Re: RC: The Edge (was: The Wife, the Kid & Me)

[Howard4567@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/19/01 4:12:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
guest@endurance.net writes:

> For me, endurance is not a sport about pushing horses close to the edge.  
In 
>  fact, I think that to do so is to invite disaster.  For several reasons:

Geezz, Kat, are you taking notes on me now that Tom has left the building?  
Too much!  I'm honored.

Look, I knew I was gonna regret putting Doc's last name in there; it's why I 
try never to use real names.  Damn, if it doesn't come back to haunt me 
sometimes even when you try and say nothing but good things about someone.  I 
just hope you read and accepted the pact, Kat, before you read my story.  You 
call the wife and I'm gonna haunt you as a ghost after she shoots me!  Haha.

Anyway, you really have to look at the whole paragraph from that story so 
here it is:

"He then spoke of the horses.  Doc mentioned that we, as endurance riders, 
push them closer to the edge, closer to their breaking point, more than any 
other equestrian sport.  Some of us know this, some of us do not.  It's not 
until something bad happens when we discover exactly where that edge is 
located.  As he said this it bought a few tears to my eyes since Dance Line 
and I had already made a trip down that road. I had taken Dance Line over 
that edge at an endurance ride just about a year ago. I planned on that never 
happening again."

Now, keep in mind I don't have a photographic memory, and this particular 
aspect of endurance riding is still my biggest fear. Not all of that is the 
Doc's words.  It's his words and my thoughts, intermingled, as he said them.  
And remember, IT'S A STORY.

Since I did take my horse over the edge 13 months ago it has changed 
everything I do and every way I look at "competition" in this sport.  I'm not 
a reporter here, I have a faulty memory and I still see naked women on the 
trail.  In spite of that, let me try and explain what I thought Doc's point 
was.

I really feel the man respects endurance riders. I'm pretty sure I remember 
him saying just that (purty sure is about as accurate as I ever get).  It's 
why he vets the rides and reaches out to the new riders the way he does.  You 
can kill a horse riding it too hard in only 12 miles.  He mentioned this and 
I do believe him.  It doesn't have to necessarily be the first 12 by the way. 
 And, I believe, his main point was not everyone knows how close to the edge 
they've taken their horse.  Some of them may not even know that there is an 
edge to cross (new riders or some who have been doing it for a while and 
truly believe it could never happen to their horse).  Hell, I've never seen a 
horse on IV before I started endurance.  And I think the IV is where the edge 
lies; if your horse is on one you've crossed that line.  And, yes, I know 
there are exceptions to that one too.

Now, please, I'm sorry I tried to quote the Doc at all now; really.  Take it 
as how I presented it to you; don't go flaming a guy that may have meant it 
completely different from how I'm presenting it to you in A STORY.  I think 
y'all know how I write, those few of you who still read them.  Some of it's 
accurate, some of it isn't.  Remember, I do have a beer or two at these 
things. Flame me for writing it if you want, but leave Doc alone.

All I can say is,  "I'm sorry Doc.  I'll never do that again."

cya,
Howard (Kat, you got way too much time on your hands to be taking anything I 
say on here that seriously)