Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

It doesn't matter what equestrian discipline you go to.  There are usually 
only about 10% of the riders that know how to ride and know what they are 
doing and are there to be competitive.  From what I have seen at endurance 
rides, there is a greater percentage of good riders that know their horses 
and are willing to learn and listen.  I volunteered at a horse show this 
spring and I expected to see people who knew what they were doing and knew 
how to ride, talk about a misconception.  Out of the approx. 40 riders, I 
would say only 4 were good riders, with good balance and good horsemanship.  
The rest were embarassing to watch.  And the horsemanship and common sense 
of giving feed and water to your horse was incredible, maybe 50 percent had 
food and water back at the trailer for an all day event.

I agree with the training opportunities, but it should be up to the 
individual.  If the person wants to improve their skill, let them, if they 
don't, so be it.  The people who "rise up and are great with determination" 
are usually very motivated and want to better themselves by learning as much 
as possilbe by asking questions to those who have been and are successful, 
attending clinics, and reading as much as possible and the ones who don't 
are the ones you described with their toes pointing down, hanging on for 
dear life.  For the most part you can always use the 10% rule.


Jessica in MT

> From: rides2far@xxxxxxxx
> To: LSimoni197@xxxxxxx
> CC: johnt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx,Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [RC]   USEF, Tom Johnson & damaging speculation.
> Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:48:00 -0400
>
> >Any rider could succeed > with a good
> > horse and the dedication to condition it well and learn all they
> > could.> People who could not afford the show circuit could afford
> endurance,
> > and be > winners as well.> I am personally sad to see the changes.
>
> I'm kinda torn. On the one hand, I love the fact that "anyone can rise up
> and be great with lots of determination"...on the other hand, I'm often
> embarassed when I see some of the equitation at even our bigger rides.
> No, don't want to turn this into a show, but is it too much to ask for
> the rider to be able to stand in the stirrups without tiptoeing and
> holding onto the front of the saddle?  If my kid got a chance to go to a
> Young Riders training camp and train under great instructors, you can bet
> I'd get her there and if I didn't she'd get herself there!  I had a good
> horse, but if he'd been more controllable he could have been a *really*
> good horse. I wish I'd had the training to know how to get him that way.
> Endurance riders are very often like me...self taught, self motivated
> types that never had the intense schooling and training that riders from
> other disciplines get. I don't know if this would make much difference in
> the medals, but at least our videos would look better. >g<
>
> I think the best thing the US could do to improve its chance of medals is
> get some allies, lobby *hard* with other countries to bring back
> technical courses and get rid of the speed requirements on these
> qualifying rides.  That, combined with good up and coming riders could be
> the ticket.
>
> Angie
>
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