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Re: RC: Barbara McCrary



In a message dated 4/25/99 9:31:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Dbeverly4@AOL.COM writes:

<< How old were these horses when the injuries occurred? I have a 
 couple of up and coming youngsters and would prefer to learn from somebody 
 else's experiences!  Right now , I'm on the track of realllly long slow 
 distance before they get to move out.  Can that type of conservatism 
 (chicken)  prevent injuries? (of course, the horse would always prefer to do 
 the warp-speed trot and damn the torpedos!). >>

Relatively young ... probably about 6 or 7.  Conservative, yes ... chicken, 
no way!  Just sensible.  I guess it depends on the horse (some are tougher 
than others) and what your goal is.  For a few riders, winning is the goal 
and horses are replaceable.  I've decided my goal is to keep the horses as 
sound as possible, but then I'm not super-competitive.  If I finish, I'm 
happy ... if I top ten in a small to moderate ride, I'm ecstatic.  One of the 
best rides I ever had was on a 5 1/2 year old mare I bred.  We did Twenty 
Mule Team 55 on the Mojave Desert in CA.  Because the mare was terribly 
excited, I started dead last, and that's where I finished.  But in between, I 
learned SO much from her, about her, and had a wonderful time.  It was a 
crowning achievement. She's a fiesty, willful, opinionated female, and she is 
as tough as a pine nut.  I love her, I hate her, she exasperates me, but she 
takes care of herself and me on the trail.

I think it takes quite awhile to leg up young horses, so don't hurry.  It's 
not economically profitable to take that time, but I really feel that horses 
shouldn't be pushed until they are at least 8 or 9.

BMc


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