Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Of course it's not true.  We lost 4 horses last year doing the LD which kind 
of proves it ain't true at all.  And, my guess is (and, it's only a guess) 
those were examples of horses who were not prepared or not equipped to do 
endurance (OK, OK, distance) riding.  It's one of the reasons why I wish we 
made it mandatory that a horse experience at least one LD before moving up.  
Heck, if a horse cannot complete 25 miles it has no business attempting a 
50.

As Dane Frazier says in his talk, "You can kill a horse in this sport in 15 
miles or less."  And, it's damn true.

The beauty of the 25 miler is, when done properly, there is less risk to the 
horse's health.  I really do believe the danger is after the first 35 miles; 
that last loop.  This is where even a well trained healthy horse is close to 
the edge during a ride.

The last ride I attended there were two horses in trouble.  Both of them 
were 50 milers and were just starting out in this distance.  And, it was 
that last loop where they got into trouble.

I am going to shut up for awhile on this because I don't think there's not 
much more I can say.  If I'm all alone out there, as Heidi and Kat, have 
implied then, just think of all of this as the ramblings of a delusional, 
old man who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground (love Randy 
Newman).

The thing is, I do receive some personal emails from those of you who kind 
of agree with some of my ramblings but want to stay out of the fray of being 
attacked or having your riding record publicly evaluated by the likes of 
Heidi.  I understand your reluctance to come out of the lurkers' closet, 
but, keep writing to me, because if I started believing everything some say 
on here I would feel like I'm all alone out in the wilderness riding a 
"limited" 25 mile horse trying to cross over to the western region from the 
depths of the Florida swamp (not bloody likely).

cya,
Howard


> From: "Rae Callaway" <tallcarabians@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [RC]   LD/Endurance
> Date: Mon, 17 May 2004 08:51:29 -0500
>
> From: "Barbara McCrary" <bigcreekranch@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > But it's true.
> >
> > Barbara
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Kristen A Fisher" <kskf@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > > To me the biggest put-down about riding 25 miles is that over and 
> over,
> at
> > > rides and on Ridecamp, people keep saying any person on any horse can 
> do
> > it.
> > > THAT belittles it.
>
> No, it's not true.  I know quite a few people AND horses that would not be
> able to safely complete 25 miles in one day.  I would really hate for some
> of these people to hear that ANY horse can be taken out of the pasture and
> ridden in a 25.  They would kill their horses, or at least damage them for
> life trying.  It may have been true back when most horses grew up in a
> pasture like Heidi's, but not these stall horses we have nowadays.
>
> Rae
> Tall C Arabians - Central Region
>
>
> ============================================================
> I can tell you after sleeping in a tent, then in my truck, then in the back
> of a trailer, then in a gneck trailer w/no LQ, and now in the new-to-me LQ
> one, you don't sleep any better the night before in nicer digs - you're
> just more comfortable while you're lying there obsessing :)
> ~  Tina Hicks
>
> ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/
>
> ============================================================

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