Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

At 07:07 PM 10/10/2004, Courtney Giardina wrote:
> I'ts nothing bad with the PEOPLE at all! It's only the fact that no one 
> paces perfectly together.

I agree with Courtney, no horse/rider team paces perfectly with another 
team.  That said, there is nothing wrong with learning how to pace with 
another rider - the lesson from that is something you can extend to when 
riding alone.  Pacing your horse (when riding alone) sometimes means going 
at a pace slower (or faster) than you or your horse might want to go.  If 
you haven't practiced doing it before, when you need to do it, you will be 
at a disadvantage!

Really, riding with a sponsor and having to match paces is not a lot 
different from the discipline of having to pace in order to meet the timing 
requirements of a CRT ride.  It's a good thing to learn.

So here's a chance, at the risk of using a worn cliche, to make lemonade 
out of lemons.  Pacing on a 100 miler like Tevis is *imperative*!  So find 
yourself an experienced rider who's gotten through Tevis before with a 
happy, healthy horse and be glad to be sponsored this time.  Do it and see 
if you don't find it was a good idea after all to have someone to go over 
that trail with.

It's been said maybe thousands of times before on this list, but it needs 
constant repeating:  Tevis is NOT just another ride.  It is one of the 
hardest established endurance trails in the world.  It is a good ride to 
find a partner to ride with for many reasons, not just age of the rider.

________________________________
   Lif Strand      fasterhorses.com
           Quemado NM USA
High Country Rider:  An endurance rider's journal
   www.fasterhorses.com/highcountryrider/