Re: RC: Different milage buckets

[OasisArab@aol.com]

Heidi
 Far and away is that the best post that I have read in the last few days regarding this LD thing (I am in that group that has chosen to ride in the LD's even tho my horse and I have been at it awhile and could move up to 50's if that where our intent). It is still a sport and a great one that is to be enjoyed by us all regardless of the distance. AERC has rules and like my Daddy told me long ago (bless his departed soul) "if ya want to dance ya got to pay the band".
 Bill Proctor
 CT region
 E Texas 
> 
> In a message dated Fri, 5 Nov 1999  1:56:23 PM Eastern Standard Time, CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com writes:
> 
> > In a message dated 11/5/99 10:38:27 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
> > dleblanc@mindspring.com writes:
> > 
> > << I don't think this is right.  It bugs me because I think that even people
> >  who go out and do 50's and 100's sometimes want to drop to a 25 now and
> >  then because they want to give their horse a rest.  Why should they not
> >  accumulate milage? >>
> > 
> > Simple.  Because we are not meeting the definition of an "endurance ride", 
> > which is defined as 50 miles or more.  Anything less we are doing for our own 
> > reasons, not for accumulating "endurance miles."  
> > 
> > If my horse is able to campaign on 50's and up, if he needs a "rest" he will 
> > stay home!!  Plain and simple.  At that stage of his career, he does not need 
> > education about the sport, he does not need a 25-mile conditioning ride, he 
> > does not need an LD ride, period.  If *I* want to go just to socialize with 
> > my endurance friends, that is my perogative--but don't confuse that goal with 
> > the accumulation of endurance miles.  
> > 
> > As for a green horse--he may well benefit from a LD ride for education about 
> > the whole routine of how to do a ride.  But--if I am an experienced rider, I 
> > am once again making a conscious choice there to use the LD as a tool in his 
> > training program, before he is ready to do "endurance miles" by doing a 50.  
> > (In my experience, most horses don't really need this intro if you've done 
> > your homework, but I've used LD's this way, and I know many folks who do.)  
> > Once again, don't confuse two different goals here--training a young horse 
> > that is not yet ready for 50 is a goal in itself, and one need not get career 
> > endurance credit for training sessions.
> > 
> > Let me reiterate what I have said in MANY posts in the past--LD rides are 
> > PRIMARILY for people.  Different people have different reasons for using LD 
> > rides.  They range from just getting started and not knowing for sure if one 
> > can ride that far, to being physically incapable of riding that far, to not 
> > being ready to ride that far and just wanting to go socialize with friends.  
> > ALL of those things are legitimate reasons to do LD, and are not indications 
> > of lesser intent, lesser ability, or any such thing.  BUT--none of them 
> > justify getting career mileage in a sport that is DEFINED as rides 50 miles 
> > and up!
> > 
> > I have never been able to understand what is so difficult about this concept. 
> >  LD is a wonderful thing, for all of the above reasons.  It is intended to be 
> > a stepping stone into endurance, and in many cases is used exactly as that.  
> > It is no different than training level dressage or walk-trot classes at a 
> > horse show that don't count toward high-point awards for the show.  Let's ALL 
> > be grateful (oldies and newbies alike) that such a stepping stone exists so 
> > that folks CAN come try this sport on for size, or continue to participate if 
> > they are no longer able to do the distance, or get a public training 
> > opportunity for a young horse.  Meanwhile, I'm not going to dilute the 
> > meaning of the word "marathon" by insisting that they call the 10k down the 
> > street a marathon just to make me think I ran one.
> > 
> > Heidi
> > 
> > 
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Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=