CONGRATULTIONS TO OUR 2004 GOLD MEDAL RIDERS!!

To be eligible for this award you must complete the following rides on the same horse:  Cuyama Oaks 3-day, 155 Miles.  Mt. Carmel 3-day, 155 Miles.  Cold Springs 5-day, 250 miles.  Bryce Canyon 5-day, 250 miles. Grand Canyon 5-day, 250 miles.  Total:  1060 Miles

LES CARR & TULIP

KAREN CHATON & GRANITE CHIEF

DAWN FOLKS & DESERT GOLD

Les Carr and Tulip

Barn name: Like Johnny Cash's song, "A boy named Sue."
Breed: Registered Morab
Horse & rider years in endurance & # of miles 
Tulip: 14,000 plus AERC miles.
Les Carr: Close to 40,000 AERC miles.
                 Prior to AERC, 10,000+ competitive NATRAC miles.

Which XP ride did you enjoy the most this year?
 
My philosophy of life is live in and enjoy the moment. In this respect, I enjoyed-for their own uniqueness-the moments of each XP ride.

Which ride did you find the most challenging, and why?
 
Quite accidentally, I found the Bryce Canyon XP to be the most challenging. While Tulip and I were walking around the rim of a mountain, five horses and riders in front of us became disconnected. This resulted in five riderless horses turning around, and in a state of panic galloping toward us, and bouncing off Tulip as they somehow got around Tulip and I. Tulip and I were barely able to hold our ground. Tulip deserves most of the credit. The five horses continued their gallop along the rim causing the two riders behind us to be disconnected from their horses. Now seven horses without riders were running wild on to different unflagged trails. Fortunately over a period of two days the seven horses were found unhurt with none of their riders having suffering injuries. I continued walking Tulip along the rim and attempted to calm down the riders who had lost their horses. Feeling blessed,Tulip and I completed the day's ride.
 
What do you feel is the most important thing you learned about yourself and your horse this past year?
 
This year reaffirmed for me that controlling one's own impulses is the real challenge. It is important to not fool yourself into believing that you have "super horse", and overly stressing your horse, particularly when your horse performs better than anticipated. When viewing trail ribbons, you should imagine seeing a big sign with the advice, "Curb Your Impulses". Not managing oneself results in an unmanaged horse-more likely to break down mentally and/or physically.

Is there anything you did this year that you would do differently next year? (or, if you had a chance to do this last year over again)?
 
Nothing related to Tulip and myself. However, when traveling with the truck and horsetrailer, I would have avoided wasting time and gassing up at Pilot gas stations given their lack of accessibility of diesel gas pumps and much hassle.
 
What do you think was the best thing that you did do?
 
Consistently and frequently monitoring and rechecking Tulip's feces (composition), urine (color), and pulse (base-level and recovery without use of a heart monitor).

What are your horses best qualities?
 
Tulip is self-governing-drinking much water and eager to eat. When experiencing rough ground, for example sharp stones, Tulip automatically walks. Tulip is the turtle rather than the rabbit. Some riders might find it boring to ride a highly cautious horse that consistently trots between 5 to 6 miles/hour. If not permitted to eat all along the trail, Tulip becomes quite grumpy. At lunch stops, Tulip prefers to eat the natural grass to be found, rather than his usual hay.
 
Did anything funny or strange happen on any of the rides this year?
 
Nothing strange other than surviving three riderless horses running into you and your horse on the narrow rim of a mountain. It was "strange" to be in a situation with no where to go but straight down the side of the rim trail. Karen Chaton, a XP Gold Medal winner, rode in an impressive manner with good balance and exercising a caring manner toward her horse. I kidded her as being unpatriotic when-for a short while-she was not wearing, as usual, her American flag kerchief. Karen kidded me back and put back on her USA kerchief. I had the pleasure of riding the last 50 miles with Dawn Folks-another XP Gold Medal winner. Dawn consistently focused on maintaining her horse's good physical and mental condition. Dawn's humor and interesting comments were welcomed. Although I am a health services practioneer, given my advanced age, it was comforting to be riding with Dawn who is an ICU nurse. Endurance riding can be quite unpredictable in terms of trail happenings and surprises. 
 
Lessons to be Learned from the XP Rides: Given that I have ridden consistently each year, since 1963, 50,000+ miles (AERC and NATRAC)-and including (15) AERC 100 mile rides on 1 horse in 1 year; ridden three horses each over 10,000 miles; made all the usual mistakes of endurance riding; and ridden sanctioned rides throughout the U.S., I have some thoughts to share with my fellow riders.
 
I believe it would profit AERC to further study the "endurance culture" that is created by the XP management, namely Dr. David Nicholson (alias the Duck), his wife Ann, her mother Lavonne Booth (AERC Hall of Fame member), and David and Anne's children and friends-all contributing to the unique successes of the XP rides. The XP endurance culture involves many years of XP rides (dating back to 1983), thousands of miles of XP/AERC sanctioned miles, ridden by now thousands of AERC riders over the years-with an unusually small number of horses experiencing metabolic problems and very few horse deaths (less than a few). When compared to all classes of AERC rides (from backyard, to FEI, to rides with multiple vets and much pomp and circumstance), the XP rides (since 1983), have resulted in an extremely minimal number of horse and rider difficulties. Now why is that; this is worth studying in a scientific manner? My own observation is that the XP management has "somehow" created an "endurance culture" during the time of a particular XP multi-day ride that results in XP riders feeling and practicing a much greater sense of responsibility and self-discipline in managing their horses----in such a manner as to more likely prevent the usual array of metabolic problems and tragic horse deaths (much less in AERC rides as compared to other Equestrian sports).
 
We all recognize that it is the rider who has the primary responsibility for the "care and feeding" of his/her horse and managing one's horse along the endurance trail. In no way can the AERC vet be realistically expected to be there all along the ups and downs of the endurance trail. The endurance vet can never substitute for the moment to moment, as well as background knowledge, that the endurance rider should have of his/her horse. The ride management family of the XP multi-day rides deserves much credit for creating an exceptional XP adventure; but even more importantly, for creating an endurance culture that results statistically in comparatively greater safety, both for endurance horses and riders participating in actual AERC sanctioned competition. AERC's motto, "To finish Is To Win", can only result in greater horse and rider safety if the motto includes a ride management culture that somehow encourages riders practicing self-discipline and impulse control. Simply numbering horses, having an increasing multiplicity of vets and vet checks at a ride, having no dogs or no dogs not tied as permitted by ride management, and/or ride management increasing structures, rules, and controls---may not be the significant factors that will account for increased rider and horse safety. There are valuable lessons to be learned from studying the dynamics and successes of XP multi-day rides and its "endurance culture".

Karen Chaton & Granite Chief