Not on any of the rides I've been to. Completion award is for the mileage
you entered.
If you are doing Open NATRC rides, you won't have any trouble finishing an
AERC 25 miler (you'll probably think it's a breeze and your horse will have a
blast going faster), and could finish a 50-miler going conservatively. Took
me almost 10 hours on my last 50. The NATRC Open 2-day rides are easier. I
found out my body crapped out after about 42 miles, the horse was fine....
Sue
P.S. One of the things I like about endurance vs. NATRC is the fact that you
do get a completion award if you finish. Also like the vet stops better
because you're allowed to water your horse at the trough, etc. Don't know
what P&Rs are like in Texas, but here in Region 1 they've changed an awful
lot since I started riding NATRC in 1973. Back then they used to take
incoming (which isn't all that critical) and outgoing 10 minutes later, but
in between you could stand your horse in the shade, take him to water, etc.
Now it seems like they design the P&Rs so that everyone comes in, dismounts
and stands in the open for 10 minutes. Sometimes they even add a mandatory
trot uphill (sometimes quite steep). I don't mind forward motion, but
trotting up a steep hill into a P&R, give me a break, I'd certainly never do
that normally. Usually the only water we're allowed to give is what we've
carried on the horse, hence the reason a lot of Region 1 Open riders seem to
carry over a gallon of water on their horse. Ridiculous. Why can't you just
plan the P&R near a watering hole and let nature take it's course. I'd love
some feedback on this because it hasn't always been this way, and since I'm
now editor of the newsletter, looks like I might have a forum to get things
changed a little.