Ridecamp: [RC] RO/Newbie perspective

Okay, I've been following the RO/Pull discussions with interest, mostly because I'm a relative newbie to the sport, and have two RO pulls on my record this year.

I'm too new to understand the stigma attached to pulling, but would be happy to share my reasons for pulling with you all to see how you think they should be classified:

First was at Leatherwood.  We're Yankees and this was a tougher ride than we'd anticipated, especially so early in the season for us.  At the second vet check, hubby's horse wouldn't eat.  He was cleared to go on;  he did not.  Okay, that's easy.  His pull would be RO/M.  I didn't want to go on without him, particularly if his horse was going to colic or crash while I was out on trail.  My horse was all As on his vet card, and was happily eating hubby's refused beet pulp.  My pull categorization?  RO/wussy?  RO/worried about hubby's horse?

Second was at OCTRA Junefest in Ontario, Canada.  It was hot, hot, hot.  Something like over 100 degrees with very high humidity.  We hadn't done much conditioning in the heat, but were pre-entered and figured we'd just ride a nice, conservative pace and see how it went.  At the halfway, both horses were all As, we were somewhere just a little south of Top Ten pace, hubby was feeling a little heat stressed.  We hadn't done much conditioning in the heat (hadn't had much hot weather til that point);  we both felt the horses had had enough.  Could we eke out a completion?  Almost certainly.  But was that really fair to the horses?  Nope.  So we pulled.  I think this could be categorized again as RO/wussy.  Or RO/worried about hubby.  

See, it's always the husband's fault.  <smile, wink, nudge>

I'm too stubborn/conservative/inexperienced/unlikely to be featured on the cover of EN to care that I've got two RO pulls on my record this season.  Big deal;  I think I did what was right for my horse on that day.  But in reality, the RO pull codes don't really work that well for these scenarios, I don't think.

Comments?

--Patti

P.S.  In both cases, I was chastised by some for pulling, congratulated by others.  How odd.