RE: Re: MALIBU RIDE AND TRAIL INCIDENT

["Maryanne Stroud Gabbani" <maryanne@ratbusters.net>]

A minimum time is EXACTLY what we do with our local rides and it works
well....as long as you make sure that everyone wears a watch! <G> That
lesson actually had to be learned by yours truly.  But endurance being brand
new here and the only role models being the extremely fast riders from the
UAE, we've had to do this. Our horses aren't ready, our riders aren't ready
and if we don't impose good sense on many of them, they just won't get it. I
think this is a workable solution. An experienced horse and rider who are
doing an LD ride are probably not out there to burn up the trail, but to do
a more relaxed ride. An inexperienced horse and rider shouldn't be burning
any trails anyway.

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani
Cairo, Egypt
maryanne@ratbusters.net
www.ratbusters.net



The other option would be to institute a minimum time, but I'm not real sure
how I feel about that yet -- I've heard pros and cons on that step.  From
the
sounds of it, if something isn't done pretty soon, we're in danger of losing
rides altogether.  I also feel that whatever is decided on as the next step
should be across the board -- effective for all rides as a standard of that
distance.

Sue