Pushing the anaerobic threshold

["Maggie Mieske" <mmieske@netonecom.net>]

How important is it really to PUSH the anaerobic threshold in conditioning?  This is my dilemma... I have been riding and conditioning Malik this spring and in recent weeks (since Michigan decided it could finally have spring!), we have been getting pretty serious and achieving great success with better and better recoveries...I can bring him into whatever point my goal is at a gallop and before I can get off and get a stethoscope on him, he is down to 70 or less depending on the temperature, breeze, etc.  His working heart rate is less and less almost every time I ride him now.  Which is at least every other day anywhere from 8-15 miles and yesterday we went about 25.  His working trot runs about 95-100 and might go up to 105 up a grade.  His canter hovers at 105 and a good fast fartlek will get him up to about 115.  I took him to a sandy, hilly area yesterday to try and stress him enough to get his heart UP there...no luck.  He handles even the toughest grades and steepest hills without any trouble at all.  His heart rate still never went above 120.  Do I NEED to push the anaerobic threshold?  Can we achieve this conditioning just by going and competing at the rides?  We have been alternating loooong, slooooow rides of walking and trotting (mostly to try and build up that callus on my butt!) and short, fast, flatwork at a trot and canter with occasional fartleks.  He recovers almost immediately to 70 or below and within 1-2 minutes he is generally at 60, maybe less.  We can walk home the last half mile and he'll come in at 48 or 50.  Any thoughts, ideas, opinions are welcome.  I am pleased with his progress but am concerned that I am missing something...this seems too easy.  My other horses that I started out with took a LOT more work than this and we never achieved recoveried or working heart rates as great as this!   Perhaps the fact that he is a stallion and generally keeps himself pretty fit anyway helps more than I thought?  Thanks, fellow ridecampers! 

Maggie