RE: How to improve Ridecamp....Question 1

["Marci Cunningham" <mcunningham@calcot.com>]

I personally think that there is a difference in starting young horses that
are 4 or 5 and older horses in endurance.  In over 7,000 miles and 17 years
of endurance riding I have started both.  Most of these miles have been on 5
horses.  I still own 4 of them and the fifth is owned by a neighbor down the
street.  Younger horses are still maturing and may need to go at a slower
pace, while older horses are finished growing and may be able to be pushed a
little faster than a young horse.  I don't believe in training a horse to
death prior to its first ride, whether it is a 25 or a 50.  I like to use a
horse's first couple of AERC rides as training rides as I am a firm believer
in LSD (long, slow, distance) riding.  I am totally against riding LD for
Top 10 placing, let alone winning one.  If my horse can complete 25 miles in
3 hours, and look great, it is ready to move on to 50's.  I would be
embarrassed to tell anyone that I Top 10'd an LD ride and I would never buy
a horse that was being advertised as winning or Top 10'ing an LD ride.  IMHO
speed at LD distances does not translate to speed at endurance distances and
doesn't lead to high mileage endurance horses.

Lots of trail riding with wet saddle blankets is the best way to start a
young horse on its endurance career.  Let them see the country and be
exposed to lots of different things.  They don't need to be ridden hard and
fast, they do need to grow up and see the world.  That may mean taking one
to a ride and just trying it.  If we all wait until our horses are 'ready'
for LD or endurance, we may never get there.  Sometimes we just have to go
and experience it for ourselves and see what our horses can do.  So what if
you get pulled for overtime.  You will be miles ahead than if you never
tried one in the first place.

I'm not into interval work and I don't have a specific training plan when I
go for a training ride.  I want to have fun and ride with my friends at home
and at endurance rides.  I'm not into speed and placings, but I am into
career mileage for my horses and me.  In my endurance career I can only
think of 7 times that I have been pulled which I consider a good completion
ratio.  I don't want to sound like I disapprove of speed, just that it
doesn't appeal to me as much as high mileage.  While there have been some
good horses that have done both,  the majority of endurance mounts won't
last year after year at high speed.  Everyone just needs to choose for
themself what their goal is.  And it is great that AERC has room for lots of
goals.

Ridecamp is a great forum for learning about the sport but don't forget that
the best way to really learn about endurance riding and the conditioning
required, is to attend an endurance ride.

Happy Trails,
Marci Cunningham
AERC #1455