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[RC] re: any horse can do 25, etc. - tomnollGreetings: I?ve followed this LD debate on Ridecamp for some time, but the post criticizing Cindy Collins put me over the edge. Perhaps it is time that we took stock of this activity called endurance riding, its history, and its pioneers. I am hardly the one to bring this up, but I?ll give it a shot. This summer will be the 50th anniversary of the ride that started the whole thing. As others have noted, endurance riding got its start when Wendell Robie wondered if modern horses were as tough as the horses of the Pony Express, the US Cavalry, the Plains Indians, and the Cattle Drivers. In 1954 that question was answered for Wendell Robie and three other riders. The question may be even more relevant today. Today there are only a few continuous-trail mountainous 100-mile rides where riders can bring their best horse and answer the question for themselves. Cindy Collins and her friends host one of those rides -- the Big Horn 100 in Wyoming -- a big loop 100. Perhaps it is time to for us to readdress that question "Are the modern horses and modern riders as tough as those of the Pony Express, the US Cavalry, the Plains Indians, and the Cattle Drivers?" Wendell Robie did not think that question could be answered on a 25-mile ride, and he didn?t think it could be answered on a 50-mile ride either. And the rest is history. Best Regards, Tom Noll SW Idaho ============================================================ They're athletes! This is a partnership between horse and rider - we don't have any jockeys out there, just pals and partners. We'd allow a rider with a broken foot, a sore back and a nasty cold to compete - but we would never let a horse in a similiar condition hit the trail. ~ Dr. Barney Flemming DVM ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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