No!! I think you
are wrong about that. You do not 'race' against yourself. you "compete"
with your level of experience, the condition of your horse and your
self, the particular trail and distance. You do not race to outrun your
level of these things. " To finish is to win" And "FIT TO
CONTINUE" is the battle cry. No, it is not a race. When you outrun
yourself, your horse is in trouble. When you loose the focus
of these things and focus on getting in front of someone else, your horse is
in danger. It is an Endurance Ride. If someone
wants the win, and he/she remains focused on the horse and their level of
the afore mentioned things, and if he thinks he can get in front of
someone and remain focused on the things, he is not racing he is still
riding. The goal cannot be to win a race. It must remain to complete a ride.
He is a horseman, and he is riding, not racing. He is focused on the
important elements of the Ride. Which are completing sound and safe.
Giving your article a "race" face will give the wrong impression
to the unknowing people you are directing it toward. And so I urge you to
call it what we, the Endurance Riders, call it . An Endurance Ride. I
will let others comment on the other points of your article. The
word that got me stirred up was "race." I would suggest that you do
some rides. Get involved. Annie
George