Re: How many people will this ____ off? :+D

["Sandy Bolinger" <bolinger@bigsky.net>]

I agree for the most part with Karen.  We need higher qualifications if it
is going to called a "Championship ride."  However, from my observations,
there are just as many high mileage rider/horse teams getting treated and
pulled at rides as there are newbies doing the same at regular rides. .I"ve
crewed lots of rides including several ROC's  and one or two FEI rides.
When you crew you see allot of what goes on at the checks and at the finish.
Like Angie stated, when riding competitively you are riding on a very fine
line when it comes to the well-being of your horse. Most of the metabolic
pulls at the higher levels weren't necessarily over ridden...but allot of
them were.  The VERY worst cases that I've seen of  unbelievably stupid,
selfish riding has been at these rides by very experienced, high- mileage
riders.

----- Original Message -----
From: DreamWeaver <nvrider@charter.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2002 9:05 PM
Subject: RC: How many people will this ____ off? :+D


> At 05:06 PM 2/12/2002 -0800, you wrote:
> >I have been bothered with the comments that "Newbies are not experienced
> >enough to ride in a NC".
>
> People are concerned about the horses.  I guess the more experience I get
> the more I realize how little I know and how much more I have to learn.  I
> have had experiences at rides with newer riders and horses getting into
> trouble, having their careers ending, and yes, I've even seen horses die
at
> rides.  There have been cases where I have felt bad later because I didn't
> say anything even though I felt at the time that somebody was riding too
> hard. If I have a certain opinion it is probably because of my
> experiences.  I don't agree that the best horse and rider team will always
> win.  Most of the time they do, but I have been at rides where sometimes
> those horses are on IV's the next morning, or in a vet clinic. (or, those
> horses were running up in the front, didn't finish and ended up in the vet
> clinic)  Based on the fact that new people have run horses to death
(within
> the last year), I don't care if it inconveniences a few people to have to
> wait a little longer to accomplish something, if it benefits the
> horses.  When I say that I'd rather compete against a seasoned competitor,
> it is because I have seen first hand that the more experienced riders know
> their horses and, I have seen a lot of bad situations arise from riders
> that don't. Maybe it's just strange odds that those people are usually
> newbies.....I dunno.   I doubt that many people out there who have had
some
> of these experiences would feel a lot different.  Maybe I'll ride another
> 9,000 miles and feel differently.  The only thing I really know is that
> everything is going to be different tomorrow (well, that and I know the
> vets can't protect my horses from me). I'd like to think that I know my
> horses, and I do know their personalities pretty well -- but when we are
> out on the trail from ride to ride they are constantly evolving and
> changing.   Anybody who thinks that endurance riders are opinionated
should
> ride one of my horses sometime :+P.  I also know from bringing along these
> two horses how much they have changed as they got more experience.  One
was
> always sensible, the other one was basically an idiot who I was sure would
> kill himself if I ever let him (or, if I didn't do it first).  Now I would
> be willing to bet money that he wouldn't let anybody over ride him.  I
have
> a friend with a similar horse (same breeding) who let him go fast early on
> -- the horse is retired now -- great horse -- but he never learned to take
> care of himself.   I was lucky to get to see that and learn from her
before
> I started my horse.  Lucky me.
>
> I have seen some more experienced riders go from region to region, and get
> their horses treated from ride to ride.  The vets don't ever know that the
> particular person has had their horse treated at X ride two weeks
> before.  I doubt that the AERC keeps track of such things
> either.  Obviously, this bothers me too and there isn't much that we can
do
> about it.  In the end, the rider will realize if they have hurt their
horse
> or not, and sometimes they care and sometimes they don't.  It doesn't
> really matter how much experience they have or not.   Some people never
get
> it.
>
> I'd like to see the NC ride be more attractive to riders who want to
> complete it as a goal, like the Tevis or ROC, and whether or not everybody
> agrees, raising the requirements to get there will make it more appealing.
>
> Karen
>
>
>
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