn just shrugs off her near mishaps and says, "When the going gets tough, it's actually best for you."

And the going is actually getting tougher with the World Equestrian Games a mere two months away. Glenn just returned from Oregon, where she hurdled the first of three selection trials. Her next stop is Illinois, where the "short list" of 35 riders and horses will be trimmed down further to 10 riders and 12 horses.

Glenn writes on her website, "I feel like I'm in a virtual video game, moving up to the next level constantly without getting any closer to the end. And the short list keeps getting longer." From Illinois, the team will acclimate for three weeks in Kentucky. The final team of five riders and six horses will be named on September 17, just nine days before the World Equestrian Games.

Straight from The Horse's Mouth

Glenn just left town for her eight-week journey to Illinois and Kentucky. Before her departure, Tamara Friend, owner of the recently opened Hold Your Horses Tack, a specialty store on Derry Avenue, hosted a fundraiser for Glenn.

Over the years, Glenn had to maintain her ranking on the Endurance Riders Ranking List by competing in a minimum of four sanctioned events throughout the year. "Endurance racing can get really costly, especially if you compete at this level. The travel costs and entry fees slowly add up," says Glenn.

Glenn compares herself to the slow, steady and sure tortoise from the popular Aesop fable, "The Tortoise and The Hare." Glenn advises, "We should constantly challenge ourselves. If we all did what we are capable of doing, the world would be astounding."