Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Jay Randle wrote:
> Hi All
>
> In 1903 the French National Military instigated an endurance ride from 
> Lyons (la Tete d'Or) to Aix-les-Bains. This was held over 3 days, with 
> distances of between 50 and 58 kms travelled each day. The competitors 
> were officers of the 28th Dragoons and other divisions of the French 
> National Military mounted corps.
That would be 30 to 35 miles a day - which is only 1/3 of the 100 (160) 
mile race in the UAE. You would expect the times faster in shorter 
distances. You are comparing LD distances with 100 miles.

> The records for the race two years later, in 1905, state that the 
> AVERAGE speed was 22 kms per hour! The winner for 1905 is listed as 
> Captain de Champsavin, of the 28th Dragoons, on a ten-year-old horse, 
> Jobourg. I have photographs of this 1905 event, and the scenes are 
> very reminiscent of our endurance rides here (through water and over 
> hills), as well as scenes of the horses travelling through 
> cobblestoned villages. There are horses stopped at water points, there 
> are horses being led over rough terrain, and the winner's horse is 
> presented after the race in show condition!

That is fairly fast but again it's only 30 to 35 miles a day vs. 100 in 
a day.
> If the AVERAGE speed for this race in 1905 was 22 kms per hour 
> (Veterinary controls, although existant, were significantly less 
> restrictive than today), it seems that the speed over the years has 
> not really increased all that much?
This comes out to 13.67 mph for 30 to 35 miles - the PC was 15 for a 
100. Back in 1995 I did a 50 in 3:40 which turns out to be 13.62 mph. I 
was second, had high vet score and won BC. Those types of speeds happen 
often enough - while it is fast it is not exceptionally fast on a 50. 
However, they are very fast on a 100 up to this point.

The UAE over the years have spent a lot of resources to develop the 
training facility and training methods to condition a horse to run a sub 
7 100 - I suspect that a sub 6:30 is not that far off. That does not 
address any questions related to if this is in the best interest of the 
horses. But it is a race - as AERC rides are also races as are AERA 
rides so there is nothing limiting speed.

Back in the old days of NASCAR - it was determined that people would be 
dying right and left if there weren't restrictions on the engines and 
fuels. The roots of NASCAR was a bunch of good ol redneck boys getting 
together to show off their cars they souped up to out run the feds as 
they transported moonshine around the many dry states that populated the 
US South - some states are actually still dry by county. You could build 
cars that were far faster then the ability of a human to handle them. 
Hence the NASCAR rules evolved to address that. We may be approaching 
the same issue with speed and endurance horses - except the issue is the 
horse. Some might be able to be trained and peaked and run a sub 7 100 - 
once. Is that acceptable model for the sport?

We have no control on how the UAE trains and runs their horses. We have 
no control how the FEI views or addresses this issue. We do have control 
over the AERC as members in this country and the AERA as members in your 
country.

So I ask a question - at what point (if any) do we put a governor on our 
horse's speed?

Truman

--

“Since when have we Americans been expected to bow submissively to 
authority and speak with awe and reverence to those who represent us?” 
Justice William O. Douglas


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