Lancette Koerner

Mesa, AZ



I was 5 years old when I had my first solo ride on a horse. From that moment on, horses became my obsession. As a child, I did not own a horse or have riding lessons, I was simply filled with passion and love for horses and rode at every opportunity.

In 1988, I realized my dream of owning a horse when I adopted a 9-month-old mustang from the BLM. He was a beautiful blood bay with a big attitude. I called him Nimbus. During this time, it was my good fortune to meet a local endurance rider who shared her Tevis story, and so my endurance journey began.

I moved to Mesa, Arizona in 1994 and began training for the elusive endurance ride. In 1996 I rode the 25 at Man Against Horse. I loved being out for hours with my horse enjoying the beauty of the land with like minded people. I was hooked.

Over the years, I have participated in every distance and enjoyed them all but my favorite event is the multi-day 50. One of the things I appreciate most about endurance is the many distances available for competition. There is something for everyone. It is a sport for the entire family.

After 25 years of small business accounting, I retired in 2013 to spend more time with my family. My husband and grand-daughter have taken up endurance and we ride together as often as possible. Sharing my passion with them is a dream come true.

In 2010 I became involved with endurance ride management helping to bring the Lead Follow @ McDowell and Bumble Bee rides to the Southwest region. I started the Tonto Twist 50 in 2018 and hope to continue this ride for years to come.

I love every aspect of endurance whether I am managing, riding, crewing or volunteering. With the formation of The Arizona Endurance Riders Club, Inc. it is my desire to help others get started and continue in the amazing sport of endurance. To bring riders and volunteers together to teach, support and inspire each other.

Ashley Wingert

Gilbert, AZ

I started riding lessons when I was 7 years old, and got my first pony when I was 11. She and I grew up together, showing in a range of disciplines within the Pony of the Americas Club breed shows for a number of years before discovering the world of competitive trail riding, and from there, endurance riding.

I’ve been involved with endurance since 2004, and much of my endurance career has been spent “catch riding” other rider’s spare horses, which has given me a wide range of different experiences within the sport, and an appreciation for the supportive nature of the endurance community.

Since 2012, my “day job” has involved the communications, customer service, social media management, and marketing for a privately-owned, high-tech equine product manufacturing company. This job has me working directly within the endurance community, in addition to a larger equine market, and given me social media management and marketing skills that will be beneficial to promoting and building the AZERC, and to serve as the club webmaster.

Andrea Maitland

Morristown, AZ

Like many others, I had the ‘horse crazy’ gene and grew up riding school horses and have owned my own for almost 20 years. I dabbled in dressage and hunter/jumper, but never found ‘my tribe’ until I rode in my first endurance ride in 2014 – and I was hooked! I currently have 3 endurance mustangs, two of which have completed 100-mile rides and an up-and-coming youngster who is currently doing 50s. I love to share this sport with others, and my string of ‘stangs has taken 25 different riders to completions, including 10 first time riders, 7 first time 50-mile riders, and 3 Juniors.

I currently work in the financial sector as a senior program manager, and previous jobs have included call center management, zookeeper, and veterinary technician. I am an avid herpetoculturist and have a large collection of pythons that I maintain and breed. I am thrilled to be part of the Arizona Endurance Riders Club as the Director of Mentorship.

Mary Jane Fridley

Cave Creek, AZ

I was born with a love for horses and started riding lessons when I was eight or nine years old. Through most of my youth, I showed, trained, and took care of horses at a nearby stable. I bought my first “very-own” horse after I was out of college. I had grown up riding “big horses” suitable for jumping and dressage, but once I rode an Arab, there was no other breed for me.

In the late 80’s and early 90’s, I was living in Alberta and fell in love with cross country trail-riding. I had my first introduction to Endurance in 1990, however, a busy career and raising a family did not leave time to pursue the sport until twenty-plus years later. In 2012, I purchased a seven year-old green-broke Arab with the intention of training and conditioning him for Endurance and realized that dream in 2014. Since then, I have accumulated almost 3,000 endurance miles, including two Tevis buckles.

I have been retired since 2019. Prior to that, I spent 29 years in Supply Chain and Manufacturing management, followed by a thirteen year career in residential real estate. The skills I honed in my career were strategic planning and goal setting, and developing and mentoring others. I plan to put these skills to use in helping form and develop a premier endurance club in Arizona.