Extremely well said and to the point, Tammy. All of the points
you made are the reasons that I love this sport. I love meeting, head on, the
challenges of the day. Never mind whether it is on a conditioining or training
ride, as well as the endurance rides. Without the rocks, hills, weather, or any
number of surprises, I might just as well join any number of local trail rides
and toodle along at a walk, chatting all the way to the hour long lunch breaks
after which, we all mount up and slowly toodle back to the trailers.
NOT!!!!
I wanted to sort of
speak my feelings on this subject and this is sort of off-the-wall. I
think that quite a few riders choose these days a ride to go to that has
minimum challenges time after time. It seems that riders are selecting rides
with none of the above mentioned tittles. Riders need to view a few
things a little different when entering this sport. First of all,
endurance is put on trails with hills, rocks, mud, sand, water crossings,
wind, rain, hail, snow, etc. Not to mention, grass, flowers, views, trees,
lakes, streams, waterfalls, etc. This is the wonder of trail riding
isn't it? If you as a rider want to
not do so, then this sport may not be for you. After all, you might have
to get hot, cold, tired, have to get off and climb uphill, downhill, get your
feet muddy, get wet, have a sun burn and chapped lips, etc...you get the
picture. But with all of that said, one thing you are is ALIVE and out
there with your horse as a partner and
companion. Each ride has trails in
that area for that ride with tuff spots no matter what ride it is. A
rider will actually complain about the rocks or the climbs, wind or,
etc.... And Yes, maybe you might want to start with an easier ride then
work your way into a harder ride later. That's understandable. But
we aren't seeing this much anymore.
Your horse is capable of doing cross county because a horse is built for this
sort of ability with a good rider. Horses have carried us for as long as
man first climbed on his back. "The Ride" is the challenge for the
day, whatever that ride has to offer. Riders and horses need this
experience to develop into better endurance challenges &
goals. I hear riders back away from
tough rides BUT, with the intentions of someday doing the Tevis or some other
bigger ride goal in the same breath. Then the Tevis day comes and the
horse or the rider is not experienced to handle the challenge. It's not
the rides fault it would be your fault for not
preparing. Why would a rider do simple
rides only and have these goals ahead of them? Knowing very well they
are not training to get closer to their goal year after
year. We should as riders seek these
rides out more than once in a while for preparing both themselves and their
horses. So seek out a good tuff ride
and have some fun and teach you and your horse to prepare one step closer to
that bigger goal you have.
Tammy Robinson Trail-Rite Ranch & Products 18171
Lost Creek Road Santa Clarita, CA 91390 661/513-9269 or 661/713-3912;
cell www.Trail-Rite.com (new
updates!)
