Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> Angie is more than welcome to volunteer for this role.
Here's where I have my misgivings about this idea. 

I have mentored *many* riders...but to me mentoring means I got them
started AT HOME. We spent weeks or months going on training rides and
discussing the basics, what to expect, what to be prepared for, etc. etc.
I loaned them books, articles, videos. I helped them choose tack, decide
what to take to the ride. TONS of stuff. Now, you want me to suddenly
meet someone for the first time at a ride, when I hardly have time to get
my vet check set up, and eat a sandwich while walking back and forth, and
try to explain all that stuff and not leave something important out?  You
want Joe Schoech to mentor people when he's got his hands FULL trying to
control Bogey? Someone like Joe is wonderful the night before a ride, but
you don't choose someone with a fast horse and a chance to win his weight
division and ask them to put aside all that training they've been doing
and sponsor someone *during* the ride. For one thing. Bogey is too darned
fast and many a beginner could hurt himself keeping up even if Joe felt
he was taking it easy.

I am all about helping new people.  I always answer posts where someone
asks me for advice (except this week when Josie accidentally deleted it )
on how a vet check works, or what to do during a ride, etc. etc. Those
are people who are thinking ahead and trying to get prepared. I have time
to tell them, they have time to absorb it. 

I had a box of the old SERA Endurance Handbooks that were the predecessor
to the AERC handbook and I have one by one mailed them to people who have
asked for advice, never to hear from them again. I try to think of every
one of these people who contact me as being like I was when I first got
started...in awe of *anyone* who'd ever completed a ride and desperately
hoping they'd take notice of me. I really do want to help them get
started and make them feel welcomed, but with all the books, articles,
etc. out there I honestly don't think there's any excuse for someone
showing up at a ride without a basic knowledge of some do's & don'ts. 

I'm willing to get together on a training ride with someone and mentor
them. On a training ride I can *show* them what 5mph or 7mph feels like.
To be perfectly  honest, in a RACE I'm too busy trying to keep my horse
from killing me, and the best thing they could possibly do is focus on
their own horse instead of my chatter taking their attention off of him.

Now Laurie, You're right about Kaboot, but I've got that Welsh Pony
listed on equine.com right now. (check out "Rountuit's Stormy Weather"
folks) I'll tell you what though, if he doesn't sell and I happen to be
planning on an 8+hour 50 I'd be very happy to have some company...and by
the end they'll be willing to pay me not to talk! :-)

By the way, some of the best mentoring I ever got was from someone else's
experienced crew coming over and helping out. Their rider was on the
trail, they offered to help me and very politely gave me a bit of advice
here and there. Anybody considered just having the newbie stand up at the
ride meeting and tell everyone, "If you see this person needing help in
the vet check, chip in"?

Angie

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I still prefer what it is that BH100, Tevis, The Duck's Soup of Endurance,
etc. has to offer...but, to see a horse canter over sand for those
distances...Good Lord, it humbles me.
~  Frank Solano

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

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