I think even the best trained horses are subject to "losing their marbles" with that level of excitement. Don't forget, they often mirror their riders and I'm sure they were all extremely excited as well, and I'm sure the tension was pretty thick.
~Carrie <\_~ // \\
"The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears."
~ Old Arabian Proverb
--- On Sun, 11/9/08, Sbolinge@xxxxxxx <Sbolinge@xxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Sbolinge@xxxxxxx <Sbolinge@xxxxxxx> Subject: [RC] training To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: Sunday, November 9, 2008, 8:08 AM
dare I be politically incorrect to bring this up but wouldn't a horse, more likely than not, do much better all the way around on an endurance RACE or ride, if he/she is trained to the point that he always listens to and pays attention to his rider/handler, in almost all situations. Admittently, depending on the nature of the horse, he might be nervous and excitable, but if trained well,will listen to the rider, be manageable and focused on the job at hand from the very start. The description of the start of the WEC was, in my very humble opinion, astounding. To think that these horse/rider teams are the cream of the crop in the entire endurance world and there was that much chaos at the start and even in the first check is funny at first but then, on second thought, alarming. Kind of reminds me of my very favorite event in the rodeo...the wild horse race!
