Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I agree, and what bothers me the most is watching people that don't know how to post ride there horses for 50 miles bouncing on there back. I feel so sorry for the horse, I don't think it can be very comfortable for the rider either. A few riding lessons will go a long way to help rider and horse to enjoy the sport and keep the horse sound.

Roxanne

-------------- Original message from Angie Fura <tracetribute@xxxxxxxxx>: --------------

I think we need to raise the standard for what we define as success in this sport.  Riding fast or placing well in itself does not impress me.  Anyone that's brave, or perhaps foolish enough, can jump on a horse and run with the pack up front.   What I define as success is reaching your pace/distance goals AND riding well AND having a well behaved horse.   Show me a rider who rides balanced, centered, and in frame and whose horse is not a danger to the volunteer staff or other horses on trail and I am impressed.  If that rider and horse place well, I am in awe.    Show me a rider/horse that's running down the trail hollow-backed and without brakes and I'll get out of way.   We all have bad days, but when a rider consistently exhibits poor equitation and horsemanship skills or worse, doesn't think they have anything to learn, there is something wrong and its the horse that suffers.

 

I may be radical, but I don't think anyone should be racing until they have the fundamentals of equitation and horsemanship down.  I feel sorry for horses who are asked to perform at high levels when their riders aren't at the same level they expect from their horse. 

 

I know we don't want to turn this sport into competitive trail, but we have got to raise the bar when it comes to expectations for equitation and horsemanship.   I'm not suggesting new rules.  Perhaps more emphasis on these skills in the Endurance News - maybe a monthly column with helpful tips and exercises and implications of poor riding? 

 

 

Angie Fura

www.tracetribute.com

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From: "rides2far@xxxxxxxx" <rides2far@xxxxxxxx>
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 8:07:26 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] WEC trails - Steph Teeter

>>>>>The only way to improve the longevity of endurance horses is to reward it.  Changing the layout and venue of the courses won't make a bit of difference.  In fact, if you lay out a course where the prize goes to the luckiest idiot, you are going to have a lot of idiots out there trying to get lucky and a lot more lame horses caused by unlucky idiots.

 

This is one of the best quotes I've seen in a very long time, I would add that we will all have to bite our tongues while the lucky idiots are glorified. It's a delimma how we can still reward what I consider a desirable quality...speed, without encouraging riders to be too reckless and ride a fast horse *too* fast. If anybody gets any ideas, I think that's a great discussion topic for AERC too.

 

Angie McGhee

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