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Re: [RC] [RC] Pros & Cons of Wild Horses - Chris PausThere is a key ingredient in the horse and rider team that we keep forgetting in all the talk about the horse. Ummm... the RIDER.... If you look up my horses' records, they don't look like much. Mostly LDs mostly mid to back of pack finishes. But I can tell you that Star has the heart of a top 10 horse. Many other riders who ARE top 10 riders have told me he wants to be a top tenner and he has what it takes. But alas, a potential champion is stuck with a mediocre rider with health issues. I'm good at finishing with a horse safe and sound, but I'm just not a fast rider and probably never will be. A horse's record doesn't tell the full story. In another example, my stallion had 45 career flat track starts, 11 wins, 5 2nds, 8 3rds. When I looked at a race tape where he came in third and looked at his race record, it was clear his best distance was a mile or better. When he raced less than 8 furlongs, he often came in the money, but not in the winner's circle. He liked to start slow and finish strong, he needed a mile to pass the others. So had his trainers only entered him in mile or better races it's likely he would have had more wins to his record. There's SO MANY variables involved in every horse's accomplishments. Yes, it takes heart. And being a breeder, I also think good breeding for the game you want to do is important, but there's the human factor involved too. WE make the decisions on a horse's career. WE decide what rides they enter, what distances they go. Often the rider's physical and emotional state plays a huge role in how well the ride goes and where the horse places. chris ---> There are horses with impeccable endurance pedigrees running at the front of the pack, and also horses with impeccable endurance pedigrees running at the back of the pack. Likewise, there are horses of unknown and obscure origin running at the front of the pack and at the back too. But no quantity of money can ever buy magic because magic comes from the heart. Tom Noll SW Idaho =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ===== "A good horse makes short miles," George Eliot Chris and Star BayRab Acres http://pages.prodigy.net/paus =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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