Re: Jedi's Sire...Dam

[Maureen Mathisen <mmathise@intergate.rbuhsd.k12.ca.us>]

Yea Sue!

I have ridden mares all my life, and much prefer them. any   You may
have to be a little more understanding at times, but it is worth it! 
They are very competitive and "bond" well with a good rider who
understands them.  They will give "their  all" when asked for it.  I
had(have) a wonderful crabbet-bred mare who was tenth in the west
region, and who placed "top five" in most rides. ( As you know, the West
region is one of the largest in AERC, so we had to do some riding to do
this!   

She also placed second in difficult l00 milers and in 50's too.  My
first endurance  mare was a quarter--well-bred and from 'sprinter"
lines.  She received her l000 mile award, placed top ten many times, and
out-trotted many a full bred Arab of both sexes.She did the Tevis and
placed 86th as her FIRST l00 miler and  would have done others if we'd
had them within trailering distance at the time.

Her half-Arab daughter did the same for me for l8 years, along with the
above mentioned Arabian mare.  They then turned around and raised some
very nice babies when I retired them, all were  sound, at l8 years of
age!
SOOO	  I HAVE OFTEN wondered the same thing!  These are also the  dams
of our future endurance horses, so why not an award that recognizes
them?  Perhaps if we all wrote some impassioned pleas to AERA??

Maureen