Pardon my prejudices.....I'm in therapy, but not cured!

["Cindy Collins" <sunsetrim@hotmail.com>]

Back to my DVE post:  I did not mean to imply that LD riders are the only 
pains in the rear!  That can be shared by many.  It might be true that more 
LD riders are novice riders and therefore take a little higher level of 
maintenance than most experienced multiday or 100 mile riders???  LD is not, 
thank goodness, yet a stand-alone event.  It is an event added on to an 
endurance ride.  Many, ride managers, though not all, have told me that the 
only reason they put on LD rides is because they are so profitable.  That 
said, LDs are still an additional responsibility, and, especially on a 
multiday ride or a big point-to-point 100 miler, a huge burden.  Why?...   
Most multiday rides only have one vet check and most of us like it that 
way...it's simple and requires/demands very good horsemanship.  On many 
100s, Tevis and the Big Horn, as examples, there is not a vet check for 25 
miles or more.....it's remote, inaccessible by vehicle in many places and 
there isn't much room for rigs at the first vet check or for adding in 
another vet check.  Also, philosophically, most multiday rides and the 
premiere 100s are not for novices.  Mistakes can kill you, not to mention 
your horse.  I share this because I wanted to explain my statements further 
for the people who emailed me directly, and those who wondered, why I felt 
the way I did.  Thanks for listening.  Cindy Collins


_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com