I think you are right, pedalfaster....... I need to try one out in order to decide if it would be worth it for me. Maybe I also need to try a higher quality HT to see if that would suffice. I just need to find some short riders who have better bikes than I and borrow them for a couple rides....... Unfortunately, I can't think of anyone around here like that. Where is the demo you are going to this weekend?

Irulan, thank you so much for all the advice. It certainly helps! I think it will come down to what I said in the above paragraph. I need to test ride some actual bikes in actual off-road conditions and see what works for me. I hear what you are saying about letting the bike do all the work with an FS. I don't THINK I would do that. I sure don't do it now. My butt is rarely planted on the saddle! If the bike could just help out a bit on the really rough stuff, that would be great! Maybe give me enough confidence to ride stuff I don't do now. As for racing, any racing I do is purely for fun (such as it is) and to challenge myself. Still, I want to do as well as possible and be competitive in my age group. Sigh......... I am an age-grouper at this stage in my life.
But I am happy to be able to even do that!

I doubt I will do anything till early next year as far as buying a bike, so I will have some time to think about it and do more research and hopefullly, find some bikes to test ride. I wanted to start here because I know there's tons of helpful women and good advice on these boards. I've been reading long enough to trust in you people. So, I'll keep you posted and ask any questions as they come along.