Thursday, January 01, 1998

100 Mile Rides

The following questions were asked, and various responses from riders were given.

Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?

NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.

Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?

Do you tail?, and why?

What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?

In response to Roger`s questions:
Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?

I mostly post but sometimes stand in the stirrups. When standing (2 point) I try to relax my hip joints and allow them to absorb the up and down motion of the horse. This is a centered riding technique. Sometimes I`m successfull at doing it but when fatigued I unfortunately can be all over the place. I don`t sit the trot in an endurance ride. Sometimes when fatigue is setting in, I get off and walk or jog to try to loosen up and use other muscles.

NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.

One of the comments that Donna Snyder-Smith has had about this is when you are slightly up and out of the saddle you have all of your weight in the stirrups. Therefore your weight is all on the stirrup bars, two small spots on the saddle.

Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?

Sort of, but not intentionally. By the end of a 100 miler I`m usually beat. I`ve only completed three but they weren`t very easy and I was very tired at the end. I`m sure that my riding by that time is pretty sloppy. Ideally I would like to be riding as balanced at the end of a ride as I was at the beginning (wouldn`t we all?).

Do you tail?, and why?

I have done some tailing but one reason I haven`t done a lot is my own physical condition. When I did Tevis in 1993, I was only off the horse on downhills. With the heat, terrain, distance, and time on the trail (4:00 am finish), I knew that Warpaint could handle the trail better than I could. If I had tried to tail up some of those canyons I don`t think I would have finished the ride. As it was, I was throwing up from Francisco`s on in and was able to make it because I didn`t have a headache along with my sick stomach. (I can tolerate a lot, but that combo would have done me in). I am planning on doing a lot more tailing in the future and have been working on my own physical fitness to achieve this. I believe it has to be easier on the horse to not deal with the extra weight and imbalances of a rider.

What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?

I don`t know why I want to do 100s. When I`m out there I think I`m nuts. When I`m done and my horse is looking good, I feel like we`ve really accomplished something (I don`t know if Warpaint cares but I do know he likes to go). One thing I find in myself that it takes to do 100s is an attitude about finishing. I don`t quit. If there is a problem with the horse I don`t have any problem stopping, but if I`m tired of riding or just plain sleepy I ignore it. I think "I didn`t come this far and invest this much effort to give up now". The first 100 I did at Mt. Diablo in Ca., I was the last rider to finish. I spent the last 20 miles in the dark (overcast, no moonlight), wondering why I wanted to do this, thinking no way did I want to try Tevis and throwing up my Chinese food dinner that I had wanted so badly at the last vet check. But as crappy as I felt, there was no way I would have quit because then I would had suffered for nothing. When I finally finished at 1:00 am (with the drag truck practically pushing me down the trail), I told the vets that if they didn`t give us a completion, I was real sorry but I`d have to kill them. The horse looked great. In our team, I am the weak link (I`m trying to fix this). If you are going to take that leap, I would suggest finding a fairly easy 100 and someone to ride with. Riding with someone through the night makes a big difference. Take care of yourself (hydration, food, etc) as well as you take care of your horse. If you are interested you should at least try it once!

Judy Long
Hayward, California

Roger -
My first hundred was wonderful!! You should try it!! At about 80 miles the vet asked how things were going and I replied, "Great, this is so much fun!" and with a twinkle in his eye he mumbled "As if you had good sense..." Doing a 100-miler is all in the attitude (and of course the conditioned horse...but we`re just talking the rider`s mentality here). I ride from one check to the next, never thinking about how far the entire ride is. Focus may be a good word. Focus on the now and what you can do to help your horse and yourself every step of the way. I get so focused it is all over before I know it! (Except it was hard to focus at 11 pm when my batteries went dead on my headlamp! It was a bit spooky out there, as a matter of fact. Sure glad my friend`s light worked!)

I ride mostly 2-point, occassionaly post for a little variety. I practice centered riding and loose in the joints, hips, knees, ankles to help absorb the shock rather than pounding on the horse`s back. Donna Snyder-Smith is fabulous at getting lessons across and has helped me tremendously.

Tailing wakes up your own muscles - you know how they can become numb and stiff. Tailing is rewarding - especially after you manage to struggle back up on your horse after a long haul up a hill.

If my horse needs to walk (because of terrain or to rest a little) I get off and walk. It helps me stay alert. It rejuvenants the rider`s body.

GenieSS

Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?

I post at the trot most of the time. It seems easier on me and the horse. Standing in the stirrups cuts off the circulation to the bottom of your feet. Depending on what type of saddle you ride, standing in the stirrups puts more pressure behind the wither area where your stirrup leathers attach. I certainly don`t sit the trot, not on my horse.

NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.

At the walk I do sit the horse. Years ago (I have been at this since 1972) everyone was taught to stand (slightly) at the walk, trot or canter. I do find that I am very uncomfortable standing all of the time, not to mention I don`t think it is good for the horse. You are rigid and not going with the horse`s motion (at walk). You can be "light in the saddle" without standing or being slightly out of the saddle. The more we learn, the better riders we become.

Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?

I do not change my riding style during a 100 miler. I have ridden and completed the Tevis four times and the Nevada All State once. I sure learned as I went. Plenty of fluids, electrolytes, water and good nourishment along the way. I ride the hundreds the same way I ride NATRC. On the Tevis your ATTITUDE is very important. It is more of a mental ride than anything. I look forward to this ride every year (six more times, then we will re-evaluate). The scenery is beautiful. I have met some wonderful people on the trail. I actually prefer to ride alone, just me and my horse. We have a great time together, even in the dark. Preriding the last ten or fifteen miles is helpful. As the day comes to an end, when the horse realizes where he/she is, they will pick up more momentum. They know home isn`t far away. I do ride the whole way, only getting off to stretch my legs occasionally. Also a good crew is essential. I have had the crew from hell, but we survived in spite of them. And I have the best crew. That makes it a joy to come into a stop knowing everyone knows what to do.

Do you tail?, and why?

I don`t tail. Probably because I am not in shape to walk up those hills (to Devil`s Thumb/American River Canyon) on the Tevis. I am inclined to think that you would lose a few IQ points. Tailing does save the horse, but you have to be in shape to do it. You don`t do the horse any good if you are wiped out after tailing.

What does it take to make that leap, or is it just a bigggg step?

I rode CP NATRC on this horse for the first year, then open for a year, then some 50s and then Tevis (100 miler). Just ride it like you do an Open NATRC ride and you will do fine.

If you need further info, e-mail me at sleeeker@garlic.com

Actually, I did the Big Creek 70 and a two day hundred before I tried a 1 day 100. It would be a good way to go. A 70 or 75 would give you some experience riding at night (depending on your speed) and an idea of how you and your horse would do. It would also make it a smaller leap! A 2 day 100 isn`t quite as close to the experience of a 1 day 100 as a 70 is but it is a good test of what you and your horse can do.

I think the Big Creek is currently scheduled for the middle of May. It is a tough ride when the weather is cool. I guess last year it was moved to June and had some terribly hot weather and a variety of disasters. Hopefully the weather will be good this year.

Judy Long
Hayward, California

Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?

All the above. But we actally don`t trot that much and Misty`s trot is so smooth I usuall just sit. As one poster pointed out earlier, I don`t really stand I come up slightly out of the saddle and rest on the endside of my thights with little weight in the stirrups. At the gallop I move with the horse or sit depending on the speed.

As far as tailing - only if Misty is tired and needs the break. I pretty much play that by the HRM. At the Big South Fork last Oct I tailed up the hill into the third vet check at 42 miles. We had just gallop most of the last 10 miles so I thought she needed the rest - should have looked at the monitor first. We got to the plateau on the climb and I wanted to get back on. Now getting on a 16-2 horse is always a treat, but one that wants to "get on with it" so she can cover ground is not my idea of a good time. So we spent about 10 minutes of her wanting to go and me wanting her to stand still so I could get on. Alas, after 10 minutes I just gave up and did my best "cowboy flying mount" and we were off again.

Truman

Tailing--only if the hill is really, really, really steep or really steep and really, really long. (The key here is 3 really`s, and keep in mind I ride in Colorado and Wyoming). If it`s not a hill that`s going to plumb tucker your horse out, you`ll have a hard time getting back on at the top. If you`re a featherweight rider you shouldn`t bother getting off on the uphill. I get off much more often on the downhill than on the uphill.

Standing--I think is a no-no. I define standing as putting all your weight in the stirups. However, a balanced two-point, with your center over and not forward of the horse`s center and your weight distributed from thigh through calf is good on the uphill. Not on the flat.

Posting--Most definately--if you do it right. Keep your calf on, stay centered and balanced and don`t use the stirups as weight bearing objects.

Linda Van Ceylon
lvanceylon@vines.colostate.edu
phone: 970-226-1099

Do you sit the trot, stand in the stirups, post, none of the above?

I tend to post the big trots, stand the rough ground trots and sit the easy trots.

NATRC judges in general have in the past expected people to be slightly up out of the saddle. That seems to be changing slowly.

I still get up and out on really steep up and rough terrain. I don`t feel good staying down but I`m not completely out of the saddle either.

Do you change your riding style during a 100 miler?

Haven`t done one so I don`t know. The longest I`ve done is a 2 day 100+ mile ride in NATRC. (years ago before the distances changed.) I rode the same way both days.

Oogie McGuire - oogiem@dsrtweyr.com
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