RE: [RC] [AERC-Members] Miinutes of the AERC BoD Conf Call Meeting Online - David LeBlanc
From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Barbara
McCrary Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 8:49 PM To:
Howard Bramhall; ridecamp Subject: Re: [RC] [AERC-Members] Miinutes
of the AERC BoD Conf Call Meeting Online
I feel there is a strong
distinction between LD rides and endurance rides, and that is: anyone, on any
horse, without any training at all, can do a LD ride. [snip]
I think
you're underestimating LD rides. It isn't a good idea to take a fat, out of
shape horse and go 25 miles in just over 5 hours. I have one in the
pasture right now that really ought not do it. I don't think I could safely
get a 16H, 1300#, QH-draft cross who is probably pushing 20 and who hasn't
been ridden but a half-dozen times all year through an LD ride. Give me 3
months to get him in shape, and I know I can. He did an LD once (barely in
before overtime), but that was after a lot of conditioning - not serious
training, but he was ridden frequently.
I also think
you're overestimating 50's. A 50 just isn't all that hard. Given enough time
to condition, I could probably get the aforementioned QH through a 50 on a
cool day. The completion stats bear this out - 25's and 50's just aren't all
that different, statistically speaking (indistinguishable if it isn't hot). If
you're really going to divide the sport up on how hard it is, then the people
doing 75's and 100's ought to be in a class by themselves, and the rest of us
ought to be lumped together. 75's and 100's are really hard - it takes special
people and special horses. Sure you'll learn things from 50's that you
won't from 25's, but you learn things from 75's you won't from 50's. All this
talk of 50's being a big deal just serves to scare new riders from trying it.
I don't think these people (and I'm one of them) doing 50's are all that much
smarter or special than the people doing 25's. The people doing 100's? Those
are the people who are a cut above.
