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RE: [RC] new riders/mentors - David LeBlanc

Kristen A. Fisher said:
       
       "I also think if you can't do 25 miles in 4.5 hours you probably
should not be out there."
        

      Well, I just don't know what to think then. Another thread said 4

hours should be the minimum on your first 4 LDs! Go slow, go slow, go slow,
nothing wrong with going slow! Then, this comment - if you can't make it in
4.5 hours, stay home. 

This is because there's a whole bunch of us, and we don't tend to agree on
everything (some days anything...). Here's where that comes from - on an
average ride, 4.5 hours _is_ really slow. With a 45 minute hold, that's
completing with only 45 minutes to spare. We're also looking at it from the
perspective of 50's - on a 50, you're probably going to spend 40% of your
time on the first 25, and 60% on the second 25. Some people manage to do it
more evenly. So if you spent 4.5 hours on the first 25, you're going to run
overtime running that same pace on a 50. I'd agree with that - a ride time
of 4.5 hours is bordering on too slow, and either the rider hasn't learned
how to pace and was being too conservative, or the horse really isn't in
shape to go 25 miles. 
        

Neither me or my horse had been on the hilly, rocky terrain found in

Bandera before. 

Sometimes I'm just happy to beat the ride - to heck with the other riders.
One of my absolute toughest rides, I came in last. Being on unfamiliar
ground is a good reason to go slow.


[...] got all As on our vet card, and we got a completion. I RODE MY OWN

RIDE. I just would have preferred to "ride my own ride" with an extra 30
minutes to complete.

Too long vet checks are one of the least of the evils you can encounter. I
did a 50 this year with just over an hour hold for the whole ride, and I was
not a happy camper. If you came in with 30 minutes to spare, that's plenty.
I've done it with 10 minutes. IMHO, it's a little long for a 25, but 45
minutes is common. Learning to set your pace depending on terrain, weather,
and holds is all part of the learning experience. I personally welcome hour
holds - I know I'll have time to take care of myself, and the horse will be
well fed, watered and rested.
        

If I am not the kind of newbie you want out there, who is???


You sound like a fairly good newbie to me - just learn to pace yourself a
little better - start shooting for 4 hour ride times. Pacing means not going
too fast or too slow.

BTW, it's a fairly rare ride that has mile markers. I've seen a few, and a
few others where the distances are marked on the map. Yet another reason to
pick up the pace is that the distance might not be accurate. You could quite
legitimately see a 25 that's actually 27. Some rides are short, others long.
You might like one of those speed and distance gizmos Catfish was talking
about.



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