[RC] Elite & Fleetara (10-year Old Timers) - Suvut
Susan, do you attribute that (no pulls) to
a) luck :) b) 2 very soundly built (both physically and metabolically) horses c) going very slow d) none of these f) some combination of these g) some other set of reasons entirely?
I really am curious - I am just amazed by horses with lots of miles and no (or very few pulls). Seems like the law of statistics would catch up to any given team at some point over this many years and result in a pull or two - even if it had nothing to do with the horses's condition (maybe the rider got sick at a ride for example)
With Fleetara, it was definitely a combination of proper conformation, luck, proper breeding (pure Polish), and inherent toughness. I got her from Ted Jeary of the Hyannis Cattle Co. She was 4 years old and unbroke when I got her. In fact, she had been running wild on several acres in Nebraska with a herd. She was tough to break and tough to ride -- but also VERY tough on the trail. She's quite small -- 14'1 and stout with large bones.
With Elite, it was a different story. He looks like he was put together with spare parts... Due to a dropped hip, he did a canter-lope instead of a good strong trot. But he, too, was inherently tough. He is Crabbet (English) bred.
I also attribute my success with these two horses to the fact that they didn't do a large number of miles in any given season. Most of the time, they had a lot of time in between races to recuperate. Also, we never broke any speed records. Elite's greatest accomplishment was completinhg all five days at the Shore-To-Shore, and although he didn't win any individual day, he was awarded 1st overall and BC.
