In a message dated 2/7/2006 11:10:47 P.M. Central Standard
Time, sherman@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
It would be a more accurate
comparison if the dressage levels were like this....Grand Prix Level 1,
Grand Prix Level 2 and so on. But it's not called Grand Prix at lower
levels because it's not Grand Prix, right? And that sort of correlates
to anything less than 50 not being endurance rides. And calling it an LD
or a fun ride is not derogatory, and many riders go back & forth
between LDs and 50s, then throw in a 100 maybe. Like you say, many
horses never progress past 2nd level, and they're not Grand Prix 2nd
Level, just 2nd level. And if a horse never makes a 50, well, maybe he's
a darn good long distance trail horse, that maybe can do 30 or 40 miles,
but still not an endurance horse.
So, how about looking at it this
way. All are "trail horses", they are all "real" trail
horses, and they're at training level (or conditioning) to
reach "endurance" level at all distances less than 50 miles, then, when
they actually do 50 mile trail rides, they are "endurance"
level trail horses.....(:>)
Like you say, a horse can
accomplish a lower level of dressage and he's still doing dressage moves
(not Grand Prix though). However, by the definition of endurance, a
horse cannot do endurance at a less than 50 miles. And yes, all those
lower than 50 miles rides we ride are highly valued as building the
foundation, but they are still not endurance miles. They are LD,
conditioning, training, or just fun miles.
Kathy
Ed,
Thanks for
the welcome~ I do have fun! I especially enjoy the cross training
and the people we met~
Sharon,
I am
grateful that in dressage, they are kind enough to 'allow' me to call my horse, what he is,
a dressage horse, no matter what level he competes at. It is nice to
know that all that competing we are doing really is dressage, and that I
do not have to achieve FEI level before he is a dressage horse.
Barb, to
me your post is the reason I felt the need to post the
analogy! I know of no other discipline that cuts itself in
half.
Sylvia,
Thanks for
the information on TREK. Sounds great.
Kathy,
It wouldn't be accurate to make the analogy between trail
horses and dressage horses. Any given dressage/distance rider knows
the levels and knows they have an education ahead of them if
they so desire to achieve the level in the sport.
Do you know many trail riders who are even aware of what
endurance is? I was a trail rider for nearly 30 years, and
I had no idea that people rode 100 miles in a day.
In my analogy, I am comparing two sports that have governing
bodies (USDF / AERC/ UMECRA etc). Correct me if I'm wrong, though I
do not recall a governing body for trail riders? Do they have
judges/vets? Do they have score cards? Are they competing on a
given day? The fact that many dressage riders / endurance
(distance) riders compete only against themselves is
another similarity, when taking a horse to a dressage show, at any
level, many riders are there for different reasons, just like distance
riders are there to improve, to train, to log miles. Many
riders in dressage are there competing to achieve higher scores than last
time, not even caring where they place. They can consider themselves
to have won, simply by scoring in the 70's, instead of in the 60's, that
person may have not have even placed (they may have placed last) , though
they drive home with a mile wide grin on their face, because they
have achieved a personal best. From what I have learned so far of
distance riders, they feel the same way, many of them have a mile wide
grin on their face because of a personal goal, personal
best.
I
think the endurance/dressage is a good analogy.....and the
levels of training/competing within the sports actually line up very
well. As I was thinking about it and typed it out, it
naturally lined up that there are natural progressions, and the same
number of levels of progression, in each sport. In both sports there
is a place to 'get your feet wet', and in each sport there is an FEI
level.
In Dressage, you
will often see someone bringing along a young horse at a lower level, same
as an Endurance rider may take his young horse to 25's. As in
dressage, many people never reach FEI level, same as in Endurance.
There is a natural
progression in dressage based on the physical development of the horse,
and the finesse of the rider. Endurance is the same, the natural
progression is based on the physical development of the horse, and the
finesse of the rider.
You can agree or
not, I am extremely pleased to have noticed the similarities, and
will keep it in mind as I train my horse "up the levels" in both dressage
and distance riding.
