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Re: [RC] [Guest] Best Condition - superpatOh my, Angie, You said it all! I apologize to Taj for a lot of mistakes but sometimes, once the damage is done, it cannot be made 100% again. I have a friend who has a phenomenal horse she has ridden since she got him at age four. Now age six, he is still going at a slower but steady pace although he could certainly handle faster (and more frequent) quite easily. When she finally does start to really compete, I feel certain that her horse will have the advantage of a good solid base as well as his natural ability, a combination that will hold him in good stead. I have enough horses to ride for as long as I can swing a leg over, but if I ever do get a chance to start another, you can bet that I will be a lot more careful to "do it right". Hopefully I will have learned from my and others mistakes. Thanks for your story.... Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ridecamp Guest" <ridecamp-moderator@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <guest@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, January 14, 2003 7:54 AM Subject: [RC] [Guest] Best Condition Angie McGhee Rides2far@xxxxxxxx In I believe 1994 I was loaned a horse to condition and compete on. My friend had cancer and was undergoing treatment. I had no horse to ride. She had done a few 25's with him for the last 2 years but never a really consistant conditioning program. I trained him 90 days then took him to Million Pines. He outrecovered everybody's horses and kept catching the leaders. I felt like I was going slow it was so easy for him. I ended up being first out of the 3rd check and finished third. I had held a very consistant pace the whole race and he'd out recovered experience horses. Race #2. I decided to see how this was done. I followed Nina Warren & Melissa Crain from the start. They were riding the previous year's winner of the ROC & what would be that year's winner. My horse once again out recovered them at the vet checks, recovering within 3 min. I left the 3rd check with a 2 min. lead and came in 2nd. The horse got faster as the ride went. Never ran out of steam...did the 3rd loop faster than the 1st over the same ground and the 4th faster than the 2nd. I give Nina credit for the pacing. I was just following a master. Race #3. He took first place and Best Condition. Vet scores excellent. Out recovered everybody. Race #4 He did not vet in. I was STUPID. This horse had unliminted potential if he'd been brought along slowly. I convinced myself that the 2 years she'd ridden him counted but they were not consistant and it was no base. ONE person tried to warn me. Wes Crowe, at the first ride said, "You're doing great...You SHOULDN'T be, but you're doing great". I appreciate his honesty in hindsight. I wish somebody had tried to reason with me. I think I would have had the sense to not consider it jealousy or maliciousness. Wes cared but didn't want to be pushy. Everyone else told me how great I was doing and what a phenomenal job of training I'd done. You can win BC with a horse who has naturally good recoveries a well trained muscular system. That takes 90 days. You can wait YEARS and never get a 2nd chance once you've injured a superior athlete. That horse was off and on for a long time. When he was on, he could take a BC. His owner went on to win several with him, but the *problem* would come back to haunt him. You can be "Lucky" in that you can be lucky enough that the horse lives through your competitiveness for a time. Some people are REALLY lucky and the horse they go too fast too soon on stays sound...but most aren't that lucky. I'll always be ashamed that I didn't do a better job with that horse. Angie McGhee =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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 Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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