improving ridecamp and HRM

["Tina Hicks" <tina@autoairbagcovers.com>]

I've been reading these replies with great interest - hoping to catch  some magic Thing that will make me go faster, better, farther,  whatever.... but, alas, there isn't one :) The folks that have posted do  the same things I do, errr, rather I do the same things they do. The  basics seem to be ride a bunch when you're first starting one, don't  ride fast early on in the horse's career, and pick one that has good  conformation and feet. Most of the other stuff like feeding,  electrolytes, supplements, shoeing, wrapping, and tack are all a  crap shoot and what I am doing or not doing is just as likely to work  as what someone else is (or isn't) doing.

I have noticed one common thread here though - do many folks  actually ride with a HRM after they've had one a while? Sorry, Roger  :)...I got mine in 1996 during my first year cuz Samm had one and  since she was letting me tag along I had to have what she had :).

I used it religiously for about a year - every training ride, every  endurance ride. I knew every time his heart rate did this or that.  Then something happened and I started leaving it in the barn but still  used it at rides. Then I didn't put it on one time at a ride about 2  years ago and haven't used it at a ride since and haven't missed the  readings of 267 :)

Now if I'm ever riding Top Ten I might drag it back out as it is very  nice for seeing when your horse is down or if he's down when  you're walking in.

Don't get me wrong they are invaluable tools and I'll never get rid of  mine as there will always be a time to use it - it just struck me as odd  that there was that common theme throughout the posts to Karen's  questions.

Tina - 1200 miles
tina@autoairbagcovers.com