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Re: [RC] Riding or Racing - Heidi SmithAnd us "hot-shoes" are not trying to "beat you", in fact we aren't even trying to beat the other hot-shoes that run in the front pack. We only train hard and are trying to match or even beat our personal best, or whatever our horses' personal best is that day without getting him in danger. Having been both a "hot shoe" and a back-of-the-packer (and just about everything else in between) let me add one more perspective to this. My personal goal at any given ride is to do the best I can do on that horse, on that day, and have a horse that still fits my perception of a healthy horse to take home with me and ride again and again. For some horses, running up front is simply where they belong. Katey, you were at Old Selam here a couple of weekends ago. You know I finished dead last there. I had to overcome some obstacles--a broken stirrup leather, bees, etc.--and I'm just glad I finished. Had I not had those obstacles, my best on that horse that day still likely would only have been ahead of about 6 or 8 riders. On the other hand, my husband is riding a horse that is simply faster, and has a superior cardiovascular system, and is "built" to go down the trail at a quicker pace. The horse is still getting fit. We started out together in the morning, a few minutes after most riders had left, and quite by design. He stuck with me at "my" pace for about 4 miles--a nice, easy warmup for his horse. Then when it was time, he moved on at his own pace. He gradually worked his way up through the pack, coming in at each check right at criteria (60) and picking up places at each check as a result of being down ahead of the horses he came in with. Some of the horses ahead of him got pulled. He crossed the finish line in 3rd place, and ended up being 2nd, as one of the horses ahead of him was lame at the post-ride check. He never raced. He didn't "aim" for any particular position. He just happened to be riding a horse for whom that pace was an "optimal" ride on that day. By that standard, both of us had "good rides." We both came home with happy, healthy horses. Gary is right--for most of us, even when we "run up front" it isn't necessarily about racing, or about who we do or don't beat. It is about optimally managing a horse. And I think perhaps that is where some people lose sight of what is important. Some horses are "optimally managed" right up to the front. Others are "optimally managed" to mid-pack. Still others are "optimally managed" to get through in the maximum time. As long as the horse is optimally managed, there is nothing "wrong" about his placing--be that my husband's 2nd place or my last place.... Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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