Re: RC: [Fwd: RC: [Fwd: RC: Heartrates up to 220]]

[DreamWeaver <karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us>]

At 07:38 PM 2/9/00 +0100, Wolfgang Schwingenheuer wrote:
>Have you tried intervalls? If so, tell me more about them.

Yes, I suppose.  I will admit that I have not really put much seriousness 
into training or conditioning. (but now would be a good time to start, 
right?)  When I first started the horses we'd begin trotting for about 10 
minutes at a time.  Over time (years) we increased the length of time we 
were trotting and/or would add in hills, sand and varying speeds.  Now I 
generally go do a workout and keep their HR's up over 100 for 45 minute 
stretches.  Sometimes I don't have a great deal of time to train so I go 
out for an hour or hour and a half and we never stop trotting will we hit 
the pavement (on the road home).  I do try to get in at least one 3 hour 
ride a week, and 2-3 more shorter ones combined with their arena 
work.  (unless we're competing heavily, then everything changes)  I ride to 
complete miles but sometimes wonder not am I doing it wrong, but is there a 
better way.  Don't we all wonder that?

How many days per week do you train?

We do bursts of speed, however it's not on flat, because I really don't 
have a lot of flat.  It might seem flat but it's all gradual up or down.  I 
don't usually do 'straight' either since most of the trails I ride are 
single track and wind and curve all around thru the trees - but the horses 
can do flying lead changes and the way I ride thru there you definitely 
MUST wear a helmet!! <bg>  I have a couple of good 2 mile stretches where 
it is safe to gallop.  Even then we must be careful since there are so many 
motorcycles and mountain bike riders, and hikers, dogs and people target 
shooting.

>high maximum heartrate. So, readings of 200+ not scare me, as long as they 
>drop
>after a given time. I think it is impossible to get a hr of 200+ in the 
>flat. You
>have the mountains, so use them.

So would it be beneficial to go up really really steep hills and get their 
rates up for short bursts since on the hills that we can trot up we can't 
seem to get them up that high?  Whenever I ride with other horses that have 
HRM's on their rates are always up over 200 on these same hills.   I will 
try harder.

>In competition-ready fitness Ninja will do ~ 4 km in the flat at 130. Last 
>year in

How many miles is 4 km?  (I know there is a webpage that converts.......)

>Again, read Tom's book. Yes, your horses will benefit from that work. You 
>don't
>need more weight (can be dangerous depending on where you carry it) or a 
>whip to go
>faster. Use your hills. Do intervalls. And tell us about the results. You 
>will have
>an improvement within the first 4-5 weeks.

Okay, I'll see how it goes.  I'll try and work both horses and see how they 
improve compared to each other.  Right now they are both pretty similar in 
their abilities and recovery rates.

Just curious, Wolfgang, do you do very much walking for training?  Is that 
how you warm up, or do you warm up at a slow trot? I usually end up walking 
them home for 2 miles or more so they cool out this time of year (since 
it's below freezing at night), and since I've been riding them so much in 
the mud I have to walk them because it's dangerous to go down some of those 
hills any other way.

The last couple of weeks I've been riding quite a lot, nearly every day 
even when it's been really muddy.  I've been riding one horse and ponying 
the other one.  I've been watching them handle all the hills, both up and 
down and how they position themselves (the pony horse and the one I'm 
riding both) and comparing.  Interesting.  On some of the long downhills we 
trot the horses do get their rears under them but if we are moving out at a 
good speed they are definitely not level backed.  If we slow down they are 
able to get their rears under them even more, or if the hill is really 
steep (which also causes us to go slower).  Everything is really 
exaggerated when we are doing this and it is muddy, because in a way they 
are using the slippiness as we go down.  Whenever one of them comes close 
to 'losing it' they end up pretty much sitting down on their rears so I 
know they are utilizing the hindquarters well.

Thanx,

Karen
in NV
& Weaver....no no no don't tell her anything she'll make me work even harder!
& Rocky :+)

P.S.  Anybody else on RC planning on doing the 20 Mule Team 100 and having 
their horse tested in Dr. Fleming's Pride Project?  We have a team of 3 so 
far that are and need a 4th person!