Riding as a Team

["goearth" <goearth@shentel.net>]

I know this one will set some stuff off but here goes.  I think riding horses as a team, especially young horses, takes the strain and emotional toil off them.  They do better IMO when they have leaders to follow being herd animals.  I use as an example the French and how they rode as a Team and their success at the last WEC in France.  I also use as an example the way Potato rode w/ his 3 horses w/ the young one in the center all day on the Tevis and the center young horse got BC. If we as a Nation would do this i am convinced we would some day win a Team Gold.  But in the past its been everyone in the lead for themselves and searching for individual glory. I speak this because i was on the only USA Team along w/ Jeannie Waldron, Mike Marino and Victoria Varley  to win Gold in Europe in 1987. Tho we have done well as Individuals that Team remains to this day the only FEI Team Gold won by this Nation abroad. tom sites