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Re: [RC] What makes you do this? - Jim HollandDebbie... You're probably gonna get "flamed" a little over this post, but I kind understand what you "think" you saw....cuz once I WAS there.... I'm going to try to explain...although you need to understand that my perspective is somewhat different from the "average" Endurance Rider. Keep in mind that simple words are inadequate....and you need more insight and more time around Endurance to understand what's going on here. I started Endurance in the late 80's, early 90's, mostly crewing. I was somewhat taken aback by the intensity of the sport....so different from anything I had ever done with a horse. My "mentor" was very "serious" about the sport, and "aggressively" taught me that we would "compete"...and compete hard...but not at the expense of the horse. We asked a lot of the horses...and "pushed" out to the edge of their capabilities...and it's a damn fine line between being "on the edge" and "over the edge"....and you have to learn how to do that....otherwise, you better be a "completer". Did the horse enjoy the actual competition? Were they tired? Of course...but let's look at it from a human perspective. I joined the Marine Corps about 1966 and went to Paris Island. Did I enjoy it? Well, no...not actually....but I thrived on it, gained weight, strength, confidence in myself, and got VERY fit. I learned to survive, persevere, "suck it up", and physical fitness became a lifetime goal. The Marine Corps changed my life...and I attribute my good health to that decision. At 61, I still run on the ground with my horse at the "technical" rides...with riders many years my junior. So what does this have to do with anything? Given a choice, horses would choose to be pasture ornaments.....stay in their routine every day, get fat, lots of treats, nice green grass, a nice shelter out of the rain and wind, and basically do nothing. Is that good for them? Certainly not...nor is overriding them at an Endurance Ride good for them either. BOTH environments can contribute to health problems and a shorter life. However, there is a "middle ground". Riders exceed that middle ground, some intentionally, some due to ignorance. As in any sport, there are people who should not be in it. Don't assume, just because a rider is overweight, or unable to help their horse because they can't spend some time on the ground that they don't care...or that they override their horse...or abuse them. Endurance riders come in all flavors....physical "capability" has nothing to do with their "skill" in this sport. There are many "great" riders, who need help getting on their horse that excel in this sport...without harming their horses. In fact, they love the sport because they CAN excel despite their physical limitations. The only real difference I have seen is that the "fit riders" can do well with what would be a "marginal" horse for the "unfit" riders, because they can "assume" some of the workload themselves. In the winter here in the North Georgia Mountains, it's cold, icy, and the wind blows hard though the valleys. You get up on a frosty morning, have that first cup of coffee, and your body says "Hey, just go back to bed", but the mountains, the horse, and the "intensity" of it all make you bundle up, saddle up one of the guys and do some miles, even if the water bottles do freeze. In the spring, when the grass greens up, the winter coats shed, and you watch a strong, lean, confident, fit Arabian trot arrogantly across the pasture with his neck arched, his tail up, his muscles rippling, you forget about all the cold fingers and feet, the hard rides in the sleet and snow...and he is so beautiful your heart is in your throat...and on that subject, you REALLY need to read Julie Suhr's book. At an Endurance Ride, the objective is to ride YOUR horse on a GIVEN day, against a GIVEN trail under the EXISTING conditions within his capabilities. You did 25 miles in 4 hours. I have Top Tenned a 50 mile ride in just over 4 hours on my horse Sun of Dimanche+, his pulse was well under 64 by the time I got my tack off at EVERY Vet Check. We raced at the finish, he was ASKING to run, enjoyed it immensely...his mane in my face and fire in his heart..and his pulse was STILL down by the time I got his tack off....because he was WITHIN HIS CAPABILITIES ON THAT RIDE ON THAT DAY UNDER THOSE CONDITONS...and he is by no means a GREAT horse....and never will be. I also did a 50 mile ride on that same horse in 11 hours and 47 minutes the same year...because THAT was what the "trail" and my "horse" could do on that day. Horses learn to love the trail and the competition....and miss it. We once had a mare that would go into hysterics if the trailer left without her. Like everything else, Endurance can be a rewarding and pleasurable experience that your horse enjoys....or it can cost him his life....it's the RIDER that makes the decision....the horse doesn't get a choice. All that said, before you condemn this sport, get to know some of those riders that you think are "abusing" their horse. Talk with them. Endurance riders are passionate about this sport...and happy to share. Yes, it's an ego trip to some extent...but it SHOULD be a JOINT ego trip between you and the horse. Do a thousand miles on a horse, plus all the training miles to get that thousand miles and you will understand. It's about ONE RIDER, ONE HORSE, MANY MILES...with the horse's welfare utmost in your mind and a bond so strong that you don't know where he starts and you begin. It's OK to push him hard...it's GOOD for the horse...like any athlete, he won't get more fit if you don't...but you damn well better be able to "read" him..know when he's hurting, know when he's having a good day, and know when he just "ain't doing right". You want him to "be all that he can be" <grin>. Until you get to that point, you better be conservative and err on the side of the horse...unless you want to see him standing under a tree with IV bottles hanging on him. I love this sport...and it becomes more popular every day. Yes, we have problems, and I sometimes despair that the "traditions" of this discipline will be it's downfall. We need to move the sport forward, address the riders ...and horses...that don't belong. We have "promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep" to move Endurance into a dynamic sport that treats our equine partners with compassion...that strives to learn more, educate, and make new rules that prevent the abuse by the few whose behavior leave a "bad taste" in the mouths of those who DO care. Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic Debbie Buick wrote: What is it that drives a person to do a 50 or 100 mile ride on an animal they say they love? Do they think the horse enjoys it? I volunteered at a ride this weekend, and believe me, none of the horses appeared to enjoy it! And half the riders didn't appear to enjoy it either??? What makes you want to put your beloved animal through that, is it your ego? I've ridden a 25 miler in 4 hours, and I think that wasn't bad, but question whether my horse or I would have enjoyed any more. And I didn't really enjoy horses coming in with a high heart rate, and the owners rushing to get through the P/R people and vet line, to get back out there and abuse their horse some more. You love your horse? Sounds more like an ego trip to me. I was impressed with the calm people who took the time to take care of their mounts, went slower, and came in with a 46 heart rate. And to those who's horses tied up, how can you even put your horse through that if you love it? And the lame horses, why trot that horse 10 times, the first time showed he was dead lame, 9 more times isn't going to help. Did you want to get back on and keep going, were you hoping he was just sort of "off" for the first trot out? I really got my eyes opened volunteering, I'll say that. And what makes a big fat person, with boobs or belly flopping for 50 miles, enjoy that??? Why do you expect your horse to be an athlete when you couldn't run 100 yards yourself? Why don't you go and train to run a marathon, maybe with a 50 pound pack on your back, and see how long it would take you to get fit, and how much you would enjoy it? Shouldn't people expecting their horse to be an athlete, searching far and wide for the perfect horse that can go the distance........don't you owe it to your horse to be somewhat fit yourself??? Get out there and run a couple miles a day and get yourself fit, and give your horse a break. If your horse was too fat you'd sure put him on a regiment in a hurry. I'm not trying to be mean, just to give you another perspective from a spectator, and what the animal rights people might see also. The older I get the more I am on the side of the horse. I don't like 2 year olds racing, or 3 for that matter. I don't like the high level eventing and how tough it is on the horses. And I don't like the jumping over fences and walls a horse can't even see over top of. I think some of our so called "horse sports" are getting a little out of hand, and the welfare of the horse is not a priority, or they wouldn't keep making the courses tougher and tougher. Some are just down right dangerous! Send all flames to Howard, I think he's used to it. Deb -- Richard T. "Jim" Holland Three Creeks Farm 175 Hells Hollow Drive Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (706) 258-2830 FAX (706) 632-1271 AR KI4BEN =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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