Originally posted to the EDRA Facebook Group by Dennis Summers.
At the double tuf Renegade ride I spent some time people (really people and horse watching) on trail and at the vet checks. I have done the ride about 46 million times and knew on this ride if you aren’t going up you are going down. The first half of the ride is pretty much up to get you to that high point (the snow bank up there was my first clue).
Anyway, with a cool morning and fresh strong horses the pace on both the 50 and 25 appeared fast. Throw in multiple long early climbs, stir well and what do you get? Some slow to recover horses and some low gut sounds. Nothing extreme, and the overall completion rate was good but one has to wonder if for some their overall performance would have been improved by gearing down some on those early hills and then making time on the few level spots and long downs.
On a tuf ride like this what works well for me is to really baby the ups (relative to the fitness of your horse) and really make time on the good stuff. Course Peach had other plans early in the ride and it took great persuasion on my part to gear her down.
It is always a balancing act with a strong, fit horse like Peach. If I just haul back on the reins and nag her to slow there will definitely be a fight. long run my nagging her could hurt her performance through extra tension which results in inefficient movement and maybe not eating- drinking well. For her a little tickle on one rein and then the other is about all I can get away with. What works best for her is to try to find a gap where she can relax better. Like I said earlier the 50 had a stiff pace and I didn’t find that gap til we left the first vet check alone.
Another thing that works for her and many of my horses is i take out the bit and clip to the halter ASAP. This is one of those don’t try this at home deals unless you really have a handle on your horse. Seems like every time they relax better with that bit out of their mouth. A little scary as sketchy as our first leg of the ride was but based on past experience I pulled her bit at the first vet check and she remained relaxed the rest of the day.
Anyway, this is getting longer than I figured on. The point I was trying to make is that for me pacing, particularly pacing on a tuf ride has nothing to do with pace at all. It has everything to do with effort level. Any of you that have climbed a hill afoot knows the effort involved. For you 50 mile riders imagine climbing that last pull (the quad track) to the summit with a big pack on yer back and that gives you a feel for the effort involved on yer horses part.
The tortoise doesn’t always win. Sometimes the hare has a dynamite horse under em. it can be really hard, no impossible to overcome the dynamite horse. I think overall though the tortoise approach on a tuf ride will serve most horses and riders better Allowing them to easily and efficiently complete the trail.
BTW- I hate throwing out a thought that receives dead air. I am sure you riders have had experiences like this and here is your place to share those experiences, along with nuggets from those experiences that you used on later rides. For me the EDRA way is to share info and help your fellow riders in any way you can. I feel that informed riders will have better success (whatever your definition of success is) and with more success have a more enjoyable experience.
Who doesn’t want that?
Giddyup