Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

We do have the option to present at any time in that hour (for endurance distances) most people just choose to go ahead and get it done. One argument to keep the 1 hour limit is logistical. At some rides the finish line can be a half mile or even a mile away from the actual vetting area. After crossing the finish line, giving your card to the timer, loosening the girth, walking back to vetting area, dumping your tack, this can cut it quite close on presentation time leaving you no time to let the horse eat/drink. Depending on where my trailer is situated in regards to the vetting area, I usually use my whole hour to go dump my tack, allow the horse to roll, eat, drink etc before presenting. Sometimes if the vet is on the way back to the trailer I'll go ahead and present just to be able to be done and take the horse back to the trailer and focus them. I do appreciate the option to do either. It's nice at the end to not have to rush. 

Most horses who are going to complete are down at 30 minutes just as easily as 60 minutes. A horse who took 59 minutes to pulse down will *usually* have other criteria as well. However, on a hot humid day, if you are riding a non-arab type (i.e. morgan or QH), sometimes it can take extra time just for them to get that extra heat through all that muscle, and will often hover at 65-75 for a while. Doesn't mean they are in distress, they just need extra time to pump extra blood around to get their core temperature down as compared to arabs. 

-Elyse

On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 1:13 PM, Elizabeth Walker <bwalker2@xxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sep 23, 2009, at 9:14 AM, oddfarm wrote:

Maybe we should take the whole hour at the end. Maybe instead of rushing to reach criteria, we (the riders) should be taking our horses back to the pen, giving them that whole hour to re-hydrate and eat, (better gut sounds at the check) cool out?more naturally and then just a few extra minutes to observe them.

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Why are LD riders encouraged to "rush" their horses to get their pulse down in order to get a finish time? How is that in the best interest of the horse?

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By the way, many have expressed the opinion that since the horse is not going back out, the finish could be a tad more liberal. I am wondering if those same people think the time should be shortened to the half an hour.

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Lisa Salas, the Odd fArm