am amazed to see so many riders with minimal experience wanting to maximize
the performance level of their animals while being content with middle or
later finishes. Are their horses so deficient in ability that the extremes
of training and nurishment are necessary for these midway finishes??
I've been there--done the fast races (remember Hall of Fame Caprison), and
I am equally thrilled with the achievemnt of getting Tutty through a ride,
although in the middle or toward the end, ears up, bright eyed and
bushy-tailed with an A vet card. He's a nice horse who will never be a
"star," but it's been worth "maximizing the performance level of this horse
while being content with middle or later finishes." Isn't that the beauty of
endurance riding?
I'm still competing as probably the oldest living endurance rider over a
period of 30 years, with 30,000 completed miles (endurance and competitive)
riding 32 different horses (not all mind obviously.) This past season I
finished 650 endurance miles and 635 competitive miles (on a 22-year old ex-
endurance mare who has over 5000 miles, and who place top 6 in 19 out of 21
rides.) God willing, we'll be out there on the trails in 1998. Louise
Riedel