I understand the value of education for those new to the
sport, but education in the form of mixed messages can be a real problem.
Many of you have said you use 25s as training rides, and
as I am from the DFW area, we don't really have Bandera-type terrain to
train on. So a slow 25 on the Bandera terrain, with Easy Boots, seems
reasonable to gain experience.
AERC says I have 30 mins to come to criteria but
apparently 12 would be too long to some people.
Many agree new riders should slow down, but over 4.5
hours is too slow (reiterating the quote "if you can't do 25 miles in 4.5 hours
you probably should not be out there.") My point being, I could go SLOWER
if I had a 30 min hold vs. an hour.
I am not being defensive, I am trying to sort through
the inconsistencies from the Ridecamp virtual "mentors."
In a message dated 12/12/2003 8:17:41 PM Central Standard Time, kskf@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Then, this comment - if you can't
make it in 4.5 hours, stay home.
Neither me or my horse had been on the
hilly, rocky terrain found in Bandera before. He had not used EasyBoots
before. I am a conservative rider, and did a pace I felt was comfortable for
both of us given our level of experience. He dropped to criteria at both VCs
in 7 & 12 minutes, got all As on our vet card, and we got
a completion. I RODE MY OWN RIDE. I just would have preferred to "ride my own ride" with an extra 30
minutes to complete.
If I am not the kind of newbie you want
out there, who
is???
I did not say "stay home". I would
never ride a horse on hilly rocky terrain unless he had seen that kind of
terrain before. I would not use Easyboots or anything else "new".
That is a cardinal rule of us old fogies. Never try anything "new" on a
ride....Ask Dr. Bill Bentham about his new Levis... That is one funny
story.
I also did not say you were not the kind of
newbie I wanted out there. Don't be so defensive. I was just
trying to point out that an hour is not a really long hold. Also, 7
minutes is a good recovery but 12 is kind of pushing it for the people I ride
with. My Spotted Saddle Horse is 14.1 and I am a HW and he make is in 5
to 10 minutes. My arabs do better. We always get off and walk the
last part into the vet check and maybe that
helps....mb
