25 LD required starting point - was LD and BC

[Linda Flemmer <bluewolfranch@yahoo.com>]

--- Deanna German <dgerman@earthlink.net> wrote:
>  
> CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com wrote:
> >So how does requiring participation on LD's do
> anything to change this
> attitude?
> 
> It doesn't unless you change the reward structure of
> LD rides to
> emphasize the horse's condition. Even if you don't
> change anything about
> LD, it also allows ride vets to evaluate a new
> rider's abilities over a
> distance less likely to severely compromise the
> health of the horse.

Deanna,

While I understand where you are coming from, I have
to vigorously disagree with your stance of REQUIRING
new riders to start on 25's.  Here are some thoughts
from a rider who has done this sport since the early
1980's, but stll remembers first starting and who
mentors new riders all the time.

1.  NOT all riders are beginners when they start the
sport.  Why penalize them?  I'd ridden all of my life,
I searched out a good mentor (which was hard to find
then), and I would have been very upset if I had
relegated to LD after all of my homework.  We did well
on our first ride (7th!)

2.  Most true beginners think 25 miles is a LONG ways
and wouldn't dream of entering the 50.

3.  Those macho beginners that enter the 50 but are
unprepared can easily be pulled if there are problems.

4.  How do you police if the beginner has completed
enough 25 milers to enter a 50.  Remember that these
folks usually do not belong to the sanctioning body
yet, so rider's histories will not necessarily follow
them.  Are you aware of the headache that would be
imposed on ride managers, trying to see if a newbie is
"qualified yet" for the 50?

5.  For some horses and riders, doing a stretch of LD
first causes training issues when they move to 50's
later.  You may be enforcing problems for the team
later down the road if the rider is "stuck" on LD for
a period of time/miles.

Some folks mentioned mentoring & clinics.  That is the
preferred way to go in my mind.  I actively mentor
folks.  There is a mentors list on the endurance page.
 encourage folks to sign up on it or to look there.

We helped to form a distance riding club where we used
to live and held clinics, mock rides, CTR, and
sponsored folks at AERC rides.  We brought a lot of
folks into the sport.  They were knowledgeable,
competitive, and prepared.  All of them started on
50's.  Several have moved on to 100's since then.

At one point in time, AERC office talked about a
national mentoring program, but I don't think it ever
got off the ground.  Does anyone knbow what happened
to it?  I seemed to have lost track of the entire
program, so I bet other folks did too.

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV


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