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Joe Long wrote:
> On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:17:41 -0700, Laney Humphrey
> <laneyhh@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Old timers complain that today's riders can't do really tough rides. 
> > They may not be wrong, but the sport has to keep up with the times.  We 
> > are no longer a nation of people who grew up on horseback out in the 
> > woods, learning horsemanship and outdoor skills almost before we learned 
> > to walk.  
>
> Hmmmm?  I have nearly13,000 miles, am an AERC Hall of Fame rider, who
> owns an AERC Hall of Fame horse (who has over 11,000 miles himself) --
> and I grew up in the city, in a poor section of town, and didn't own a
> horse until I was 22 years old.

That gives you about 20 years on most people, who get their first horse 
in their 40s.
> > Rather than designing rides that can be completed by only a 
> > very few (& those likely to be locals who know the trails with their 
> > eyes closed); successful ride managers will acknowledge that for 
> > probably 95% of today's AERC members, riding is a hobby fitted into a 
> > busy schedule of work and family.  I'm not arguing for walks in the 
> > park; I am suggesting successful and popular rides will be ones that 
> > accurately measure the trail, then accurately describe it, and finally 
> > recognize that in today's world, vets and drag riders are expected and 
> > necessary.
>
> Vets and well-marked trails, yes.  Drag riders -- nice to have, but
> hardly necessary.

IMHO, whether drag riders are necessary or not depends a lot on how RM 
wants its ride perceived by MOST people.  Many, if not most, rides 
today, have drag riders so they are expected.  If RM chooses not to have 
them, that should be made very clear from the outset so riders know not 
to expect help from behind.
> > There is a place for extreme rides such as Big Horn apparently was, but 
> > they should be described as such and perhaps limited to people and 
> > horses with many miles of comparable experience so that the unwary are 
> > not put at unneccessary risk.
> > Laney
>
> Hmmm ... that's why Sanshra finished the Big Horn 100 in 3rd place,
> when it was his very first 100.  His first ride longer than 55 miles.
>
> The Big Horn is tough, no doubt about it.  But it is also very
> do-able.  This year had some extra challenges, with abnormally hot
> weather and the re-route.  Still, most of the riders finished
> successfully.  And when you finish that ride, you are on top of the
> world.

Joe, you and RM, IMHO, are blindsided to this year's reality at Big 
Horn.  In most years, from what I've heard, the ride is do-able but 
tough and should be attempted by only the most experienced.  This year's 
ride did include unusual challenges - having to reroute the trail being 
the biggest from what I'm reading but also the heat - which RM did not 
appear to accomodate.  I've ridden rides that were acknowledged to be 
long where RM extended the finish time; I've ridden rides in extreme 
heat where pulse criteria was lowered in order to slow people down & 
where additional holds have been added.  There were plenty of very 
experienced riders on very good horses who could not complete this 
year's ride.  That should send up red flags.  One of those experienced 
riders is one who lost his horse.  Another red flag in my opinion.
> In my not-so-humble opinion, anyone who wants to experience the finest
> and most beautiful challenge that our sport has to offer, will do the
> Big Horn 100 at least once.  You really haven't had the full endurance
> experience without it.

Several of us have posted very similar opinions about the reality of our 
sport today.  None of us is arguing for doing away with tough, extreme 
rides such as Big Horn but we are saying that rides need to be designed 
for the rider of today.  The most successful leaders lead by following 
to paraphrase a friend of mine.  If  people want to have extreme rides, 
designed to be beyond the abilities of most riders, they should go 
ahead, but not seek AERC sanctioning which opens any ride up to anyone.
Laney


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