Re: RC: back-to-back LD's.... unusual?

[DESERTRYDR1@aol.com]

In my region, we have one weekend of back-to-back 25's, and I plan to move my 
horse up to 50's after that weekend IF she does okay.  She has had ISSUES for 
the last couple years, she's 8 and I did 4 LD rides on her last year.  She 
came out of each one looking really good, except the last one she aggravated 
an old stone bruise and was quite sore in that foot the next day.  

I consider myself one of those people who need a lot more experience before I 
would feel qualified to take on a National Championship ride.  I rode my 
first mare LD for 3 seasons, got some top tens with her, and got her 
overconditioned one season.  Never had a pull with her, just one overtime 
because I didn't realize that the six hour cutoff includes hold times.  That 
horse is 16, and could probably do more rides, but she has some arthritis and 
isn't much fun to ride (rough gaits, a lengthening effect on my arms when 
there's a horse in front of her) so I retired her to broodmare status.  I 
learned a lot by riding her.  

People told me that if I just put her in a 50 she would SEE GOD.  But I 
always felt that she gave her all for 25 miles, and didn't have the sense to 
eat and drink good.  Maybe she would have been okay, but I figured it would 
hurt her, so I never did.  I hurt her enough by letting her choose the pace 
at rides, and overconditioning her.  I have been on ridecamp a couple years, 
have been riding over ten years, have read anything I could get my hands on 
and thought I knew a fair amount about horses, riding, and conditioning.  BUT 
every day I learn something new, something that will keep me from hurting 
this horse like I did the last one.  No, I didn't do horrible painful things 
to my first mare, I just pushed her too hard because she acted like she 
wanted to do it.  Now I know better.  We go slow.  Maybe too slow by some 
peoples' standards, but I consider my young mare to be a life time horse.  I 
intend to be still riding her in 20 years.  Maybe not far or fast, but 
without pain.  And with joy on both our parts.   jeri