Re: RC: Re: XP Ride - I am disgusted

[SandyDSA@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/1/01 8:40:18 AM Pacific Daylight Time, lth@thegrid.net 
writes:


> That's why MANY people never post.  They feel intimidated by the
> mileage gods and godesses.  Somehow it always comes down to the badge
> of endurance miles and years of endurance experience in measuring
> another person's knowledge.  Never mind that a few other disciplines
> come into play to make a well rounded endurance horse.  Maybe we need
> two Ridecamps - one for the wise and learned ones, and one for the
> rest of us bumpkins.

Agreed - and as one poster wrote once, disagreement is not flaming, and in 
the same vein, mileage is not knowledge. Experience it may be, but not all 
experience is positive, as several horses we have/have had can attest to. 
Call it a personal fetish, but in my mind, 5000 miles of poor riding skills, 
happenstance success, and fortunately good horses, I find a continued lack of 
DESIRE to learn, to become better HORSEMEN and women - riding ability is just 
that riding ability. Anyone with any aptitude who rides long enough learns to 
stick on their horse, and perhaps someone else's. But to truly CARE enough to 
learn how best to help your partner flourish, know when to back off, when to 
go forward, what to change, what to keep the same, and ultimately when to 
call it quits for the SAKE OF YOUR PARTNER, this is a matter of heart, 
instinct and education, not mileage. So, all those wit heart, instinct or 
education, please continue to post. 

I would feel safe in assuming that most of the people who post here have more 
endurance miles than I. That is okay, since a significant part of my 
"mileage" is in the classroom, the vet truck, the show ring,the breeding 
barn, the schooling ring, the auction yard, and the foaling stall. One never 
"knows it all", and as such, as people learn, they should share, regardless 
of trail mileage or competition successes. How PROUD we become when we forget 
the true mileage - the successful, aged campaigner; the middle-aged, sound 
trooper; the child's mount doing his/her first 50 with our child aboard; the 
youngster on his/her first competition, so trusting and attentive to us; and 
finally,the example we set for juniors, beginners, for low mileage rider, for 
older riders discovering new life in this sport. Member or not, Regional 
contender or LD newbie, certainly the time for compassionate care and decency 
in competition is due. 

While sometimes we don't SAY things as they might be more gently couched in 
the heat of passionately caring for the muted partners in our sport, we must 
continue to saythem and weigh their import - and continue to do what is 
sometimes the hard thing - call people, REAGARDLESS of mileage or reputation, 
to account for abuse, benign neglect or forthright abuse. remember, the right 
thing to do is often the HARDEST thing to do. in any case, we must not care 
what people think of us, when we know we are right!

San