June 2005

AERC VICE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Longevity or top 10?

By Mike Maul, AERC Vice President

Longevity or top 10: are those mutually exclusive goals? Certainly for a few exceptional horses like Rio, Kahlil Khai, Sha-win, RT Muffin, Pandora's Pixy, or Zayante, they are not. But what about the rest of our equine partners in endurance?

One look at this is the decade team idea discussed in the January and February 2004 issues of Endurance News and at the AERC website: www.aerc.org/long_table_list.asp.

The concept is very simple. "These riders have ridden their own horse every year in a 50 mile and up endurance ride for at least 10 ride seasons." About 75 of these riders who competed during the 12-year period from 1993 to the present were interviewed to get their thoughts about what enabled them to continue so long and so successfully with one horse. The interviews, compiled by Karen Chaton, contain many useful insights that are worth reading by both the experienced and beginning rider.

The interviews included questions relating to longevity: how many rides they did the first three ride seasons, how long until they top tenned or raced, how much time off they give between ride seasons, if they have done multidays, time off between multiday rides, and what are the most important lessons they learned along the way.

Most of the horses that are part of the decade teams do not top 10 very much of the time. Typically their lifetime mileage is greater than 4,000, up to a high of 15,000 miles. The proportion of Arabians and Arabian crosses is even higher than the typical one found for our equines -- 90% Arabians or Arabian crosses. About 10% of these horses started when they were 4 years old, 30% started when they were 5, and the remaining 60% were 6 years or older. There may be something to starting later for longevity. About 10% were mares.

Although it's certainly not a startling conclusion, these interviews indicate that longevity comes from taking your time with your horse, starting later rather than earlier, and riding within the horse's limits. It's a very worthwhile goal that the decade team interviews recognize. It's one that I'd like to attain.

Many of the interviews have good quotes. Here's one of the more recent ones, from Suzanne Pindar, that seems important for a number of these riders. It can also be important to the rest of us.

"Don't let your competitiveness carry you away. Put the horse's well-being before your own. If you think your horse is off . . . he is. And, realize that at this time next year (or possibly even next month) no one is likely to remember, or care, where you placed at this ride or any other ride. So, take advantage of opportunities as they come but don't spend your time worrying over placings at a ride or push too hard to try to make something happen. The things that people will remember are how you treat others and how you treat your horse."

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