RE: Conditioning Question

[Wendy Milner <wmilner@verinet.com>]

>I got this from the FAQ, one of Wendy Milner's posts.
Well, since I wrote it, I suppose I should respond:-)

What is the age of your horse? And under what conditions did the horse grow
up in? What has the horse been doing up to now?

A very young horse that gets to play in pasture is going to start the building
up of the bones and tissues all by himself. The AERC has a minimum age for
horses that are doing 50s for a good reason. The young horse is still growing
and doing 50 on a young horse could damage them. - *Young* can vary from
horse to horse so I won't give an exact number:-)

So, you've been conditioning for example an 8 year old horse. You've put some
base on the horse for a year. The horse has stopped growing by now, and the 
slow work is adding density to the bones and strength to the soft tissues. 

As you continue to work your horse, the bones will gradually become denser.
Gradually increasing the intensity of the workout and the concussion
that the legs take will help this process. If you increase the work out
too much, or add too much concussion (such as cantering on a hard road),
you will hinder the development of the bones. 

The soft tissues such as tendons and ligaments are also continuing to
develop. You want them to be strong and flexible. If you push the work
too much, tears develop, spains and strains show up, wind puffs in
the joints, etc. For example, if you were a regular jogger, and 
suddenly decided to run in the sand, you would feel the work in your
legs even if you did not run as far or as fast. It's those soft tissues
complaining. To develop the soft tissues, work slowly on uneven
terrain, climb up and down mountains, and work in sand that isn't
too deep. Pushing the work causes damage that can take years to
correct - ask any one whose horse has pulled the suspensor ligament.


To increase the work for the coming year, first write down exactly
the miles and times that you have been doing this year. If you have
done endurance rides, put down those rides as well. 

1. Remember that the days off after a workout are just as important
as the days of work. Never condition 7 days a week every week.

2. Either 1- increase the miles that you ride by 10-20%
   or 2- decrease the time that you do the miles in by 10-20%.
   And you might add an extra day of rest after a long ride.

3. Be careful about pushing too much. Restrict the time spent
on hard roads. Really restrict the fast work on hard roads.

So if you have been doing a short 1 hour ride that is pretty
intense. Go out and do a 1 hour 10 minute ride at the same
intensity. 

Or take your 4 hour ride, and do the same number of miles only
now do it in 3 hours 40 minutes. 

If you have a day where you just go out and hack slowly down
the trail, keep doing that. It's good for the mind and body
of both horse and rider.

And have fun.

>Question 1:  Is the 5 years for bone strength anything to be =
>particularly concerned about? =20

>What I mean is, if I have already conditioned my horse for 1 year, in =
>year 2 i am going to do more of the same (regular work includes a lot of =
>walking up and down hills, some trotting on hard logging roads, some =
>cantering)   plus add a bit more speed.  Usually rides are 1 - 4 hours)  =
>So far, legs are clean after every ride.  Attitude is great.  What are =
>the risks associated with putting too much stress on the bones?

>Question 2:  2 years for medium to soft tissues, same question - what do =
>I need to look for?

-- 
Wendy
Dragon Crest Ranch
Some where near Masonville, Colorado

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