She feels she owes it to herself, her supportive community, her son Cody and late son Dion.
Mrs Latta got into endurance riding more than 30 years ago. "I had a young horse that was too green for eventing. It just needed something where it could run and that’s when I discovered endurance."
She likens the equestrian sport to running an ultra-marathon; the horse and rider cover a set distance and must pass vet checks for heart rate and soundness throughout the race and at the end.
The winner is the horse that passes through all the checks and has the fastest time. Distances start at 10km for beginners through to 160km at championship level.
"Endurance got serious for me when I won the South Island championships in early 2014 in under 10 hours. The opportunity presented itself, I gave it a good nudge and we got there."
While it is a solitary sport, there is camaraderie amongst competitors and Mrs Latta likes the way the sport flies under the radar.
"You’re out there for the love of it and not for any showmanship or sense of vanity," she said.
One of four representing New Zealand, she was initially surprised by her selection.
"I put it down to having quite a lot of experience. The horse that I was on began to show signs of lameness and I guess I had some insight and made some changes to the way I rode it, and we got over the line with the green light which was very satisfying."
It can be hard at times to get off the farm to attend endurance competitions and Mrs Latta credits her husband Logan for "picking up the slack" when she is away. "He’s very supportive and enjoys seeing me do well."
In 2014, Mrs Latta represented New Zealand at the World Equestrian Games in France.
Her local community had raised $60,000 for her horse Tkiwa to get there and back and she was disappointed to be pulled from the race when Tkiwa went lame after losing a shoe. "It was pretty gutting; I feel like I have unfinished business there."
The sport has been Mrs Latta’s saving grace. When her teenage son Dion died in a waterfall accident in 2012, her endurance racing went to a new level as she worked through the grief.
"It’s been a very tough road and I have grieved in my own private way, but what my community did for me back in 2014 to get me over to France was so incredibly generous. I just want them to know I am still here riding and competing and I have ambitions to get myself to Saudi Arabia in 2026 and give it another go. I feel I owe it to the community to show that their support back then wasn’t all for nothing," she said.
By Alice Scott
