Re: Show and tell, questions for oldbies

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated Mon, 6 Aug 2001  7:19:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Deanna German <finishis2win@columbus.rr.com> writes:

> So here I am, following the plan, have a well-mannered horse at home, did my
> dressage training, did the brain training, so I take her to rides (took her
> camping before trying to compete on her, BTW). By the third ride, I think
> she had figured out what came next and was a raving lunatic in camp. We won
> GC, so maybe I'm a prime example of what Heidi mentioned: a horse fitter
> than her brain can handle.
> 
> So now what? I love riding her in competition because on trail she's an
> absolute dream, as in, "who are you and what did you do with the horse I
> ride at home?" No spooks, eating and drinking down trail, rounding up nicely
> under me, beautiful gaits, very responsive, etc. etc. My arms and shoulders
> are a little tired afterwards....
> 
> I'm afraid to move up to a 50 miler because I've never done one. Also, the
> horse is a coming 6YO - a little young in my book. 

Actually, Deanna, you've described perfectly the very reason why I do NOT take any of my horses on LD's!  I don't EVER want one of them to figure out that 25 miles is the end of the ride.  I want them to learn from the git go that 50 miles is a long way, and that THAT is what they need to take home as a message, and think about the next time they are camped out at a ride.  That's another reason why I like to start my younger horses on rides with tough terrain, too.  A slow-paced 50 on tough terrain is often actually EASIER on a horse than a fast 25, especially if you HAVE done your homework and they are fit.  If the horse is just coming 6, then don't do 50's close together--but with the reaction you are getting, you have stayed with LD with this horse about 2 rides too long.

Some horses are quite content to do LD's forever.  Others simply need to step right up to the plate and do the mileage.  I'll never forget a particular horse in the NW that was running for a "Rookie of the Year" award that we have here, which is given to the rookie horse with the most consecutive completions on LD's.  Worthy goal.  However, the horse that was leading for the season got so out of hand that he piled his rider at the start of a ride, injuring her sufficiently that we had to load her on an ambulance.  (BTW--that was a classic commercial for helmets, as the ER doc looked at the dent in her helmet and declared that she would have been a fatality without it, but that's another topic.)  At any rate--her husband asked me (as we sat with her waiting for the ambulance to arrive) what I suggested to get the horse back in hand.  I said--"There is a 75-miler in 3 weeks.  Be on it, and make him see God."  He was, and the horse went on to be a top 100-miler, very mellow and n!
ice in camp, very calm, etc.  He
 simply had so much potential that the 25's were just winding him up.

Heidi