RE: [RC] Turtle Awards and How fast do you trot? - Paul Sidio
Kristi,
If you want to win Turtle Awards here in the
Ozarks, you are going to have to slooooowww way down from a 7-7.5 mph
trot. Heck, at some rides here that pace will get you into the top 5
finishers.
To truely be a contender for Turtle, you need to
stop and get off to ...ummm... answer natures call every few miles. Plus
walk slooooowwwly whenever possible.. Taking extra time at vet checks and holds
also helps. When competing against other Turtle contenders, be aware some will
even stoop to pretending their tack needs adjusting every few miles, or
their horse has picked up a rock in their shoe to lure the other riders into
going ahead. Be prepared for excuses of your own to slow down or stop. Some
people will do anything to win. If you are serious about winning Turtles. you
need to be that way too.
We have some serious people here who plan their
entire ride, and often their seasons, around that Turtle award. Going
7-7.5 mph at any point during the ride will likely throw you out of
contention. As for cantering, don't even think about it. When you look at
ride results from the hilly parts of the Central Region, you will see those
Turtle folks up around 10 hours plus for a 50 mile ride. This ain't
no accident. It is all about planning and training.
Hope this helps,
Paul N. Sidio
(Who never has won Turtle because my darned horse
keeps going 7-7.5 MPH the whole ride)
