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[RC] Riding Too Slow - DreamweaverI've been told by my wife, friends and others that sometimes (usually) I ride too slow. Well, first of all riding to where you are meeting the cuttoff times is not "too slow". I get really annoyed with people thinking that something is wrong with somebody's horse, or the rider....because they choose to ride slower. Obviously, different horses need to be managed differently and some are just not cut out to do a nice leisurely day down the trail and are better off getting to go a little faster. On the other hand, what good is a horse that you can't adjust to ride at any speed/rate that you want it to? If you look at what happens to horses that go too fast and compare that to the problems of horses that are ridden "too slow" it's pretty clear that the differences are abundant. It is a lot easier to ride a horse too fast, than too slow. I do agree that a horse like Trilby's who is going slow and not getting to eat along the trail is probably not better off than one that may be taking the same amount of time but is moving at a faster rate and then being allowed to eat along the trail. There is a difference between riding a horse slow because you have to (i.e., because it's not really fit, or because the rider went too fast in the morning and doesn't have any horse left later in the day) and one that is taking it's time because the rider chooses to go at an easier pace knowing that in the long run their horse will last longer and will not have to suffer the consequences of going too fast, like too many horses do. Nevermind the time off and vet bills required by those that do tend to go faster, or maybe they aren't realizing that too fast for their horse is middle of the pack and there is nothing wrong with finishing a few minutes ahead of the cutoff time. Karen in NV
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