Re: RC: Long term conditioning

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/6/00 7:13:59 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
provincmk@fanninelectric.com writes:

<< -since I have been reading (Dr. Deb Bennett) that horses' back mature even 
more slowly than I realized, I am not planning on "breaking" colts until they 
are four.   I have also been reading about the time needed condititioning.   
I am wondering if a set amount of "forced" exercise on a regular basis would 
held in the conditioning phase before the horse is trained.  What I have in 
mind is simply going to the pasture and chasing them about for a period of 
time.   Do you think this would help and do you have any input as to length 
of time, frequency, speed, etc? >>

While some sort of controlled conditioning would "speed things up," my 
question is--why would you want to?  Mental AND physical conditioning to 
reach peak performance both take some time, and the part of conditioning that 
takes the longest is bone density--which you aren't likely to get unless you 
actually go out and pony them.  When I start a youngster at 4, it will take 
until he is 7 to reach his peak in many ways, so other than having the leg up 
of not having him be a stall-and-paddock baby, I don't see a lot of point in 
chasing him around before that...

Heidi


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