Ridecamp: [RC] [Guest] Long Loops...

K S SWIGART katswig@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Angie said:

>>Every time I think about this it makes me sick. I was so disgusted when
  Michael Stone commented that the Pan Ams in Vermont were successful, but
  that he was concerned that the many vet checks were bad for the sport. 
  He claimed that he feared it made it possible for the riders to push
  their horses too hard since they knew there would be checks where they
  could recover and it took some of the skill out.<<

I m;ust confess, I agree with Michael Stone on this one (assuming that
the riders are not allowed to received assistance from their "crew"
between the vet checks.

I am indeed of the opinion that increasing the number of vet 
checks reduces the endurance aspect of the sport and turns it
into a series of sprints where an unskilled rider can take a horse
that somebody else has prepared, gallop it from vet check to
vet check, hand the reins to the crew to take care of the horse
for them.

If you reduce the number of vet checks, and make the rider
responsible for pacing his horse perperly on a long loop and
taking care of it himself and GASP!!! actually stopping to let
the horse eat GASP!!! on the clock...because he can't just wait 
until the vet check, this requires much greater horsemanship
and much greater consideration for the horse.

It is on the rides where it is a long way between vet checks
and a long way to any help if the horse gets into trouble that
I have seen the best care of horses by their RIDERS. Anything
that improves the care of horses by the people who are actually
riding them is something I consider to be a good thing.

So yeah, long loops and short holds sounds like a good idea to me
because then EVERYBODY will have to take care of their horses 
by their riders on the trail--which is where endurance horses 
need to be taken care of.  There will be no advantage to riders
who have a big crew to help them at vet checks every few miles. 

kat
Orange County, Calif.



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