2 cents more!

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

>I disagree that any horse can come out of the pasture and do a 25 mile
>LD... well, I take that back.  Maybe they can, but will they finish
>SOUND? 

Geez, I take mine out and do 50's.  (sorry, but I just couldn't pass that
up) Bad Karen....bad!!!

>run.  I'm even beginning to wonder if I should even MENTION that word
>"competitive" on ridecamp.... some have a decided prejudice against it
>(or so is the impression I get sometimes!).  

Maggie - I think that some of the more experienced riders are concerned
that some of the newbies may think that going out and  racing a horse, at
all costs, to win a 25 is a good thing.  Winning a 25 does not an endurance
horse make.  I may not be making sense, as it has been pointed out to me
lately (by several of you, thank you very much) that I am suffering from a
bad case of DIMR.

>believe is the objective for endurance OR CTR).  No, I don't think 25 LD
>riders should getter bigger better toys than the  100 milers... I better
>get something darn good when I finish my first 100!!!! 

Well, I'd like to say that out of the few hundreds that I have done, the
majority of them have given me the SAME completion award the 25's got.
Yes, really!  Am I complaining?  Hell no.  I am not riding for the awards,
but for the sense of accomplishment and the enjoyment of being able to ride
my horse the longer distances and know we can do it as a team.
(besides~~being vertically challenged I like the feeling of being 20 feet
tall - as Julie Suhr would say)  Yet, if you read recent issues of
endurance news you'll see LDers writing letters complaining about their
completion awards (even if they are the same things we 100 milers get too!). 

Oh, and I'll be the first to admit that the very first 25 I ever did was a
whole lot harder than the first 100!! 

Happy Trails,

Karen
in Gardnerville
& Rocky
& Weaver :)...yeah says you!  (she's nuts, don't listen to her)