CTR TIMES

["John B. Ayers" <ayers@plainfield.bypass.com>]

Hi Lyn?

Now that I've done four CTRs and am an "expert"...(ha)!

I did not find it difficult to make the times.  We trotted
as much as possible,  but not up or down hills.  You must
trot about half the time to make the average MPH.  I
calculated that in a 25-mile CTR I post 8000 times!

What has been more of a problem,  is that with a group
of strange horses,  Meshack (my 7-year old Arab)
forgets what WALK means.

He jigs and fights the bit.  I DON"T WANT to start another
thread in the LD/ENDURANCE debate,  but I'd be willing
to bet it's easier to do 50 miles on a well-behaved horse
than 25 on an excited youngster.

What came as a surprise to me,  was the importance of
a smooth trot-out for the Vet,  and effective sponging to
get the pulse rate down before the P/R check.  This often
makes the difference between those that place and those that
don't!

We just spent the weekend at a clinic and  "hope' we have some
tools to better control him when he's excited.  Will let you know next week.

You did not give your location...are you by chance doing
the GMHA in VERMONT?

John and Meshack (VT)