Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Title: Message

For those of you who are looking for "tricks", methods or whatever you want to call it, ask the CTR riders on the list!  In CTR (NATRC, at least, that's all I've done) you get 10 minutes to hopefully get the pulse down to 48, while the horses are all required to stand still in a line, after either walking up a hill or trotting into the P&R - and typically the horse is not allowed to drink first.  Some feed, some don't (some get upset if someone else feeds), some sing, some put wet cloths over the horses ears, some pet certain areas, some don't touch the horse at all.

 

I took the horse I've been doing endurance on to 2 NATRC rides.  She typically does not pulse down until after she drinks if she's really wired and she has a limited amount of patience.  She could stand still for about 3 minutes, then boom, charge forward and rear back and charge forward.  So my technique was to ride up front, let her pulse down which she could do in about 2.5 minutes if she was in front, have the P&R crew take her pulse, then leave the line a few feet.  My husband always rode with me, so he could keep his horse still so the next person in line didn't have their horse get upset.

 

At my second CTR ride with her, the vet suggested that I rub the area behind her ears that is supposed to release endorphins.  That really worked - I even found I could do it while riding when she was being a bonehead.  It also helped train her to calm down so I didn't have to do it every second.  She always had too many of her own opinions for CTR and since I appreciate her opinions we stuck to endurance and she has done phenomenal.  Now that she's really come along since I'm not fighting her, she could probably go back and kick a$$ at CTR!

Marlene

 

Marlene Moss

Saddle Fitting - www.KineticEquineAnalysis.com

Boarding/Training - www.LosPinos-CO.com