Re: Conditioning Question

["Karen Sullivan" <greymare@jps.net>]

Hi Colleen-I don't think so-I wouldn't even take him 25 miles the first day!
Think about yourself-if you had been a couch potato, could you go out and
walk 10 miles for 5 days?  But..........I am of the opinion you can't take
an unfit horse out of pasture and do 25 miles without hurting him-I mean
it's just pure common sense.  Does this horse have any athletic base on him
at all?  Sounds like not.  Do you know anything about the terrain on this
trip?  Any climbing?

In my opinion, you would be stressing the horse-do you want to be out in the
middle of nowhere and end up with a colic, tie up, or lameness?  This horse
you just bought-don't you want to get to know this horse and all his
potential litle problems (how DOES he do in groups?) before asking something
like this?
You stand to ruin him physically, as well as mentally....

I see it all the time at Pt. Reyes-those that bring their horses out of
pasture and try to ride the 8 miles to the beach, over the ridge.
So.....only a 16 mile ride, right?  They are just going to
walk..........horses hit the hill back to camp in the afternoon in the hot
sun.......vet in in camp that night with horse on I.V. fluids treating
colics and tie-ups.

Just my opinion-wouldn't do it to a dog, either.

Karen

> Colleen McGraw pfarber-cmcgraw@ic.net
> Can I take an 8 year old 1/2 Arab gelding who has probably
> just been standing around most of his life (I just bought
> him) on a horse camping trip and ride him 25 miles a day
> for 5 days?  This is recreational riding--not competitive.
> Is this way too much work for an animal who hasn't had weeks
> of slow build-up?  It takes us about 6 hours to do the 25
> miles.
> Thanks, Colleen
>
>
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