[RC] re: Racing to finish NC 50 , Mistake?? - Natalie Herman
<<Question: If April's horse was going strong and recovering well all day, how could she know he was too tired to run into the finish? Please explain. Cindy K>>
Just because a horse has an issue at the end, does not mean it was having issues throughout the day. He was doing great all day cause he wasn't tired then...the fast day finally caught up with him during the last loop. Heck, my horses get that way often enough (tired at the end, that is), and I am not even a racer... after about 35-40 miles they start to lag...that is til they figure out where camp is, LOL...then they usually perk up the last 2 or so miles and pull towards home...and that is even if they ARE tired. I often times have to convince them NOT to canter back to camp, cause I KNOW they are tired, but adrenaline makes them forget...that is where the rider's brain kicks in vs the horse's and where April's mistake happened...she got caught up in the race, even though she knew her horse was getting tired, even though he wanted to go home (as she said, she didn't have to beat him or anything, just drop the reins and squeeze to say go...). If you haven't felt that with a horse yet, then you are lucky to have one that tells you early in the day it is done, or that doesn't care it is back near camp and will rate itself :) Nat (who has had most her horses going from "loose rein, low head, dude horse" to "freight train pullers" in almost every ride once it was clear to them where "home" is)
“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down
like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion. It seizes a person
whole and, once it has done so, he will have to accept that his life
will be radically changed.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. Get it now.
