[RC] Starts and Training--other breeds/other sports/other species - Kathleen
I have been doing endurance for 25 years and the videos I
watched and descriptions I heard for the WEC don’t really depict anything
totally out of the ordinary for any AERC ride I have been to… and I don’t
believe they reflect poor training or “Arabs having smaller brains”
than other breeds of horses. I spend a significant amount of time
(including at ride starts) training my horses to be safe and controllable but I
would still say I usually “have my hands full” for the first few
miles and particularly at the starting line. If you look at other sports
where horses are in tip top shape and doing a speed event I believe you will
see similar behavior. My cousin is a professional barrel racer and a
professional trainer. Her horses have perfect ground manners and are
trained daily but I have seen them do some incredible airs above the ground
right before they turn to sprint into the arena for a barrel pattern at a
competition (so much for Arabs having smaller brains—it seems Quarter
horses are also susceptible to adrenalin and I would bet every other breed that
competes is as well).
Have you ever watched dogs prior to an obstacle course
competition or a fly ball competition?
Have you ever been in a race yourself? I ran track and
cross country during high school, at college, and road raced after college and
I can tell I was pretty hyped up at the starting line of a race…I sure
didn’t stand still and I had enough adrenalin going to make me sick to my
stomach…being keyed up is part of RACING! I can get fluttery
feeling just watching Track and Field on TV and I haven’t raced in 15
years.
If humans and dogs get hyped up before a competitive event,
why wouldn’t you expect horses to? When you add all the unusual
circumstances of an international competition and the horrible weather I think
what was observed is perfectly understandable and does not reflect poorly on
the people, the sport or the animals involved.
