Re: [RC] - SandyDSA
Having done some training and first level eventing years ago (When I healed faster:)!), clearly it takes a special kind of athlete to do such things. The biggest challenge that I saw was simply but seriously the avoidance of injury to the horse on an ONGOING basis. There is simply no amount of conditioning or training that can keep a horse safe in that sport, which is why I got out of it. It isn't the physical demands - Tevis clearly has a more physical challenege to the huge majority of participating horses - but the possibility of severe injury to the horse - and rider, for that matter - really is too much for most riders to manage. It was for me. I saw too many horses go down hard. Too many average horses being asked to be super stars; too few truly insightful managers of the events and the horses. I have no reason to think that it has gotten better. While our horses work fences, are schooled in dressage and of course are
competent in endurance, I wouldn't go back to eventing for all the tea in China.
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