Re: RC: Show and Tell

["Kristene Smuts" <Ksmuts@sarcc.co.za>]

Heidi : >>ABSOLUTELY, Jim!  And you likely won't have any difficulty believing me when I tell you that countless times I've seen the less fit but BETTER TRAINED individual compete and complete with flying colors, while his fitter-but-more-excited compatriot is left behind, pulled, or worse.  Furthermore, one gets into far less trouble if the training is always one step ahead of the conditioning in the early phases.  We spend hours WALKING our youngsters under saddle, and doing "fun" dressage exercises on the trail and in mountain meadows along the way.  In short, we try to make them pleasant, responsive, and reliable saddle horses before we'd even dream of entering them on endurance rides--even though that is the long-range purpose for us in most cases.>>

Jim : >>He's 4 1/2. We just stay out forever, graze here and there, walk, walk, walk.....8-10-12 hours>>

My Christmas wish for this year?  That more people would have the saneness that the two of you have shown here.  I cringe when I see the 4 ½ year olds doing fast 40s and you can see that they have absolutely no mental development, they're as stiff as boards and the riders give them no slack for looking around and taking in all the new things.

I recently bought a yearling colt and a year before he is due to do his first rides, I plan on taking him to each ride and going through all the rigmarole of grooming, vetting, camping etc. so that by the time we are actually doing the rides, all that will be old hat to him.

On the colt subject - one person, on hearing that I had bought the colt, wanted to know when I plan on putting a saddle on him.  I was speechless for a long time and then the person went on to say that they saddle and pony at 6 months, break in at 1 ½  with a light rider, and by the time the horse is 3, they're doing 25s and at about 4 ½ they're doing 50s!!!!  This came from somebody who had been doing endurance for many years and came from and endurance family.  Needless to say, the family is in the breeding business and their main aim was to get the youngsters out there with miles on them and sold.  Then I looked at their field full of horses, all with problems and not one that could be ridden any more.  Makes you think .......

Kristene