competitive

["jcmiller" <jcmiller@jackpine.com>]

There are many ways to handle a competitive ride.  I do the first half or
more in fairly fast time and still get good P/Rs at the checks.  But then I
train my horse like I would for endurance.  I do sprints with her, run up
hills, and in general make sure that she can recover quickly.  I like being
able to dawdle at the end or spend extra time in camp at the vet checks.
Maggie knows the game, drops her head at the checks whether in camp or
surprise ones on trail, relaxes and her heart rate drops quickly.  Whatever
works for the individual horse is the name of the game.  But I must admit in
doing the sport of distance riding for 30 years, I really haven't changed
much in my approach to a ride.  Jeanie