I am so please to read Angie's reaction to John Crandell's advice.
One of the reasons I love NATRC is because the equitation of the rider is
judged. In most cases, if you see poor equitation, you find sore backs,
lameness, tack rubs, etc., because of the imbalance in the rider. So, it
stands to reason that if you try to perfect your equitation, the
ability of your horse to perform to its potential is no longer hindered by the
riders contribution. NATRC is a paced event with distances longer than
LD's but not up to 50 per day (generally 2 days; 35 miles or so the first
day and 25 the second). If the effect is noted at less distance and
speed, common sense should tell us that any issues would be magnified at a
50 , 75, or 100 at 10 mph.
Karen Everhart MEd President Rainbow Meadows Rescue and Retirement,
Inc. www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com 620-725-3402
Owner/Operator Horse Calls - Equine Management Solutions Centered Riding
Instructor Distance Horse Conditioning and Training www.horsecalls.com 316-648-5082
The
really successful *fast* guys are all *very* good, *proper* riders, and
they have made sure they have great shoeing. BECAUSE they are such good
balanced riders, with balanced shoeing, they can train hard without laming
their horses.
