I have sat here vasilating on
whether to forward this or delete it for a long while. But this is so against
what "I" believe To Finish is To Win and the sport of AERC stands for that I
have decided to go ahead and post it before our 2006 ride season begins and
hopefully remind all of us and shame any newbies that don't know any better or
oldies that may have forgotten just how idiotic some people have gotten
their lack of thinking sized down to. This man speaking is a Lawyer, an
athlete, certainly no dummy to reasoning and sporting. One should think,
eh?
I first came into contact with this
person about a year ago thru my website. He wanted to pick my pea brain on
endurance with a gaited horse. I gave him as much information as I could then
never heard from him for quite awhile. Then heard from him a second time and
again a couple of months ago. Telling me the last time how thin this horse had
become. What did I feel he should feed him. When he told me what he was feeding
I quickly made some suggestions but the biggest suggestion I made and
practically BEGGED of him was to join up on RC and read the archives on
nutrition, conditioning and ask questions! Then also invited him...begged him to
join up on Gaited Endurance Riders....a little more errr Friendly group but with
a lot of great knowledge and some top endurance riders on there that have ridden
both ARABS and Gaited horses. Not to drop any names but my favorite RC-er who
slyly goes by TRUMAN is a wonderful font of wisdom on our Gaited Endurance list
because of his Hell Bitch he rode to much fame.
All this fellow could talk about is
how fast this horse can rack out at, and how at this speed he is going to kick
the Arabs butts. He thinks he is going to out race arabs and that seems to be
his pipe dream. I told him first off he cannot keep this horse in a ventroflexed
gait....he will ruin his back, he must teach it as many gaits as possible
including the canter. I just heard he laughs at any body talking about cantering
a gaited horse...never will he do that. I told him to go slow for a couple of
years. He wouldn't hear of it. He has never used a HRM and as you read his
words, he hasn't a clue how to even put one on a horse! Oh boy. Pity this horse.
I think he is in Central Region. Look out.
Anyway I have had a lot of
discussion with this fellow and today I was inundated by people wanting me to
help this "guy" sending me his posts that came to a group not at all involved in
endurance but a list I am a member of but don't always read the posts. I was
shocked when I read this. I fear for his poor horse but most of all I fear for
other wannabe riders that we may encounter this year that ride with this same
attitude. Look out for them people and don't just turn the other cheek. Tell
them to slow down, help them learn. Maybe they are a jerk...but that horse
doesn't ask for this kind of abuse.
And as a gaited rider trying to do
my mission to promote these fabulous floating clouds to have perhaps a gaited
horse die because of no fault of its own will set back all that I have worked so
hard to prove in this sport. Read this and speak up to any rider on any breed of
horse. No horse deserves to die.
Remember this horse he has only had
maybe a year and he has never entered even an LD.
amber
Keith Speaking:
I intend to give it a go.
Blues has such heart and I am very competitive too, so I will be
mindful of the risks to him. I will probably try a back to back ld (25 miles
each day for a sat and a sunday ) first. I understand how to train on
heart rate for a human as I am a long distance runner and long distance
triathlete. So, it doesnt look that different in concept . The obvious
exception is that the horse gets a vet check in the endurance
ride and the human does not. Still trying to figure the best way to hook up
the human heartrate strap to either his girth or maybe a different kind of
strap on his neck to have the receiver watch pickup his heart rate so I can
moniter it.
Interested Female
Endurance Rider replying:
I will ask the people I know how they use them, or what they
use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Non interested non aerc member
suggesting helpful sites to learn about endurance sport:
Keith there are two lists that would
be very helpful for you. One is > Gaited > Endurance Riders and the
other is Ridecamp. Have you talked to Amber Applegate.
I have spoken to Amber in general in
the past and she suggested the yahoo lists to me. I have also been to
ridecamp in the past. Thanks for the suggestions~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Future female endurance rider
again:
. I think it's great you and Blues
are doing this. Please keep us updated!!! You can give me some tips if
I do some limited distance races this spring. We need to get
out there and shake up those Arabs:) .........
Keith:
That is exactly the way I think too! When I
said that to Amber, she got offended and thought I was too aggressive. SO, I
guess we should smile sweetly, then race like their is no tomorrow.
I will train as smartly and with as much humor
and dedication as BLues and I can muster.
