Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I've expressed my concerns to the organizer about vet control.  He doesn't want it run like an endurance ride so...?

 

One point though...the ride is scheduled for September of 2007...NOT this September.

 

If I were to participate in something like this, I'd have friends with conditioned horses help out.  We'd develop a partnership and condition our horses in the way we thought best.  The lightest and best rider would ride the horses and the rest of the team would monitor the other 9 horses.  You've got to have a team to do this, I'd think.

Magnumsmom@xxxxxxx wrote:

> If it's run like the XP or the Iditarod with strict veterinary 
> controls and well conditioned animals that's one
>  thing.  But 
> there has been no mention of any of that.  Plus the fact 
> that each rider will supposedly bring 10 horses.  However, 
> they will have to be under someone else's control for the 
> majority of this ride.  At the XP ride the horses were under 
> the direct observation of the rider and their crew for the 
> entire ride.  At the Iditarod the musher cares for all of his 
> dogs for the entire trail.  
>
> However, the "format" for this ride appears to be that the 
> riders will switch horses.  That would mean riding one horse 
> and then leaving it behind as you take off on the next one.  
> There is no mention of drug controls, vet controls, or care 
> for the horses coming in hot.  With $100,000 at stake, you 
> know they will come in hot.  Knowing what we do, how many 
> do you think will colic?  What about lameness?  I don't 
> think every single one of 1000 horses will survive, but then
>  
> unfortunately the Iditarod loses dogs every year too.  There 
> should, however, be an effort put into place to celebrate the 
> horses during an event like this... like the Iditarod celebrates 
> the trail dog who loves the harness... but I just don't see it in 
> this article.  
>
> It's about April now.  This is supposed to run in September. 
> How many people have 10 horses that would be in shape by 
> then to make this trip?  For the people interested in riding 
> for the $100,000, how many of them do you think will even 
> have a clue about conditioning even one horse to make this 
> trip?   I'd love to ride the trail too, but this is not the way to 
> do it if you want to avoid dead horses.  


Susan [Young], The Princess of Pink
Semper Obliquo (Always aside)  

Glenndale Grace Farm, Ft Gibson, Oklahoma U.S.A.

"Ride on! Rough-shod if need be, smooth-shod if that will do, but
 ride on! Ride on over all obstacles, and win the race!"         - Charles Dickens (1812-1870)