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Re: [RC] [RC] LD and Joe Long's post - Sharon LevasseurI'm a relative newcomer to "distance riding", and this is how I see it:There are people who prefer "endurance", people who prefer "LD", and (gasp) people who prefer "CTRs". Even within the CTR category, there are NATRC-type CTRs and ECTRA-type CTRs (no horsemanship judging). While they're all "distance rides", they are all different sports with different rules governing them. They all track mileage separately (although LD and endurance happen to both be tracked by the same organization). Some track points and some don't, and they all offer different specialty awards (think AERC's "War Mare" and ECTRA's "Versatility"). But they ALL involve getting out on the trail with your equine partner, proving to each other over and over again that you are a team. Responding to Angie's comment about not having to go to grammar school (LDs) to attend high school (50s and up): My gelding and I have been "distance riding" since 2003. When I bought him in 2002 we started with one year of organized pleasure trail rides (albeit in the "fast group"). Then in April, May, and June 2003 we did our first three ECTRA-sanctioned CTRs (two 1-day 25s and one 2-day 50). Those CTRs taught both of us how to go down the trail in a safe manner, taking care of ourselves and each other. The relatively slow pace was great, and the staggered starts were even better. But I was never satisfied; they were very stressful for me simply because of the "nit-picky" judging. At the end of the third month, we "graduated" (as I considered it) to AERC 50-milers. We've now done 6 of them in the last five years. There would have been more but I can't afford to travel as far as a lot of you apparently can and AERC rides are relatively rare in ME/VT/NH. So although I continue to do CTRs when they fill holes in our schedule, in my mind they are my grammar school. I have nobody to ride with at home and my gelding is pretty lazy alone on the home trails, so I use the CTRs as "training rides" that happen to have other horses along. But there are plenty of people who choose to only ride CTRs. And that's OK, that's their sport of choice. They don't expect to receive AERC endurance miles and points for them, and well they shouldn't. </ramble> Hopefully that made some sort of sense to at least some of you. -Sharon L. in Maine (Stepping up to 75s at VT on the 19th, I think... just need a crew!!) Quoting rides2far@xxxxxxxx: ... My first ride was a 50...but I had read everything available, watched videos, asked questions and ridden with a few people who'd already done rides. If you're relatively well informed and you've been training, I'd much rather start in the 50. If you just came in off the street and said, "What's this sport about?" maybe that doesn't work. As an experienced rider, no way I'll put my new horses I start in a 25 at all. I don't even want them thinking competitions are over that quick. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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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