first LD ride, have questions

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

> 1. Is it necesarry to have a crew if only riding 25 miles and only
> planning on riding to finish this first time out?

No.  Don't be shy asking some other crew person who doesn't have a rider
in right then to hold your horse while you run to the porto-john. 
They're usually bored anyway and I've never met anyone who wasn't just
very cheerful about helping if you'll act appreciative and ask them "with
your hat in your hand" instead of demanding help.  Usually they'll jump
in and help in other ways once they see that you need help.  There's no
better crew than an endurance rider who doesn't get to ride that day.
They have a lot of nervous energy to burn off. >g<
 
> 2. How are the P&R stops different than CTR's.  I remember reading 
once that the stops were half an hour or so.

From what little experience I have with CT, they make a much greater
effort to bring the horse in at an extremely low pulse and don't use
water to bring the pulse down.  At an endurance ride you pretty much keep
up your average speed till the vet check is in sight, then just sort of
ease in the last 100 yards or so.  It's O.K. to hop off and loosen the
girth and drop the bit and walk in on foot if you think the pulse is a
little up. When you get to the check you will give Nancy your card and
she gives you an arrival time.  You have 30 minutes from that time to
meet 64 (at the 1/2 way check, 60 at the finish).  That's *all* that
number is for, disqualification if you don't recover.  Next you go to
your crewing area.  For my crewing area I have 2 sponge buckets full of
water with loose sponges, a muck bucket for drinking water, a saddle
rack, a pan of beet pulp with carrots and apples in it, and hay.  Try to
keep him out of the food when you first arrive because eating will keep
the pulse up (it's best to hide the pan behind the saddle rack).  THIS is
the race.  You yank your tack, slop some water on that horse and then
take his pulse.  As soon as he's 64 get him to the P&R area.  When you
enter the P&R area and they take that time, THAT'S when your 30 minute
hold starts.  Is that clear as mud? >g<  

Angie
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.