ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: LD RACES???

Re: LD RACES???

TrotALongK@aol.com
Wed, 11 Jun 1997 03:43:12 -0400 (EDT)

In a message dated 97-06-11 00:20:56 EDT, you write:

<< I am not aginst LD, I am against HORSE ABUSE. I see it at EVERY ride I go
to. And, mostly by LD riders. >>

Sorry, but I don't agree. I'm still fairly new to Endurance riding, I have
done 4 LD rides so far and planning on doing my first 50 next. Anyway, my
observation is that there are more horses ridden too fast and too hard in the
50s than in the 25 and 30 milers, at least down here in Southern California.
As an example, here's my experience from the Malibu Ride on May 10 where I
volunteered as vet secretary and got a close up look at a lot of horses. The
2nd vet check for the 50 (1hr hold) was also the final one for the 25. Among
the first twenty 50milers half of the horses showed obvious signs of fatigue.
I don't remember how many got pulled (I think at least 4 or 5, and a number
of riders got remarks in their vet card to WALK the horse untill the next
check) but I was supprised how ignorant some riders were. I remember one guy
who, after his horse got pulled, saddled up and rode away, waiving to the
vets and saying "Guess we're going home!". The horses in the 25 looked
alltogether much better, most of them were fit to continue and the riders
spirits seemed much less competitive. I guess everybody was glad that they
had made it up to Castro Peak and back down.

I got the same impression on the rides that I actually rode myself. At my
first one I had an overly excited 50miler yell at me "Get your horses butt
out of the way" - in a part of the trail where there was only room for one
horse at a time. And I had thought that this is all about "to finish is to
win"....

I don't know how it is in other parts of the country (hey, this is L.A. -
what do I expect?!) but around here it seems like the 50mile rides attract
more people who ride primarly to win or at least to place top ten.

By the way, I don't think there's anything wrong with being competitive but I
don't have any sympathy for ignorance and arrogance. No matter what distance.


Kirsten
& Slim (who says "Hey, what's wrong with racing...?)

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