tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post2135212779593233152..comments2023-09-09T05:35:11.672-07:00Comments on Boots and Saddles: Why yes I *DO* have a 50 this weekendMelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16627065628317652042noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-40553058849653034362013-12-01T16:22:09.737-08:002013-12-01T16:22:09.737-08:00LOL - I won't admit to how many times I've...LOL - I won't admit to how many times I've done naval gazing comments and then deleted them or decided to just write a blog post about it. Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627065628317652042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-25075680151543651172013-12-01T16:12:17.510-08:002013-12-01T16:12:17.510-08:00It makes a lot of sense -- the risk/benefit ratio ...It makes a lot of sense -- the risk/benefit ratio and the stepping-stone issue, in particular, resonate for me -- and I appreciate you taking the time to write out such a thorough reply!<br /><br />...and I wrote out a bunch of stuff about fear and horses that I think is actually more navel-gazing than it is conversation. So I have deleted it. Onward. :-pHannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237668899993749427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-72395947989864767662013-11-30T09:28:06.935-08:002013-11-30T09:28:06.935-08:00does this make sense? One reason (besides the deca...does this make sense? One reason (besides the decade team) that I'm doing the 50 tomorrow is because there is a chance I *may* be doing a 65 or 100 in Februrary so technically I do need this 50 as a stepping stone - the problem is that I'm not sure enough about my plans to make it real enough to make this 50 mean something to me. <br /><br />If you look back at my blog and ride history.....you will see that all of my shorter rides (under 100 miles) are all on their way to a 100!!!!! I can't think of one that I did just to do a 50......Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627065628317652042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-88188418039802697562013-11-30T09:25:02.987-08:002013-11-30T09:25:02.987-08:00since Minx slipped and fell on me and almost rolle...since Minx slipped and fell on me and almost rolled over the top of me. Add on top of that my ongoing fear of whether I'm doing right by my horse. <br /><br />I am a fearful person that spends a lot of time letting fear dictate what I should do or not do, and 50's have always been borderline for me even without the added complication of physical pain. - I LOVE endurance because of the 100's. The excitement and challenge of a 100 is more than enough to neutralize any fear. I've done a lot of different horse sports - cavalry type events, jumping, dressage, civil war reenacting, poker rides, polo and NONE of them compare to endurance and ride and tie. <br /><br />So why the enuthasiasm for ride and tie over a 50? (and equal to a 100) - because I can be competitive without worrying about the horse. The horse is getting a break every 2 runs or so, and the course is much shorter. <br /><br />Ride and tie: The risk is very low and the reward is moderate. <br /><br />100 mile: the risk is high and the reward is GREAT<br /><br />50 mile: the risk is moderate the reward is moderate. <br /><br />Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627065628317652042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-31282349107215923282013-11-30T09:11:08.755-08:002013-11-30T09:11:08.755-08:00I love riding hundreds, but I've always been &...I love riding hundreds, but I've always been "eh" about the shorter distances unless they were stepping stones to something else. I'm over Tevis for a couple of years probably for a lot of different reasons, but I have other hundreds planned next year which means I really do need to ride fifties since I don't condition enough at home. I've always had a love hate relationship with rides. Starts scare the crap out of me. Crappy footing is a trigger for anxiety everMelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16627065628317652042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-13787769975612165082013-11-30T07:49:41.567-08:002013-11-30T07:49:41.567-08:00You know, I had kind of wondered how much of your ...You know, I had kind of wondered how much of your enthusiasm for Ride & Tie was because Ride & Tie is awesome and how much was maybe because you were kind of feeling done with endurance for whatever reason. And then I told myself I was reading way too much subtext into a couple of blog posts. :-p But yeah. Not that horse sports need to be a zero-sum game, but the vibe was there.<br /><br />I know you decided to go to the 50, and I hope it goes great and that figuring out this piece of where your head is at proves useful in getting your head to wherever you want it to be! I look forward to the ride report and I feel certain that if and when you want to get back with the endurance thing, you will figure out how to make it work in more happy-making and sustainable fashion.<br /><br />But I wanted to say, when I thought I'd be commenting sooner, that if you want to take a break and do some other stuff for a while? That is okay, too. The cool thing about horse sports is that they'll be there later, and that good horse-sport friends have a way of being just, y'know, good friends, and they'll be there, too, even if you're doing other stuff for a while. And while there is definitely something to be said for carpe-ing diems while you have "THE HORSE," there's also something to be said for branching out with your horse-buddy, too.<br /><br />So I mean, it sounds like you've got it figured out and so maybe you don't need to hear this. But I thought through it, so I figured I'd post it just in case. Whatever you decide will be right.Hannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12237668899993749427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-85377579836483570422013-11-28T10:02:16.960-08:002013-11-28T10:02:16.960-08:00I was waiting to see if you'd tell us or just ...I was waiting to see if you'd tell us or just sneak off! Have a great FUN time, you deserve it!irish horsehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11289040711028666546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-7778537706621371122013-11-28T07:05:57.069-08:002013-11-28T07:05:57.069-08:00Woooo GO GO GO Mel and Farley! Mental demons be da...Woooo GO GO GO Mel and Farley! Mental demons be damned. I won't be there puking my guts out in support so you'll just have to have a fabulous ride and finish feeling wonderful :-)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01344662726517478751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-58930042833581742112013-11-28T04:30:22.201-08:002013-11-28T04:30:22.201-08:00This may seem kind of random, but when I worked at...This may seem kind of random, but when I worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken in high school, one of the trainers I had said that one negative experience needs to be overcome by 12-13 positive ones before the negativity is completely erased. Of course, the message was, don't give the customers a negative experience in the first place, or they may never come back to get positive experiences. But, I've thought a lot about that training lesson throughout my life, and I think it's true for more than fast food experience.<br /><br />Everyone thinks that because I grew up in ND, I should be completely comfortable with extremely cold weather. In fact, the opposite is true. I hate all temperatures below 50 degrees, especially if rain is involved, because I spent so much of my life freezing my ass off, that even the look of cold outside makes me want to stay in. It is incredibly hard for me to ride in the cold, and I struggle with motivation every winter.<br /><br />Anyway, I guess what I really wanted to say is that I very much understand how you could feel the way you do, and I hope that you are able to go on the ride this weekend and have fun!Gailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17080104319886657109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1963277636652034473.post-86128858434322322752013-11-27T19:26:11.981-08:002013-11-27T19:26:11.981-08:00YAAAAY! I really didn't want to have to detou...YAAAAY! I really didn't want to have to detour over to smack you. It's gonna be awesome.Funderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06358687366401205336noreply@blogger.com