Who does CTR?

[Paso Matchmaker Extraordinaire]

I want to hear from our CTR folks.

*Information complied from this thread may be used in an upcoming ShowTime article, so lets talk about ...


1.What is this sport?
2. Why are our horses good at it?
3. Tell us about your horses and their achievments in this sport.
4. How we can market our horses in this area.

[sporthorse]

CTRs (competitive trail rides) have their roots in the calvary days when the soldiers were expected to take total care of their horses on the trail during campaigns. They covered many miles each day and everything they needed had to be carried on their person or on the horse. The better care they took of the horse, obviously, they further they would get and have a sound mount at all times. Today, CTR is usually 25-35 miles in day. There are also a few rides that are 3 day (say, 40-40-20 for a total of 100 miles over 3 days). I am not the most experienced in CTR as I do mostly endurance rides. Have done only 9 over the past decade. In my opinion they are more subjective than endurance since they are more judged rides than are endurance rides. In endurance if you finish fit to continue you're done. In CTR there are a lot more stringent exams and every little blemish and change from the pre to the post ride vet check is noted and points taken off for any changes. Some CTRs also have a horsemanship component where the rider is judged on his/her care of the horse and the neatness and safety of the campsite. No one else can help you with your horse from the time you check in the day before the ride to the final vet check after the ride. In endurance people have "pit crews" to help them; no such luxery in CTR. Unlike endurance, you have to complete the ride in a preset "window". If you finish too fast, points are taken off or you are eliminated; same for taking too long. CTR can be a good venue for our horses. Because of the "window" it really doesn't matter whether you have a fast horse or not, unlike if you expect to win or place in endurance where the fastest to complete sound wins. My stallion, Leo, has done well on the 9 rides he's done, placing on half of them, reserve in the gaited division once. Any horse in good condition and well-cared for certainly has a good chance of placing in the sport as do the riders; I have won or placed in horsemanship 2-3 times out of 9 rides. It's a great way to learn about distance riding and how to take care of you, the horse and the campsite to make it safe. The way to market our horses is to get out there and do it!! :lol: plain and simple. I see no other way. Currently in FL there are probably 4-6 Pasos consistently competing in CTR. A few more are competing in endurance and many of us will do both. I plan to do 2-3 CTRs with Leo and Pocita this coming year and Ed may do a couple on Obi in addition to the 10-14 endurance rides we usually do. The distance rider group likes to see horses that compete over many years; no flashes in the pan and burn outs need apply. It's best to keep getting out there and competing than to worry about winning or placing. Lindsay

[CarolU]

I did a CTR this year and I have to agree that they really showcase our breed well. You do need to condition well for them and Pasos are a dream come true on them...lots of brio and comfort. I could have sold Zar about 10 times (yeah, like I would!).

I didn't like the CTR personally. I had to stay in a camp to be judged on my horsemanship. That put me in proximity of many other campers and I have asthma. The campfires about killed me.

I would gladly go with the people (lots of fun, nice people) and ride again, just not the CTR part (will ride Safety). I just can't stay in campgrounds.

Beverly Frick is a good friend and competed in the Texas area for years in CTR. She did great and had a ball. Anyone in that area should contact her if they want to try this...she has OODLES of great advice.

[GeorgeGuns]

I can't answer the first three questions as I haven't yet done CTR/ER with a Paso, but sure hope to!

As to marketting this aspect: Magazines are about the best way to reach people. I think what might get folks thinking is a series, with interviews with a handful of Paso ER/CTR folks, broken up into Why a Paso, Prepping the Paso (conditioning), at Ride with a Paso, and After the Ride. If this were done with each topic in a new issue, (I'd suggest Trail Rider &/or Gaited Horse) I think the word would get out plenty. Also, many of the ride organizations have publications/newsletters - get your ride story in to them!!!
Trying to market in a non-competative ride milieu like a show oriented magazine isn't going to get the attention of as many TRAIL riders.

Wasn't Al Berry supposed to be working on a competative ride show for RFD? If not, he oughtta!

[nosnow]

a friend rides CTR & says that PFs dont do well because they naturally tend to have a higher resting heart rate compared to other breeds. She says many PFs dont pass vet checks although they appear fine. Is that true? If thats the case shouldnt they judge them differenly from other breeds?

[sporthorse]

It should not matter what the initial vetting in resting heart rate is. Leo's runs in the 30s, sometimes in the 40s, at vet in. They are supposed to be looking at any changes that occur from baseline, i.e. pulse at finish way higher than at vet in, pulse after CRI (cardiac recovery index) not dropping to the same point (or lower) it was at rest just before trot out within one minute,etc. Pasos' respirations may also be higher, but again, unless this is a significant change from baseline, it should not be a negative. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to get the vets and judges over the "Arabian" Syndrome. As more and more horses of other breeds enter the distance sports these folks are just going to have to get with the program and realize that Arabians are not only horses that can do this. It's really their responsibilty to become more knowledgable, but unfortunately, IMO, many don't want to be bothered and just mark off if they can't figure out the gait or the pulse or whatever. I actualy had one vet tell me at a ride within the last year, "Well, I'm sure he's not lame, but he doesn't trot (like Arabians) so I'm just going to give him a B on gait". How unprofessional and lazy can you be??? WE just have to get ouot htere and do it and educate where we can (nicely). Ed and I have gotten pretty good at this over the years. Sometimes it 's frustrating, but really see no other way. As more and more vets see us and work with us it will get easier, but that's not going to happen real fast everywhere.

I forgot to mention in my original post that the Paso Corto is great for CTR because it's usually around 6-7 miles per hour in trail (not necessarily in show) Pasos which is about the pace you need to maintain to complete a CTR within the alloted time.

Lindsay

[Tricolorpaso]

Sporthorse , I hope you gave that person an education , how uneducated can they be , if he cannot tell a lame horse from a gaited horse ,and thinks that your horse is suppsoed to trot , he does not need to be juding the event anyways. But one day , I believe Pasos will overwelm the CTR
Tricolorpaso

[CarolU]

You need to fix your avatar...it throws the page off. They can only be 80 pixels x 80 pixels.

If you dont' have a program that'll do that, I will be glad to do it for you. Send me your e-mail addrees....mine is pasobaby(AT)yahoo.com

[CarolU]

BTW - the CTR in our Region attracts mostly TWHs and Foxtrotters. We all agree, you're crazy to ride a trotting horse in one. I could have sold Zar a dozen times last year at the CTR we went on.

[cowboy ed]

i do CTR. i have done rides sanctioned by the North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC), and rides sanctioned by South Eastern Distance Riders Association (SEDRA).

CTR is a timed event over a marked course. the NATRC sponsored rides also include obstacles and other tests such as judged mount and dismount. the obstacles might include such things as sidepassing over a log, backing between trees, or even such things as towing a small boat (with the horsemanship judge in it!) across a creek! CTR events are scored by a veterinarian judge and a horsemanship judge. some events also have a special awards judge. a lot of emphasis is placed on grooming, conditioning and presentation of the horse. in the ctr judging, all participants begin with 100 pts. contestants are judged by the veterinary judge and horsemanship judge, then points are deducted based on the judges assesment. it is indeed possible to have no deductions, and attain a perfect score of 100. if there is a special awards judge, that judge may give such awards as best trail horse or best rookie horse.

the veterinary criteria is usually a bit stricter than endurance riding. for example, in NATRC rides, points are deducted if the horse's pulse rate exceeds 48 beats per minute following a ten minute rest period after covering part of the course. in SEDRA rides, the baseline pulse rate is 64, and must be met after a 10 minute rest period.
the veterinary judge also inspects the horse before and after the ride for any tack rubs or wounds, as well as lameness or soreness in any areas.
another difference between CTR and endurance rides is that in CTR, at all times you must remain on your horse while making forward motion on the course. in other words, you are not allowed to dismount and walk with your horse. the horsemanship judge scores the rider on equitation, trail etiquette, grooming, tidiness of the stall area or campsite, and handling of the horse.

all breeds of horses compete in CTR. last year, i rode my andalusian stallion in several CTRs, and plan to use him again this year. paso finos generally do very well in this sport because it is a timed event over a marked course. in general, an average speed of between 4-6 mph is ideal to complete the course in the required time. this is a very comfortable speed for the paso fino horse, requiring little effort. most paso fino horses, if properly conditioned and trained, do very well at meeting the pulse and respiration requirements of the CTR judge.

my wife and i have competed in CTR since 1999. in our very first CTR, two of our friends rode with us, and all four of us rode paso fino horses. the ride was the River Rise CTR at Oleno State Park near high springs, florida. the ride was 35 miles. when we did the preliminary judging and vet check, several of the other riders told us that paso finos usually didnt do very well at CTR. the horsemanship judge also told us that she had a bad experience with some paso finos at a previous ride. so we just got out there, had a good time and rode the way we planned. to our surprise, when the awards were passed out, my wife and our two friends all won placement awards, and my wife's horse attained a perfect score from the veterinary judge. the horsemanship judge told me later that she was very impressed with how well our horses behaved.

one of my best CTR horses was my paso fino gelding Starbuck, who won the PFHA Competitive Trail Horse of the Year award in 2002.