Re: national championship/qualifications

["Arco Farm" <arcofarm@gulftel.com>]

>Dreamweaver wrote:
>?  If the trail is so
>difficult that it trashes horses, why would I haul 2000+ >miles to do
>it?

I have never seen a trail 'trash' a horse..... it is the rider who achieves
this.  This is one of the things that makes our sport so challenging and
appealing to the true horseman.... human judgment and horsemanship play a
huge role in being successful.   I did not see any horses 'trashed' at the
NCR 2001.  If someone does not want a challenging trail........they can go
flat race their horse in the dessert somewhere (UAE maybe? a little further
haul than the NCR) ..... how many horses are 'trashed' on a course like
that?

>In the 50 miler only 65% of the riders finished, and boy >look at all the
metabolic pulls -- now *why* would >anybody think that this would be
attractive to a rider ?>from a great distance away?  I haven't seen that
many
>metabolic problems combined in the last 60 or 70 rides >that I've done.

I was there and spoke at length with the treatment vet.. .. only two
metabolics come to mind on the 50 that I know for sure required treatment.
I think there may have been poor recoveries and fatique which took out some
competitiors but it seems to me that most pulls were lameness related.  I
don't think rookie riders were pulled at a higher rate than 'brand name'
riders.

>w, (Maggie?), I'm not going to the ROC this year.  Both >horses are
qualified, but the $400 entry is a bit steep to >do just a regular old 100
that anybody can enter

How does a race that 'anyone can enter' decrease the challenge and prestige
of doing well?  It certainly does not make 100 miles a shorter distance or
the course less of a challenge.  Out of 100 riders at the ROC don't you
think there will be a spread of competitors that will challenge you & your
horse just a little bit?  If not, come and go there and show us how you can
win it so easily with only a bunch of rookies entered.  I think Susan is
doing the right thing by allowing the 'welcome back' ROC  accessable to the
little people. (like me)  Without the little people and their money... our
sport and many rides would not survive.
Cindy Brasfield