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Re: [RC] Why would somebody do this? - k s swigart> a true conditioning ride for a horse doing longer distance -
> but so called "winning" it - why?
Perhaps I misunuderstood Truman's post when he spoke of the horse "winning" the LD (since it was in Utah in 1996, there probably wasn't a "winner"), but he used "the horse won it" to mean that the horse crossed the finish line first.
> To me, it would be useful to avail myself of trails not otherwise
> available to condition my horse on - but for that purpose only.
> Moseying through a 25 miler to condition on those trails is
> worthwhile - but why would someone take a horse like THAT
> and apparently gallop through an LD - so conspicuously??
Well, I don't recall there being anything in the original post about either the horse galloping or it being conspicuous; and if it were being used as a conditioning effort for an upcoming 50 miler "moseying through a 25 miler" isn't going to provide much by way of conditioning.
If I understand Truman correctly in his response, the answer to my question "why would somebody do this?" was "To support the ride and to avail herself of a marked trail in a far away place for a conditioning effort."
Which DOES come under my heading a a perfectly good reason for doing such a thing. It just doesn't come under MY definition of "winning" since, by using the words "won it" there is the implication of being entered into a competition with the other entrants (since I am assuming that he didn't mean merely that the horse finished the ride).
Upper level jumpers have been known to enter lower level competitions just for the "schooling" aspects of them (so they can avail themselves of fences that somebody else has set up). The USEF even has a word for this, it is called riding "Hors de concourse." And you can do it in any class. You pay the entry fee, use the venue, turn your number upside down stating that you are not competing but just schooling, and are not considered for the ribbons.
Perhaps the AERC should consider having a similar option for entering sanctioned rides. It is certainly something I would support.
kat
Orange County, Calif.
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