NC or Summer Breeze

[Roger Rittenhouse-vmaxept <roger@vmaxept.com>]

In my last post on getting ready for the NC and the trailer trip out
there my last comment was the para below--


we have one dry run left - Summer Breeze50 
2 weeks before - but only one week before we leave. Will use this as a
test run and go very slow during the race.


I received comments form a very good rider - well meaning and all -
suggesting it was too much to ask -
to trailer to this ride about 6 hrs - ride 50 slow miles on sat - then
home on sun

with rest until fri then travel 3 days to the NC site - at the site i
would have 4 to 5 days to recover from the trip -

Question for the list - IS this too much to ask of a 8 yr old with only
6 - 50 milers over  one year - the summer breeze was his first 50 last
year. if he does ok this time - it would 7

consider the problem at biltmore - but also note 2 weeks after biltmore
we did a slow 50 at liberty run.

my thinking was - to run a final ride here to make sure he has it
working better and i have a better handle on how to manage him.

cannot work these problems out here at home doing works on the home
trails.
he needs to be out there in the mix.

the other thought was just in case he had a problem at the 'peaking'
ride - summer breeze - i would not go to the NC.
 I really thought I had this well worked out and was not asking too much
- but i am thinking -
should i skip the summer breeze and just wing it with the continued
works around here and take the chance he will be ok 

or 

drop out of the NC and keep working here - do summer breeze and get more
depth on him before going for  the long hauls

- would he be rested enough by fri - if we did the ride then pulled out
to NC.

i look at the multiday horses and those doing back to back 50 milers -
seems to be ok.

or just maybe i am over reacting and he will be ok

we did go to a pleasure ride last sept in Ark- took 12 hrs to get there
- a real bust  we took 2 days to get home. he did ok but i could tell he
did not fair well from the trailer trip - but that was in sept. We did
ride for 6 days - both in pleasure groups and alone doing some
workouts.. so it is not like he has not traveled long - but this would
be the longest trip.

was it a quote form dr mms - about you wont get anywhere with moving on
if you take the risk- have to do 'it' to make them stronger.
something about committing suicide.. or what ever.

i was planning on going on a one day overnight to a local horse camp
site very close to where i live - in just the pickup truck and small
trailer. like rough it , just to get him out alone more and camp more .
ok comments - is my plan asking too much

r