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Re: [RC] Endurance - Horse or Rider - heidiKen, What a great perspective!! This is one of the best posts I have read on entire subject. I have always thought endurance should be foremost a test of what our horses are capable of doing. We the riders are the means to take them to their highest potential. Sometimes this does seem to get lost in the discussion of awards, distances, and divisions. There does seem to be more focus on the "human" component of endurance and not testing the horse's capabilities under various conditions and terrain. [Ken said] Where and when did Endurance become about the rider? Endurance is about our horses, it is to test the horses ability to endure the test of distance. The rider trains and manages and that takes talent, dedication and care. But the sport isnt about us, its about the horse.... The true test of the horse begins in the last 15 miles of a 50 and the second 50 miles of a 100..... If you are in this sport to prove to people how good "you" are and how much "you" endure, then "you" are doing it for all the wrong reasons. This sport is about the horse not "us". Thanks for quoting that, Kim. I inadvertantly hit the "delete" key after I read it, but I wanted to give Ken a standing ovation for this one. I am my horse's limiting factor--not only in how I ride the ride, but also in how I condition and train him, how I feed him, how I have him shod, what I miss in my observations of him, and even in whether I chose the right sport for him. It is the horse that is the main player--or should be! Heidi ============================================================ It is how we "feel" deep inside that matters, cause each of us knows the truth, regardless of how we try make it complicated. It just isn't. ~ Frank Solano ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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