RE: some interesting facts

["Kerry Dykes" <KDykes@cpes.com>]

.... and that goes for when you DO move up to endurance.  I made the mistake
of starting off fast because Spirit COULD -- and lucked out on several rides
without dire consequences.

It made an incredible difference in him to s-l-o-w him down when we did our
first multi-day a couple of weeks ago.  Quite a good feeling to end up a
very tough 100 miles later with a horse that has no sign of tiredness or
stress.  Just look for us towards the back of the pack for the season......

Kerry

-----Original Message-----
From: DreamWeaver [mailto:karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us]
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 11:31 AM
To: David LeBlanc
Cc: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: some interesting facts


At 11:10 AM 06/06/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>Considering how fast your typical 50 mile rides are run, I'd say that if
>you can't at least top 20 a LD, then maybe the horse isn't ready to move
>up.

My horse Rocky has never top tenned a LD ride.  He was 17th once, took
almost 4 hours.  (he has done several LD rides -- most weren't
sanctioned)  He was always ridden (read forced) to go slow.  I think that
for some horses, it's not the speed that you go, but rather the other
factors that are more important if somebody is going to decide if they
should move up to a longer distance or not.  Like, is the horse handling
things well mentally....is he eating, drinking, peeing, etc.  If Rocky had
EVER been raced in a Limited Distance ride there is no way he would have
made it as an endurance horse.

I think the biggest mistake people can make is to race a young horse on a
LD ride.  Seriously......these horses learn things so fast, and when you
let them do something that is not desirable then you are just setting them
up for problem after problem.  How many people do I know that have done
this and then end up fighting and arguing and usually end up pulling or
with a horse in trouble when they do move up to 50's ---- more than I can
remember.  If people want to race the shorter distances then that is their
business, but if they have a goal of developing a horse that will stay
sound and last for any length of this time doing longer distances in this
sport, then they really need to ride their own ride and not get caught up
in the racing aspect of the whole thing.

Karen
& Rocky, currently 1st place W Region



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