Re: [RC] [AERC-Members] Status of 100's and awards - DVeritas
In a message dated 7/12/2003 8:20:08 AM Mountain Daylight Time,
I just want to be able
to look in ride results and see who the *real* horses are.
That's an interesting comment.
I've just returned from riding the Big Horn 100.
Every horse I saw at this ride was a "real" horse...whether doing the 25, the 50 or the 100, whether they successfully negotiated the prescribed course in the prescribed time or not.
One horse (I left the ride site Sunday night) was still up in the Big Horn Mountains, alone, being a "real" horse. God, I hope he survives. I feel terribly for the owner who (during the 100) parted ways with her chestnut gelding.
Ascribing concrete criteria when defining "real" horses based on speed or miles accomplished is to minimize and under-credit the efforts of all horse who do this sport at whatever speed.
I understand that not every rider is a Gold Medal Rider...but in my book, every horse that tries to meet the demands/requests of its rider, be they grandiose or be they benign, is a Gold Medal Horse.
The TRYING is what makes them so...TRYING defines it for me. (Not that my definition means a darn thing.)
Just my off-base opinions, once again...
Frank
