Re: RC: RC: Posted today on a mostly Dressage Riders' BB . . .

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

At 09:57 AM 06/28/2000 -0400, Deanna German wrote:
>So here you have this guy on an extremely overweight, out-of-condition
>Arab telling people about his experience with endurance. Was he telling
>the truth? I suspected not (no sponge on the saddle made me suspicious),
>but how would a person outside the sport know? He rides Arabs, has an
>endurance saddle, talks the talk. Must know what he's talking about.

Well, maybe I shouldn't be giving advice.  I also ride an overweight horse 
without a sponge <vbg>.  I also probably don't ride more than a couple of 
times a week during competition season - heck, sometimes only once or twice 
a month.  And in the off season they get a break completely, sometimes 
weeks without any riding.

I have encountered other endurance riders on the trail.  Me on Weaver:  You 
look like an endurance rider.  Them:  Yes, yes I AM.  Me:  So how long have 
you been doing it?  Them:  Years, then they tell me how many times they've 
done Tevis (till I look them up and they are lying--they must've really 
meant they just rode on the Tevis TRAIL).  Me: I've done it a couple of 
times, this horse (pointing to my FAT horse)...has done it once.  Them: 
THAT horse? That horse is too fat to do an endurance ride. hahahaha (they 
laugh) <sigh>  My fat horse has done over 3200 miles.  He weighed in at 
Tevis at 1070 pounds, and the last day I weighed him at the XP (he just 
went along for a backup this year)...he weighed 1070 pounds.  He is 14.3 
with high withers.  He huffs and puffs and sweats a lot too (cuz I ride him 
on a lot of hills)...but he recovers just fine :+)).

>Comments?

Ohhh kay, I'll fess up. Before I got them into the shape they are in now, I 
did ride several times a week.  The horses also get a lot of self exercise, 
and are walked often on long (5 mi.) walks/jogs with the dogs and I usually 
ride one and pony the other almost everytime I go out.

I don't think it is so much how often your ride, or how far you go....but 
the quality of the workouts that you do.  Most people don't condition like 
they compete, and that is why they get into trouble.  But don't ask me, I 
carry a scoop.......

Happy Trails,

Karen
in NV
& Weaver...the backup horse this year
& Rocky.....700 miles so far this season, and getting a month break :+)