December 27, 2011

Distance Riding: From Start to Finish by Virginia Weisel Johnson and Thula Johnson

I finally got through most of Distance Riding: From Start to Finish by Virginia Weisel Johnson and Thula Johnson.  I think the reason the book did not initially resonate with my little brain was the narrative style of the writing in general.  A few things as I said previously I thought were kind of outdated.  Some of the general meat of the "process" of legging up would be useful information, but like most books in this genre the authors give you a loose framework and leave you there.  I'm coming to an understanding that the longer distances truly are not a "one size fits all" prospect, and there are so many variables in how a horse will respond to training that you don't find specific info out there (at least serious specificity in training regimen).  So much involves your resources (time and financial) and your end goals (LD, Endurance, racing, or completion).   For myself I want to build a horse as strong as I can, with an end game of completing, completing, completing.  The book was inspiring in that many horses of various breeds were documented as 50 and 100 mile horses.  In the time frame that this book was written, it seems the breeds participating were more diverse than you see today (in number).   Again, the mention of Appaloosa's as mainstream endurance horses kind of suprised me, but seems "back in the day" Appaloosas were pretty mainstream in endurance.  I wonder why they fell out of favor?    I give this book a thumbs up after all, but as light reading, not instructional. ~ E.G.

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