[RC] LD's & Rider Responsibility - Howard Bramhall
There was an interesting article in endurance news this month about
LDers. God love them, we wouldn't have as many rides down here in the
Southeast, as we do now, without them. I swear, I wish AERC would
just make the rules exactly the same for the LDers; give them the mileage credit
they deserve, take away that silly heart rate rule as a finish line. Those
last two thoughts weren't mentioned in the article, they belong to me.
If you ever saw the start of a very crowded LD ride down here in the South,
the exhilaration, the drama, the danger (yep, it's there), the necessity for
survival skills big time, you would know that those riders very well earn their
miles. For surviving the start, alone!
The organization (AERC) is evolving with the LD rider on board.
We need to appreciate them more, acknowledge their accomplishments more, rather
than discuss what they're not doing, and, treat them as fellow endurance
riders out on the trail. Even though I don't do the shorter
distances for the present, I know very well that things will some day
change. Heck, LD is where I cut my teeth in this sport. I did LD's
only for almost a year before I attempted my first 50. I will always feel
like one of "em."
It's my personal belief that the less distance you do on a horse, the less
chance you have for something to go wrong. I know there's exceptions, but,
it seems to hold true. Laws of physics and statistics. Survive the
start, and your horse will normally be able to stay further from the edge of
danger that does seem to increase with the distance. This is why I hold
the LD folks in high regard. Even if some of them are beginners, there's
less chance their horse will have problems after 25 miles. The greater the
miles, the greater the risk.
The other exceptional article in July's EN was titled, "Horse Deaths, Colic
& Rider Responsibility." It should be required reading for all
endurance riders, no matter what distance you are doing. The competitive
nature of humans can sometimes take over the rider's objectivity during an
endurance ride. I see it all the time and know I can succumb to that
aspect of our sport as well as the next rider. Dr. Baldwin's discussion on
this issue kind of puts it all into perspective.
One must realize that the horse does not give a crap if he has a gold
medal, a silver, or a bronze. He really doesn't give a hoot! If you
want to reward him for his accomplishments, bake him a sweet carrot cake, and
give it to him after he wins BC at your next ride. Give the
horse what he/she wants; not what you want. Reward the horse according to
what is important to him, not yourself.
I'm rambling, sorry. Please read Doc Baldwin's article. If you
ever want to see how a vet views a rider who might be a little over competitive
in our sport (one should remember it's an amateur one; one without monetary
rewards), this article will let you know what most of them might be thinking
when it comes to human behavior during the vet checks. The horse must
always come first.
cya,
Howard (a little worried about this beer for 100 miles thing; someone told
me they have an emissary in Germany looking for Bishoff this very day)
