ridecamp@endurance.net: Doing it

Doing it

K S Swigart (katswig@deltanet.com)
Wed, 16 Jul 1997 16:10:32 -0700 (PDT)

When I said that if you want to stop being a "newbie" go out to a 25 mile ride
and do it, I did not mean pull a horse out of its stall totally unprepared and
try to go out and ride for 5 hours. Of course you have to prepare your horse
(and yourself) for a taxing endeavor. But you can't gain experience (and stop
being a "newbie") by asking about it and reading about it. You do not learn
to ride endurance on a computer, you learn to ride endurance on a horse. And
the best way to prepare for your first endurance ride is to get your horse and
yourself out on the trail and condition

The question that Glenda asked of Ridecamp (As opposed to the one she asked
Lucy about wanting to know what riders are wearing at Tevis) was: When, oh
when, will we stop being newbies? (here I paraphrase).

I took this question very seriously as the impression I had was that she
really wanted to get into this sport (which is what many of the other
"newbies" on this list want to do). The point I was trying to make was:

You will never stop being a newbie until you get off your computer and get on
your horse. Reading about what riders are wearing at Tevis will not change
anybody's experience/inexperience level one whit.

This forum can be an extremely valuable source of information and an
opportunity for endurance riders to share their experiences (good and bad) so
that when you learn by trial that what you are currently doing doesn't work
for you, you can ASK other people how they have solved the same dilemma
(rather than stumbling about blindly or surveying catalogs). But until you
have some idea of the problems you are trying to solve, the questions are
virtually meaningless.

So many times on this list people who are just starting are asking "what do I
need to get for. . .?"

The answer is, "Unless you don't have a horse, you don't need to get anything,
just use what you have." (I am assuming that anybody who has a horse also has
a halter and anybody who is riding their horse has some way of giving it
direction--I use a bridle). Use the horse you already ride on, use the saddle
you already ride in, use the bridle you already ride with, use the clothes you
already ride in.

Then go out and ride your horse on the trail. As you increase the distances
that you ride, you will discover the shortcomings of the things you already
own (or you may not), and THEN you can ask (and yes, you can ask it here),
"THIS is the problem that I am having, and I would like to know how other
people have solved this problem."

If you ask questions without this context, such as:

"What do endurance riders wear?"

Then you will get uninformative answers like
"They wear what they find comfortable."

"What do endurance riders bring?"
"They bring what they think they'll need."

"What kind of saddle do endurance riders use."
"They use one that fits their horse (and that they find comfortable:))."

"What kind of horse do they ride?"
"They ride one that can go long distances."

"How do endurance riders condition their 4 year olds?"
"Carefully."

"What kind of portable panels do they use when camping?"
"One's that will confine their horse."

"What is the best way to ride endurance?"
"Whatever WORKS for you."

Until you get on and ride, you will never know what works (or doesn't work)
for you, and you will always be a "newbie."

And if you go out shopping based on the experiences of others, before you have
any experiences of your own, it will be VERY expensive (when you find out that
what works for others doesn't work for you and you have to go shopping again).

Don't go shopping; go riding.

The point that I was trying to make was not: Don't ask questions.
If you don't ask questions you'll never know.

Nor did I want to say: Don't ask silly questions.
Because if you don't ask them, you won't know that they are silly.

There are indeed silly questions. A silly question is one that has no
meaningful answer. And until you get some experience where you can put
answers in context, all the answers will be meaningless. (Either that, or you
will have gathered so much information that by the time you are ready to use
it, you won't know where to find it.)

The point I was trying to make was: If you ask the question, "What information
do I need to stop being a newbie?"

The only honest answer anybody can give you is:
"You don't need information, you need experience."

I hope that new endurance riders find this encouraging rather than
disheartening. Encouraged because (despite all the information, equipment,
and high tech gadgets that are available out there--and which are discussed in
detail on this list) ALL you have to do is get on your horse and RIDE it.

You don't need a whole bunch of detailed information, fancy equipment, and
high tech gadgets; you need a horse (everything else is optional).

kat
Orange County, Calif.

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