Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Well, I'm a big believer in giving a youngster a good foundation and not pushing too hard too soon.

 

I have a 5YO mare I raised from a foal who is just beginning her distance career. I started riding her lightly, 15-20 min, a couple of times a week, when she was 3. We did a lot of walking walking walking. We worked on the basics, turning with leg, seat and rein aids, "whoa", handling scary things. She already was pretty good becuase as a 2YO, I had ponied her a lot fully tacked up with trail gear bouncing against her sides.

 

That 3YO year I started exposing her to the world. We went to a couple of local horse shows to show in halter class, just for the purpose of getting her out in the world, and seeing lots of activity.

 

As a 4Yo, we started trail work, working on the roads and getting used to traffic, and being in groups of horses. We also practiced camping out and did a parade!

 

This year, I'm starting her in MOTDRA CTRs. We just did her first little 15mile CTr a few weeks ago and she did very well. I was pleased with her behavior and her scores. She seemed to be enjoying herself. We'll do another 15 miler and then move up to open class if she's handling the little rides Ok metabolically, then we'll start LD and I hope move up to endurance.

 

Im in no hurry with her. She is to be my forever horse, the horse I grow old with. I'm 53 now. I figure by the time she's ready to retire, I might be too creaky to climb up on a horse anymore. I'd love to have 20 to 25 years of riding with her and want to take good care of her.

 

I have the luxury of having two other horses to ride, so I don't feel any great compunction to hurry her. I hope my patience at this end of her life will pay off with a healty horse at the other end of her life.

 

 chris

Beth Leggieri <trailyaya@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

This is a great timely discussion for those of us with foals on the ground and who are now  contemplating their future careers.  I would like to see some feedback on RideCamp about suggested timelines for these babies, especially in light of bone closure rates and the respect due to the historical equine cultures that refrain from serious work until at least age 7 (the vaquero culture, the Spanish Riding Academy, etc.).

So--let's define serious work within the endurance culture with the goal of  career longevity.  Is that stepping up to 100 mile rides at age 7 after having conditioned for say 3 years, or is that--for argument's sake--beginning intensive conditioning for 25 miles at age 7 and moving up to 100 miles by age 10? 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Beth Leggieri
Denton, TX

"My treasures do not chink or glitter, They gleam in the sun and neigh in the night" - Bedouin Proverb

Or . . . The Middle-Aged Endurance Rider's Lament: "If you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough."

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