[RC] Pacing- mileage markers are not necessary at rides - FXLivestock
I've done this too, when the ride map showed such markers. ?However, I
don't think -- everyone can correct me if I'm wrong -- that all rides have such
trail markers shown, with the associated milage. ?If that is the case - you
don't have anything to use to judge how far you have gone, or what the pace is.
In my opinion, the place to really learn to pace or learn pacing is at
home on your own conditioning trails. You can put markers out or have
landmarks on the trails you ride on all the time and get a very good idea of
what different pacing feels like using those markers just using these landmarks
and a watch. After a while, you will know what a 7 MPH hour pace or a 9
MPH pace feels like without using markers. At rides if you are
really paying attention to how fast you are riding and for how long you are
going at that speed you can pretty much estimate how far you have traveled
between vet checks at a ride. Of course using a GPS is probably the
easiest way to get this information but is certainly not necessary. Before
GPS's were common, I could pretty much estimate how far I was from a vet check
and how long it would be until I got there if I had been paying
attention.
I see a lot of riders at rides who really don't pay attention to pacing or
to even what their horses are doing. This is only a comment not a
judgement. Many times they are busy chatting with other riders or just
riding nose to tail, or allowing their horse to fish tail all over a
dirt road. They are distracted for what ever reason and not
really paying attention to what their horse is doing. Maybe really not
paying attention to what they WANT their horse to be doing. It is
hard to estimate speed and distance when you are distracted :)
