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Re: [RC] 25/30 BC - Zephyr Arabians--- KYielding@xxxxxxx wrote: Well, let's see now. How about walking their horses around from time to time to make sure they don't stiffen up. That is something we generally don't worry about before the ride starts. Cooling off slowly during the hour hold - again so they don't stiffen up. Don't have to worry about that before a ride. Why are you comparing a BC to the pre-ride vet-in? Make sure they are eating and drinking well. Ummm. What's that got to do with BC? Are you saying that those who are not showing for BC don't care if their horses are eating & drinking well? Putting a little more attention to that detail after the ride than before is usually the norm. I'm hoping most (and it should be ALL) riders pay lots of attention to detail after the ride, no matter what place they finish. Why would only riders showing for BC take care of their horses? Icing the legs is another one I see regularly. Sure don't do that before the vet check before the ride. And maybe you shouldn't be doing it before the BC exam either. It's my understanding that icing can make a horse stiff. Anymore smarta$$ questions? The question you seem to be responding to didn't seem smartass to me. It seemed like an honest question: what do you do differently for your horse because of showing for BC vs just taking care of your horse and presenting for the final vetting? Grooming does come into play for BC. But, it also comes into play for NATRC (don't know about other CTR organizations), so this could take us back to the "use CTR for learning" argument. Or you could just groom your horse because it makes them feel better and you care about them. A horse have vet in fine immediately after the ride but if taken back to the trailer and tied there just might stiffen up before the BC vet hour check. And some vets don't want you vetting in immediately after the ride. I realize this is different in different regions. But, unless the vet specifically asks to see horses right off the trail for their final vetting, I always go back to my trailer and untack, groom, throw on a cooler, let the horse eat & drink & relax for a few minutes and then go to the vet. And then after the vetting I continue to take the horse out for walks the rest of the day, through the night, and the next morning before loading up to go home. I never needed to top ten & show for BC to learn these things. Most of it is just good horsemanship. We learn by doing. If novices start off with 25/30s and come in top ten they have a chance to learn by doing. And why can't novices start off by finishing LDs in the middle or back of the pack? Why can't they learn from that? The more you do the more you know. Of course, but isn't that what LDs in general are for? I don't consider that an LD BC issue. The more opportunity we have to learn to do better for our horse, the better we all feel. Agreed, 110%. BTW, I have no real stand on the LD BC issue. I suspect the scary-racer types (and, yes, they do exist -- but, I don't think they stick around for long) don't really care about BC anyway. It's about the win. I've also been skimming a lot of these posts. And hadn't planned on even posting on this issue. But, I did see someone (I think it was Dawn) who mentioned the worry I also have about seeing new horse/rider teams racing: the commulative stress that can lead to lamenesses, but may not result in a lameness right at that moment. Getting a horse metobolically fit (particularly if said horse is an Arabian) is pretty easy and can be done in a pretty short time (particularly to "race" 25 miles). But, getting a horse's muscle-skeletal system fit takes a lot longer & a lot more slower miles. This is the part I fear is skipped by *some* newbies who jump right into racing their first LDs. BUT, I think these riders are few & far between and MOST LD riders are either new & looking to learn (and not necessarily race) or have another reason for riding LD -- and if racing IS a goal, I hope most of those who race have the experience to do so and therefore it's their business. :) Oh, one more note on speeds. I did notice that on one ride I attended this year that had a 100 at it (I had an almost non-existant ride year due to lots of non-horsey issues), that the first place finishing 100 had a faster relative time than the first place 50 who had a faster relative time than the first place LD. :) ~Nicole Zephyr Arabians http://www.zephyrarabians.com KattWmn Web Design http://www.kattwmn.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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