What IS Endurance?

[Barbara Madill <madill@teleplex.net>]

Subject WAS Re: 25 mile ride personal survey.

On Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 11:24:47 -0700 you wrote:


>The original idea was "endurance", the use of a horse over what were
usually considered >"normal" distances and over terrain not usually
traveled. While the original endurance >"Trials" put on by the US Army were
over roads and trails they were out of the "normal" >in the horse had to
carry over 200 pounds, do 60 miles a day, go for five days and then >be fit
to continue on. And this with no support crews , motor homes etc.(and you
think >you do endurance). This is the concept of endurance to me not run
like hell for 25 >miles and call myself a winner. Endurance riding is that,
ENDURANCE AND PERSEVERANCE >MILE AFTER MILE DAY AFTER DAY AND YEAR AFTER YEAR.

        Exactly!  And if my memory (of articles on the subject -- I WASN'T
around in the 20's) serves me, what the horses ate was measured to determine
the most efficient animals -- they were weighed to determine percentage of
weight lost, etc.

        The East Coast Hundred Mile Rides (3 - Day -- nominally
"competitive" because the variable is condition, not speed) weighed horses
at the GMHA (Vermont) and New York 100's until late 70's and mid 80's.
Riders had to offer their horses water before weighing to prevent any
attempt to withold water to affect before and after ride differences.  (I
WAS around and competing on those rides).

        My point is that perhaps AERC should conduct LONGER rides with the
same structure as the L.D. (first to recover to parameters -- easy to award
division placings per vet card). Perhaps competitors should have to work
their way up to competitions where speed is the variable.

        I question why the 100 mile one day distance is so esteemed.  In the
days of our mounted (on equines) cavalry, the preservation of the horse
would have been paramount to the trooper.  A horse can go on and on and on
at 50 - 60 mile per day distances at 6-8 MPH and have a lot of oomph left
for a skirmish at day's end.  I question whether many horses could keep
doing 100 miles a day for many days.

        Another question I have is about the interpretation of "to finish is
to win".  I'd like that amended to "to finish a horse EAGER to continue is
to win."      

        When I started "Endurance" riding (1965) there WERE no shorter rides
than 100's here in the East.  (Sorry I don't know when AERC started).  One
had to have a sponsor  to enter rides.  
        I think it sad that riders think they can't do longer distances than
one day 25's, 30's, 50's.  YES, I feel after 40 miles that I'm absolutely
nuts (actually, that feeling starts about 10 miles out), that there's no way
I'll want to ride the next day's 40. Then I get on the trail that second day
and find that two or three years of 5 - 6 miles 4 - 5 times a week of "due
dilligence" has produced a horse asking to move on, with the horse's numbers
getting better and better.  Then the "80 Mile high" sets in!!  
        Finally, I start the final 20 deciding that the third day of 3 Day
100's and grandparenting are really quite alike --- makes all the rest of it
worth while!!  

Barbara (and 8 year old Zaim -- that Florida sand wasn't so bad, and it was
FUN passing horses at the vet check!  Do I really HAVE to stay in 3 day
100's the rest of this year??)