Re: Horses

["Cathy Adair" <cadair@prodigy.net>]

Heidi Smith wrote:
>I am only intermediate mileage (5000+, but that ain't so much
> these days),

Did you hear me shriek when I read that? I'll NEVER be an intermediate
mileage... Where does the next level up begin and what do you call that?
The Elite Mileage?

> I find that horses with that sort of attitude eat well before, during and
after rides,
> don't mind the stuff that goes on at vet checks, and in general, just are
> easier to endurance ride than their fussier counterparts.  I think it is
an
> essential ingredient to being a good endurance horse, myself.
> 
> Heidi

You know Heidi, when I first got into endurance, one of my mentors (who
shall remain nameless) was adamant on the "fact" that a good endurance
horse should be saved to do solely endurance rides. Well, you can
condition. That person was so disgusted about me taking my mare on pleasure
rides, camping on the Flattops, playing with cows that s/he direly told me
I was ruining my horse (I loved it - ruining my horse, isn't that a switch?
And I can't help but laugh when I talk to pleasure riders who worry that
endurance riding will ruin my new horse.). Yes, my mare pigged out
everywhere, drank everywhere, and took endurance in stride. 
Cathy