Where we train (to Louie)

[guest@endurance.net]

karen standefer hrschk@yahoo.com
Hi, LuAnn.  Good question.  I believe we're pretty much all over.  I live
in the PNW (west side) and train in the foothills of the Cascades in
logging areas where we have no trails (in the winter other than a few
short ones that are gravelled), but only hard pan logging roads covered
with various rocks.  The ground is very concussive and my friends with
shod horses seldom go competition speeds for very long on these roads
(fear of too much concussion on the legs).  We have a couple of roads that
are covered in 2" crush (granite type rocks with sharp, pointy edges) that
we canter up and trot down (they're on hills).  Then, I have MILES and
MILES of railroad grade which is also hardpan (large round rocks to make a
hard, firm surface underneath) with 5/8" crushed gravel on top.  This is
the softest ground that we have to work on.  The horses extend their trots
and canter/hand gallop on this surface which is what we use to self trim
their toes back.

I try to get at least 5 miles on pavement a week.  The pavement is a nice,
level, hard surface that compacts the tubules in the hoof and makes the
hoof more dense and hard and able to withstand many miles without wearing.
It also serves to help decontract contracted hooves.  The wet weather also
helps when running on pavement as it helps the hoof to decontract.  The
only place my horse's hooves wear on pavement is at the toe if they're too
long.

Approximately once a month I go over to the east side to ride in an area
just a bit W of where the Wild Winds ride was held  because there is a lot
of varied terrain.  There are harsh rocks, lava rocks, gravel, soft trails
and sand dunes there so my horse can get a varied terrain and work in some
softer soil.

Thanks for the question.

Karen




LuAnn Rod louie@gomontana.com
	I'm following this barefoot thread with interest, but I have one request.
It would be immensely helpful to know what area of the country barefoot
proponents and opponents are riding in.

	I know that in the area of Minnesota where I grew up, the idea of riding
barefoot all the time, even endurance, doesn't seem impossible, not easy,
but not impossible. But after living in the West for 20 years, riding
endurance barefoot here in my part of Montana where they gravel the roads
with boulders over ground so hard that riding on asphalt is a forgiving
surface, seems foolhardy. And these horses live 24/7 on rock strewn
pasture.

	This discussion, for the sake of newbies to the sport and to horses in
general, could use that extra information.

	Just a lurker,

	Louie
	Bozeman, Montana