I don't think "winners" are poo poo'ed - they are often derided for not
taking care of their horses, which is rarely the case with someone who can
compete and win and do this with one or two of the same horses year after year.
I have great respect for riders who can compete the same horses for years, know
when to pull, win a good part of the time, and retire a sound happy horse. This
is not to be confused in MY mind at least with the new one every season crowd.
seem to me that winning is not the problem - winning at all costs is.
That said, it IS different that the show crowd - I know few people who take
a horse into a show class with the idea of winning something out of their minds.
No one goes in a western pleasure class thinking "to finish is to win". :)
They may feel LUCKY to finish simultaneously and mounted, but that is another
story. A larger percentage of distance riders at all distances tend to have a
sense of accomplishment when they get that completion, which is why people, no
matter the distance do not like to feel slighted or slammed because they "only"
did 25 or 50 or whatever. Wow. I think back and I recall a few riders
complaining at Regionals one year that the judge made them go around the arena
"at LEAST 10 times each way!" LOL! S
