Ridecamp: Re: [RC] new topic re green horses

Title: Re: [RC] new topic re green horses

>
> In recent years, NATRC open division has gotten up around 5.5 mph as
> its
> upper end.  (Rules used to specify 4 to 4.5 mph for open.) 
> Their novice
> division travels at about 3 mph.  From what I understand, your
> UMECRA rides
> are a great deal like our old RMCTRC rides, which I found to be
> quite
> beneficial--and which traveled at about the speed you mention, with
> the ones
> with rugged terrain being on the 5.5 end, and the easier ones being
> faster.
> Heidi

I've been competing in NATRC since 1988 and trailmastering since 1990 and during that time the Novice parameters have been as they are now:

c.      Mileage

(1)      Mileage in this division shall not exceed 24 miles in one day or 40 miles in two days. (Exception to this rule shall be at the discretion of the Sanction Chairman.)
(2) Total mileage in this division is 15-24 miles for a "B" ride and 30-40 miles for an "A" ride.
d. Pace

(1) The pace for a ride in this division shall be in the range of 3.5-5 miles per hour; and when determining the timing of the ride, management must consider, among other relevant factors: weather, terrain, season of the year and footing on the trail.
(2)      "Riding time" used to compute the pace shall not include lunch and P&R stops.

We have put on local rides that had the Novice pace down towards 3.5 mph, but the trail had big stretches of river trail through rounded rocks/boulders (and the rest was pretty vertical, technical,  and/or narrow "fally-offy") -- not a speedy trail even for an experienced horse (unless it had a big 5 mph walk) but a good trail for evaluating a horse on soundness, control, and sense, which is the main goal of a CTR.