ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: CTR vs. endurance

Re: CTR vs. endurance

Teresa Van Hove (vanhove@unavco.ucar.edu)
Thu, 9 Oct 1997 11:36:17 +0700

Well I haven't seen a response to the CTR vs. endurance yet so I'll take
a stab at it. There is a NATRC button on the ridecamp internet page and
their web page provides more details on CTR. My own CTR experience was
years ago so things may have changed some/ or be different in the NE than
they were in the mountain region.

CTR is ridden to a prescribed pace (usually 2 divisions novice/open)
novice pace is slower, open pace is 4 to 6 miles per hour dependent on
terrain. Riders have to be at check points within a window of time to
fit the pace (too fast or too slow can result in disqualification.)
Endurance pacing can vary from 5 miles per hour (assuming 1 hour of
hold time per 25 miles of distance) to as fast as the horse can handle.

CTR placement is 2 categories: rider and horse. The horse is judged 40% on
soundness, 40% on condition, 15% on trail manners and 5% on way of going.
Horses Pulse and respiration are taken about 5 minutes after arrival at
check point. A point is lost for each count over 12 in 15 seconds for
both pulse and respiration. I went to only 2 day rides and soundness was
judged on filling in the legs overnigt as well as the actual trot out.
Points were also lost for interference (splint boots, etc were not allowed.)

In endurance a pulse criteria (I've seen 14 to 17 used) is used to determine
the start time of the hold. (anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes.) Each horse
must be seen by a ride vet before continuing the ride - the vet checks for
soundness and various metabolic factors. Any kind of protection - splint
boots, padded shoes, is allowed.

In the mountain region the CTR placing was always determined by soundness,
and in my case manners (or my mares lack thereof.) Very few point were
ever lost for conditioning as the pace is not that fast - and savvy riders
would argue a high count and insist on a re-check - thus giving the horse
another minute or so to recover. Horses had to be manuevered through
natural obstacles, mounted (sometime from off side) and not be fighting
the rider to earn manners points. My mare would lose points for not standing
quietly to be mounted, trying to go faster, and (sometimes) jumping
obstacles - this was what pushed me to endurance - I was not going to
try to force my 14.3 hand mare to try to step over logs, etc when she
did very nice controlled jumps.

I left CTR to try endurance and have no desire to go back, but CTR can be
a good place to introduce a horse to crowds - there will not be the extra
adrenalin that is present at an endurance ride because some people are
racing. I prefer endurance because is is more relaxed - CTR has that rider
division and the stress of trying to comply with all the safety things:
don't tie the horse too long, make sure that fender or exposed license plate
is covered so the horse cant injure themselves etc used to exhaust me. With
a quiet trail horse with very good legs CTR might be more fun than endurance.

Teresa

P.S. You could also try a search on CTR in the ridecamp archives from the
web. Lynette - in North Dakota you may want to try both - so you can do
more events without having to trailer so far (ex. ND native speaking here)

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