Re: [RC] [RC-Digest] Vol: 03.0922 Why do I do this? - Chipnml
Sorry if this is late, but I just logged on and found 7 ridecamps waiting for me since last night. I HAD to respond:
Why do I do this? Because it feels so good when I stop! Okay, that's the short answer. But it really does feel good. I have this tremendous sense of pride in what I've accomplished...going 50 or 60 miles in a day and bringing my horse in with his ears up and his eyes bright, acting completely matter-of-fact with the whole thing (in my circle he's now known at the ''been-there-done-that horse"), acting the way most non-endurance horses would act after a 5 mile trail ride. Doing endurance forges a bond with your horse like no other discipline. You are there to take care of each other. You are a team. As for myself, I'm completely and totally exhausted, drained, like I took a "cleansing breath" that lasted for 10 hours (yes, I'm part of the turtle contingency). I have pushed myself to the limit physically and mentally all day, run up and down hills beside my horse, and now he is relaxed, snarfing his food, has peed nice light yellow pee, pooped nice normal poop, and for that instant, I am completely happy. How many people these days get to experience that? As for my horse, he is cocky, fit, and has an extremely high opinion of himself. What would you have me do with him? Let him get fat while he rots in a pasture? Subject him to the whims of "fashion" in the show ring? At the end of the season he still runs up to me in the pasture, jumps eagerly into the trailer, and gives absolutely NO indication he is unhappy. I've owned and competed him for 11 years, and believe me, if he doesn't like something, he lets me know! My equine chiropracter says he sees more problems with dressage and cutting horses, and hardly ever sees problems with endurance horses. As I said before, I usually come in last. I don't push him for speed. You say riding a horse 25 miles is not cruel, but I've seen LD horses get into trouble. If you push any horse beyond his capacity, whether it's LD, endurance, or a Sunday afternoon trail ride, he will suffer. I apologize for rambling on, but I just love this sport so much, and I love my horse so much, it hurts me to think of someone calling me cruel. Oh, I know there are riders out there who are so competitive they put winning ahead of their horse's welfare, but I honestly believe people like me are the majority.
