Re: RC: reply to Tom Ivers re: re FEI

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/29/00 7:18:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
tvanhove@uswest.net writes:

<< Got to disagree a bit here Tom.  Your words seem to imply that anyone 
 who hasn't conditioned enough to win, but enters an endurance ride 
 anyway is being cruel to their horse.  That is just bull - >

On it's face, that statement is patently untrue. 

>sure its
 cruel to enter a ride on a horse not fit to go the distance, but 
 there is nothing wrong with entering a ride on a horse fit to go the
 distance at a slower pace then the winners so long as one sticks to
 that slower pace.>

Now that you've created your false cake, you want to eat it too. Pace is just 
one factor of several. My statement was that you condition the horse beyond 
any stressors he will encounter in competition--if you have an ounce of 
horsemanship in your body.


>  Pace ridden has a huge effect the amount of stress
 on a horse, and if I want to take my fit to finish horse out and
 ride only for a completion on a given day to support the ride manager
 and the sport with my entry fee and to enjoy a "day out" with my
 horse theres not a damn thing wrong with it.>

By what criteria do you determine that your horse is "fit to finish"? 
Particularly if you already know that he's not fit to finish at pace. Every 
week, every trainer at the racetrack is approached to drop an unfit horse 
into a race to fill out the race. Those that do are absolute fools. 

>  I also don't believe
 its possible to train for every condition you might encounter on
 a ride.  A rider might live in a high, arid environment and find
 themselves facing high humidity at a ride.  If a horse that lives always
 in a hot, humid environment is at the ride it will have a large
 advantage; as a good horseman one could choose to reduce pace, and take
 extra time cooling and still try to "beat the trail" and have a horse
 ready for the next race.>

You can try to walk that tightrope in competition, but attempting to beat a 
butterfly with a horse unfit for the conditions is foolhardy. 

 < However if they believe that anything
 less than a win, every race, is beneath them and push the horse for the
 win in spite of its disadvantage, that is putting the win in front
 of the horse's good. >

No professional horseman would ever do that. It is the unprofessional that 
attempts the borderline effort, crashes, and then, later, blames the 
conditions. In horseraciong, the morons blame the racetrack. Same tune, 
different lyrics. 

> This is the type of scenerio that us 
 amatuers worry about when big money and glory is on the line-though
 has been pointed out already there are egos out there that will
 place a win for a coffee mug against just the local competition 
 ahead of the horse's good.>

Dear, what you should be worried about is becoming a professional horsewoman 
as fast as you can before you and your horse get into big trouble. If you 
prefer to spend your time minding the business of people far better qualified 
than you to judge the condition of their horses and the demands of the ride, 
you are doomed to experience problem after problem. 

> Going for the win regardless of the risks
 to the horse, is certainly not a problem confined only to world-class
 events.>

Again, you're assigning blame to some ghost you've conjured up in your mind. 
A "straw man" who does such horrible things that your blunders pale in 
comparison. Very convenient ploy. 

> I might add though, that I suspect that paying $40,000 for a
 winning at high levels horse instead of paying under $4000 for a
 prospect and building it yourself is more likely to engender a view that
 the horse has an obligation to win for you instead of a view that you
 and the horse are in a long term partnership with the goal of
 achieving as much lifetime success as possible.>

You can suspect all you want. But it's cheap, sanctimonious talk. Air. A 
bleating that falls on deaf ears, here. What is you horse's VO2 Max, and what 
percentage of that can he sustain for what distance over what terrain under 
what temp and humidity conditions? I would venture that most in this group 
haven't the foggiest idea--yet these numbers, and a dozen others, are the 
core technology of athletic preparation. Most here are annoyed that such 
terms are brought up in this forum. And, if you're actually serious about 
this sport as a sport, and not as an opportunity for a picnic in the woods, 
you'll start learning about these things before spouting homilies about 
others who just may have a clue.
 
 >Teresa Van Hove
  >>

Tom Ivers