now that this delayed his becoming a good endurance horse -- it eventually did happen, but it didn't have to be so difficult!
WOW! I guess that means my mares who take exceptionally good care of themselves in the lowe distances are very well trained and smart and such. With the exception of one very wayward mare who thinks she knows enought o do it her way, all of our horses, including our stallion are gifted, I guess, in caring for both themselves and their rider, sensible and mannered. I am not sure why LD is so denigrated here and there. IT has not been a stumbling block to our horses. Good thing, since my own health - or lack of as the case may be - prohibits doing even an easy 50 if I am on a horse who is not both smooth and fast. (After about 25-35 miles, arthritis hips make remounting tough.)
It is important to remember that the horse is only as good as both the RIDER AND the quality of base TRAINING - not conditioning. Being evacuees from the show ring because of rampant abuse, we are the first to caution against show training, etc, by trainers whose only aim is to win another championship. At the same time, that quality training, done correctly, results in a horse who is mannered, self-controlled and responsive - all qualities that coincidentally are not as apparent in the one testy mare who was NOT trained for a performance discipline. Conditioning is not the same, and fit horse is not a trained horse. It just seems to me that a horse who is unsuitable over the LD distances coudl benefit from extended - or even a rehash of basic training - boot camp, as it were.
