Re: Why this novice shouldn't have attempted this 50

["Howard Bramhall" <hwb67@msn.com>]

----- Original Message -----

From: Deanna German

Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2001 2:21 PM

To: ridecamp@endurance.net; CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com; hwb67@msn.com; marlene.moss@wcom.com

Subject: RC: Why this novice shouldn't have attempted this 50

 

A month or so ago, I was toying with the idea of attempting a 50-mile endurance ride and was encouraged to do so by some contributors here. It was even suggested privately by one contributor that I wasn't cut out for endurance or that perhaps I am over horsed.

Howard, thanks for your words of caution. Because of you, my intention changed to attempt a two-day 50 this last weekend. That didn't happen either.

My half-Arab mare just turned 6YO at the end of Sept. I've done two novice level and one open level IAHA rules CTRs on her. She completed 25 miles easily in 4 1/2 hours in July and took GC at that CTR, finishing completely sound under a tough vet with small deductions for pulse. I ride 30 to 40 miles of LSD per week. 20 miles (in 3 1/2 hours) is training distance for us. I have completed a few hundred miles of IAHA rules CTR on other horses.

I didn't make the 6 hour time for the LD. It took us 6 1/2 hours. Although my mare pulsed down EASILY at both checkpoints, she was not sound, although the vet did not notice. (All of the horses were "off" at least a little.) I accomplished my goal of tiring the horse without exhausting her and didn't push her to injury. I have to keep telling myself to be happy with this and to not be dissappointed about not finishing in time. I decided not to attempt the 25 mile CTR the next day.

This 25 was far more difficult than the most difficult ride in my experience: a two-day, hot and humid 60 mile ride.

I am a much wiser person now, I learned a lot about what I have been doing right and what needs work. I wouldn't have learned any more by doing the 50 and I might have injured my horse.


Deanna (Ohio)


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Taking care of your horse is number one.  Anything else is secondary.  50 miles or more on a horse is not for everybody, and I will stick to my guns concerning recommending to a new rider that their very first ride is a Limited Distance one.  I know there are tons of exceptions, but when it comes to your horse, I think to err on the side of caution, by doing the least challenging ride, is the answer.  And for some, my wife included, a 25 mile run is not a walk in the park.

I know there are "experts" on the sport who will strongly disagree with me on this advice.  That's just fine.  I'm certainly no expert.  But I am one who has made quite a few mistakes at endurance rides, and at one, I almost killed my horse.  And it was a 50, not a 25, where I almost did this.  I will never forget that day, just like I will never forget the day of Sept. 11th, 2001.  Both those days are unforgettable, to me, and I'd like to think I learned something from each one.

You will not mess up your horse for future 50's by doing one 25.  I can guarantee you this won't happen.  Pick your own ride, and hey, if you decide you want to try your first one in a 50, by all means, do so.  But don't be afraid to pull your horse during that first 50, even if the vet says it's OK to continue. It is not paramount that you finish that first 50 mile endurance ride; it is paramount that your horse finishes, whatever distance you travel, healthy and sound.  No one knows your horse better than you, and if he's not eating, drinking, or seems really off to you, pull.  Pull at the third loop.  To do so may not make you a winner according to AERC, but, to me, it makes you a hero, and someone who has their priorities in good working order.  The horse must always come first; not your ego, and, certainly, not completing just so you can get a T-shirt; knowing that makes you a winner.

Good luck to you Deanna; you'll finish that 25 in less than 6 hours and, maybe, even that 50 when the time is right to do so.  You're already on the right track.

cya,

Howard