AH HA! No matter how you cut it or try to dress it up, LD's are not Endurance. They are a trail ride with a time limit. I know I'm dating myself, but again, there used to be LD's that had no time limits and they were very pleasureable, indeed. Oh, and the LD's still had to pass a vet check at the finsh with the same pulse as the 50's, which everyone did. There were no holds as none was needed because no-one was racing simply because there was no need. Thus, now a monster has been created.
Here in the South East, the LD rides are treated like endurance rides, except for the finish critra.
You may take all the time and bring your horse along slow, use it as a training ride, use it to introduce a new horse to the routine of an endurance ride, or you may race. A fun day of organized competition.
A trail ride is without competition, without any awards for a job completed. It's just a fun day or weekend or whatever.
If one wanted to compete and go slower, try NATRC. They can go as slow as 3 mph and have a great time doing it.
Janice ~ who likes things just the way they are...sure works for making me happy!! <g> Thanks, AERC !!
If there were no time limits, then it would simply be a trail ride.
Five miles an hour is not too much stress to put on a conditioned horse and rider unless the terrain and or weather play a major role in the day. Then is when we must use our horsemanship to meet the challenge. If there were no challenge then there would be no competition.
I've been close to doing an overtime ride, usually because of an issue I'm having, but managed to work hard enough to get through it. And always glad that I persevered and completed the ride.
Perhaps your husband would be happier joining a riding club and going on organized trail rides. Lots and lots of riders do just that and enjoy themselves wholeheartedly.
Janice ~ who prefers a bit of competition, even if it with myself...<g>
What has continued to amaze me is the time restraints put on the limited distance riiders. I thought we were trying to discourage the racing concept and yet by just trying to make time it forces the limited distance riders into riding, often times, faster than they would appreciate. I know, some people would say that we are trying to prep these riders for 50's or better but not true, as most of these riders are very content to just ride the ride and have no desires to move on to a longer distance. If there must be a cut-off time why must it be 6 hours and then their disqualified? What's wrong with 8 hours or more, especially since there are 50 milers running anyway? Again, we are still defeating the policy that LD'S are not a race when the rider has to race to make time. Many years before AERC put the pressure on the Ride Managers to incorporate LD's in with the 50's my husband and I used to ride every limited distance ride we could find, no time limits, and we had a blast. Now my husband will not ride anymore, even though he would love to, but the speed is too fast and the enjoyment is non-existent.
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-- All the sounds dear to horseman were around me ~ the snorts of horses, the swish of their tails, the tinkle of irons as we flung the saddles over their backs ~ little sounds of no importance, but they stay with us in the unconscious library of memory. Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
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-- All the sounds dear to horseman were around me ~ the snorts of horses, the swish of their tails, the tinkle of irons as we flung the saddles over their backs ~ little sounds of no importance, but they stay with us in the unconscious library of memory. Wynford Vaughan-Thomas
