Well done, Susan and Sabian! Never mind the wrong turn, we have all done
that! I haven't forgotten how satisfying it was to compete my first LD rides
some years ago. I will be again experiencing the LD rides this year as I get
my 4yo gelding legged up for endurance.
>I finished the ride outside the top ten. My horse and I finished healthy,
>but we could not find out how we placed in relation to the other riders.
>I was really disappointed in the ride management regarding
>acknowledgement of all the riders who finished the ride. They
>acknowledged the people in the top ten of all the distances, but no one
>except the top ten knew how they finished relative to anyone else. To me,
>this is very important. It helps me decide how to plan strategy for my
>next ride experience and it helps build my confidence. I came away with
>the feeling that anyone who doesn't finish in the top ten isn't worth
>mentioning or keeping track of. I was disappointed.
I dare say that the ride organisation was a little pressured if they were an
inexperienced crew. You should have been acknowledged. You did receive a
completion award, didn't you?
>I have the greatest admiration for those riders and horses that are doing
>50 and 100 mile rides. At this point in my experience, I'm in awe. I know
>what they are doing is so hard and demands so much discipline and work
>...I can't even imagine myself ever riding 100 miles.
You'll get there, if that is what you want to do! This sport offers such a
wide range of challenges, there are goals to set you sights on for your next
ride, and different ones for next year. You can set yourself progressive
goals for the rest of the year.
My personal goal when I started in the sport was to ride 100 miles in one
day. I have done that now several times with Nikita, and now I have young
Shadrach to get going, so it is all back to scratch again.
>The longer distance
>riders deserve great credit for their hard work. My 25 miler is my
>challenge for now. I train hard for my rides and I'd like to finish top
>ten sometime before I move up to 50 milers, but my confidence won't be
>hurt if I don't as long as we keep improving.
Perhaps you might consider the 25 milers as your preparation to ride 50
milers, then when you are completing 50 milers, to consider them as the next
step to 75 and 100 milers. But that is just my philosophy, to complete the
rides with a happy and healthy horse, that still has miles in the tank.
Others like to squeeze that last drop of performance and run at the front.
That's fine too. I am, perhaps, over cautious and conservative.
Try not to worry too much about what the other competitors are doing, just
aim to improve your *personal best* performances each time you are out on
the track. Even if you do a slower time, but have a better ride, that is
progress.
>I wish the ride management this weekend had given all the riders credit
>for completion by at least telling them how they placed in the pack.
I am sure, if you asked nicely, that the management might have let you have
a look at the master sheets after the presentations, to see how your time
compared with others.
>Happy Tails
>Susan & Sabian
Don't forget to have fun!
Luke
Luke Steele
luke.steele@fujitsu.com.au