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Re: [RC] Time and Money to Do This Sport... getting philosophical - Mike Lewis

Thank you, Chrystal.  I was driving a '91 Ford diesel up until the middle
of last year when we moved to a new place (no more flat roads) and I just
couldn't get up the hills with the trailer without getting out and
pushing.  That was my favorite truck, but it needed an un-tired engine.

My wife and I are in the "family building" stage... stepdaughter is 5 and
loves horses, son is 2 and seems to like them, and then there's one "in
the oven" who tagged along for his/her first 25 last weekend.  Ummmm... my
wife won't be riding much longer till after the baby...  I think we're
doing fairly well instilling endurance into our children.  Looking forward
to when they can come along with us to rides--right now, they're a bit too
young.

Hats off to you for riding in -20 degree temperatures... that's about 40
degrees colder than I think I could tolerate without purchasing some
serious cold weather gear!

Mike

--- Chrystal Woodhouse <Chrystal@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi Mike :-) when I joined this sport 5 years ago I was actually
surprised 
that my hubby and I ( in our early thirties then) were  among  the 
youngest people in the club!!:-) But then realized that realistically
this 
sport takes a lot of time, even when not competing seriously, and when
one 
has small children and a lot of financial responsibilities it is hard to

do endurance rides, However it can be done!:-) First of all getting your

family on board is paramount :-) my husband is really social and loves
to 
volunteer so likes to come to the rides, my kids ride with me at home
and 
have competed with me and love the overall camping every 2cnd wknd, ( my

daughter did her first 50 at 11 yrs old with me.) Our stuff is OLD, our 
Ford is a 1989 and the trailer was made in the 70's but it gets us to 
rides ( and the trailer has LQ'S :-)) And as everyone has said it is 
really about commitments/priorities, our vacation time is spent at
rides, 
so is most of our extra $.
And I don't want to jump up on a soapbox but your kids will very soon be

older and off by themselves, enjoy them now, although people keep
talking 
about everything they have given up in order to ride ( me included :-))
in 
my opinion kids/family  aren't an acceptable trade off. :-)( Which  is
why 
it is important to convince them that they LOVE endurance as well! My
kids 
are not allowed to go to pony club horse shows etc... , we just don't
have 
the time to do that and long distance riding.)
 Saying all that I do think this sport can have a big impact on people's

lives, you are right in that it seems like a lot of endurance people 
work 
for themselves , I  think that has to do with people wanting a better 
quality of life and having more time to ride! So they start thinking 
outside of the box. People seem willing to move in order to live in less

expensive places so they have MORE time and less money!:-) I don't 
think 
$ is as important as time& commitment  in order to be successful in 
endurance riding. As a matter of fact I will get back to you on that
later 
this year as I am hoping to prove that theory,:-) so off I go in -20 C 
weather this a.m. to work my horse as our first 50 is in April and I
want 
us to be ready!!( I also want to try the OD this year, it has become my 
mantra as I peel frozen fingers off my reins and work out at the gym
three 
time s a week, all so I can try to finish the OD.:-))
Good luck, sounds like you have a lot of drive and one day you will 
probably be riding internationally.:-)
Gotta get going as the longer I stay inside and consider the weather the

harder it is to get myself out there!
Chrystal 



Mike Lewis <mlewis73@xxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
02/12/2007 08:56 PM

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Subject
[RC]   Time and Money to Do This Sport... getting philosophical






I've been riding endurance for about 9 years now, including a 4 year
break
due to work duties and graduate school.  I have been wondering how folks
afford this sport financially and in terms of time.  Big changes since I
last rode endurance regularly: got married and started a family, and was
promoted at work.

My desire is to ride at least 90% of the rides in my region during any
given season, and to go as far with this sport as I can.  I want to ride
well in some big races overseas sometime within the next 40 years.  :-) 
After riding an old gelding for years, I finally have a horse who might
be
competitive in long races (and want more such horses in my stable), and
being an avid athlete myself know I can take just about anything the
trail
offers.

Bottom line from what I've observed is that it looks like most folks who
are successful in this sport are self employed, are part of a wealthy
family who share this hobby, or are employed by a gracious employer who
allows plenty of time off to trailer to rides on Thursdays/Fridays.  It
seems difficult for us mid-30-somethings with a "regular job" and family
responsibilities to dedicate the time and money endurance racing
requires
to be successful.

I'm not here to gripe as much as I'm looking for folks' anecdotes
telling
me I'm not so unique in my search to give endurance racing more priority
in my life despite job responsibilities and pay situation that makes
doing
so difficult.  :-)  Would be interested in hearing from folks who are
excelling in this sport despite demands of job/family/pay situations. 
How'd ya do it?

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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

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Replies
Re: [RC] Time and Money to Do This Sport... getting philosophical, Chrystal Woodhouse