I am certainly not lobbying for a "time in" pulse
of 56, except maybe in extreme conditions, just saying it's not impossible to
deal with.
I'm a bit put off by some proposals from folks
who I know have "raced" successfully in the past, and now, resting on their
past accomplishments, seem to think no one else is smart enough to do the
same without harming a horse.
We do need to develop some methods to help new
folks learn to ride safely, but trying to do away with the element of speed is
like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
It's no longer what we know as Endurance Riding
(whether you ride to finish first or ride to finish.)
And no matter how "educated" we get, how "careful"
we ride, how much preparation we do, there is still no guarantee
things will work out as we hope.
I
agree with what Dot's saying...she's had great horses and she rides smart.
But where are we going with this? Let's just give people 20 minutes to get
to a 40 pulse and then boot them out!!! We can then turn this into a nice
safe pleasure trail ride!
Personally, I think the 60 pulse is a good recovery rate. As Dot
mentions, it has come down from 72 in the last 30 years, and rides have slowed
considerably. Our Idaho rides that could be won in 4 to 4 1/2 hours are
now taking 5 1/2 to 6 for the WINNERS. The back of the pack is slowed down
even more.
