From: Ridecamp Guest
Sent: Wednesday, June 05, 2002 4:44 PM
To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [RC] Have things changed?
bob ubry rjubry1@xxxxxxxxx
Greetings
I have not done a ride since 1992 do to raising kids . They are getting older now and are a little more independent so I am getting the itch to start riding again. In reading the posts here I see a lot of talk about suppliments and feeding. In my day I kept my horses on green pasture, gave electrolytes when training and riding, and fed grass hay when needed. They seemed to do just fine and completed rides in good shape. I guess my question is: Has technology/endurance riding changed much in the last ten years? Is there new info I should know about? I am a heavy weight rider, 6'2" 210, so top ten was not my goal I just wanted to finish near the middle with the horse ready to go again and have fun and I did this well. Anyhow, any thoughts on this subject will be appriciated.
Thanks
Bob
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Even though I haven't been around enough to know how it was in the "good ole days," my guess is that the main thing that has changed is this darn Internet. You start going onto places like Ridecamp and everyone suddenly has become an "expert." I've even read from some of them on here and discovered they had yet to even attend a ride. I find this quite humorous and love to read each and every expert opinion I can get my hands on.
Don't worry Bob, if you did it back then, you can probably teach me, and a few others on here, something. I'm starting to think that too much technology means too much stuff to carry and the best thing to do is to go back to the basics, just put a friggen saddle on your horse and get out and do the ride.
The GPS will just upset you when you find out the Ride manager was a bit off on the distance of the loops and the damn cell phone never works out there in the remote areas anyway, so leave that stuff in your truck, or better yet, leave it at home. As far as supplements and electrolyting goes, it's been recently discovered that electrolytes cause ulcers and supplements are a total waste of time and money.
The only thing different I can offer is don't wear those jeans. Get something a little less manly and save, but don't shave, your legs (which means don't be afraid to show them off). And, another thing is the wimmen have completely taken over. Some of them will even vet the rides (if you can believe that one!), most of the ride managers are wimmen, and 90% of the riders are wimmen, so be ready.
Those good ole days where the men stayed up late the night before, partying and drinking heavily (these are just rumors I've heard about the good ole days) are long since gone since the wimmen have entered the game. Forget that 9:00 AM ride start time from those good ole days; you will now be expected to get up at 3:00 AM, feed your horse, and get on that saddle two hours later. And hang on to that horn at the start, cause those tiny hiney wimmen are not messing around here; they came to kick our butts, and they usually do.
cya,
Howard (I hope I didn't scare Bob off)
