Re: RC: Re: Long Slow Distance

[Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@mindspring.com>]

Yep good back conformation is a definate plus, but even with the best back
conformation, you can't plop 200 pounds on a 5 yo without a lot of saddle time
and expect them to go 50 miles down the trail without some strengthening and
training. If you take a 5 yo which has been doing ranch work for a year or so,
then you've already put a lot of training and strengthening into his back. The
fact I would believe that the type of riding a horse gets on ranch work would be
wonderful training for the back.

I tend to be fairly conservative when it comes to backs. Lots of saddle time
riding them balanced and rounded so then they first of all know how to best
carry themselves and are physically capable of doing it. This is especially true
if the back conformation is less than perfect.

Maybe a 105 pound rider can get away with less training and strengthening but
when you double that and it's getting up to close to 22 to 25 percent of the
horses weight, then it's a different story.

Try plopping a back pack 25% of your body weight on your back when you haven't
ever done it or it's been a long time and walking 20 miles back in the back
country.

This is ther reason why I feel good dressage training early with refreshers
often is one of the best things we can do for our horses' backs.

Cheers
Truman

Heidi Smith wrote:

>
> what the majority of horses in this country have.  And yes, Truman, every
> one had good back conformation and had already demonstrated that they could
> carry me comfortably with a rounded back.  Good back conformation is hard to
> find in Arabs (actually, in many breeds) today, and I think that is far more
> important in carrying a rider's weight than any magic number of miles.