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[RC] [Guest] Best Condition - Ridecamp Guest

Angie McGhee Rides2far@xxxxxxxx

In I believe 1994 I was loaned a horse to condition and compete on.  My
friend had cancer and was undergoing treatment. I had no horse to ride. She
had done a few 25's with him for the last 2 years but never a really
consistant conditioning program. I trained him 90 days then took him to
Million Pines. He outrecovered everybody's horses and kept catching the
leaders. I felt like I was going slow it was so easy for him. I ended up
being first out of the 3rd check and finished third. I had held a very
consistant pace the whole race and he'd out recovered experience horses.

Race #2. I decided to see how this was done. I followed Nina Warren &
Melissa Crain from the start. They were riding the previous year's winner of
the ROC & what would be that year's winner. My horse once again out
recovered them at the vet checks, recovering within 3 min. I left the 3rd
check with a 2 min. lead and came in 2nd. The horse got faster as the ride
went. Never ran out of steam...did the 3rd loop faster than the 1st over the
same ground and the 4th faster than the 2nd. I give Nina credit for the
pacing. I was just following a master.

Race #3. He took first place and Best Condition. Vet scores excellent. Out
recovered everybody.

Race #4 He did not vet in.

I was STUPID. This horse had unliminted potential if he'd been brought along
slowly. I convinced myself that the 2 years she'd ridden him counted but
they were not consistant and it was no base. ONE person tried to warn me.
Wes Crowe, at the first ride said, "You're doing great...You SHOULDN'T be,
but you're doing great". I appreciate his honesty in hindsight. I wish
somebody had tried to reason with me. I think I would have had the sense to
not consider it jealousy or maliciousness. Wes cared but didn't want to be
pushy. Everyone else told me how great I was doing and what a phenomenal job
of training I'd done.

You can win BC with a horse who has naturally good recoveries a well trained
muscular system. That takes 90 days.  You can wait YEARS and never get a 2nd
chance once you've injured a superior athlete. That horse was off and on for
a long time. When he was on, he could take a BC. His owner went on to win
several with him, but the *problem* would come back to haunt him.

You can be "Lucky" in that you can be lucky enough that the horse lives
through your competitiveness for a time.  Some people are REALLY lucky and
the horse they go too fast too soon on stays sound...but most aren't that
lucky. I'll always be ashamed that I didn't do a better job with that horse.

Angie McGhee



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