Negative Treatment Towards LD riders and horses!

[Cheryl Newbanks <horsetrails@inficad.com>]

Ok, here goes.  This weekend I did a ride, to remain un-named but you all
know what state I live in:}  From the get go the Ld's were made to feel
like second class citizens.  I am not the only one with this opinion that
participated at this ride and felt this way either.  To start the head vet
made sure we knew that a 30 was NOT an endurance ride, ok that is cool I am
there for the training and mileage on my horse in hopes to move up anyway.
But I am also there to learn and I paid bigger BUCKS then normal to
participate in this ride (fees where higher then the norm) so I expect to
be treated equally.  THEN the head vet tells us that there would be no 1st,
2nd, 3rd or any placing for the ld's AT ALL which was a drag because I like
to have a clue where I finished in the pack.  A sense of accomplishment and
a taste of the competition that makes it sorta fun.  But there was a BEST
CONDITION, when we asked about how they would judge bc without placing they
said oh the best horse will be picked!!!!!! Hmmmm????????? Ok fine, so we
go do our ride.

They started the 50's 15 minutes before the 30's so we bottle necked at
times.  The first vc was ok, we breezed right through, but when we got to
the completion it was a total joke!  Granted it started to rain pretty
heavy and the horses were cold and shivering along with the riders, but hey
when you are in line YOU WAIT YOUR TURN, but not at this ride, the vet
continously picked 50 milers out of the line to vet first and 50 milers
intentionally butted ahead of us also, even though they had a 1 hour hold
and we had to be at the vet within 30 minutes from the time we crossed the
finish line to complete.  

You know we pay good money to compete in ld's and often times the ld groups
are huge compared to the 50's group. So that tells me that ld's help keep
our sport going just as equally as the 50's.  Hey run a ride with just 50's
and see if your numbers are the same as a ride with only ld's!!!  

We don't want to be treated special, but we do require to be treated equal
like any other citizen paying good money to ride no matter what the miles
are.  Also the endurance world needs to remember that many of you, I am NOT
SAYING ALL, but many of you started out on ld's just like the current ld
riders are.  We learn to become responsible riders at a short enough
distance where our mistakes may not end up as critical if they were made at
the longer distances.  I know I've done some semi-stupid things on a 30
miler that I am glad I didn't do on a 50 for my horse's sake!  We also
learn about our horses and what we can expect from them.  Ld's give our
horses a chance to settle into the sport too.  At every ride I've had Blue
at I've seen him mature and improve on his last performance.  For instance
he actually ate in camp this time.  Things like this are important for an
endurance team to learn and I am grateful I can learn these things at a
limited distance, but I'll be darned if I have to feel like a second class
citizen to do it!!!  

All in all I've decided that this ride will be one I won't bother attending
next year even though it is only 45 minutes from my house, or whether I've
moved up to 50 miles by then.  I am in this sport to learn and improve on
my skills not to be humiliated and pushed around.  

(ps: but believe it or not I did have a very good time riding with my
ridecamp team mates and got a chance to meet other ridecampers that I never
met before!  The scenery was beautiful and the trails were excellent and
well cared for and the ride club that got the trails ready for us did a
SUPER job!  I am sure Tracy will follow with one of her wonderful ride
stories!  Right TracYYYYYY???)
   
                                 Cheryl Newbanks 
                ~~ ^ ^       Just In Time Ranch
~~~\   _  ~~/ /\ /       Buckeye, AZ
       ( )__     ) ' '        horsetrails@inficad.com
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