Another view on this topic: I have learned the advantage of
Competitive Trail rides from a friend. This has been excellent
training as well as conditioning for his mare because she got used to
pacing herself and the vet checks without the competitve edge. He is
doing multi-day 25's with her now because she's still young, and she
has a wonderful sound mind and body ready to extend the distance when
she get's a little older.
I'm going to weigh in on the side of the horse and say that often times
it's the rider who is tempted by the race and doesn't take the time to
teach their horse how to pace themselves.
A horse
should learn from a ride what YOU, the rider, intend for
him to learn. He will only learn to race if YOU LET him race.
If you can't keep him from racing, you should not have gone to
the ride. You might not have realized that till you got there,
I understand, but don't blame the distance, blame the
rider!
There is another side though. It's not just what you teach the horse,
but what the horse isn't learning by going on the shorter distances.
Some horses are mental works of art :+>, and do greatly benefit by
'going the distance'.
Karen, both you AND Truman are right. I don't do 25's
either....now...but I started Endurance doing 25's. I think this was of
more benefit to me than it was the horse. If you are an experienced
rider and have a strong conditioning program, 25 miles is just an easy
training ride. Sunny's first ride was a 50, and he Top Tenned his second
ride. He is never "out of control" and would not have been that way on a
25, but by doing a 50 at the beginning, he was out there longer, got to
go through more vet checks, spent more time dealing with all those
horses, learning to pace, etc...and I wanted him to be out there long
enough to relax and get a little tired. He just would not have learned
as much from a 25 as he did a 50...he had already done 50 miles and more
in training...just didn't need LD. He needed to be in the "environment"
of an Endurance ride as long as possible to "grow up" more quickly. LD's
would have done the same thing, but it would have taken me longer.
Depends on the horse....AND depends on the rider. Both are acceptable
choices...whatever works for you...AND that particular horse.
Jim, Sun of Dimanche+, and Mahada Magic
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