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<< An easy ride is a ride over terrain that you train on. For example
if you normally train over a flat track, then a flat race is your
easy ride. If you normally train in tough mountain areas, then
mountains make your race easier. What ever the horse is used to,
then that makes the ride easier.
>>
I agree with Wendy. I live and ride in the Santa Monica Mountains, right in
the neighbourhood of the Malibu Ride trails. We have dirt roads and rocky
trails and it's almost all up and down with altitude changes of up to 2500ft.
Therefore a so called "easy" ride like Manzanita 2 weeks ago is relatively
hard on the horse and me because we go at a higher speed than at home. On
flat ground my horse doesn't know how to pace himself as well (neither do
I...), i.e. we trotted and cantered almost the entire way, which in this case
was fine for the horse but I was quiet exhausted and sore the next day - and
glad that we had only done the 25mile ride...
On the other hand at Twin Oaks in August, which was considered by many a
harder ride due to a 7mile climb, I was feeling great after the 30miles
although I had gotten off and jogged next to my the horse for a couple of
miles on the downhill part. For Zuma (different horse than at Manzanita) it
was only his 2nd LD ride and I was very supprised how well he paced himself.
On that long winding dirtroad up the mountain a number of horses passed us at
a trot but he just stayed in his steady walk. His recoveries at the vet check
were great and he wasn't tired at all after we got back to camp.
Kirsten
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