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Tina and all interested:
I must second what you all just heard from Joe Long. I do not feel that any
of the so called technological advances will help any endurance rider more
than the basics. They DO HELP some people with a less than optimum mental
attitude.
I know that Joe, my wife Arlene, my self and many others never did and still
do not put much faith in any thing except the basics.
Unlimited fresh water, good forage, basic electrolytes, proper training and
conditioning, a well fitting saddle, keg shoes and the proper mental
attitude will win every time over the fads. Joe has done it, Arlene has done
it and so have I.
The reason you are seeing faster(?) rides is because the rides are not being
held on the tougher terrain like they used to be. While Joe mentions 5 hour
rides the average in the northwest used to be six with many going to seven
or sometimes eight hours. These got to tough for the newer riders and they
also took more effort to mark as they were not along the roads.
Soundness in the horses?? Well Joe's horse is high mileage, Arlene's
Champagne did over 8,000 miles along with three foals. Sure there are lots
of high mileage horses and there are lots of horses that disappeared from
the scene after only one season. The high mileage horses are generally the
better conformed animals. They were not, generally, the more protected ones
or the coddled ones. Consider one of ours, did top ten on a 100 mile ride on
a saturday and then repeated it in the fifty the next day.
We still ride in boots and jeans and will give any endurance rider a run for
their money on a tough ride. No, we have no interest in the road races. We
can ride on the local track for that kind of pleasure.
Tina, I would say the difference fifteen years ago was the ATTITUDE. WE ALL
HAD FUN. There was no worry about keeping up with the latest fad.
Bob Morris
Morris Endurance enterprises
Boise, ID
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