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From: THE UK MUSHER
Date: 8/21/00
Time: 1:19:32 PM
Remote Name: 194.159.221.56
Hello Cariad, there has always been a debate going on in the UK about the distances that our teams should run. We do not have the benefit of your colder climate which is the major factor. All the races (54 2day races in total) held in the UK last season were held on dirt trails using rigs, or gigs as you call them. This is the main reason that nearly all the races at present are based on 1 mile per dog, ie. 4 dogs-4miles. Some races are slightly longer and some shorter. The longest race I have done with a 6 dog team was 10 miles. We do have treks that are a longer distance, upto 25 miles, but these are not timed so as not to push the dogs into heat exhaustion. There is an understanding on dog walfare issues that with our greater risk of overheating and that because our dogs shoulders and feet take a greater pounding than teams running on snow, that the distances for races are kept short. This race format has influenced the look of our dogs compared to what was originally imported from US show lines 30 odd years ago. Racing has been very beneficial in that respect. The fastest 6 dog Siberian husky teams in the UK can average 20 mph over a 6 mile course! Not bad for Kennal Club registered dogs. My own feelings on distance are mixed. I would like to race over longer distances sometimes, maybe twice the distance that we race over at present. There are a couple of things that hold me back as a racer and organiser. Firstly, I would not like to injure, or shorten my dogs working life because of our unforgiving hard trails and MY desire to go further. Secondly, as most of our race championships are short sprint based, I would not like to spend the off season training my dogs to go distance at a slower overall pace and then have no distance races to go to. Catch 22 really. I do feel it is a shame that alot of mushers in the US and Europe rubbish the Siberian Husky. It is human nature for people have short memories, they do forget that they were the GSP or Eurohound of their time 70 years ago. We do have alot to thank them for. But as racing becomes more commercial and big business, speed is more important. I suppose I, like many mushers in the UK, are in a bit of a time warp. I grew up watching old women walking around with their Yorkshire terriers wearing little tartan jackets to keep them warm. I feel this is not something a sled dog should need. I can see what alot of the thinking behind Alaskan Huskies was to breed out the safety switch which a Siberian has in it's head, yet have a dog that will still survive in the cold. Would I swap them for a modern faster breed? When Hell freezes over!