Oh my, the
"good ole days" when none of us knew any better and the Welfare of the Horse had
a different meaning. We didn't know about interval training, nutrition,
sufficient water on the trail, electrolytes, or many other aspects of
successfully getting out horses thru an endurance ride/race. The sport has
come such a long way. In the midst of discussions about safeguards and
insuring that our horses are not over ridden during rides, let's remember
to acknowledge how far we have come. Our sport is a work in progress, as
is life.
Betty
>>> When our daughter
prepared to do her first endurance ride in 1970, she dutifully rode her horse
20 miles per day at speed...as fast as he could trot. That's uphill and
downhill! When time came for the ride, she arrived at the first vet
check (which did not have any water...that was done in those days) and the
horse did not recover. Quite possibly, that lack of water had more to do
with it than over-conditioning, but still...20 miles per day is overdoing
it.
