[RC] different strokes for different folks - Gary Daniels
Hi guys & gals:
Just wanted to make a few comments on LD rides. I think
it’s wrong to “generalize” LD rides vs. 50+ mile rides.
I personally don’t like LD rides – most of the time it takes me
over 5 hrs to get to the nearest ride, then set up camp, take off from work, etc.etc.
only to ride 25 miles. But as far as whether they are a good thing or bad
thing:
About two weeks ago I broke my own rule and decided to enter
an LD ride. I brought back my lovely gelding after over a year lay-off
due to a bowed tendon injury. I entered the 25 mile because of its
distance – it was too early to go 50 miles. So for me it was a
training ride, getting my horse used to the environment again, while also
slowly increasing the distance. So, 50 miles, no matter how slow it may
be ridden, would NOT have worked for my horse.
At that same ride (Manzanita Ride), I ran into this elderly lady. She was really
up in age and she entered her very first endurance ride ever. Oops, sorry…LD
ride. 25 miles to her was a huge goal to accomplish. She told me
that she wasn’t sure if she could do it or not. Well, she crossed
the finish line somewhere towards the end of the pack with a healthy horse, and
she was glowing with sense of pride and personal accomplishment. Due to
her age, chances are that she’ll never move up to 50’s, but she’ll
surely remain a responsible, happy LD rider.
I’ve also seen people who can’t sit in the
saddle but so long due to back problems or other disabilities that nobody would
detect unless they asked. Then there are the horses that due to high age,
are safer to be in LD rides than 50 mile rides.
As for myself, I can’t wait for the day I enter my
first 100 – a goal that I will eventually achieve. The personal
discipline one must have to prepare his horse for that goes hand in hand with
the word “endurance”. But we cannot ridicule those that
choose to do LD’s. LD’s can be a good thing. And those
who ride their horses too hard and too fast in LD rides will eventually learn
to ride differently simply by being around experienced endurance riders, vet
comments, etc. Without LD rides, we’d have a lot of inexperienced “racers”
doing 50 milers and potentially REALLY hurting their horses.
