Re: [RC] The Meaning of Endurance Riding - DVeritas
In a message dated 2/5/2006 2:54:13 A.M. Mountain Standard Time,
Pvan19@xxxxxxx writes:
Inevitably with money entering the sport and people starting to
'professionalise' and trying to make a living out of it - speeds are up,
average career lengths of horses are down
Horses are started younger, have less time to prove themselves, the pool
of potential endurance horses is growing as breeders produce more stock..
riding costs are rising all the time ( think extra administrative stuff,
passports, chips, registration, ...) so horses have to start earning their
keep earlier.. etc.
More emphasis is placed on rider fame rather than horse fame - read some
ride reports from say UAE and you'll know who won but not whom he/she (well,
rarely she) was riding!
A perspective from Europe says it for me.
What we had, still have (to some degree) is worth keeping and
protecting.
There are riders in America who can ride really fast on really great horses
who are old enough age-wise, are part of a thorough and targeted
conditioning/training program whose purpose is fast endurance racing.
But, that's the minority of horses.
The MAJORITY of horses in American endurance are not fit for true racing
AND campaigning. So, why pretend? Why truly risk the
welfare of the horse? I know, I know, "on that day, at the race...we were
the best"......no thanks.
Endurance riding is a pretty neat thing.
(Sorry, Steph. I know you wanted to hear from riders new to the
sport....
