Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I’m sure this will be perceived as trying to make endurance exclusive and cliquey, but I can’t see that asking for an average speed of under five miles an hour, with mandatory rest stops, really qualifies as rushing for any halfway healthy horse even slightly suited for the job at hand.  I’ve done rides where I la-di-dahed all flippin’ day, opened and closed gates, stopped to pick up dropped items, wasted time doing everything but stopping for a nap and a beer, and still made it in under deadline despite my best efforts to go overtime.

 

I’ve also ridden rides where I rode endurance-bred Arabians and half-Arabians where I got my butt ridden right into the ground by “non-endurance breeds” that were better conditioned and ridden by smarter people that day.  I’ve also seen and vetted many, many non-endurance breeds at every distance and every terrain that did just fine, as long as they were well-conditioned and ridden sensibly.

 

If Tevis can be completed under deadline on every breed from itty-bitty ponies to draft horses, I don’t see there’s a realistic need to loosen up AERC’s requirement to move along just a tad over four and a half miles an hour.

 

Susan Garlinghouse, DVM

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Donna Deyoung

To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 11:40 AM

Subject: [RC] cold shoulder, different ride times?

 

Brings up a question I had... I'm not an Arabian owner. I wonder if the AERC time limits are set so as to favor Arabians? It seems that the only option a rider on a slower horse has is to finish the ride as over time and not get a completion - or choose a different sport. Why can't there be a different level of timing so slower horses can still "finish" and do a long distance ride under AERC? NATRC is not really the answer - they have slower times but its a judged ride on horsemanship.

 

I'm reminded of a good example -  barrel racing - where no matter how slow or how fast your horse is, everyone competes together. The results are then split into 3 time groups. The rider in the slowest group "wins" that division. Everyone is given fair chance at winning something. Even riders in the slow group.

 

I realize you can't wait all day and the next for someone to finish a ride... but if the rides were slowed down even by a half hour or an hour that could make a big difference in other breeds being "successful" and it might draw more people to the sport. Wouldn't it also be kinder to the horses?

 

Where is the "distance riding" event (as opposed to a race) supposed to happen? if not within AERC. Then we need another sport.  Where are the fun distance rides that you can finish without having to rush? And how do you define serious?  A serious rider cares about themselves and their horse. Not everyone is suited to be on an Arabian or wants to be.

 

Donna

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