Longer Tevis Winning Time

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

>How 'bout you riders that did it this year?  Would you have been happier
>(and your horses more rested) having a longer rest period at Michigan
>Bluff?  I can't imagine that many horses ate well in fifteen minutes
>after those canyons.  Another question - how many riders stayed longer
>at MB and continued the ride?

Hi Jen:

I remember Nick Warhol telling me...if you waste 5 minutes every hour on
this ride you won't complete (that would be, afterall, two hours).  How
many riders completing could have added on two hours to their ride time and
still made the cutoff time?  Not many. 

So as harsh as it may sound, you don't have time to let your horse eat for
more than a few minutes here and there.  It's not really fair to let them
eat and then have to rush them faster just to make the cutoff times either.
 Most of us grab flakes of hay with us when we leave the various checks
along the way.  By MB they are all very hungry and indeed would have been
much happier to have had an hour there to eat.  However, it would not have
been good overall strategy to stay at MB for an hour, then go only 7 more
miles to FH and have another hour hold.  And yes, we did have to DRAG the
horses away from the food at MB.  But we also had to drag them away at
almost every stop thereafter.  If I let my horse eat everytime he wanted
to, we'd just be clearing the top of Squaw!!!  

I've love to hear from other riders out there who have several
completions....what do you guys think works the best for the horses?  Maybe
the hour hold 7 miles farther along is better for the horses...and since I
don't know otherwise I can't really say.  Though I did like having the rig
at FH.   

Happy Trails,

Karen
in Gardnerville
& Weaver....in good company....Ruby wore easy boots too!! :))
& Rocky, :)...next ride Silver Springs