Re: RC: some interesting facts

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

At 11:10 AM 06/06/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>Considering how fast your typical 50 mile rides are run, I'd say that if
>you can't at least top 20 a LD, then maybe the horse isn't ready to move
>up.

My horse Rocky has never top tenned a LD ride.  He was 17th once, took 
almost 4 hours.  (he has done several LD rides -- most weren't 
sanctioned)  He was always ridden (read forced) to go slow.  I think that 
for some horses, it's not the speed that you go, but rather the other 
factors that are more important if somebody is going to decide if they 
should move up to a longer distance or not.  Like, is the horse handling 
things well mentally....is he eating, drinking, peeing, etc.  If Rocky had 
EVER been raced in a Limited Distance ride there is no way he would have 
made it as an endurance horse.

I think the biggest mistake people can make is to race a young horse on a 
LD ride.  Seriously......these horses learn things so fast, and when you 
let them do something that is not desirable then you are just setting them 
up for problem after problem.  How many people do I know that have done 
this and then end up fighting and arguing and usually end up pulling or 
with a horse in trouble when they do move up to 50's ---- more than I can 
remember.  If people want to race the shorter distances then that is their 
business, but if they have a goal of developing a horse that will stay 
sound and last for any length of this time doing longer distances in this 
sport, then they really need to ride their own ride and not get caught up 
in the racing aspect of the whole thing.

Karen
& Rocky, currently 1st place W Region