Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Ready for 55? (long)

hello Deanna,
I guess you letter proves to me again that there is more than one way to get
to one's destination. And not one way is the best for everyone.
I would like to point out that there are many successful endurance riders
who have never done a LD ride. Some people have told me that they want their
horse to think in terms of being out there for the distance so start with
long slow (slow) steady rides. My first ride was a 25 miler at Headwaters
(not an easy one) because my horse was only 4. He turned five soon
thereafter and we entered 50's from then on.
Riding a steady pace will generally get one into camp a lot sooner than the
jack rabbit who may trot, walk, canter, trot, etc.
Steady does not necessarily equate with slow or being in the saddle all day.
I think that the very best way to approach a training regimen is to find an
experienced endurance rider/s  (successful) and ride with them on training
rides. If there is a club near you, that is even better. It is amazing what
one will learn including, trail and race etiquette, strategy, pace, after
ride care protocol, etc. My mentor was and is one of the best endurance
competitors that I know and I learned so much from her. I wish all new
riders could be so fortunate.
The bottom line is that you are out there learning, experimenting and having
fun and caring for your horse. Best to you....
Pat

From: "Deanna German" <finishis2win@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <AprJhn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>; "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 11:12 AM
Subject: [RC] Ready for 55? (long)


> April,
>
> I'll be the voice of caution and say just go for the 30 unless you've got
> all of your hoof protection issues worked out (it sounds like you don't),
> you have subjected your horse to camping at a ridecamp and have some miles
> in with a group of like-minded riders. Competition is terribly exciting
and
> can blow the mind of the most sedate horse.
>
> If I remember correctly, you've only done a couple of 25 mile LD's on two
> different horses? Was Tanna one of them? Have you AND your horse learned
all
> you can by doing LD's?
>
> I didn't look at the ride schedule, but if this ride offers back-to-back
> LD's, why don't you consider doing that rather than throwing a 55 miler at
> the horse? (And you!)
>
> I also wonder in that 4.4 mph speed you figured if you took into account
the
> time you stopped to chat. You say you were motoring along for the most
part,
> trotting and cantering and walking only when your horse hit a wall; are
you
> sure you didn't figure wrong?
>
> And I'll be the one to disagree with Pat Super about the speed. I
personally
> cannot stand the idea of taking the whole 12 hours to do a 50, therefore,
I
> have been working my mare in increments, increasing distance (like going
> from 15 to 25 miles), then increasing speed, then increasing the distance
> again (doing two-day rides), then increasing speed (doing 25 in 3 1/2+
> hours). By the time we attempt a 50, I want to be able to come in at about
> 4:00 or 5:00 in the afternoon, with a ride time of 8 to 9 hours. That
extra
> 2 or 3 hours out on trail will just kill me, I know it.
>
> Understand that I'm just as much a newbie as you are. I've done just under
> 500 miles of CTR, 300 on this horse, and only one completed LD. I
attempted
> a difficult LD last fall and was overtime despite often completing 25
miles
> in less than 5 hours. And yes, I had done lots of hillwork. Not all rides
> are created the same and not all horses are created the same.
>
> I think once a person can start counting their miles in the 1000's,
they've
> lost their perspective and have forgotten more than you and I know! They
> take a lot of things for granted that newbies still need to learn.
Everytime
> I've increased distance or speed, I've had to make adjustments in tack and
> how I manage me and my horse. Those with 1000's of miles have already
> experienced this learning curve and think nothing of it.
>
> So my advice is to keep plugging along, keep resetting your goals higher
and
> higher and plan on doing the 30 or back-to-back LD's if you want to
increase
> the mileage. There's always another ride.
>
> Deanna
>
>
>
>
> April wrote:
> About 3 or 4 miles out Tanna threw his right easy boot...
>
> Tanna was feeling great. Trotting up and down the hills, throwing a canter
> in at will....
>
> At one point along the trail, I met two endurance riders... It was nice
> chatting with them.
>
> I reached a good turnaround spot 13 miles out and then we started back
> toward the trailer. Around mile 16 or 17, Tanna was tired and said enough.
> So we walked for a good ways.... He didn't drink as well as I would have
> liked, but he did drink some. I think he's too used to our shorter 12 mile
> rides. He needs these longer rides to let him know he's not quitting, so
he
> might as well drink.
>
> I was disappointed with our average speed. Only 4.4 mph. Not fast enough
for
> endurance speed. However, we are still in training and we hadn't done a
ride
> this long before. So I need to concentrate on getting his training more
> consistent. I was working on a training schedule for the next 2 months to
> get us to do a 55 in mid-January. I think doing a 30 is too low a goal,
but
> if we don't make the 55 miler goal, there is a 30 miler the next day and
we
> could do that one if I felt we weren't ready for a 55. Anybody think I'm
> shooting too high to get to do a 55 at a 5 mph speed in 2.5 months with an
8
> year old (HORSE, not KID) with a good base? Or should I just forget doing
a
> 55 and do the 30 the next day? The 55 I'm looking at doing is the Gator
Run
> I at Osceola National Forest on January 16 in Florida.
>
>
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 Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
 Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
 Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

 If you are an AERC member - PLEASE VOTE in the upcoming By-Laws 
 Election!!!! (it takes 2/3rds to tango!!)

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