I would love to read this article if I had my EN magazine,
WHICH I DON'T! Where, or where has my little EN gone? Why is it so difficult to
get it in a timely manner? I pay my dues on time.
Lisa Salas, The Odd Farm
Way out in bum$%&!Egypt I guess 'cause my EN can't
seem to find me.
There was an interesting article in endurance news this month about
LDers. God love them, we wouldn't have as many rides down here in the
Southeast, as we do now, without them. I swear, I wish AERC would
just make the rules exactly the same for the LDers; give them the mileage
credit they deserve, take away that silly heart rate rule as a finish
line. Those last two thoughts weren't mentioned in the article, they
belong to me.
If you ever saw the start of a very crowded LD ride down here in the
South, the exhilaration, the drama, the danger (yep, it's there), the
necessity for survival skills big time, you would know that those riders very
well earn their miles. For surviving the start, alone!
The organization (AERC) is evolving with the LD rider on
board. We need to appreciate them more, acknowledge their
accomplishments more, rather than discuss what they're not doing, and,
treat them as fellow endurance riders out on the trail. Even though
I don't do the shorter distances for the present, I know very well that
things will some day change. Heck, LD is where I cut my teeth in this
sport. I did LD's only for almost a year before I attempted my first 50.
I will always feel like one of "em."
It's my personal belief that the less distance you do on a horse, the
less chance you have for something to go wrong. I know there's
exceptions, but, it seems to hold true. Laws of physics and
statistics. Survive the start, and your horse will normally be able to
stay further from the edge of danger that does seem to increase with the
distance. This is why I hold the LD folks in high regard. Even if
some of them are beginners, there's less chance their horse will have problems
after 25 miles. The greater the miles, the greater the risk.
The other exceptional article in July's EN was titled, "Horse Deaths,
Colic & Rider Responsibility." It should be required reading for all
endurance riders, no matter what distance you are doing. The competitive
nature of humans can sometimes take over the rider's objectivity during an
endurance ride. I see it all the time and know I can succumb to that
aspect of our sport as well as the next rider. Dr. Baldwin's discussion
on this issue kind of puts it all into perspective.
One must realize that the horse does not give a crap if he has a gold
medal, a silver, or a bronze. He really doesn't give a hoot! If
you want to reward him for his accomplishments, bake him a sweet carrot cake,
and give it to him after he wins BC at your next ride.
Give the horse what he/she wants; not what you want. Reward the
horse according to what is important to him, not yourself.
I'm rambling, sorry. Please read Doc Baldwin's article. If
you ever want to see how a vet views a rider who might be a little over
competitive in our sport (one should remember it's an amateur one; one without
monetary rewards), this article will let you know what most of them might be
thinking when it comes to human behavior during the vet checks. The
horse must always come first.
cya,
Howard (a little worried about this beer for 100 miles thing; someone
told me they have an emissary in Germany looking for Bishoff this very
day)
