Re: [RC] Ride and Tie as an Olympic event - Barbara McCrary
Having seen and managed a lot of Ride &
Tie races, I would say the average speed for the top teams is about 10 mph,
maybe a little more, but not much. Of course, that depends on the
steepness of the terrain. That's the average for our terrain around
her. And I have seen a lot of top runners who can't ride well. If
they could learn to ride well, they would be so much better off. Lud and I
used to do ride and tie, about 20 years ago. Neither of us were good
runners, but we could rest while riding the horse. A top runner is wearing
himself out in two ways....one from running, and the other from trying to ride a
horse when he wasn't good at it. His body was fighting the horse's
movement all of the time.
I certainly could make an interesting
Olympic sport. One has to consider, however, that two top runners can
nearly run a horse into the ground. The horse has to be superbly
conditioned and someone has to watch out for his welfare on the trail, as
sometimes the runners are so tunnel-visioned that they don't see how the horse
is doing at all. The best competitors, of course, are top runners who are
also excellent horsemen.
In addition to your thoughts, the general public may also be more
inclined to watch since the human is having to put forth some effort as
well. Most people don't understand how athletic riding can
be...especially at the FEI level. But, they understand how difficult
cross country running can be. They see the human working and the horse
gets to rest.
Additionally, a 35-mile R&T could last an hour and a half or
so? That is a much easier time to cover via TV vs a 100-mile race over
the course of even 7 hours.
We have to consider the public's perception. They already think
we're a bunch of loonies racing our horses around and killing them. One
could argue televising an endurance race would put those perceptions to
rest. Historically, we know that isn't true. People will believe
what the WANT to believe...no matter what the facts say.
I hadn't thought of R&T...but like the idea.
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)
