Most of us have no aspirations to race our
horses. There can be many reasons for this: haven't found the right
horse; our own limitations; preference to ride the same horse over many
years rather than to race for a few years and then go on to a new
horse (only the most gifted horses can accomplish both speed and
longevity), restrictions imposed by having to board a
horse, etc.
For many, the challenge is to finish with a healthy
horse, ideally improving over our previous attempts. That doesn't mean we
don't admire and support the folks who are racing well -- meaning that
their horses are able to tolerate it well. We cheer them on and
volunteer or crew at 'races' in support of endurance racing. Some of
us pay dues to AERC-I as another way to support the racers.
We're not the losers in this game --
because we're playing a different game altogether. Are we interested
in the best possible nutrition, farriery, vet care, etc. for our horses?
Absolutely! Since there's no 'right way' for every horse, we experiment to
find what works best for each of our horses. Most of all, we enjoy
our horses and the chance to test them and ourselves on some of the most
beautiful trails in the world.
