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[RC] "What I wish I'd known" - rnbianchi

I'll put my two cents in here.  I wish I had know that in order to finish a 25 mile ride, on time, you have to figure in whatever mandatory stops the ride has and know that when they say "you have 30 minutes to pulse down after you cross the finish line" that is only IF you come in 30 minutes or more before the cutoff time.  In other words, if you start at 8AM you must be IN AND PULSED down by 2PM.  I had been doing 50's for a while when two of my horses were pasture injured.  Our "local" endurance ride, the only one in our state, was coming up and I really wanted to ride in it.  I pulled my friend's Morgan pony out of the pasture (who hadn't been ridden in 6 months) and entered him in the 25.  Now before someone gets all huffy let me say that I am working towards being the "Trilby Peterson"of the East Coast so I know how to set a pace so that I come in with just a couple minutes to spare.  I knew this pony was sane and in good health and I decided before mounting up that I would pull him if he was having any issues.  Long story a bit shorter, we walked into the finish with about 5 minutes to spare.  Unfortunately, he didn't pulse down until 10 minutes after the cutoff time because dummy me forgot that small detail that YOU MUST PULSE DOWN IN 30 MINUTES OR BY THE CUTOFF TIME if there is less than 30 minutes left in an LD ride.  So, no completion.  But I finished with a happy, healthy pony that is no worse for the wear.
 
The other thing I wish I'd known is that you need to sponge a horse A LOT to help them cool down and pulse down even if you are riding conservatively, especially if they are a heavy muscled horse working in heat and humidity.  Out West my horses used to object to being splashed and sponged, but out here in the East they seem to really appreciate it - no more stomping around trying to get away.
 
Every ride is different and every ride area has different challenges.  I have two horses I started in LD's (overtime on the first one) and one I tried to start that way and learned early on that he needed at least a 50 because the first 25-30 he was still being a jerk!  I didn't have a chance to do multi-days so perhaps that would have helped, I'll never know. 
 
Good luck with your decision on when to do your first LD.  Sounds to me like you are already ready.
Cheers,
Becky Bianchi