Re: Asking too much

["Maggie Mieske" <mmieske@netonecom.net>]

Here's some fun comments from team penning friends of ours...we recently met for dinner to put together some teams for Cowboy Christmas... an event held at MSU the past few years which includes cutting, sorting and penning.  I am taking our endurance stallion, Malik (who by the way helped me win Reserve Novice Champion Team Penner in the Michigan Team Penning Association this year... a BELT BUCKLE which looks very pretty on my dresser!).  Anyway, the discussion became how many horses people were going to have to take to do the number of runs they planned to do.  I asked one gal why she felt she needed another horse (actually I KNEW why) and she got upset with me and said something to the effect that her horse is not LIKE Malik who can trot and gallop for 50 miles!!!  In ONE day!  Her horse isn't as conditioned as Malik. OK, I knew why but it was kind of nice to hear somebody SAY it.  I can only afford to run 6 times and she would like to run 10...I graciously offered her the use of Malik if her horse couldn't take it.  I got a lot of blustering and such at that.  I wish I could afford to ride more runs so folks could see how a well conditioned horse can perform for less than 90 seconds.  :)  Actually, the 'stock' horse people could have horses that are in better condition, too, if they rode them to condition them...most people take them to events and spend no time inbetween (except for an occasional practice or afternoon trail ride which translates to 8 miles in 6 hours maybe) conditioning them to build their lungs and cardio and muscles, etc. the way we do our endurance horses.  How much better athletes they would be!  :)

Maggie