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Re: [RC] What makes a great horse? - Kathy MayedaIt's also dedication, taking the time to condition and micromanage the horse. Which then goes back to a good knowledge base. And total will and drive on the part of the rider. And having the wisdom to know if the horse can do the job or not. Having boarded at Lightfoot Stables with Red and Heather Bergantz, I've seen first hand how much dedication it takes to be on top of the game with the right horse. Not to mention that Becky Hart was the manager there. I personally didn't take advantage of the knowledge base available to me there, but I was always left in awe in what they've achieved. Rio was already semi-retired from endurance when I boarded there and I've taken lessons from Becky on him. But I was there when Heather and Red won the Haggin Cup and Pan Ams. And I've seen her train for Dubai. Always thinking ahead and training for the particular ride conditions. At the barn every day to supplement and check them over, and training in the dark and in the rain after work to keep up conditioning. I've had a couple of fun training rides with her and the up-and-coming endurance prospects but could not keep up with her and Red with the conditioning schedule she kept. Bottom line: Dedication! And giving plenty of lay-off pasture down time after a big ride. Being a talented rider doesn't hurt either..... K. On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 8:10 PM, Barbara McCrary <bigcreekranch@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: I've never owned such a horse, but I've watched them enough so I will venture my opinion. 1) The horse has to have a good amount of native talent and physical capacity to do an extraordinary job. 2) The owner/rider is usually exceptionally talented and well-trained, too. And he/she must know the horse inside out and know just what the horse can do. I don't think most of the great horses in the USA have been pushed and overridden...just conditioned to peak and ridden wisely, taking advantage of every opportunity to get ahead on the trail. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: Stacy Baxter To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 7:35 PM Subject: [RC] What makes a great horse? Looking at the records of some pretty spectacular horses, I am so curious...what makes a great horse? What percentage of it is the owners being great horsepeople? How many OTHER horses are ridden like that and fall apart? How do these people know they can DO THIS with that particular horse? Are these people just more willing to risk the horse? or are they that good that they can do more with a horse than most. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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