I felt that I needed to respond!
You wrote:
> It has been my experience at endurance rides (can't speak for CTR) that
> crowding is part of the event.... This being the case, endurance horses need
> to learn to be > "crowded" and just take it, without kicking.
Very true!
> People who ride horses that kick need to ride in the back. I can remember
> being at a ride once where there was considerable jockeying for position,
> with the trail alternately widening and narrowing (a recipe for horses
> getting crowded), and having one woman tell me "you need to stay back,
> because my horse kicks." My response to that is "No. YOU need to
stay back, because your horse kicks." A horse that kicks is a menace, and
> people who ride them.... need to be aware that they are riding a menace,
>and act accordingly.
I disagree here. The red ribbon is a courtesy warning to others. I
do agree that the rider is responsible for training & riding their
horse under control. HOWEVER, if the folks "in the back" are riding a
conservative race & I am out to top ten, or I want to ride a 12 mph pace
while they are at 6 mph, I WILL NOT GO TO THE BACK!!! Our kicker (a
gelding w/ an "I want to win" attitude) will act worse in back because
he has too much pent up energy if we hold him back. He is
controllable, but angry w/ us. If we put him up front and let him
work, he does better. We can "read" him and avoid confrontations,
but the ribbon warns folks that we work a little harder w/ him than
some other horses. (ie. please don't purposely let your horse rub
his face on his but! It has happened as we trotted down the
trail!!)
> There is no reason that I should have to accommodate a
> half trained horse when I am participating in what, by all definitions,
> is a horse race.
YES! And I should not have to suffer riding in the rear if I can
control my kicker (who I have flagged as a courtesy). If somebody
REALLY needs to pass, I'm always happy to use a little leg and allow
them safe passage. In a tight spot, we back off the trail or turn
head in to the trail to make things a little safer. In the heat of
the start, Major's attitude is "I'm going that-a-way NOW!", never
mind kicking! (It would slow him down!)
> When I bring a green horse to an endurance ride (recognizing that it is a
> new experience for him and that he may behave unpredictably) I make a
> point of starting after everybody else so I don't have to participate in
> the madness at the start. And if anybody does come up behind me I will
> ask them to wait while I get out of the way.
I agree here. A well trained, seasoned competitor with a tendency to
be grouchy & kick (if we don't stay on top of things) should not be
generalized into the same group as a green beginner who is
overwhelmed by the activity around him.
> I am not saying don't bring green horses to endurance rides (how else
> will they learn). But green horses belong in the back where they are
> less likely to cause harm, if they don't yet know how to behave
> themselves in a crowd.
Please don't toss all the flagged horses to the rear - next will be
the stallions and mares in season. Before you know it, only mellow
geldings will be in the rush of things.
> p.s. I try to be more understanding of people who have difficulty
> handling their mares when my stallion is around, but at the same time and
> ill mannered mare is as much of a menace as an ill mannered stallion.
> And it isn't my fault that they haven't trained their mare.
True! It does help if they know that there is a stallion near them
(flagged yellow) - they can offer a little more consideration that
way. I'd hope that mare owners are not purposely teasing your
stallion at the competitions.
Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Equestrian Supplies/ Blue Wolf Ranch
Chesapeake, VA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"